Julia.

Time : 9:45 pm


Location : My spot on the couch

Weather : very agreeable, although it was tad chillier than normal today



One of my favourite things about Saturdays, are how I can wake up whenever I want, but I still get up at a respectable time.

An interesting bit of the morning, also a very small amount of the morning, was spent in the kitchen wit h Marie-Anne. I learned how to make Beouf Bourguignon. It is actually really simple.

en route to Aix

You start with a little bit of olive oil and some chopped up onions in the bottom of the pot (in our case, the pressure cooker). Next you throw in the pieces of beef so they can start to brown. Once they are nicely browned, you put in a couple carrots (sliced into rounds), two bay leaves and some garlic cloves (whole). The sauce is actually just wine. The kind of wine is Bourguinon, hence the name. We also put in some flour to thicken it, along with some salt and pepper to season. We did add some water just so there would be some more sauce. We sealed the lid on and left it on the stove on a low setting. A couple hours later, paired with some potatoes, we had a delicious lunch.

carousel

Lou and Marie-Anne headed out to see a Christmas show for the afternoon and Pierre went off somewhere himself. I headed to down town Luynes to catch a bus to go to Aix for the afternoon. Unfortunately I did not know that I have to hail a bus like you would a taxi, and it passed right by. Welcome to France.

This little learning experience gave me some time to check out the Téléthon that was going on in the town square. There were a few tables with little crafts for sale, along with tons of baking that I was tempted to buy. While I was there, a girl, Chloé, was on stage singing. This kid has an amazing pair of pipes. Even with the extremely sore throat, that was evident, you can hear the raw talent coming out of her raw throat. Wonderful.

Please note that I made it to and from Aix, driving, without getting lost, turned around or in any kind of mishap. Although this is a plus for me, sadly it does not end with a funny story.

Christmas Market

Since I did not take the bus, I no longer had time to stroll around a certain art gallery I had wanted to visit. Thankfully the collection will be around until mid-January, I’m in no rush.

The movie I went to see was Pitoche. Set in the late 70s, an aging housewife takes over her husband’s umbrella factory while he is ill. The rest of the movie revolves around her realising there is more to life than being a housewife and trying to break the way for women in the working world, keeping in mind this was set in 1977-1979. Also a French film, I doubt anyone reading is going to watch it, so I’ll reveal the spoiler (if you are intending, skip to next paragraph now). While working through her divorce she becomes inclined to run for Office. And thus becomes the first female president of France.

the fountain

I do not know if this story was based off of someone’s life or not, either way, it was very good. It was funny, but also had it’s serious moments. I was also the youngest person in the theatre, by at least a decade. But hey, that’s what you get for going to a movie in mid-afternoon right? Haha, just kidding. Throwin’ some humour around ok?

Before heading into the theatre, I was feeling rather lethargic, and was afraid of falling asleep, so I headed to the concession to get a coffee. You know you’re in France when you order a Café and get a little cup of espresso. What was I thinking I was going to get a cup of coffee? End of story.

rides for the children

Upon returning home, I learned how to make a Quiche, which is also fairly French. It is also fairly simple, so I will skip the recipe part and just let you know that is ridiculously delicious and I am going to make them ALL THE TIME. When I feel inclined.

Enjoying some piano and incense, I am in the living room and bringing my day to a close.

A positive aspect of me missing the bus, I was able to return home and get my camera, and now you will be able to enjoy a couple of photos of Aix during the winter months fully decked out in Christmas lights.

10:12 pm

Lights everywhere