August...Part 1

It has been a bit since I have blogged. I figured that since I was living in France, I would take the typical French vacation during the month of August… from my blog. That being said, I will give some accounts of the past month that I have not blogged about.

Today, I will focus on the first week of August here in Toulouse.

We spent the first Saturday in August with some people we met at school.  It was a great evening of drinking some English beers and watching football at an English pub. A bonus to learning French at this school is meeting a lot of new and interesting people. The downfall is spending several weeks or months with them and then they leave. We have had our fair share of this in August.

The first Sunday of every month, Toulouse has free entrance to most of its museums in the city. We usually always partake in at least one museum on this day of each month and this time we tried two. First, we decided to visit the George Labit Museum. This museum was a bit of a walk for us on the Canal du Midi. This canal is a beautiful addition to Toulouse and will definitely be another blog posting by either Derek or myself. 

Canal du Midi

Pâtisserie Conté

Today we finally were able to enjoy what is said to be the "best patisserie in Toulouse", Pâtisserie Conté. This is very close to our school and has been a favorite of the past few weeks of some of our classmates. Pâtisserie Conté is on a high end street, nestled in between the Knoll store and the Louis Vuitton store. One can walk by it unnoticed very easily, as I had on a few occasions when walking around on my break. 

Toulousain Sausage with Pomme Frites

Toulousain Sausage avec Pomme Frites

Toulouse is known for its sausage. This is a specialty here and it is at every boucherie. We bought this sausage at one of the markets and we were not disappointed. It was made with pork and had light hints of mild seasonings, it was not as seasoned as a typical italian sausage. Pomme frites or french fries were a must with this French meal. We served this with a rosé Capitoulat Fronton. 

Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes

Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes

This is a recipe that we use back in the States, and it is one of our favorites. Usually it is put in a crockpot and cooked for 4 hours. We cooked this in the oven for one hour after browning the chicken on the cooktop. It is easily paired with riz or pâtes (pasta). It is a delicious way to enjoy chicken. We paired this with a Bordeaux Clairet Rosé.  

Steak with Skillet Tomatoes

Steak with Skillet Tomatoes and Haricot Vert

This was a wonderful meal that exploded with color and different textures. We paired this with a 2010 Capitoulat Fronton. 

Le Repas de la Maison

As a friend of ours put it, “Danielle, you are always posting or talking about food!” My husband and I are what you might call food fanatics. Food is something that we can always relate to, no matter where we are in the world. The simple pleasure of arousing the taste buds with a new flavor or spice is something that is an indulgence for me. The food does not have to be intricate, expensive, or even gourmet. Some of my favorite foods have been very simple with one or two flavors.

Why Toulouse?

Toulouse. France. This is what started my husband and I on a life-changing journey.  We have been looking for a change, a change that would put us somewhere in Europe.  It is not that we are unhappy in America, it is that most of the European places that we have been to have brought us a happiness that is hard to explain. Most of the people in these places seem to have a completely different way of life than ours and that is what we are wanting to change.

So, when looking for a way to get to Europe, we decided to become students and learn a foreign language.  I know that this is completely crazy, but sometimes you have to take steps back to be able to go forward in life.  We looked at many different French schools online. We knew that our criteria was that we did not want to be in Paris, somewhere warm, somewhere not touristy, and in a populous place that was easy to travel to other places. Marseille, Montpellier, and Toulouse came to mind. When we were examining these cities, Toulouse just looked like it fit into our criteria better than the others, plus the language school had great reviews. So now what?

After going through the visa process and booking our tickets, we are now in Toulouse. It has been a little over two weeks and it is beginning to take form as the city we live in. This blog is intended to bring you photos of our new French life, whether it of the city itself, food, wine, and lots of other interesting items.

Here is a photo of me in Toulouse… on a busy pedestrian shopping street, Rue d’Alsace Lorraine. Looking forward to sharing our French experience with you!