Well it's just about San Francisco

Now how is it that on December 30th it could be sunny and about 50 degrees in San Francisco? Bet the Mayans didn't figure that...

Pescetarian Paella

12 large shrimps
2 kilo of mussels
8 sea snails
saffron oil
paella rice
1 red bell pepper
2 tomatoes
lots of garlic
1 onion
1 bottle of cheap white wine
salt, pepper and oregano
bouillon
fresh parsley

First cook the mussels by boiling a cup of water, a cup of wine and splash of saffron oil and steaming for about 15 minutes. Let cool. To cook the sea snails do the same but add a clove or two of garlic.

Remove the mussels and sea snails from their shells and place in a large pan of butter and garlic on low heat. Boil water and add a bouillon and wine. *Follow the quantity ratio on the package. Add the rice to the pan with the seafood, toast the rice (two minutes) and then slowly mix in the boiling bouillon water. Let simmer.

In a separate pan add all the veggies with oregano, olive oil, garlic, onion and saffron oil. Sauté. Once the rice is nice and fluffy, mix everything together and top with fresh parsley.

We all tried this and survived, even enjoyed it. Bon appetit!

Part One : Baklava Means Six Pack Abs

How does one not love a city that straddles two continents and two religions, where the direct translation of baklava is six-pack and there are too many different types of street food?

Turkish flags everywhere

A bridge lined with fish restaurants!

Istanbul is a weird mix of Western consumerism, a history for the history books and a constantly evolving traditional culture. Paradoxical, chaotic, fragrant, rainy and sunny; Rebecca and I explored the streets mostly lost and seeing what we stumbled on.

Lucky to be Jumping

"I don't know, we're here... Let's do it!"

Perhaps sometimes one should advance despite their better judgement. 

A sea kayaking trip, cliff jumping into the Aegean and dinner with Rob the Australian teacher later the small island Milos treated us extremely well.

How To Burn Fossil Fuels

1. Pick a gorgeous area in which you'd like to be driven around in; such as the South of France.

 

2. Pack nice weather, necessary supplies, snacks and friends

3. Frolic in the nature

4. Trespass on the private property

5. Stay in a culturally relevant hotel (or just take a picture of one)

6. Buy the local products (boats, mussels, etc.)

7. Take artsy photos to be hopefully used in future independent travel magazines

8. Appreciate what wildlife there might be.

9. Enjoy!

Beaches Be Deserted

Whole Fish : A Recipe for Precision

I went to the market and compulsively bought whole fish (skin, head, eyeballs, fins, etc). They were slimy and stinky and was temporarily repulsed.

Sid and Roberta

1 whole white fish
some broccoli
some carrots
some onion
some garlic
those translucent Asian noodles
some sesame seeds
about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Tabasco
Salt and Pepper

Put olive oil in a pan and add the whole fish with salt and pepper. Once the inside looks pretty cooked (it was a guessing game), flip it over. Take out of the skillet and replace with all your veggies, the balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and Tabasco (to desired spice-level). Then warm up water in a pot and let the noodles sit for about 3-5 minutes. Take the fish off the bone by kind of wiggling the tail with the head down over a plate and re-add to veggies. *make sure to keep the skin. Once the veggies are a desired crispiness, remove and use the oil to fry up the noodles like a pancake. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Layer as desired.

And then Sid and Roberta were quite the enjoyable meal.

Grathiath

la Sagrada Familia para Gaudí

A charming apartment and park

 A lot of our adventures in the gorgeously temperate Barcelona were stumbled upon on our long walks through the almost confusing streets. By the middle of the first day, we might've been champs ... reading maps like the best of them.

We came across a pretty cathedral, as to the right

Here we have some of the Gaudí buildings, a strange architect that might just be a man after my own heart with his flamboyant glasswork and silly shapes. 

 No photo and travel trip to Barcelona is complete without some Spanish men arguing on the street.

Las Ramblas is the large street filled with tourist traps and men with weird bird calling whistles. It's lined with tempting shopping and bad food and leads to the sea. Walking it is a must, although I can't say it was the most enjoyable part of the trip. But hey! we did it.

I might've food my food heaven: Mercat La Boqueria. A tunnel of the freshest seafood (that lobster below is still alive), hanging meat, veggies and fruits. Artisanal chocolate, samples and chaos. I wish I could spent all day and all my money there. Instead I settled for breaded mussels and free Catalan treats.

Poisson, n'importe quoi

I found some fish on sale. I bought some dried lentils for next to nothing. This whole meal probably only cost me 1,50 euro.

lentils
any type of fish
carrots
onion
unflavored tomato sauce
basil, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil

First you've got to cook the lentils. I had about a kilo (and plenty of reserves, now). I put them in water with salt and pepper and let them boil for about 20 minutes. Once they are tender, drain 'em and add a splash of olive oil, parsley and basil.

Then sauté up the carrots and onion with olive oil and all the spices. Once they're crunchy and browned, slide to the side. In the same pan, plop the filet of fish and quickly brown both sides. Turn down the heat and fill the sauté pan with the tomato sauce. Re-add the carrots and onions with some olive oil. Let simmer a bit. Add more spices. Then add the lentils. Not including cooking the lentils, the whole process should only take about 15-20 minutes.

Bon appétit!

Lever de Soleil

 I’m having a difficult time explaining where my day started yesterday, Saturday the 8th of October. I’d say it has been one of the most relaxing and exciting 24 hours of sleeplessness in my short life.

Experimental Guitar

I guess the first moment I felt alive that day was when I found an amazing running trail that traces along a tree covered calm river. It was serene, brisk and the leaves are starting to change colors and leave their bark counterparts.

DJ at La Pleine Lune

Then a whirlwind bike ride with my newfound friends and Saturday quickly turned to Saturnight (I’m sorry, I’ve been pun deprived). We started our marathon of fun with a free cheese, honey, fig, wine and bouillabaisse tasting market. This weekend was kind of the official ‘welcome back students/let’s celebrate fall in classy way’. That being said, there were free guitar concerts everywhere. We went to a bar ‘La Pleine Lune’ and watched a marching band and then proceeded inside for DJ dancing hipster glory. We danced until 3 am. We had three hours to kill until the sunrise (lever de soleil)experimental guitar concert at the mini Arc de Triomphe and Parc Peyrou. It was bloody cold so we took refuge in a student house stuffed fully with cigarette butts, funny posters and joyous dancing. We set out for the park à vélo against a cold wind to find the gates to the dome to be open (which they never are) and lit by a bright blue light. We all laid down on the cement and relaxed while the serious experimental guitarist set up and listened to my friend play the harmonica loud and proud. Then experimental man strummed long effervescent tones to welcome the sun rising behind the Arc de Triomphe. People were chatting, laughing and we played tag and danced to stay warm. 

Lever de Soleil

I don’t know how to explain the overall coolness of Montpellier without saying hipster. Because it’s not as snooty as hipster: it’s a way of being. There is this joy in music, in drink, in food and in meeting new people here that is so relaxed and natural it can’t be superficial. It’s beautiful, it’s exciting and calm at the same time. I’m learning to take everything easy, sit back while surrounded by friends and not to expect to be rushed. It’s quite the adjustment which contradicts the pace of school here, but it has been a welcomed balancing act and challenge. 

It might as well come from another planet

After sunrise, we grabbed some croissants and coffee and went back to rest up. However, it turns out I had forgotten my keys at my friend Sarah’s apartment. So with a borrowed iPod I walked back downtown I set out on foot through the streets. Sometimes the sun shines perfectly on the buildings and you can’t help but stare. And it wasn’t just the fatigue. It’s the ultimate realization that you’re meant to be where you are.

Des Moules Espagnols

Registering for classes here goes like this:

1. Look on internet for 'listing'
2. Go to building to find time/date/room number. Don't know where building is. Ask for directions. People laugh because they don't know where the building is either. Find building. Perspire from running.
3. Stand in long line to 'pre-register'. Most things closed from 12-2 for lunch. Then close again at 4.
4. Go to class for three weeks to see if you like it
5. Sign up by Sept. 26
6. Do administrative registering and registering with the teacher
7. Register for exam at end of semester.

Where is there any efficiency? I'd take LOUIE/online registration any day.

With that being said, I survived my first 3 hour lecture on the methodology of sociology in French. My head hurts but I understood most of it! Probably am going to the beach to celebrate.

I also made mussels last night with some American friends. Fresh Spanish mussels with some olive oil and herbs, white wine and they're barnacles still attached. A whole half kilo cost only a euro. I could get used to this. I have speaking French a lot and making some French friends in classes and clubs but it's definitely nice to just 'be American' every once in a while. Talkin' English and shootin' the shit.

My New Place of Residence, Part I

Place de la Comédie

Rooftops

After a relaxing train ride through the French countryside, Mom and I arrived in Montpellier! 

Bésame

Instantly, it felt better than Paris. Warm, friendly and my skin color finally seems to blend in. I got the sense that my new city is an 

eternal summer playground.

For the first time this trip I was able to relax and sleep. After some napping, we hit the pavement to La Place de la Comèdie. The square was bustling with tourists, children on scooters and terrace cafés. After a quick tour, we finally settled down to a proper meal that didn't consist of just butter and bread. The waiter struggled with me through my French and even helped with proper pronunciations. We had a perfect spot for people watching and a little accordion player serenaded us with his charm.

I'm sure its a very old statue/fountain with lots of meaning

I checked into my dorm with many bumps, such as walking through Montpellier with a big-ass suitcase, not understanding anything at check-in, thinking a window was a sliding glass door and finding out that the big-ass suitcase was really big going up the stairs. That being said; my dorm is lovely. Which means: tiny, has a window, is my own and very white. Saturday I have all day to go to IKEA for sheets and color.