Tag: animals

“Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant.” -Honoré de Balzac

On By HanneIn TravelLeave a comment

Paris is ugly.

Sure it has the charm of Eiffel Tower and the history tucked away in the Louvre. It has the churches like Notre Dame and Sainte- Chapelle. But Paris also holds a kind of chaos that you don’t see in other big cities. Everyone is in a rush, there is trash along every street and the smog from the non-stop traffic has to be scrubbed off your face at the end of the day.

Any maybe that’s why I hardly took any photos of Paris.

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Did you really go to Paris if you didn’t get at least ONE solid Eiffel Tower photo? 

Instead I spent my time bouncing from one stationary shop to another followed by just about every kitchen supply/bake shop that ever was.

I stayed a simple hotel in the Saint-George’s neighborhood in the 9th arrondissement. Hotel France Albion. Just out of the hustle and bustle of the touristy area, but not quite out in the suburbs either. I was located in the middle of two metro stops which meant that hopping off/on public transportation was a breeze (although I didn’t figure out/make use of the bus system until my last full day and that would’ve made it even easier). The room was very small, but comfortable and the front desk staff were friendly and helpful. They even held my macarons for me for two days in their fridge since my room didn’t have one. They said they weren’t supposed too, but the manager was out for the weekend, and they couldn’t let my macarons be wasted.

I had an inside room, meaning I really didn’t have a view other than other peoples windows. But I did spy this little gem enjoying a warm afternoon with the window open.

Since I’ve done the major tourist sites more than once, I wasn’t set on seeing them again. I wanted to explore the smaller side streets, the small shops and markets, and what else I could stumble upon.

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Raspberry/lemon glaze

Since I took a class at La Cuisine once before, and had a blast, I decided to take another class with them again. But three years ago, when I took my first class there, I started following them on instagram as well. Via their instagram I found several other locations to visit, including Boneshaker, a relatively new doughnut shop that regularly sells out — yes, they are that good.

One of the other delightful shops I visited was L’Ecritoire a little stationary/paper/pen shop that was down a maze of pedestrian streets and alleys. They were thrilled to find that I had found them via instagram and took down my name (wtf, where is the follow back?!). The shopkeeper was so/so with her English (but better than my non-existent French) and did her best to explain that all of their stuff was locally made in France and by small family run businesses. It was just so cute!

IMG_2620 2But the main highlight of my stay in Paris was by far my macaron class. We started by making three types of ganache: vanilla, chocolate mint and pistachio. Chef Segolene was great at explaining how we could easily make other flavors at home (I want to try lavender) as the flavor comes only from the filling, not the little cookies/meringues. With the ganache set aside, she walked us through step by step to make Italian meringue for the cookies. You can use the French version, but they are harder to work with and make a smooth cookie. So all of what you see in bakeries is done the Italian way. There were eight of us in class, working in pairs, yet we each got a chance to mix, and to pipe the cookies onto the tray. We made so many that we didn’t get a chance to get them all in/out the oven, so the chef offered to bake them for the staff. Despite not finishing them all, we each walked out with a box of a dozen or so.

 

 

Zoo: “An excellent place to study the habits of human beings.” – Evan Esar

On By HanneIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

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Had a lovely afternoon at the Woodland Park Zoo with a fantastic fandom friend today. Cacky, thanks for visiting!

I have such conflicted feelings on zoos, but of all the zoos that I’ve been to, I feel like we’re pretty lucky with the WPZ. The exhibits are much larger than most other zoos I’ve visited, and they do a fantastic job of enrichment. That said, certain animals like the Orangutans, Elephants and Gorillas always look so sad.

WPZ lost one of it’s elephants yesterday.  At 45, Watoto should have had another 20 years left. While the WPZ is leaps and bounds above other zoos, I think they need to re-evaluate their elephant enclosure and send our two remaining elephants (Chai and Bamboo) to a sanctuary. I don’t think there is enough land for them to expand where they are at. IMG_7257Such smart animals deserve more. I think we are past the point where people need to be face-to-face with an elephant to feel the urge to save them.

The Orangutans are the other ones that need something more. I only ever see them sitting around with their burlap blankets over their heads. One was sitting at the glass just staring ahead as everyone crowded close.

We were treated to an up close view of the male lion today. He strolled around, scratching, sniffing and watching zoo visitors through the glass. The size of his paws are absolutely massive and his thick mane gorgeous. I didn’t see Adia and her cubs were sent elsewhere earlier in the year, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the male lion up close before. What a beautiful creature.

We also saw the hippo swim around (briefly). I think it’s the one animal at the zoo that I’ve never seen move until today. In fact, they could’ve been fake hippos for the past however many years, and I wouldn’t have known. 

That’d be a good zoo scam.

IMG_7243One of my all time favorite spots at WPZ is the willawong station where you can feed parakeets, cockatiels and various other brightly colored birds. I had a delightful little cockatiel sit on my finger while he nibbled on some millet. He then fluffed up a bit and just sat on my finger.

All in all, a fantastic afternoon at the zoo!

 

Thursday Thrills: Big foosh.

On By HanneIn Thursday Thrills1 Comment

I always give Evan a choice of what kind of adventure – maybe a little bit of a guided choice if I have a photo 1particular errand to run, though he’s generally happy to help me with those as well. But today he made the decision long before I even asked him about an adventure. Two words. Big. Foosh (which sometimes sounds like woosh).

His interest of choice lately seems to be fish, so a favorite  place to visit has been the pet store.  He’s very serious as he talks about their eyesand how they swim (in the water, he likes to point out). He talks about them eating all their foodand we’re working on their colors. After visiting all the tanks, he always finds a few to return to before we go to visit the mice, gerbils, hamsters and rats. Bonus points if they have playful ferrets to watch.

He reminds me of myself as he wanders through the store, wanting to look at everything (and then returning to the fish for one last look). We often run into other little kids likely on the same adventure, but he’s rarely distracted from his routine (but doesn’t hesitate to tell other kids to be quiet if they aren’t using a respectable inside voice – and no running!). It’s these trips where I usually pick up some food for my own fish or a toy for Nellieand he’s happy to help, proudly carrying what I need and handing it to the cashier.

photo 4 I love watching the birds, the parakeets specifically, the most. There is always one that reminds me of Buddy and his happy little chirps.  You never realize how quiet a home is until you’ve had a bird and then lost him. Even with a dog to greet you at the door, it doesn’t make up for the loving and excited bird that’s happy to have you home.

The Interbay Petco seems to be the best place to visit. Located next to a smaller Whole Foods, the store is relatively new.  Unlike the one on 15th, it’s bright, clean, and the friendly staff seems to recognize the fact that they are a fun activity rather than just a shop.