The teacher just had to say cut the cheese, how do you expiate that?

After last nights meal I was neither horribly hungry or feeling like I deserved much for breakfast so I got a mini a pain au chocolate and had coffee and that and some rhubarb yogurt (which I love and you can’t get that at home). I’ve had a small fight with the jar to get it open but I finally was successful. 

I had signed up for a cheese and butter making class mostly for the butter because I think that’s some thing that I can do at home.. I think I would enjoy making my own butter because right now I buy French butter and it’s expensive.

 It was a fun class wasn’t real impressed with her cheese it kind of reminded me a little bit of maybe cream cheese or I don’t even know how to describe it but I’m thinking you could add a few herbs into it and give it a little zip. And I need to do some research and find out if there’s a way to maybe cure it  and come up with some thing a little bit more interesting. Regardless the class was fun and my classmates were fun.  

I was paired With an aunt and niece, the aunt was born in America but then lived the first several years of her life in France and  her family still lives here. So it was fun to try to throw around some French and get some kind of correction when needed. I really enjoyed them.

OP

I stopped at a boulangerie on the way back and got a piece of quiche Lorraine they will warm it up for you and it was close enough that it was still nice and warm by the time I got home. Just with a glass of water and some melon was enough for me..

After some rumination I decided I wanted to see a memorial chapel built for Marie Antoinette and Louis the XVI. I had read about it, I’ve been reading about them too and wanted to see it. It is called the Expiratory Chapel. 

 Apparently the day that each of them was beheaded there was a guy that watched them get thrown in the communal pit and, he bought that piece of property and he made a business of it and then eventually sold that piece of property to Louis the XVIII who had decided to do some thing about their burial arrangements.  The paperwork I got today said that their remains were actually taken by Louis the XVIII to St Denis and buried there and I have seen monuments there but I did not realize that their remains were there.  ( you may remember that the revolution happened, things/power went back and forth, and after Napoleon,  Louis the XVIII reigned for a bit but it did not last for long, Napoleon III came into power [I think he was actually Napoleons nephew] [I think he was actually Napoleons nephew and Josephines grandson!! That’s a convoluted mess!]).  and Regardless this chapel is an honor of them and all of the people that were thrown in the pit, and in addition to the Swiss guard that was pretty basically slaughtered by the rabble in uprising while the Royal family was living captive in the Tuileries.

It is a nice little park not very big the benches weren’t really comfortable so I didn’t loiter long.  Afterwards I made my way to Fragonard (I was close) to buy some perfume for Claire who decided she liked what she got last year. Then I went to Laduree hoping to have a goodie and some coffee and they were closed, which was pretty crappy so I came home.  

They now have the metro open around the Place de la  Concord although it’s still all crapped up with stuff. There was a new little restaurant a street behind the house so

I decided to try it I had a cheeseburger with it the most amazing glass of wine I think I’ve had on this whole trip it was a Chinon red, it was delicious. It has it all nose,  legs, and velvet in my mouth.  The Burger was Good I may pay for it because it was pretty stinking rare, which was delicious but still. And now I’m going to take my tired little butt up and have a bath and go to bed.. 

Don’t you do it!

My boulangerie, same guy panhandling as last year.

 A whole croissant for breakfast today

And a quick trip through the market looking for a scarf or a friend of mine there’s just not a lot of clothes out right now that aren’t nasty old polyester things are pants, I’m not thinking this is gonna be a wardrobe type of the trip., I did buy some panties to match my lovely new bras, but I can’t figure out what the pocket on the front of this pair is, I’ve even done a Google search and couldn’t figure it out.

 The market was also really really quiet and had a lot more stuff or other than food this go round so we will see what the future brings.  Last fall I went with some friends to see the movie Napoleon. It was interesting to me because I thought I knew some thing about him and realized that he was a lot more complex person than I had realized.  Since then,  I have been reading a lot about Napoleon and Josephine,  Mostly because I joined an online book club to read a book about Josephine it ended up being a trilogy and I’ve read most of it although I got timed out at the library so I have to finish it up. Not looking forward to it because the dirty suckers gonna divorce her and that’s gonna make me crabby.

Regardless I decided today to go to Malmaison. I’ve been there once before probably 2009. I only say that to put it in the reference because it has changed or at least the museum piece of it has changed. Getting there was fairly easy ( Much easier than I remembered). I took the RER train to a train station in Rueil-Malmasion and took the bus from there about four stops got off turn the corner and walk up or

maybe three or four blocks to get there. On the way back I realize that there are medallion is in the sidewalk showing on the way.

Of course it was crept up too, but again if one takes pictures with the right perspective you can get an image that is fun to share.

There are many family portraits on Napoleon was good about making sure everyone had a likeness, although he really didn’t care whether the likeness truly looked like the person or not apparently he felt like as long as you left your mark and had a little sparkle who you were it was all good. 

It was fun to see the people that I’ve been reading about and I have a better frame of reference for them. It was also fun to see the rooms in the Château once again

what I missed was her clothing and articles (Fans, shoes, hair pieces, etc.) of hers that were not available to be seen this time and that was kind of sad. 

She is famous for the empire waist dress, that we all see in Bridgerton currently, and one of my favorite styles of dress. Because I think the right one hides my tummy. The ones Josephine wore didn’t have any pleats though, under the breast so maybe I’ve been in hot water here, then.   AND the Clevenger let’s just say I cannot wear a balconette bra, let alone one of her dresses!

It a loverly early fall day leaves crunching. On the sidewalk,and getting back to the train station was fairly easy, play decided to have a coffee because I had not had any lunch yet and I was pretty hungry. I stopped into this little bar bistro place beside the train station and ask about a coffee sat down and people were smoking all around me and I thought oh I don’t wanna do this so I got up and left and I’ll be damned if this lady did not follow me she was not a lady she was a girl and want to know why I left and I said well the cigarette smoke was bothering me and I had not placed an order,she said I already made your coffee so I went back and sat and drink my coffee in the midst of that cigarette smoke, and I really was mad at myself for buckling under, the coffee was not good and the whole experience left a brown tasted my mouth. 

Since I was so hungry I decided to do a tasting menu I figured I could afford the calories,, I made reservations at a restaurant called La Datcha that I wanted to try. It was in a part of town that I typically don’t like to go to alone but I have to say I would do it again I really was not uneasy..

It was. Supposed to be an Eight course menu, I don’t think I had eight courses but I was so full I really didn’t care and I was just done.   I think this old girl is not up for that kind of eating anymore..

But here goes:

Amuse bouche

An savory tart with small slices of pickled vegetables and a hint of chili

Then they brought a baguette with three butters; piment,  chive and regular..

Next was a cold crab cake with aïoli, accompanied with corn and those pesky pomegranate seeds

Next was tartare of Dorade (Fish) with figs and a beat emulsion probably my least favorite course.

The following course was a ravioli of salmon on a celery purée with courgette slices in salmon caviar it was amazing 

followed by fish (Bar) with Beurre Blanc and mushrooms the sauce was totally awesome and the fish was really good. 

Then came poultry with  onion purée, squash and another amazing sauce

Dessert was a framboise (raspberry)  ice cream with some crumbles that was supposed to be a raspberry crumble 

Last but not least was a scoop of intense chocolate ice cream, too intense for me, with a chocolate cookie on top of some pretty amazing  anglaise.

I waddled home via the bus and hit the hay!

Dig this toilet at the restaurant!