quick update 5/24

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Sorry I've been neglecting the blog here, but it's been a busy weekend! I got to spend some much needed time with Ella (and away from work) this past weekend in Paris. Among other things, Ella and I decided that 7 weeks is just too much time to be apart, so I am sorting out a revised travel plan with my employer as we speak.

We got to see the Louvre, Eiffel tower, a Paris boat cruise, Notre Dame, all the good stuff. We ate at some great restaurants and had a great little hotel just off the left bank of the Seine. We also took a side trip to the Chateaux of the Loire, which was really nice. We went to Blois and Chambord. It would be silly for me to try and describe these attractions - let's just say they are masterpieces of renaissance architecture and well worth the trip.

This coming weekend I will be in Nice with Ben (groomsman). We are going to the Monte Carlo Grand Prix and the Cannes film festival, both of which I'm really excited about. These Frenchies are taking yet another day off tomorrow (Thursday) so I'm making the most of the 4 day weekend.

This evening I went out with Jean Marc and his wife Beatrice. We had a couple beers and discussed wedding rituals. The French have weddings that sometimes last for 2 or 3 days. Another unique thing they do is that the morning after the ceremony, the best man and friends go find the newlywed couple, wake them up (traditionally at 6AM!), and drag them out of bed for a celebratory breakfast. The menu is, well, unique.

They then took me for a traditional meal from the Brittany region of France, where Beatrice is from. This consisted of a Galette - a specific variant of Crepe. A Galette is made with a black flour, unlike traditional crepes made from white flour. Something got lost in the translation on where the black flour comes from, but let's just say this thing was great! Ham, excellent cheese, mushrooms, a poached egg, all wrapped up in a crepe - it was awesome. Dessert was a flambe jelly crepe and to drink with the meal we also had a traditional pitcher of hard cider. All excellent stuff, and they tell me it was really authentic.

I'm bringing my laptop to Nice this weekend so I hope to update you more on our adventures on the French Riviera. -JB

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