Rocamadour

even before living in France, i have always wanted to visit Rocamadour. i have first read about it in a book called, Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong. and the way the author described how wonderful a place it is made me put it in my list of must-visits.

on the way to the Tourism Office to get a map

the tourist train for the old and lazy... definitely not for us! it's quite nice on the pictures, though.

when i was still studying french, there was a tour then available to students, conducted by Alliance Francaise de Toulouse over the weekend, going to Rocamadour by bus. i couldn't go because i was four months pregnant at the time, and i knew it will be tough for me to climb and walk around the area.

religious pilgrims singing Ave Maria while marching down the street

absolutely amazing

 and so, i did not miss this other opportunity that presented itself just recently. i went with a few friends over the weekend, driving all the way from Toulouse. it was quite a short drive from here.

the village has a lot of steep, tall steps like this. elevators are also available, but for a certain price.

posing by the tricky steps on the way to the church

you just have to marvel at this ancient architecture. everything was so beautiful. every corner, every turn is a marvel.

beautiful stairs, beautiful archways, beautiful sculptures, etc.

on the grand balustrade of one of the corners of the church

we were praying that it wouldn't rain. fortunately, there was only a bit of drizzle that lasted for a few short minutes. and then it was alternately sunny and cloudy all throughout the day.

every corner and every turn in this place is full of wonder

the place is a marvel of beautiful architecture amidst the beauty of nature

Rocamadour is a lot, lot better than what pictures show you. and it has a lot of history to tell. no wonder, it is a UNESCO-inscribed World Heritage Site.

this winding path that leads to the Rempart de Rocamadour (the castle at the topmost area) reminds me of the path that leads to the cross of Mt. Samat in my home province.

this castle perched on top of the rocky village offers a spectacular birds-eye view of the surroundings

the place is a little bit touristic, making the souvenir shop and restaurant prices a bit higher than their worth. i wanted to buy this tender nougat at some candy shop that specializes in it, but it was too pricey for me for just a small bar of nougat. it was heaven, though, when you feel it melting in your mouth. sorry, forgot to take a picture.

there was a fee of 2 euros for the visit

the clock was chiming as i climbed these steps

beautiful view from high above the castle's tower... those who say "it's lonely at the top" have NEVER been to the top! ;)

but if you have this view to offer, the extra bit price is worth it. for lunch, we headed off to a charming little restaurant that offers a nice terasse with the view of the greens.

at the lovely terasse of Chez Anne Marie

the confit de canard was a bit too fatty and huge for me

after lunch, we headed to the opposite part of the village, towards the Hospitalet and the Grotto.

les beaux coqeulicots de printemps

one of the charming stone houses around the village

upon arrival at the Grotto, we found out that there is a schedule for entry and that the visit is guided, and lasts for 45 minutes. and it was strictly prohibited to take pictures and touch anything inside.  unfortunately, the guide does not speak English. we were given handouts in English, though. and during moments when she was not speaking at the rate of 186,000 words per second, i was able to understand and get the gist of what she is saying. although, i felt that we should have paid less because of the language issue.

it was prohibited to take pictures inside the Grotto

visiting this grotto made me think how lame it looked compared to Sagada in the Philippines, even though i have never been there. it made me wish Sagada was as well-protected and appreciated as this grotto.

we ended the tour at this corner where you have the best view of the village:

a wonderful view of the whole village

posing with friends

all in all, i had a wonderful time in a wonderful place with wonderful people. :)

Wearables

lately, i have been addicted to online shopping. it all started during the time i was planning/organizing my wedding. i purchased a lot of stuff online because i was organizing a wedding with only one and half months' time in my hands. that, and i am not really very patient with myself when i'm out shopping. i take a really long time to decide which stuff to get. and it tires me out.

anyway, i've been organizing my wearables for spring and summer, and also for the stuff that i will wear when i go to Madrid, a few days from now.

i bought the following items:

the shorts in the above pic fits really nice. although, i'm not so keen about the zip on the pockets.



they don't have the skirt in "extra small" anymore. that's why it looks a bit big for me. i actually pinned it around the waist to make it fit.

i also bought the items below, but they haven't arrived yet:

crisp white shirt for hot weather (hopefully)

my husband is not so keen about the white shirt above. but i really like the neckline, the sleeves and the long-winged bird print.

this shirt looks really cool. esp with those sunglasses.

the shirt above is a very flattering color for my skin tone. now, i should get those sunglasses too.

can't wait to wear these clothes. and can't wait to be in Madrid. :)

photos taken from my pinterest board, Wearables

Weekly Walks

this week, i had a chance to take some pictures around my neighborhood while walking with my family on the way to the small park, a few blocks from our place.

mon petit bébé cycliste :)

we passed by this nice house with flowering purplish blossoms all around it:

une belle maison parmi les fleurs violettes

i wonder what it is called. it is quite fragrant. although the scent is a bit heady for me.

est-ce-qu'il y a quelqu'un qui sait comment ça s'appelle?

me and my baby went to the little park to chase some pigeons around. she's starting to walk and run around by herself, at least around the house. but i'm still not too confident to leave her on her own in the park, picking up dirty stuff on the ground.

au jardin Claude Nougaro pour chasser les pigeons

on the way back to our place, we took a different route. i really like this cute little old car that i always find parked a few houses away from our place down our street.

une petite voiture

trop cute! :)

yesterday i had a chance to go swimming again after a long time. i posted a pic of it on my fb, and one of my french friends who is living in Singapore LOL'ed it. i wonder if he was laughing because there were no people around, or because he finds INDOOR pools lame. as for me, i loved it because i don't really need to tan and i love being alone in a nice, clean, quiet lap pool like this! :)

à la piscine!

anyway, i had a few laps for twenty minutes. not bad for somebody who hasn't been swimming since summer. although, i had really painful legs last night. ouch.

after the swimming, i went to a friend's place nearby to celebrate her birthday. her house is situated right next to this beautiful little church. i just couldn't resist having a picture in front of it. i couldn't take a nice pic before because they were doing some restorations on the tower before. now that it's finished, it looks really lovely, like most of the little churches in every corner of Toulouse.

l'eglise de Saint Pierre à Blagnac, à côte de chez mon amie

well that's about it for the Weekly Walks this week. more next time. enjoy your week! :)

the french massage experience

i have always been a big fan of spa and massage. when i was living in the Philippines, i would get a body massage once every month when i started working. it was so cheap and so nice, most of the time. and i really needed it, with the kind of stressful job i had.

when i started working in Singapore, the massage became too expensive to be a monthly thing. so, i would only go for it on occasions, or when i travel to a cheaper destination like Indonesia or Thailand or Cambodia, and every time i would visit the Philippines.

Spa Botanica in Sentosa, Singapore -- i treated my husband for his birthday in 2011 (i think) at this spa/resort, it was really good but pricey (image from timeoutsingapore.com)

the best massage i ever tried was the one in Siem Reap, Cambodia. it was a dry massage. i was fully-clothed. this woman doing the massage was all over me. she would squeeze in between my thighs like a contortionist and massage the joints in my loins with her arms. it was quite a unique experience and extremely relaxing.

this looks like the one i had in Siem Reap (image from goldieguesthouse.casperthun.com)

the worst massage i had, was thankfully, NOT the one that i just had this morning. it was in Singapore. some spa whose name i have long forgotten.

massage is not really a European thing. a french friend back in Singapore once told me that massage has a bit of sexual connotation in Europe. but for me and most Asian people, massage is the ultimate form of relaxation.

so anyway, hubby gave me this massage gift last Valentine's Day since he knows how much i miss having a spa and massage.

this is the massage coupon for this place called Mademoiselle. do you see how PRICEY it was? definitely NOT worth it.

first of all, getting an appointment was a nightmare. my original appointment date was supposedly on the 27th of April. but then hubby was out of the country last 27th so we had to reschedule it. and they only have a slot today. it was supposed to be a massage for two people. unfortunately, my friend could not make it. they were suggesting we try on the 24th of June, the next available slot. unfortunately, i'm not really sure if i can still go for it in June since i will be busy with all the matters that need to be handled before we move out of France. which will be very soon.

anyway, in short, i got the massage today. the Lola doing the massage was really nice and she had a soft touch. but her nails were really long and they kept raking into my skin. it was not very pleasant.

also, i found it very weird to have a foot spa while lying down. it was really strange.

i wouldn't recommend this massage/spa parlor to anybody i know. but still, it was quite a relaxing experience having a massage again after the longest time. and hubby was so sweet to book one for me. :)

and i am just glad though, that i will soon find myself on a business class trip back to Asia sometime next month (hopefully). and there i can have my long-awaited, honest-to-goodness authentic massage and spa. can't wait!

Weekly Walks

because i live in France and because it was Fête du travail (Labor Day) yesterday, all public transportations were out of service. and if you go out in a car, you'd get stuck in a bit of traffic jam on the way to the city center because of labourers doing a manifestation in the streets.

these manifestations have become the culture and way of life of most of the people here. me and my Filipino friend were talking about it while in the car on the way to the city center. we were thinking that the people here complain about too many things all the time. they have all these benefits and everything, and yet they are unsatisfied. i told my friend they should send these people to work in the Philippines or in China so they should know how better off they are.

anyway, my friend and i went to see L'écume des jours. i blogged about this some months ago. i wanted to see the movie because i read the book. but i read the book in English, so i wanted to see the movie to see it in the French form.

highly recommended -- loved the cast, loved the soundtrack, etc.

i actually didn't like the book so much. it was a little too weird for me. but in the movie, i think weirdness is quite a good thing. i liked it.

i see the point of the book now. it's actually a lot like life but in a grander scale. and it's a bit anti-Hollywood. in a regular Hollywood movie, it starts off calm and sometimes a bit sad and then it gets sadder in the middle and then in the next hour, things start to get better and better and then in the end, everybody lives happily ever after.

this movie is not a feel-good movie. but i liked it for making me feel a lot of emotions that i didn't get to feel reading the book in the English version.

it should be noted, though, that the movie, would've been difficult for me to understand because the characters were all speaking in rapid french (the normal way of speaking french) had i not read the book before seeing it.

anyway, after seeing the movie, me and my friend decided to have some tea somewhere around the Capitole. it's the only area where most shops were opened. it's kinda ironic to have a holiday and not be able to enjoy it so much because most of the shops or places that you would like to visit are closed.

we noted that the waiter serving us at Le Bibent (second time to be here) was a bit grumpy. my friend said maybe because he's annoyed to be working on a holiday. so, she was still nice enough to give a tip despite his grumpiness. i wanted to give grumpy back but checked myself because the food wasn't served yet.

mon écume du jour -- une tasse de capuccino et des gauffres au chantilly et chocolat (my foam of the day -- a cup of capuccino and some waffles with whipped cream and chocolate)

fortunately, the waffles with chantilly and chocolate, and the cup of capuccino made me forget all the grumpiness i was feeling. plus the weather was too nice. and i was also feeling very nice because my husband said i looked really good with what i was wearing and stuff. :)

i love this casual outfit -- some baggy top/dress that i bought online at laredoute.fr, boots from Texto, Lancel bag (gifted by a friend), Nixon watch (gifted by in-laws) and some gray scarf (gifted by hubby's aunt)

most of these items are in my pinterest, if you want to check them out.

a better view of the dusty boots here and more legs. sorry for the ugly phone cam again, though.

but then i saw this woman seated behind us wearing the exact same outfit! only her top had black stripes (typical french) and mine didn't. it made me feel like i am starting more and more to dress like the people around here. which could be a good thing... or not.

have a good week, everyone! :)

Ang Kagandahan

kahapon binigyan ako ng aking kabiyak ng isang simpleng bulaklak na nasa maliit na vase.

sabi nya, yung mga puting bulaklak daw ay tinatawag na Muguet de mai. sabi ko sa kanya, alam ko, Lily of the valley ang tawag sa bulaklak na yan. madalas kasi yang gamitin sa mga kasal kaya alam ko pangalan nya.

orange rose with Muguet de mai (Lily of the valley)

dito pala sa Pransya, ang bulaklak na ito ay ipinapamahagi sa mga taong minamahal mo sa unang araw ng buwan ng Mayo. kaya nga ganyan ang pangalan nito.

napaisip lang ako nang mabuti tungkol sa kagandahan sa paghanga ko sa maliliit at tila napakaselang mga bulaklak na ito na busilak ang pagkaputi.

i would've included these in my wedding bouquet had they been available at the time

napakahinhin ng pagkakayukod na para bang nahihiya at nais ipagdamot sa mundo ang kanyang kagandahan.

minsan ang kagandahan ay isang bagay na rehiyonal. dito sa Pransya, maraming mga puti ang nagsasabi sa kin na mashado daw akong maganda para sa asawa ko. shempre, ako ay sobrang nagugulat dahil sa lugar na pinanggalingan ko, baligtad ang iisipin ng iba.

pretty macro shot by yours truly

ngunit, mabuti na lamang ay nagkaroon ako ng asawa na araw-araw, umaga at gabi ay sinasabihan ako kung gaano ako kaganda at kahalaga para sa kanya. kaka-touch lang.

at kahit ano pa man ang ibig sabihin ng kagandahan para sa iyo, sa tingin ko, ang pinakamahalaga sa lahat ay iyong magandahan at ma-appreciate ka ng mga taong nasa kapaligiran mo na ninanais mong maka-appreciate at magandahan sa iyo. di na bale yung mga taong wala namang say sa buhay mo.

yun lang.

How to cook aiguillette de canard

the South of France is famous for its duck. i was not so much a duck person when i was living in Asia. especially since we never usually eat duck in the Philippines. but here, i have learned to appreciate it much, much more than before.

this week, since my husband was on a week-long business trip, i was left to my own devices in the kitchen. and so, having no choice, i decided to try my hand at cooking aiguillette de canard in the same way that my husband cooks them, but with a little bit of my own personal touch.

it's actually very simple, you just buy it as it is from the supermarket, like this:

aiguillette is the sides of the duck, cut into strips

before throwing it on a non-stick pan, i like to grease it a bit with vegetable oil (i use colza oil, btw). and then just cook it on medium heat until the sides start to brown. and then you can turn it over.

put the stove on medium heat so it doesn't burn, even with just a few amount of oil.

now my husband, being french, likes it really soft and a bit bloody when you cut it. as for me, i am not yet really used to the sight of blood in food. i only tolerate it when eating at fancy restaurants, but not at home, especially if i'm the one who's cooking. so i try to cut the thickest part of the meat to see if there is no more blood oozing out. that's when i know it's done.

now for the side dish, my husband likes to use fried potatoes. i like to vary it a bit by mixing it with some carrots. and he likes to fry them with the oil from duck confit (confit de canard). if you haven't tried confit de canard, you my friend, are missing a lot, lot, lot in your life.

frying the thin slices of carrots and potatoes with duck fat from a can of confit de canard

now you can buy this duck confit either in a can or in a glass jar. i personally don't really know how to cook a duck confit. but i do know confit means to cook for a long time over low fire until it's all tender and nice. anyway, we save the fat in the duck confit can for future potato-frying, because the potatoes really taste a lot, lot better when fried in duck fat. i know it's not very healthy. but you don't eat this food every day.

some garlic bits to add flavor

when they are starting to brown, i sprinkle a generous amount of these garlic bits (Ail semoule). or you can fry them together with minced garlic. i prefer this one because they seem to be tastier. i even use them to marinate my adobo for a more garlicky taste, which i really love.

when the garlic bits start to brown, it's all ready to serve on the plate. i put a generous amount on the plate of this peppered mayonnaise, which i'm addicted to:

i am addicted to this sauce that goes well with duck, beef and pork

and don't forget the wine pairing. this Bordeaux red wine from my friend's vineyard goes perfectly well with duck:

perfect red wine pairing for aiguillette de canard

and here you have everything on the plate, ready to eat:

et voila! ca y'est, c'est fait! :)

sorry, i'm not very good with the plating yet.

also, whenever i cook something, i do the steamed version for my baby, which all go into the blender:

steamed version of aiguillette de canard for my baby's lunch

my baby is one-year old by the way. although, i think you can start giving meat to babies starting at 8 months of age. although to be sure, consult your pediatrician first.

bon appetit! :)