Nolan Fenway

Okay, first day of the big European adventure with Jefe has come to a close! We started late in the day boarding for Paris at 18:50. On our way to our hotel we were amazed by the beauty of the city and the incredible sparkiness of the Eiffel Tower! It was breathtaking!

I didn't have any photos of his arrival, but this is one of the first photos from when I got to first meet him! Such a love!

Upon arriving here at the hotel, we find out Mr. Nolan Fenway doesn't want to wait for his Papa and Auntie to come home, but he'd rather welcome himself into the world while they're in Paris!

More later - Bonsoir!

...the perfect apres-snow meal: Tartiflette...

Big day in the life of Lauren: first day 'avec raquettes'. Or something like that... I went snowshoeing today! Straight up the Jura at Monts Jura in Crozet. It was beautiful, but quite the challenge. I wish I had a photo of how far we went! I had absolutely NO idea.

The photos show you the view from the top of our journey (they don't do justice!) If you look at the bottom photo close enough, you can see from the left: Lake Geneva with the Jet D'Eau, Mont Blanc and the French Alps, Le Saleve (dark mountain in front of the white ones), all the little villages between Geneva and Crozet... pretty incredible.

After burning all those calories (believe me it was a TON!) We came home and made Tartiflette. This is an amazing regional dish to the Savoie Region of Switzerland and France. For your enjoyment, I've included the recipe. You can substitute the cheeses if unable to find the one the recipe calls for, but if you have a Whole Foods nearby, you should be able to find Reblochon there.

Tartiflette

Potatoes to fill a small gratin pan

1 medium onion

200 grams (6 ounces) of smoke and salt cured pork in any combination: poitrine fumé or the best smoked bacon you can find, smoked bacon plus salt cured Savoie ham or Southern style country cured ham. Just get what’s the best cured pork available to you.

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons fat: butter or duck fat

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup crème fraiche epaisse or heavy whipping cream if you don't have creme fraiche

1/2 cup dry white Savoie type wine (this is how I discovered my love for Sauvignon Blanc!)

1/2 of a Reblochon de Savoie

Fresh parsley

- Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices.

- Roughly chop the onion.

- Heat the duck fat in a heavy skillet and add the onions, bacon and ham, and sauté gently for 3-5 minutes.

- Add the potatoes and continue to sauté for 5 more minutes.

- Add the wine, give the potatoes a stir, cover, season with salt and pepper as desired, and let simmer and steam in the wine for 10 minutes more.

- Grease the gratin pan with duck fat, crush the garlic clove, and rub the garlic clove all over the inner surface of the pan.

- Reserve the remaining garlic for another use (the vinaigrette for the accompanying salad, for example).

- Add the crème fraiche to the potato onion bacon mixure, and transfer it to the gratin pan.

- Slice the Reblochon in half with a sharp knife flat wise, and place the two pieces on top of the potatoes, rind side up.

- Place into the very hot oven and bake for 10 minutes at 250C or 550F

- Turn the heat down to 200C / 400F and bake 10 more minutes

- Turn off the oven, and leave the dish in the oven without opening it for another 10 minutes.

- Serve hot with a salad, crusty bread, and the the wine you cooked with.

...a powerful force...

This was a while ago, but I have to confess that the biggest force moving me back to France after Christmas was knowing my dear friend, Hannah, would be here to join me shortly after I returned.

I wanted to share a few photos and fun times we had while she was here. She's such a gem. When I think of Hannah, I think of this amazing, nourishing salve you might put on an open wound or dry, calloused skin - only use this salve on your heart. She's so good at getting to the core of a situation and for seeing it for what it truly is. Hannah is someone who knows the possibilities life holds and takes the appropriate actions to make these things happen. Needless to say, we didn't have any trouble logging more adventures to the collection we already have to look back on.

This was a good one: We headed up to Zurich to an exhibit of preserved corpses - sounds morbid, and perhaps it was a little... but it was so very fascinating. (Read more on BODY WORLDS here.) We were frazzled and trying to get from the train station to the exhibit center when we found the tram we needed, but couldn't for the life of us figure out how to get the tickets. As we got on the tram I whispered to Hannah to be inconspicuous. We're on the tram for maybe a minute when she says in her not-so-inside voice: "We don't have tickets!" O gosh, Hannah. Way to be inconspicuous.

Our trainride back from Zurich was pretty exciting, if I do say. We weren't confident we'd be able to pack in dinner before our ride back so we waltzed down to Migros (the shopping market) and bought rice cakes, smoked salmon, and Boursin cheese! We settled into our spots on the train and before we could even take our first bite, the older men sitting across from us on the train were oogleing and aweing over our dinner... turns out we traded them two Heinekens for our little apéritifs. These men were pretty hilarious and by the end, as you can see, they were spilling out their Dutch and taking claim on my camera. They kept us laughing the whole ride through!

We spent Saturday morning at my beloved market, preparing for our week of over indulgence! (We had so much fun cooking!) We made gnocci, quinoa and black bean stuffed peppers, tartiflette... I'm pretty sure we could have continued but there were so many other things we had to see and do! (Walk the dog, explore the Reformation Museum, go to Montreux...)

This is a photo of the last time I had a bottle of my most very favorite wine -- after this, I couldn't find it ANYWHERE!

   

 

It always seems there's more to share, but simply not enough time to share it! Perhaps later, but by then I'm sure there will be more thoughts or stories to tell... until then.

Ah, so looking forward to being home!

I can't wait for:
-Aidan time
-meeting Nolan (the soon-to-be newest addition in the Hanson family!)
-Mexican food
-adventures with my girls
-midnight runs to hy-vee
-internet that works
-a phone
-FREEDOM
-time with loved ones
-black beans
-peanut butter
-Spanish
-the ablity to talk to strangers
-English bookstores
-unlimited time with my family
-road trips
-SUMMER 2010
-scrapbooking
-access to the rec center
-SLEEP

Ah, the lack of internet definitely slows me down on here, but then when I do connect... it's SO SLOW. Don't worry though, life's been pretty slow too. Life in the world of Lauren is generally pretty slow from about mid-January to the end of February.. some might call me a hermit, but I'd like to refer to it as a natural response: hibernation. ;) 

This lack of social interaction has actually proved useful in a few ways, I'm on my way to be rid of things before I move back to the land of the free this spring... I've read some good reads: Cecilia Ahern is an entertaining Irish chick-lit author, The Time Traveler's Wife is better as a novel than it is as a movie, and Brennan Manning's book The Ragamuffin Gospel. Is undeniably amazing. 

That's my life as of now in a nut shell. If you're reading this you should probably take five minutes and send me some snail mail. ;) K, thanks. Ciao.

quick update!

And here I am again, a prisoner of the time!

Lots of exciting things have happenend in the last few weeks. I'll expand on that in a moment. I often feel as though I'm just updating everyone; sending a play-by-play over the big blue. I'll be honest... Yuck! That isn't interesting! Not that I'm 'blogging' to entertain, mostly it's to unload and to 'free my mind'. ;)

I've been realizing more and more lately how incredibly blessed I am and how impeccable God's timing is. I have had times of despair and longing for a different life or a different place or role in life, but right here in this moment I'm able to see His hand on every instant in my life and be oh, so very thankful. :)

You may know this already, but I'll share it anyway, I've decided to pursue nutrition next fall by studying in Denver, Colorado. I'll be reuniting with two of my dear friends and former roommates. I can only imagine (not to mention DAYDREAM) of the adventures the future holds!

After Thanksgiving we all prepare for the next holiday, right? Well, let's be honest, Christmas is a pretty big deal. And that, my friends, is UNIVERSAL. I am delighted to tell you I was able to enjoy the Montreux Christmas Market in Montreux, Switzerland (surely one of the most beautiful places on earth!) It was so lovely! There were so many vendors, but they weren't obnoxious vendors like you might find at a fair or something... they were Swiss and adorable. They all had the typical Swiss wooden A-frame house characteristics. There were pastries created as snowmen and Saint Nick, there were soaps and lotions, there were vendors selling fur slippers and hats, some people were selling beautiful handmade bags and totes, there were beautiful french decorations, custom-made family boards... the list could go on for a long time! Then there was the FOOD. Oh. My. Goodness. It was all so beautiful and ABUNDANT! My friend, Alberta, took me and we sat down and enjoyed a huge plate of potatoes with 'lardons' (aka: bits of bacon or pork fat) and lots of butter and I couldn't resist a bowl of CREAMY homemade mac 'n cheese. Needless to say, that wasn't the best way to handle the market! I desperately wanted a nap!! As you'lll see with the pictures though, it's a mighty good thing I didn't take a nap - the sunset over the lake was incredible. Montreux is this phenomenal place where you're seated at the edge of Lake Geneva and just across the Lake are the Swiss Alps. The mountains just explode out of the water and are so extremely majestic, they're breathtaking. If only you could have been there to enjoy it too!

I was able to fly home for Christmas for a few weeks! My flights were for the most part uneventful... long, but smooth. I got home after my 24 hours of travel and reunited with my parents. We ended up staying in a hotel downtown Des Moines as I had plans to celebrate Aedan's birthday (the boy I care for), their family is from Altoona and they were having a party the day after I landed. We stayed at the Embassy Suites and it was lovely and wonderful. I was delusional after traveling for so many hours and didn't notice anything unusual (other than everyone around me was speaking English!) The next morning I was enjoying my continental breakfast when I looked up and had to take a DOUBLE TAKE. Leif was standing right there! It was so special to have him and Ashley and Aidan there to welcome me home! It's true, I cried. Aidan hadn't forgotten me at all. He came right up to me and gave me hugs and kisses, we played and sang and had a jolly 'ol time while everyone finished their breakfasts.

One of my favorite dishes from the region I currently live in is called "Tartiflette". It's brilliant, and in the Savoie region it's inexpensive as well. Potatoes, butter, onions, garlic, fatty meat, bread, salad and good wine... doesn't it sound great?! Well, I thought it'd be nice to have some of my 'homies' over and treat them to a nice French dinner. Ah, I live for these moments! It was so much fun! Caitlin and Katelin came over a bit early and [thankfully] were able to help get things ready. We rocked out to Michael Bublé and Bob Marley and the Wailers -- not exactly French, but that's what I do in France! Haha. It was really perfect, well, I would have made it last longer, but all things considered, it was a really great night.

Okay, enough for now! On to packing! Pictures to come!

when your internet oasis lands at mickey d's...

Okay, super behind! Lots to cover and not much time to cover it! Haha. Let's see... it's been since... the first of November... hmm... well, a lot's happened since then! Seems like ages ago!

- I'm pretty sure it was the second of November that Jacob came to visit. We then left on the fourth for Athens, Greece. What a crazy city!? :) Pictures are so helpful when trying to remember details:

The parthenon is the most important and characteristic monument of ancient greek culture. It's dedicated to the patron goddess of Athens; Athena Parthenos. It was really beautiful. The Acropolis is kind of a plateau with these incredible ancient monuments and the view of all of Athens AND the Sarconic Coast!

the beautiful greek flag! flying high!

Here's a photo of the Areopagus (Mars Hill), like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times. It was HERE that the Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech about the identity of "the Unknown God." (Acts 17)

We made our way to Gylfada while we were in Greece. Athens was beautiful, but crazy chaotic and the Athens Marathon was happening that day, so we decided to get some fresh air and go to the coast. :)

Jacob's from Oregon, where there's no sales tax, and was kind enough to pick up a camera for me! I spent our time in Athens practicing... well, I still am trying to get it down, but yeah.

I would TOTALLY recommend anyone traveling to Athens staying at Pagration Hostel. It was super affordable, clean and friendly! The people who were staying there were so great.

And our last day there we managed to make our way to the Olympic Stadium of 1896.

- Thanksgiving was pretty good. I was so relieved to feel at home and part of the family I work for. I stayed with them Thanksgiving evening and we had a nice family meal. It was so nice to feel comfortable and like I was part of a family for the day. Thanksgiving is a terrible day to feel like an orphan.

-And as I sit here at McDonald's I'm reminded of the reality that I don't have any internet or phone connection at my apartment anymore. As liberating as it is, it's kind of annoying at the same time. McDonald's is not my favorite place in the world and it's the closest location of wi-fi I know of.

That's all for now... more later. Perhaps from home!