Bloody Caesar Recipe!

The one alcoholic beverage that truly says: “I’m Canadian”

Since living in France, this has been one of the many culinary items that I have been missing. So, I took it upon myself to recreate this masterpiece with my Canadian friends last night and it was delicious!


RECIPE FOR THIS HEAVEN IN A GLASS?

1-1 and a half oz. of vodka (I usually do 2 oz.)
2-3 dashes of hot sauce (I like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce)
3 pinches of salt and pepper
4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
4-7 oz. of Clamato juice (I like the extra spicy kind)
2 slices of lemon (one to garnish, one to squeeze)


Don’t forget to pour this lovely mixture over ice and rim the glass with celery salt! I usually like to garnish this heavenly masterpiece with a stick of celery or an “Extreme Bean”



Happy bartending!!

Landing in Marrakech...

So about two and a half weeks ago my victorious boyfriend and I set out to adventure the streets of Marrakech, Morocco. We weren't exactly sure what to expect traveling here, despite our thorough research and fervent efforts to learn as much as we possibly could about this North African country, we were still a bit dumbfounded upon our arrival.  After first landing, we decided that we were going to take a taxi into the city, which is what most tourists do when they land in Marrakech. We left the airport and found ourselves in our first true Moroccan haggle: the haggle for a fair priced taxi. We learned before leaving home that bartering is a way of life in the Berber community and both of us have had our fair share of traveling to third world countries and having to do this before. So, we managed to get the taxi for 100 dirhams, which is about 10 euros. It doesn't seem that bad and I'm not complaining, but apparently it's a huge rip off because if they turned their meters on we would apparently only have to pay 30 dirhams as the commute from the airport to the city isn't that far, about 15 minutes.

The taxi drove us to Jemaa El Fna, which is the main square in Marrakech and it is actually the largest public space in the whole African continent, little tidbit for you.  So, we stepped out of the taxi and attempted to navigate the chaotic and winding streets of the Medina (which is the inner part of the city and the more cultural area)... we quickly found ourselves pretty lost.  The streets in the Medina don't intersect and plot out on maps in the same way that they do back in North America, or even Europe for that matter. So, trying to reference a horribly drawn out map in our little travel book wasn't helping much, especially when so many of the road signs are in Arabic or French, which both of us (regrettably) can't speak.
We were also followed by one annoyingly persistent man who was dressed to the nines, at least by Moroccan standards,  who kept wanting to help us find our hotel, or "riad" as they're called in Morocco. Riads are like a mix between bed and breakfasts and guesthouses and are a pretty good representation of the quintessential Moroccan hospitality experience. But, of course they are located down tiny streets that are impossible to locate unless you've been there many times. So now, we were at the mercy of our bad maps and insisting street people.
So, this man kept following us for a good forty minutes as we continued down dead-end alley ways and snaking cobblestone streets. Our method of finding our riad clearly was not working, and every wrong turn we took we could hear the man echoing in our direction: "Your riad is not that way," "You're going the wrong way," "You're very lost, let me help you."
Of course, in North American society, if someone is so nice to go out of their way to assist you, you should cherish this social nicety and take them up on their offer. But  in Morocco, it's typically a form of money grabbing and it's best to avoid it as much as you can. I don't want to dismiss all the people who are genuine and not looking to make a quick buck (or dirham I should say) but in most cases, as a tourist, you have to be cautious about trusting strangers to guide you in the right direction. Er, at least that's what all our travel books and websites said. And I'm sure we made quite an easy target with our maps out.
So, eventually we gave in and let a group of young boys that couldn't be older than 9 or 10 show us all the way to our Riad, which wasn't far from where we started in Jemaa El Fna. I'll expand on this jewel of a tourist site more later.
We knocked on the unmarked door and found ourselves greeted by a lovely Moroccan young man, Ali. He showed us into the Riad, which is called Riad Marrakech Rouge, and closed the door behind us. So we failed to tip to the boys who showed us to the riad, and now I understand that probably wasn't so nice. We could hear them cursing at us through the closed door, but Ali motioned us into the common area and to ignore the boys outside, so we did. This was our first Riad experience and we were eager to drop our bags down in our room and relax for a minute or two before venturing back out to Jemaa El Fna. But, Ali told us to relax and sit while he brings us tea. I suppose this was our first realization of the difference between the slow-paced Arab culture and the fast-paced North American culture. But, we obliged and sipped on some typical Moroccan mint tea that Ali brought out about ten minutes later on a beautiful platter. After getting to know Ali and the other travelers staying at our Riad, we were shown to our room on the second level of the Riad.
After settling into our room, we decided to mission back to Jemaa El Fna to experience the nightly festivities that take place there.
We ate typical Moroccan cuisine at a food stall in the center of the square after being hassled to eat at many different places, we felt very overwhelmed and finally settled on the first one. We ate bread and salsa, lamb shish kebabs, couscous and ordered some Coca Cola.
After dinner, we toured around Jemaa El Fna and observed many crowds gathered around storytellers sitting cross legged on the ground. Obviously, we couldn't understand the Arabic story, but it was really interesting to see how eager the listeners are. Usually, the storytellers will tell a story that is between 30 to 45 minutes and will leave the story with an intense cliff-hanger and the listeners have to come back to the next night to hear how the story ends. It was a cute little thing to watch as we walked by, but I couldn't help but wonder what they were telling stories about that made people want to sit around for that long!
After staying in the square for an hour or two we decided to make our way back to the Riad. This first night in Marrakech was a bit chaotic and fascinating, as much of the rest of our time in Morocco was.

That's all for now, but more to come on Morocco, France and Monte Carlo!!!

France in the Springtime...sigh!

Sorry it's been a while! Since my last post, I have spent 10 spectacular days in Toronto visiting friends and family for my "spring break." It was a much needed vacation at my home away from home...away from my home? I also got upgraded to British Airways' first class which was a special little treat!
So, now that I am back I have more exciting things to write about, er, well sort of anyways. Life here has been a little bit mundane, but in a good way. Get up, eat breakfast, go out and take in the scenery (beach mostly) and come home, cook dinner, drink a few glasses of wine with some friends and go to sleep.
Yes, France has been lovely, my posts over the past three months have proven that. But nothing has been quite as lovely as experiencing the springtime here in this beautiful corner of the world: nestled between Italy and the Mediterranean.
The weather has been wonderful so, of course, I've been to the beach just about everyday this week. It doesn't hurt that the beach is only a short eight minute walk from my doorstep (Yes, I've timed it.)
However, my pale Canadian skin has taken quite a beating and isn't looking quite as bronzed as I was hoping for, more of a reddish hue actually...but I'm convinced it will turn into a tan if I nourish it well enough. Aloe! Aloe! Aloe!
So, today I have covered up my sun-battered body and have taken it upon myself to venture away from the beach and into the streets. The tiny, charming, cobblestoned little streets of Antibes. Everyone is one patios, drinking beers, wearing cardigans and enjoying the company of friends. Mothers are pushing their babies in posh little strollers and elderly couples are walking their cute little puppies.
Babies, puppies, beach... enough said. The South of France is the place to be.
My academic portion of my week has been rather strenuous so I'm trying to stay focused on that, but its so distracting...with the sun...and the palm trees.
Hopefully I will have something more worth-your-time to write about in the near future. My plans for the upcoming week are mostly school related, but then I'm headed back to Ventimiglia on Friday to shop.
The week after that perhaps this site will get a little more exciting again as I'm headed to Africa! No, not the safari and tribal type your thinking of...think more Arab Africa, Sahara Desert, Camels. Yup, I'm headed to Morocco! More details to come!

That's all for now.

The 4 Reasons why people shouldn't mind airports

I love to travel, it's my favourite hobby, and I know I am not alone and that many people share the same fabulous hobby with me.
I strongly believe in that famous Saint Augustine quote, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."
Cliche? Yes. True? Absolutely. I'm working on it, I've got a lot more pages to go ;)

So anyways, if I'm not traveling I'm usually planning and researching for my next trip. Whether if its studying different flight costs, looking up travel articles online or spending an afternoon in the travel section at Chapters, travel is always on my mind. Ever since I contracted the travel bug about 3 years ago I have been away as often as humanly possible for a full time student working a part time job. In fact, for the passed three years I have been away for about 11 months in total. But I'm sure other travelers would agree when I say that it's just never enough. It's a constant need for more. Discover more places, see more countries, eat more exotic foods and last but not least, drink more local wines.
I plan on keeping travel as a priority for the rest of my life. So, obviously this will mean quite a bit of time spent at airports for me, and the millions of other people who feel the same way. Thus, my most recent post. Here are the top 4 reasons why I actually really like spending time at airports, and you should too:

1. The tax free shopping

I don't usually delve into this too much, especially if I have another connecting flight, or if I'm coming back from a costly holiday, but everything is cheaper without the tax! ;)

2. Lots of time to read.

Yes, the majority of my most recent airport reading has been Cosmopolitan and Us Weekly, but still, it's a nice opportunity to take advantage of indulging in some solid monotonous literature. I'm writing this as I'm waiting for my flight to London in the Nice Cote D'azur airport and there is an abundance of gossip and fashion mags, I love it!

3. The opportunity for prime "people watching".

 This might sound cliché, but I really do love people watching in airports: the hellos and goodbyes between family members and lovers and the vast mix of people from all over the world. I often find myself trying to figure the people out.

4.  The feeling that you get when you know you're going somewhere.

I love pulling around my little carry on suitcase around the airport as I gaze through magazines and grab my last grande tea before my flight. It's strange how much I love the process of going through airports too considering how much I hate the actually flying part. I don't hate what alot of other people hate about airports either. I don't mind waiting in line for security, and I never get annoyed when they have to search through my things. Because really, who cares? All they're going to find is a laptop surrounded by cardigans and shoes.

The only thing I really hate, like I mentioned before is the flying part. The being on the plane. The huge, heavy metal thing that goes super fast into the sky with me strapped in holding on for dear life. I guess I just hate flying because I don't understand it. How does a plane lift off and stay in the air for hours at a time? How is this actually physically possible? I know there exists complicated physics behind it, but I don't care, I still don't get it. How can we just sit in a chair thousands of feet in the air, traveling over oceans and mountains...while I eat peanuts, drink tea and watch How I Met your Mother? It blows my mind that humankind has created an invention like flying, and it's actually incredible when you think about it. 

But once I get over that whole idea, which is usually once we've hit cruising altitude and the "fasten your seatbelts" light has switched off, I usually listen to my iPod and start thinking of where I'm headed to and where I've been. 

 I love looking down out the window over vast landscapes and feeling so far from everything. Whether if it's between Abu Dhabi and Toronto or Rome and Madrid, I've always felt this way when I'm flying. It's a weird sort of disconnect and almost like a limbo between two worlds, between where I am and where I'm going:  vacation and home, warmth and cold, new exciting life and old familiar routine. Sometimes it's kind of like a reality check as well, back to the real world.

Which is exactly what it is for me right now, I'm headed back to Toronto for 10 days for the French spring break. A vacation in Toronto! Yay! It will be a little strange vacationing at my home, but I'm really looking forward to it. Not so much the weather, but I'm sure I'll manage. I'm definitely looking forward to starbucks, taking the subway and seeing friends.

And I'm especially looking forward to returning to even better weather in the French Riviera when I return on March 4th, I heard March is a beautiful time in that area and I can't wait.

So until next time!

bisous!

Getting motivated in the French Riviera

It has been a huge obstacle to overcome since being here, and I can't quite seem to figure it out, but I cannot get myself to be motivated to do anything strenuous over here. Whether if it's strenuous on my mind or on my body. Don't get me wrong, I have been doing quite a bit of thinking and walking since being here, but there is something about this French laissez-faire attitude that has gotten the best of me.
As you know, I am here for school. That is supposed to be my main focus, not shopping and not sightseeing. But, I can't remember this last time I actually did schoolwork here. I mean, yes, I had one exam, but I studied for probably about two hours in total for it, which is nothing compared to studying for a test back home. I just can't be bothered here. I have so many things I would rather do: go walk along the beach, go on a day trip somewhere, hang out with friends, go to the market, or whatever else really. Anything but schoolwork.

And to be honest, this trip has quickly become more of a vacation then a semester abroad. I'm not mad about it, just a bit disappointed in myself. I am usually a bit of a keener when it comes to my studies, but with all this beautiful weather and all of this charming French culture, I have become easily distracted.
I am taking eight courses here in France, so you think I would be busy and going crazy, but no. The school system here is so dramatically different than the Canadian system, that is seems ridiculously easy and laughable. Even though I am enrolled in my final year of a bachelor degree program back in Canada, I am enrolled in a Masters Program here in France. So, essentially, the Canadian undergraduate system is on par with the French postgraduate system. The "professors" are very laidback here when it comes to assigning work and only one class I've been in has had a syllabus. I asked my professor of Advertising and Communication how we were being evaluated and he said that "he didn't know." My other professor of Value Management, which is a luxury brand course, told me that he still hasn't decided - the course has been over for three weeks now and he promised he would send us a project outline "soon". We'll see about that.
Courses here will either give 4 or 2 credits, depending on if they are 30 hours or 15 hours in total. My university back home  (Ryerson) has an agreement with SKEMA (the university I go to here) that 6 credits from SKEMA equals one credit back at Ryerson. And , since I am taking four courses that give me four credits and four courses that give me two credits, I will be getting 4 credits back at Ryerson for doing this semester in France. I have also signed myself up for a course to do through correspondence from back home, which I have only just started. The Professor has been really good about giving exchange students some slack and keeping us up to date with what's going on back in the Toronto class. But, I really need to step up my game on this.
So now, it's down to crunch time. I've seen the gorgeous area that I live in and I've had about two months to bask in its beauty, and now I need to start concentrating on what I really came here for.  I don't see the weather getting worse, it's only going to get better from now until May (which is when I go back to Toronto) so I should figure out a way to get myself motivated before this beautiful corner of the world overtakes my intelligence. Any ideas?

When to go to Ventimiglia

FRIDAY!!!

This passed Friday, we went to Ventimiglia, which is a quaint little Italian town just across the France-Italy border. Ventimiglia literally means "twenty miles" and this town is about 4 stops after Monaco on the regional Cote D'azur train. This commute is only about an hour and a half and 9 euro train ride from where I live in France.
I have been wanting to go here ever since I first arrived on the French Riviera at the beginning of January because I've heard such lovely things about the market. Every Friday, even on Christmas day, there is a market that takes over this tiny town. I was expecting the market to be quaint, just like the town, but in actuality the market is about 5 kilometers long, winding through the streets and around corners and stretched out along the promenade. Little white tents are set up like dominoes selling everything from leather goods, to jewelery to pashminas and clothing , to oil and cheese. This market is also widely known as being one of the best "black markets" in all of Europe, so obviously I had to check it out.
I was in the company of my lovely mother who loves looking for a great deal back home in Canada, and she was beyond thrilled to learn that I was taking her to Italy to spend a day at a renowned marketplace. Thrifting is her paramount hobby and she is very good at it, so I was happy to experience this market with someone like her.
We arrived in Ventimiglia at about quarter to 11 and followed the crowds of people that come from all over France and Italy to explore this market and all it has to offer. Every Friday the town averages about 5,000 visitors, which is alot for a place with a population of 55,000. We walked, almost like a herd, towards the rows of tents. I told myself not to buy anything within the first hour, because I would probably find a better deal further along. But, of course I couldn't help myself and bought a pair of beautiful grey leather boots almost immediately. After a couple of hours of nosing around and purchasing more amazing finds, we decided to sit out on a patio along the Mediterranean for lunch. The weather has been back to being lovely again, and it has been sunny almost every day for the past week and a half with an average of 15 degrees. I love it! We also took a couple cappuccino breaks and managed to lose eachother for about half an hour in the crowds of people. Luckily, we had a meeting point in case something like that happened, which isn't completely out of the question for two women in a shopping frenzy. After finding eachother again, it was almost 5 o clock and the market was starting to shut down.
The market is usually open from 8am-5pm every Friday and even though Ventimiglia is a beautiful town, I wouldn't suggest going on any other day. If you can go early on a Friday morning, you can experience the market before lunch and then venture around the town afterwards to see all the other sites it has to offer: like, the Romanesque cathedral, the old town and the stunning views from the beach.

I will definitely come here again!!

Things to do in Eze Village

1. Walk through the cobblestone streets
2. See the Exotic gardens - and more importantly the panoramic view
3. Grab a crepe or a glass of wine and sit on a patio



Yesterday we decided to go to Eze village, which is a few stops before Monaco on the Cote D'azur regional train. I wasn't sure what to expect, because I haven't heard much about this place, but it was absolutely breathtaking and I'm so surprised I haven't heard more people talking about it.
To start it off, I knew the day was going to be wonderful because my mom is currently visiting me right now! She hasn't been to Europe since she was 17, so it's nice to be able to show her around this corner of the world. We were going to go to Monaco, but than decided against it last minute to visit this little medieval place called Eze. We got off the train at Eze sur Mer and waited about 45 minutes for the bus #83 to come and pick us up to take us up the winding road along the mountainside. I felt a little nauseous going up these steep and curving roads, but I figured the bus driver knew what he was doing. Eze village is perched up ontop of a mountain, 1400 feet above sea level and offers spectacular panoramic views of the Riviera.
This village is also widely known for it's medieval streets and tiny courtyards, but I wanted to explore it more. We walked through all the main cobblestones streets and walked into little shops where we had to duck down to enter through the door.  The village was founded in the 8th century and most of the buildings were built between then and the 10th century, which when it was overtaken by the Moors. So aside for all this history, the village of Eze is also an alluring accommodation hotspot for the rich businessmen who frequent the annual Grand Prix in neighbouring Monaco. People like Bill Clinton, the Prince of Monaco and other notable people have stayed here. The village has only one hotel: Chateau Eza, which is a luxury boutique hotel that was made famous in the 1800's when the Swedish Royal Family visited here and called it their winter home. We decided to walk into the reception, which was a tiny entrance around a little cobblestone corner, and the room was only big enough to fit a desk with a french lady behind it. She asked us if we wanted to see the price list and we said okay, and it turns out that you need at least 300 euros to stay here in a standard room for one night. We shied away from this and went on to the top of the village to see the Jardins Exotique. (the exotic gardens).
This was probably my favourite part of the whole village because it offers the best views of not only the surrounding area, but the village itself. It was 4 euros each to go into the gardens and the gardens itself have statues of different ancient goddesses alongside cacti and other exotic flowers. This is where the old fort used to stand which was built and torn down hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The weather up here was brisk and reminded me of Canada in the winter, but we stayed long enough to take a few pictures.
Afterwards we went to a little restaurant beside the gardens, I forgot the name, and had a glass of wine, hot chocolate and split a prosciutto pizza. There were alot of restaurants with patios, and I wish we could've sat on one, but it was so cold up on the mountain that we had to go inside. I'm sure I'll come to Eze again during my semester abroad and when it's warmer I will definitely sit out and enjoy some vin.