SB 2010!

I did not have a typical college spring break this past week. My travels were relatively tame compared to those of my state-side friends. However, I believe that I had the best Spring Break ever. I traveled to Ireland and Paris and did some amazing things. I visited family in Ireland and had a lovely, lovely time. The Irish are very fond of the word "lovely" and I have taken it upon myself to start using that word more often.

My family cooked for me while I was in Ireland and I greatly enjoyed my meals. Both nights we had mashed potatoes with gravy, mashed carrots and turnips, and meat with gravy. It was very simple, but also very delicious. I also drank and INSANE amount of tea. Everywhere I went, everyone was offering me tea. In the morning, during lunch, after dinner, after a walk, after sheep-herding ,after a late night talk. Along with tea, there were also small cakes and muffins. The Irish also put a lot of milk and sugar in their tea which I found odd. I like tea, but I enjoy the bitterness of it and I prefer to drink it as is. I drank tea a total of 7 times in 2 days!

I also went out to eat at a restaurant located in the only hotel in Caherciveen. I ate their twice and it was not until I left Ireland that I learned that this is the place where my great-grandma Kate worked before she came to America. The first time I was there I ate fried scampi with chips. It was very good and my second cousin once removed ordered the same thing. As I doused my chips in ketchup, she dipped hers in mayonnaise. Odd.

The second time I went there with a distant cousin and ate fried cod and chips. Both times the food was very delicious! I will post pictures soon!

Paris is another great city for food and I had some lovely dining experiences.
The first night there we went to a small restaurant in Montmarte which is the artsy district of Paris on the Northwest side of the city. We ate at a restaurant that served its wine in baby bottles because people often spill in the narrow restaurant. Sadly, we could not show off our wine-tasting skills as we could not swirl our glasses or smell the wine. Darn!
For dinner we ordered meat fondue. It came with a big bowl of red raw meat and some taters! It was fun cooking our own meat and gave us a chance to really enjoy the meal and the atmosphere of Montmarte. This was one of my favorite nights out as I got to enjoy the company of my friends!

The next day I enjoyed free croissants at my hostel. After a lot of sightseeing we headed to an area where we heard there was good, cheap food. We found a restaurant offering a tourist menu with 3 courses for only 8 euro! I usually like to avoid touristy places, but when you find this amount of food at such a low price, you cannot pass it up! I ordered a chicken and mushroom crepe and beef bourguignon. The meal was delicious! For dessert we received ice cream, definitely a bang for your buck! That night I ate some fruit from a stand near my hostel.

The next day I grabbed lunch on the go as I headed to Chartes. I got a mushroom and cheese and tomato crepe from a stand near the train station. Once again, delicious! That night I got Kebab from a Greek restaurant in Chinatown!

The next day I was not feeling too well after a night out on the town. Finally, around 1 I regained my appetite and we went in search for another tourist menu. It was Saturday, so we knew we would have to spend a bit more money. After a long search, we found a restaurant serving 3 courses for 10 euro, success! I ate French onion soup, duck, and chocolate mousse. The Duck was my favorite. It was very succulent and tasty!

For dinner we found another restaurant in Montmarte with 3 courses for only 12 euro! Ah, Pareee!
I cannot remember the name of my first course, but it consisted of thinly sliced tomatoes with cheese and a lemony sort of sauce. It was warm and very very delicious. For my second course I ordered beef bourguignon once again. It was much much better the second time around. It was very tender and melted in my mouth. For dessert, chocolate mousse!

I loved the food I had during Spring Break! Now it is back to my reality of a quickly dwindling bank account and home-cooked sandwhiches for every meal! Boun appetit!