Friday, January 31, 2014

Today's Way to Save Episode 5: Discount Travel

Hi guys!

My spring break plans are well under way, so my friend and I have been doing a LOT of comparing and shopping around for economic travel options.

Plane and Bus Combination for 2 - €58 Per Person!

So far, we've created a 12-day round-trip adventure by through 5 major cities in 3 countries for only about €150 per person, using every discount bus, plane and train line imaginable. 

Our biggest allies: Rome2Rio, Ryanair, Ouigo, Eurolines and the web search "cheapest way to get from (insert place) to (insert place)"!

What are you doing for spring break this year?

Monday, January 27, 2014

Pretty Little Details: Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Gordes

Bonjour tout le monde,

Even though I already wrote an overview of my latest CEA field trip, I still want to share a few more little details that I saw along the way. Enjoy!

Dwarf citronniers!
Novels upon novels
A familiar combination - 2 of my mama's favorite things
A mated pair
Quaint peeling paint
Une vielle dame et son chien
Slippery Algae 
La Fontaine-de-Vaucluse: A seemingly stagnant pool that births 630 million cubic meters of water per year
< M+J 3
Un gros escargot!
5 Lenticular Clouds
Miaou
Art studio angel
Chocolat chaud
Lavern the fern de la Fontaine-de-Vaucluse - a sweet souvenir!
Thanks for looking!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Field Trip Folly Episode 3: Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Gordes

CEA took us on a 4-part adventure, today. We started the morning off in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a quaint town built on top of 5 interlacing branches of the Sorgue river. The village is famous for its antique markets, canals and water mills.

Lavender stand - Isle-sur-la-Sorgue 
Blue-green canal
Contrasting colors
La Sorgue elle-même
Moulin à Eau 
Diverse Market Fare
Water seekers
7km upstream awaited our second stop, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, where the Sorgue river gushes up from the earth at astounding rates. This water undulates into a seemingly still pool before crashing downstream in a torrent of white water rapids, and gently cascading falls.

Cliffside cave - Monts de Vaucluse
Moving Upstream
Moulin
Cascade
Climbing down after a cliffside picnic
The source
Coin coin!
A surprise stop on the way: Pont Julien, a charming 2000-year old Roman bridge that is STILL standing; the oldest in the region. We had just enough time to ooh and ahh before heading to our last destination.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Not a fan of heights
Gordes, considered one of Les Plus Beaux Villages en France, is perched on the southern edge of the Plateau de Vaucluse. The limestone buildings (including a castle) nestled into its the cliffs date back to the 12th century, and make for an incredible view.

Les Filles
Say "Fromage!"
Luberon Valley as seen from Gordes
CEA Spring 2014!
Street-level ditch/amazing scare-people spot!
Chocolat chaud with a view 
Thanks for tagging along today! Let me know what you think in the comments!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Today's Way to Save Episode 4: Market Chai for Cheap!

Bonjour tout le monde!

Today, I'm excited to share with you a fantastic market-spice recipe for chai tea syrup! Making this at home can help you avoid paying café prices for chai lattés or pre-made mix. Here's how I went about it, and how you can do the same:


At Aix's 365-day market, and especially the tri-weekly "grand marché", there is usually at least one spice vendor, and tables for honey, fruit and veggies. All around, the prices for fresh, fragrant ingredients are extremely reasonable, even considering the exchange rate.


In your case, you may consider shopping a similar outdoor market, or visiting an ethnic store in your area. Bulk spices tend to run much cheaper than pre-packed ones (besides being fresher and more flavorful)!


My favorite part about Aix's market, next to practicing my French, is that every vendor is more or less willing to budge on prices with a little small talk. I was able to work out 2 delectably scented Madagascar vanilla beans for €1, and a mini-pot of local forest honey for €3 by just explaining what I was going to make with them.

In total, I bought everything I needed for around €12, including excess spices, tea, and more unrefined sugar than I will -ever- use in 3 months. Even if I don't make another batch, that's €0,60 per serving!


For tea, I used €2 Lipton vanilla flavored black tea from DIA. Granted, plain black tea would likely provide a more authentic chai flavor. For sugar, I used unrefined cane "cassonade" that is sold in small inexpensive bags all over Aix.


Also, I opted to add extra peppercorns during the second boil-down because my mix didn't smell spicy enough for my tastes. Feel free to be flexible and make your own special recipe! Here's mine:


Making this recipe with some my CEA friends was great fun, even though we didn't get to finish it the first time; the whole house smelled fantastic! The finished syrup tastes even better than it smells, mixed with warm or cold milk. I highly recommend you give it a try.


If you do, it won't last long! (Depending on how fast you can drink 20 lattés) ;)


What are your thoughts on chai? If you're a fan, would you ever attempt this recipe? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Field Trip Folly Episode 1: Le Grand Site Sainte-Victoire


Salut!

Yesterday, the CEA gang piled into a mini-bus and headed to Cèzanne's beloved Mont Ste. Victoire for a bit of hiking and sightseeing. The smell of wild provincial herbs, the crisp mountain breeze, and the company of friends made for a very agreeable afternoon.

Barely visible in the distance, la Croix de Provence. 
Le Lac Bimont - My favorite area of the site, and the source of Aix's water

The beauty of it all what almost too much to take in

Not so quaint: because of the site's placement on a fault line, this dam is highly susceptible to breakage in case of an earthquake. Therefore, the surrounding lowlands, including Aix are at constant risk of flash flooding!

Pic des Mouches - 3,317 ft above sea level
This red-earth layer is notorious for hiding precious fossilized dinosaur eggs that iconize the region
I'm so glad to be here!