4 posts tagged “france”

In two weeks I'll be in Paris, on my way back to the US after 6 months in France. It doesn't seem like I've been here that long. I was going to blog more, but then I just lost the motivation I suppose. I had some problems initially with bank accounts and finding an apartment, that seemed to kind of sour me to the experience.

I'm a little better now, and I've gotten to go to some great places around these parts, so all in all it has been a great experience. Hopefully it will also prove to be helpful for my career, wherever that takes me from here. I'm heading back to my previous position in the Albany, NY area. I hope to get back to a routine, and also get back to running. Onward and upward!

Into the clouds

Well I was going to go to Basel. I even set my alarm. I hit snooze too many times though, and next thing I know it's 10:30. Oops. Guess I'm not going much of anywhere today. Oh well.

I made coffee, had the leftover almond croissant from yesterday and also some yogurt with the last of the strawberry and orange fruit salad sprinkled with some cinnamon and muesli.

I'm not sure what I'll do now. I popped downstairs to grab a loaf of bread. I had to think about what to throw on to look presentable though; the French do not just do t-shirts and sweatpants. Also, there is always a line at noon, so I was expecting to encounter others. Black All Blacks shirt my sis got me + black yoga pants was my choice. I didn't get any lifted eyebrows, so voila, I have my loaf of "rustique."

I'm trying to work my way through the various offerings since I'm not sure what the different kinds taste like, but I'm also trying to focus on trying the ones with more whole grains like wheat or spelt. I have now looked it up, and in France, a rustique loaf is a mixture of wheat and rye flours, and takes longer to go stale. Good choice! I also got a spelt loaf the other day; the word for spelt in French is épeautre.

Maybe I'll try to go for a hike today to get some fresh air and exercise. I need to look up some trails though.

So, I'm in France right now for work, trying to adjust to the big change in pretty much everything: work schedule, eating schedule, diet... I am still amazed at how people here eat the amount of butter and bacon that they do and not fall over dead in the middle of the street.

Yum

I decided that I need to try and get in as much exercise as I can so that I don't have to deprive myself of too much of the food that's available, so in that vein I finally went running on Sunday. The area where I am is not really a huge city, but definitely more urban than I'm using to running, so I headed for the path (randonnée) along the river that runs through town then cuts over to a park area. It was just a short out and back 5K, but I did it in 37 minutes without stopping to walk, except at road crossings. Pretty good for having essentially done no running since the marathon! I have still had some pain in my knee even without running, so I was a little worried. It was a short run though, and I didn't push the pace so my knee seemed to weather things just fine.

I've been trying to keep active by walking, going to some fitness classes with my coworkers, and practicing with a soccer team once a week. Since pretty much everything is closed on Sundays, doing outdoor things like walking, biking or running is about your only choice besides stay home. I don't have a scale, so I guess I'll know I need to cut back when my pants stop fitting!

Show us your favorite photo from last summer.

Riquewihr street