Here we go again...

Source: flickr.com via West on Pinterest

Tomorrow we head of on a two and a half week adventure to Portugal and Spain. We will be riding the train through to Lisbon and returning through Spains large cities (Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona). We are pretty excited to unruffle our winter feathers and get a bit of that spanish sun. On our journey we will have a variety of accommodations like nice hotels, staying with complete strangers and even catching up with an Australian friend. Our mission, to relax before the busyness of working all summer. We have a list of amazing things to do but if you have any suggestions we're more than happy to try new things! Along the way we will try and keep you updated provided we can still move after eating our weight in jamon, churos, paella and tapas.

hablar pronto
-morgan

Crème Chocolate

Bonjour. Mon ami, Bibi, a donné moi la recette pour le Crème Chocolat. Ce tres bon. Je suis désolé pour la mauvais photograph. Nous mange trot rapidement. Voila.
-kim

1L lait
4c à soupe maizena
6c à soupe cacao
8c à soupe sucre poudre

[1] Faire chauffer le lait pas trop chaud.
[2] Dans un saladier, maizena, cacao, et sucre poudre à mélanger
[3] Mélanger le lait et le mélanger
[4] Faire chauffer doucement jusqu'à cela sait dure
[5] Mettre au frigidaire

-----

Hello. My friend Bibi was kind enough to share with me her recipe for Crème Chocolate. I'm sorry for the bad photo. We ate it really fast. Enjoy.
-kim

1L milk
4 Tbs cornstarch
6 Tbs cocoa
8 Tbs sugar

[1] Heat the milk in a pan, but not too hot
[2] In a bowl add cornstarch, cocoa and sugar and mix
[3] Mix the dry ingredients with the milk
[4] Heat in pan until it thickens
[5] Place in the fridge to cool

ps. If any of you try this recipe please let me know. I would love to know how you go.

lunch.

One of my favourite things about living in France is lunch time. Here, lunch is the main meal of the day and it is usually separated out in to different sections and can take up to 2 1/2 hours to complete. To begin you have the main meal, often paired with either red or white wine, then you have salad and cheese, a sweet or dessert and finally a coffee.



Our main meal this day was Beef Bourguignon (one of my favourite meals Morgan makes) with steamed Potatoes.



The common salad is just lettuce and an olive oil dressing. The cheese we ate this day was some Camembert, Roquefort and Goats cheese with crackers.



After the cheese and salad is dessert. Sometimes this would be a clementine, sometimes a yoghurt. Today we were treated with a lemon meringue tart which I gobbled up before I could take a photo.



Then, to finish the meal, we drink a short black and a square of dark chocolate. This is a great way to finish off a big meal.



Everyday, since we have arrived in the south, after lunch we play cards. We are legitimate unemployed now.



I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a French family meal. It is pretty special living here and there are many beautiful things quite unique to this part of the world.
-kim

Les Baux

Last week we went to Les Baux de Provence, a 12th century Roman village near the French city of Arles. It's truly an amazing experience to walk streets that have been used hundreds of years before you. I love the rich history of France and the beautiful architecture of so many generations. This town is built high on a mountain and has an amazing view. My advice, go when its not windy.








Another thing I love about the south of France is the blue sky that only really gets this nice and blue in the Provence. Happy Tuesday/Wednesday.
-morgan

4L

This is our new car. She is beautiful. She has been one of the most popular French cars over time. She is a Renault 4 or better known as a 4L, pronounced "qatre-elle" (four-L). She is a four speed little gem with many great little features. Most older french people have owned one or at the least have been in one. Most say they are indestructible. We love this car so much and can't wait to have many road trips in her.
-morgan

gratitude

Back in December, I had the privilege of taking part in a 30 days of gratitude seminar. A little while ago I shared about a documentary this incredible mother/daughter team are making about the power of gratitude.

This seminar was excellent, but unfortunately due to the last few months being not quite normal (packing up our home and traveling the world) I didn't quite finish the 30 day challenge. I was thinking about this today, feeling a little bummed I didn't finish it and it reminded me of one of my favourite things Morgan and I do, and I want to share a little glimpse into that.

Each night before we drift to sleep Morgan and I ask each other what the best part of our day was. I love this. It is a great moment to pause and reflect on the 16 hours that have passed, and select one moment that made us smile, one moment that made the day worth living. Some days it can be tough to pick one thing because there are so many great things, and others can be really hard to think of something good. However, it is so worth it, to end the day sharing the great things we each have experienced and enjoyed.

I believe this has been so valuable in our marriage. Before we were both unemployed and spending all day everyday together, this was a great time in the day to spend time alone and share the highlight of our day. It's so easy to not quite communicate those little things that happen in the day, and I think there is real value in sharing them.

These moments we share always remind me of the things I am grateful for, and make me even more excited about what the day ahead might hold.

I hope this encourages you to share with people around you, the good things in life (however small or large) and take the time to encourage one another, that life is great and there are many beautiful things to be found.
-kim

Owls

My grandma has a thing for owls. Well not so much a thing as an obsession. Today we decided to count all of the 3D owls (not all the photos and posters). Final number 273. Impressive huh? Here are a few shots of our favorites.








What do you collect?
-morgan

love.

With the whole season of LOVE flying 'round at the moment, I thought I would take a quick moment to share a couple of things I think are rather remarkable and am LOVING right now.

- my friend kerrie-anne has just recently launched her new shop and has created some beautiful things. We carted one of her charming photo blocks around the world and it is sitting proudly on our new home.

- natalie has revealed her great new project print :: a year in film. I think this is such an incredible idea, and you should go check it out.

- diana shared a cute recipe to make vegan doughnuts. Now I just have to convince morgan to let me buy a doughnut pan so I can try it out.

- i have been inspired by emma in her challenge to make a loaf of bread every week, and tomorrow, im going to bake some bread.

- and finally evie did a great restyle/diy of a simple singlet which turned out awesome.

what are you loving right now?
-kim

parlez-vous francais?

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is how am I going with the French language. The short answer is OK. I'm going OK, but I thought I would take the time to share a little about my experiences so far, living in a country where you don't quite speak the language very well (or much at all).

First up, it's awkward. It's so hard meeting new people, who don't speak any english, and Morgan tells them I don't speak much french. I stand there awkwardly smiling and not really knowing what to say or do. I know people think I am a little strange. Especially Morgan's two grandmothers.

Secondly, it's hard. As someone who is always keen to share my opinion and likes to talk, not being able to communicate is definitely a learning curb for me. Its hard to sit there and listen to a conversation only being able to understand every 5th or 6th word. You can't give much input or contribute very much and when you do you talk like a 2 year old. Its a very grounding experience.

Thirdly, its a real challenge. Its real tough learning all these thousands and thousands of new words I am bombarded with each day. Its tough trying to construct a sentence in a new way and communicate what you mean in a whole new language. Sometimes its really overwhelming.

But, as awkward, hard and overwhelming it is, I am ready for that challenge. I am trying my hardest to communicate when I can, to learn new words and ask questions. And soon, I will be able to speak french.

One thing I do have to say, is this would not be possible without the help of Morgan. He really is my strength right now. Some days I do get frustrated and just wish I knew what the hell was going on, some days I feel alone, but Morgan has been incredible at helping me understand and I cherish our times alone together where we can communicate freely.

I am also so grateful right now for the internet. It has been so lovely to be able to use this platform to stay in touch with friends and family all over the world, and is an outlet I value so much. So thanks for hanging around, thanks for your comments, and thanks for all your encouragement.
You are so appreciated.
-kim

old villages

In the south of France most towns have a new and old town. The new is situated at the base of a mountain and often has plain looking houses in it. The old town is situated up a mountain for ancient security measures and built with style and elegance, using traditional building methods from 16-18th century. Today we went for a hike to visit Opede le Vieux (Opede the Old). We brought a flask of hot chocolate and went exploring in abandoned castles, old churches, a graveyard and old cobble stone roads.











this is an old house, like many around here, trying to restore it's old stone walls.
- sorry about the photo overload, morgan

q&a.

Our lovely friend Ammi send us an email the other day with some great questions about our trip so far. Questions so good we thought we should share the answers here.

What's the best and worst meal you've experienced thus far?
M: Worst= Not because of taste, but because of the after effect, the worst I have eaten was a horse steak I cooked in Paris. It tasted very nice and Kim and my grandma enjoyed. However the next two days was spent on the toilet.

Best= My grandma in Paris is an amazing cook. Her quail with grapes, chestnuts and bacon is the best. But I think The Oyster Bar in New Yorks Grand Central Station was my favourite meal. Clam chowder with a big pint of Brooklyn Winter Ale. We sat at the lunch counter (a individual galley style kitchen with benches all around it.) The place was packed with people and the atmosphere was amazing. This was one of many things Brian Ferry recommended us to visit. Well worth it.

K: A McGriddle was the worst, off the breakfast menu at McDonalds in East Harlem, New York. It was recommended by a lovely friend Derek, and consists of two pancakes with maple syrup throughout it acting like a bun for a Bacon and Egg Roll. It could have been because I was feeling a little off already, but I couldn't finish it. It was horrible.

Since it is the middle of winter, Morgans uncle pulled our a couple of the preserves that had in their store room. We had a Duck Confit, green beans, and Cepe mushrooms, and finished off with an amazing platter of cheese and fresh baguette. It was and incredible meal and I cannot describe the taste of the duck other than sensational.

Any new revelations about French people?
M: Sometimes French people are very honest, and sometimes a little too honest.

K: French people love to have a little of every food group in every meal. This is a big generalisation, but a meal will consist of some protein, salad or some kind of vegetable, and will finish with some kind of dairy like cheese or yoghurt. Lunch meal will most often always finish with an espresso (any maybe even a little square of chocolate). Its pretty great eating in France.

What's the one item you didn't bring that you wish you had?
M: A bag of nice fresh coffee.

K: A tub of Vegimite. It's silly, but I do miss it.

Funniest memory so far/ or best experience?
M: The funniest moment was in Iceland in a flea market. Sarah and I were looking at a ring, the lady said in her Icelandic accent "It's Diesel" (she meant the brand). Sarah replies "Sorry, I don't speak Icelandic".
The best experience was Iceland as a whole. Blue Lagoon, frozen waterfalls, amazing creative people and tasty food.

K: One of the strangest and funniest moments was when we were in Iceland we went on the Golden Circle Tour. Our tour guide was this hilarious strange Icelandic man. There were many strange things, like when he stopped the tour van to pick up a free newspaper for himself, or when he stopped the van, reversed 100 meters down the road, and then got out to pick up a random object on the road and threw it in the boot. We still don't know what it was. Or the time, after getting everyone back on the bus he tried to drive one wheel of the van up onto a rock, failing and then telling us the tour has been postponed 15 minutes. Apparently he was trying to check to see if the exhaust pipe was still on. I think the one that takes the cake though is on the long drive home he talked for an hour about the "hidden people" (elves and trolls) and about how they came about. Good times.

What is the one item you brought along that you couldn't live without?
M: I bought a Red L L Bean wool flannel in Michigan at a thrift store and it has gotten me through many cold days.
K: My iPad. Its been incredible to use instagram, emails, skype, read magazines and play games to learn french words. So grateful for that.

If you have any other questions you would like to ask, comment below.
m&k

provence

We have now arrived in the south of France in a small provencal town called Maubec. It has few inhabitants and is around an hour from a few different cities. Its a place many would love to call home. situated infront of the Luberon mountain, rich in forests and rocky facades. In summer its an abundance of fresh stone fruit, lavender feilds, vineyards, sunflowers and the smell of wild thyme blowing through from the mountains. It's a place I spent most of my time in France growing up. It's a place Kim and I are going to call home until the end of summer (September/October). We now begin the search for work, transport (most likely a motorbike) and perhaps escape further south to Spain, Portugal and maybe even Morocco. But who knows. We have left Australia and our good lives there for an adventure. As cozy and homely as this place is... the adventure is about to truly begin.







Tomorrow we head out to one of the most famous antique markets in France, Les Brocante de l'Isle sur la Sorgue. We will try post our finds, or at least some photos from the markets tomorrow.

-morgan

last days in paris...

This past week and a bit we have been back in Paris. It has been a busy week and very cold. Yesterday it dropped to minus 3.

One of the best things about being in France is that because we both have EU passports and are under 25, we get free entry at most of the galleries and museums. This week we have visited the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Museum of Modern Art and the Orangerie galleries, all for free. That has been so great, as it has been so freezing walking outside, so nice to thaw out in a gallery.

We also went to a little Indie music festival and saw a heap of great acts including Radical Face, Lonely Dear, Maison Neuve and Benjamin Francis Letcheart. Its been a fun week, enjoying all that Paris has to offer, as well a spending quality time with Morgan's Grandmother, Jacqueline, who we are staying with.

Today we have arrived at our final destination for a while, and the place we will be basing ourselves for the next 7 months or so. We have unpacked our bags and created a little home which feels amazing. We will be back soon some more about our new home, but for now, enjoy some photos from our last week via instagram.

Enjoy.
Kim