A Love Affair With Yogurt

The first time I shopped at Monoprix I thought I had gotten turned around.  Wasn't I just on the yogurt aisle?  So I peeked around the corner and yes...yes I was just on a yogurt aisle.  One of the two yogurt aisles.  On the day I brought my camera to photograph the yogurt aisles, Monoprix was doing some interior redecorating, so instead of the 2 full aisles, there were 2 1/2 aisles of yogurt with more jammed on the ends:

six shelves high and  about 10 feet in length, this is one side of a yogurt aisle

Six shelves high and about 18 feet in length, this is another side of a yogurt aisle

Another side of a yogurt aisle, about 8 feet in length and 6 shelves high

It's kind of funny how we manage outside our comfort zone.  The first several times I bought yogurt I chose Yoplait.  In a sea of unfamiliarity, Yoplait was a name I knew so I could just buy it without having to figure anything out first.  I guess you can only tolerate so much new stuff in a day, or week or month.  I distinctly remember noticing the gazillion types and brands of yogurt but I also distinctly remember completely ignoring that fact and zeroing in on what I knew so that I could concentrate my efforts on the part of my shopping that would require a lot more time, patience and translating.

As I became more familiar with my surroundings and the Parisian way of living, I stepped out of my comfort zone much more often, or most likely, my comfort zone grew.  When shopping became more second nature, I started focusing on new and different things.  I remember watching another couple navigate the yogurt aisles, and I saw the gentleman select a pack that came in glass jars, so I decided to look for them.  For the first time since I'd been in Paris, I think I spent about 30 minutes just on the yogurt aisles, looking at all of the brands, types, flavors and packaging.

The array of yogurt is amazing.  There's cow's milk yogurt, goat's milk yogurt, sheep's milk yogurt, low-fat yogurt, non-fat yogurt, greek yogurt, flavored yogurt, plain yogurt, organic yogurt, yogurt that contributes to your digestive comfort, yogurt that's more like dessert and fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt.  If there is a different way to make yogurt, you will find it here.  To say I was overwhelmed by choices is an understatement! 

I was thrilled though, when I found yogurt in glass jars that wasn't goat's milk or sheep's milk yogurt! 

Citron, Vanille and Nature are the three flavors I found - Citron and Vanille are wonderful!

The yogurt in the little glass jars was amazingly good.  To be fair, since I always bought yogurt with the least amount of calories, I wasn't used to sugar-sweetened yogurt with real fat in it.  Still, it was like eating dessert!

Emboldened after trying something new and loving it, I searched out other yogurt brands.  I went to the Franprix market, it's about 1/10 the size of Monoprix so there weren't nearly as many yogurt brands-types-flavors to choose from.  What they did have though, was vanilla yogurt in lovely blue crocks.  I had to try it.

la fermiere yogurt

This yogurt was really good!  It is excellent by itself and even better with fruit.  I couldn't help imagining all the wonderful things I could do with the empty crocks.

I love these blue crocks and think they would be perfect for pots de creme!

Well, if Franprix has La Fermiere, surely Monoprix does.  But I was wrong (and I was right).  Monoprix didn't have it the first time I looked and now presume they were just out.  But I found another brand, in brown crocks!  I had to try it.

This is Danone brand, it is very thick and creamy.  We tried vanille and Mure (blackberry)

These are amazing yogurts and I don't think there is anything low-fat about them!  They are rich and thick and creamy and incredibly delicious. 

Very thick, very creamy fruit-on-the-bottom blackberry yogurt - yum!

I am quite sure I have never seen yogurt in glass jars or charming crocks in the U.S.  For that reason, I have sortof somewhat resolved that for my remaining time here, I am going to treat myself to the best yogurts I've ever had.  I'm not big on souvenirs from souvenir shops, but my yogurt jars and crocks are definitely the type of souvenir I like.  No matter what I choose to do with them, they will always remind me of my time in Paris and the incredible yogurt here. 

I love the little glass jars and the blue and brown crocks.  I've got quite the collection!

For many months now, yogurt has been a nearly daily staple in my diet.  I don't always eat the rich and creamy yogurts (too many calories I'm sure!), but something I have definitely learned to love is a rich and creamy yogurt with fresh fruit.

Apples and creamy vanilla yogurt - a refreshing combination

Parc Disneyland

I have vague memories of my first visit to Disneyland, the original theme park built by Walt himself.  I was 4-ish and I remember Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Dumbo's Flying Circus, the Bobsled on The Matterhorn and the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction.  I really remember that one in a vague sort of way.  I remember that there was a big hall, with huge glass windows that were portals to all the fascinating creatures in the sea. Miraculously, these creatures hung out in front of the portals so we could see them instead of swimming away.  I remember that you could walk along a main path, and then take a few steps down to a viewing area closer to the window.  I remember that I wasn't keen on taking the step downs and getting closer to the window, especially not in front of the window behind which a gigantic squid was milling about.  I was less frightened viewing the gigantic squid from behind the safety of the railing that separated the main path from the sunken viewing area.  I remember sort of hanging on to the railing and then tragedy struck.  My mouse ears fell off and down into the sunken viewing area - right in front of the giant squid!  I was terrified and distraught.  I probably even cried.  My mouse ears were gone FOREVER as there was no way I could muster the courage to come face to face with that giant squid.  But my Daddy, my very courageous Daddy faced that nasty giant squid, with only inches and glass separating him from a creature that could devour him in one slurp, and he rescued my mouse ears!  Hooray!  It was a joyous moment.  I probably stopped crying.

Despite living less than 10 miles from Disneyland, we didn't and still don't go to Disneyland often.  I can't say for sure, but I think I've been there less than 20 times.    So when Chris and Jeff came to visit us here and one of their top things to do was go to Parc Disneyland, we were all for it!  And excited!  

Disclaimer and credit where credit is due:  I didn't take a camera!  Carrying around a 7 lb kit all day and getting on and off rides with it didn't sound fun, so we let Chris and Jeff document the day with their pocket camera.  All of the photos in this post are from their camera and most of the photos were taken by them.  Except the photos of them.  I probably took those.  Or Ron did.  So here's our day in photos:

And ha!  The very first photo is one I took at the train station, Marne-la-Vallée / Chessy Parcs Disneyland - Chris and Jeff are ready for an exciting day at Disneyland!

We thought this was the entrance, but alas, only a security checkpoint.  There were no lines, just a mob moving forward.  We are Americans, we cannot function without a queue.  We pondered, doubted, queried and mused as we inched our way forward.  Finally, they peeked in our bags and waved us through.  Easy peasy despite our queueless discomfort!

A path on the way to the main gate.  The lovely building is the Disneyland Hotel.  Beneath the building are arched passageways and ticket booths.  We had pre-purchased tickets so we walked right through.

Inside the main gate and on Main Street Square.  We found the lockers and then discovered that lockers are no longer available for use, so we were stuck with our jackets all day.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Phantom Manor - aka The Haunted Mansion

Warning!  If you don't speak French or English you might be scared.

Very cool photo! She looks very phantasmic.

Another view of Phantom Manor.  It is very similar to the Haunted Mansion - we had fun noting the differences. 

We stopped for lunch earlier than we anticipated, partly because some of were hungry, but I suspect mostly because this was a Mexican-themed eatery!  Yay for Mexican food!

We rode the train all around the park.  I guess the train ride TO Parc Disneyland didn't satisfy our daily train requirements!

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril - this is a roller coaster ride and we don't have this in Anaheim.  It broke down whilst we were in line.  We were smart though, and waited for them to fix it and get it going again.  It took only 30 minutes or so - it turned out that waiting, rather than leaving and coming back, was the better option.

Still waiting - Chris wasn't sure waiting was a good idea.  Yet. 

Yo ho! Yo ho!  A pirate's life for me!

Very similar, but not exactly the same ride as Anaheim - we had fun finding and noting the differences.

Instead of the Storybook Ride, they have Alice's Curious Labryinth.  I was the only one interested so we passed.

It's A Small World!  I think it is pretty much the same - the song definitely is.  It's a small world after all...

We had just gotten off Space Mountain - an AMAZING roller coaster which may or may not be just like the one in Anaheim.  It was dark, it was fast, it was twisty turny upside downy and it was fun.  It did make me a little queasy (dang, it stinks getting old!), so we watched the Autopia while our stomachs settled.

I forgot to mention that we made dinner reservations for the Blue Lagoon restaurant.  It is very similar to the Blue Bayou restaurant in Anaheim.  So this is us at the Blue Lagoon.

Chris and Jeff at the Blue Lagoon

Ron, with his flambeed Creme Brulee

The Pineapple dessert platter - Chris and Jeff got the same thing I think.  Sadly, the food here was less than stellar.  The atmosphere was wonderful, but oy - our dinner was very expensive and very undergood.  I remember the dessert being not bad though!

Ron and Jeff at Skull Rock

 

Chris and Jeff on Adventure Isle.

The suspension bridge on Adventure Isle

Moi on the suspension bridge - I managed, but not gracefully!

We left Parc Disneyland and headed over to Walt Disney Studios.  Closed.  Hmmm.  Our two-park, one-day passes weren't such a bargain after all.  And we got bum information from a very helpful if not inaccurate Disneyland employee.

Disney Village was open though - so we strolled through the village before heading back to the train station

We didn't go to McDonald's, but I think that has to be the biggest one I've ever seen!

Parc Disneyland was a lot of fun!  Naturally, there were a LOT of families there and the big thing these days is to get the kidlets a princess dress or other character outfit and they wear it over their street clothes.  We must have seen hundreds of little princesses there!

Having been away from home for awhile, a visit to Parc Disneyland was like a little visit back home.  There are a lot of differences, way too many to remember without taking notes, but I think the overall feel is very similar.  Disneyland is a magical place to spend the day, no matter what country you're in!

Where's your banana from?

Bananas are a staple.  Much as one cannot live without sugar, flour, salt, ketchup and mustard, every pantry must also have bananas.  And a wonderful thing about bananas is that you can get them year round, and pretty much all over the world.

I don't know when I became aware of the country of origin on my banana stickers, but I remember starting a collection of stickers in the late 70s, affixing them to the wood frame of my bulletin board at work.  I was curious to discover how many different countries my bananas came from and I was surprised to discover that my coworkers thought I was kooky for collecting stickers.  I was shocked, I tell you!  Me?  Kooky?  Nonsense!  I was disappointed to discover though, that my bananas weren't as worldly as I had hoped.  I collected a boatload of stickers, enough to cover the entire frame, but they all represented three countries; Panama, Ecuador and Costa Rica.  And while I'm not entirely sure, I may have since had a banana from Honduras or Guatemala, and I'm pretty sure all of my stickers were from Chiquita, Dole or Del Monte.

I am tickled and intrigued that my Parisian bananas aren't from Central America.  They hail from countries whose stickers are unknown to me.  I don't recognize their colors or brands (except one), and the countries all have an exotic flair.  So naturally, I started collecting stickers.  I am going to presume that all ya'll will not think I'm kooky for doing so.  After six months, I have discovered 5 different countries of origin:

Guadeloupe & Martinique - actually two Caribbean islands, both of which are Overseas Regions of France

Cameroon!  African West Coast, former French/British territory

Colombia - South America

Antilles - judging by the French flag motif of the sticker, I'm going to guess this means French Antilles which includes Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Marie-Galante and La Désirade in the Carribean

Cote d'Ivoire - a former French territory in West Africa

Bananas have always been a part of my life, and until now, I don't think I would have classified them as comfort food, but they are.  No matter where you are, or where your banana is from, you can count on a banana to look and taste the same.  There's comfort in that.

So...where's your banana from?

The Gnomon of Saint-Sulpice

One of the wonderful things about our long stay in Paris and hosting visitors at different times is that I have the opportunity to revisit places I've been, and re-photograph them in different ways and at different times.  Returning to Saint Sulpice afforded one of those opportunities.  I have been to Saint Sulpice three times now - once with Ron, once with Beth and this time with Chris and Jeff and each visit was different. For this visit, I decided to focus on the gnomon.

The Gnomon of Saint Sulpice

The gnomon of Saint Sulpice has an air of mystery surrounding it thanks to the author Dan Brown and The DaVinci Code.  The Church of Saint Sulpice and this gnomon are featured in the novel as part of the search for the holy grail.  Due to the popularity of the novel and movie though, the church has posted a sign highlighting the fictional aspects associated with the church and gnomon.  The gnomon of Saint Sulpice is not a pagan astronomical instrument and it is not a vestige of an ancient pagan temple that stood in the same spot as the Church of Saint Sulpice (the pagan temple is also refuted) and the obelisk is not Egyptian.  The Saint Sulpice meridian is not a rose line nor is it the same as the Paris meridian as they are several hundred meters apart, so the zero longitude has never passed through the Church of Saint Sulpice.  That's the fiction.

The facts are:

1. The gnomon is an astronomical measurement device designed to cast a spot of sunlight on the floor in order to determine the position of the sun in the sky
2. There are three other gnomons like this one built in Italian churches
3. Gnomons were replaced with powerful telescopes
4. The Saint Sulpice meridian is a strict north-south axis marked by a brass line set into marble on the floor of the church
5. Sunlight passes through a small hole 25 meters high in a window in the south transept
6. At noon each day, as sunlight hits the hole in the window, a small spot of light is cast on the brass line
7. The brass line spans the width of the transept, starting at a plaque on the floor on the south side and ending on the gnomon on the north side
8. The spot of sunlight is cast on the plaque on the south side in summer, then moves along the line to a gold disk in the floor at the altar at the equinox and then continues along the line to a point high on the obelisk in winter

The plaque on the south transept floor and the meridian line leading to the gnomon

for the nutation of the earth's axis and the obliquity of the ecliptic

The decorative rail of the altar, making it difficult to see the equinox marker

A brass disk in the center of a brass semi-circle marks the equinox

The brass line continues from the altar to the north transept

The brass line moves up the wall and is embedded in the midline of the obelisk; text mentioning God, the Kings and his Ministers were deleted during the French Revolution. The top left text says, "To determine precisely the Paschal (Easter) Equinox"

The brass median line embedded in the obelisk

The top of the obelisk

And finally, an alligator detail on the obelisk <shrug>

So it seems that the gnomon is really just a clock.

Jean-Baptiste Languet de Gergy, a parish priest at the Church of Saint Sulpice, wanted to establish the exact astrological time so that the church bells could be rung at the right time of day.  I guess that could be sort of important if the people around the church used the ringing bells to determine what time it was.  I mean, it would be pretty cool to have a much longer lunch hour in the summer and all, but I can see where it would be rather confusing for the bell ringer when there are only 8 hours of daylight in December and more than 16 hours of daylight in June.  So to ensure the church bells rang at the appropriate hour, Languet de Gergy commissioned Henry Sully, an English clockmaker who lived in France, to build the gnomon.  Unfortunately for Sully, he died in 1728, and was only able to complete the meridian line in the floor of the church.

The meridian line and the little hole in the south transept window were enough to allow Languet de Gergy to ring his bells on time.  But he was vexed by another problem.  When in the sam hill is Easter?  Since Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, Languet de Gergy had another pesky date and time problem  because Roman Christians were using a Julian calendar then, not a lunar calendar.  By the Julian calendar, Languet de Gergy would be celebrating Easter about 10 days late.  What's a priest to do?  It just wouldn't be right for a church that can ring it's bells on time to celebrate Easter on the wrong day.  So In 1742, Languet de Gergy commissioned Pierre Charles Claude Le Monnier, a French astronomer, to complete the gnomon project and include the ability to properly define the Easter Equinox.  Problem solved! 

I find it fascinating that a gnomon was built and all kinds of sciency stuff was carried out in a church at the same time that Gallileo's works were still censored and prohibited by the Pope in Rome.  Being about 700 miles from Rome must have had its privileges, but I would bet that Paris being the center for the Age of Enlightenment had a much bigger influence.

And once again, I couldn't resist the candles!

After our tour of the church, it was time for a coffee break!

We had intended on coffee but ended up with a fabulous hot chocolate instead!

Soaking up the atmosphere at a sidewalk cafe

Chris and Jeff at Cafe Conti