Day of Decadence

AHHHHHHHH.... If I could describe this day in one word it would be "SIIIIIIGH!!!!!!" Yes, today we tasted HEAVEN and all I did the entire day was sigh with utter happiness! After a little breakfast we broke out some chocolate from a VERY well-known and exquisite shoppe from Brive. Oh my- I think that ending breakfast with fine, top quality French "chocolat" should become a daily tradition in every country in the world.... I do believe that would solve so many of the world's problems- war, hunger, global warming (well..... maybe not!) Anyway, after a great, lazy morning we set off to Brive for some SHOPPING! We bought some linens and stopped by the same Chocolat Shoppe, Hi Suk and Jean Claude bought another box for Taylor because it's his birthday tomorrow!! Lucky boy (but we all know WHO is going to be eating those candies when we get home!! ME! haha!)
Off to lunch at a wonderful little patisarie (sp?) where we bought some delicious pasteries for tomorrow's festivities (I'll show you pictures of them tomorrow) and ordered lunch. Lunch was soooo good! Pizza, but French style! The crust was flaky and amazing, the cheese was top quality that melts in your mouth. I ordered a tomato and seafood pizza- perfection! Then back to Lissac to rest and hang out. Taylor just got back from running, Ava's taking a nap, and I just read some Jane Eyre before I decided to do my blogging before midnight. Life is good.
Speaking of a Good Life, have I mentioned how fantastic it is here? Oh I have? Well, let me tell you again-- Hi Suk and Jean Claude are truly the epidime of great hosts. They are always thinking of us and wanting us to JUST ENJOY and RELAX! Everything they do is for our comfort and I can honestly say this is one STRESS-FREE VACATION. I'm so grateful to be here and being so comfortable and at-ease makes it EASY to enjoy the company and surroundings! Merci Merci Merci!


Yes, we ate THIS after breakfast!!!


You really CAN buy happiness-- in Euros!


Cool Chick


La Chocolaterie


Wow. Just Wow.


The girl who was working there let us taste any of the chocolate we wanted... I tried the DARK- my favorite!


mmmmm....


Taylor eating a chocolate covered orange slice.... ahhh..... so good


After shopping


Brive shopping center


Charming Pastry Shop where we ate lunch


Ava's enchanted too! (totally my daughter!)


Heaven.


Presentation and Quality is EVERYTHING


Giggling before our food arrives


Croissants!!


It seems like EVERYWHERE we go, people take great care in setting things up in a beautiful way.


I think Ava's still thinking about the chocolates from earlier... I know I am!


Making friends with anyone and everyone


Beautiful Smile


Our Pizza arrived! Ava was already digging in!


My Seafood pizza... wow, so awesome!


Taylor got Goat Cheese pizza and both Hi Suk and Jean Claude ordered Foie Gras pizza. All of it was delicious!


Bonjour


Move over Pizza Hut


Goodbye, Sweet Bakery. I'll miss you.

Just so you know...

A BIG thank you to all of you... I so LOVE that you're coming on to the blog and staying current with us. I LOVE that I get to share this awesome experience with you and I LOVE your sweet comments!!!! I just wanted you to know that I AM trying to keep up with reading yours too (however, commenting is out of the question here since it takes so much time for each page to download) but I am reading and smiling and laughing with you all- love the pictures and the updates, the birthday parties, potty trainings, vacations, and plain old summer fun- I'm reading them all! So, thank you thank you thank you for your sweet comments and emails and thoughts- If I had one wish.... it would be that you were ALL here with us (poor Hi Suk and Jean Claude... they'd need a bigger car!) LOVE YOU!!!! Salut!

Evening Market

Today was CHILL DAY-- we slept in, which felt soooooo good! T and Jean Claude did some gardening together while Ava, Hi Suk and I played with jewels, mink coats and hair bows (very girly morning!) Hi Suk taught me how to make a simple and DELICIOUS Korean lunch. I'll definitely make it when we get home!

Then this evening we went to a nearby village (I forgot the name!) where they have an evening market. It's awesome!! So many people come from everywhere with their friends and family to these evening markets where they buy their fresh food (meat, cheese, vegies, fruit, wine, crepes, bread, etc, etc, etc!!!!!!) and there are about 6 or 7 hot charcoal barbeques just ready and waiting for all to cook whatever they bought right then and there. It's so much fun! While people are eating, people mill around and some meander to the outdoor stage area while a live band (complete with a professional accordianist.... accordianist?... hmmm....) anyway, plays while we eat and dance! Ava was quite the little charmer... dancing and waving her arms all around- she was definitely getting her OWN show in! I've been so impressed with AvaRoo- she's been so happy and content out here. Patient and FUN and soooo outgoing- which isn't to say that Ava's not USUALLY great, but I worried about her being shy or unfriendly for NOTHING! She's getting so much love and affection here that I'm sure she'll go through some serious withdrawal when we go back to our hum-drum life. I Just LOVE this girl!

Tres Jolie-Love the bows, Ava!

This is the scrumptios lunch Hi Suk taught me how to make.... so good!

It's her own adaptation.... Hi Suk LOVES vegies and fresh food (thank goodness!)

Another AMAZING, WONDERFUL, DELICIOUS, OUT OF THIS WORLD PEACH TARTE!!! Now, I've had a few requests for the recipe for tartes and unfortunately these are not homemade... we buy them at the bakery whenever we go into Brive for a shopping trip. But TRUST ME, if I score a recipe...... it'll cost ya!

At the Market.... caught Taylor off guard!

Fresh Strawberries (I know, I didn't have to tell you that!)

Some bread

more bread (we bought this kind- perfection! Crusty on the outside, soft and chewy inside)

Market

Cheese! I'm starting to really love cheese with every meal... hard habit to break when we get home!

Bread and Pate.... really really GOOD Pate

We BBQ'd some beef kabobs-- surprisingly, I don't miss beef at all, give me DUCK! quack quack

This cheese (I'm sorry, I forgot the name... again) was so good. The creamier, the BETTER! French people love when their cheese "runs".

Ava LOVES her fruit!

Band... I especially loved watching these two dance... very cute!

Jean Claude and Taylor-- just watching!

Ava dancing and making friends

Then she wanders off and finds a new ride

Hi Suk loves to follow Ava around (patient as a Buddist Monk, that woman!) We love it-- I'm "BabyFree" for a whole month!!! WEEEEEEEE!!!! Ava gets all the attention a little girl could ask for. And Hi Suk is one Proud Grandmere!

Dancing to Spanish Polka!

End the night with a beautiful sunset!

Joyeux Anniversairre, Hi Suk!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HI SUK!!!!!!!!

Today was AWESOME- we celebrated Hi Suk's birthday in STYLE! We woke up and went to Carrefour (which is sort of like their version of Wal-Mart, but 100 times BETTER) there are many many small stores and boutiques that are in a "mall" setting. There Hi Suk and I went CRAZY at a couple of boutiques, pulling piles of clothes for Ava- the MOUNTAIN of adorable outfits grew SO FAST. This was such a sweet gift from Hi Suk and her mother (my birth-grandma).... Ava's one SPOILED little girl, that's for Sure!

Then after a great morning of shopping, we went to another great village about an hour away, called Sarlat which has the BEST restaurant EVER... Plaisance!!! This is where T and I got to taste AUTHENTIC, classy, delicious French cuisine. It was one of the best meals I've ever had- truly! What I loved about it was the Ambiance... the waiter (who was amazing) brought out our courses VERY slowly, so each course felt like a perfectly sized mini-meal. We enjoyed the food thoroughly, chatted with each other, chased Ava around, then the next course came. It was just so relaxing! Beware: Food Pictures (a lot of them) Ahead!!!!

After a wonderful lunch, we walked across the street to the River Dordogne to play- I got a lot of pictures of Ava.... but what else is new?

Then we hit the village Sarlat, and walked around there for a bit. Here are a few things I like about France that I don't want to forget: I honestly haven't seen ANYONE on their cell phones here, no one walking around with it stuck to their faces, no one texting while walking around! Love that! Also, EVERYONE says Bonjour to everyone else... it's such a friendly place. And I can't get over the fact that 9 out of 10 tourists (French, Dutch, Belguim, British, etc.....) has a pet dog and they take their dogs EVERYWHERE with them. The dogs are treated very nicely and in return, the dogs are SO WELL BEHAVED!!! Amazing! Well, I want to add to that list of things I love about this place... there's much more, but those are the ones that come to mind!

Restaurant in Sarlat

Great environment!

Browsing the menu (weellll... pretending to, it was all in French)

Seriously, just TRY not to look at the dessert menu.... now, wipe your tears away... I know- it's THAT GOOD!!

BEST BREAD EVER

(I could've eaten just bread and walked away satisfied!)

Happy Birthday, Hi Suk!

First course: Soupe De Poisons (fish soup) and bread with sauce

For Hi Suk's appetizer: Brochette de Saumon (skewered salmon) with a delicious hollandaise sauce

Another photo of Hi Suk's appetizer

Taylor and I both ordered the same appetizer: Ou Terrine de Jarret de porcau Foie de Canard (Pork terrine with foie gras- goose liver)

It was seriously soooooooo good... there was a creamy sauce that I LOVED (I nearly licked the plate clean)

Jean Claude ordered a simple Foie Gras

Ava had a peach

And played with some decorative radishes

Main Course: Taylor ordered Magret de Canard sauce poivre (duck breast with pepper sauce)

That was scrumptious!

Both Jean Claude and Hi Suk ordered O Faux-filet sauce Morilles (steak with morei sauce)

ahhhh... this mushroom cream sauce was mouthwatering.. not the typical Crimini mushroom.

And I ordered: Truite farcie aux noix (trout stuffed with walnuts)

I've never had anything like this before in my life and I am sooo glad I ordered this!!! It scared me a little at first, but that first bite of perfectly juicy fish with a hint of sweet walnut puree was sensational. Really, I'm not exaggurating one bit. It was perfect! And the walnut pureed stuffe mushroom was amazing!! I'm sorry the picture isn't flipped (it's really late!)

And After.....

Hi Suk and I- what a hot Mama, huh?!

Taylor playing with Antsy Ava between courses

DESSERTS!!!!!

Oh my gosh, these were the best desserts ever.... I'll dream about them for years to come! Both Jean Claude and Taylor ordered the same thing- Tarte aux Poms (apple tart) with the creamiest, richest, smoothest most perfect caramel sauce. And the crust; flaky, soft and oh so good!

Don't you wish... me too

Hi Suk and I ordered the same dessert too

(I didn't mean for it to be that way, I just pointed to one that said Chocolat)

We ordered Croquant au chocolat- Let me try to explain. The chocolate is exquisite... really. It's smooth and creamy, pure decadence. It had a chocolate mousse, silky and rich with flecks of crunchy chocolate morsels and it was surrounded by a moist, soft, amazing cake- but it was denser than cake.... Then top it off with a white chocolate, caramel sauce that can make a grown man cry--- there you go, Croquant au Chocolat.

My heart's beating faster just thinking about it.... I fell in love.

So good, this deserves a whole blog to itself. I'll settle with three pictures.

Ava was happy to pick off of all of our plates... lucky!

After lunch we had a quick family photo

They are too cute!

After at the riverside park

That's the after-lunch GLOW

Walking to the river

The River Plaisance

Two locals catching dinner

Sitting pretty

Dad sneaks in a Kiss

Don't you just love her dress?! It was one of the many that was waiting in Ava's closet when we arrived here as gifts from Hi Suk.

Ava watches us pick grass and put one long stem in our mouth.... then she follows en suit

Swinging with Hi Suk

Welcome to Sarlat!

Steep climbs for a beautiful view

Helloooo there!

My new buddy?

Gorgeous Village

Finally- I just wanted to say how thankful I am for Hi Suk being in my life now. It's been such a great adventure these last few years and coming out to France to be with her is a DREAM. I admire Hi Suk so much, she's an outstanding woman and loving wife and grandmother. I am incredibly lucky to have finally met her and get to know her better- Bisous and Happy Birthday.