Return to 'real life'

After a 33 hour flying marathon we safely returned into the depths of Melbourne winter. Sad face. Arriving at Melbourne airport at the surreal hour of 1.30am, it was strangely comforting to chat to the big Aussie border control blokes in customs. Got to love an Aussie accent.
Lovely surprise to see Mum and Dad waiting up for us with a wood fire, food in the cupboard and our beloved Boy Dog smiling away and being his naughty jumpy self.
After only 10 hours sleep since Saturday, James and I dragged our sorry jet lagged carcasses to work today. Got to start paying off the ginormous debt we have created. Freya went to school but clearly not because she was desperate for school work. Seeing her friends was the big draw card which is normal when you have pined away for 5 weeks missing them. Jessie's friends arrived in droves, landing on her bed and filling the house with excitement. It's hard not to feel the winter blues descending so I'm thinking a trip to Spain, Portugal and Morocco might just be in order. Stay tuned.

Texture, taste and time

When I was back in Australia I promised my fam that I would eat snails and frogs legs.
I was so excited about this until we rocked up to 'Chez Clement', a Parisian restaurant, and realized what I'd gotten my self into.
If you're wondering about whether I backed out or not. Well, I didn't.

Latin Quarter and Paris at night

Our last full day in Paris started with Jessie walking down the the local boulangerie to pick up some croissants for breakfast. There are no less than three boulangerie in our block alone, so it's hard to choose which one to visit (and not a Bakers' Delight in sight).
Back on the Metro we found our way to the Latin Quarter for some hard core shopping time. Jessie visited the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company which was full of young and old hipsters. Lunch involved more snails for James but thankfully no more intestines. Home for a siesta before a big night out on the Cityrama tourist bus. If you ever want to stick out like a sore thumb in Paris, hop on one of their open double decker red or yellow tourist buses. Very uncool but definitely the best way to see Paris at night. With classical music piped through our head phones we drove through the streets of night time Paris admiring the beautifully lit buildings and monuments. Perfect way to end our visit.

James and The Pig Colon

James ate a French pig's colon. Not intentionally. The same evening Jessie tried the escargots, James ventured out and ordered a roasted pork dish with mashed potatoes. Sounded harmless.
The dish arrived. It smelt 'funny'. James took a mouthful. Hmmm. Poking a fork laden with a glob he suggested I tried some. I did, but knew something wasn't right. A strong aroma and taste of manure mixed with cow shed mixed with animal faeces!!!!!
James tried a few more mouthfuls then proceeded to dissect the remaining lump. Chunks of what appeared to be rubbery aorta like pieces rolled into a tube were apparent. He left the remaining portion.
We returned to our apartment. James disappeared. I found him a few hours later lying on the bed awake. He said it was 'the sausage'. I encouraged him to save himself a night of intense nausea and rid himself of 'the evil sausage'. There was no way round it. Off he went and proceeded to vomit up his French cuisine. 5 minutes later, looking much better with a spring in his step he was cured.
Our research the following morning uncovered a horrifying truth. He had eaten a French Andouilette, a French delicacy adored by those who aren't repelled by ingesting pig's poo. It is made with the lower intestine of a pig which gives it it's unique fecal odor. Nice. Here are some pictures...