Day 4: Now We’re Cookin’!

Today started early with an early morning cooking class at some school we found on TripAdvisor. #2 on the list, so it had to be good, right? It was a bakery class: croissant, chocolate croissants, and raison rolls. Flaky dough, butter, and more butter. *drool* Les and I figured that if we could cook something French for our friends, it would probably be pastries, so this was the logical class choice.

Fortunately, the class was only Les and I, and our instructor was pretty cool. If you watched Julie & Julia, he reminded me of Julia Child’s husband, Paul. Bald guy, small beard, but super friendly and helpful. I learned more about yeast than I ever wanted. Anyways, we learned how to make focaccia bread and custard; and the ever-cool layered flaky dough. Dough, butter, fold, rinse, repeat. 80 layers later, we bake and out comes the store-grade quality goods below. It’s almost good enough to sell at Costco.

About half way through the class, one of the classmates shows up so now we have to share our table. She’s actually really nice and from San Diego, so we have a lot to talk about. Up until I find out her brother is a Stanford football player. I tell her we can no longer be friends, as an archrival. Go Bears.

Leaving class with 2 full bags of leftovers, we head to downtown again in hopes of doing some city walking. We take a brief stop at the Modern Art Museum, mostly because it’s free admission and we need to use the restroom. On the way, we happen to pass by a bridge full of police officers, who look like they are getting ready for a melee. Uh oh. Turns out the entire country of France is on strike (just like last year) and the protestors are walking up Champs Elysees. According to our chef instructor, the people are revolting because the govt wants to move the retirement age from 60 to 62. Outrageous! Get the guillotines! Oddly enough, our instructor thought the strike was stupid and that French people are lazy. They work only 32 hrs/week, get free education and free health care, and frankly, they don’t like to work. Most just strike just to do something with summer being over. The only potential problem is that the trains could be shut down for a few days, so we may not make it to Switzerland in a few days.

We walk along the Seine River for a nice stroll. Eiffel Tower on the left. Up and to the right, the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. What is it, you ask? Well, if you watched Inception, it’s the bridge where Ariadne (Juno girl) turns those giant mirror doors and creates that bridge where she gets attacked by Mal the first time. Remember this scene?

We even found that little wooden bridge that she creates from her imagination. Watch it again, it’s there.

A little further down, we find the mini Statue of Liberty. If you’re a movie buff, it was featured in National Treasure 2, where Nick Cage discovers that the inscriptions on the torch reveal that the next clue is in the Resolute Desks at the Buckingham palace/Oval Office. Good stuff.

10 hours out, and we’re exhausted now. Dinner at the Lafeyette Gourmet market, and now resting up for an early morning Bike Tour. #3 on TripAdvisor, so I suspect it’ll be good.