checking in

hey everybooty, i'm just checking in. not many super exciting events have occurred the past couple days. but now even as i'm typing this, i remember some things. the other day, i was walking in the marais with robyn, suzy, and anna to go get some falafel... typical sunday. anywho, we stumble upon a brazilian parade! what struck me most was the syncopation of their music. the drums were just so freaking powerful, deep, and resonant... just how i like em. after the few hundred of them passed, all dressed in bright yellow and green and sporting brazil's flag, we ate the greatest falafel in the world (in my opinion of course). the restaurant is located on rue des rosiers in the 4th arrondissement. it's famous for its falafel, shawarma, and lenny kravitz appearances. oh yeah, and it's run by all jews. delicious.

on monday, i was invited to go to a wine tasting from 11 am - 8 pm. it took place at hotel saint-james & albany on rue de rivoli, right across the street from the louvre. this place was unbelievable. my friend melis invited me (yes, her given name is melis, not melissa, get over it). anyway, she's really cool, she's from turkey and speaks turkish and english as well as pretty-good broken french. we entered the first of two very big rooms. we were handed a wine glass and were just told to browse and drink until our hearts were content. i tried some delicious reds, some very crisp whites, and a champagne that made me cough a little because of it's hyper-carbonation. but the most notable tasting experience was a red worth 130 euro. out of this world. i'm not really sure how to describe it, but it was pretty much perfect; i'm sure the sommeliers there thought it was garbage though.

in addition to the wine, there was a giant buffet of cheeses. come 6 o'clock, we started to get rather hungry. we grabbed a few pieces of the freshly cut bread and a cheese steward gave us each 4 huge different cuts of cheese. we went back for seconds...

cheers, jhabra