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As you may or may not know, I have a recipe on this site for pistachio macarons. I went back a year later to try to make those macarons, and I realized that I don’t have a candy thermometer. So when I tried to make the filling, it was a fail. And then another fail. So I searched high and low and came up with another pistachio filling recipe that I love. AND no candy thermometer is needed! I wrote this post a little bit ago, but decided to share it now while I’m buying myself time while I am busy with the move!
This post may contain affiliate links.
This new recipe tastes exactly like the other one. It uses the same recipe for the shells. The only thing that changed is my filling.
Pistachio Macaron Recipe Version 2 – printable version here
Materials needed: (affiliate links are used for your convenience)
Pistachio Macaron Shell Recipe
• 200g almond flour
• 75g pistachio flour (step 1)
• 250g powdered sugar
• 210g granulated sugar
• 6 egg whites (room-temperature)
• 1/8 cup chopped pistachios
• food coloring (green is traditional color for this cookie)
1 Grind your unshelled pistachios (salted or unsalted, I prefer the salted) using a food processor. Be careful not to turn it into a paste.
2 Sift almond flour, pistachio flour, and powdered sugar through a fine mesh screen into a bowl.
3 Whisk or using a beater, turn 6 egg whites to a foam. Slowly add the granulated sugar to the egg whites as you beat. Whip until the meringue has firm glossy peaks but not super stiff peaks. They should defy gravity and remain in the bowl if you turn it upside down. If you tilt your bowl to the side and the meringue started to slide, keep beating.
4 Add your food coloring.
5 Then fold in 1/3rd of the almond/pistachio/sugar mixture into the meringue with a silicone spatula. Once combined, add another third of the almond mixture. Then the last third.
6 Add the batter to the piping bag. Pipe in rows using your template onto parchment paper.
7 Pick up the pan and beat onto the counter. Now sprinkle pistachio nuts on half of the cookies as a garnishment.
8 Preheat oven to 300 degrees. The cookies need to rest on the counter between 30-60 minutes. They are ready to go into the oven when they are dry to the touch. The shell shouldn’t stick to your fingers.
9 Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes, one sheet at a time. They are done when they look kind of matte and seem firm if you tap on them. You can always rescue an overcooked cookie with the maturation process that comes later, but you cannot rescue an undercooked one!
10 Remove from the paper once completely cool. If they stick to the paper, they either aren’t cool yet or you undercooked them.
For the pistachio buttercream:
•75g butter, at room temperature
•75g powdered sugar
•50g finely ground pistachios (just grind some up in the food processor)
•1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
•1 tablespoon whipping cream
Preparing the pistachio buttercream:
1Cream together the butter and icing sugar on low speed using the paddle attachment, if you’re using a stand mixer. Or mix by hand.
2Add the ground pistachios and beat on medium speed for approx. three minutes.
3Pour in the whipping cream and beat for one minute on medium speed.
4 Optional, add the vanilla and then mix together. (I added only a few drops, as this enhanced the taste a little).
5 Add the buttercream to a piping bag, and pipe the buttercream onto the shells that do not have the extra pistachio sprinkled on top.
6 Store overnight in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They taste better the next day, promise!
Don’t these macarons look pretty? When I look at my old ones I get so embarrassed by them. Granted, they tasted exactly the same. But still! They didn’t have perfectly little flat tops and didn’t all have nice little feet!
If you look below, this is how the macarons should look when you lift them up from the silpat or parchment paper… perfectly flat feet. If they are sticking to the paper or silpat, let them cool a little bit longer and they will lift right up!
Don’t worry about yours if they don’t turn out perfect the first time you make them. Mine obviously didn’t look perfect if you look at my old recipe, but they still tasted really good!
Some tips:
If they are puffy like little ice cream cones when you pipe them (like my old recipe, you can see the pictures of them) you need to do some more folding. They need to be a little bit runnier. That way when you pipe them they’ll spread out. However, if you fold them too much, they will be too runny and will be ruined. It’s an art. I’ve been practicing for a while. With time, you’ll learn. Just don’t give up. Giving up is for quitters and we don’t quit!
I will say, even when I make the macarons. My first tray I pipe is always a little bit poofier than the last tray I pipe. By the time I get to the last tray, I’ve stirred the batter a few more times and gravity has started to work on deflating the meringue some. Just things I’ve noticed as I’ve been making these for a while.
I was having fun taking food pictures with my camera… an old grimey baking sheet makes a nice food backdrop.
I took a break last week for the holiday weekend from weekend whimsy. We had a party of 24 people and it was fun fun fun! and busy. This week I’m back with new links.
I LOVE this remodel that Chip and Joanna of Fixer Upper did. They took a ranch style house and turned it French Country. Do you guys what Fixer Upper? It’s my current favorite home reno show that’s on right now.
Are you planning on going to a picnic this Summer? Here’s a round-up of the cutest picnic baskets. I will take one of each, thank you!
While we were busy celebrating our Independence from England this past weekend, the British Royals were busy christening the brand new baby Princess Charlotte. If you missed the pictures, check them out here. If you’re not a fan of the royals, at least check out the baby pram!
I found a cupcake round-up of 23 cupcakes inspired by other desserts... like churros, thin mint cookies, reese’s pb cups, neapolitan ice cream… go take a look, looking is calorie-free!
Last but not least: There is a preschool that is located inside of a nursing home. I think this is such a great idea. It keeps the elderly mind active and a 2 year old can learn a thing or two from an 80 year old – even if they are demented. Watch the video and you’ll too be convinced that more places should do this! The link is to the documentary film about this special place.
It’s that time of year again!! Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale started today for Nordstrom cardholders. Here are my favorite picks for this year’s sale! As I am currently traveling in the Northwest, I am blogging on my iPad. I didn’t have the time to include the links for all of my pics at the moment. To search for these items, you go to http://shop.nordstrom.com and enter in the search bar at the top right hand corner the item number. The item number for every product is listed to the right of the price.
First, Barefoot Dreams cardigan was high on my list. Last year it sold out super fast and I couldn’t get one. This cardigan is like a soft fuzzy blanket but in sweater form. I think they had some robes on sale too; I highly recommend the robe as well!
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
This North Face pullover is super cute and is great for cold climates!
If I needed a new jacket, I would’ve bought this parka! It’s super cute and warm too!
I am liking the colors of this Jacquard cardigan.
I like the length of this long cardigan.
I have a few of these halogen cardigans below and they are nice!
This shirt is super popular! It comes in lots of fun patterns.
I think this white blouse with black piping is fun.
I almost got this red plaid shirt… Can’t you imagine wearing some tall boots and going apple picking in the Fall?
I looooove the Nike tank below. I have it now in 3 colors.
I can’t sing enough praise about Zella live in legging capris. Love the fun colors.
These Zella leggings are a little bit longer than those above but are so much fun!
I bought this wit & wisdom skinny jeans last year and love them! What a great price.
I loooove my josefina bf jeans I got this Spring.
I love the two Kate spade cuffs because they are hinged and can fit over my big hands.
I also like the hinged nadri bracelets… They had 3 of them that looked good together.
This nadri double pendant is super cute and dainty.
I liked all the colors of these Kendra Scott pendants.
Freida Rothman is a newer upscale jewelry brand and I love the designs. But it is expensive so it’s more for looking.
If I had pierced ears I would buy these earrings!
While I am not buying any new purses after my LV purchase in Paris this year, I think this Rebecca Minkoff bucket bag is pretty cute.
But the bigger deal of the sale is the Longchamp Le Pliage expandable tote for $130. That was the price of what it was in Europe when my mom got hers this year.
I looooove Frye boots and have the Melissa short boot. This year’s version of the long boot includes a zipper, so easy on easy off!
I am on an Oxford kick right now… These are fun…
I love these rain boots! Except it never rains where I live, so someone else should get one.
Like I said, I’m on an Oxford kick. I love love love these Stuart Weitzman oxfords.
These AGL sneakers remind me of the gold shoes I saw in Paris this Spring!
I think these Dr Marten boots fit some of the throwback 90s looks I’ve seen.
Well there you have it. I don’t wear dresses very often and don’t buy professional clothes for work, so I didn’t include any of those items. Hope you all have fun and if I have time I will update with links.
Note: I was not paid by Nordstrom to write this post. Opinions are my own.
Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com
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Last year we went to the Grand Hyatt Kauai for vacation. We had a wonderful time. We had never been to the island of Kauai before. I had this post saved up but never really found a chance to share it until now!
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| Grand Hyatt Kauai Trip Report and Review |
We visited in April 2014. We booked our trip through Costco Travel. It was really nice… it included flight, car rental, and hotel. And the bonus was… breakfast everyday in their Ilima terrace dining room!
GROUNDS:
When you first walk into the hotel, you are greeted with the view below… A-looooooo-HA! That’s what I felt like when I got off the plane. Welcome to Paradise!! The Grand Hyatt grounds really do feel like you’ve entered paradise. It is a newer beach front hotel that was designed all at once… it wasn’t one of the original hotels built in the 60s that then tried to upgrade the grounds to meet current desires. This one was designed all at once!
If you’ve ever stayed in the Grand Hyatt Maui or the Grand Hyatt Kauai… one thing that’s unique to their hotels is they have parrots scattered in the main lobby. They are so much fun because you can talk to them!
There are beautiful hibiscus and plumeria everywhere on the property. There are all sorts of birds too… swans, parrots, egrets, little songbirds… it is really nice and relaxing!!
DINING:
We ate breakfast every morning at the Ilama Terrace breakfast buffet. We were treated to the view below… with the swans and beach in the background. The morning I took the picture it rained… but no big deal. The terrace breakfast brunch was nice. It was included in our package so I don’t know how much it costs. As with all dining outdoors in Hawaii, there is always a problem with the little songbirds that try to steal your food. You cannot leave your food uncovered and unattended!
We ate at their Italian restaurant, Dondero’s one night. It was alright. Nothing too special.
We also ate at their luxury restaurant, Tidepools, one night as well. The ambiance of this restaurant is really nice as it is in thatch roof bungalows with fish swimming around them next to a waterfall. The food here was pretty good. If you look at the first picture, the thatch roof building at the base of the waterfall is the restaurant.
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| Ilama terrace at breakfast |
POOLS:
I LOVED their pools. They have a giant pool with a water volleyball/basketball area, little seating areas in the pools, a waterslide, an adults-only pool, and… a lazy river! I would plop myself on a float and go on the lazy river all day. Below is a waterfall headed into the pool!
I enjoyed a pineapple mango smoothie at the adults only pool. So refreshing!
Below is a picture of the salt water lagoon. The beach in front of the hotel kind of sucks, so they built their own salt water area to play around in. You can rent kayaks and floats and sit in this area. I didn’t like it very much because the sand is really rough. However, it was really popular, especially for kids. We preferred the pools.
BEACH:
The beach… not so great. It is not for swimming and there are rocks all over. You can’t walk very far barefoot. It’s nice that this hotel is beach front so you can hear the ocean, but stick to the pools!
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This hotel was super nice and was on the drier side of Kauai. It really felt like paradise here. The pools were fantastic. The rooms had spacious bathrooms. I didn’t take a picture of the rooms. Our room was quiet and faced a garden. I did not have a chance to go to their spa.
The hotel is family friendly but if you were to go on your honeymoon here there is a quiet adults only pool section too. Of course, the grounds are magnificent and we had fun walking around the winding paths.
Given that the hotel is located on the Garden Isle, that means one thing… it rains. Every day. It won’t likely rain all day but as you can see by many of my pictures… it did rain. Granted, the times it was sunny I was at the pool without my camera. How else can it stay so green if it doesn’t rain??
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| Grand Hyatt Kauai Trip Report and Review… Tide pools restaurant is on the right next to the waterfall |
If I were to stay on Kauai again I would spend some time at this hotel again and sometime on the Northern side of the island (where it rains even more!). We did a kayaking and hiking tour one day through this company which was so much fun.
All and all… I recommend this hotel if you are going to Kauai. Check it out: Grand Hyatt Kauai.
However, if you’ve never been to Hawaii, I recommend going to Maui instead. The Grand Hyatt Maui and the Grand Wailea in Maui both have fabulous pools AND a fabulous beach in front.
Note: I was not compensated for this review. I just wanted to write about my experience at this hotel.
It’s that time of year when we have peaches coming out of our ears! We have so many peach trees here out on the farm I decided to bake a galette for the first time. A Galette (pronounced GAL-ette) is a type of free-form French tart. It’s nice because there is no tart pan needed! Now this isn’t to be confused with the Breton Galette, which is the buckwheat pancake.
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| Blackberry Peach Galette |
While the traditional French tart has every piece of fruit and dough molded to perfection, the galette is much less fussy and closer to the American pie in taste.
Blackberry Peach Galette (get the printable recipe here.)
Ingredients
Directions
I adopted the recipe from this website, tidy mom.
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| the fruit juices leak onto the paper while cooking… that’s okay and expected! |
Want to know what this tastes good with? Cinnamon ice cream!! I use an ice cream maker to make my own ice cream. You could just serve it up with store bought vanilla too!
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| Easy Blackberry Peach galette with homemade cinnamon ice cream! |
Cinnamon Ice Cream Recipe (printable recipe here)
Ingredients
Directions
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| Blackberry Peach Galette |
Yum yum, doesn’t it look delicious? Well let me tell you… it was! The four of us gobbled it up and left only one piece… for someone’s breakfast the next day. Dessert for breakfast? I know you do that too, don’t lie 😉
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Moving
For those of you that regularly follow my blog, you heard that I am moving. We moved from Southern California (the Inland Empire) to Northern California (Sacramento Area). We were so incredibly happy when we drove down the Grapevine and saw the great Central Valley in front of us… it was full of orchards and fields of crops. We totally love it. A lot of people turn up their nose to the Central Valley but honestly, who can hate such a place where 1/4 of the Nation’s food is produced (seriously, I’m not making that number up!). One of my favorite road trip “games” to play while I’m bored is to “name that tree”… basically when you drive by a bunch a crop of trees you guess which type of trees are growing. Sounds lame but it kills hours of driving time.
But more importantly, our stuff has NOT arrived. Why are moving companies so shady? They picked up our stuff 1 week ago. They said it would be delivered the next day. And the next day rolled around. And then the next day. And the next day…. still no stuff! AND ONE WEEK LATER (yes I’m yelling) STILL NO STUFF. Good thing I personally took my computer and a week worth of clothes. But seriously, I NEED MY STUFF! It’s one thing to say “it will be delivered in a week” but it’s another thing to keep lying to us about which date it’s going to get here. How do they not know? It’s a 6 hour drive. It should’ve arrived same day.
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| heard it through the Grapevine |
Inside Out – the Movie
Since we have no stuff, we went to the movies for the first time in 8 months. It’s a cute movie by Disney-Pixar about the different voices and emotions inside of your head. It’s about a family who moves from the Midwest to San Francisco. Guess what, the movers lose their stuff (uh, great, sounds like real life). So inside of the mind of the little girl, we meet Joy, Anger, Disgust, Fear, and Sadness. During the new process, we learn that basically sometimes it’s okay to be Sad. That’s the short story. I tried to sum it up… but just go see it.
Peaches
In the new house that we moved into, there are a lot of peach trees. I immediately got the song from the 90s stuck in my head: “moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches”. There are peaches coming out of our ears!
Flowers!
There are hundreds of rose bushes where we are at. While we were waiting for some of our furniture to arrive, I put together this rose floral arrangement for fun. These roses smell so good!
UnREAL
Remember two weeks ago I was super sad that Game of Thrones ended? Well, I’m still sad but I have a new TV show to watch. It’s called Unreal. It is on Lifetime. Do you like The Bachelor or the Bachelorette? Well, basically this comedy show makes fun of the bachelor. It is a behind-the-scenes look about what life is like on the set of Everlasting, which is a Bachelor show knock-off. UnREAL is on Lifetime on Mondays at 10pm. I don’t normally watch lifetime, but it showed up in my app on my apple tv and then… I found it… and started watching… and now I like it! If you like the Bachelor, this show is for you!
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| the bachelor? Nope. This is UnREAL!
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Happy July! With the start of Summer, I know many West Coasters will likely head to Napa Valley.
As we all know, Napa Valley is a very popular place to visit… and I wanted to share my favorite store with you all!
I pretty much love everything in this store… close your eyes, point, and I’ll like it!
She has lots of antique grape buckets on the walls; I always eye them when I go but they are expensive!
This wonderful store is called Napa Valley Vintage Home. It is located in St. Helena in the Napa Valley. Everyone needs to go and give her some business so my most favorite store there stays open forever and ever!
Another must-visit when you go to St. Helena… Giugni’s deli, just a few doors down. It is the best Italian deli. Bring cash. Oh, and you *must* get the giugni juice on your sandwich, you must!
With the Fourth of July coming up, I thought I’d share some of my easy recipes that can be made last minute at your BBQs!
You can make this Patriotic Fruit Flag in less than 5 minutes. All you need is some red, white, and blue fruit!
You could make these easy Summer pasta salad the day before your BBQ. It is healthy and stores well overnight!
One of my *favorite* things to eat during the Summer is corn-on-the-cob. I LOVE this Mexican-style twist on classic grilled corn.
Something that’s fun especially for kids is serving pineapple smoothies (aka copycat Dole Whip like at Disneyland) in a pineapple cup!
I hope you were able to find something on here that you could make quick and easy at home for your BBQ!
linking up at: amaze me monday The Scoop! 2 Bees in a Pod, Metamorphosis Monday’s Inspire Me Tuesday Moonlight and Mason Jars Wow us Wednesdays! Creative Ways Share Your Style Thursday Favorite ThingsYour Turn to Shine Home Sweet Home Feathered Nest Fridays Foodie Friday & Everything Else The Inspiration Gallery , My Romantic Home
This weekend is about 4th of July! I found some super fun ideas on the ‘net and am sharing just a few with you this weekend….
Easy last minute patriotic fruit flag…
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| from peonies and orange blossoms |
I think these Red, White, and Blue Dipped Pretzels are super fun.
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| from 36th avenue |
This watermelon lemonade is super duper cute…
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| from home is where the boat is |
How fun would these fruit ice cubes be in a pitcher of water?
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| from Pip and Ebby |
Free Fourth of July Printables for your Party
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| from Mimi’s Doll House |
A DIY vintage Fourth of July Celebration
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| from Lia Griffith |
This berry caprese bruschetta would be a nice appetizer…
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| from home is where the boat is |
Next week, weekend whimsy is on vacation celebrating our wonderful country’s independence!
Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com
As this is my last weekend in Southern California before the big move up North, I thought I would share some of my favorite things that I like to do in SoCal!
Disneyland
My favorite thing to do in Southern California is to go to Disneyland. I had an annual pass for several years. It was so much fun just being able to pop into the park for an afternoon or evening. Sometimes on my way home from South Coast Plaza (aka the biggest mall on the West Coast), when traffic was too bad I would stop by Disneyland for 2-3 hours, grab a bite to eat and go on a few rides. Granted, the pass prices have gone up significantly, I still love to go. I will miss going here the most. The 60th anniversary celebration is going on right now, check it out here.
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| Disneyland! |
While living down here, I achieved a bucket list item of mine: go on every single ride at both parks. I did it. I even battled my fear of heights and went on the giant ferris wheel just to say I did it. The other people that I shared the car with thought I was going to pass out when we were sitting at the top. It’s all good. No passing out or vomiting occurred. Needless to say, my fear of heights remains present.tt
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| Radiator Springs in Carsland! |
The first year I moved down here Carsland had *just* opened. It was SO CRAZY packed. The Radiator Springs Racers is a lot of fun though.
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| delicious treats at the cozy cone motel |
But my favorite time to go to Disneyland was during Halloweentime. What’s nice it’s still light out later in the evening and the weather is really quite nice as well. It’s warm but not too hot. I love how they decorate the whole park with a Halloween and Autumn theme. I would go during Tuesdays or Wednesdays and there would seriously be no one in the park. I would just walk straight on rides without a wait. It was so nice! I will miss doing that!
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| Halloweentime is the best! |
I wrote about my experience at Disneyland during Halloweentime here in case you missed it. I also wrote about my experience at Disneyland during Christmas time here if you missed it.
Bottega Louie
My source of French pastries when I’m not in France. Granted, this store is all the way in downtown LA (so 1 to 2 hours depending on traffic from mere) but it is closer than France! I wrote about my experience at Bottega Louie here. Now I’m sure I can find a French pastry shop in San Francisco, but Bottega Louie copied Laduree down to the cute little boxes. You can see their website here.
Roger’s Gardens
I will really miss shopping here. Or more like browsing since it’s expensive. This is the BEST home and garden shop. They have lots of plants, and unusual plants, but during Halloween and Christmas they really out do every one with their seasonal selections. They have unique products that are high quality and beautiful. You can seriously spend hours looking around. We might have to make a special trip during Christmas time to enjoy some SoCal Winter and get some shopping done! I wrote about Roger’s Gardens during Halloween and Christmas. You can check out their website here.
They always had the neatest displays…
They would completely redecorate their whole store during the seasons.
They have a whole bunch of highly decorated Christmas trees each with a different theme… so there is something for everyone!
The Pacific Coast Highway and the Beach
There’s nothing quite like cruising down the PCH and going to the beach. Even though the Pacific Ocean is cold here, lots of people still swim and surf in it! I just liked sitting on the beach… the water is too cold for me!
Sprinkles Cupcakes
This cupcake store is the famous one that claims to have started the cupcake trend nationwide. They even have cupcake ATMs so you can get your fix 24/7. I personally like the peanut butter chocolate chip cupcake the best! You know what else is nice? Grabbing a Sprinkles Cupcakes then enjoy it while doing my other favorite thing… sitting at the beach. Check out their website here.
Red O Restaurant
Our favorite restaurant is by Top Chef Master Rick Bayless. His food is traditional Mexican cuisine with modern interpretations. It is SO GOOD. This is kind of a swanky restaurant and we would only go here for special occasions. Check out the website here.
One of his appetizers is a sampler of guacamole… each cup holds a different flavor. Our favorite was the walnut pomegranate. I know it sounds weird, but is is delicious!!
The Pasadena Flea Market
I loved going to the Pasadena flea market held once a month at the Rose Bowl. It is the second Sunday of every Month. It was so much fun… granted, I only found some treasures in my price range a few times. The website is here.
While I will miss some things about SoCal, I am so excited to be moving up North. San Francisco is my favorite city in the US, so I’m excited I will be much closer to it!
Thank you for stopping by!!
You can also follow me by clicking on these: bloglovin, instagram, twitter, pinterest, and google plus.
Sharing at…
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Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com
After being in the city for several days, we decided that we needed to head out and explore the country. On our last day, we decided to make a day trip out to Chateau de Fontainebleau.
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| Day trip to Chateau de Fontainebleau |
Have you ever heard of it?
No? Well, it is like Versailles, except… prettier! WHAT? Prettier than Versailles? Yes, it is a UNESCO world heritage site (Versailles is not). What’s nice about it is that it has room after room of original furnishings AND it lacks crowds. The place was practically empty!
It’s only about 40 minutes away, but when you don’t speak French getting there can be a trick. I’m going to try to make it easy for you! My directions will be at the bottom of the post; the first part will be the pretty pictures!
Chateau de Fontainebleau had been the residence of French Monarchs from Louis VII all the way through Napoleon.
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| Gallery of Francis 1, made between 1533-1539! |
I’m not going to do much talking… I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Everything here is original.
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| the Queen’s bedroom |
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| The Gallery of Diana, lined with bookcases |
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| chapel |
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| kids singing in the chapel |
Napoleon really did wear a hat like the ones he was painted wearing!
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| the Pope’s apartment |
I just love the paintings on the paneling of this wall…
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| the council chamber |
And we’ll finish our tour with a look at Napoleon’s Throne Room…
Beautiful tapestries…
We met a “member” of the Royal Court in the Chateau as well… (they had several people dressed up in the rooms… it was kind of fun).
There are large gardens and grounds surrounding the castle, but it was a bit chilly that day so we didn’t walk all around. But here’s what we’re all missing…
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| the carp pond, from wiki |
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| pic from wiki |
I really enjoyed all of the rooms in Fontainebleau. If you’re looking for a Chateau experience and you’re debating between Versailles and Fontainebleau, I highly recommend Chateau de Fontainebleau (unless you do the bike tour of Versailles. I loved that). There were hardly any crowds at this chateau and the town of Fontainebleau is super cute. Plus, there are a lot more things to look at in Fontainebleau as the rooms are all highly decorated with original furnishings.
I included a city map of Fontainebleau. The X’s represent the bus stop, the chateau, and the crepe place that we ate at. There are lots of cute little restaurants and shops in the town, but I recommend trying the L’Hirondelle Creperie. It’s just a short walk from the Chateau.
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| map of Fontainebleau. |
Directions to get to Fontainebleau
The train to Fontainebleau departs from Gare de Lyon in Paris. From the Gare de Lyon, you will need to take the RER train headed for either Montargis Sens, Montereau, or Laroche-Migennes. Your destination however is “Fontainebleau-Avon”. Remember, the trains will not say Fontainebleau, they will only state which direction you are headed. The trains leave about every 30-40 minutes from Gare de Lyon.
I thought the trickiest part was navigating through Gare de Lyon. We arrived by metro and had to take several flights of stairs to get to the RER station area. We had no clue which machine to buy tickets from, so we simply went up to the staffed window. The lady there didn’t speak very good English, but understood we wanted round-trip tickets to Fontainebleau and back. The ticket she sold us was good for all-day use for the metro, buses, and RER. I believe that card is called the Mobilis (day pass).
Now once you have your ticket, it’s time to find out which platform your train leaves from. There are two train platforms, blue and yellow. Your train can leave from either platform. You need to go to the departures board and look. Make sure you’re looking at the depart board (it says Depart). You will usually find a bunch of people staring at a tv screen somewhere and that is likely the departures board. Look for your train. Then, once the train track line is posted, immediately start heading to the line. The place is confusing and they will often only post the line number 5-10 minutes before departure.
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| destination screen, I tried to make it easy for you! |
To make sure you’re at the right track line, you will see the destination name on the screens on the train.
Once you get off at the station Fontainebleau-Avon, you simply walk outside and go to bus line #1. Ligne 1 is destined for Les Lilas. Our RER ticket day pass worked as the bus ticket. You will get off at the Chateau stop. We didn’t know which stop was what, but when all the tourists got off at one stop, we simply hopped off and voila! We turned the corner and we were there! I’m sure you could just tell the bus driver “Chateau, si vous plait”. It is about a 15 minute bus ride, or if you’re adventurous, a 45 minute walk.
How to get back:
Where the bus line 1 dropped you off for the chateau, simply cross the street and pick up the bus there (it’s next to the cute little town square that has flowers and a fountain in it). The bus is still “ligne 1” and I think it says “gare” on it but I can’t remember.
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| the pretty town square in Fontainebleau where you pick up the bus back to the train station |
Now, once at the train station, it’s pretty simple. Take the train back to Paris. There are only two tracks at this station, so it’s not too hard to figure out! Take any train that states “Gare de Lyon” as its destination.
The official Chateau de Fontainebleau website also has information about how to get there.
AND that concludes my trip to Paris. A little later I’ll write about my recommendations of where I shopped, what I ate, and where I stayed, but for now I’m going to blog about some recipes and seasonal things. Also, I’m in the process of moving and these Paris posts take a long time to put together.
If you’ve missed a Paris trip post, catch them ALL RIGHT HERE !
Now I’m going to talk about my FAVORITE thing we did during our trip to Paris… the Versailles Bike Tour!!
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| Versailles Bike Tour Review |
If you’ve ever been to Versailles, you will know that this place is BIG. In fact, like 2000 acres big. That means you aren’t going to see *everything*. Your feet can only walk so far though. For instance, it’s 0.6 miles from the train station to the palace entrance alone.
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| Versailles is the biggest palace in the world. This picture is from wikipedia. |
I’ve been to Versailles now three times. One time we just did the main Chateau. The next time we walked to the Grand and Petit Trianon. Let me tell you, that was a LONG WALK. We ended up buying a ticket for the stupid tram to take us back to the chateau because our feet hurt.
So I present to you my favorite option of all three: a bike tour of Versailles!
We booked ours through the Fat Tire Bike Tours company. I cannot sing enough praise. (btw, I was not paid to write about this). Here’s how it works: you book a ticket online. Then you all meet at their office over by the Eiffel Tower. Then you walk over to the train station. They supply you a train ticket. You all take the train together. After you get off the train, you walk a short distance to an office to pick up your bikes in the town of Versailles.
Now the fun begins! You bike down cute little streets like this and head to a French market!
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| streets of Versailles |
Why do you go to a market first? Because on this tour you get to have a picnic on the Grand Canal! How awesome is that?! We had so much fun at this French market… it really is a market for the locals. They don’t speak English very well, and I don’t speak French very well, but we managed to get the food we wanted! We had so much fun gathering our supplies! I seriously had the best French cheese and I have no idea what it was called. Too bad.
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| the French market |
After picking up your supplies, it’s time to head to the gardens. You get to bike along the manicured trees along Marie Antoinette’s sheep…
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| Marie Antoinette’s sheep |
Here we are biking along this beautiful path. It was the most beautiful day in Spring. The bike company gives you one bike basket per couple. We felt so totally French with our baguette sitting in our bike!
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| husband and I enjoying our trip! |
First off, you park your bikes at the Petit Trianon. The Petit Trianon was built for the Sun King’s mistress, Madame du Pompadour (heard of her?)
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| picture from wikipedia |
I just wanted to include this bedroom from the Petit Trianon… it is SO CUTE. The bed cornice, the little chair, the fabric, the colors, the light green and grey paneling on the walls… despite being the mistress she had some good taste!
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| cute French bedroom |
After touring the Petit Trianon, you walk over the Marie Antoinette’s Hameau. She loved to pretend she was farmer, so she had this little fairytale village made so she could milk cows and collect hen’s eggs. Except the cows were cleaned and the eggs had all the chicken poop removed from them! Imagine being poor and hearing that she had this little make believe village of a farm… no wonder the French people cut off her head!
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| Hameau de Marie Antoinette |
However, her fairytale village is really cute.
It is in the middle of a restoration by Christian Dior fashion house. This hamlet wasn’t opened when I first went years ago.
That’s why I have so many pictures of it!
After leaving the Hameau, you bike down to the Grand Trianon. King Louis got sick of his big chateau so he built a smaller one where only the men would hang out.
The columns are made from the rarest pink marble of the time.
After leaving the Grand Trianon, we starting biking around the Grand Canal. It was so much fun. You could rent row boats if you wanted and boat around in the canal!
After biking around part of the canal, we came to our spot for our picnic. Look at how beautiful our picnic spot was! It was really a dream come true! Everyone enjoyed baguettes and cheese (and wine for those who drink). We had such a nice time relaxing at this spot, watching the boaters paddle on by.
As it was my birthday, we even picked up this raspberry tart for my birthday cake! It just barely fit in the bicycle basket but we made it work. Doesn’t look too bad despite being jostled around in the bike all morning!
After some time, our picnic did eventually have to come to an end. We continued our tour and eventually dropped our bikes off at the office. We then walked over to the entrance of Versailles. This golden gate is incredible…
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| Versailles golden gate |
Just look at all of the gold on the palace! It’s incredible!
Everywhere you looked inside there was gold everywhere! This is definitely a house for a king!
The King’s private chapel…
A tour of Versailles wouldn’t be complete without a view of the Hall of Mirrors. You can see below how crowded the chateau is inside. It’s just so crazy-packed. I hated how packed it was. You could barely stand without someone running into you.
In fact it was so crazy packed, we didn’t get any pictures of the rooms as we were being pushed and shoved by the rude Chinese tour groups.
That’s why I had to include this picture that’s not mine of Marie Antoinette’s bedroom. It was just so incredibly opulent. And yes, they really did have that little golden fence there because people would literally be walking through the palace and watch the royals sleep and do their daily routine. So strange!
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| Marie Antoinette’s bedroom, pic from wikipedia. |
We literally rushed through the palace because it was so hot and crowded. We were happy to be outside once more…
Versailles is known for its fountains. They weren’t running when we were there. They will put on a fabulous show at certain times.
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| pic from wiki |
The last thing we saw was the Orangerie. My husband stated he wanted to get “garden inspiration”. We loved the planter boxes!
Then we headed to the train and made our way back to Paris.
I tried to include a map of the day. This was the route that we took that day.
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| our route map for the day. |
Final thoughts: This was the highlight of our trip to Paris. I HIGHLY recommend going on this bike tour. It was so much fun. We loved going to the market and picking out our food for our picturesque picnic on the Grand Canal. We felt like the King and Queen of France eating our raspberry tart on the chateau grounds. I really enjoyed going to the Hameau, which wasn’t very crowded because as you can see it’s a long walk from the chateau. Ironically, the palace itself was my least favorite part of the trip. It was way over-crowded. I’m not sure the picnic would be as fun if it rained, but I was told they have ponchos. The tour group also provides cutlery and glasses for your picnic. There were about 20 people on the tour with us, which was manageable. Our tour guide was knowledgable and friendly. I really cannot sing enough praise about this whole experience. I highly recommend you do it!
What what it’s the weekend. But it’s actually my Monday. I’m headed to work… but you all can enjoy reading these links…
I know everyone loves a Royal Wedding. Check out the pictures from Prince Carl Phillip and Sofia’s Wedding in Sweden.
While we’re in Sweden this week, check out this beautiful Provence Style house that belongs in the Mediterranean but instead is in Scandinavia!
It’s been hitting 100 degrees this week, and I’ve been eyeing these Gorgeous pool houses and pools making me wish for one!
The new trend in doggie hair cuts. It made me laugh.
50+ Red, White, & Blue Ideas for Fourth of July!
It’s Friday which means… Friday Favorites! I found this Friday Meme… I know that’s how we all feel when we leave work on Friday.
Fit Bit!
I got a Fit Bit last week! And guess what?! I LOVE IT! I wasn’t too sure about how much I’d like it… because, well, it’s not very pretty. But then I started wearing it around… and I love it! It tracks my steps, my calories, my flights of stairs, my heart rate (resting and during exercise), exercise calories burned, and even my sleep pattern! A full review is coming soon as I’ve only had this thing for 1 week but let me tell you… GET ONE! I think the HR monitor is the most important thing…. so get the one I got here: Fitbit Charge HR
Les Marquis de Laduree
So, remember how I’m totally obsessed with Laduree? Well, what I didn’t tell you is that Laduree also has a shop dedicated to chocolate… it’s just… I didn’t take pictures when we were in Paris. I know, I’m regretting it. We window shopped but simply weren’t in the chocolate mood that day (it was hot). BUT, don’t fret, because they now have an instagram that shows off all of the pretty chocolate creations so we can drool from a far…
OH WAIT. I just figured out how to imbed instagram pictures. CHECK IT OUT: I feel a little bit like a computer genius right now.
Pains au chocolat tout chocolat #lesmarquisdeladuree
A photo posted by Les Marquis de Ladurée (@lesmarquisdeladuree) on
Fancy Houses
Do you ever go to model homes just for fun? With the temperatures here now hitting 100 every day I am totally dying to jump into a pool. We went to some model homes for fun and I totally love the indoor-outdoor living. Now during the day I would definitely keep the outdoors out… but come evening time it would be nice to have some dining outside like below… don’t you think?
Moving
I wouldn’t call moving a favorite, but it’s a reality. We’re moving in less than 2 weeks and have been busy packing. I hate packing. It’s nice to throw some things away that I don’t use anymore, but seriously, where’d all this stuff come from? We’re headed up North to the Sacramento area and I’m so excited to start a new life up there. As much as I’ve loved SoCal, I’m totally over the traffic and the amount of people down here. Sacramento isn’t exactly small, but we’re moving to the country where it will be quiet.
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| Who hates moving? ME!! |
Game of Thrones
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT And I have a lot to say about this…
I meant to write on this last week and even started my post on it but then apparently I got side tracked and hit post before I even wrote about it! Whoops. Did I mention that this post contains spoilers?
First off, can I just say that I can’t believe we have to wait ANOTHER YEAR to find out what the end to all of those cliffhangers? Nooooo!!!
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| How I felt at the end of this episode! |
Ok, ready? Here come spoilers. I cannot believe that Melissandre was FOS when Stannis rode down to Winterfell only to have half his army leave him and to be wildly outnumbered. Then she peaced out when she realized that they were going to lose. I kind of feel bad for Stannis, only kind of, because he literally lost everything trying to take over the Iron Throne. But I guess there’s a word called Karma and that’s what happens when you burn the most lovely character on the show, the Princess Shireen. Brienne of Tarth kills him with a capital J for Justice. But then she misses out on Sansa lighting a candle int he window, forcing Sansa and Theon to grow a backbone and jump out of the castle for freedom. But c’mon. We know they’re going to get caught. Nothing good ever comes for Sansa.
Next, we go to the lame story plot of picking up Myrcella from Dorne, only to find she gets the kiss of death from the lame-o Sand Snake lady. I’m over this plot and I’m not talking about it anymore. I’m glad she’s gone from this story.
Queen Cersei finally confessed to one of her many sins for which she is forgiven for, and she’s forced to walk a nude walk-o-shame back into her castle. I felt bad for Cersei for the first time in this series, but honestly, she’s a terrible person and had it coming. Letting her go back to her castle to the newly reborn Mountain was the Sparrow’s biggest mistake. The Sparrow effed with the wrong person.
In the mean time, Drogon the Dragon has dragged Dany over to who-knows-where and is acting like a teenage boy by only laying around wanting to eat and do nothing. So Dany wanders off only to be surrounded by her old people, the Dothraki. I have no idea what they have to say to her, but likely it’s not good news. This also leaves Tyrion to rule Mereen in the short run. I think he will do a fine job, and some day when Dany gets back to Mereen she will see he’s worthy as a Hand.
But let’s talk about the most important thing: Jon Snow. The little kid tricks Jon Snow into thinking his Uncle has come back… only to be greeted by a Traitor sign and then his death. NOOO!! Jon Snow can’t be dead! He’s like… the most important character besides Dany. Honestly, I don’t think he’s dead. Why? Because he can’t be! I find it highly *convenient* that Melissandre has now showed up to the Castle right when Jon Snow dies. This show has magic all around… I think she’ll resurrect him. She’s obsessed with his blood, remember? While the show writers say dead is dead, we all know that’s not true. Look at the Mountain… he’s back. I feel like I’ve been stabbed 12 times Jon-Snow-Style by George RR Martin after this episode…
All and all, I thought episode 8 and 9 of this season were much better than the season finale… with the White Walker King raising his army of dead and Drogon being the true hero of the day and rescuing Dany. I can’t wait to see what the next season brings… but we’ll have to wait another year. I guess for now I’ll have to watch reruns of Downton Abbey and Outlander… Actually, I found a new show on Netflix. I’ll write about it next week.
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