Somehow, it all comes back to food...

This morning I went food shopping. And just like my mom taught me, seek and ye shall find (the bargains!) This time, the bargains were to the tune of almost old croissants and pain au chocolat for 1 euro a pack. I eat these things like candy, so you can imagine what I brought back with me! That, and I found some super cheap seasonings (black pepper, and curry as well) for 1 euro a piece! Considering how much I paid for garlic, I was flabbergasted! So what's on tonight's menu for Resto-Marisa? Turkey curry with onions, potato, tomato, and cous cous on the side...and pain au chocolat for dessert. Yum. :) A little less water on the cous cous next time, and maybe it could have used another spice or two,but overall very satisfying...and less than 20 minutes form start to finish. I love how not having a microwave is giving me the courage to try a bit more with cooking. I'm no Iron Chef by far, but my school of "whatever Marisa can throw in a pan/pot today" seems to be working out fairly well for me so far. At the very least, it's healthy and something different than pasta!

This weekend was nice, and a bit more relaxing than the last. At the last minute, "Hey, let's have a picnic!" to a bunch of Europeans looks a little something like this:

 

How many bottles of wine can you count in this photo?

Oh, it was a good day, alright...it is starting to get bizarrely chilly around here, though, like in the sixties. I hear that it's uncharacteristic of the region, though, so hopefully it'll go away soon. I'm enjoying this sunshine too much to have to cover up just yet. Besides, I kinda need a cover up that isn't a flimsy sweater or a "in it for the long haul" wintery coat.

In other news, I had my first salsa/merengue lesson yesterday, and even though I knew what I was doing already, it's still fun to learn through a different instructor and practice being the guy as well. Little things like this make me feel more included in university life, even if in only a small way. I very well may take an advanced salsa course as well through the university, all while trying to keep my fitness up at the same time! There's a zoological park a 5-minute jog from campus with a huge path you can jog around, and it's more than enough to keep me interested...I even discovered the most gorgeous overlook of the city's hills, and worked on some upper body strength and balance stuff. I felt like some kind of zen tai chi/yoga master (no, I've never done either, but I imagine the vibe is similar!) up there; it was quite relaxing and soooo picturesque. I'm attempting to stay in shape here, but seeing as I haven't had much luck finding a gym, I may have to suck it up soon and go running in the cold regularly. I may have running buddies soon, so who knows? Until next time, here's a didgeridoo!