Good morning!

So its actually 11am, which really isn't morning, but who's cares huh? It's about 5am ya'lls time so I'm just gonna go by that! I'm sitting here in my bed with a cup of instant coffee (You thought France was like the coffee capitol of the world right? Wrong...everyone here drinks INSTANT COFFEE...slackers...) and listening to the market below my window. I'm usually woken up every morning by the same little chants "3 kilos 3 kilos kilos! giroles 5 euros giroles 5 euros!" Giroles, I found out the other night at dinner, are little orange mushrooms that look like chanterelles. Very earthy but pretty good. They look like this:So anyway, it's a pretty nice lazy morning that I'm sharing with my coffee and my friends downstairs.
One of my girlfriends told me last night that the reason everyone says french women don't shave, is because they use this thing called "La Machine" to forcefully RIP all the hairs out of their legs. Looks like this: Apparently if you do it enough after a while you don't really have to shave anymore. It's THAT GOOD that if you walk to someone in France and say "La Machine?" They will know exactly what you're talking about. It's THE machine. Im gettin in on that! I'm not even lying. I think when I'm done with this post I'm gonna walk to the darty down the street and buy one. Is it really THE machine? I'll let you know.
France has been about 45 degrees and rainy. Not that great a combination, but since I no longer have a straightener, it doesn't really matter anymore. Callie Fenwick hasn't straightened her hair since September 3, 2008. It's kind of a big deal. As for the cold part, well, I just had to remedy that with another new coat. It really was a necessity purchase this time, cause I'm going to Norway for 5 days next weekend and I'm pretty sure it's going to be -1000 degrees in Oslo. That's viking territory, folks. We're headin to the fjords! (Please revisit monty python dead parrot skit to understand exactly why the fjords excite me....) Or maybe they excite me because they look like THIS: That cute new leather jacket just wasn't going to cut it.
So November is going to be my month of cultural experience. Here's the schedule.

• Next weekend: Oslo, Norway, the fjords, hopefully some small authentic viking town found somewhere outside of Oslo,
• Weekend after that: Gibbon comes to see me from Barcelona! More Paris sightseeing. Versailles
• Weekend after THAT: Geneva, Switzerland! Hopefully a photograph like Sound of Music family in the mountains
• Weekend after THAT: Frankfurt Germany to see my cousins for thanksgiving. Woo! Apparently we're having apple wine and schnitzel for thanksgiving dinner Dear Joey,

I think you would like schnitzel.

Love, Callie

• Weekend after THAT: Amsterdam, Holland to see my friend Pauline and spend "Sinterklaus" with her family. That's the Dutch Santa holiday. Apparently in Holland they don't have any REAL black people for the sinterklaas parade, so they have to make some fake ones.
  
• Weekend after the weekend after that: Going hoommmeee!!!!!
  

I love everyone and I miss you! I'll keep you posted on the upcoming excursions. Going to buy La Machine!! See you in 47 days!!