An unseasonably warm February weekend...

...pulled lots of people out of the city and to the beach - us included! Ahhh, la dolce far niente!
Sending you warm spring wishes - a little early!

Carcassonne...

...a medieval city in the southeast of France with an enormous citadel became the destination for Kati's parents second visit to the land of cheese and wine. After seeing that, we decided we have to go back there for the 14th of July fireworks. Amazing!

Itadaki mas...

We finally got around to trying out our "Sayonara" present! What do you think?

Omedetou gozaimasu...

Happy new year everybody! Guim and I just got back from a little getaway on the "Ile de Re" - 3 days of relaxing thalasso therapy, warm saltwater pools, excellent food, walks on the beach...! We really needed to shake off the stress of the last months and that was definitely the place to do it.

Other than that, the new year's starting with some good news: Guim's contract was extended until the end of March and it's still looking very, very good for us to stay here beyond that.

Whereever you are...

...Kati and Guim wish you

Merry Christmas

Joyeux Noël

Fröhliche Weihnachten

We did a little Christmas dancing, only for you! Check it out.
Lots of love.

German Christmas cookies...

This one is especially for my all-time favorite students in Japan. I hope you remember and are making lots of Christmas cookies! Thank you for all your lovely Christmas cards. I miss you and think about you!



Vanilla Crescents

200 gr butter
100 gr sugar
half a vanilla bean or vanilla aroma
100 gr ground almonds
260 gr flour
powdered sugar

Knead the sugar and the butter. Add the vanilla. Knead in ground almonds and flour to make a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for an hour. Form into a roll (diameter: 4cm). Cut pieces of 2 cms. Form crescents and bake them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper for about 10 minutes at 190 degrees Celcius. Cool them a little before taking them off the baking sheet (if not they will break.) Coat them with the powdered sugar and cool them entirely. Store them in a tupperware to keep them crunchy.

...and Santa's on its way!

Yipiiiiieh, it's almost Christmas. That means today is the last working Sunday for Guim and of course it's already vacation for those worked harder in school and don't have to work on the weekends :))) On the 25th, we'll receive Guim's dad, grandma and Max Almighty for a savory Christmas dinner (should be savory after calling my mom 3 times for advice ;)) and heading towards the maternal side of the in-laws later on. Now I just have to find a way to pass the presents already lying under the Christmas tree without opening them yet...

The first of advent...

has come and we are everything but in a Christmas mood: poor Guim's average workweek consists of over 60 hours now until 9:30 pm every day. We are having dinner at 10 pm!!! This includes Saturdays and Sundays, on which I sit home alone. 3 more weeks to go like this! Could anybody send us an energy boost? The good news is that the future is looking bright. Everybody at Toys is very satisfied with Guim's performance, so there is a good chance for us to stay in Bordeaux after Christmas, instead of being sent somewhere else. Keep your fingers crossed, guys. If we stay, we'll consider enlarging the Sarthou-Zimmermann family ;) Have a peaceful advent time and don't forget to be nice to overworked vendors in the stores!

Globetrotters in Bordeaux...

After having visited us once in the U.S. and twice in Japan, Kati's parents came to enjoy French culture and cuisine for a few days last week. Between the opulent meals and great conversations, we showed them around the area. We also headed back to the wine chateau where we had our wedding reception to buy a few bottles of "our" wedding wine: Sauternes, Chateau d'Arche Grand Cru 2003. It felt weird to be back there after a year and 4 months - and kinda cute... All you need is love, dumdidudidoooooh!

Scooterized!!!

There it is, the Japanese beauty that takes Guim to work during the week and the two of us around Bordeaux on the weekend. Just to beat the REAL motorcycle drivers out there to it - yes, it only goes at a 110 km/h, but we feel the need for beautiful scenery more than the need for speed. Especially during yesterday's tour - after I probably broke my toe hitting a bedpost at full speed on Saturday. Beauty, eh?