Since I last posted, I've been to Paris, and also Italy.
The Paris Open was fun and so was Paris itself. I can't believe I've been back over 4 weeks already.
It was a pretty last minute decision to go as I was planning to go to Glastonbury with Jason, but we couldn't get hold of a spare ticket. I was disappointed that I wasn't going to Glastobury, and Jason was, but pleased I had an alternative weekend I could plan.
So with less than 2 weeks to mentally and physically prepare myself with a busy working week, I managed to fit in a lot of training and strength classes, then before I knew it, I was on my way to Paris on the Euro star.
Walking around Paris, being artistic
Last September Jason and I stopped off in Paris for the night and stayed with his friend Dustin, and did the usual sight-seeing things. So this time I spent time just taking my time, walking around and taking in the sights, and also doing a bit of shopping too.
I stayed in the South at a place called Malakoff. It was so close to the metro, but a girl at my hostel lent me her map, so I took to the streets and walked, and walked, and walked. Stopping for coffee, to browse in shops.
Cakes, Macaroons, Coissants were all so very tempting as I walked past the Patisseries and coffee shops, but I had about 200 grammes to drop for the No Gi comp on Sunday.
If I'm unsure about a country and how their food will be, I pack my own and enough for the duration of the stay. A friend of mine said that Paris isn't the most healthiest of places to eat. I think he was just speaking about the Patisseries.
I walked along the Sienne river and saw a funky al fresco restaurant that was made out of an old shipping container. The menu looked great and I ordered the Salmon and prawn salad. It was delicious, and for the city and location by the river, my 18 Euro's was money well spent.
I continued walking over the river, and looked behind me to see the Eiffel Tower. "There she is!" I thought to myself. It's funny how lumps of metal can actually look so beautiful.
I walked on to the Arch de Triumph along the Champs Elysees, then finally thought, that's enough for today. I think I had walked about 10km, that was more than enough and I didn't want to wear myself out before the first competition.
After a good night sleep, I made my way to the venue. My team mates were all competing when I got there, but I wasn't on until the afternoon. The Master 1 divisions were pretty stacked for the ladies and a great turn out.
My first fight was great, she got a sweep, then I got a sweep, but in the last few seconds she got the points for a second sweep. I'm happy with my performance, but there are a lot of things that I need to work on. I came away with a Bronze for my efforts.
I also competed in the Absolute. I won my first fight, but lost the second to my Russian friend Oxana.
Blue belt feather Master 1 division
The no Gi on the Sunday was the same ladies as the Gi, minus one. I won my first fight, but lost the second by a crazy neck crank that came from a jumping guillotine. Now that is something to work on. Respect to the lady who won, and she went on to win the absolute too. I also fought in the absolute too, but lost out to Oxana again. I think that she got me back for the two wins I had over her in the European No Gi in Rome. We laughed and said now we are equal with our scores 2-2. This is the great thing about Jiu Jitsu, we make friends, but when we fight, it's not with Malice, it's with respect for one another, and each time we fight, we are learning.
I had a lovely time in Paris, I made a visit to the Moulin Rouge and enjoyed the sights and sound of this fantastic city.
At the Moulin Rouge
So that was Paris, and now it's time to enjoy the summer, train, learn and work on my mistakes.
One thing I love about Summer is the fruits that are in season. At the moment there are peaches everywhere, so what better way to enjoy them, than to roast them.
Ingredients:
Peaches
Honey
Fresh ginger
Sliced Almonds
Method:
Halve the peaches and de-stone them. Place them in a baking dish, then drizzle honey all over them, filling the middle of the peach. Grate the ginger and sprinkle all over.
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius. After 25 minutes, sprinkle the sliced almonds over the peaches.
Enjoy!
Jolie x
