Prague is a strange place. We had been on the train for a long time, looking forward to standing on solid ground. We got off the train, got some krones from the atm, tried to leave, but were completely blown away by the strongest, most forceful, sand and garbage filled wind I have ever seen. You couldn't risk opening your eyes for being blinded. it was horrible.
We persuaded a map out of the transit people, found the right metro line, and got ourselves to our hostel. It was an appartment that someone had emptied of furniture and loaded with bunk beds. It was quaint. it had a kitchen. after dropping our stuff and cleaning up we went for dinner. one of the few times that we treated ourselves to go out. we had the amazing pasta - with vegetables. this continent is not a fan of the legume family and therefore you eat mainly carbs and meat and the cucumber you spent 2€ on. it was great. We got back and we spent time chilling in the kitchen with whomever. I booked hostels and tried to find cheap but good places to stay.
The next day, we went and explored the city, making it all the way up to the castle. It was impressive and the biggest palace complex left in the world. We bought the cheaper ticket and enjoyed the afternoon. We had a planned free walking tour the next day so we wanted to make the day not too intense.
Saturday night was incredibly interesting. We went to the Let's Dance International 2009. I thought it would be artistic modern dancing thing. It was a belly dancing performance. yes, it was startling at first, but after you got used to the idea, it was pretty good. UNTIL the man came out. I think I will forever be scarred. Men were not made to do those sorts of things. But don't worry, Jason, I took a video of him, so that if you do indeed want to discover your inner self, you can do so.
Sunday, we slept way in, chilled out and took complete advantage of having an appartment to ourselves for a couple hours. Neither of us were feeling very good, so it was a perfect opportunity. I was out cold by 21:30. IT was a great weekend.
26 July 2009
23 July 2009
Berlin
What a city! It is so full of history - you can spend then entire afternoon walking around finding memorials and squares with well known stories and events. There is the Holocaust Memorial, the Berlin Wall, the square where the book burnings took place. We got in, no problem, found our hostel and did loads of laundry. After washing your entire wardrobe by hand in a little sink, I will never again take for granted washers and dryers!! For supper we headed to the reknowned currywurst stand Curry 36. It was so good. To have something cultural is amazing with the added bonus that it is cheap! we then went to the Jewish Museum as it was open till 22h00. We got kicked out. It was a strange feeling, to get kicked out of a place and then the dude informed us that we were not even halfway through the exhibit. There was just so much interesting information.
Tuesday : we went to the main square in town and participated in a free walking tour. The guide's name was Jack. He is Irish. He came to Berlin for a party and never really left. He was great fun. He told us about Berlin and Germany and its history. As we walked around the city, he told us of the major events in a story like manor such that we could remember it all. It was intense and had a long lasting impact. We saw the Berlin Wall, Hitler's bunker, the Brandonberger Gate, the Canadian designed bank, the oldest museum in town, the ugly barowue style church, etc. all the big sites. the tour was 4 hours long, but you didn't notice the time pass until you were hungry. We chilled in Beachvolleyballplatz with a tub of ice cream. mmm... We went to the Reichstag later that night and just made it in. It is their parliament building. We could go up to the roof where there is a huge dome built over the senate house so that everytime the senators look up the are reminded that they are underneath the people and are responsible to them.
Wednesday : we went back to the Holocaust Museum to go through the information center. It was intense. we were there for three hours reading story after story of the horrors that jewish families had lived through. It was hard to imagine living through what they did and also to imagine doing those things to another human being. It was incredible. We then headed across town on foot to the New Synagogue, to see what a real jewish synagogue looks like. only now it was a museum and there was very little of it left because of the bombing. still interesting. we had dinner at a boulangerie - red currant streudel. these german folk know how to work with sugar and flour and butter!
we caught our train to Prague in an uneventful way after hitting up a grocery store for necessities - coffee and nutella. good times in Berlin.
Tuesday : we went to the main square in town and participated in a free walking tour. The guide's name was Jack. He is Irish. He came to Berlin for a party and never really left. He was great fun. He told us about Berlin and Germany and its history. As we walked around the city, he told us of the major events in a story like manor such that we could remember it all. It was intense and had a long lasting impact. We saw the Berlin Wall, Hitler's bunker, the Brandonberger Gate, the Canadian designed bank, the oldest museum in town, the ugly barowue style church, etc. all the big sites. the tour was 4 hours long, but you didn't notice the time pass until you were hungry. We chilled in Beachvolleyballplatz with a tub of ice cream. mmm... We went to the Reichstag later that night and just made it in. It is their parliament building. We could go up to the roof where there is a huge dome built over the senate house so that everytime the senators look up the are reminded that they are underneath the people and are responsible to them.
Wednesday : we went back to the Holocaust Museum to go through the information center. It was intense. we were there for three hours reading story after story of the horrors that jewish families had lived through. It was hard to imagine living through what they did and also to imagine doing those things to another human being. It was incredible. We then headed across town on foot to the New Synagogue, to see what a real jewish synagogue looks like. only now it was a museum and there was very little of it left because of the bombing. still interesting. we had dinner at a boulangerie - red currant streudel. these german folk know how to work with sugar and flour and butter!
we caught our train to Prague in an uneventful way after hitting up a grocery store for necessities - coffee and nutella. good times in Berlin.
22 July 2009
Gent and Hamburg
Monday afternoon we caught a train to Gent, found our hostel, wandered around and settled ourselves at a riverside pub that bragged of 150 local beers available. A cold beer by the water is the perfect way to end a long day.
Tuesday was the day of ultimate health : we had meat and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, an apple for lunch and puréed vegetable soup. (it was actually really tasty). We explored the town, semi in search of interent to find a hostel for Hamburg, and ended up at the biggest cathedral in town. Upon entering, there was a table with a poster on it saying that free tours were available. Being the poor students that we are, we asked about the next english tour. A German girl, Marieke, said that the english girl was under the weather, but she was willing to do it with her « not very good english». Turns out, she was overly modest, speaking perfectly. It was a good time. We visitied the 11th century crypt and the famous reporduction of the Adoration of the Lamb. It was really interesting with an interesting story - way back when, some guy stole a panel of the altar and therefore making famous - more people are concerned with the stolen one than the actual altar itself. The thief said that when it was time for him to die, he was going to confess to its hiding place. He died suddenly. No one has any idea where the panel is. Jokes on them.
We found internet in an italian café. It was great, updated everything. After dinner, I went and sat on the canal with my book : Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, a unique read.
Wednesday, we ran to get breakfast, smuggled some sandwiches out in our valuable tupperware, and went back to our room to do intense laundry. It is amazing how quickly you run out of clean underwear when you only have 3 pairs. Later, we found a 15th century epicerie (an old school spice shop). It smelled just like the Dutch Toko. It was great!! We found a cheap package of spekuloos. mmmm..... we then had spekuloos sandwichs for lunch with our smuggled bread. We had a beer ar the family run brewery, Gruut. It was good. The actual seating was beside the brewing tanks. Cool.
Thursday we were up on good time to catch our train from Gent to Brussels. We had had plans to meet up with this guy for coffee, but that fell through when he didn't show up. We then caught our train to Hamburg. That was certainly an adventure as with Eurail passes, you don't make a reservation and therefore get kicked out of the seat by someone with a reservation. I think I ended up moving over 6 times!! frustrating as it was a full train. I ended up sitting on the floor by the luggage rack, that is until some overweight old man stood on my hand. OW!!
When we arrived, we saved money by walking to our hostel. Little did we know that it was a 5km hike across the city with all of our crap. totally not cool. We ended up walking through the Reeperbahn (which we know fondly recall as Creeperbahn). There were many old creepers hanging around the entrance of strip clubs trying to get us to come in. Why, I don't know. We were both sweaty carrying huge backpacks and obviously not in the mood for a good time*.
The hostel was a little sketchy. It was a basement appartment that was filled with bunk beds. The room that we stayed in was a 12 bed dorm. It was alright security wise until we realised that in about 40 people, we were the only girls in the place. sweet! actually it turned out alright, as the guys were all very wary of our presence and therefore were very gentleman like.
Friday, we explored the town, by walking the 4 .5km back to the center of the town. It started to rain, so we found ourselves an internet café where I could call home. The family seemed fairly excited to hear from me. Later, we again found a big church, it turns out that there are all kinds everywhere in every city and therefore easy to find. It was a Lutheran church, which we didn't figure out until we attended it on Sunday. We also visited the town hall, got a summary of all the museums and tourist spots by an older gentleman, who was overly kind. After a serious adventure we found a grocery store, we bought cans and vegetables and sat on the dock by the lake. It was beautiful there.
Hamburg, we decided would be a great city to live in, have a job, a social life, etc., but it was not really a great place to visit. Being the righest city in Germany, they really play it up and therefore all the tourist things are really expensive. It is more retired, world traveling couple's destination.
Saturday, we hit up a museum, to be all cultural. It was alright. There was a temporary exhibit on a German cartoonist, I think his name is Loitor, anyways, the sketches were really hilarious even though we couldn't read the captions. The rest of the museum was filled with porcelain figures and then sturdy, never-dying german made hardwood furniture. It was very indicative of the culture and the Germans themselves. In the huge, prissy mall, Europa Passage, there was a big bookstore with a good english section. We plunked in their couches with some books for a while. I love reading in the mother tongue : comprehension levels are so much higher. We found a cheap italian gelato vendor. I had tiramisu and mocca. It was sooooo good.
Sunday, we dragged ourselves out of bed early and went to the church that we had previously found. It was lutheran, we discovered when we were given a bulletin. The structure was the same as a reformed service, the building was a almost catholic, but it was lacking the statues of Mary and baby Jesus and there was no insense in the service. That afternoon, we went back to the hostel and died. we slept, napped, read our books, journaled, sudokud, etc. general laziness. Neither of us had any energy left after sleeping for 6 hours - a drunken spanish guy wanted us to go out with them, but SSSHHHH!!!! he's from south africa where SSSHHH!!!!!! the canadian girls need to come SSSHHH!!!! otherwise it be no fun!! come!!! SSSHHHH!!!!! the canadian girls are sleeping.....SSHH!!! it was hilarious, but really didn't aid in the resting process.
Our train left the main station at noon to Berlin. We got everything cleaned up and packed away before we were off. after only a short run in with the law, we made it to our train. Goodbye Hamburg!
*Subject to personal interpretation.
Tuesday was the day of ultimate health : we had meat and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, an apple for lunch and puréed vegetable soup. (it was actually really tasty). We explored the town, semi in search of interent to find a hostel for Hamburg, and ended up at the biggest cathedral in town. Upon entering, there was a table with a poster on it saying that free tours were available. Being the poor students that we are, we asked about the next english tour. A German girl, Marieke, said that the english girl was under the weather, but she was willing to do it with her « not very good english». Turns out, she was overly modest, speaking perfectly. It was a good time. We visitied the 11th century crypt and the famous reporduction of the Adoration of the Lamb. It was really interesting with an interesting story - way back when, some guy stole a panel of the altar and therefore making famous - more people are concerned with the stolen one than the actual altar itself. The thief said that when it was time for him to die, he was going to confess to its hiding place. He died suddenly. No one has any idea where the panel is. Jokes on them.
We found internet in an italian café. It was great, updated everything. After dinner, I went and sat on the canal with my book : Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, a unique read.
Wednesday, we ran to get breakfast, smuggled some sandwiches out in our valuable tupperware, and went back to our room to do intense laundry. It is amazing how quickly you run out of clean underwear when you only have 3 pairs. Later, we found a 15th century epicerie (an old school spice shop). It smelled just like the Dutch Toko. It was great!! We found a cheap package of spekuloos. mmmm..... we then had spekuloos sandwichs for lunch with our smuggled bread. We had a beer ar the family run brewery, Gruut. It was good. The actual seating was beside the brewing tanks. Cool.
Thursday we were up on good time to catch our train from Gent to Brussels. We had had plans to meet up with this guy for coffee, but that fell through when he didn't show up. We then caught our train to Hamburg. That was certainly an adventure as with Eurail passes, you don't make a reservation and therefore get kicked out of the seat by someone with a reservation. I think I ended up moving over 6 times!! frustrating as it was a full train. I ended up sitting on the floor by the luggage rack, that is until some overweight old man stood on my hand. OW!!
When we arrived, we saved money by walking to our hostel. Little did we know that it was a 5km hike across the city with all of our crap. totally not cool. We ended up walking through the Reeperbahn (which we know fondly recall as Creeperbahn). There were many old creepers hanging around the entrance of strip clubs trying to get us to come in. Why, I don't know. We were both sweaty carrying huge backpacks and obviously not in the mood for a good time*.
The hostel was a little sketchy. It was a basement appartment that was filled with bunk beds. The room that we stayed in was a 12 bed dorm. It was alright security wise until we realised that in about 40 people, we were the only girls in the place. sweet! actually it turned out alright, as the guys were all very wary of our presence and therefore were very gentleman like.
Friday, we explored the town, by walking the 4 .5km back to the center of the town. It started to rain, so we found ourselves an internet café where I could call home. The family seemed fairly excited to hear from me. Later, we again found a big church, it turns out that there are all kinds everywhere in every city and therefore easy to find. It was a Lutheran church, which we didn't figure out until we attended it on Sunday. We also visited the town hall, got a summary of all the museums and tourist spots by an older gentleman, who was overly kind. After a serious adventure we found a grocery store, we bought cans and vegetables and sat on the dock by the lake. It was beautiful there.
Hamburg, we decided would be a great city to live in, have a job, a social life, etc., but it was not really a great place to visit. Being the righest city in Germany, they really play it up and therefore all the tourist things are really expensive. It is more retired, world traveling couple's destination.
Saturday, we hit up a museum, to be all cultural. It was alright. There was a temporary exhibit on a German cartoonist, I think his name is Loitor, anyways, the sketches were really hilarious even though we couldn't read the captions. The rest of the museum was filled with porcelain figures and then sturdy, never-dying german made hardwood furniture. It was very indicative of the culture and the Germans themselves. In the huge, prissy mall, Europa Passage, there was a big bookstore with a good english section. We plunked in their couches with some books for a while. I love reading in the mother tongue : comprehension levels are so much higher. We found a cheap italian gelato vendor. I had tiramisu and mocca. It was sooooo good.
Sunday, we dragged ourselves out of bed early and went to the church that we had previously found. It was lutheran, we discovered when we were given a bulletin. The structure was the same as a reformed service, the building was a almost catholic, but it was lacking the statues of Mary and baby Jesus and there was no insense in the service. That afternoon, we went back to the hostel and died. we slept, napped, read our books, journaled, sudokud, etc. general laziness. Neither of us had any energy left after sleeping for 6 hours - a drunken spanish guy wanted us to go out with them, but SSSHHHH!!!! he's from south africa where SSSHHH!!!!!! the canadian girls need to come SSSHHH!!!! otherwise it be no fun!! come!!! SSSHHHH!!!!! the canadian girls are sleeping.....SSHH!!! it was hilarious, but really didn't aid in the resting process.
Our train left the main station at noon to Berlin. We got everything cleaned up and packed away before we were off. after only a short run in with the law, we made it to our train. Goodbye Hamburg!
*Subject to personal interpretation.
13 July 2009
Normandie & Brussels
Monday morning we jumped in our flashy super speedy VW Jetta and headed to Etretat to see the cliffs. It really is a beautiful spot. We walked along the boardwalk before climbing the one side. The view of the North Sea was incredible and with a pasture field right there with some beef cattle, it only got better.
Tuesday we left Honfleur and drove down to Hermanville sur mer, which is near Juno Beach. We went through the museum, went for baguette sandwiches and were back for the 3pm english tour. It was a good day : I learned a lot, felt intense Canadian pride and could picture myself working there next summer.
Wednesday we took the scenic route back to Paris stopping in Evreux for lunch. We made it into the city at 18:00, so right at rush hour. We found the hoitel for M Verhey and Roland, checked them in, brought the car back, said goodbye and caught our train further into the city to find our hostel. We arrived at 23:15, did some laundry ( by hand in the sink) and were sleeping by midnight. It was a long day.
Our train left Gare de Nord at 11:58 to Bruxelles. we got there, printed out our tickets, mailed some postcards and collapsed on the train. Once we arrived in Brussels, it was a 25min hike from the station to the tourist info center and then 10min further to find our hostel. IT was a super nice place and because they were full, we got a triple room to ourselves (or so we thought, we woke up with another girl there) for the cheapest price - go us! We wandered the town. I couldn't get over how it was the best of both our worlds coming together - French pastries and baguette, Dutch koffee, and gouda and haggelslaag.
Saturday, we woke up to rain. blah.... but whatever, we ate a good breakfast of sliced bread - super rare in France - and then headed out. We had three goals for the day : find internet so we could book the next hostel, find an english novel for me (i realized just how much I love reading non-french non-required books) and see the sights. We went to the European Parliament buildings, but they were closed up tight. We saw the Royal Palace, the Manneken Pis ( Brussels' Tour Eiffel) and found a book for me. There is a tourist info center in European countries - just for YOUNG people. They had sweet maps of the local cities and free internet. They helped us find a hostel, recommended things to do and gave us some tips. Mathilde told us of a local meeting that was happening at 19:00. It was a group going out to do a flashmob. We learned a dance routine and then headed to the main square in town. we loitered around like tourists at the concert and then at the signal, we all broke out in dance. we did the routine three times - the second two getting other people involved. it worked out pretty well, we went for drinks afterwards before heading out to catch our train to Brugge. IT was alot of fun. We met a whole bunch of people. Good times. Here is a youtube link to a flashmob dance in Antwerp station : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k
Yesterday, we slept in, went to a church did our own little Bible study for over an hour and then wandered the town. We had a picnic lunch and just relaxed. We are now ready for the week!
Tuesday we left Honfleur and drove down to Hermanville sur mer, which is near Juno Beach. We went through the museum, went for baguette sandwiches and were back for the 3pm english tour. It was a good day : I learned a lot, felt intense Canadian pride and could picture myself working there next summer.
Wednesday we took the scenic route back to Paris stopping in Evreux for lunch. We made it into the city at 18:00, so right at rush hour. We found the hoitel for M Verhey and Roland, checked them in, brought the car back, said goodbye and caught our train further into the city to find our hostel. We arrived at 23:15, did some laundry ( by hand in the sink) and were sleeping by midnight. It was a long day.
Our train left Gare de Nord at 11:58 to Bruxelles. we got there, printed out our tickets, mailed some postcards and collapsed on the train. Once we arrived in Brussels, it was a 25min hike from the station to the tourist info center and then 10min further to find our hostel. IT was a super nice place and because they were full, we got a triple room to ourselves (or so we thought, we woke up with another girl there) for the cheapest price - go us! We wandered the town. I couldn't get over how it was the best of both our worlds coming together - French pastries and baguette, Dutch koffee, and gouda and haggelslaag.
Saturday, we woke up to rain. blah.... but whatever, we ate a good breakfast of sliced bread - super rare in France - and then headed out. We had three goals for the day : find internet so we could book the next hostel, find an english novel for me (i realized just how much I love reading non-french non-required books) and see the sights. We went to the European Parliament buildings, but they were closed up tight. We saw the Royal Palace, the Manneken Pis ( Brussels' Tour Eiffel) and found a book for me. There is a tourist info center in European countries - just for YOUNG people. They had sweet maps of the local cities and free internet. They helped us find a hostel, recommended things to do and gave us some tips. Mathilde told us of a local meeting that was happening at 19:00. It was a group going out to do a flashmob. We learned a dance routine and then headed to the main square in town. we loitered around like tourists at the concert and then at the signal, we all broke out in dance. we did the routine three times - the second two getting other people involved. it worked out pretty well, we went for drinks afterwards before heading out to catch our train to Brugge. IT was alot of fun. We met a whole bunch of people. Good times. Here is a youtube link to a flashmob dance in Antwerp station : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k
Yesterday, we slept in, went to a church did our own little Bible study for over an hour and then wandered the town. We had a picnic lunch and just relaxed. We are now ready for the week!
05 July 2009
Paris and Honfleur - complete opposites
So, I have officially left St. Étienne. I trekked my way up to Paris with Melissa to meet up with her dad and brother. It was sooo hot!! It hit 37degC while we were lugging our entire appartements across the country! So painful. In the metro, traveling across the city to the hotel, w had to take a break. Just like a pair of old ladies. We finally made it and were greeted with many big smiles and greetings of welcome.
We toured Paris for two days, seeing all of the must sees. We started at the Arc de Triomph, walked down the Champs Elysées, toured the Louvre gardens and the entrance - both impressive. After all of this walking we were in dire need of a "Starbucks Experience". I love that place. We then headed for a fancy french dinner. French cuisine has definitely grown on me, I don't know what I'm going to do with hamburgers or steaks. The next day we hit up the Tour Eiffel, even going up the tower. It was super cool. You can see almost all of Paris. We then picnicked in the Jardins de Luxembourg. It is absolutely beautiful there. The trees, grass (some of which you are allowed to sit on), the ponds and just general nature. We followed that up with a shopping trip for the men. They both needed dress shoes. Incredibly, we found them both a pair in the first shop that we went into on Rue Rivoli - a famous shopping street in Paris. There are all kinds of sales going on right now. I think it is a governmentally forced sale. I don't really mind saving money. I then found some much needed thongs. They are now the most comfortable footwear that I own : no more blisters, no more bleeding, it's a beautiful thing.
On Friday, we all caught a train in the direction of Caen, a seaside city, rented a car and drove to Honfleur. The village is an amazing little medieval seaside port. There are sailboats everywhere. Mr Verhey and Roland are both big sailors and therefore are enjoying scoping out all of the boats and noticing the winds and remarking on the locks, etc. They are thoroughly enjoying it.
Saturday, there was a big market just outside of our hotel. We (Roland and I) slept a little longer than the other two - who took in the whole of the market and made some wonderful discoveries. I met up with Melissa and Mr Verhey a little later and Roland came along a little later. After lunch we went for a drive to Deauville, another port city, in look for a sailboat to rent or take a ride on. We had no such luck but we did discover that the city had a distinct character and the fishing boats there are weird looking - short and fat as opposed to long and skinny. It is just interesting to see how other cultures do things that one would assume are universal. We made it back to Honfleur in time to catch the local boat cruise of the area. It was great to get out onto the water, especially after spending so much time discussing sailing.
Today we went to mass. It was the first time that either Roland or Mr Verhey had ever been to one. It was quite the experience. Even amongst the Roman Catholic churches there are differences to their traditions. This one used alot of incense and they sang songs in Latin, where others have dropped the dead language years ago. We then headed up to the highest point above the city where there was an old church - built in 1054. The view was spectacular and the weather perfect. We sat on a park bench and ate a picnic - baguette, Camembert, wine, cucumber and red peppers. It was delicious. We lounged around for the afternoon, trying to nap. We then went for a longer drive through the countryside. The French are serious into their hedges, fences and stone walls. We stumbled upon the small town of Villerville. It had a beach - when the tide was down - and people were everywhere. Kids were running in and out of the puddles, screaming and just generally joyful. It was a great Sunday, full of relaxation and enjoyment for this Creation.
29 June 2009
The Beginning of the End
(St. Victor sur Loire)
School has officially ended, my transcript is about to be printed off and signed, I’ve given away 85% of my dishes and worldly french possessions, and have the laundry n the wash. Yep, I’m just about ready to leave St. Étienne. Forever. The ending of this exchange year is bitter sweet. I’ve come to France, studied (or at least tried to), met new people, made some great friends, and now feel like I’ve done everything I can here. It will be strange not coming back to 321 Littré, and I will definitely miss the « family » that we’ve made here, but I can’t wait to leave : to go traveling for the summer and also to get back to Canada.
RuthAnn, pastor’s wife, and her daughter Rebecca, came over for tea on Wednesday afternoon. We sat and talked for over 2 hours. We had packed up a majority of our dishes, pots, pans, cutlery, bed linens, alarm clock, etc. for Brooke, an American girl we met last semester who was here for one semester, but is coming back in the fall to teach English. Having a whole kitchen like that will definitely make her moving across the ocean much easier.
Thursday Melissa, Amanda R., David, Luke and I, went into Lyon for the day. We got in at 10h18 and went in search of the correct tram/metro to get us to the Musée de Beaux Arts. We ended up going in circles, and ended up at La Parc de la Tête d'Or instead. We were planning on going to the Museum and then have a picnic lunch in the park. It worked out better this way. We walked around, saw the animals (there's a mini zoo in the park) and had lunch in the park. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. Lately the weather here has been really cold. We had a hot spell of 30+ degrees and then it dropped 19/20. After lunch we walked over to the Museum. The paintings were pretty. There were some from famous artists, ie. Claude Monnet. Afterwards, we split up for a couple hours, us girls needed to go shopping. This is when the dress purchasing happened. We met up again for dinner, at a traditional lyonnais restaurant. It was really good food, with crèpes for dessert. mmmm.....
Melissa and I have also started making more concrete plans for this summer. We bought train tickets up to Brussels for the 10th of July, booked a hostel for our last night in Paris and we’re meeting up with Gil and Siobhan (shevon) to talk about Italy – they just got back from spending 3 weeks there. It’s going to be awesome.
Yesterday, we went to GBSE for the last time. It was on outdoor service in the country side. It was absolutely beautiful. When we finally made it outside of the boundaries of St. Étienne, the area was gorgeous. It made me forget how grey and dull the city was and reminded me just how much I love the country. After the service, we had a BBQ, Raymond, the pastor, grilled sausages on a wood burning grill. There was extensive heat coming from it and some OT jokes being thrown around. It was a great meal. Melissa and I empited our cupboards into a pasta salad. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.
For the next couple days we are going to be doing last minute stuff – cleaning out appartments, trying to close our bank accounts, packing up the rest of our stuff – for the summer and the stuff that we’re going to send home with Melissa’s dad and Brother. We are meeting them in Paris on Wednesday afternoon, stay there for a couple days and then head to Normandie. So begins the summer travels.
01 June 2009
Belle Par-ee
Ok, so I know this blogging thing has somehow fallen behind methodology essays and reading a creepy modern French novel, but I'm catching up now. In fact, I'll cover both trips to Paris right now!
Melissa's sister and brother-in-law flew over to visit during Easter vacation. So we went to Paris and Marseille. We saw all the regular stuff in Paris - Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. We also visited the Catacombes, which despite the creepy factor, are more interesting than another cathedral. What turned out to be more interesting was how Nicolette enlightened us to the omnipresence of metro germs; if you've walked in a metro station, your shoes pass metro germs to the carpet of the hotel room, and if you EVER walk barefoot in the hotel, metro germs will be IN YOUR BED. Beware, folks.
The second time, we took a bus up with the International Centre, just for the weekend. Aside from the super small seats in the bus, and fighting for my friend's legroom with some rude people, it was good. We saw the Versailles gardens, which were flower-free, but still pretty impressive. Oh, did I mention we had to pay six euro to enter (it's usually free) because of some music being piped through speakers hidden in the bushes?
The weather was nice both times in Paris, so we had lots of picnics in the Luxembourg Gardens. Now that we've seen all the must-see sights there, we're able to enjoy the city in a more relaxed way - such as taking a boat tour of the Seine. We discovered the best bookstore ever, right by Notre-Dame. I bought a couple, and have them stamped with "Shakespeare and Company: Kilometer Zero Paris."
So I'm actually starting to like Paris more than during my first jet-lagged impressions, and I'm actually headed back for a couple days when Melissa's dad and brother come.
Nicolette and I SHOPPING. Please don't comment.
Melissa's sister Nicolette and Ben in Marseille
So we went to Sainte-Chapelle, and they were trying to charge us 8 euro. Melissa suddenly became absorbed in photographing minute details of the church, subtly bypassing the "entrée interdit" sign in the process. This left me with no option but to follow her in the back entrance of the church. We were in free, took some photos and left. Later on, Ella and Amanda R. were telling us how awesome the windows were, and it turns out we only saw the basement.
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