Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Holy 3-week vacation, Batman!
Well, there you have it.
Exam period is over (well, since Wednesday).
No more beard, no more studying, and far less stress. It's kind of nice.
My vacation spans Thursday the 16th to Tuesday the 4th. Not bad :D
I will spend the time with friends, family and Xbox.
Well, until the 28th at least. Anastassia comes home on the 28th, so I'll likely be busy until school starts again :)
I hope those of you who are still writing exams do as well as you want to. You've all worked very hard this year, this will be a well-deserved vacation.
On a final note before I conclude the last post of 2010, I would like to thank all those who came to the raclette dinner on Friday and made it a great evening!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and I will see you in the New Year.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
RIP Magna Cum Laude (September 2007 - December 2010)
Friends, Family, and fellow Bloggers.
I have gathered you here today to help me pay my respects to a dear friend.
A friend some of you know, or have known. A friend that I have tried too hard to keep, and one who has done everything he can to push me away. Tonight, please join me in paying respect to what was the silver lining to the futile 3 years I've wasted at uOttawa: my last hope of a Magna Cum Laude designation (aka. 8.0 average)
Yes, indeed, he was a good friend. Through CSI 1306, ITA 1114, PHI1501, Financial Accounting, and a few others, he gave me hope. Alas, Professors Phansalker (Stats II), Beauchamp (OB and HR 1), Manga (IB) and Hebert (Int'l HR) have all but taken him away from me.
It's not all bad. At least I can't say I didn't try. There's only so much one can do.
The visitations will be at 9:30 am and 7:00 pm Tuesday, and 9:30 am Wednesday.
All are invited to attend.
I wish you all a pleasant week. May your Christmas preparations bring you joy, and your upcoming vacation some much-deserved relaxation.
The Mass has ended. Go in Peace...
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Let the Winter Games Begin
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is December 1st. Winter will officially begin shortly, along with all the joys of exam period. I only have one thing to say about the weather:
It is f***ing cold out.
Snow, rain, freezing temperatures, and all the other weather-related phenomena caused by global warming... we have it all in Canada. And it comes at a time when everything is under construction. Not a good combination. Lord help us when the new immigrants drive around with their summer tires and f*** shit up really nicely.
Here's an idea for all you bad drivers out there: stay home.
Now that I've complained a bit, I would like to welcome you all to the Advent season. Some of you are celebrating Hannukah, others look forward to Christmas, and others still can't wait for the sales. I personally will not enjoy myself until about December 16th. That's when exams, papers and everything else will be done, and I get to just sit quietly and await the return of my sweetheart :)
My Christmas shopping was done a long time ago, so I will likely bide my time by catching up on all things Gossip Girl, Hockey and Xbox-related. That and shovelling. I really missed that last year.
How are you going to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas? I actually want to hear your thoughts this time. Just post in the Comments section :)
Have a good night!
It is f***ing cold out.
Snow, rain, freezing temperatures, and all the other weather-related phenomena caused by global warming... we have it all in Canada. And it comes at a time when everything is under construction. Not a good combination. Lord help us when the new immigrants drive around with their summer tires and f*** shit up really nicely.
Here's an idea for all you bad drivers out there: stay home.
Now that I've complained a bit, I would like to welcome you all to the Advent season. Some of you are celebrating Hannukah, others look forward to Christmas, and others still can't wait for the sales. I personally will not enjoy myself until about December 16th. That's when exams, papers and everything else will be done, and I get to just sit quietly and await the return of my sweetheart :)
My Christmas shopping was done a long time ago, so I will likely bide my time by catching up on all things Gossip Girl, Hockey and Xbox-related. That and shovelling. I really missed that last year.
How are you going to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas? I actually want to hear your thoughts this time. Just post in the Comments section :)
Have a good night!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Sixty-Nine
I would like to start by saying that I was informed that my last post, "Since Kobenhavn", was #69 in my blog. With that in mind, I hesitate to update it ever again. Alas, that would not be fair to my readers, so here goes #70...
The Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph downtown was beautiful. The music, tributes and parade all seemed to fit together. It really was a fitting homage to the men and women who have served overseas. I do, however, have one complaint: how is it that in the city of Ottawa, they couldn't find a single person, government employee, veteran, priest or civilian, who actually speaks French? Why is it that someone allowed anglophones, who clearly shouldn't be trying to speak French in the first place, to read from complex and emotional scripts? They read the French half of their papers with the same skill and confidence I've grown accustomed to at the elementary schools where I tutor. I have only one word for Ottawa about this: unacceptable.
If you're going to have a ceremony to honour all the men and women who served for Canada, don't do a half-assed job of it. Thank you.
On to a much happier subject, Friday the 12th was my 2-year anniversary with Anastassia. Here we are in Copenhagen, circa Oct. 24:
:D
After an exciting weekend of writing academic papers, and another week of class and work, this time with the additions of Robert's birthday and what now appears to be a bi-weekly coffee with Nada, here I am, starting another exciting weekend of writing academic papers.
*sigh* I miss France. I think I wrote a grand total of 7 papers in 10 months, with 3 of them being in-class.
Anyway, I'm off to be productive. Hope you are too.
Ciao
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Since Kobenhavn
*sigh*
It's been 11 days since my return from Copenhagen. 11 long days. Most of them have been spent writing one of my 3 papers, studying for exams, or doing other trivial assignments that are less for learning and more for taking time away from much more important things.
I'm now in my 4th week of work with the Homework Club, and I'm quite enjoying it for the most part. Speaking of work, I'm leaving for Bridlewood Elementary in about 5 minutes.
My exam schedule for December is less than optimal, though I'll leave it at that, since I'll be bitching about it later, I'm sure.
Also, I'm in 1st place in my hockey pool! Mom and Robert are Last and Second-Last respectively, so basically, so far so good. :P
Thursday is Remembrance Day. Barring any group meetings (a few of which seem to be in the making), I will likely attend a downtown ceremony before heading off to work. Make sure to get your poppy if you don't have one!
Friday is another special day. I'll tell you about that one later... :D
Hope you're all enjoying November.
Adios
It's been 11 days since my return from Copenhagen. 11 long days. Most of them have been spent writing one of my 3 papers, studying for exams, or doing other trivial assignments that are less for learning and more for taking time away from much more important things.
I'm now in my 4th week of work with the Homework Club, and I'm quite enjoying it for the most part. Speaking of work, I'm leaving for Bridlewood Elementary in about 5 minutes.
My exam schedule for December is less than optimal, though I'll leave it at that, since I'll be bitching about it later, I'm sure.
Also, I'm in 1st place in my hockey pool! Mom and Robert are Last and Second-Last respectively, so basically, so far so good. :P
Thursday is Remembrance Day. Barring any group meetings (a few of which seem to be in the making), I will likely attend a downtown ceremony before heading off to work. Make sure to get your poppy if you don't have one!
Friday is another special day. I'll tell you about that one later... :D
Hope you're all enjoying November.
Adios
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Twice upon a time in Kobenhavn
So, where was I? Oh right! Wednesday.
Wednesday, Anastassia had a phone interview with IBM, so she wanted to sleep in, then mentally prepare for it. Apparently I was too much of a distraction so she sent me away both to get lunch and to go for a walk while she was interviewing at 4 pm. Her restaurant of choice? McDonald's.
**The most fascinating thing about Iceland isn't the powerful glacier rivers or the rising sun, it's the 13,000km of roads that take you into its uncharted wilderness**
After the interview, we went out to get Anastassia some fresh air. We decided to go back to her apartment to cook our second homemade dinner for the week. We went shopping at the Lidl first, for some supplies.
After the delicious dinner of zucchini, eggplant, chicken, pasta, and pretty much everything Anastassia had in her pantry/refrigerator/freezer, I did the dishes, and Anastassia fell asleep.
No joke. I figured I'd take the opportunity to check my e-mail, while waiting for Anastassia to wake up so we could go back to the hotel. Except that didn't happen.
The next morning, we made breakfast (a delicious omelette being the main component) then slowly made our way back to the hotel, but not before organizing a party for that night. Note that this was Thursday, the day before I left Copenhagen. Not the type of day yours truly usually plans to go out drinking until 4 am. However, I was pretty excited and I knew it would be a lot of fun.
And was it ever!
**The most amazing thing about Iceland isn't the fact that there are only 3 people per square kilometre, it's that every year, 10 new Icelandic rock bands set out to conquer the world.**
We first ate dinner in the hotel before getting dressed up and heading out to the clubbing district of Copenhagen. While looking for the bar we would eventually end up at, we found the Wall Street, a small bar with lots of customers and cheap beer (possible correlation). While hanging out there, I met Ana's friend Anna, who is also Russian. We waited a while, drinking Tuborg (Tuborgs are better than one, ha ha ha), before finally making our way to KulorBar.
KulorBar had previously been closed due to an electrical failure of some kind, but re-opened at midnight. Standing in line outside the KulorBar, I met Carole, Anastassia's other friend, from France. We spoke about how much Canadian French sucks compared to proper Académie Française French, made fun of stupid people, and eventually actually made it into the bar. The KulorBar is not unlike the Vogue in Reims, or Le Palace in Rouen. It's a pretty big place, with a reasonable dance floor, good loud music, and a sweet light show. The 4 of us hung out there til about 3, 3:30. We all left to go our separate ways, and Anastassia and I slowly walked home, stopping at Burger King along the way (don't ask. I have no idea).
We got to the hotel around 4, and I packed to make sure everything was ready to go for the next morning. I fell asleep around 5, regretting having booked a return flight.
I woke up at 8:30, having a hard time seeing and moving my legs. I managed to make my way to the shower, then get dressed, and even eat some breakfast. We took the train to the airport, and I said goodbye to Anastassia, who was heading off to Oslo, Norway that afternoon. I boarded an Icelandair flight 2 hours later, and was greeted by the easy listening Icelandic music I'd come to love the week before. (Read: it sucks that they don't allow guns on planes)
**Fun fact: The coolest thing about Iceland isn't that their airport was voted Best in Europe in 2009, or that 99% of their energy is from renewable sources. It's the fact that every New Year, Icelanders set off over 600 tonnes of fireworks**
I made it to Toronto, ate dinner, then flew to Ottawa, arriving at home, in my bed, around 12:30 am. Technically Saturday. My total aller-retour flight time was around 20 hours, 30 minutes. I went through 12 time zones. I watched Toy Story 3, Jumpers, My Cousin Vinny, and A Good Year, and that's only counting what I saw on a plane. My entire in-flight meal was half a bag of M&Ms, an apple, and some mini Twix/Snickers bars. And I loved every minute of that week.
Of course, Canada welcomed me back with 0-degree temperature and snow.
F**k you, Canada.
Pictures will be posted eventually, but I need to write some papers, study for an exam, then drive Dad to the airport. Check Facebook, since they're already there. If you don't have Facebook, I apologize in advance for the wait.
Wednesday, Anastassia had a phone interview with IBM, so she wanted to sleep in, then mentally prepare for it. Apparently I was too much of a distraction so she sent me away both to get lunch and to go for a walk while she was interviewing at 4 pm. Her restaurant of choice? McDonald's.
**The most fascinating thing about Iceland isn't the powerful glacier rivers or the rising sun, it's the 13,000km of roads that take you into its uncharted wilderness**
After the interview, we went out to get Anastassia some fresh air. We decided to go back to her apartment to cook our second homemade dinner for the week. We went shopping at the Lidl first, for some supplies.
After the delicious dinner of zucchini, eggplant, chicken, pasta, and pretty much everything Anastassia had in her pantry/refrigerator/freezer, I did the dishes, and Anastassia fell asleep.
No joke. I figured I'd take the opportunity to check my e-mail, while waiting for Anastassia to wake up so we could go back to the hotel. Except that didn't happen.
The next morning, we made breakfast (a delicious omelette being the main component) then slowly made our way back to the hotel, but not before organizing a party for that night. Note that this was Thursday, the day before I left Copenhagen. Not the type of day yours truly usually plans to go out drinking until 4 am. However, I was pretty excited and I knew it would be a lot of fun.
And was it ever!
**The most amazing thing about Iceland isn't the fact that there are only 3 people per square kilometre, it's that every year, 10 new Icelandic rock bands set out to conquer the world.**
We first ate dinner in the hotel before getting dressed up and heading out to the clubbing district of Copenhagen. While looking for the bar we would eventually end up at, we found the Wall Street, a small bar with lots of customers and cheap beer (possible correlation). While hanging out there, I met Ana's friend Anna, who is also Russian. We waited a while, drinking Tuborg (Tuborgs are better than one, ha ha ha), before finally making our way to KulorBar.
KulorBar had previously been closed due to an electrical failure of some kind, but re-opened at midnight. Standing in line outside the KulorBar, I met Carole, Anastassia's other friend, from France. We spoke about how much Canadian French sucks compared to proper Académie Française French, made fun of stupid people, and eventually actually made it into the bar. The KulorBar is not unlike the Vogue in Reims, or Le Palace in Rouen. It's a pretty big place, with a reasonable dance floor, good loud music, and a sweet light show. The 4 of us hung out there til about 3, 3:30. We all left to go our separate ways, and Anastassia and I slowly walked home, stopping at Burger King along the way (don't ask. I have no idea).
We got to the hotel around 4, and I packed to make sure everything was ready to go for the next morning. I fell asleep around 5, regretting having booked a return flight.
I woke up at 8:30, having a hard time seeing and moving my legs. I managed to make my way to the shower, then get dressed, and even eat some breakfast. We took the train to the airport, and I said goodbye to Anastassia, who was heading off to Oslo, Norway that afternoon. I boarded an Icelandair flight 2 hours later, and was greeted by the easy listening Icelandic music I'd come to love the week before. (Read: it sucks that they don't allow guns on planes)
**Fun fact: The coolest thing about Iceland isn't that their airport was voted Best in Europe in 2009, or that 99% of their energy is from renewable sources. It's the fact that every New Year, Icelanders set off over 600 tonnes of fireworks**
I made it to Toronto, ate dinner, then flew to Ottawa, arriving at home, in my bed, around 12:30 am. Technically Saturday. My total aller-retour flight time was around 20 hours, 30 minutes. I went through 12 time zones. I watched Toy Story 3, Jumpers, My Cousin Vinny, and A Good Year, and that's only counting what I saw on a plane. My entire in-flight meal was half a bag of M&Ms, an apple, and some mini Twix/Snickers bars. And I loved every minute of that week.
Of course, Canada welcomed me back with 0-degree temperature and snow.
F**k you, Canada.
Pictures will be posted eventually, but I need to write some papers, study for an exam, then drive Dad to the airport. Check Facebook, since they're already there. If you don't have Facebook, I apologize in advance for the wait.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Once Upon a Time in Kobenhavn, Pt. 1
Good Evening,
I am sitting in Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) waiting for my flight to Ottawa. I have just returned to Canada from a trip to a far superior country. 3 of them, actually, if you count my brief trips to Reykjavik and Malmo. I will try to remember as best I can the important parts of the first half of my trip.
Friday (Oct. 22), I spent the day in Toronto with my Grandparents and friend Theresa. I told them all about school and the trip I was about to take. I was dropped off at Pearson 3 hours before my flight, so I had plenty of time to check in and go through security. That whole process took all of 10 minutes. With 3 hours to kill, I plugged in my laptop and watched the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire.
*sidenote*: Sopranos lovers, this show is sweet. 1 episode in, and I'm hooked. That's faster than Gossip Girl, in case you were wondering.
Anyway, I boarded my Icelandair flight to CPH via Keflavik (Reykjavik) around 21h00. The flight was long; I watched Toy Story on the first half of the flight, to Reykjavik. Leaving Reykjavik an hour after arriving, I got to witness an incredible sunrise over the coast and the mountains. Then I fell asleep. When I woke up 1/2 hour later, I watched "Jumper". It was boring enough to put me back to sleep after about an hour.
*sidenote 2*: Icelandair tought me a lot about Iceland. Example: the most amazing thing about Iceland isn't its 120-some volcanoes, or its many hot springs, but the fact that the Prime Minister is listed in the phonebook (more fun facts to come later **)
I arrived in Copenhagen, not knowing what time or day it was. I could not see or walk. I just existed in a semi-conscious state. I got off the plane, went through customs, then wandered into the vast expanse of CPH airport. It was then that I saw her. And I woke up instantly.
We (Anastassia and I) went to our hotel in the city, dropped off my stuff, then went for a long walk along the shores of Nyhavn. It was a nice but cold night, so we made our way back to the hotel to plan the next day.
**The most amazing thing about Iceland isn't the 24 hours of sunlight in the summer, or the fact that 30% of the population has a university degree, but rather the fact that over 50% of the population believes in elves**
Sunday (yes, there is a day missing, due to flight time and time zones), after a filling breakfast, we went and, um, actually I don't remember want happened Sunday, and there are no pictures from that day. Did I sleep through it? I'll update this later.
Monday we went to Malmo, Sweden. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We walked through the town, then through a park, then through 2 different H&M's, then into a coffee shop. It was a very pleasant day, and I enjoyed my brief time in Sweden. Interesting sidenote #3: neither Malmo nor Copenhagen has ever heard of a thing called a "hockey jersey". WTF?!
Back from Malmo, we decided to watch a movie from my laptop and relax.
Tuesday, Anastassia had class, so she left early. I felt lazy so I stayed at the hotel and had a late breakfast, then made my way to the CBS campus. It's a nice campus. I'll leave it at that, so as to not go on a rant about how much I don't like uOttawa.
After her class, we went for a walk through the Frederiksberg (pronounced "fry-rick's-bear") neighbourhood of Copenhagen. We found a place to have lunch (a bagel sandwich, apparently a CPH specialty), then, surprisingly, went to H&M for some more shopping (it was raining, so really, it was the best way to spend the time). After H&M, it stopped raining, and we found another gorgeous park to walk through. This one had a zoo :D
I will continue with Part 2 (Wednesday to Friday) this weekend, and I hope to have photos up by Monday. They will definitely be on Facebook by then for those of you who can see them there.
Talk to you soon!
I am sitting in Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) waiting for my flight to Ottawa. I have just returned to Canada from a trip to a far superior country. 3 of them, actually, if you count my brief trips to Reykjavik and Malmo. I will try to remember as best I can the important parts of the first half of my trip.
Friday (Oct. 22), I spent the day in Toronto with my Grandparents and friend Theresa. I told them all about school and the trip I was about to take. I was dropped off at Pearson 3 hours before my flight, so I had plenty of time to check in and go through security. That whole process took all of 10 minutes. With 3 hours to kill, I plugged in my laptop and watched the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire.
*sidenote*: Sopranos lovers, this show is sweet. 1 episode in, and I'm hooked. That's faster than Gossip Girl, in case you were wondering.
Anyway, I boarded my Icelandair flight to CPH via Keflavik (Reykjavik) around 21h00. The flight was long; I watched Toy Story on the first half of the flight, to Reykjavik. Leaving Reykjavik an hour after arriving, I got to witness an incredible sunrise over the coast and the mountains. Then I fell asleep. When I woke up 1/2 hour later, I watched "Jumper". It was boring enough to put me back to sleep after about an hour.
*sidenote 2*: Icelandair tought me a lot about Iceland. Example: the most amazing thing about Iceland isn't its 120-some volcanoes, or its many hot springs, but the fact that the Prime Minister is listed in the phonebook (more fun facts to come later **)
I arrived in Copenhagen, not knowing what time or day it was. I could not see or walk. I just existed in a semi-conscious state. I got off the plane, went through customs, then wandered into the vast expanse of CPH airport. It was then that I saw her. And I woke up instantly.
We (Anastassia and I) went to our hotel in the city, dropped off my stuff, then went for a long walk along the shores of Nyhavn. It was a nice but cold night, so we made our way back to the hotel to plan the next day.
**The most amazing thing about Iceland isn't the 24 hours of sunlight in the summer, or the fact that 30% of the population has a university degree, but rather the fact that over 50% of the population believes in elves**
Sunday (yes, there is a day missing, due to flight time and time zones), after a filling breakfast, we went and, um, actually I don't remember want happened Sunday, and there are no pictures from that day. Did I sleep through it? I'll update this later.
Monday we went to Malmo, Sweden. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We walked through the town, then through a park, then through 2 different H&M's, then into a coffee shop. It was a very pleasant day, and I enjoyed my brief time in Sweden. Interesting sidenote #3: neither Malmo nor Copenhagen has ever heard of a thing called a "hockey jersey". WTF?!
Back from Malmo, we decided to watch a movie from my laptop and relax.
Tuesday, Anastassia had class, so she left early. I felt lazy so I stayed at the hotel and had a late breakfast, then made my way to the CBS campus. It's a nice campus. I'll leave it at that, so as to not go on a rant about how much I don't like uOttawa.
After her class, we went for a walk through the Frederiksberg (pronounced "fry-rick's-bear") neighbourhood of Copenhagen. We found a place to have lunch (a bagel sandwich, apparently a CPH specialty), then, surprisingly, went to H&M for some more shopping (it was raining, so really, it was the best way to spend the time). After H&M, it stopped raining, and we found another gorgeous park to walk through. This one had a zoo :D
I will continue with Part 2 (Wednesday to Friday) this weekend, and I hope to have photos up by Monday. They will definitely be on Facebook by then for those of you who can see them there.
Talk to you soon!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Battling the Evil Midterms, Saving the Princess
Good Evening folks,
Many weeks have passed since I took the time to write, and I have to say, I'm very glad for this opportunity.
Last weekend was a nice 4-day long weekend for Thanksgiving, which was greatly enjoyable, what with lots of food, family and friends around to share the fun.
Class has been going relatively well, though I'm realizing now that I should probably get to work on a few of my term papers. As I realize this, I am also supposed to study for midterms which began on the 16th and will continue through Thursday the 21st. To add to the fun, I started work this past Tuesday, so, I'm in just a little over my head.
The good thing is (or maybe it's not good, depending on how you look at it) is that this Friday, I get to drive to Toronto to visit my grandparents. That same night, I board a plane to Copenhagen. :D
I am very much looking forward to my trip, and to seeing Anastassia for the first time in over 2 months. I started packing today, and I will pick up some DKKroners on Wednesday so I can actually eat while I'm there.
Hope you all have a good week. Good luck to those of you writing midterms! I'll report back around Hallowe'en with another entry on travel :D
Many weeks have passed since I took the time to write, and I have to say, I'm very glad for this opportunity.
Last weekend was a nice 4-day long weekend for Thanksgiving, which was greatly enjoyable, what with lots of food, family and friends around to share the fun.
Class has been going relatively well, though I'm realizing now that I should probably get to work on a few of my term papers. As I realize this, I am also supposed to study for midterms which began on the 16th and will continue through Thursday the 21st. To add to the fun, I started work this past Tuesday, so, I'm in just a little over my head.
The good thing is (or maybe it's not good, depending on how you look at it) is that this Friday, I get to drive to Toronto to visit my grandparents. That same night, I board a plane to Copenhagen. :D
I am very much looking forward to my trip, and to seeing Anastassia for the first time in over 2 months. I started packing today, and I will pick up some DKKroners on Wednesday so I can actually eat while I'm there.
Hope you all have a good week. Good luck to those of you writing midterms! I'll report back around Hallowe'en with another entry on travel :D
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Let the games begin
Good Evening.
I have just had a heck of a weekend in which I covered homework for every class, got interviewed for a job, and I still have another week left of similar activities.
The interview was for a tutoring position with the municipal government. Not a glamorous job by any means, but it'll pay the bills.
I have now begun work on 3 different semester projects, and studied for my finance quiz. It's all happening so fast.
Also, the draft for my hockey pool was on Saturday. Team Martin will face off against picks from Teams Morgan, Bartlett, Bratalski, Alghazali and Martin(2). Should be a good year.
Tomorrow I've got class and 2 information sessions to attend. Labatt and Loblaw's are doing presentations about how I could one day work for them.
Tuesday is the Telfer Career Convention. I will meet with representatives from around 20 companies who need my skill set to help their company rech the top of their respective industry. For this, I had some business cards made at Staples. Not a bad price for a decent result.
Anyway, that's my super-condensed summary. I've got interviews to prepare for. See you soon!
P.S: 4 weeks to Copenhagen :D
I have just had a heck of a weekend in which I covered homework for every class, got interviewed for a job, and I still have another week left of similar activities.
The interview was for a tutoring position with the municipal government. Not a glamorous job by any means, but it'll pay the bills.
I have now begun work on 3 different semester projects, and studied for my finance quiz. It's all happening so fast.
Also, the draft for my hockey pool was on Saturday. Team Martin will face off against picks from Teams Morgan, Bartlett, Bratalski, Alghazali and Martin(2). Should be a good year.
Tomorrow I've got class and 2 information sessions to attend. Labatt and Loblaw's are doing presentations about how I could one day work for them.
Tuesday is the Telfer Career Convention. I will meet with representatives from around 20 companies who need my skill set to help their company rech the top of their respective industry. For this, I had some business cards made at Staples. Not a bad price for a decent result.
Anyway, that's my super-condensed summary. I've got interviews to prepare for. See you soon!
P.S: 4 weeks to Copenhagen :D
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Air on the G-String
Ladies and Gentlemen,
These last 12 days have been filled with excitement! Watch as I detail them for you over the next few paragraphs! Wow!
After practicing for my driving test (following my last post), waiting patiently for that week to pass, and starting school in the process (more on that later), I finally have my full G driver's license!
The first person to know (after Mom, of course) was Robert. I texted him saying "guess who has his G, b**ch?" This prompted the best response in text history: "aww, so you failed and went to buy a man-thong?"
After nearly laughing my way off the road into a ditch off Hwy 15, I went home to enjoy the rest of my weekly Friday off.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Ontario driver's licensing system, there are 3 steps. A written test gets you a G1, or conduite accompagnée. A driving test after 12 months of G1 test gets you a G2. A second driving test one year after the G2 will hopefully get you a full G. The differences between G2 and G in my daily life are small, but now I can legally drive with my own car in any Canadian province and any other country. So at least there's that.
Anyway, as I mentioned, classes have also started. I have an exciting fall term, with International Finance (taught by a Russian hunchback), Operations Management (taught by my favourite uOttawa professor not named Ricci, Rim Jaber :D), International Business (taught by a 70-year-old deaf Indian man), and Gestion des ressources humaines internationales (fortunately not taught by Julie Beauchamp). Next term should be more interesting but far less productive marks-wise.
I am currently waiting for dinner with my uncle, during my weekly 9-hour break between classes. The advantage to this long break is that I can meet people for lunch or dinner and still have time to do work. The disadvantage is that most people are busy during lunch or dinner and I don't have enough work to actually need that time. *sigh*
Oh! Before I forget, I discovered a great new band the other day: The Reign of Kindo. They combine elements of jazz, blues, and soft rock in a very interesting and enjoyable way. I'd suggest you all look them up.
Last thing: I will finally be 20 tomorrow. Not that this means anything, at all, but the way it's looking, it'll be a night to look forward to, and to look back on, and smile.
I wish you all a very pleasant evening, and a relaxing weekend ahead.
Ciao
These last 12 days have been filled with excitement! Watch as I detail them for you over the next few paragraphs! Wow!
After practicing for my driving test (following my last post), waiting patiently for that week to pass, and starting school in the process (more on that later), I finally have my full G driver's license!
The first person to know (after Mom, of course) was Robert. I texted him saying "guess who has his G, b**ch?" This prompted the best response in text history: "aww, so you failed and went to buy a man-thong?"
After nearly laughing my way off the road into a ditch off Hwy 15, I went home to enjoy the rest of my weekly Friday off.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Ontario driver's licensing system, there are 3 steps. A written test gets you a G1, or conduite accompagnée. A driving test after 12 months of G1 test gets you a G2. A second driving test one year after the G2 will hopefully get you a full G. The differences between G2 and G in my daily life are small, but now I can legally drive with my own car in any Canadian province and any other country. So at least there's that.
Anyway, as I mentioned, classes have also started. I have an exciting fall term, with International Finance (taught by a Russian hunchback), Operations Management (taught by my favourite uOttawa professor not named Ricci, Rim Jaber :D), International Business (taught by a 70-year-old deaf Indian man), and Gestion des ressources humaines internationales (fortunately not taught by Julie Beauchamp). Next term should be more interesting but far less productive marks-wise.
I am currently waiting for dinner with my uncle, during my weekly 9-hour break between classes. The advantage to this long break is that I can meet people for lunch or dinner and still have time to do work. The disadvantage is that most people are busy during lunch or dinner and I don't have enough work to actually need that time. *sigh*
Oh! Before I forget, I discovered a great new band the other day: The Reign of Kindo. They combine elements of jazz, blues, and soft rock in a very interesting and enjoyable way. I'd suggest you all look them up.
Last thing: I will finally be 20 tomorrow. Not that this means anything, at all, but the way it's looking, it'll be a night to look forward to, and to look back on, and smile.
I wish you all a very pleasant evening, and a relaxing weekend ahead.
Ciao
Friday, September 3, 2010
Newfie comes back, Labour Day, and my last year in school
Good evening.
With the end of August comes something I don't usually like: the beginning of September.
That's right, the month when school starts; the month my sister and I were born; the one month of the year when I get really sick for more than just a few days.
It is my hope that you all had wonderful summers. I am happy to end mine with my good friend Robert, from Newfoundland, and my family, who I will actually have to live with this year.
This weekend is Labour Day weekend, a 3-day joke that must have been started by some union tool. Basically, everyone just drinks, relaxes, then drinks some more. Then again, you, my audience, already know that.
I plan on being productive. I will practice for my G test in Smiths Falls, maybe bake some cookies, and with my extra day Tuesday, go see a movie I've been wanting to see for some time. (Hint: action stars and explosions)
Anyway, that just about wraps up the summer part of the blog. The few posts I have during the year will be about class and hockey. Hope you don't get too bored.
I wish you all a pleasant weekend.
With the end of August comes something I don't usually like: the beginning of September.
That's right, the month when school starts; the month my sister and I were born; the one month of the year when I get really sick for more than just a few days.
It is my hope that you all had wonderful summers. I am happy to end mine with my good friend Robert, from Newfoundland, and my family, who I will actually have to live with this year.
This weekend is Labour Day weekend, a 3-day joke that must have been started by some union tool. Basically, everyone just drinks, relaxes, then drinks some more. Then again, you, my audience, already know that.
I plan on being productive. I will practice for my G test in Smiths Falls, maybe bake some cookies, and with my extra day Tuesday, go see a movie I've been wanting to see for some time. (Hint: action stars and explosions)
Anyway, that just about wraps up the summer part of the blog. The few posts I have during the year will be about class and hockey. Hope you don't get too bored.
I wish you all a pleasant weekend.
Friday, August 27, 2010
And so the search begins...
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is now the end of August and I find myself poorer than I was when I returned from Europe.
The trip to Atlanta was a great success, we had a lot of fun siteseeing and eating delicious food.
Now, well, it's time to get serious. Time for reality to hit. I need a job.
(Not that kind of job, Robert, the kind that pays me)
Thankfully, my courses are registered, I have applied my for U-Pass, and my textbooks are ordered. I have set up my appointment for my G-level driver's test (September 10th), and now I am on the hunt for a high-paying, small-hours job.
So far, I've found availabilities as a baby-sitter for the government (presumably on the opposition side of the House of Commons), and at two hardware stores. I hope the prospects get better as Fall approaches, because I really need the money.
Also, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that Anastassia now has a blog of her own, all about the wonders of Copenhagen, Denmark (where I, coincidentally, will be heading for October break): http://onceuponatimeinkobenhavn.blogspot.com Enjoy!
Hope you all ease into the school year well. Bonne rentrée à tous!
It is now the end of August and I find myself poorer than I was when I returned from Europe.
The trip to Atlanta was a great success, we had a lot of fun siteseeing and eating delicious food.
Now, well, it's time to get serious. Time for reality to hit. I need a job.
(Not that kind of job, Robert, the kind that pays me)
Thankfully, my courses are registered, I have applied my for U-Pass, and my textbooks are ordered. I have set up my appointment for my G-level driver's test (September 10th), and now I am on the hunt for a high-paying, small-hours job.
So far, I've found availabilities as a baby-sitter for the government (presumably on the opposition side of the House of Commons), and at two hardware stores. I hope the prospects get better as Fall approaches, because I really need the money.
Also, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that Anastassia now has a blog of her own, all about the wonders of Copenhagen, Denmark (where I, coincidentally, will be heading for October break): http://onceuponatimeinkobenhavn.blogspot.com Enjoy!
Hope you all ease into the school year well. Bonne rentrée à tous!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Easing into school, one concert at a time
Folks, I am currently in Atlanta, GA, on vacation with my family. I will be going to a wedding shortly, but before I do, I want to fill you in on much of what I've done in July and August.
In July, Ottawa hosted what is known as Bluesfest, an outdoor concert series featuring many incredible bands. I have never gone before, usually favouring the cheaper and equally interesting Chamberfest, but this year, the full pass to Bluesfest was definitely worth it.
Among the bands I saw: Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, The Gipsy Kings, Matthew Good, Steve Hackett, The Musical Box, Carlos Santana, Weezer, Roger Hodgson (of Supertramp), Caravan Palace, and many more.
Now look at that list. I can't help but smile as I remember the amazing music and atmosphere of the Festival.
After 2 weeks of awesome, I pretty much got to relax. I split my time between my family and Anastassia, usually favouring the latter, and got to do much relaxing and enjoying people's company. I didn't get a job for the summer, so I really am easing back into it.
August has thus far been interesting. I saw Anastassia for the last time as I left for Atlanta and she for Copenhagen to start her near-5-month exchange. You may say "...wait, didn't you just come back from Europe? what?..." Yes, I did. It's just so much more fun the more complicated you make it, you know?
Anyway, I'm off the the wedding of an old friend and neighbour. Look for him to come up through the ranks of the Atlanta Thrashers this year!
Enjoy your weekend, y'all ;)
In July, Ottawa hosted what is known as Bluesfest, an outdoor concert series featuring many incredible bands. I have never gone before, usually favouring the cheaper and equally interesting Chamberfest, but this year, the full pass to Bluesfest was definitely worth it.
Among the bands I saw: Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, The Gipsy Kings, Matthew Good, Steve Hackett, The Musical Box, Carlos Santana, Weezer, Roger Hodgson (of Supertramp), Caravan Palace, and many more.
Now look at that list. I can't help but smile as I remember the amazing music and atmosphere of the Festival.
After 2 weeks of awesome, I pretty much got to relax. I split my time between my family and Anastassia, usually favouring the latter, and got to do much relaxing and enjoying people's company. I didn't get a job for the summer, so I really am easing back into it.
August has thus far been interesting. I saw Anastassia for the last time as I left for Atlanta and she for Copenhagen to start her near-5-month exchange. You may say "...wait, didn't you just come back from Europe? what?..." Yes, I did. It's just so much more fun the more complicated you make it, you know?
Anyway, I'm off the the wedding of an old friend and neighbour. Look for him to come up through the ranks of the Atlanta Thrashers this year!
Enjoy your weekend, y'all ;)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Having a Baule... ha ha ha
Sorry this is taking so long.... where was I?
Right! I arrived in Voisins, where I was greeted by Michèle, was told to put away my things, then pack a small bag to go to the beach the next day. Also, we went shopping for some food and I bought my train tickets.
The next morning, off to the beach in Bretagne, aka La Baule! This beautiful (and rich) area has lots of great things to do, but more importantly, lots of opportunities to just lie on the beach. Which I did. For hours on end. Anne and her friends were there, and we stayed in their "cottage", barbequeuing sausages, steaks, and eating other stuff. We also took our breaks from the beach to watch FIFA matches, and overall we had a very balanced daily schedule. We even went biking along the shore to a town which had awesome gelato and great views on the beach.
The less-than-48-hour stay in La Baule was way too short, and before I knew it I was headed back to Voisins. I spent my last few days in the company of Michèle, Jean-Luc and Nathalie, seeing a few old friends (and my 4th grade teacher) in those final days. It was a very nice end to my year away.
Paris had the last laugh though, it always does. I had to take an RER to the airport, so naturally right when I get on, someone throws themself onto the tracks a few stations ahead, and we have to get off halfway to the airport. We were in a small town, with poor bus service, scrambling to find a way to Charles de Gaulle. We found it, but arrived at the airport 1/2 later than I wanted to. I was able to check in and get to the lounge with only 15 minutes to drink and eat as much as I could before my flight to Montreal.
The flight was pleasant enough, not too eventful. When I arrived in Montreal, I found out my connecting flight, which was already 3 hours after arrival, would be an hour late. *sigh*
Luckily, my lounge pass convinced me that waiting wasn't so bad, as I watched Spain-Portugal on a big screen TV and then used the internet for free for an hour or so. Cool!
I finally got to Ottawa, where my family was waiting for me at the baggage pickup. I was almost all the way home. We drove home, and then I was all the way home. Finally. This concluded my year in France.
I think that I might keep updating you on my re-integration, so expect to see more posts about Canada in the next week or so. Hope you're all enjoying Bluesfest as much as I am!
Right! I arrived in Voisins, where I was greeted by Michèle, was told to put away my things, then pack a small bag to go to the beach the next day. Also, we went shopping for some food and I bought my train tickets.
The next morning, off to the beach in Bretagne, aka La Baule! This beautiful (and rich) area has lots of great things to do, but more importantly, lots of opportunities to just lie on the beach. Which I did. For hours on end. Anne and her friends were there, and we stayed in their "cottage", barbequeuing sausages, steaks, and eating other stuff. We also took our breaks from the beach to watch FIFA matches, and overall we had a very balanced daily schedule. We even went biking along the shore to a town which had awesome gelato and great views on the beach.
The less-than-48-hour stay in La Baule was way too short, and before I knew it I was headed back to Voisins. I spent my last few days in the company of Michèle, Jean-Luc and Nathalie, seeing a few old friends (and my 4th grade teacher) in those final days. It was a very nice end to my year away.
Paris had the last laugh though, it always does. I had to take an RER to the airport, so naturally right when I get on, someone throws themself onto the tracks a few stations ahead, and we have to get off halfway to the airport. We were in a small town, with poor bus service, scrambling to find a way to Charles de Gaulle. We found it, but arrived at the airport 1/2 later than I wanted to. I was able to check in and get to the lounge with only 15 minutes to drink and eat as much as I could before my flight to Montreal.
The flight was pleasant enough, not too eventful. When I arrived in Montreal, I found out my connecting flight, which was already 3 hours after arrival, would be an hour late. *sigh*
Luckily, my lounge pass convinced me that waiting wasn't so bad, as I watched Spain-Portugal on a big screen TV and then used the internet for free for an hour or so. Cool!
I finally got to Ottawa, where my family was waiting for me at the baggage pickup. I was almost all the way home. We drove home, and then I was all the way home. Finally. This concluded my year in France.
I think that I might keep updating you on my re-integration, so expect to see more posts about Canada in the next week or so. Hope you're all enjoying Bluesfest as much as I am!
Monday, July 5, 2010
It's the end of my world as I know it
Today, I woke up in my bed. My bed, not the one I had back in France.
I am home, and I've been here for a few days now. It's been very nice coming home to my family, and of course to Anastassia. As I get settled back into my old way of life, I will finish off this travel blog with the last few posts about France and the trip home.
After Budapest, I had some work to do. As soon as I got back to my apartment, I dumped my dirty clothes into my laundry bag, threw out the items that needed to be thrown out, and started packing. Of course, there was still some fun to be had, and I went out to party with Julius, Phil, and some others after a nice dinner with Veronica. This was the end of the exchange, and after I left Reims, only 2 or 3 or the original group remained.
We had a very pleasant evening, but on returning home I found out about that earthquake that shook Canadians from Montreal to Lake Ontario, which was surprising to say the least. I slept a solid 8 hours before getting up to pack and do laundry.
The day before I left, I packed and did laundry. Also, Veronica made a delicious curry for lunch, and we went out for one last beer that night at the Cochon à Plumes.
I then went to sleep, knowing I would have to get up early for my house inspection. Which I did. And the inspection went as it was supposed to. And I waited outside my apartment with my luggage for the car which would take me to Voisins :D
I arrived in Voisins around 3:30 that afternoon, and that's where the fun began...
I am home, and I've been here for a few days now. It's been very nice coming home to my family, and of course to Anastassia. As I get settled back into my old way of life, I will finish off this travel blog with the last few posts about France and the trip home.
After Budapest, I had some work to do. As soon as I got back to my apartment, I dumped my dirty clothes into my laundry bag, threw out the items that needed to be thrown out, and started packing. Of course, there was still some fun to be had, and I went out to party with Julius, Phil, and some others after a nice dinner with Veronica. This was the end of the exchange, and after I left Reims, only 2 or 3 or the original group remained.
We had a very pleasant evening, but on returning home I found out about that earthquake that shook Canadians from Montreal to Lake Ontario, which was surprising to say the least. I slept a solid 8 hours before getting up to pack and do laundry.
The day before I left, I packed and did laundry. Also, Veronica made a delicious curry for lunch, and we went out for one last beer that night at the Cochon à Plumes.
I then went to sleep, knowing I would have to get up early for my house inspection. Which I did. And the inspection went as it was supposed to. And I waited outside my apartment with my luggage for the car which would take me to Voisins :D
I arrived in Voisins around 3:30 that afternoon, and that's where the fun began...
Friday, June 25, 2010
Buda has the Castle, but Pest has the clubs
I arrived in Budapest on the morning of June 21st. I got off the train with my things, and I saw, in the distance, an all-too-familiar person, a great friend from RMS, Gabor.
He greeted me and brought me via bus to his home just outside the main city. He explained that I should not be too quick to judge the city, the area around the station (as with every other city, the area around the station is quite ugly).
After dropping my things off and meeting his family, we set out to see the most important sites in Budapest. Most of these sites are called [something] "square", which essentially means there is a monument to someone and a large intersection nearby. There is the equivalent of the Champs-Elysées, a lot of museums and statues, and quite a few places to stop and have dessert. We went to the Butterfly for some typical Hungarian delicacies.
We later met up with my other good friend, Tamas, and went out to a few places for dinner and drinks, stopping to watch some soccer along the way.
The next day, we headed to the Hungarian Parliament building, a gorgeous palace-like structure on the Danube river. While waiting for our turn, we stopped at a second confectionery for some mid-morning sweets. After this, we took a tour inside the parliament and I learned a bit about Hungarian government.
After the tour, I did some souvenir shopping, then went back to Gabor's place to watch some soccer. We ate a typical Hungarian dinner, prepared by Gabor's mom, who is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I was treated more or less like the prodigal son of the household.
After dinner, we went out to visit the castle on the Buda side of the river. This gave us a great view of the city, though the sun had gone down and it was getting dark. Time for a second night of bar-hopping (with Tamas, of course), and we saw a few really neat places. I especially enjoyed ordering drinks in part-english, part-sign language, with a bit of Hungarian mixed in.
These two days in Budapest reminded me how much more fun it is to travel with friends. It was the perfect end to my 3-week vacation. I returned home to Reims, ready to take on the immense task of packing my many suitcases.
He greeted me and brought me via bus to his home just outside the main city. He explained that I should not be too quick to judge the city, the area around the station (as with every other city, the area around the station is quite ugly).
After dropping my things off and meeting his family, we set out to see the most important sites in Budapest. Most of these sites are called [something] "square", which essentially means there is a monument to someone and a large intersection nearby. There is the equivalent of the Champs-Elysées, a lot of museums and statues, and quite a few places to stop and have dessert. We went to the Butterfly for some typical Hungarian delicacies.
We later met up with my other good friend, Tamas, and went out to a few places for dinner and drinks, stopping to watch some soccer along the way.
The next day, we headed to the Hungarian Parliament building, a gorgeous palace-like structure on the Danube river. While waiting for our turn, we stopped at a second confectionery for some mid-morning sweets. After this, we took a tour inside the parliament and I learned a bit about Hungarian government.
After the tour, I did some souvenir shopping, then went back to Gabor's place to watch some soccer. We ate a typical Hungarian dinner, prepared by Gabor's mom, who is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I was treated more or less like the prodigal son of the household.
After dinner, we went out to visit the castle on the Buda side of the river. This gave us a great view of the city, though the sun had gone down and it was getting dark. Time for a second night of bar-hopping (with Tamas, of course), and we saw a few really neat places. I especially enjoyed ordering drinks in part-english, part-sign language, with a bit of Hungarian mixed in.
These two days in Budapest reminded me how much more fun it is to travel with friends. It was the perfect end to my 3-week vacation. I returned home to Reims, ready to take on the immense task of packing my many suitcases.
The Land of Wieners
After seeing Salzburg, I must admit Vienna was not that interesting. One can see the whole town in a single day, assuming one knows what one wants to see.
If you think you want to see the Danube, don't, it's ugly.
The town centre (Stephansplatz and surrounding area) is pretty nice, with incredible shopping (2 Zaras and 3 H&Ms), and lots of historical buildings, but other than that, there's not much to see.
At least that's what I'd told myself before stepping onto the grounds of the Schonbrunn Palace.
This copy of Versailles is actually significantly nicer, inside and out. It combines the elegance of the Palacio Real de Madrid with the incredible gardens of Versailles, with all the modesty of a night at the Academy Awards. It was really nice, and would have been even better if not for the clouds.
After the Palace, I went back to the hostel for my last night in Austria. Next Stop: Budapest
If you think you want to see the Danube, don't, it's ugly.
The town centre (Stephansplatz and surrounding area) is pretty nice, with incredible shopping (2 Zaras and 3 H&Ms), and lots of historical buildings, but other than that, there's not much to see.
At least that's what I'd told myself before stepping onto the grounds of the Schonbrunn Palace.
This copy of Versailles is actually significantly nicer, inside and out. It combines the elegance of the Palacio Real de Madrid with the incredible gardens of Versailles, with all the modesty of a night at the Academy Awards. It was really nice, and would have been even better if not for the clouds.
After the Palace, I went back to the hostel for my last night in Austria. Next Stop: Budapest
F*** Mozart
I arrived in Innsbruck at 4:40 am. I was tired. I had 2 hours to wait til my train to Salzburg. Naturally, the only thing to do was leave my luggage at the train station and walk around taking pictures. Remember when I said "everytime there's a good view, some moron ruins it"? Well, Innsbruck is a perfect example. It is a town surrounded by mountains, and yet I could only see their peaks. Everything else was a tram line, strip club, or apartment building.
Annoyed at the human race, I went back to the station, and took the train to Salzburg.
Vast improvement. While the station at Salzburg is horribly designed (and under construction), once I found my hostel and dropped off my luggage, I was greeted with a wonderful riverside walkway, shopping in the old town, statues, museums, mountains and everything I'd hoped to see in Austria. Except for one thing. They are f***ing obsessed with Mozart.
The overrated little piece of garbage has his face plastered everywhere: restaurants, bars, museums, monuments, street names, souvenir stores, EVERYWHERE! I don't like Mozart, I think that's obvious, but even if I did, I would find this annoying. No, Hans, I don't want Mozart Steak, I want Triple-A Alberta Beef Steak. And no, I don't want another Mozart chocolate, they're nasty.
Bitterness aside, Salzburg was pretty awesome. I also have something to say about Austria's postal system. I sent a postcard Friday afternoon, and it arrived in Canada Monday morning. Efficiency at its best!
After a rainy day in Salzburg, I headed back to my favourite train station to go to my next city, Vienna...
Annoyed at the human race, I went back to the station, and took the train to Salzburg.
Vast improvement. While the station at Salzburg is horribly designed (and under construction), once I found my hostel and dropped off my luggage, I was greeted with a wonderful riverside walkway, shopping in the old town, statues, museums, mountains and everything I'd hoped to see in Austria. Except for one thing. They are f***ing obsessed with Mozart.
The overrated little piece of garbage has his face plastered everywhere: restaurants, bars, museums, monuments, street names, souvenir stores, EVERYWHERE! I don't like Mozart, I think that's obvious, but even if I did, I would find this annoying. No, Hans, I don't want Mozart Steak, I want Triple-A Alberta Beef Steak. And no, I don't want another Mozart chocolate, they're nasty.
Bitterness aside, Salzburg was pretty awesome. I also have something to say about Austria's postal system. I sent a postcard Friday afternoon, and it arrived in Canada Monday morning. Efficiency at its best!
After a rainy day in Salzburg, I headed back to my favourite train station to go to my next city, Vienna...
Mom, Can We Move Here?
Without being too direct, I would like to say that my stay in Sardegna was possibly the best thing that happened to me during the 6-day period between Maranello and Budapest. I could easily retire to a home in Palau. Though we should start from the beginning.
My flight was 2 1/2 hours late getting to Sardegna. Not that this mattered, as I got to check in to the most amazing hotel room I've ever seen, in the town of Olbia. The town itself is much nicer than Italians would have you believe, though it wasn't the highlight of this 2-day part of the trip.
After a good night's rest, I got up, having missed breakfast, and went to the reception desk wearing only my swimming trunks and my sandals. I asked the guy straight out "how do I get to the beach?" He laughed and took out a map. He said "you can take the bus to Pittalongu, it's 8 km away." So I walked to Pittalongu, a quick 2-hour trek through the Sarinian wilderness (read: Industrial parks).
What I saw when I finally arrived was amazing. White sand, gelato everywhere, and a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean Sea. Before I could relax, though, I needed sunscreen. So I walked into town, bought 12 Euros worth of sunscreen and a giant bottle of San Pellegrino cocktail, and went back to the beach to relax. I quite enjoyed this opportunity to lie down and not worry about anything.
A few hours later, after getting a bit of colour (red), I took the bus to the hotel, showered, and took a nap. I went for dinner (pizza, what else?), watched a soccer game, and went to bed.
My final day in Italy I went to Isola della Maddalena, an island off the northeast coast of Sardegna. This took 1 1/2 hours by bus, followed by 25 minutes on a ferry. The island itself is unimpressive, the area around the port is built up, and looked no different from Olbia. What I discovered on the way back to Olbia that afternoon, however, is the town of Palau.
There is nothing overly remarkable about this seaside town, other than that it gives breathtaking views from small, private beaches, hidden among palm trees along the coast. I took some time to relax and write a few postcards before my bus back to Olbia.
Once I returned to my hotel, I grabbed my luggage and jumped in a taxi to catch my flight back to Florence. From Florence, I took a train to Salzburg. Thus ended the Italian portion of my trip. Next up: Osterreich
My flight was 2 1/2 hours late getting to Sardegna. Not that this mattered, as I got to check in to the most amazing hotel room I've ever seen, in the town of Olbia. The town itself is much nicer than Italians would have you believe, though it wasn't the highlight of this 2-day part of the trip.
After a good night's rest, I got up, having missed breakfast, and went to the reception desk wearing only my swimming trunks and my sandals. I asked the guy straight out "how do I get to the beach?" He laughed and took out a map. He said "you can take the bus to Pittalongu, it's 8 km away." So I walked to Pittalongu, a quick 2-hour trek through the Sarinian wilderness (read: Industrial parks).
What I saw when I finally arrived was amazing. White sand, gelato everywhere, and a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean Sea. Before I could relax, though, I needed sunscreen. So I walked into town, bought 12 Euros worth of sunscreen and a giant bottle of San Pellegrino cocktail, and went back to the beach to relax. I quite enjoyed this opportunity to lie down and not worry about anything.
A few hours later, after getting a bit of colour (red), I took the bus to the hotel, showered, and took a nap. I went for dinner (pizza, what else?), watched a soccer game, and went to bed.
My final day in Italy I went to Isola della Maddalena, an island off the northeast coast of Sardegna. This took 1 1/2 hours by bus, followed by 25 minutes on a ferry. The island itself is unimpressive, the area around the port is built up, and looked no different from Olbia. What I discovered on the way back to Olbia that afternoon, however, is the town of Palau.
There is nothing overly remarkable about this seaside town, other than that it gives breathtaking views from small, private beaches, hidden among palm trees along the coast. I took some time to relax and write a few postcards before my bus back to Olbia.
Once I returned to my hotel, I grabbed my luggage and jumped in a taxi to catch my flight back to Florence. From Florence, I took a train to Salzburg. Thus ended the Italian portion of my trip. Next up: Osterreich
Of Mice and Manparts
Obvious Statue of David reference aside, Florence was a very interesting city. On arriving at Santa Maria Novella station, I made my way to our new accomodation, at a B&B not far from the station. I then walked my 22-kilogram luggage up 4 floors to my room.
The room consisted of 3 bunk beds, hostel-style. The food: Chinese all around, as the proprietors of the B&B were from *guess which country*. Not Italian, sure, but the price was right and the room made for a decent home base.
After dropping my things off, my friends and I headed to Pisa, to see a leaning tower, and to take pictures others just think are crooked. This is where Galileo Galilei observed stars, and possibly also invented defenestration. I don't remember exactly.
After Pisa, we returned to Florence to eat dinner. The details of most of what we did are foggy now, as I'm actually sitting in France, thinking about nothing other than the beach tomorrow, and going home on Tuesday. But I digress; I'll do my best to give some details.
On Day 2, we saw all of Florence. That is, 2 museums, including the Galleria dell'Accademia, where the statue of David is. We also saw Ponte Vecchio (old bridge lined with jewellery stores), Piazzale Michelangelo (with an awesome view of the city), and at least one other museum.
On Day 3, we separated. I went to Maranello, the home of Enzo Ferrari. Yes, that's the Ferrari. :D I spent the day seeing the museum, listening to the sounds of the nearby Formula1 test track, and shopping. Also, I rode in a Ferrari California. :D :D Highlight of the whole trip right there.
On the last day in Florence, Angela left for Venice, so I said my goodbyes and headed to the incredibly disappointing city of Siena. It is supposed to be gorgeous, with great views, but as I began to find out here (and this idea was reinforced in Austria), whenever there is a great view of mountains or a body of water, some moron puts a building or a fence or electrical wires in the way. I hate people.
After walking through Siena, I left, feeling annoyed that I spent a whole day walking around trying to find a view. To be fair, the old town was nice, and I ate really good pizza for lunch. Other than that, waste of time.
That night, I had my flight to the mystical and romantic island of Sardegna...
The room consisted of 3 bunk beds, hostel-style. The food: Chinese all around, as the proprietors of the B&B were from *guess which country*. Not Italian, sure, but the price was right and the room made for a decent home base.
After dropping my things off, my friends and I headed to Pisa, to see a leaning tower, and to take pictures others just think are crooked. This is where Galileo Galilei observed stars, and possibly also invented defenestration. I don't remember exactly.
After Pisa, we returned to Florence to eat dinner. The details of most of what we did are foggy now, as I'm actually sitting in France, thinking about nothing other than the beach tomorrow, and going home on Tuesday. But I digress; I'll do my best to give some details.
On Day 2, we saw all of Florence. That is, 2 museums, including the Galleria dell'Accademia, where the statue of David is. We also saw Ponte Vecchio (old bridge lined with jewellery stores), Piazzale Michelangelo (with an awesome view of the city), and at least one other museum.
On Day 3, we separated. I went to Maranello, the home of Enzo Ferrari. Yes, that's the Ferrari. :D I spent the day seeing the museum, listening to the sounds of the nearby Formula1 test track, and shopping. Also, I rode in a Ferrari California. :D :D Highlight of the whole trip right there.
On the last day in Florence, Angela left for Venice, so I said my goodbyes and headed to the incredibly disappointing city of Siena. It is supposed to be gorgeous, with great views, but as I began to find out here (and this idea was reinforced in Austria), whenever there is a great view of mountains or a body of water, some moron puts a building or a fence or electrical wires in the way. I hate people.
After walking through Siena, I left, feeling annoyed that I spent a whole day walking around trying to find a view. To be fair, the old town was nice, and I ate really good pizza for lunch. Other than that, waste of time.
That night, I had my flight to the mystical and romantic island of Sardegna...
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Roman Holiday
For those of you who like to read into the titles of my posts and figure out what they mean, this is not a reference to Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, or Gossip Girl.
I left Frosinone and arrived in Rome on the afternoon of June 9th. I looked around Roma Termini station for a while before finding Angela and our other travel companion. I must say at this point that the three of us make a pretty great team. Between us, we can speak 3 languages, and coordinate shower times and meal times with ease.
We went to find our hotel, Tirreno, which was not far from the station. It is a nice, 3-star hotel, with rooms, lobby, breakfast and wi-fi to match. It was a good home base for our daily excursions.
Among all the things we saw are the following: Piazza d'Espagna (the Spanish Embassy and Steps), the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Roman Fora, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Vatican (more on that in a second), Piazza Navona, and a hundred Gelateria, or "Gelateria" in English.
Let's focus on something important. The Vatican. Headquarters of the Catholic Church, home of Pope Benedict XVI, and what I believe has the highest tax-free revenue per capita in the world. Here is a place millions of people visit each year. Many of them are simple tourists, but there is a significant number of people who make the pilgrimage out of faith. For this effort, the Holy See sees fit to charge people to get in, then to see something inside, then again to leave. If you want to take in the entire Vatican experience, even as a student, you should expect to pay a minimum of 45 Euros, and that's if you wait in line and don't take a guided tour. This leads to an important issue: Should the Roman Catholic Church have to pay taxes?
My answer is simple: Yes, yes they should.
With 1 1/2 days of Roman siteseeing out of the way, I went to visit more family, in the city itself this time. Zia Franca and cousin Mario welcomed me much in the same way my family in Sora did, and I had a very pleasant evening discussing my studies, my family, politics, and other things in what I thought was my best effort at Italian thus far.
Bidding adieu to my great aunt and cousin, I went back to the hotel to meet up with Angela to figure out our plan for the next day. As it turns out, we went to Circo Massimo, a few museums, and then enjoyed some late-night gelato by the colosseum.
Saturday morning I packed my bags, enjoyed a nice breakfast in the hotel and headed off to Florence. I didn't stop there though... but that post will have to come later. Buona Notte from Firenze, hope you all have a good weekend.
I left Frosinone and arrived in Rome on the afternoon of June 9th. I looked around Roma Termini station for a while before finding Angela and our other travel companion. I must say at this point that the three of us make a pretty great team. Between us, we can speak 3 languages, and coordinate shower times and meal times with ease.
We went to find our hotel, Tirreno, which was not far from the station. It is a nice, 3-star hotel, with rooms, lobby, breakfast and wi-fi to match. It was a good home base for our daily excursions.
Among all the things we saw are the following: Piazza d'Espagna (the Spanish Embassy and Steps), the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Roman Fora, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Vatican (more on that in a second), Piazza Navona, and a hundred Gelateria, or "Gelateria" in English.
Let's focus on something important. The Vatican. Headquarters of the Catholic Church, home of Pope Benedict XVI, and what I believe has the highest tax-free revenue per capita in the world. Here is a place millions of people visit each year. Many of them are simple tourists, but there is a significant number of people who make the pilgrimage out of faith. For this effort, the Holy See sees fit to charge people to get in, then to see something inside, then again to leave. If you want to take in the entire Vatican experience, even as a student, you should expect to pay a minimum of 45 Euros, and that's if you wait in line and don't take a guided tour. This leads to an important issue: Should the Roman Catholic Church have to pay taxes?
My answer is simple: Yes, yes they should.
With 1 1/2 days of Roman siteseeing out of the way, I went to visit more family, in the city itself this time. Zia Franca and cousin Mario welcomed me much in the same way my family in Sora did, and I had a very pleasant evening discussing my studies, my family, politics, and other things in what I thought was my best effort at Italian thus far.
Bidding adieu to my great aunt and cousin, I went back to the hotel to meet up with Angela to figure out our plan for the next day. As it turns out, we went to Circo Massimo, a few museums, and then enjoyed some late-night gelato by the colosseum.
Saturday morning I packed my bags, enjoyed a nice breakfast in the hotel and headed off to Florence. I didn't stop there though... but that post will have to come later. Buona Notte from Firenze, hope you all have a good weekend.
No Sorrow in Sora
All Aboooard! The Night Train!
I took the 18h00 train from Paris to Roma, hoping that this would provide a change of pace from the last two days. Well, it did.
After passing through Dijon, Lausanne, Firenze, and a few other places, I got to Rome, some 15 hours after leaving Paris. Feeling gross, I left the train and got on another train (cause, you know, why not?) to get to Frosinone, where my Italian family lives.
22 hours of train in 25 hours' time. Holy. Shit.
Fatigued, exhausted, and otherwise tired, I zombie-walked onto the platform where Zio Tonino and his trademark triangle-shaped beard were waiting for me.
"Ciao, Etienne, tu hai fame?"
And I knew I was home.
I quickly responded "Si" and we headed to the car. Tonino instructed his wife to prepare something for me. When I arrived in Campo Boario, I somehow managed to remember everything from 10 years earlier. The house, the cars (yeah, they were the same cars), the people, just about everything in its place. I was walked into the kitchen where my Great Aunt Zia Concetta and Great Uncle Zio Loretto were waiting. It's amazing how the language barrier disappears when people 3 generations apart try to communicate.
After a "modest" lunch of goat meat, prosciutto, peas and carrots, bread, cheese, an apple and probably a few other things, cousins Sandro and Roberta came by, mostly to tell me that they'd see me later that day for dinner. When they left I decided it would be best to wash up and get my things settled in my room. Good decision.
As soon as I finished unpacking, Tonino said "come, we're getting a new car" (but in Italian). I accompanied him to a warehouse somewhere (my family seems to be well-connected in their community) and we got his new car. After that I don't really remember much, except that night we had our big dinner (by the time we got to 4th dessert I was feeling a little full) and I saw all my Italian family. Well, almost. One of my cousins couldn't make it, and my Zio Pietrino eats his dinner with a much bigger family now...
After family dinner numero uno, I went to bed. Where I stayed, until noon the next day.
June 8th wasn't much of a day for me. I woke up feeling great, before remembering I was supposed to get up 5 hours prior to go walking in the mountain with Tonino. Oh well.
Instead, He, Maria Grazia and I went for a walk through the old city, which would be nice if not for the graffiti covering literally everything. A real shame, but what can you do? (If you said "shoot the kids", what are you doing this summer? we should hang out)
After the walk, we made our way back home, to start preparing dinner (surprise, surprise). We ate a feast of porchetta and all the toppings that go with it. Also, it was Zio Lorenzo's wedding anniversary, so we had a cake. An extra one that is, bringing the night's total to 3.
Afterwards, picture time! Unfortunately, cousin Francesca was not feeling well, so she and her husband did not join us. I saw them the next morning before leaving. Speaking of which...
I was disappointed to have to leave my family, but very much looked forward to seeing Rome for the first time in 10 years (and without my parents this time). I boarded my train and waved goodbye to Zio Tonino, Maria Grazia and the little town of Sora.
I took the 18h00 train from Paris to Roma, hoping that this would provide a change of pace from the last two days. Well, it did.
After passing through Dijon, Lausanne, Firenze, and a few other places, I got to Rome, some 15 hours after leaving Paris. Feeling gross, I left the train and got on another train (cause, you know, why not?) to get to Frosinone, where my Italian family lives.
22 hours of train in 25 hours' time. Holy. Shit.
Fatigued, exhausted, and otherwise tired, I zombie-walked onto the platform where Zio Tonino and his trademark triangle-shaped beard were waiting for me.
"Ciao, Etienne, tu hai fame?"
And I knew I was home.
I quickly responded "Si" and we headed to the car. Tonino instructed his wife to prepare something for me. When I arrived in Campo Boario, I somehow managed to remember everything from 10 years earlier. The house, the cars (yeah, they were the same cars), the people, just about everything in its place. I was walked into the kitchen where my Great Aunt Zia Concetta and Great Uncle Zio Loretto were waiting. It's amazing how the language barrier disappears when people 3 generations apart try to communicate.
After a "modest" lunch of goat meat, prosciutto, peas and carrots, bread, cheese, an apple and probably a few other things, cousins Sandro and Roberta came by, mostly to tell me that they'd see me later that day for dinner. When they left I decided it would be best to wash up and get my things settled in my room. Good decision.
As soon as I finished unpacking, Tonino said "come, we're getting a new car" (but in Italian). I accompanied him to a warehouse somewhere (my family seems to be well-connected in their community) and we got his new car. After that I don't really remember much, except that night we had our big dinner (by the time we got to 4th dessert I was feeling a little full) and I saw all my Italian family. Well, almost. One of my cousins couldn't make it, and my Zio Pietrino eats his dinner with a much bigger family now...
After family dinner numero uno, I went to bed. Where I stayed, until noon the next day.
June 8th wasn't much of a day for me. I woke up feeling great, before remembering I was supposed to get up 5 hours prior to go walking in the mountain with Tonino. Oh well.
Instead, He, Maria Grazia and I went for a walk through the old city, which would be nice if not for the graffiti covering literally everything. A real shame, but what can you do? (If you said "shoot the kids", what are you doing this summer? we should hang out)
After the walk, we made our way back home, to start preparing dinner (surprise, surprise). We ate a feast of porchetta and all the toppings that go with it. Also, it was Zio Lorenzo's wedding anniversary, so we had a cake. An extra one that is, bringing the night's total to 3.
Afterwards, picture time! Unfortunately, cousin Francesca was not feeling well, so she and her husband did not join us. I saw them the next morning before leaving. Speaking of which...
I was disappointed to have to leave my family, but very much looked forward to seeing Rome for the first time in 10 years (and without my parents this time). I boarded my train and waved goodbye to Zio Tonino, Maria Grazia and the little town of Sora.
Blessent Mon Coeur d'une Langueur Monotone
For those of you who don't know the significance of that phrase, that's ok. Let's focus on the first three words: Blessent mon coeur. Literally translated, "hurt my heart".
After taking a nice walk through Caen, I organized a taxi for the next morning, then enjoyed a good night's rest. D-Day, I went out to Juno Beach, the site of the Canadian Troops' invasion of Normandy in June 1944. The beach is between 11 and 14 km from my hotel and took a while to reach. When I got there, I paid my 60-Euro one way taxi fare (breaking my heart? or breaking the bank?). Then I walked on the beach, taking pictures of the new Juno Beach Centre, as well as the beautiful Normandy coast.
Upon entering the JBC, I was greeted with a pleasant "that will be E 6.50, please". I reluctantly paid (read: overpaid) and thought about nothing other than paying (through the nose) tribute to those who fought for our freedom. Something like this would not normally make me so bitter... except that Vimy Ridge, which is far more impressive and has a much more professional feel to it, is completely free. The War Museum at Lebreton Flats, which I believe still costs $8, is the best way to spend $8 in that city. The Juno Beach Centre is, at best, a childish representation of what our men went through.
Oh, and did I mention that this year only, they held the ceremony in the afternoon, one hour before my train left Caen for Paris? Suffice it to say, I didn't make it to the ceremony, and I wasn't happy.
Feeling overwhelmingly underwhelmed, I took the taxi back to Caen, dropping another 60 Euros in the process. To be fair, this time the guy offered to stop at the hotel, grab my luggage, and bring me to the train station at no extra charge. I suppose some clouds do have an off-silver lining.
The conclusion: Waste of time and money. Seeing the beach again was nice, and walking along the shores of the Atlantic was somehow very calming, but if I had to do it all again, knowing what I know now, I'd skip Caen and go straight to Rome from Reims. I would save about 200 Euros if I did.
I won't let my minor inconvenience get in the way of posting some pictures though. Enjoy these pictures of Caen and Juno Beach. I will post about Rome shortly.
*Note*: My internet here won't let me upload pics, I'll put them up here and on Facebook when I can... Til then, text only.
After taking a nice walk through Caen, I organized a taxi for the next morning, then enjoyed a good night's rest. D-Day, I went out to Juno Beach, the site of the Canadian Troops' invasion of Normandy in June 1944. The beach is between 11 and 14 km from my hotel and took a while to reach. When I got there, I paid my 60-Euro one way taxi fare (breaking my heart? or breaking the bank?). Then I walked on the beach, taking pictures of the new Juno Beach Centre, as well as the beautiful Normandy coast.
Upon entering the JBC, I was greeted with a pleasant "that will be E 6.50, please". I reluctantly paid (read: overpaid) and thought about nothing other than paying (through the nose) tribute to those who fought for our freedom. Something like this would not normally make me so bitter... except that Vimy Ridge, which is far more impressive and has a much more professional feel to it, is completely free. The War Museum at Lebreton Flats, which I believe still costs $8, is the best way to spend $8 in that city. The Juno Beach Centre is, at best, a childish representation of what our men went through.
Oh, and did I mention that this year only, they held the ceremony in the afternoon, one hour before my train left Caen for Paris? Suffice it to say, I didn't make it to the ceremony, and I wasn't happy.
Feeling overwhelmingly underwhelmed, I took the taxi back to Caen, dropping another 60 Euros in the process. To be fair, this time the guy offered to stop at the hotel, grab my luggage, and bring me to the train station at no extra charge. I suppose some clouds do have an off-silver lining.
The conclusion: Waste of time and money. Seeing the beach again was nice, and walking along the shores of the Atlantic was somehow very calming, but if I had to do it all again, knowing what I know now, I'd skip Caen and go straight to Rome from Reims. I would save about 200 Euros if I did.
I won't let my minor inconvenience get in the way of posting some pictures though. Enjoy these pictures of Caen and Juno Beach. I will post about Rome shortly.
*Note*: My internet here won't let me upload pics, I'll put them up here and on Facebook when I can... Til then, text only.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Lest We Forget: The beginning of the end
Good Afternoon,
As I sit here in my hotel in the small town of Caen, Normandie, France, a few things come to mind:
Firstly, their free internet is better than mine.
Secondly, it is freaking hot out, and for some reason I wore long pants and brought a coat with me. Idiot.
Most importantly, however, are the few days ahead. I have embarked on the final journey of this 9 1/2 month adventure in Europe. Getting around on train/metro/metro/train through Paris was as much a pain as every other time. This hotel room is signifcantly smaller than my room in Reims. I have to leave the bathroom door open for anything that requires a sink or toilet to do. The town is fairly grey, but then again I've only seen the route between the train station and the hotel.
Tomorrow morning will be the D-Day ceremony at Juno Beach. I will then head to Rome that night to visit family and a few things I haven't yet seen in Italy. I am hoping this really lives up to my expectations, as this is literally the trip to end all trips for me. And what better way to remember this great time I've spent in France than by remembering those who gave us the freedom to enjoy it.
Their Name Liveth For Evermore.
I wish you all a good weekend.
As I sit here in my hotel in the small town of Caen, Normandie, France, a few things come to mind:
Firstly, their free internet is better than mine.
Secondly, it is freaking hot out, and for some reason I wore long pants and brought a coat with me. Idiot.
Most importantly, however, are the few days ahead. I have embarked on the final journey of this 9 1/2 month adventure in Europe. Getting around on train/metro/metro/train through Paris was as much a pain as every other time. This hotel room is signifcantly smaller than my room in Reims. I have to leave the bathroom door open for anything that requires a sink or toilet to do. The town is fairly grey, but then again I've only seen the route between the train station and the hotel.
Tomorrow morning will be the D-Day ceremony at Juno Beach. I will then head to Rome that night to visit family and a few things I haven't yet seen in Italy. I am hoping this really lives up to my expectations, as this is literally the trip to end all trips for me. And what better way to remember this great time I've spent in France than by remembering those who gave us the freedom to enjoy it.
Their Name Liveth For Evermore.
I wish you all a good weekend.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Boldly going where no 19-year-old has gone before...
Today is Sunday.
Yesterday was the annual end-of-year RMS Gala.
Suffice it to say that writing a blog post right now is extremely difficult.
I have only 3 days of class left, 1 essay to write, and then I am off to Caen to begin my last vacation before finally heading home on the 29th of June. The next 4 weeks will prove interesting, I am sure.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I mentioned this "Gala". Let's explore this further.
The RMS Gala is not unlike high school prom. The guys are all in suits, some with ties, and the girls are all dressed to impress (and believe me, many of them do). The main advantages that RMS has over your high school are a multi-million-Euro budget, and ties to the Champagne industry. The bars were serving Taittinger in a reception hall fit for aristocracy, right in the centre of Paris. There were red carpets, bouncers, buses, limos, a DJ, the whole nine yards.
The interesting thing about champagne is that it is designed to get into your system quickly. Another interesting point about galas is that many people drink beforehand. The official start time was 10 pm. I arrived by bus at 10:30. By 11:30, the 200-some people that were there were mostly drunk. By 12:30, there were at least 400 people in the hall, 75% of whom were well on their way to a severe hangover.
That said, the night was a lot of fun. Most people that were there were just acquaintances to me, but there were also many close friends (some practically family by now) that made this night wonderful.
I will actually be posting pictures this time. Credit goes to Laura, Steve and Veronica for the great pics. Also, I hear there is a YouTube video of me introducing the Gala before most people arrived. You guys might want to find that. (by the way, thanks for that, Veronica ;)
Hope you all have a good week. I will report back when class is officially over.
Yesterday was the annual end-of-year RMS Gala.
Suffice it to say that writing a blog post right now is extremely difficult.
I have only 3 days of class left, 1 essay to write, and then I am off to Caen to begin my last vacation before finally heading home on the 29th of June. The next 4 weeks will prove interesting, I am sure.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I mentioned this "Gala". Let's explore this further.
The RMS Gala is not unlike high school prom. The guys are all in suits, some with ties, and the girls are all dressed to impress (and believe me, many of them do). The main advantages that RMS has over your high school are a multi-million-Euro budget, and ties to the Champagne industry. The bars were serving Taittinger in a reception hall fit for aristocracy, right in the centre of Paris. There were red carpets, bouncers, buses, limos, a DJ, the whole nine yards.
The interesting thing about champagne is that it is designed to get into your system quickly. Another interesting point about galas is that many people drink beforehand. The official start time was 10 pm. I arrived by bus at 10:30. By 11:30, the 200-some people that were there were mostly drunk. By 12:30, there were at least 400 people in the hall, 75% of whom were well on their way to a severe hangover.
That said, the night was a lot of fun. Most people that were there were just acquaintances to me, but there were also many close friends (some practically family by now) that made this night wonderful.
I will actually be posting pictures this time. Credit goes to Laura, Steve and Veronica for the great pics. Also, I hear there is a YouTube video of me introducing the Gala before most people arrived. You guys might want to find that. (by the way, thanks for that, Veronica ;)
Hope you all have a good week. I will report back when class is officially over.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
6 days off in 7 - brought to you by Kempinski
Hey everyone,
After a near 2-week absence (again) I bring you good news!
I have finished Wine Marketing and Wine Management, and await the results of my hard work in setting up a winery in New Zealand.
I have now started my final class on Luxury Hotel Management, in partnership with Kempinski, one of Europe's luxury hotel groups. Cool!
Also, Laszlo is back! Much fun to be had in these last few weeks.
Most importantly though was my trip to England last weekend. It was AWESOME!
I got to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, London Bridge, Tower of London, The Monument, the London Eye, the Royal Albert Hall, and a bunch of other cool stuff. The coolest of these being Dad! Though he was working there, we did get the chance to share a few meals, a few beer, and go touring for a full Saturday. Also, the sun was shining the entire time, so that was good. All in all, a pretty great trip.
I've got class tomorrow but then a three-day weekend, no plans but I'm sure something will happen.
Hope you all the enjoy the last few days of the week!
After a near 2-week absence (again) I bring you good news!
I have finished Wine Marketing and Wine Management, and await the results of my hard work in setting up a winery in New Zealand.
I have now started my final class on Luxury Hotel Management, in partnership with Kempinski, one of Europe's luxury hotel groups. Cool!
Also, Laszlo is back! Much fun to be had in these last few weeks.
Most importantly though was my trip to England last weekend. It was AWESOME!
I got to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, London Bridge, Tower of London, The Monument, the London Eye, the Royal Albert Hall, and a bunch of other cool stuff. The coolest of these being Dad! Though he was working there, we did get the chance to share a few meals, a few beer, and go touring for a full Saturday. Also, the sun was shining the entire time, so that was good. All in all, a pretty great trip.
I've got class tomorrow but then a three-day weekend, no plans but I'm sure something will happen.
Hope you all the enjoy the last few days of the week!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
De Castelnau, Philipponnat, Deutz, Dom Pérignon, Bollinger
The 8th of May.
The day before Mother's Day.
A special holiday in France.
2 weeks since I last had something to report.
When you're studying wine during the week and sleeping / watching Gossip Girl on weekends, there really isn't much to say.
This last week has been somewhat interesting, with a visit to a champagne co-operative on Tuesday, a day with Stephen Charters on Wednesday, a Thursday morning I can't remember, a Thursday night I'll never forget, and skipping Menival's class Friday on account of Thursday night (and to do some homework, of course).
Actually, a special note on Thursday: since Sup de Co has Thursday afternoon off, there was a huge Barbecue from 11 to 4, put on by a school Sports Association. There was free food, free chocolate, cotton candy, games, music... basically people all gathered here and spent the day. That is average life here in Reims. The partying never stops. But I think you already knew that.
After the sports event, I went downtown to buy some Champagne. The last three in the post title. I've never left a store feeling so awesome before.
Last night was a fairly calm night out, where I managed to have one beer at Gin Pamp, listen to some awful live French indie rock / techno music, and sit at LBee until taking a bus home before midnight.
Of course, by the time I took the bus, all my energy was built up. So I finished season 2 of Gossip Girl and then stayed up on Skype until 5:30 am. Why not?
Now, I have a project to work on. I'm opening up a winery in New Zealand, and need to plan the planting / maintenance and harvest of the vines. It's pretty cool actually.
Hope you have a great weekend! I'm going to Parc Astérix tomorrow :D
Cheers.
The day before Mother's Day.
A special holiday in France.
2 weeks since I last had something to report.
When you're studying wine during the week and sleeping / watching Gossip Girl on weekends, there really isn't much to say.
This last week has been somewhat interesting, with a visit to a champagne co-operative on Tuesday, a day with Stephen Charters on Wednesday, a Thursday morning I can't remember, a Thursday night I'll never forget, and skipping Menival's class Friday on account of Thursday night (and to do some homework, of course).
Actually, a special note on Thursday: since Sup de Co has Thursday afternoon off, there was a huge Barbecue from 11 to 4, put on by a school Sports Association. There was free food, free chocolate, cotton candy, games, music... basically people all gathered here and spent the day. That is average life here in Reims. The partying never stops. But I think you already knew that.
After the sports event, I went downtown to buy some Champagne. The last three in the post title. I've never left a store feeling so awesome before.
Last night was a fairly calm night out, where I managed to have one beer at Gin Pamp, listen to some awful live French indie rock / techno music, and sit at LBee until taking a bus home before midnight.
Of course, by the time I took the bus, all my energy was built up. So I finished season 2 of Gossip Girl and then stayed up on Skype until 5:30 am. Why not?
Now, I have a project to work on. I'm opening up a winery in New Zealand, and need to plan the planting / maintenance and harvest of the vines. It's pretty cool actually.
Hope you have a great weekend! I'm going to Parc Astérix tomorrow :D
Cheers.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Gossip Guy a.k.a. Why do I listen to these people?
Spotted: The Sun. More than 8 days in a row now. I'm hoping it will stay as long as it did the first 3 weeks I was here.
These last two weeks have been uneventful at best, what with having 2 straight weeks of class (albeit an interesting one) and this new illness I've acquired (either from drinking too much or not drinking enough, it's hard to tell).
Wine Marketing came to a close yesterday with what may have been my favourite exam since starting university. Not too easy, not too hard or obscure, with lots of room for bullshit, but also room to use what we actually learned and to even learn more. Well done, Mr. Charters!
Luckily, I get to join him again for the next 3 weeks in Wine Management. It's not quite the same thing, except that my classmates will mostly be the same (save Marco and Freya, who will be replacing Benedicte, Sandro and Julius).
The main thing I will share with you today is that Bluesfest has an incredible lineup this year!
For Dad, The Musical Box. For Mom, Santana. For Frankie, Dream Theater / Iron Maiden on opening night. For Anastassia, the Gipsy Kings. For Robert, Great Big Sea (oh, wait...) For Nada, Matthew Good. For me, 7 concerts confirmed and some I haven't been able to choose between yet (the 7 include all of the above, minus Matthew Good but with Rush added in!). And yes, I got my full festival pass. Awesome!
I am now going to go to the park to enjoy the weather with my friends.
But who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell.
You know you love me.
XOXO!
(God I hate it when I listen to Laura and Freya...)
These last two weeks have been uneventful at best, what with having 2 straight weeks of class (albeit an interesting one) and this new illness I've acquired (either from drinking too much or not drinking enough, it's hard to tell).
Wine Marketing came to a close yesterday with what may have been my favourite exam since starting university. Not too easy, not too hard or obscure, with lots of room for bullshit, but also room to use what we actually learned and to even learn more. Well done, Mr. Charters!
Luckily, I get to join him again for the next 3 weeks in Wine Management. It's not quite the same thing, except that my classmates will mostly be the same (save Marco and Freya, who will be replacing Benedicte, Sandro and Julius).
The main thing I will share with you today is that Bluesfest has an incredible lineup this year!
For Dad, The Musical Box. For Mom, Santana. For Frankie, Dream Theater / Iron Maiden on opening night. For Anastassia, the Gipsy Kings. For Robert, Great Big Sea (oh, wait...) For Nada, Matthew Good. For me, 7 concerts confirmed and some I haven't been able to choose between yet (the 7 include all of the above, minus Matthew Good but with Rush added in!). And yes, I got my full festival pass. Awesome!
I am now going to go to the park to enjoy the weather with my friends.
But who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell.
You know you love me.
XOXO!
(God I hate it when I listen to Laura and Freya...)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Last of the Vacations
Good Afternoon,
I have come back from what will be my last week-long vacation until June. Though I greatly enjoyed my 10 days in the South and West of France, it's nice to come back to a routine.
A quick recap: March saw me travelling to Prague and Turkey, with a break in between to write an exam on Mergers and Acquisitions. Turkey was fantastic, and upon my return, I started Wine Marketing, the best class of the year. Including the Easter vacation, I've had 31 days of vacation over my last 42 days. Let's see you do that. :P
After 3 days of Wine Marketing, I packed my bags for my Easter trip to the South of France. I went to visit some friends I had not seen in 10 years. They have a beautiful home in Avignon, a gorgeous town between Lyon and Marseille. I spent 2 days there, hanging out with friends Christophe and Solenne, while I was reminded 3 times a day by their mother Lise of how great it was that I came to visit. Agreed :)
On the Sunday, 'Tophe, Lise and I left to go visit brother Yohann in St-Nazaire, near Nantes. What I did not know is that he has a seaside apartment, less than 10 metres from the beaches of La Baule. Are you kidding me?
First however, was the 9-hour drive. We took a scenic route through the region of Bordeaux, stopping at the fortified city of Carcassonne for coffee along the way. For those of you who will understand this, Carcassonne is like the Southern France version of Mont St-Michel. We arrived in St-Nazaire that night and ate dinner.
The weather for the 6 days that followed was nothing short of spectacular. Though the water wasn't warm enough for swimming, and the wind not strong enough for surfing, there was plenty of opportunity for long walks on the beach, sipping Pastis, cidre, champagne, or whatever else we had, and just relaxing. For this reason, I don't have a whole lot to say about the trip. I just relaxed.
And it was nice.
Now, I have 2 full weeks of class, followed by 3 more weeks of class, then off to London for 4 days with Dad!!! I probably won't have much to blog about, so I suggest you read about Freya's trip to Morocco.
Hope you all had a Happy Easter! Enjoy April showers, if you get them. If not, enjoy the good weather!
A toute!
I have come back from what will be my last week-long vacation until June. Though I greatly enjoyed my 10 days in the South and West of France, it's nice to come back to a routine.
A quick recap: March saw me travelling to Prague and Turkey, with a break in between to write an exam on Mergers and Acquisitions. Turkey was fantastic, and upon my return, I started Wine Marketing, the best class of the year. Including the Easter vacation, I've had 31 days of vacation over my last 42 days. Let's see you do that. :P
After 3 days of Wine Marketing, I packed my bags for my Easter trip to the South of France. I went to visit some friends I had not seen in 10 years. They have a beautiful home in Avignon, a gorgeous town between Lyon and Marseille. I spent 2 days there, hanging out with friends Christophe and Solenne, while I was reminded 3 times a day by their mother Lise of how great it was that I came to visit. Agreed :)
On the Sunday, 'Tophe, Lise and I left to go visit brother Yohann in St-Nazaire, near Nantes. What I did not know is that he has a seaside apartment, less than 10 metres from the beaches of La Baule. Are you kidding me?
First however, was the 9-hour drive. We took a scenic route through the region of Bordeaux, stopping at the fortified city of Carcassonne for coffee along the way. For those of you who will understand this, Carcassonne is like the Southern France version of Mont St-Michel. We arrived in St-Nazaire that night and ate dinner.
The weather for the 6 days that followed was nothing short of spectacular. Though the water wasn't warm enough for swimming, and the wind not strong enough for surfing, there was plenty of opportunity for long walks on the beach, sipping Pastis, cidre, champagne, or whatever else we had, and just relaxing. For this reason, I don't have a whole lot to say about the trip. I just relaxed.
And it was nice.
Now, I have 2 full weeks of class, followed by 3 more weeks of class, then off to London for 4 days with Dad!!! I probably won't have much to blog about, so I suggest you read about Freya's trip to Morocco.
Hope you all had a Happy Easter! Enjoy April showers, if you get them. If not, enjoy the good weather!
A toute!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Troy & the Trojans (the people, not the condoms) - Turkiye Days 5 & 6
After a night in the ghetto, I got up early to go on a tour of Canakkale and Troy.
We drove to a rural area outside of Eceabat to take a ferry and the more narrow part of the inlet (this inlet is better known as the Dardanelles). We crossed to the other side, arriving in the town of Canakkale, which is bigger and more touristy than Eceabat, but very nice nonetheless. We picked up some others for the tour and drove the 30-some kilometres to the Great Walled City of Bak*...er, Troy (I'll explain this at the end).
Upon arrival, we got out of the bus and went into a small pavilion which conveniently detailed the history of Troy, thus rendering our tour guide obsolete. Still though, Hassan (that's his real name) insisted that we follow him around the city.
While time has greatly worn down the walls and structures, as one might expect, it was still surprising to see the extent to which most of the city has completely vanished. The once Great Gate of Kie*...er, Troy is now no more impressive than any other stone archway. The various ruins lying around look like they were recently scattered there by the wind, with no explanation of where they actually came from.
When all was said and done, though, I still felt that I had just walked through one of history's most amazing sites. Knowing Alexander the Great, Achilles and Hector had once been there, among other important people (most notably Brad Pitt), made it all worth it.
After Troy, we drove back to Canakkale, where the tour guide told me I had 3 hours to kill before checkout time and the bus home. Fine. So I walked through the same neighbourhood by the waterfront about 5 times. On the 4th time, I saw a barber. I real barber. One that would give me a much-needed haircut and a shave. I went in.
Barbers in Turkey don't speak English, but that's ok. Much like Freya explained in her post on her trip to Poland, hand gestures, speaking more loudly and slowly, and just letting the guy do whatever he wants are effective ways of getting one's hair cut.
My now-favourite still-living Turk proceeded to cut some length of the back, while leaving my bangs intact. He then asked me to put my head in this little sink in front of me. I obliged. What followed was an interesting but amazing experience. For you see, rather than wash my hair before the cut, cutting away, then letting me leave, only to have hair fall all over the place, this guy washed my hair twice, ensuring no excessive shedding in the hours following my trip to the barber. He also, for some reason, washed my face, neck and ears, wrapped my whole head (face included) tightly in a towel (which leads me to wonder why any religion would have their men/women do this every day).
After the most vigourous drying ever, the guy got out his razor. Then he made this homemade shaving cream and painted my face with it for about 5 straight minutes. *slice* *slice* *slice* and my beard was gone. No ears, though, so I was happy. I looked in the mirror and realized that was the closest shave I'd ever gotten. Unimpressed with his work, the barber did it again. He then put a bomb...er, balm on my face, and told me he was finished. Quite pleased with the result, I went to pay. Not speaking English is difficult whn asking for money, and I was afraid that after the incredible job he'd done, I'd have to pay 20 or more Euros. So the guy figures out the total and says "thirteen". 13 Euros is quite good for this, so I take out the money and pay.
The guy says "no, 13 Lira". After insisting that he must be mistaken, and being reassured by all the other guys there that it was in fact 13 Lira, I took back 3 of the Euros. Effectively, the guy got a 7-lira tip, but I just got a 10-Euro haircut and shave. To put this into perspective, in Canada, with tip, I pay $18 for this (about 24 Lira or 12 Euros). In Reims, a haircut without a shave is 15 Euros. This reminds why I think France is a third-world country. Great service will make people want to pay more, so forget how much it inconveniences you, Pierre. Dumbass.
Anyway, after my trip to the barber, I took the ferry back to my hotel in Eceabat, checked out, watched some more Turkish TV, then bussed back to Istanbul, where I had to check in to a different hotel than originally planned, but nonetheless a very nice one.
The next morning I woke up, had breakfast, and drove 15 minutes (averaging about 120 kph with that same driver as when I arrived) to the airport. I went through security check #1, checked in for my flight, went through security again, got the my gate, and got on the plane. The flight was long and boring, and on arrival, I had to go through security again, seeing as I might have sneaked some plastic utensils into my bag from the flight. At Charles de Gaulle this last security check is easily handled, though, as I just flashed my "carte de séjour" and instead of an inquisition, I was greeted with "Bienvenue, Monsieur Martin". Merci, Pierre. (note: all barbers and security guards in France are named Pierre).
Thus concludes my entries on my trip to Turkey. All photos are up on Facebook, and I might even put some up here today or tomorrow. As promised, here is the explanation for my "Great [noun] of [place]*": Troy was among the original places to give itself "Great" status, after the Pyramids, of course. The Great Walled City of Baku, Azerbaijan, stole the "walled city" name, while The Great Gate of Kiev, Ukraine, took the "gate". Sarah Jessica Parker also stole one of Troy's trademarks, I'll let you figure out what that is. I'm sure there are many other examples, but I'm tired, and thus can't remember as much history/geography as I'd like.
Hope you enjoyed my story, and I hope you all one day get to see Turkey for yourselves.
Buona Pasqua to everyone! Have a pleasant long weekend!
We drove to a rural area outside of Eceabat to take a ferry and the more narrow part of the inlet (this inlet is better known as the Dardanelles). We crossed to the other side, arriving in the town of Canakkale, which is bigger and more touristy than Eceabat, but very nice nonetheless. We picked up some others for the tour and drove the 30-some kilometres to the Great Walled City of Bak*...er, Troy (I'll explain this at the end).
Upon arrival, we got out of the bus and went into a small pavilion which conveniently detailed the history of Troy, thus rendering our tour guide obsolete. Still though, Hassan (that's his real name) insisted that we follow him around the city.
While time has greatly worn down the walls and structures, as one might expect, it was still surprising to see the extent to which most of the city has completely vanished. The once Great Gate of Kie*...er, Troy is now no more impressive than any other stone archway. The various ruins lying around look like they were recently scattered there by the wind, with no explanation of where they actually came from.
When all was said and done, though, I still felt that I had just walked through one of history's most amazing sites. Knowing Alexander the Great, Achilles and Hector had once been there, among other important people (most notably Brad Pitt), made it all worth it.
After Troy, we drove back to Canakkale, where the tour guide told me I had 3 hours to kill before checkout time and the bus home. Fine. So I walked through the same neighbourhood by the waterfront about 5 times. On the 4th time, I saw a barber. I real barber. One that would give me a much-needed haircut and a shave. I went in.
Barbers in Turkey don't speak English, but that's ok. Much like Freya explained in her post on her trip to Poland, hand gestures, speaking more loudly and slowly, and just letting the guy do whatever he wants are effective ways of getting one's hair cut.
My now-favourite still-living Turk proceeded to cut some length of the back, while leaving my bangs intact. He then asked me to put my head in this little sink in front of me. I obliged. What followed was an interesting but amazing experience. For you see, rather than wash my hair before the cut, cutting away, then letting me leave, only to have hair fall all over the place, this guy washed my hair twice, ensuring no excessive shedding in the hours following my trip to the barber. He also, for some reason, washed my face, neck and ears, wrapped my whole head (face included) tightly in a towel (which leads me to wonder why any religion would have their men/women do this every day).
After the most vigourous drying ever, the guy got out his razor. Then he made this homemade shaving cream and painted my face with it for about 5 straight minutes. *slice* *slice* *slice* and my beard was gone. No ears, though, so I was happy. I looked in the mirror and realized that was the closest shave I'd ever gotten. Unimpressed with his work, the barber did it again. He then put a bomb...er, balm on my face, and told me he was finished. Quite pleased with the result, I went to pay. Not speaking English is difficult whn asking for money, and I was afraid that after the incredible job he'd done, I'd have to pay 20 or more Euros. So the guy figures out the total and says "thirteen". 13 Euros is quite good for this, so I take out the money and pay.
The guy says "no, 13 Lira". After insisting that he must be mistaken, and being reassured by all the other guys there that it was in fact 13 Lira, I took back 3 of the Euros. Effectively, the guy got a 7-lira tip, but I just got a 10-Euro haircut and shave. To put this into perspective, in Canada, with tip, I pay $18 for this (about 24 Lira or 12 Euros). In Reims, a haircut without a shave is 15 Euros. This reminds why I think France is a third-world country. Great service will make people want to pay more, so forget how much it inconveniences you, Pierre. Dumbass.
Anyway, after my trip to the barber, I took the ferry back to my hotel in Eceabat, checked out, watched some more Turkish TV, then bussed back to Istanbul, where I had to check in to a different hotel than originally planned, but nonetheless a very nice one.
The next morning I woke up, had breakfast, and drove 15 minutes (averaging about 120 kph with that same driver as when I arrived) to the airport. I went through security check #1, checked in for my flight, went through security again, got the my gate, and got on the plane. The flight was long and boring, and on arrival, I had to go through security again, seeing as I might have sneaked some plastic utensils into my bag from the flight. At Charles de Gaulle this last security check is easily handled, though, as I just flashed my "carte de séjour" and instead of an inquisition, I was greeted with "Bienvenue, Monsieur Martin". Merci, Pierre. (note: all barbers and security guards in France are named Pierre).
Thus concludes my entries on my trip to Turkey. All photos are up on Facebook, and I might even put some up here today or tomorrow. As promised, here is the explanation for my "Great [noun] of [place]*": Troy was among the original places to give itself "Great" status, after the Pyramids, of course. The Great Walled City of Baku, Azerbaijan, stole the "walled city" name, while The Great Gate of Kiev, Ukraine, took the "gate". Sarah Jessica Parker also stole one of Troy's trademarks, I'll let you figure out what that is. I'm sure there are many other examples, but I'm tired, and thus can't remember as much history/geography as I'd like.
Hope you enjoyed my story, and I hope you all one day get to see Turkey for yourselves.
Buona Pasqua to everyone! Have a pleasant long weekend!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
From Suleiman to Simpson - Turkiye Days 3 & 4
Thursday was the day for my walking tour of Istanbul. I joined up with my group, which was made up of mostly Germans (Note: Germans are much better tourists than Americans). We walked in the square where the Hippodrome (coliseum) used to be, saw the Blue Mosque from the inside (quite impressive), and visited the Haghia Sophia (now a museum). I feel I can't go into much detail about these things, as the pictures I will eventually upload will do a much better job than I ever could.
We went to have lunch at the same restaurant as the day before, and then went off to see Topkapi palace, a Versailles-like structure with great gardens and a very interesting story. Unfortunately it's been a while and I don't remember it. Anyway, after the palace, we went to see a rug presentation by a local company, before finishing off the day at the Grand Bazaar. I swear the tours are centred around getting me to spend all my money in Turkey rather than somewhere else (and it f***ing worked, too).
After my last night in the beautiful Rast Hotel, I was picked up by my new driver, who may have been crazier than the first guy. I set off to visit the West coast of Turkey, driving to Eceabat, a small ghost town which was once a fishing village. I decided at this point that Portugal, coastal Turkey, and most of Newfoundland are exactly the same place. None of the non-capital cities actually have people living in them, the boats are all wrecked or unused, and no one in any of these places speaks comprehensible English.
After this epiphany, I got in the tour van to visit the Gallipoli sites. For those of you who don't know, April 25th is ANZAC day, celebrating the tremendous contribution of Australian and New Zealand forces to the Allied push for control of Turkey. This year will mark the 95th anniversary. Seeing as this is primarily an Australian event, I was not surprised to meet a great number of Australians this day as well as the next.
Our tour took us to ANZAC Cove, where the forces first landed. We also saw many of the CWGC-maintained cemeteries, and the memorials for each the Australian, New Zealand, and Turkish forces who fought over the year the Allies attempted to gain control of Southwestern Turkey. All day, the weather allowed for amazing views of the Cove, as well as the legendary Sphinx rock formation. This was a great learning experience and a much-appreciated tour between historical periods.
That night, with a hotel reservation in Canakkale, a nearby tourist-oriented town, I was informed that I was instead to stay in Eceabat (that ghetto I referred to earlier). Disappointed, but with no real choice, I unpacked in my new (and still under construction) room. I found a place for dinner, ate, watched some Turkish TV, switching to the US Army "Pentagon" propaganda channel whenever one of the locals sat on the couch with me. Surprisingly effective for emptying a room of Turks. That was my payback for the reservation change.
Apparently this spite didn't last too long as I slept quite well in my room that night, eagerly awaiting the last two days of my trip.
We went to have lunch at the same restaurant as the day before, and then went off to see Topkapi palace, a Versailles-like structure with great gardens and a very interesting story. Unfortunately it's been a while and I don't remember it. Anyway, after the palace, we went to see a rug presentation by a local company, before finishing off the day at the Grand Bazaar. I swear the tours are centred around getting me to spend all my money in Turkey rather than somewhere else (and it f***ing worked, too).
After my last night in the beautiful Rast Hotel, I was picked up by my new driver, who may have been crazier than the first guy. I set off to visit the West coast of Turkey, driving to Eceabat, a small ghost town which was once a fishing village. I decided at this point that Portugal, coastal Turkey, and most of Newfoundland are exactly the same place. None of the non-capital cities actually have people living in them, the boats are all wrecked or unused, and no one in any of these places speaks comprehensible English.
After this epiphany, I got in the tour van to visit the Gallipoli sites. For those of you who don't know, April 25th is ANZAC day, celebrating the tremendous contribution of Australian and New Zealand forces to the Allied push for control of Turkey. This year will mark the 95th anniversary. Seeing as this is primarily an Australian event, I was not surprised to meet a great number of Australians this day as well as the next.
Our tour took us to ANZAC Cove, where the forces first landed. We also saw many of the CWGC-maintained cemeteries, and the memorials for each the Australian, New Zealand, and Turkish forces who fought over the year the Allies attempted to gain control of Southwestern Turkey. All day, the weather allowed for amazing views of the Cove, as well as the legendary Sphinx rock formation. This was a great learning experience and a much-appreciated tour between historical periods.
That night, with a hotel reservation in Canakkale, a nearby tourist-oriented town, I was informed that I was instead to stay in Eceabat (that ghetto I referred to earlier). Disappointed, but with no real choice, I unpacked in my new (and still under construction) room. I found a place for dinner, ate, watched some Turkish TV, switching to the US Army "Pentagon" propaganda channel whenever one of the locals sat on the couch with me. Surprisingly effective for emptying a room of Turks. That was my payback for the reservation change.
Apparently this spite didn't last too long as I slept quite well in my room that night, eagerly awaiting the last two days of my trip.
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Trip of a Lifetime - Turkiye Days 1 & 2
Dear Readers,
I returned last night from my recent trip to Turkey. It was the experience of a lifetime, truly not something to be missed. To walk in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Suleiman the Magnificent, Caliph Abu Bekr, and see more or less what they saw... unbelievable!
I have decided that I will post about my trip in 2-day intervals. I will begin of course with my arrival on Tuesday the 23rd.
The flight from Paris to Istanbul was an unexciting 3h05m trek, complete with an Air France lunch and a lack of anything interesting. I was picked up at the airport by my private driver. I could go on about this guy alone for a few paragraphs, but I will summarize my ride to my hotel this way: no matter if the speed limit was 30, 50, 70 or 100, this guy went 110. He also created lanes for himself whenever necessary. I loved Istanbul already.
Upon arriving at my 4-star hotel, I checked in and logged on to inform certain key people that I'd arrived safely. I then set out to walk the streets of Istanbul. This city is truly a great outdoor museum, and the people there are among the most patriotic I've seen.
I was hungry so I went to find dinner. I found it by following my usual instinct: follow the music. There was live music at one place, and in the window, 3 women dressed in traditional Ottoman robes were making Turkish crêpes. Needless to say, I went in.
Turkish service is interesting; if there are 4 waiters working, all 4 will attend to the person that needs their help at a given time. If someone walks in, they all greet them, leaving all the other customers alone. And yet, the Turks pride themselves on quick service. No sooner had I ordered my first 2 crêpes than my waiter showed up with 2 crêpes. They were absolutely wonderful. I then ordered some meat, and followed it with a dessert. All the while, the band was playing traditional Turkish music. First dining experience: exceptional!
I then walked back to my hotel, relaxed and went to bed.
The next morning, I was supposed to have a walking tour of Istanbul. Supposed to. Turns out the company switched my day 2 with my day 3. So instead, I went on a boat cruise of the Bosphorus river. It was quite cold and cloudy, so it was the least suitable day of the week for a boat cruise. That said, the cruise was nice, and I got to see the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
After the cruise, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant, and then headed to Dolmabahçe palace, a very fancy Ottoman structure, similar to Versailles, but with a view on the Bosphorus.
Following this tour, I went back to my hotel, dropped off my things, and went off to find another dinner. Somehow, following the same aural instinct, I ended up at the other side of town in a small Döner shop blairing club music. The man standing outside yelling at potential customers told me I just had to try their Iksender dish, basically a Döner drenched in tomato sauce. De-friggin-licious.
I then went back to my hotel for some sleep. Maybe I'd have a walking tour the next morning!
That covers the first two days. Stay tuned for days 3 through 6!
Advance warning: Pictures will be slow this time, as there are over 300 of them, and Facebook (as well as Blogger) want me to upload 5 at a time. *sigh*
Hope you all have a good evening!
I returned last night from my recent trip to Turkey. It was the experience of a lifetime, truly not something to be missed. To walk in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Suleiman the Magnificent, Caliph Abu Bekr, and see more or less what they saw... unbelievable!
I have decided that I will post about my trip in 2-day intervals. I will begin of course with my arrival on Tuesday the 23rd.
The flight from Paris to Istanbul was an unexciting 3h05m trek, complete with an Air France lunch and a lack of anything interesting. I was picked up at the airport by my private driver. I could go on about this guy alone for a few paragraphs, but I will summarize my ride to my hotel this way: no matter if the speed limit was 30, 50, 70 or 100, this guy went 110. He also created lanes for himself whenever necessary. I loved Istanbul already.
Upon arriving at my 4-star hotel, I checked in and logged on to inform certain key people that I'd arrived safely. I then set out to walk the streets of Istanbul. This city is truly a great outdoor museum, and the people there are among the most patriotic I've seen.
I was hungry so I went to find dinner. I found it by following my usual instinct: follow the music. There was live music at one place, and in the window, 3 women dressed in traditional Ottoman robes were making Turkish crêpes. Needless to say, I went in.
Turkish service is interesting; if there are 4 waiters working, all 4 will attend to the person that needs their help at a given time. If someone walks in, they all greet them, leaving all the other customers alone. And yet, the Turks pride themselves on quick service. No sooner had I ordered my first 2 crêpes than my waiter showed up with 2 crêpes. They were absolutely wonderful. I then ordered some meat, and followed it with a dessert. All the while, the band was playing traditional Turkish music. First dining experience: exceptional!
I then walked back to my hotel, relaxed and went to bed.
The next morning, I was supposed to have a walking tour of Istanbul. Supposed to. Turns out the company switched my day 2 with my day 3. So instead, I went on a boat cruise of the Bosphorus river. It was quite cold and cloudy, so it was the least suitable day of the week for a boat cruise. That said, the cruise was nice, and I got to see the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
After the cruise, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant, and then headed to Dolmabahçe palace, a very fancy Ottoman structure, similar to Versailles, but with a view on the Bosphorus.
Following this tour, I went back to my hotel, dropped off my things, and went off to find another dinner. Somehow, following the same aural instinct, I ended up at the other side of town in a small Döner shop blairing club music. The man standing outside yelling at potential customers told me I just had to try their Iksender dish, basically a Döner drenched in tomato sauce. De-friggin-licious.
I then went back to my hotel for some sleep. Maybe I'd have a walking tour the next morning!
That covers the first two days. Stay tuned for days 3 through 6!
Advance warning: Pictures will be slow this time, as there are over 300 of them, and Facebook (as well as Blogger) want me to upload 5 at a time. *sigh*
Hope you all have a good evening!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Peter Gabriel in Concert - A review in two parts
Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am currenly in Istanbul, but the purpose of this post is to enlighten you on the events of Monday evening. I will post about Turkey later (and I have 210 picutres in 2 1/2 days here, so there will be a lot to blog about, don't worry). For now, I will focus on the Peter Gabriel concert.
Part 1 - Pre-concert and concert
In the hours leading up to the concert, I had nothing to really do. I thought I'd explore this new part of Paris I have not seen (or at least I think I haven't...) This included the Palais Omnisports de Bercy, the shopping centre at Châtelet - Les Halles, and the surrounding area. This part of Paris is not so much a tourist area, and in fact includes a very nice park, Yitzak Rabin park, for people to stroll through. I also saw the cinémathèque and a few other things before waiting in front of the Palais Omnisports for the concert to begin.
Once inside, I found my seat, then wandered around a bit. There were the usual people selling the usual snacks and souvenirs, so I went back to my seat and took a few pictures of the empty arena. 5 minutes before showtime, the arena was full. White people had come from all over France and England to take in this concert. Around 10,000 in all, many of whom I found out had not heard any of Gabriel's music since the 80's, and were all waiting for Games Without Frontiers.
They would be very disappointed. Right at showtime, Mr. Gabriel himself came on stage (his stage presence has vanished, along with his voice, as he has gotten older) to introduce a young singer who was talented, but stylistically just a more annoying version of Feist. After only 3 songs, she left, and the lights came back on. For a good 15 minutes.
As the stragglers found their seats, Mr. Gabriel came back, and the curtain lifted, revealing the orchestra. Epic! As they started into "Sledgehammer", the only thought on my mind was "this is going to be awesome!" However, about 10 seconds in, Gabriel stops the band, saying "no, we're not actually going to play that. I'd like to focus on my new CD, then play some classics after the entr'acte." Cue sigh of disappointment from 10,000 people.
The "new CD" is actually quite good, with a few tributes (notably Neil Young's "Philadelphia") and a few of his own songs. The orchestra made for a very pleasant listening experience, and the visuals were not too far short of what I expected from Gabriel. At half time, the curtain fell, and we got a nice 20-minute break.
After the break, Gabriel came back with most of the good songs from 1990 - 2003, including "Digging in the Dirt", "Solsbury Hill", and a load of other classics. Conspicuously absent were the aforementioned "Games Without Frontiers" and "Sledgehammer", which pretty much sucked, but again the experience was good. During the encore, for no apparent reason, Youssou N'Dour came out to help Gabriel sing something or other, and the concert ended with an instrumental (again for no reason).
With mild frustration taking over, I left the Palais Omnisports to catch the last RER to Charles de Gaulle. It was 11:15 pm. Here's where things got interesting.
Part 2 - After the concert a.k.a. Why Paris takes it up the *ss from most European cities I've been to
Warning: this section may contain explicit language. You've been warned. **Frankie, don't read this part**
The RER running between 11 pm and 1 am has been indefinitely cancelled due to a "modernisation" of the line.
What the fuck?! So no one can get to the airport after 11 pm unless they pay for a taxi?
There was no warning, there were no indications of what to do. Annoyed, I paced around Les Halles station looking for clues. There was one: the announcer said "The RER has been cancelled. Fuck You." No, what he actually said was "The RER will not serve Charles de Gaulle until May 2012. Please take a bus from this station." Easy enough, but there are no buses at Les Halles. So I went to Gare du Nord, one metro stop away. This was at 11:40. Once I reached Gare du Nord, the same announcement was made about the RER, except this time, there are actually buses. The buses start running at 1 am, however, and I recall saying "Fuck that shit" out load, to the enjoyment of French people nearby.
I went and asked some bus drivers what I should do. Their answer was to go to Gare de l'Est instead, where the buses run more frequently. So I went. It was midnight.
Gare de l'Est's buses run starting at 12:55 am. Moderately irate, I went back to Gare du Nord to listen to the announcement again, just for fun. I found out at this point that the RER still ran, just stopped halfway to the airport. Then, all became clear. This station didn't mean Gare du Nord. This station meant the one at the end of the RER line. With new hope, I got on the RER to Aulnay-sous-bois or whatever the hell it's called.
It worked! There were buses. Minor problem: my hotel is a 15-minute bus ride from the airport. Airport shuttles stop running at 12:10. I got to Charles de Gaulle at 1 am. Fuck.
So with no choice whatsoever, I took a taxi. As it turns out, my taxi driver knew his way around Roissy about as much as I did (if not less). 45 minutes later, I got to my hotel. Abdul (or whatever) decided that his incompetence should not cost me money, and only charged me half the fare, around 15% more than I figure it would have cost for a guy who knew what he was doing. Out 25 Euro, and tired as hell (it was almost 2 am after all), I went to bed. Then I woke up at 6 cause I had a flight to catch. A flight... to Istanbul!
In conclusion, I feel that this negative experience really affected my enjoyment of the concert. My review of Peter Gabriel would have been more enthusiastic and musically intelligent had the RER been running. This experience only contributes to my disdain for Paris and cities like it (I'm looking at you, Ottawa), and further increases my retroactive enjoyment of Madrid, Granada and Prague.
As I mentioned, I will be posting about Istanbul and the rest of my Turkey trip upon my return to Reims. Pictures will be provided at that time.
Ok, well, maybe a few of Peter Gabriel...
I am currenly in Istanbul, but the purpose of this post is to enlighten you on the events of Monday evening. I will post about Turkey later (and I have 210 picutres in 2 1/2 days here, so there will be a lot to blog about, don't worry). For now, I will focus on the Peter Gabriel concert.
Part 1 - Pre-concert and concert
In the hours leading up to the concert, I had nothing to really do. I thought I'd explore this new part of Paris I have not seen (or at least I think I haven't...) This included the Palais Omnisports de Bercy, the shopping centre at Châtelet - Les Halles, and the surrounding area. This part of Paris is not so much a tourist area, and in fact includes a very nice park, Yitzak Rabin park, for people to stroll through. I also saw the cinémathèque and a few other things before waiting in front of the Palais Omnisports for the concert to begin.
Once inside, I found my seat, then wandered around a bit. There were the usual people selling the usual snacks and souvenirs, so I went back to my seat and took a few pictures of the empty arena. 5 minutes before showtime, the arena was full. White people had come from all over France and England to take in this concert. Around 10,000 in all, many of whom I found out had not heard any of Gabriel's music since the 80's, and were all waiting for Games Without Frontiers.
They would be very disappointed. Right at showtime, Mr. Gabriel himself came on stage (his stage presence has vanished, along with his voice, as he has gotten older) to introduce a young singer who was talented, but stylistically just a more annoying version of Feist. After only 3 songs, she left, and the lights came back on. For a good 15 minutes.
As the stragglers found their seats, Mr. Gabriel came back, and the curtain lifted, revealing the orchestra. Epic! As they started into "Sledgehammer", the only thought on my mind was "this is going to be awesome!" However, about 10 seconds in, Gabriel stops the band, saying "no, we're not actually going to play that. I'd like to focus on my new CD, then play some classics after the entr'acte." Cue sigh of disappointment from 10,000 people.
The "new CD" is actually quite good, with a few tributes (notably Neil Young's "Philadelphia") and a few of his own songs. The orchestra made for a very pleasant listening experience, and the visuals were not too far short of what I expected from Gabriel. At half time, the curtain fell, and we got a nice 20-minute break.
After the break, Gabriel came back with most of the good songs from 1990 - 2003, including "Digging in the Dirt", "Solsbury Hill", and a load of other classics. Conspicuously absent were the aforementioned "Games Without Frontiers" and "Sledgehammer", which pretty much sucked, but again the experience was good. During the encore, for no apparent reason, Youssou N'Dour came out to help Gabriel sing something or other, and the concert ended with an instrumental (again for no reason).
With mild frustration taking over, I left the Palais Omnisports to catch the last RER to Charles de Gaulle. It was 11:15 pm. Here's where things got interesting.
Part 2 - After the concert a.k.a. Why Paris takes it up the *ss from most European cities I've been to
Warning: this section may contain explicit language. You've been warned. **Frankie, don't read this part**
The RER running between 11 pm and 1 am has been indefinitely cancelled due to a "modernisation" of the line.
What the fuck?! So no one can get to the airport after 11 pm unless they pay for a taxi?
There was no warning, there were no indications of what to do. Annoyed, I paced around Les Halles station looking for clues. There was one: the announcer said "The RER has been cancelled. Fuck You." No, what he actually said was "The RER will not serve Charles de Gaulle until May 2012. Please take a bus from this station." Easy enough, but there are no buses at Les Halles. So I went to Gare du Nord, one metro stop away. This was at 11:40. Once I reached Gare du Nord, the same announcement was made about the RER, except this time, there are actually buses. The buses start running at 1 am, however, and I recall saying "Fuck that shit" out load, to the enjoyment of French people nearby.
I went and asked some bus drivers what I should do. Their answer was to go to Gare de l'Est instead, where the buses run more frequently. So I went. It was midnight.
Gare de l'Est's buses run starting at 12:55 am. Moderately irate, I went back to Gare du Nord to listen to the announcement again, just for fun. I found out at this point that the RER still ran, just stopped halfway to the airport. Then, all became clear. This station didn't mean Gare du Nord. This station meant the one at the end of the RER line. With new hope, I got on the RER to Aulnay-sous-bois or whatever the hell it's called.
It worked! There were buses. Minor problem: my hotel is a 15-minute bus ride from the airport. Airport shuttles stop running at 12:10. I got to Charles de Gaulle at 1 am. Fuck.
So with no choice whatsoever, I took a taxi. As it turns out, my taxi driver knew his way around Roissy about as much as I did (if not less). 45 minutes later, I got to my hotel. Abdul (or whatever) decided that his incompetence should not cost me money, and only charged me half the fare, around 15% more than I figure it would have cost for a guy who knew what he was doing. Out 25 Euro, and tired as hell (it was almost 2 am after all), I went to bed. Then I woke up at 6 cause I had a flight to catch. A flight... to Istanbul!
In conclusion, I feel that this negative experience really affected my enjoyment of the concert. My review of Peter Gabriel would have been more enthusiastic and musically intelligent had the RER been running. This experience only contributes to my disdain for Paris and cities like it (I'm looking at you, Ottawa), and further increases my retroactive enjoyment of Madrid, Granada and Prague.
As I mentioned, I will be posting about Istanbul and the rest of my Turkey trip upon my return to Reims. Pictures will be provided at that time.
Ok, well, maybe a few of Peter Gabriel...
Monday, March 22, 2010
Why didn't we stay here the first time?
Good Morning.
I am sitting in my hotel room near Roissy Charles de Gaulle, paying an unfathomable hourly rate to use the Internet. This will perhaps be the most expensive post of this entire year. On a related note, Comfort Hotel's "WiFi Access" is bollocks.
But enough about that.
I have just ended a hugely successful and highly enjoyable weekend with my friends in Voisins-le-Bretonneux. Arriving Saturday evening, I met with my best friend Jérôme for a nice, relaxing evening of catching up. Apparently not much catching up to do, as it was just like old times. Unsurprisingly, he hasn't changed much, and apparently, apart from my height and hair, neither have I. We haven't skipped a beat.
Saturday night he brought me and my excessive luggage to his apartment, showed me the room where I'd be staying, and reminded his parents that I'm actually that little short kid he used to hang out with. After helping his father get his lower jaw off the floor, we continued with the re-introductions, seeing his mother, who has changed as little as father and son, and of course, Amélie, the sister, who is an entirely different story. But let's move on.
Jérôme and I went out for dinner to a local restaurant (read: McDonald's) where we were joined by our friend Benoit, with whom I used to play Pokémon. After McD's, we went back to Jérôme's place for a bit of Xbox while waiting for a 4th man to go play pool. The billiard hall in Montigny is quite modern, and fulfills several purposes quite efficiently. Not only is there a large billiard hall, but also a bar, a dance floor with a DJ, and a sitting area with huge flat-screen TV. I mean, I guess when you have about 50,000 people to draw from in a huge area, you have to provide all the entertainment. Anyway, pool was fun (I lost 1 of 6 matches and somehow managed to learn the rules of Snooker while not playing Snooker) and on a very positive note, I said goodbye to Benoit and Cédric for the night.
Sunday was sleep-in day. Unfortunately, the Luquain household considers 11 am "sleeping in". I reminded them that I went to bed at 9 am after a party once, to the laughter of Jérôme and his parents, and a look of envy from Amélie (gotta get out of Voisins for the real party I guess). Not so unfortunately, breakfast and lunch followed each other very closely, and I was able to eat brioche and drink hot chocolate for the first time in a week or so, and then follow it up with some roast duck, a very good dish which I could not identify (I believe there was corn meal, cheese, zucchini and tomato involved), and a nice Currant wine.
That afternoon, Jérôme had to go vote, so he went to pick up his girlfriend Céline while I tried my hand at Prototype for the 360 (note: Frankie, you would like this game). With Céline and Benoit back at the apartment, we all walked to my old elementary school where the nearest polling stating was set up (I will post some pictures after my Turkey trip). After this, Benoit went home for dinner, and I went back to the apartment for some homemade crêpes (Amélie can cook - Frankie: take notes :P ), filled with either ham/emmenthal, or smoked salmon/asparagus/cream sauce. They were delicious! The dessert was, well, the unused crêpes, which I filed with jam. Yum!
After dinner, we picked up Benoit again and we all went to the local behemoth cinema (read: half the size of AMC Kanata) to take in a somewhat-romantic somewhat-comedy (which was, in fact, the best movie with seats still available) called "Pièce Montée". I hadn't seen a French film since the depressing Mélanie Laurent movie I watched a few weeks back, so I guess this was a nice treat. Of course, seeing as it was Sunday, we all had to get home early so some people could get to class this morning.
I woke up at 6:30 today, having slept little, but having greatly enjoyed my weekend. I bid farewell to Jérôme's father (his mom was sleeping and his sister ran out of the apartment while I was packing) and left to take the train at St-Quentin, direction Paris Montparnasse. At this point, I said goodbye to my friend, suggesting he come visit in Reims so he can see how 20-some-year-old business students party (I'm thinking WallStreet). I then took the metro to the RER station which brought me to the airport so I could take a bus to get to my hotel. I have to go back and redo all that when I eventually decide to go sightseeing, before heading to my concert tonight! Reminder: Peter Gabriel in Paris! It's going to be awesome!
Then, tomorrow, off to Istanbul, for what just might be the most amazing shopping spree, er, I mean, vacation, so far this year (I brought the big suitcase, I think I might just try to fill it).
Hope you all have a great week. I'll be back in Reims Sunday night so hopefully I'll post something then. If not, I will probably do so Monday night, after my first "Wine Marketing" class.
Cheers!
I am sitting in my hotel room near Roissy Charles de Gaulle, paying an unfathomable hourly rate to use the Internet. This will perhaps be the most expensive post of this entire year. On a related note, Comfort Hotel's "WiFi Access" is bollocks.
But enough about that.
I have just ended a hugely successful and highly enjoyable weekend with my friends in Voisins-le-Bretonneux. Arriving Saturday evening, I met with my best friend Jérôme for a nice, relaxing evening of catching up. Apparently not much catching up to do, as it was just like old times. Unsurprisingly, he hasn't changed much, and apparently, apart from my height and hair, neither have I. We haven't skipped a beat.
Saturday night he brought me and my excessive luggage to his apartment, showed me the room where I'd be staying, and reminded his parents that I'm actually that little short kid he used to hang out with. After helping his father get his lower jaw off the floor, we continued with the re-introductions, seeing his mother, who has changed as little as father and son, and of course, Amélie, the sister, who is an entirely different story. But let's move on.
Jérôme and I went out for dinner to a local restaurant (read: McDonald's) where we were joined by our friend Benoit, with whom I used to play Pokémon. After McD's, we went back to Jérôme's place for a bit of Xbox while waiting for a 4th man to go play pool. The billiard hall in Montigny is quite modern, and fulfills several purposes quite efficiently. Not only is there a large billiard hall, but also a bar, a dance floor with a DJ, and a sitting area with huge flat-screen TV. I mean, I guess when you have about 50,000 people to draw from in a huge area, you have to provide all the entertainment. Anyway, pool was fun (I lost 1 of 6 matches and somehow managed to learn the rules of Snooker while not playing Snooker) and on a very positive note, I said goodbye to Benoit and Cédric for the night.
Sunday was sleep-in day. Unfortunately, the Luquain household considers 11 am "sleeping in". I reminded them that I went to bed at 9 am after a party once, to the laughter of Jérôme and his parents, and a look of envy from Amélie (gotta get out of Voisins for the real party I guess). Not so unfortunately, breakfast and lunch followed each other very closely, and I was able to eat brioche and drink hot chocolate for the first time in a week or so, and then follow it up with some roast duck, a very good dish which I could not identify (I believe there was corn meal, cheese, zucchini and tomato involved), and a nice Currant wine.
That afternoon, Jérôme had to go vote, so he went to pick up his girlfriend Céline while I tried my hand at Prototype for the 360 (note: Frankie, you would like this game). With Céline and Benoit back at the apartment, we all walked to my old elementary school where the nearest polling stating was set up (I will post some pictures after my Turkey trip). After this, Benoit went home for dinner, and I went back to the apartment for some homemade crêpes (Amélie can cook - Frankie: take notes :P ), filled with either ham/emmenthal, or smoked salmon/asparagus/cream sauce. They were delicious! The dessert was, well, the unused crêpes, which I filed with jam. Yum!
After dinner, we picked up Benoit again and we all went to the local behemoth cinema (read: half the size of AMC Kanata) to take in a somewhat-romantic somewhat-comedy (which was, in fact, the best movie with seats still available) called "Pièce Montée". I hadn't seen a French film since the depressing Mélanie Laurent movie I watched a few weeks back, so I guess this was a nice treat. Of course, seeing as it was Sunday, we all had to get home early so some people could get to class this morning.
I woke up at 6:30 today, having slept little, but having greatly enjoyed my weekend. I bid farewell to Jérôme's father (his mom was sleeping and his sister ran out of the apartment while I was packing) and left to take the train at St-Quentin, direction Paris Montparnasse. At this point, I said goodbye to my friend, suggesting he come visit in Reims so he can see how 20-some-year-old business students party (I'm thinking WallStreet). I then took the metro to the RER station which brought me to the airport so I could take a bus to get to my hotel. I have to go back and redo all that when I eventually decide to go sightseeing, before heading to my concert tonight! Reminder: Peter Gabriel in Paris! It's going to be awesome!
Then, tomorrow, off to Istanbul, for what just might be the most amazing shopping spree, er, I mean, vacation, so far this year (I brought the big suitcase, I think I might just try to fill it).
Hope you all have a great week. I'll be back in Reims Sunday night so hopefully I'll post something then. If not, I will probably do so Monday night, after my first "Wine Marketing" class.
Cheers!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Absinthe Out of an Orange Juice Glass a.k.a. Prague!!
Good Afternoon,
I have just returned home from Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. I am exhausted after my 3-day trip, which included 2 train rides, 2 flights, a few metros and trams, and a hell of a lot of walking. But this was not just another one of my trips. No, this was something much more, much better. I will tell you the whole story from start to finish. Are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin.
As always, I will start with a complaint. Prague is a pretty cold city in March. It snowed on the first day. It was -10C and windy the second day. I did not pack accordingly.
Ready for this? Still sitting down? That is my only complaint.
Prague is a beautiful city, with beautiful architecture, a rich history, and amazing scenery from the centre all the way to the outskirts. While not being a very large city, it is packed with things to see and do, many of which I will be describing to you in painful detail. From the biggest night club in Europe, to the largest medieval Castle in Europe, and even the only remaining building where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart actually performed (apparently), Prague has something for everyone.
I decided that this trip, no matter where I went, should not be done alone, as I have had too few purely positive experiences while travelling by myself. Having consulted with a few people, I found out that a fellow uOttawan, Freya, had already booked a trip to Prague. The city was on my list of things to see before coming home in June, so I decided to tag along. (Note: you can read Freya's own account of the Prague trip and the rest of her stay in Reims here.)
Prague is only 1 1/2 hours by plane from Paris. The city centre is a 45-minute bus/tram/metro ride from the airport. From the time I left Charles de Gaulle to my arrival in Praha 7, the district where my hostel was located, less than 4 hours passed. My hostel was the Extol Inn, a 2- and 3-star combination hotel/youth hostel which cost about 19E per night. This included one of the best breakfast buffets I've seen in recent years, as well as private room, and bathroom shared between three rooms. This last part wasn't an issue as there appeared to be no one staying in the other 2 rooms on my block.
The first night, after finding my hostel, unpacking, and purchasing my tourist transportation pass, it was time to meet Freya for dinner, so we could discuss the game plan for the next few days. Interesting sidenote, it is very helpful in this type of situation for both people to have functioning phones (sorry :P). After finding Freya's hostel, I was able to make my way there and we headed out into the Old Town (in the heart of the city) to find a suitable restaurant.
The one Freya suggested was a small restaurant with an incomprehensible name serving typical Czech food. The food was very good, the restaurant was very quiet (read: empty) and the overall atmosphere was very enjoyable. We then went back to her hostel where there is a free internet-enabled computer station to plan the next day.
We decided it would be best to start with the Prague Castle, located across the river from the city centre. It is more or less like the Alhambra I visited in Granada back in November, but much colder, and more medieval. The size is comparable, though unfortunately various groups throughout Prague's history, including Germans, Commies, and Swedes ransacked the place and many of the original furnishings are gone. The Swedes even went so far as to replace everything with IKEA furniture.
OK I made that last part up. There is still some real furniture, but wouldn't that be hilarious?
While in the Castle, we saw the St. George Cathedral, the main interior of the Castle, a few dungeons with instruments used for torture, and a small street called Golden Alley, given that title because this was where the blacksmiths and alchemists lived during the Middle Ages. During the time we were at the Castle, Freya and I were also treated to the daily changing of the guard. Something about the Czechs was just so intense. Perhaps it was the orders being yelled in their strange language, or the band playing from windows around the courtyard. Either way, it was really neat to see.
After the castle, it was too cold to move, so we shivered over to the Old Square, which had a Starbucks. Now, you know I'm not a fan of Starbucks. I know I'm not a fan of Starbucks. But it was cold, and I had lost all feeling in my limbs, so it was appropriate. After thawing for about 15 minutes, Freya and I parted ways so I could take a more detailed tour of the City Centre with a tour guide (something she had done the day before, as her plane landed in Prague about 3 hours before mine). She went off to take in a Dali exhibit (Spanish contemporary artist) while I continued to walk around outside with a tour group.
While on the tour, I saw the Old Square, Wenceslas Square, Jan Pollack Square, and a few other shapes. Also on the tour was a little restaurant called the Bohemian Bagel, where they actually serve just about anything a typical tourist could want, but the kicker is that they make it well. I had a piece of cheesecake, the best I've ever had outside of Canada, though as I was later reminded, the one from Granada was good too. Point is, Prague makes good cheesecake. After this little stop, the tour continued through the Jewish Quarter, then back to the centre so I could go home and warm up.
And warm up I did. I stood next to the heater in my room for about 20 minutes. Then I had to get changed into better clothes than a sweater and jeans, since Freya and I were headed to the Prague State Opera House to take in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet.
If the building itself wasn't impressive enough, the performance most certainly was. Though I must say this: having listened to a musical recording of the same ballet, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed at the mere 1h45m-show, composed of only 2 acts. My version had 4 acts and is over 2 hours long. I'm not entirely sure what changed, but in order not to give the wrong impression, I will re-iterate to you that the technique of the dancers and the glorious music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky were absolutely wonderful.
After the show, we headed back to Freya's hostel to briefly discuss plans for day 3. The verdict was that we would head to a prominent Modern and Contemporary art gallery (sensing a theme yet?), which also featured some French painters. Finding the building was interesting, as it was marked on the map as a "Palace", but since a fire destroyed the original structure, and the subsequent re-construction makes it look like an office building, we spent at least 10 minutes thinking "this can't possibly be it".
Once inside, however, the museum was quite impressive. While Modern and Contemporary Art aren't really my thing, I did find some interesting (and even quite pleasant) works by Léopold Survage and a few others. Though I still don't get how a chair in the middle of an otherwise empty room can be considered art. That said, as Freya pointed out while we were there, one can find some inspiration for home décor in these exhibits. Indeed.
After the museum we went to go see The Dancing House, a Frank Gehry work of pure genius which towers above the streets and the river with surprising elegance. That's my intelligent way of saying "it was f***ing weird, but so cool!" I think I might even take the time to upload a picture directly onto the blog, so that everyone can see it. Just one though. :P
After the Dancing House, we were more or less done the tourist stuff, and we just decided to go for dinner, but not before making obligatory stops in various shops for souvenirs, etc. In no particular chronological order, trips were made to H&M, a sports apparel store, a regular souvenir shop, and a pet store. If you can guess which one was my pick, you win, well, nothing.
(@Nada: Yeah, I got the jersey :D )
We then proceeded to have dinner at a jazz-themed restaurant. Well, maybe "themed" isn't the right word, they do actually have live jazz music sometimes, and they've got signed posters and photos from all the greats, so that was cool. The food was decent, though I found not quite as good as the first night. Afterwards, we headed back to Freya's hostel, which has a bar next door, for a final drink before heading back to Reims. The drink of choice: Czech Absinthe. That's right, The Green Fairy. One shot of that, followed by a shot of Mead (honey-based alcohol-fortified wine), followed by a strange vodka cocktail which promised mango and delivered grapefruit. Oh well.
After a final goodbye, I took the metro back to the neighbourhood my hostel was in. The trams had stopped running by this time, but the walk from the metro station wasn't too bad. I left my hotel at 7:35 this morning in order to make a 10 am flight to Paris. I got to Reims around 2 pm my time, did my laundry, went shopping, walked downtown, walked back, and made dinner. A nice end to a busy but absolutely amazing week.
You may not be overly impressed by what I have just described to you. That's because you need to see Prague to really feel the awe I succumbed to for those 3 days. Having good company for the better part of the trip helped, of course, and I expected no differently. Prague just simply is a world-class city that everyone should visit at least once.
Some interesting facts about the Czech Republic: It gained independance from Russia in 1918 (as Czechoslovakia), survived WW2 nearly unscathed, and split from Slovakia in 1993. If you want to have a coffee that costs 75 of something, the Czech Koruny is the currency for you. 1 Euro = about 26 Koruny. The Czech language sounds like a mixture of Russian and Portuguese, while the script is basically English with a heavy use of accents on both vowels and consonants to change pronounciation. Phonetically speaking, it might actually be a good step between English and Russian.
Now that the week is ending, I can look back on this amazing adventure and think "Hey! Only 10 days til Turkey!" Oh come on, you saw that coming. Anyway, it was a wonderful trip, and I now have something to look forward to that I hope will compare to what I have just seen. I have two days of class this week, including a presentation and an exam, but these should be relatively easy. I will be posting a very select group of pictures on here, and the rest will be on Facebook. And again, don't forget, for the other side of the story, visit Freya's blog.
Hope you all enjoy your weekends!
P.S: Here are those select pictures I promised:
The Dancing House
Even the Hard Rock looks amazing in Prague
I have just returned home from Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. I am exhausted after my 3-day trip, which included 2 train rides, 2 flights, a few metros and trams, and a hell of a lot of walking. But this was not just another one of my trips. No, this was something much more, much better. I will tell you the whole story from start to finish. Are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin.
As always, I will start with a complaint. Prague is a pretty cold city in March. It snowed on the first day. It was -10C and windy the second day. I did not pack accordingly.
Ready for this? Still sitting down? That is my only complaint.
Prague is a beautiful city, with beautiful architecture, a rich history, and amazing scenery from the centre all the way to the outskirts. While not being a very large city, it is packed with things to see and do, many of which I will be describing to you in painful detail. From the biggest night club in Europe, to the largest medieval Castle in Europe, and even the only remaining building where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart actually performed (apparently), Prague has something for everyone.
I decided that this trip, no matter where I went, should not be done alone, as I have had too few purely positive experiences while travelling by myself. Having consulted with a few people, I found out that a fellow uOttawan, Freya, had already booked a trip to Prague. The city was on my list of things to see before coming home in June, so I decided to tag along. (Note: you can read Freya's own account of the Prague trip and the rest of her stay in Reims here.)
Prague is only 1 1/2 hours by plane from Paris. The city centre is a 45-minute bus/tram/metro ride from the airport. From the time I left Charles de Gaulle to my arrival in Praha 7, the district where my hostel was located, less than 4 hours passed. My hostel was the Extol Inn, a 2- and 3-star combination hotel/youth hostel which cost about 19E per night. This included one of the best breakfast buffets I've seen in recent years, as well as private room, and bathroom shared between three rooms. This last part wasn't an issue as there appeared to be no one staying in the other 2 rooms on my block.
The first night, after finding my hostel, unpacking, and purchasing my tourist transportation pass, it was time to meet Freya for dinner, so we could discuss the game plan for the next few days. Interesting sidenote, it is very helpful in this type of situation for both people to have functioning phones (sorry :P). After finding Freya's hostel, I was able to make my way there and we headed out into the Old Town (in the heart of the city) to find a suitable restaurant.
The one Freya suggested was a small restaurant with an incomprehensible name serving typical Czech food. The food was very good, the restaurant was very quiet (read: empty) and the overall atmosphere was very enjoyable. We then went back to her hostel where there is a free internet-enabled computer station to plan the next day.
We decided it would be best to start with the Prague Castle, located across the river from the city centre. It is more or less like the Alhambra I visited in Granada back in November, but much colder, and more medieval. The size is comparable, though unfortunately various groups throughout Prague's history, including Germans, Commies, and Swedes ransacked the place and many of the original furnishings are gone. The Swedes even went so far as to replace everything with IKEA furniture.
OK I made that last part up. There is still some real furniture, but wouldn't that be hilarious?
While in the Castle, we saw the St. George Cathedral, the main interior of the Castle, a few dungeons with instruments used for torture, and a small street called Golden Alley, given that title because this was where the blacksmiths and alchemists lived during the Middle Ages. During the time we were at the Castle, Freya and I were also treated to the daily changing of the guard. Something about the Czechs was just so intense. Perhaps it was the orders being yelled in their strange language, or the band playing from windows around the courtyard. Either way, it was really neat to see.
After the castle, it was too cold to move, so we shivered over to the Old Square, which had a Starbucks. Now, you know I'm not a fan of Starbucks. I know I'm not a fan of Starbucks. But it was cold, and I had lost all feeling in my limbs, so it was appropriate. After thawing for about 15 minutes, Freya and I parted ways so I could take a more detailed tour of the City Centre with a tour guide (something she had done the day before, as her plane landed in Prague about 3 hours before mine). She went off to take in a Dali exhibit (Spanish contemporary artist) while I continued to walk around outside with a tour group.
While on the tour, I saw the Old Square, Wenceslas Square, Jan Pollack Square, and a few other shapes. Also on the tour was a little restaurant called the Bohemian Bagel, where they actually serve just about anything a typical tourist could want, but the kicker is that they make it well. I had a piece of cheesecake, the best I've ever had outside of Canada, though as I was later reminded, the one from Granada was good too. Point is, Prague makes good cheesecake. After this little stop, the tour continued through the Jewish Quarter, then back to the centre so I could go home and warm up.
And warm up I did. I stood next to the heater in my room for about 20 minutes. Then I had to get changed into better clothes than a sweater and jeans, since Freya and I were headed to the Prague State Opera House to take in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet.
If the building itself wasn't impressive enough, the performance most certainly was. Though I must say this: having listened to a musical recording of the same ballet, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed at the mere 1h45m-show, composed of only 2 acts. My version had 4 acts and is over 2 hours long. I'm not entirely sure what changed, but in order not to give the wrong impression, I will re-iterate to you that the technique of the dancers and the glorious music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky were absolutely wonderful.
After the show, we headed back to Freya's hostel to briefly discuss plans for day 3. The verdict was that we would head to a prominent Modern and Contemporary art gallery (sensing a theme yet?), which also featured some French painters. Finding the building was interesting, as it was marked on the map as a "Palace", but since a fire destroyed the original structure, and the subsequent re-construction makes it look like an office building, we spent at least 10 minutes thinking "this can't possibly be it".
Once inside, however, the museum was quite impressive. While Modern and Contemporary Art aren't really my thing, I did find some interesting (and even quite pleasant) works by Léopold Survage and a few others. Though I still don't get how a chair in the middle of an otherwise empty room can be considered art. That said, as Freya pointed out while we were there, one can find some inspiration for home décor in these exhibits. Indeed.
After the museum we went to go see The Dancing House, a Frank Gehry work of pure genius which towers above the streets and the river with surprising elegance. That's my intelligent way of saying "it was f***ing weird, but so cool!" I think I might even take the time to upload a picture directly onto the blog, so that everyone can see it. Just one though. :P
After the Dancing House, we were more or less done the tourist stuff, and we just decided to go for dinner, but not before making obligatory stops in various shops for souvenirs, etc. In no particular chronological order, trips were made to H&M, a sports apparel store, a regular souvenir shop, and a pet store. If you can guess which one was my pick, you win, well, nothing.
(@Nada: Yeah, I got the jersey :D )
We then proceeded to have dinner at a jazz-themed restaurant. Well, maybe "themed" isn't the right word, they do actually have live jazz music sometimes, and they've got signed posters and photos from all the greats, so that was cool. The food was decent, though I found not quite as good as the first night. Afterwards, we headed back to Freya's hostel, which has a bar next door, for a final drink before heading back to Reims. The drink of choice: Czech Absinthe. That's right, The Green Fairy. One shot of that, followed by a shot of Mead (honey-based alcohol-fortified wine), followed by a strange vodka cocktail which promised mango and delivered grapefruit. Oh well.
After a final goodbye, I took the metro back to the neighbourhood my hostel was in. The trams had stopped running by this time, but the walk from the metro station wasn't too bad. I left my hotel at 7:35 this morning in order to make a 10 am flight to Paris. I got to Reims around 2 pm my time, did my laundry, went shopping, walked downtown, walked back, and made dinner. A nice end to a busy but absolutely amazing week.
You may not be overly impressed by what I have just described to you. That's because you need to see Prague to really feel the awe I succumbed to for those 3 days. Having good company for the better part of the trip helped, of course, and I expected no differently. Prague just simply is a world-class city that everyone should visit at least once.
Some interesting facts about the Czech Republic: It gained independance from Russia in 1918 (as Czechoslovakia), survived WW2 nearly unscathed, and split from Slovakia in 1993. If you want to have a coffee that costs 75 of something, the Czech Koruny is the currency for you. 1 Euro = about 26 Koruny. The Czech language sounds like a mixture of Russian and Portuguese, while the script is basically English with a heavy use of accents on both vowels and consonants to change pronounciation. Phonetically speaking, it might actually be a good step between English and Russian.
Now that the week is ending, I can look back on this amazing adventure and think "Hey! Only 10 days til Turkey!" Oh come on, you saw that coming. Anyway, it was a wonderful trip, and I now have something to look forward to that I hope will compare to what I have just seen. I have two days of class this week, including a presentation and an exam, but these should be relatively easy. I will be posting a very select group of pictures on here, and the rest will be on Facebook. And again, don't forget, for the other side of the story, visit Freya's blog.
Hope you all enjoy your weekends!
P.S: Here are those select pictures I promised:
Close-up from the Changing of the Guard
Typical Czech architecture
The Dancing House
Even the Hard Rock looks amazing in Prague
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