Europe Trip 2008

Not yet ready for take-off!

2008-08-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Fasten your seatbelts! You may have heard the news that ZOOM airlines went into receivership last night. Unfortunately for us, we only got the news just before we were to leave for the airport today. With no cellphone & our reliance on internet cafés & phonecards to make calls back home we're cut off from media & the usual lines of communication. Those back home knew our flights were cancelled but could not contact us. We've spent the better part of the day making alternate flight arrangements, with their help, to get back home. We are having to go via Montreal Sunday morning -- that was the earliest we could get due to the flood of ZOOM passengers in the same boat as us. We could have gotten earlier flights had we been willing to pay the 4 000 dollars for a first class seat! NOT!!!! From Montreal, Lauren will be catching a flight to Toronto (times unknown as of yet) whereas Viv will be doing the milk run... Winnipeg, Calgary, and finally Victoria - arriving @ 9:29pm Sunday night! We're tired just thinking about it, not to mention having to spend another night in the airport tomorrow night before getting on our flights! They say that to travel you have to be flexible, that's cuz sometimes you get tied up in knots - litterally! Oh well, i guess this means we have a day and a half to see more sights! Wish us well (and maybe luck - we might be needing it) on our trans-Atlantic marathon. As the book we finished reading says - "merde happens"!!!! Truer words were never spoken! Bon soir from the weary travellers - the one has a headache from all the translating and communication issues ... the other is trying to regain the zen we had before all this happened. C'est la vie!

Lauren & Vivian :) :(

Riding the rails

2008-08-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we are leaving Nice in about an hour and 15 minutes. Back @ the café to check our messages and enjoy the fan-cooled air! It's another hot day and Paris is reported to be hot too tomorrow! Anyways, we will be back in Canada before you know it! Thanks for the messages and keeping in contact. It was nice to hear from you and made us feel more at home in a foreign land. (Especially for Aunt Viv, who rarely heard english on our travels..... and missed it)! I on the other hand think that my french has improved but still needs work and practice as do all languages!!! So, we'd better go and collect our bags from the hotel and head to the station. Thank goodness for luggage with wheels! Talk to you all soon. À bientôt!

Lauren & Vivian

We'll soon cease to be in Nice!

2008-08-27T11:46:00.001-07:00

Ciao a tutti!
Ok so i know we're not in Italy but there are a lot of Italians here and it is very close to the border. Just thought i'd better practice for the upcoming semester! Heading back to Paris tomorrow evening and leaving for Toronto the following afternoon (Friday around 4pm - as of right now - they keep changing our flight times!). Looking forward to getting back to normal.... sleeping in our own beds, having the familiar comforts.... and not having to rely on internet cafés as our only means of communication (well, plus a phone card to call home once in a while). We've had some pretty good meals here in Nice. Good weather - well some might even say a little too hot! Walking a lot! I'm starting to get blisters!!! ..... just as the trip is coming to an end! Oh well,... the beaches here are always full of people and some have spent a little or should i say WAY too much time in the sun! Some even look like lobsters (as Viv would say).

Some highlights:
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- la Zucca Magica (a very very filling restaurant we tried for lunch today - it was recommended in our guide book)... it is run by an Italian chef who makes a new menu everyday and everyone eats the same meal (it should come with a warning that it is a six course meal including dessert)!!! It was great but no need for dinner!
- Beautiful warm evenings for wandering the streets & window shopping of course!
- Talented musicians in the streets
- Lauren buying another pair of shoes - 3 in total during the trip (2 sandals & 1 hightops) - Aunt Viv: ZERO!
- Beautiful scenery and port
- don't need to wait for pedestrian crossing signs... you just cross! ( a great walking city)
- All in all not bad but a little sketchy (especially when payphones & internet cafés are involved)!
However, this one is nice (the nicest we've been in) & run by a woman - makes us feel a little safer

The only thing that really bothers us is our bed @ the hotel - and yet we are paying 108€ a night for it!

We are currently reading a funny book - Merde Actually by Stephen Clarke (HILARIOUS!!!!!)

Anyways we will have to catch up with everyone soon. Hope everyone is enjoying the last days of summer! See you all back in Canada soon whether it be in Sudbury, London, or Victoria!

Lauren & Vivian

Hola!

2008-08-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry about the gap in the blogging but the internet cafés that we found were quite sketchy to say the least and time was of the essence!
If you didn't know already I have visited Barcelona once before on a school trip & after all was said and done it was definitely one of my favourite destinations. After visiting it for a second time but this time not in a large group & no males accompanying me I had a very different experience.
Ok, so being the interpreter of our trip isn't as easy as it seems. I found it especially hard in Barcelona. It was a city filled with many languages, as most big cities are, but as you may or may not know, many speak Catalan. Catalan is a language in itself, but from what I could gather, it was almost a mix of italian & spanish and then dropping letters and changing accents!
Also, being Canadian & blonde may be assets & things I am proud of back home but on foreign soil it makes it hard to blend in... (& speaking English doesn't help)!

Some of our memorable moments in Barcelona are:
- visiting La Pedrera
- visiting the Museu Picasso including the temporary exhibit Las Meninas: Forgetting Velasquez
- enjoying iced teas with fresh mint leaves and an orange and lemon slice at a café (so good that we had to have two each!!!!!)
- visiting the beach and Barceloneta
- browsing & shopping @ some of the neat shops like the leather shop & the fabric/design shop
- eating @ the organic restaurant (the food was really good! - organic, vegetarian & really fresh how can you go wrong! - our favourite main dish that we tried was millet & carrot burgers - they were really good but it was the special sauce that made them amazing! [so much so that Aunt Viv was wanting the recipe!])

A misconception about Canadians that we have heard many times during our trip:
All Canadians speak French

Still have a few days in Paris & still some things on the agenda. Looking forward to relaxing in Nice!

Lauren

Back from Barcelona

2008-08-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hola & Bonjour, from Vivian

It's a rainy Friday afternoon in Paris and we just got back from Barcelona a few hours ago. We're both feeling the wear and tear of travel, as catching our return flight meant getting only a few hours sleep in order to check out of our hotel & lug our belongings to the Barcelona Metro station for the 5am opening & from there, on to the train to the airport. Our Air France flight was delayed, so not only we're we there 2 hrs ahead -- we sat on the plane for an hour because the cabin communication system wasn't working. The technical problem was fixed & we arrived safe and sound. We've experienced some highs and lows over the past few days, and emotionally feel a little homesick, I think. I suppose that's to be expected, as we've been gone for 14 days, and one more week to go.

I'll start with the highs:

* In Barcelona, we had a chance to take an extensive tour of La Padrera (or "Stone Quarry"), the "finest building" designed by the renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. It is his landmark avant garde apartment block, which now houses a museum devoted to his life, work and techniques, plus a restored original apartment for viewing. The audio, video, display and apartment tour were incredible, and it ended on the rooftop of this masterpiece building. Gaudi's life and work are totally inspiring, and he was very ahead of his time; taking ideas and designs from nature, designing in an ergo dynamic fashion, including fixtures and furniture for his buildings, & so on. Gaudi was a 4th generation metal worker, & so innovative, his architecture professor remarked that he "didn't know whether they we're giving the degree to a genius or a lunatic"! If you're not familiar with Gaudi's work, Google him and you'll see what was meant.

We also toured the museum devoted to another famous Spanish artist -- Pablo Picasso. The collection reflected the long and varied career he had, ranging from early portraiture to Cubism to lino cut printing to ceramics.

As our guide books revealed and our touring proved, Barcelona is known for:

* it's architecture & design - but we couldn't afford any, unfortunately

* textiles - clothing & jewellery reflect a flair with fabric, so I did buy 1 funky necklace

* food - fresh juices are a feature many places, & we loved what we tried

- we also frequented an organic restaurant where the menu changes daily -- bummer when you want to try something you nibbled from Lauren's plate the day before!

* all-night partying - just t r y & get some sleep in your hotel room

* Spanish leathers - maybe this is linked to the all-night partying too, who knows?

We visited a leather shop & bought some lengths, widths & colours for jewellery-making

* Beautiful beach and harbour area, featuring a yacht club & marina. We walked all around the area, noticing ads for yachts for sale, if you've got an extra 1.5 million euro!

The down side was the overt machoism (uninvited looks, stares, comments, etc), particularly in the somewhat rundown area where our hotel turned out to be located. We booked on the internet, not realizing that we would be on a street frequented by all-night drinkers & partyers, so it was a little unnerving going to & fro (Even when we left our hotel at 4:30 am, there we're still quite a few people on the streets. Could that many people not have to go to work in the morning?

Our room was small enough to cause one to develop claustrophobia, but there's a crisis with not enough tourist accommodation right now, so we we're lucky to get what we had, I suppose.

When we were posting our previous blog, before leaving Paris, Lauren was typing & we were at a computer in the basement of the internet cafe, 'as we are now). I was free to look around, & discovered that the white-haired "gentleman" who had come in, in a suit of the same colour, was surfing for, & finding, h a r d - c o r e pornography. Gross & creepy!!! We left in a hurry...

Today on our return, we took the train ho,e from the Charles DeGaulle Airport, & a young man boarded the train & sat opposite us. He turned out to be a thief, & attempted to steal the bag belonging to a man seated with his back to him as he got off the train. Fortunately, the man was quick to react, and the thief got away, but without the bag.

There have been other positives to focus on, however:

* Lauren's command of languages, to communicate & read signs, directions; etc

* her use of maps as well, & ability to figure out the complex of subway routes and lines, streets and alleys, wherever we are

*people have been very willing to offer help & most speak a little English if you get stuck

* it's good to step outside one's comfort zone & see how other people live

Of Interest:

In both Paris & Barcelona, I've noticed some parks with chairs as well as benches, so that people can meet & form a social circle.

So, we spend a few more days in Paris, & then it's on to Nice: Hope it's nice! Bad pun, I know. Travel to the south of France will be by train, so we'll be watching our belongings (though 1st class travel this time).

We appreciate any messages from friends & family, via the blog or to lsykes2@uwo.ca

PS: According to the health food restaurant we visited, "Organic is Orgasmic". You'll be happy to know, we didn't buy the t-shirt!

Love, Viv & Lauren

We're off to Spain!

2008-08-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hola amigos y familia!
Heading to the airport tonight for our departure to Barcelona tomorrow morning. Got an e-mail from Céline to let us know the best way to get there.... so everything should work itself out!
Once we get there it might take a few days to find an internet café so if you don't hear from us be patient. We're really excited and i'm practicing my Spanish in preparation but to tell you the truth I think i'm more worried about my Italian for this year at school. You forget when you don't use it!
Hopefully write to you soon,
Lauren & Vivian

Some of the highlights thus far . . .

2008-08-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Vivian's blurb, continued ...
We visited the grounds of the Eiffel Tower shortly after arriving in Paris, but returned to it the other night to queue up and take the ride to the summit. It was a perfect evening for experiencing the spectacular structure and the view it affords; comfortably cool and a full moon in the sky. Just as of late the Tower's lights have been changed to blue, and numerous clear lights also flash on and off for ten minutes on the hour, elliciting a joyful cheer from the crowds. We met a young Irish couple in line and had quite a bit of time to share our experiences with each other and hear their travel stories. They both possessed the Irish sense of humour, and he was afraid of heights, but paying to go to the top, if you can believe it. Friday was a religious
holiday, as evidenced by the closing of many retail businesses, and the repeated ringing of church bells. Today is Sunday, and it truly is observed as a day of rest here, with many businesses closed or operating with reduced hours.
Some of our recent touring has included the Musee d'Orsay, an exquisite converted train station housing the whole range of decorative arts from 1848 - 1914, including many Impressionistic paintings, & Notre Dame Cathedral. The flying buttresses were Lauren's favourite, and the many gargoyles positioned along the upper story. The grand scale of the Cathedral must be seen to be appreciated. As an added bonus, a service was in session, so we heard the church organ, a hymn sung by a soloist, and witnessed the priest performing a religious ritual.
Questions & Answers section:
What are we eating?
Although Lauren is the vegetarian, we're both eating vegetarian at the moment, for simplicity sake. Like the French, we are trying to buy just a few groceries every few days, eat what's fresh & in season, and walk it off! (Breakfast is usually eggs or yogurt & cereal in the apartment, supper is most often soup and salad, and in-between we get by on fruit & nuts carried with us, plus the odd pastry or ice cream if we're hungry and can't resist.)
What differences have we noticed between Canada & Paris practice?
Grocery clerks are seated here, and customers are expected to weigh and tag their own produce.
You also don't see garbage cans in the street. Instead, transparent green plastic bags are placed at intervals, suspended from a metal post and ring stand. Lauren informs me this is an anti-terrorism measure.
Most milk is sold is sterilized and sold in tetra-pak form. We like it!
À Bientôt!
Lauren & Vivian

2008-08-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

We're heading to the Latin Quarter & St. Germain des Prés this afternoon. We are hoping to see the Sorbonne, the Panthéon & the Institut de France (which houses the Académie française). Tomorrow we are thinking of heading to Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur as well as Monparnasse. Then we are off to Barcelona (Tuesday morning). Still trying to figure out the best way to get to the airport for a very early morning departure. We might end up going to the airport on the last bus from Opéra and then waiting in the airport until our flight boards. We will get a lot of reading and planning done if this is the case. Any suggestions from the well-travelled readers??? Let us know. Not sure if we'll have time to blog later or not but we'll try. If not we'll write to you from Barcelona.
Write to you soon,
Lauren & Vivian

now just over week in Paris . . .

2008-08-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

from Vivian:
In spite of repeated warnings from friends and fellow travellers to be prepared -- that Paris would be hot in August, the weather has been parfaite. It has been mostly bright and clear, and consistently around 20° celsius, or 68 - 70° if you think in fahrenheit. We've been comfortable whether outside walking and touring around, or in the apartment; typically with the windows open, a la Parisienne style, with a light breeze fluttering the sheers. I quickly came to adore French windows in both their form and function. Set against the customary cream coloured exterior of Paris buildings, the dark and decorative wrought iron grill work that underscores the windows is beautiful to look at on it's own, but is especially so when adorned with flowering potted plants. The window openings in Paris buildings are also generous in their length, designed so that two panels lock or unlock together from the centre, open inward, and have allowed us to perform another typical French practice -- drying laundry on a drying rack placed next to the opening. Needless to say, I developed an instant fondness for the architecture, and have many photos to prove it!
Tourists are everywhere in Paris. Like ourselves, they come equipped with cameras and are constantly pausing on sidewalks, in squares, at monuments and so on, snapping photos everywhere you turn. I suspect it must be an ongoing nuisance for the locals, but also good for the Paris economy.
We have seen many spectacular sights. Emerging from the Metro (underground subway) at some stations, one's head literally spins around. Streets head off in every direction from the traffic turnabout, and beautiful views are vying for one's attention. Structures, buildings and monuments convey the history, significance and incredible craftsmanship of a bygone era and the wealth and power of a past French empire. I find myself trying to recall what faded knowledge I've retained about France's history from historical fiction novels, mostly, and wanting to read and understand more.
Riding the Metro takes me back to my younger days in Toronto. I recall what it was like to rely totally on mass transportation and one's feet to get around a big and busy city. (They're aching, if you're wondering, after many long days). Paris, like Toronto, is very multi-cultural, and the accent and languages are as varied as the people. But everywhere you go, people are people, and you see it all in a day: people going off to work, raising their children, looking to enjoy good food, perhaps some fun experiences, wishing to communicate or share their art or skill with others, and going about their daily lives.

2008-08-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

Bonjour de Paris!

Sorry it has taken so long to write but it took us a while to get settled and find an internet cafe. Excuse the punctuation and any typos -- this keyboard is slightly different from North American layout.

So I guess the first part of the trip involved a lot of waiting as our plane was delayed until 1:45am and we were at the qirport before 5pm for our 8:20 (supposed ) flight.
The flight itself was long but to make matters worse they didnt have any vegetarian meals even though we had requested it when we booked our flight. They said it was because the plane that replaced our original one was never re-stocked. So we arrived in Paris hungry, but more in need of sleep than food.

Some of our first impressions are:
- fancy cabs (our taxi from the airport was a Mercedes)
- small cars in general
- less selection and smaller scale products
- b e a u t i f u l architecture (you often dont know where to look first)
- love the Metro
- better tasting yogurt, if thats possible

On Sundays and holidays many shops are closed so on our second day here I ended up just going to the bakery to get a couple of baguettes and a nearby market to get a bit of fruit: Later in the evening we walked around the neighbourhood and found a payphone to call home with the phone card we bought earlier that day:

On Monday we went to the grocery store and after dropping off the groceries back at the apartment, (which I must say is great, - Merci Céline!) we went to get our métro passes. We decided to get the pass for a week which involved getting your picture taken in a photobooth. Since then we have been busy using the métro a lot. We have been to Île de la Cité on our way to Alésia to get Mephisto shoes. We had a quick walk around the island before getting back on the métro. I ended up getting 2 new pairs of Mêphisto sandals which are really comfy & good quality. On the way to the shoe store we saw 2 movie theatres, & some familiar retail such as Pier 1 Imports & Starbucks.

Yesterday I wore a pair of my new sandals and lasted me all day with no blisters as of yet! We walked to Place de la Nation & took the Métro from there. We stopped @ Opéra where the famous opera house is & walked around mostly window shopping as the stores in this area are very expensive & high-end. We got back on the Métro @ Place de la Madeleine & off at the Arc de Triomphe. We stopped for a bit of a break before getting back on to head towards the Tour Eiffel. We have not gone up to the top yet but decided to get a view fro, Trocadéro first & sometime soon get a view from underneath & atop the tower. On our way home an 84 year old French woman was convinced that Auntie Viv was Petula Clarke! It was very funny!!!

Today we went to the market that is close to Céline's apartment. We got a large bunch of grapes, 4 apples & a pear for only 3.70€. Later today we are going to visit Le Marais & eat a Falafel @ a recommended restaurant.

Tomorrow we are hoping to visit the Louvre & maybe do some shopping!

Here are some photos so far (if the technology works)!!! [Auntie Viv is humming the song "Downtown" & will write the next installment] - ok so no photos this time but hopefully next time!

À Bientôt,
Lauren

wrong date

2008-08-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

ignore the previous post's date (it was posted Friday August 8th)

Lauren

Preliminary Itinerary

2008-08-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Bonjour!

Our trip is almost underway. We're leaving from Toronto this evening. Sooooo excited! Here's our preliminary itinerary: We first arrive in Paris Saturday morning (August 9th). We'll be busy seeing all the sights and living like Parisiens until the 19th and then it's off to Barcelona. We'll be staying in the Raval district of Barcelona for 3 nights (Olé!) and then it's back to Paris for a few days before taking the train to Nice. We'll be in Nice for 4 nights before heading back to Paris just in time to pack up and head back home. We'll hopefully be posting updates every once in a while with some photos and news of our adventures so be sure to check back and keep in touch via e-mail.

Saludos,
Lauren & Vivian