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Published: September 16th 2011
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I apologize for the long break between blog entries. Since my last, I have been busy with work and travelling and so I will try my best to update you on the latest happenings.
Paris
Following my trip to Lille, I worked for another 5 days in a row and had Saturday and Sunday off. I decided to spend Saturday at home. As much as I wish to avoid wasting time here, constantly working and travelling doesn't allow for much sleep!
On Sunday, I went to Paris for the day along with 3 other coworkers. Having all visited Paris in the past (3 times myself), we decided to spend a relaxing day in Paris - who knew it was possible in such a busy city!
We started our day shopping in the Latin Quarters, my personal favourite spot in Paris. Filled with souvenir shops and restaurants, the Latin Quarters have a mix of both locals and tourists. It makes it easier to blend in and feel Parisian. We stopped for a formule lunch (meaning you can pick an entrée, a main dish and a desert at a reasonable price). It was fantastic to have a
warm meal (with meat!), especially in the rainy weather. The waiter laughed at me for saying "patates" instead of "pommes de terre". We also found a Starbucks on our way out, and left a note on their corkboard saying hello from Ontario and Québec. Afterwards, we rode the metro to Montmartre and saw the Moulin Rouge - a first for me!
A friend of my colleague’s met us there and together we headed to the Théâtre de Chaillot for the main attraction of the day : a "contemporary dance" performance named In Paris. Seems the French have a very different definition of "dance". I think that modern theatre might better describe what we saw. We decided that in order to remain positive, we would consider the show a French experience.
While leaving the theatre, I was surprised (and impressed) to see the messages and flag display in honour of the September 11th tragedy (we were travelling on the 10th anniversary). "The French will never forget".
After the show, we took the metro back to Montmartre in order to make our way to the Sacré Coeur - from which you get a lovely view of the city.
Back home Sunday evening, right on time for our weekly family supper. On the 3-course menu tonight was pizza and salad, followed by pork with spicy couscous salad with feta cheese and finally a pear and apple pie for desert. Delicious! Thanks John and Gorana!
Nice
I was at work for a single day on Monday and then another 2 days off from work! This time, destination: Nice.
On Tuesday morning, I woke up 40 minutes late. Great start...I am pleased to say that the trip went considerably better from here on out. We (myself and two colleagues) took the train at 6h20 (yes, AM) to Paris, took the metro to another station and then a train to Nice, arriving around 3h (PM). For the last hour on the train, it was sunny skies and gorgeous beaches all around.
Walked 5 minutes to our hostel and were assigned a 6 bed mixed dorm (which we ended up being the only 3 sleeping in!). Without a minute to waste, we put our bathing suits on and headed towards the beach. After spending a few weeks in the north of France (known for having bad and
cold weather), to be able to spend a few hours sun bathing was fantastic! Only minor issue: Nice does not have sandy beaches. Rather rocks, called "galets". Once you get settle on your towel, it's not so bad!
Tuesday evening we went out for supper on the main strip. Quite embarrassing to be ordering from the "Menu touristique", but the food was tasty!
The second day was spent shopping, having lunch and going back to the beach for as long as possible. The hostel was nice enough to let us leave our bags after we'd checked out. Around 4h30, we reluctantly got back on the train to Paris. Interesting ride: accidentally played footsy with the old couple sitting in front of me, watched them scold a man for using his cell and then within the hour saw them answer their own phone, oh and there was a dog in our car!
Around 10h20 is when the real fun began. We had until 10h58 to get from our current train station to the next - using 2 metros. Only way to do it is by running through the station. "Pardon, pardon, désolé!" I was so happy to be
travelling with my 2 colleagues who made sure this would-be stressful sprint was spent singing and dancing. We got on our train to Arras (last train of the day) with 5 minutes to spare. Good job ladies!
All in all, it was an amazing weekend and a great first experience for me, seeing as this was my first overnight trip.
Can't wait for the trips to come!
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