Cartes Postales

Berlin to Prague Train

2011-08-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

When I last left off my tale of travel, I was visiting Berlin in a whirlwind. After our quick sojourn, Jacky and I hopped a Deutsch Bahn train to Prague. As it was my first time taking the train and riding in a compartment, and feeling very Darjeeling Limited, Jacky snapped this photo of me.

Watching the world going by the window somewhere between Dresden and Prague I took this photo. The scenery reminded me a lot of the scenery on the drive on Highway 1 that Peter and I take when going to Invermere or Calgary. It was then I understood why so many Germans like to visit the Rockies. It feels like home.

Vancouver: Then and Now

2011-07-28T12:27:00.023-07:00

Last week I was waiting for Peter to pick me up from downtown, when this bus stop caught my eye. I started what I thought was a car ad, but soon realised that it's part of a public art program celebrating Vancouver's 125th birthday.

The piece is a postcard from 1944 addressed to a recipient who lives at the corner of Drake and Hornby streets juxtaposed with a photo of the same street corner taken in 2011. The piece reminds me a lot of Fred Herzog's work documenting Vancouver. There was a Herzog exhibit a few years ago at the Vancouver Art Gallery and I always thought it would be cool to go back and photograph the same locations to see how the city has changed.

I'd love to know, have you seen any more of these then/now pieces around the city?

FAQ: What was your favourite trip?

2011-07-27T17:00:00.002-07:00

Since I've been back, I've gotten a lot of questions about my eight months abroad in Europe. I thought I'd answer a few of them here.

While I enjoyed all my trips, I think Amsterdam stood out. Here are some reasons why:

1. I put a lot of planning into this trip. Whereas I set off for Belgium, Rome, Berlin and Prague with more vague ideas of what I wanted to see, I really put a lot of planning into this trip. Some resources I used to plan my trip included:

Europe on a Shoestring -- Offers a good general overview of many European travel destinations while staying budget-conscious.

Amsterdam en quelques jours -- I bought a French pocket guide to Amsterdam because I wanted to ensure I knew what I was looking at so I would get the most out of my trip. In English the en quelques jours series is called Encounters. They're fantastic!, I bought them for Rome and Prague too.

Frommers.com -- Prior to leaving for France, I spent a lot of time in the travel section at the bookstore. I was drawn to the Frommer's guides, but didn't want to weigh down my suitcase with travel guides. I found the Frommer's website super helpful for itineraries and walking tours.

2. We stayed on a canal boat. The canal system is such an inextricable part of Amsterdam, I'm glad we got to experience it by staying on a canal boat.

3. I made food part of the experience. While I ate a lot of pasta and gelato in Rome, food wasn't my biggest concern during most of my trips. I was more about seeing what there was to see. In Amsterdam, because of its Dutch East Indian Company history, I figured it had pretty good Indonesian food. Just as my first time trying Indian food was in London five years ago, I figured Amsterdam would be a good place to try Indonesian. Turns out, they are renown for rijsttafel, a Dutch take on Indonesian food.

Other memorable meals included:

The Dutch breakfast we had on the boat -- either savory cheese, cucumber and tomato sandwiches (the Dutch historically haven't been big on breakfast foods) or, at the other end of the spectrum, Hagelslag--chocolate sprinkles eaten on peanut buttered toast.

Gouda fondue at Dwaze Zaken, a cool café on Prinsheindrikkade across from the central train station. Although France is renown for its cheeses, the Netherlands is home to its fair number of varieties.

4. Amsterdam is a pedestrian friendly city. Despite having to keep an eye out for cyclists, I found that Amsterdam is one of Europe's great cities for pedestrians. Without necessarily having "sights" to "see," I loved just wandering around Amsterdam's canal-bordering streets and discreetly gazing through the ground-level windows at awesomely arranged and furnished apartments.

5. Amsterdam is a city of great museums. As I have said before, there is more to Amsterdam than marijuana. Amsterdam truly has some great museums, chief among which are the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museums, but also the Rembrandthuis (which I did not have time to visit).

6. We didn't overbook our days. We planned one major thing to do for each day. We started off by taking a walking tour of Amsterdam (check out Sandemans' Free Europe tours, they're awesome!), then went to the Van Gogh Musem and Rijksmuseum as our main event the next two days we were there. This left lots of time for just walking around and enjoying the city (see #4).

These are just a few of the elements that went into a great trip. I'm not a trip-planning professional, but I'd love to answer any questions you might have. What's a great trip you took? What factors made your trip so awesome?

Travel Map Cork Board

2011-07-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got back from Europe I've been thinking about some way to display where I've travelled to other than the map-and-pin method. How cool is this cork board variation? Even cooler, it's a DIY project that you can check out here. I'd love to attempt a map of Europe.

(photo by Halligan Norris Smith via Desgin*Sponge)

I Dream of Travel

2011-07-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

...To Saint Basil's!

If you click on over to Google today, their banner is celebrating Saint Basil's Cathedral's 450th anniversary. I would love to one day go to Russia and visit Moscow and Saint Petersburg. I once read of a cruise you could take along the Volga river from one to the other. I saw a lot of churches and cathedrals while in Europe, but wouldn't it be just so breathtaking to see Saint Basil's in person? Also, isn't this pre-1917 postcard of Saint Basil's so cool?

Where are you dreaming of travelling to?

(image via retromoscow)

Getting Controlled

2011-07-05T22:01:00.002-07:00

In France, contrôleurs are agents who check tickets to ensure riders of trains and public transit have paid their fare. To be checked is to be "contrôlé." Being anglophones, it amuses me endlessly that we English assistants we have come to talk about it as being or getting "controlled." What amuses me further is that thought or discussion of getting controlled makes the Joy Division song She's Lost Control pop into my head.

contrôler (cont-troll-ay): to check, to inspect

Back in October my room mate Andrenne and I were controlled for the first time and we didn't have appropriate fare. It was kind of a scary experience and my heart was racing as the police officers escorted us off the tram to write us up. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to be fined, we told them that we were new in town and then instinctually pretended not to speak French. I had never talked myself out of a ticket before (never before having the chance or needing to) but fortunately this time it worked and the police officers let us off with a warning.

I was relieved, but still shaken from this brush with authority and made sure to have the required fare from then on.

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(image via IMDb)

Montgolfières

2011-07-04T21:53:00.003-07:00

Four years ago, while working a grueling summer job, I would daydream about taking a roadtrip down the Oregon coast to San Francisco and surf the travel Oregon website. At that time, the site featured photos of hot-air balloons.

I came across these photos of the Tigard Festival of Balloons by Whitney on Frolic! and they have me daydreaming again about roadtripping to Oregon. Aren't they magnificent? They would make beautiful prints. Check out more hot-air balloon photos here.

(photos by Whitney via Frolic!)

Berlin in a Whirlwind

2011-06-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

If you're still following my adventure, after having done a tour de France, my mum and I returned to London, where she flew home from. I stuck around Londontown a few extra days to visit an old friend and hit some of the city's great museums. From London, I hopped a plane to Berlin where I met up with my travel buddy, Jacky, whom you may remember from my trip to Amsterdam.

Berlin was love at first glimpse of the TV tower. The city has a really cool vibe I can't quite describe. Our first day there we took a walking tour and saw the sights, including the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Wall, and the location of Hitler's bunker.

Berlin, and Germany for that matter, has such a rich history full of upheavals, of which there are lots of commemorations throughout the city. There is the monument to the victims of war and tyranny, the Holocaust memorial, and a monument dedicated to the commemoration of the Nazi book burnings to name but a few. Despite this, I didn't get the impression that Berlin is a city weighed down by its history. It's possible to relax, have fun and enjoy the city that Berlin has become. To me, there are multiple Berlins. It just depends which one you want to see when you visit the city.

The Tally

2011-06-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about the travels I've done. I feel like I've been a lot of places. As my friend Claire said to me, "Every time I talk to you it seems like you're just coming from or going on some trip." I took every opportunity I had to travel--I travelled to nearly everywhere that was on my mental list of places to go to. At the same time, I feel that there's so much left to see. While I'm "travelled out," I still fantasize about future travels. I was in a bookstore the other day and found myself drawn to the travel guide section.

So in my 8 months abroad:

I took 20 trips, including day trips,
During which I visited 25 cities
In 8 countries.

Tour de France, Part 2

2011-06-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

When I last left off, my mum and I had just visited marvellous Marseille, with its beautiful harbour and sunshine-filled skies.

The next day we boarded another train, this time to Paris. We got there around the early evening and stayed in the same hotel I had stayed at when I first arrived, a little hotel well situated in the 18e arrondissement, with easy walking access to all the sights. I was really excited to show my mum Paris, as it is such a stunning city—especially your first time visiting. That evening we went for a walk through Montmartre to Sacré Coeur, down the butte de Montmartre past the Opera house and through the jardin des Tuilleries.

The next morning we woke up early and were off on a day trip to Chenonceau castle.

This Loire Valley château is impressive and surprisingly tranquil (given the number of visitors) and has an interesting history. Built at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Henry II gave it to his “préférée”, or mistress, Diane de Poitiers. After his death, Henry’s wife, Catherine de Medici, evicted Diane and inhabited the château. During the First World War, Chenonceau served as a hospital. During the Second World War was situated exactly on the dividing line between the Occupied and Free zones. As such, it was used by the Resistance.

The next few days we had in Paris were spent visiting the sights, including the Sainte-Chapelle, which I’d never seen before. Then we boarded the Eurostar back to London.

Home!

2011-06-08T21:39:00.001-07:00

After nearly nine months away (8 months and 15 days), I am finally back home in Vancouver!

I can't wait to finish telling you about my tour de France with my mum, my two weeks out and about Québec, and my trips to Berlin and Prague.

(Photo by NASA via Design*Sponge, illustrating a Vancouver City Guide I highly recommend.)

Still Life with Suitcases

2011-06-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

When I visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, I was absolutely fascinated with the photographic quality of the Dutch masters' still life paintings. So, with my own recent experience juggling suitcases and fancying myself in the Darjeeling Limited, I find myself very attracted to these modern still life paintings of suitcases by Canadian artist Christopher Stott that I stumbled upon via Design*Sponge.

Tour de France, Part 1

2011-06-02T17:15:00.001-07:00

After visiting London, my mom and I spent a week marathon travelling through France, visiting five cities in all. With all our luggage and train travel, I felt a bit like the Whitman brothers in The Darjeeling Limited. But it went surprisingly well.

We started in Saint Etienne, where I showed her the town I had called home for the last seven months.

The next day I took her to Lyon and showed her all the sights. Lyon being the gastronomic capital of France, we ate dinner in a bouchon lyonnais called Le Tire Bouchon.

bouchon (boo-sho(w)n): literally, a lid or plug; here meant as a traditional lyonnais restaurant

The Tire Bouchon has a great ambiance that is everything that people are trying to capture when they put up Toulouse-Lautrec’s Le Théâtre du Chat Noir print. My mom had the traditional lyonnais dish quenelles, a type of pastry or pasta served in a sauce, and I had a parmentier (shepherd’s pie).

Then the next day, Thursday, April 28, we left with our suitcases to head to Nîmes. A trivia fact for you: Nîmes is the home of denim or de Nîmes, which Levi Strauss exported to California to make jeans for the gold prospectors. Nîmes also has many Roman ruins including the best preserved Roman arena in the world.

(Clockwise from the left) A matador statue in front of the Nîmes arena; view inside the Nîmes arena; Jardin de la fontaine; la Maison Carré; la Tour Magne.

While we did cover a lot of ground in train travel, our tour de France did not feel pressed for time once we got to each destination. It actually had a relaxed and leisurely feel as we did not overbook each day.

The following day we took a short train from Nîmes to Marseille. Our hotel was located just one block from the Vieux Port. As our room was not yet ready, we decided to have a coffee and admire the view of the Vieux Port. Once allowed into our room, we happened to be able to catch a bit of the royal wedding we saw the preparations for a few days earlier.

Marseille had an amazing atmosphere, which reminded me a lot of Rome, especially in la vielle ville. We walked along the Vieux Port, which is full of boats and protected by historic Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Jean forts on either side of the harbour’s mouth. We also took a short passenger ferry ride to the Château d’If, made famous by Alexandre Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo. Being an island prison-fort, the Château d’If reminded me a lot of Alcatraz, which I visited two years ago during my trip to San Francisco.

(Clockwise from the top) Marseille’s Vieux Port; view of Château d’If; view of lighthouse and Marseille from If island; view of Notre-Dame from Marseille’s Vieux Port; view of a street in la vielle ville.

Stay tuned for Part II.

Au Revoir!

2011-05-21T09:54:00.001-07:00

Today was my last day in France. I spend yesterday in Toulouse and day-tripped to Carcassonne today. Tomorrow I leave on my last trip before returning home to Vancouver.

With all the goodbyes I've said in the last few days, I've been thinking a lot about goodbye vs. au revoir. To me, goodbye can sound so final as it does not imply the possibility of seeing one another again. Conversely, au revoir literally means, "see you again" or "until we see each other again." Au revoir is more optimistic vis-à-vis the prospect of another meeting. In my case, I'm not leaving never to return again. Even after eight months, I still feel there's so much of this beautiful country to see. Au revoir leaves me the possibility of coming back, either on vacation or otherwise.

Au revoir la France!

Nine Months Ago

2011-05-19T01:49:00.002-07:00

Nine months plus one day ago, I bought my one-way ticket to France. Now today is my last day in SaintÉ before I leave on my last trip before going home to Vancouver.

Yesterday, I took some time out of my week of packing and wrapping up loose ends to go to a beach on the Loire River with friends. It was the perfect way to spend my second to last day in my small French town.

London Calling

2011-05-16T10:50:00.002-07:00

Just as I did exactly five years ago on April 22nd, I boarded a plane to London. This time, however, I was leaving from France, not Vancouver. Flying across the Channel, I was just as excited as five years ago because this time I was meeting my mom in London and it was her first time in Europe.

Walking down into the Tube on my way to the hotel after the better part of a year not taking public transit, I felt like I was facing David Shrigley's Underground knot. Fortunately I made it, and as an expert transit rider the knot quickly unravelled.

It was really good to be in London again, and it was such a great city to visit with my mom. Over the weekend we were there we had such lovely summer-like weather that we walked nearly everywhere we went and enjoyed London's many parks. We saw all the essential London sights, like Big Ben and the Tower of London. Passing by Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace we saw the camera crews setting up for the royal wedding.

Where the camera crews were across from Buckingham Palace
If you followed my London postcard challenge, you know that I was in London twice (because my mom flew in and out of London). My second trip to London consisted of seeing the friends I have in the city and visiting several of the great museums here, including the National Gallery and Tate Modern.

London is a great city. I find London to have a very similar feel to Vancouver, partially because of its Asian influences and similar weather. I felt at home away from home. I can't wait to go back, hopefully as part of a trip including Scotland and Ireland.

Music Map

2011-05-15T00:12:00.001-07:00

I love maps and music. So how cool is this map of New York made out of Regina Spektor lyrics made by artist Francesca Pasini? Read more about its creation here.

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Where Am I? Berlin & Prague

2011-05-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

You guessed it: I was in Berlin and Prague!

Berlin, formerly divided into East and West Berlin, could be said to have a split personality. Evidence of the divisions is still evident and some say there are still two Germanys.

Prague was once part of Czechoslovakia, which ceased to exist after the revolutions of 1989 when it underwent the “Velvet Divorce” in 1993. Prague’s Spring 1968 marked an uprising of the people against the government, which was violently put down.

For this contest I have a postcard for each city. Congratulations to Andrew and Mandy and Ali! Email me your address and I will send your postcard along.

The last postcard challenge of my European trip will be next week so stay tuned for your last chance to win snail mail from me before I go so stay tuned!

The World Going by my Window

2011-05-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the window of the train between Chartres and Paris. The luxury of travelling by train is the scenery. Fittingly, the Beatle’s lyrics “Keeping an eye on the world go by my window” (I’m only Sleeping) always pops into my head when I’m gazing out the train window.

On a different note, I’ve noticed that these fields of yellow flowers are growing all over France and Europe. I saw fields of them again tonight en route from city 1 to city 2. I have no idea what they are, but they seem to be grown as a crop. Any guesses?

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #11

2011-05-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I’m leaving on a trip in which I’ll visit two cities over six days. Here are the clues for this second to last postcard challenge:

1. The first city could be said to have a split personality, East and West.

2. Only fragments of the "dividing line" remain in this first city. Bonus: What is the dividing line?

3. "Eich ben ein..." Bonus: Complete the phrase and who spoke it?

4. The second city was formerly part of a country that ceased to exist in 1989.

5. Spring 1968 had particular importance in this second city. Bonus: Why?

6. Good King Wenceslas was a resident of this second city.

Think you know where I am going? Leave your answer in the comments below! To add a new twist to this challenge, I’ll add your name to the draw an extra time for each bonus you answer correctly (i.e. you have the opportunity to have your name in the draw 3 times). You have until May 14 at 5:00pm (CEST) to guess.

Good luck!

Where Am I? London!

2011-05-08T10:33:00.001-07:00

You guessed it: I was in London!

1. William the Conqueror vanquished London in 1066.

2. Six-hundred years later the city nearly burnt down in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

3. The knot is a reference to the London Underground, art by David Shrigley that adorned a map of the Tube.

4. Big Ben is actually the name of the bell, not the clock tower. Nevertheless it is a big deal as one of London's main attractions.

5. The royal wedding, which I’m sure was referred to by media as a fairy tale, was the event I missed both times I was in London.

Congratulations to Rachelle! Email me your mailing address and I'll send your postcard! Thank you to everyone who played!

I can’t wait to tell you about my two trips to London, but I’m leaving on my next trip tomorrow, so I have my second to last postcard challenge for you!

Juggling Suitcases

2011-05-01T12:55:00.005-07:00

I recently re-watched Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. One thing that amazed me was that despite travelling with several suitcases, the Whitman brothers managed to avoid losing a single one; that is, until the end when they decide to throw away their cares and abandon their excess baggage (now how's that for a metaphor)?

I have been travelling with my mom around France for the past week while running the extended postcard challenge. We have been travelling with two large, heavy suitcases (one of which my mom is kindly bringing back home for me) and a small suitcase. At times, managing three suitcases has left me feeling kind of felt like the Whitman brothers, only I wish it was as easy as it looked for them.

All of this is to say that I can't wait to fill you in on my three weeks of travels.

If you haven't already, you can still play in postcard challenge #10. The second to last postcard challenge will follow immediately afterward next week. With the postcard challenge coming up on a dozen, I'm wondering about how to keep it fresh. Any suggestions? What if I told you where I'm going and asked you to tell me an interesting fact about that city? What do you think? I'd love feedback.

(image via imDb)

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #10

2011-04-21T22:48:00.003-07:00

Update: April 28, 2010: No one guessed the right answser.  As I'm going back to this city May 4-9, I thought I'd extend the contest until May 8th.  Good luck!

So my contract is up, and now it's just travelling. This evening I'm meeting my mom, which I'm super excited not just because I haven't seen her in seven months, but because it's her first time in Europe. Guess where we're going:

1. Six hundred hears after first being conquered by its historical rival...

2. ...the city nearly burnt completely to the ground. There are no known reports of violins being played. Bonus: What years am I referring to in clues 1 and 2?

3. Its bright lines can look like a knot to the uninitiated. Bonus: What is the reference?

4. Ben is a pretty big deal here.

5. My trips bookend a fairy tale event, which is taking place. Bonus: What is the event?

Know where I'm going? Leave your answer in the comments below before May 8th at 5:00pm (CEST) for a chance to win.

Good luck!

Last Ticket

2011-04-20T04:30:00.000-07:00

Last night it was with great excitement that I bought my last ticket. The one that will take me home after nearly nine months away.

Yesterday a student asked me if I preferred France or Canada. It's not that I prefer one over the other, but more that I feel things here coming to a natural end. Although I'll miss the friends I've made here, I am really feeling ready for whatever is next.

So with this in mind, it's nice to have a date set; it makes me feel a little less transient.

(Photo by NASA via Design*Sponge, illustrating a Vancouver City Guide I highly recommend.)

Nothing Toulouse

2011-04-18T22:19:00.003-07:00

In Making a Second Visit to Toulouse

When I was last in Toulouse in November to see Siskiyou play, I met Paloma, my friend's sister living abroad in France. At the show she invited me back. So the last weekend of February, which happened to be the first weekend of my February/March break, I paid her and her husband a visit.

I love Toulouse. If I were ever to spend another year abroad in France, it would be in Toulouse. It is such a beautiful city, which could just be le style toulousain of rose brick with turquoise accents. Or the Garonne river. But there's something more to the city I find alluring. It has both the feel of a small town (you seem to be able to get anywhere in town in twenty minutes by foot or bike) yet also has the vibe of a big city.

While there, it was also comforting to speak with Paloma, an expat about cultural differences I'd noticed and be reassured by her. Just because I speak French does not mean I've been automatically attuned to cultural differences. But that's another post.

Overall, I spent a lovely few days with Paloma and her husband, who showed me the sights I'd not known about and missed in November, and fell in love with the city.

Payin' the Rent

2011-04-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

My room mates and I pay rent at the end of the month and so we're getting ready to settle for our last month, April. Ever since hearing Pairie Cat's song Paying the Rent, it always seems to pop in around rent day. For me, this jingly and poppy, albeit cynical song seems to make parting with my hard-earned money on rent day not so be so bad. Give it a listen here.

Oh, and early Happy Rent Day to everyone else!

How are Things on the West Coast?

2011-04-16T00:23:00.007-07:00

This is my current desktop picture. I can't believe how fast this year abroad has flown by. I thought the period from la rentrée from Christmas vacation to February/March break was short, but these last weeks from la rentrée from March break until Easter break have gone by in the blink of an eye. After some travelling and Postcard Challenges, I'll be home!

It's bittersweet. Despite the downs, among the many ups, I'll be sad to be leaving my French town and France. But at the same time I'm looking forward to whatever life is going to bring my way next. I currently have the famous John Lennon quote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

I'm also excited to see all the ways in which Vancouver has changed, the new little details I'll notice, and even bracing for reverse culture shock.

So, dear readers back home, how are things on the West Coast?  What should I know about before coming home?

(Photo by NASA via Design*Sponge)

Red Dress Blue Dress

2011-04-15T16:44:00.002-07:00

I love this French Connection dress I spotted over on A Cup of Jo. She posted it in blue but I fancy the red as I've been going through a bit of a blue period fashion-wise. I recently bought a blue tulip skirt, a cute silk blue and white polka-dot dress, and blue leather flats.

I think it's funny that I'm going through a "blue period" because I recently saw the Picasso in Paris 1900_1907 at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It was a really good exhibit surveying works from his blue and rose periods, and ending with sketches for Les Demoiselles d'Avignong. The exhibit runs until May 29, so I highly recommend it should you find yourself in Amsterdam.

(Photo from French Connection via A Cup of Jo)

La ville rose

2011-04-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

The buildings along the Garonne river in the postcard above (which I also photographed myself when I visited in November) are like the Toulouse equivalent of San Francisco's painted ladies. Aren't they beautiful? I love Toulouse. It might be my favourite city in France.

I'll tell more about my February trip to Toulouse shortly. Have a happy weekend!

A Day in My Life in France

2011-04-14T11:33:00.002-07:00

My school, taken October 20, 2010.
(Note: I started this post in early February.)

So many of you back home have been wondering what my days are like and how I like teaching. While I could share my emploi du temps, work schedule, it would probably make for a rather dry post. Because of the general strikes in October, some students barricaded my school so I didn't get to teach much my first month here. As a result, when I got back from my Toussaint holidays in Belgium, I still felt really new to it and that I couldn't really make an assessment. Now, ~~beginning my fifth~~ ending my seventh month of teaching, I feel I've gotten into my stride. And that this post will never be written otherwise.

School in France is organized differently than in Canada. In Canada, high school students typically have all their classes between about 8:30am and 3:00pm Monday to Friday. Here, school hours are 8:00am until 6:00pm although students do not have ten continuous hours of class. Instead, class schedules here are organized more like university schedules; a student might have a class from 9:00am until 10:00am and another class from 5:00pm until 6:00pm. Another bizarre thing about schedules here is that some classes only convene every other week. As a result, I only see some of my classes twice a month.

All my colleagues are super nice and friendly. It made settling into a both a foreign country and new town where I knew nobody much easier. Having just graduated from university last May, it feels a bit strange going to school and being on the "other side," the teacher's side. Although I've feared being mistaken for a student (my lycée is also an école préparatoire, prep school, for the grandes écoles so the prépas students are between 18 and 21 years old), it has yet to happen--~~to my knowledge at least~~ it shockingly happened twice in the same day with the same woman shortly after writing this.

As for teaching, I like it well enough, or, I don't dislike it. At least, that was my line during most of the seven months of my contract. Now that I have a week left, I'm feeling a bit sad that it's ending. I like teaching, I think I'd be good at it, but I feel that teaching (public) high school is a vocation and I don't feel the calling. I do think I'd enjoy teaching older students, or teaching in another capacity as part of my career.

Stripes!

2011-04-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

Black and white striped shirts. How very French, non? One of the things that amuses me most about living in France is seeing the French perpetuate this stereotype about themselves. I've wanted to blog about it for a while, but wasn't feeling brave enough to do "street style blog" photography, so my lovely friend, Caylena, a professional photographer volunteered to step up to the task. Thanks Caylena!

Check more of the French wearing striped black and white shirts here.

(Photos by Caylena Cahill Photography)

Genius Travel Tip

2011-04-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

As most of my travel to destinations outside of France has been by plane with only a carry-on bag, I've had to be mindful of the restrictions on liquids. One of the ways I get around this travel restriction, as well as pack light, is by bringing solid shampoo. This was a tip given to me by a friend a few years back. Not only is it shampoo, but it can also double as a bar of soap.

You can find them at Lush. The ones I've used have been Godiva and Karma Komba.

Chartres

2011-04-12T07:03:00.044-07:00

On the second day of our séjour in Paris, Emily and I hopped a train to Chartres for a daytrip. What can I say?

Chartres is known principally for its cathedral. It is the best preserved medieval cathedral and is distinct in that it has both Romanesque and Gothic towers. It also contains what is believed to be the relic of the Virgin Mary's veil, which makes it my second relic sighting after the relic of the Holy Blood in Bruges (I didn't actually notice the relic of Saint Valentine's skull in Rome).

In fact, our daytrip there reminded me a lot of my trip to Bruges; we walked around, admired the town's beauty, took lots of photos and had a drink by the canalside.

The Aries zodiac sign and corresponding statues of figures representing each month.
The cathedral had awe-inspiring stained glass windows, but what I thought was coolest part was the zodiac and month sculptures decorating the West entrance.

Ode to Sainté

2011-04-11T08:33:00.001-07:00

While my post on canine landmines was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I really do like Sainté. When I first started teaching, my students would always ask me what I thought of Sainté. Not knowing the town all that well, I'd say I like it well enough. And I do:

I'm glad to not be in a village of 500 people.
I also find that for a town of 180,000 residents, it has a pretty vibrant cultural life. There's an Opéra-Théâtre, more than one theatre, an art house/foreign language cinema and more.
I find that the city, if not les citoyens, try hard to beautify it: they plant numerous flower beds around town, have made the main town square pedestrian-only, and are trying to encourage transit and vélib use.

For all the drawbacks of a small town, I tell my students it could be worse. And that being from a small town is a blessing in disguise.

Where Am I? Chartres

2011-04-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

You guessed it, I was in Chartres!

We passed through the capital of l'Hexagone, Paris, where today Emily ran the Marathon de Paris--42km--in 4:14, beating her time by a minute! Go Emily! Of approximately 40,000 runners, she came in 17,888th. Meanwhile, I was "marathoning" through le musée de l'Orangerie. But I'll rave about our trip in another post later this week.

Thank you to everyone who participated! The lucky winner of the draw this time is Boders! Email me your mailing address and I'll send your postcard!

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #9

2011-04-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm going accompanying my friend Emily who is running a marathon--how awesome is she? The marathon is on Sunday, so Saturday we are going on a day trip. Here are the clues for this ninth postcard challenge:

1. We will be passing through the capital of "le hexagone."

2. We will be visiting a famous cathedral.

2. This cathedral contains what is believed to be the relic of the Virgin Mary's veil.

Think you know where I'm going? Leave your guess in the comments below before 9:00pm CET. I'll draw a lucky winner when I'm back on Sunday night.

Good luck!

The Social Darwinism of Discount Airlines

2011-04-06T01:41:00.004-07:00

Photo of the sun above the clouds on the flight from Bordeaux to Lyon

Back in October, before my trip to Belgium, I had never flown with Easy Jet. Puzzled that my boarding pass didn't have an assigned seat, I asked some British friends over tea. They told me that flying Easy Jet or Ryanair was an experiment in social darwinism in that it's a scramble to get a good seat. With this in mind, I positioned myself to be the first one on the plan and chose a window seat.

Since then, I've flow Easy Jet to Amsterdam, Rome, and back from Bordeaux. At no point have I felt it to a matter of social darwinism. In fact, I've been quite satisfied with Easy Jet.

I haven't flown Ryanair--from SaintÉ they only fly to Porto, Portugal (shame, I know)--but the reviews I've read and heard make me apprehensive to do so.

Grenoble

2011-04-05T04:19:00.007-07:00

Last Saturday, my friend Emily and I went on a day trip to Grenoble, a French town also in the Rhône-Alps region about two-and-a-half hours away by train.

Grenoble is a mountain town, known for skiing, but we chose to go for the Marc Chagall exhibit that was showing at the Musée de Grenoble. I like the exhibit, but not having a background in Russian avant-garde art, I felt there could have been more explainations as to the artists' (which included Vassily Kadinsky, Natalia Gontcharova, among others) philosophies and ideas. Nevertheless, the exhibit was awe-inspiring and totally worthwhile.

After visiting the museum, Emily and I had lunch, but we didn't have gratin dauphinois. Instead we went to this delicious Indian restaurant.

It was a sunny hot day so later that afternoon we went for a walk partway up the mountain rather than take the téléphérique--a type of gondola which the locals nickname "les oeufs" or "the eggs." I really liked Grenoble. The city's backdrop of snow-capped mountains reminded me a lot of Vancouver and the Rockies.

(All photos by me except exhibit poster via Musée de Grenoble)

Where Am I? Grenoble

2011-04-04T11:16:00.001-07:00

You guessed it, I was in Grenoble!

Congratulations to Gareth, the lucky winner! Email me your mailing address and I'll send your postcard!

Thanks to everyone who played. The next opportunity to play will be this Friday, for a trip I'm very excited about!

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #8

2011-04-01T22:00:00.001-07:00

Today I'm going on a day trip, so here are the clues for this eighth postcard challenge:

1. The king bought this bankrupt university and installed his eldest son as ruler, who thus earning the title of "Dolphin."

2. This city is famous for a dish of potatoes baked in cream with a pinch of nutmeg.
Bonus: What is this dish called?

3. It is a former host city for the Winter Olympics. Bonus: Which year did this city host the Olympics?

Think you know where I'm going? Leave your guess in the comments below before 4:00pm CET on Monday, April 4th and I'll draw the lucky winner.

Good luck!

Poisson d'avril

2011-03-31T23:39:00.002-07:00

Happy April Fool's Day! But in Frace April Fool's is called poisson d'avril and the trick they play is to paste a fish on your back. This is one tradition I wouldn't mind participating in. I wonder if I'll get a poisson d'avril, I only have two classes today.

***
The fish you see above was my lunch on Wednesday. My room mate Katherine works at a lycée where students train to be waiters, cooks, and pastry chefs, among other things. On Wednesdays the school opens a restaurant, and Katherine was lucky enough to be able to get us a reservation.

We were served the four course meal. We started with a salad with duck, and next came our main course (above). A whole fish, head and all. I was a little less surprised as when Peter and I had been to Paris, where we were each served two fish au beurre blanc (Julia Child is right, it's more than deliciuos!). Next was the cheese course followed by the largest desert; not only did we get fruit salad, but we got a madeleine aux poire (pear cake). We definitely had food babies by the time our coffees arrived, but it was so good that it was worth it.

Vancouver

2011-03-31T01:01:00.028-07:00

Isn't this photo of Vancouver just amazing? While I'm loving my time in France, it has started to dawn on me that my time here is almost over; I have a mere three weeks of teaching left.

While I'm in no rush to get back to Vancouver, there are things I'm looking forward to doing, like having a drink on Chill Winston's amazing patio in Gastown and eating nachos at Foundation. I'm also interested to see how much the city has changed since I've been away.

Friends back home, what, if anything has changed about the city?

(Photo by NASA via Design*Sponge's Vancouver City Guide)

Crottes de chiens

2011-03-29T23:45:00.002-07:00

After more than six months of informal research, conducted in French towns such as Lyon, Dijon, Toulouse, and Paris, I can safely say that Saint Étienne is literally the shittiest town in France, if not all of Europe.

A sanitary bag dispenser in Toulouse. Note that it is empty and unreplenished.

It's a well known fact that neglect to pick up after one's canine is a French national trait. And I get it. Dog shit is gross, but cleaning it up is part of the social contract one enters when one becomes a dog owner.

According to Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow, authors of Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong:

In all, 200,0000 Parisian canines leave ten tons of excrement behind them every day. . . . The city of Paris . . . spends seventy million francs (five million pounds) per year on a brigade of seventy motocrottes (motorcycles that streak through the streets sucking up dog droppings with vacuum cleaners). But the efforts to rid the streets of excrement is futile, thanks to Parisian dog owners' enduring lack of civility (143).

Disconcertingly, however, when I was in Paris, I hardly even noticed les crottes de chiens. SaintÉ, however, is full of these canine landmines which make being a pedestrian in this town hazardous.

As Nadeau and Barlow note, "In an average year, six-hundred people break a limb slipping on dog droppings or trying to remove the mess from the soles of their shoes" (143).

One last observation on the shittiness of this town: I've noticed that the size of dog I most often see (small ones) does not correspond to the size of the landmines I dodge. Does this mean big dog owners only walk their dogs between nightfall and dawn out of shame that their fellow citoyens would see their lack of civility?

crotte de chien (crot duh she(n)): politely put, dog poop

Sympa

2011-03-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before, when people ask me about the difference between Canadian or Québecois French and French as spoken in France, I liken it to the difference between British and North American English: different accents and some different words or expressions.

One new expression I immediately encountered upon arrival in SaintÉ was "sympa," but immediately caught onto its meaning.

sympa (sim-pah): cool

Sympa is short for sympathique and translates as "cool," (or "nice," or "kind," depending on the context).

Le Sympa, a restaurant in SaintÉ I've never been to, although I'm sure it's très sympa.

For example, when I returned from Belgium the night before school resumed, I was starving. When I got home, my room mates had left a note on my bedroom door welcoming me back and letting me know I could help myself to the beef stew they had made for dinner. What's more, my room mate Andrenne had bought me an African Violet for my room.

As this anecdote illustrates, my room mates are très sympa, for which I am fortunate.

They Say It's My Birthday

2011-03-28T02:27:00.002-07:00

So I thought I'd list 24 things I'm greateful for on this twenty-fourth anniversaire of mine:

My health.
The health of my friends and loved ones, especially my maman. I'm sure I've given her a few extra grey hairs lately.
My boyfriend who has been so supportive of me this year I've been abroad.
To have a loving and supportive family.
My friends and loved ones back home, pure and simple.
That I am living abroad in France.
That because of this, I have been able to travel throughout France and Europe.
The friends I've made on this year abroad.
That I am not as stressed as I was this time last year when completing my undergraduate Honours thesis.
That I defended my thesis and received an A.
That by all accounts, I have a bright future ahead of me.
To be able to eat so many delicious and affordable French cheeses.
And to be able to drink delicious and affordable wine along with these cheeses.
To have discovered Malbec Sec, my new favourite white wine.
To simply even have delicious food to eat every day.
My cats.
Flowers, they're beautiful. (Like the ones above, which I indulged myself for my birthday and bought at the market yesterday).
To be able to take long walks.
Fresh air.
To have grown up in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Music.
Dancing.
Laughter.
And you, dear reader!

Update: As it's my first birthday abroad, my dad sent me birthday wishes to make it a good one, and short anecdote about my neighbour back home, a World War II air force veteran, who celebrated his 19th birthday in Italy. Thank God the circumstances of my birthday abroad are different--even if the classroom can sometimes be a battle.

Les trains

2011-03-27T02:22:00.017-07:00

When I started this blog about my year living in France and travels throughout Europe, a question I asked myself was whether to write in English or French. I decided on the former as most of my readership reads English. While I am bilingual, the aspect I most want to improve on is my written French. I've therefore decided to do a series of posts in French.

I originally wrote this entry in my travel journal on the train to Lyon en route to Belgium on October 27, 2010.

En attendant mon train sur le bord du quai comme le soleil se levait, j'ai pensé à comment impressionant sont les réseaux de chemins de fer de la France et de l'Europe. C'est un avantage de l'Europe qui rend le voyage plus facile qu'en Amérique du Nord. En Amérique du Nord je ne pense pas qu'on peut voyager comme ça aussi facilement, ou du moins pas aussi abordablement. Comment les européens font-ils s'ils viennent en Amérique du Nord en voyage? Est-ce qu'ils font une grande tournée comme le font les gens de l'Amérique du Nord quand ils vont en Europe?

Read my English translation after the jump:

While waiting on the platform for my train as the sun was rising, I thought about how impressive the French and European rail networks are. It's one of Europe's advantages that make travel more easy than in North America. In North America I don't think one can travel as easily, or at least not as affordably. How do Europeans do it when they travel to North America? Do they do a grand tour like North Americans do when they go to Europe?

IAmterdam

2011-03-26T11:46:00.026-07:00

As I mentioned, it was my friend Stefan's photos of Amsterdam's quaint "off-kilter charm" (his words) that made me want to visit the city so badly. I found Amsterdam's canals, bridges and architecture so alluring, I absolutely had to go for a walk along them while I had the chance, living in Europe.

We stayed on a canal boat! This was a serendipitous find, as when planning out trip in January, we had no idea you could stay on a canal boat. But as soon as we discovered we could stay on a boat, we had to. Staying on a canal boat was an awesome experience as canal boats are such a part of the city. Not only was the boat quiet (booking a hostel in Amsterdam, we were worried about the quality of sleep we would get staying in a dorm with potheads), but the Oosterdock was centrally located and we were able to walk everywhere. My only complaint was the plumbing; it was difficult to regulate the hot and cold water in the showers--but that's why they call it a Dutch shower, right? Overall, when planning a trip to Amsterdam, I highly recommend staying on a canal boat.

We flew into Amsterdam from Geneva, and arrived into the city just as dusk was beginning to fall. After checking in, Jacky and I meandered in the general direction of the Nieumarkt, where we were told there were lots of food options (it was 8:00pm by that time, and the Dutch eat much earlier than the French). Suddenly we ended up in the Red Light District. I was a bit surprised, not at the prostitution, but that it was so easy to stumble into; I would have thought it would have been harder to find. Nevertheless, as the men were looking at the women in the windows, I was mesmerized by all the swans swimming in the Red Light District canal (over the next few days of our stay we noticed they seemed to only swim in that particular canal).

For dinner, we ended up going to Dwaze Zaken, a cool café and had veggie lasagnas with chickpeas in it (a delicious idea I'm totally adopting!). And as the rhyme goes, it was so nice, we went back twice. We returned the next night for a cheese fondue dinner and the jazz show that we had seen announced.

A word on nomenclature in Amsterdam. I had totally been ignorant of the difference between a café and a coffee shop as cannabis was not my motive for visiting Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, a café is a restaurant/bar, whereas a coffee shop is an establishment where one can buy and consume marijuana. Then there's the Starbucks-esque coffee chain, Coffee House. Apparently, many a confused tourist wander into the wrong kind of coffee establishment. Fortunately we did not, as Jacky was aware of the differences.

There is so much more to Amsterdam than pot and prostitution (which, oddly, very few locals partake in, but seem to encourage tourists to). Our first day we did a great walking tour of the city. We learned that the reason for Amsterdam's crooked charm is that that the foundations of many of the seventeenth century townhouses were made from tree trunks plunged deep into the mud. With time, a pocket of air forms and rots the logs, shifting the house any which way. As such, Amsterdam homeowners have to get their doors and windows custom fitted, as well as repair their homes' foundations.

Amsterdam is also a city of amazing museums. While we were there were went to the Van Gogh Museum. The museum traced his development as an artist, his influences and well as contextualized him within the Impressionist movement and among his contemporaries. There was also a really interesting temporary Picasso exhibit charting his first years in Paris from 1900 to 1907, ending with sketches of Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

We also visited the Rijksmuseum, which could probably be compared to the Dutch version of the Louvre. It is a huge, beautiful building (currently under renovation). I had read that it has a collection of more than 20,000 pieces, so I thought it would be an overwhelming visit, like when you try to see everything in the Louvre. Instead, it was really well curated. There were fifteen rooms, starting with an explanation of the the Dutch Golden Age and ending with Rembrandt and the Dutch Golden Age painters.

Amsterdam is a lovely city. If I went again, I would definitely go in spring as we unfortunately we missed the tulips.

Broadcasting Note

2011-03-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've been sick, but I'm better now. I listed all the ideas I've had for posts so my goal for the rest of the month is to get caught up on them.

(image from Wikipedia)

Where Am I? Amsterdam!

2011-03-07T08:56:00.023-08:00

You guessed it! I was in Amsterdam!

Three years ago, my friend Stefan lived in Stuttgart, Germany for eight months while working on co-op for Bosch, during which time he travelled all over Europe. His photos of Amsterdam's, as he described it, "off-kilter" charm is what made me want to go so badly.

Well thank you and congratulations Stefan! You are the lucky winner of the Amsterdam postcard challenge. Email me your mailing address and I'll send your postcard!

Thanks for everyone who played!

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #7

2011-03-01T23:37:00.001-08:00

This morning I am leaving on the second trip I am taking during this break. I am super excited for this trip. When I raided the library's travel section last summer before leaving, this city was at the top of my list of places to go. Here are the clues for this seventh postcard challenge:

1. Its 165 canals measure a total 75.5km in length and are crossed by 1,281 bridges.

2. The headquarters of the world's first multinational corporation were located here.
Bonus: Can you name the company?

3. This small state was a power to contend with during its Golden Age. Bonus: When was it?

Where am I going? If you think you know, leave your answer in the comments below. I will get back in the wee hours of March 7th and will draw the lucky winner later that morning. You therefore have until 6:00am Central European Time (CET) on March 7, 2010 to submit your answer.

Good luck!

Le Père Cent

2011-02-25T08:36:00.026-08:00

Today was my last day of work before the holidays. As I headed home from class, I saw students having flour fights, so I tried to avoid them.

No, it's not snow. The streets are covered with flour.
Later this afternoon on my way back to the lycée four students asked me for change. I don't give out change as a rule of thumb, so my automatic reaction was to say "no." Next thing I knew, I was floured!

I got to the lycée and the teachers explained to me that today is le Père Cent, a tradition among stéphanois lycéens. Traditionally 100 days before their final high school exams, but now celebrated the last day of school before the February holidays, students ask for change. If you say no, they throw flour at you.

Having planned make the most of the afternoon to explore a park I'd not yet been to, I ran into a few groups of students. I explained to them that I am Canadian and that in exchange for money, I wanted to take their photos. They were happy to pose for me, and I gave both groups a euro each.

Nice ASSE

2011-02-23T03:25:00.003-08:00

Outside of teaching, I don't encounter much English in my day to day life here in France (aside from speaking to other English assistants or reading the English translations of signs in museums, which contain a surprising number of mistakes). The gem above, however, is a constant source of amusement for us English speakers living in SaintÉ.

ASSE stands for Association Sportive de Saint Étienne, SaintÉ's football (soccer) team. Unlike us foreigners, the French pronounce every letter in the acronym, "A-S-S-E." They are also called les verts after the team's colour. ASSE's glory days were in the seventies, when they won la Coupe de France four times.

Although less humourous than Nice, ASSE's number one rival is Lyon. The two opponents faced off in SaintÉ the night we were in Lyon eating frog legs. Lyon won 4-1.

"Allez les verts!"

(Photo by Amy Barger)

Monopoly Money

2011-02-21T11:52:00.031-08:00

As a Canadian I have felt the need to defend our colourful currency from our southern neighbours teasing us about having Monopoly money. I was thus super amused when the bank machine dispensed my 100 franc bill (the smallest amount I could choose from) and I got my first glimpse of Swiss francs: they are way more colourful than Canadian money! Swiss francs are multicoloured and way more brightly coloured than Canadian bills.

I had heard that Geneva was super expensive, but with the exchange rate I found that things were about on par with what I would expect to pay for them in Euros. Of my 100 Swiss francs, I still have more than 40CHF left over.

(Image of Mr. Monopoly via Google Images)

Un dimanche dans la Haute-Savoie

2011-02-20T14:08:00.108-08:00

As I mentioned , Pamela, like many others, works in Geneva, but lives just across the border in France. Having seen the sights in Geneva on the Saturday, Sunday Pamela brought me to see Annecy.

Annecy is a breathtakingly gorgeous mountain town in the Haute-Savoie department of France. As with Lake Geneva, I couldn't believe how blue and crystal clear Lake Annecy was. There are many Venices in Europe--essentially every town with canals and bridges is nicknamed Venice--and Annecy is called the Venice of the Alps. Annecy's canals and architecture reminded me a lot of Bruges.

Annecy is bidding on the 2018 Winter Olympics. Being from Vancouver, I found this especially interesting and couldn't help but think of how amazing a location it would be for the games.

We spent the early afternoon leisurely walking around the old town's bridges. The old town is dominated by the Château d'Annecy, a medieval castle where the Counts of Geneva and the Dukes of Genevois-Nemours lived and which is now a museum.

Later that afternoon we drove to the tiny but picturesque medieval walled city of Yvoire, which is situated on the French shoreline of Lake Geneva. The village is so small, it only takes twenty minutes to walk around. During the warmer months, Yvoire distinguishes itself as "le village le plus fleuri de France," and also has a garden of the Five Senses. Like Annecy, Yvoire has a castle, but more incredible still is that it has been inhabited by the same family since the seventeenth century!

After a leisurely visit of Yvoire, Pamela drove me back to the train station in Geneva. It was a beautiful drive along Lake Geneva at sunset and I was amused one last time at our nearly unnoticeable transition into another country.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T23:00:00.027-08:00

I just wanted to wish all my loved ones back home a Happy Valentine's Day!
When in Rome, I visited Santa Maria in Cosmedin, home not only to the Bocca della Verità, but also to the relic of Saint Valentine's skull (how romantic, right?). You can see a picture of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in my facebook album from this trip.

Tastes Like Chicken

2011-02-13T12:59:00.027-08:00

I tried escargots back in December and liked them. Now I can also say that I have eaten les cuisses de grenouilles.

Yesterday a group of us went to Lyon. After a day spent seeing the sights with our newly-arrived American friend Claire, we set out to find a bouchon Lyonnais, a traditional Lyon restaurant, for dinner. Lyonnais cuisine is very carnivorous, offering such specialties as tripe and brain. We chose this restaurant that seemed to be a modern take on a bouchon Lyonnais that also offered a vegetarian menu as Claire is vegetarian.

In France restaurants frequently offer set menus, which are typically good value. The only downside to this is when you are torn between dishes on different menus. Last night, for example, Claire ordered delicious chèvre crème brûlée and was nice enough to let us four omnivores have a taste.

When our frog legs arrived, we were surprised to see that they had been breaded and fried--we were expecting them to be pan fried in butter and more readily resemble legs; that they didn't made it easier to not think about the fact that we were eating frogs. The legs were delicious and they did actually somewhat taste like chicken.

Eating amphibious creatures spurred the debate as to whether a pescatarian would eat frog legs (a quick google search reveals we aren't the only ones who have wondered). We texted our pescatarian friend Annie who responded that she wouldn't eat frog legs as frogs weren't fish.

So there we have it.  I have had the two most renown unsual French foods.  Are there any others I should try while I'm in France?

Un samedi à Genève

2011-02-10T01:55:00.187-08:00

Much like Belgium, Switzerland may often be left off the typical Eurotrip itinerary. But with an invitation and an old friend to meet up with, how could I not go to Geneva?

Inextricably linked with the United Nations, Geneva is probably of more interest to international relations students. However, there is more to Geneva than simply the UN. It is a beautiful city to spend the day exploring.

I arrived in Geneva late morning and met up with an old friend and classmate from UBC, Celine, who is from Geneva and works for an international organization. The sunny and spring-like weather made it the perfect day to wander the city on foot.

Crossing the pont du Mont Blanc, I couldn't believe how blue and crystal clear Lake Geneva was--unfortunately the iconic Jet d'eau was turned off. After getting a look of Geneva's famed flower clock and taking a quick walk around the jardin Anglais, we headed to the old town to climb la Cathédrale Saint Pierre's tower, where we were rewarded with an amazing view of the city and lake. We then took a walk in the parc des Bastions, where you can play giant games of chess or checkers and see the Reformation Wall.

After grabbing a quick bite of lunch, we went to the United Nations headquarters where, being an international relations student, I got the obligatory-photo-in-front-of-the-UN taken.

That evening I met up with Pamela. She, like many others, works in Geneva, but lives just across the border in France. Having not really travelled in Europe by car, crossing the border was rather novel: one moment we were in Switzerland, the next we were in France. Unlike the Canada-US border, there was no line-up and no agent to talk to; there was a customs building, but it appeared to be closed that evening.

Later that night, Pamela and I crossed back into Switzerland to have dinner at a fondue restaurant. The restaurant was decorated with murals of cows grazing in mountain scenes. We had fondue "moitié-moitié," which is half gruyère and half vacherin cheese, and was served with bread and potatoes--it was so delicious! This little taste of Savoie (the French and Swiss both lay claim to fondue being their dish), was the perfect end to a lovely day.

Where Am I? Geneva!

2011-02-07T11:56:00.046-08:00

You guessed it: I was in Geneva for the weekend!

As the home of the European headquarters of the UN, among hundreds of other international organizations, Geneva could surely be considered the modern caput mundi.

Lake Geneva (called lac Léman in French), is Western Europe's largest lake, with a surface area of 580km².

Switzerland's three C's: chocolate, cheese and clocks of course!

And Jean-Jacques Rousseau is the Genevese native whose philosophy was one of the sources of inspiration behind the French Revolution.

Congratulations to Julie, the lucky winner! I will pop this postcard in the mail for you tomorrow. Also, thank you to everyone who played!

I couldn't help but laugh when I came across these hilariously kitschy Swiss army knife chocolates--probably the ultimate Swiss souvenir--I had to buy them!

Spring break begins in just under three weeks so stay tuned for the next postcard challenges.

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #6

2011-02-04T06:00:00.036-08:00

Back in December I attended a dinner organized by one of my colleagues for current and former English students and teachers. It was there I met Pamela, an alumna, who invited me to come visit her. This weekend, I am taking her up on her offer, so here are the clues for this sixth postcard challenge:

1. The whole world is here. Ancient Rome was called the caput mundi. This city might be considered the modern caput mundi.

2. It is located on the shores of Western Europe's largest lake.

3. The country is known for three things which begin with the letter "C".

4. The philosophy of a native of this city is considered to have influenced the French Revolution.

Where am I going? If you think you know, leave your answer in the comments below before 4:00pm CET on Monday, February 7th. I will draw the lucky winner once I'm home from work. Props to you if you can answer each of the clues(but don't worry if you can't, it will not put you at a disadvantage for a postcard).

Good luck!

Groundhog Day

2011-02-03T11:25:00.030-08:00

Yesterday was Groundhog Day in North America, and while France doesn't partake in it, I would say that judging by the snowfall the day before, that we still have at least six weeks of winter left; despite the spring-like weather that started off the new year here, winter's not over yet.

Talking to some colleagues at lunch today, I learned that in France yesterday was la Chandeleur. Although originally a religious holiday, it is now celebrated by eating crêpes. According to superstition, if you succeed in flipping the crêpe in the pan while holding a gold coin in your left hand your family will have a prosperous year.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2011-01-31T00:23:00.068-08:00

A few weeks ago I was asked if I could help supervise my school's English-language movie night. Having an hour to kill between the time I finished work and the movie night, I picked up this book from my school's library. I was initially drawn to the book because one of my classes read it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a quick, delightful read told in the style of letters back and forth between the protagonist, Juliet Ashton, and the other characters (I love snail mail!). The novel is set in Britain just after the end of World War II and tells the story of Juliet writing a book about the Guernsey Islanders' experiences under German occupation. Though the book deals with the war, the story is for the most part lighthearted. One of things I enjoyed most about this book is the British humour, which though written by two Americans--Mary Ann Shaffer and completed by her niece, Annie Burrows, after her death--is spot on.

(Image via Google Images)

Cartolina Cartograms

2011-01-30T14:35:00.044-08:00

How pretty are these Cartograms from Cartolina's iPhone app? It makes me want an iPhone so I can send them!

I discovered this app through Design*Sponge, and was even more excited to find out that the designer behind Cartolina, which also makes cards and paper goods, is based in British Columbia! What a small world the WWW is! Cartolina cards are available for sale around Vancouver at places like the Vancouver Public Library store book'mark, so I'm sure I've seen and admired them before. It's just so neat to discover something from home when halfway across the world.

(images from Cartolina via Design*Sponge)

One Flew Over the Alps

2011-01-27T11:18:00.054-08:00

I flew back from Rome the morning of December 27. As I had to get up before the crack of dawn to catch my flight, I fell asleep on the plane. Nearly home, I woke up to this view:

A sunny, clear view of the Alps! It was a spectacular sight!
On the flight back, I ended up sitting next to a twenty-year-old American seminary student on exchange to Rome. I ended up helping him and his two friends, also American seminary students in their twenties who had been sitting a few rows ahead of us, get from the airport to the train station. It was really interesting to talk to them as one doesn't often meet young North American men studying to enter the priesthood. When we parted ways at the train station I even heard them call "God bless you" after me!

La dolce vita

2011-01-24T14:25:00.065-08:00

As I mentioned, I was immediately stuck by Rome's unique ambiance and vibrant, warm-hued buildings. I made it a mission of mine to try to capture this charming essence. Here are some of my attempts:

A street near Piazza Navona the first day.
I had my last day in Rome to myself, as my friends had continued to Florence, so I walked around the Trastavere district. Trastavere was my favourite neighbourhood in Rome. It's a bit more rustic and picturesque, and seemingly less touristy. Next time I am in Rome, I would spend more time there.

This was my view walking home toward Santa Maria Maggiore at the end of each day in Rome:

Bocca della Verità

2011-01-19T02:15:00.036-08:00

After visiting the Roman baths on our first day in Rome, we set out to explore the city. We stopped by the Bocca della Verità, which was featured in Roman Holiday.

According to legend, if one placed their hand in its mouth and was lying, their hand would be "bitten off." Apparently priests fuelled this myth by placing scorpions in the mouth.

Here I am joking around in the Vatican Museum the next day.

Rome: Midnight Mass

2011-01-17T12:49:00.093-08:00

Going home for the holidays was never part of my plan; I left for Europe fully prepared to be away for the full eight months. My original plan was to spend Christmas with Kristen in Norway. When that fell through due to Kristen's boyfriend buying her a ticket to Toronto for the holidays, I made plans to go to Rome.

Rome was very un-Christmassy. There were way fewer Christmas decorations than I would have expected, especially having walked down Paris' Champs Élysées the week before. There there were some Christmas lights strung in the narrow streets, and the nativity scene and Santa's sleigh and Christmas tree set up in Piazza Venezia before the monument to Vitorrio Emanuele II. The climate was also not what I consider to be Christmastime weather. I have been calling Rome my first "tropical getaway" as in the daytime it hovered around a balmy 10°C (as compared to hovering around 0°C in SaintÉ), and perhaps even reached 15 or 17°C on December 23. Rome's un-Christmassiness made my first Christmas away from home much easier; often we would just forget it was Christmastime.

As I was in Rome over Christmas, my pilgrimage to Saint Peter's Square for midnight mass was thus somewhat incidental; having been brought up Catholic, I couldn't very well not take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to midnight mass at the Vatican.

It had poured rain all day Christmas Eve, which was especially disheartening as that was the day we had tickets to visit the Coliseum, Palatino, and Roman Forum. Because of the downpour, we weren't sure we would be able to attend midnight mass. But the rain finally stopped mid-evening and we set out for Saint Peter's Square.

Saint Peter's Square was so amazing! As soon as I arrived, I was instantly imbued with happiness.

Before leaving for Rome, I had read online that one needed to arrive early because thousands of people flock to Saint Peter's Square for the mass. We arrived shortly after 9 o'clock for the 10 o'clock mass and there were surprisingly few people there. Even by the time mass started, the square could not be considered crowded. Emily and I speculated that the rain deterred a lot of people from coming.

To be in Saint Peter's Square for midnight mass was such a moving experience, and exactly how I wanted to celebrate Christmas in Rome.

Day and Night

2011-01-15T02:39:00.079-08:00

This was the view I woke up to this morning, and every sunshine-filled morning for that matter. It has been such a beautiful month so far, sunny and warm--almost an early-spring feel in the air.

Mid-last week I started to notice that the days were getting longer. The transition from winter into spring is one of my favourite times of the year. It's so encouraging to notice little differences every day and to have summer to look forward to.

As my dad noted, according to timeanddate.com, the days in Saint Étienne are nearly an hour longer than Red Deer, where he lives. I am only getting little less than a half hour of daytime more than Vancouver.

In Saint Étienne, the sun currently rises at 8:19am and sets at 5:25pm, making for a day of 9 hours 6 minutes. In Vancouver, the sun presently rises at 8:02am and sets at 4:42pm, for a day of 8 hours 40 minutes. And in Red Deer, sunrise is currently at 8:38am and sunset is at 4:52pm, for a day of 8 hours 14 minutes.

Even since I checked last week, the days have gotten much longer!

Broadcasting Interruption

2011-01-12T14:35:00.039-08:00

I just wanted to apologize for the radio silence. I really wanted to catch up on blogging over the break (ever noticed how I never finished telling about Belgium, or Dijon, or la fête des lumières du 8 décembre?).

The truth is, after I got back from Rome I got sick with a really debilitating sore throat that I only just recovered from last weekend. So I feel I have been really bad at getting anything (blogging, sending snail mail etc.) done ever since. I will get on top of things though!

(image from Wikipedia)

Kitchen

2011-01-02T05:46:00.072-08:00

I have been meaning to give a virtual tour of my flat. You have already seen my living room, and a glimpse of my kitchen, so I thought I would show you the rest of the kitchen.

This is our kitchen table. I thought the rooster from the Beaujolais Nouveau label was pretty, so I brought a poster back to decorate our kitchen.

Overall, I like our spacious kitchen--especially the floor tiles. It does have its drawbacks though, namely enough storage space and surfaces. We have tried to maximize storage space by placing things on top of the cabinets and fridge.

The kitchen is nice and bright. This door leads to a small balcony with this view.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T01:12:00.001-08:00

La grande roue au Marché de Noël
Happy New Year! With the time difference, I rang in 2011 when it was only 3:00pm December 31, 2010 back in Vancouver.

For me, 2010 was a year that got better as it progressed. In 2010:

After lots of stress and hard work, I completed my undergraduate Honours thesis, defended it and got an A;
I graduated from UBC;
I moved to France to teach English;
As such, I have been able to travel around France and Europe, so far to Belgium, and Rome.

In 2011 I am looking forward to more travel and summer in Vancouver!

My New Year's resolution for 2011 is to wear more dresses!

How was your 2010?  How did you ring in the new year?  Have you made any resolutions for 2011?  What are you looking forward to in 2010?

Roman Holiday

2010-12-28T05:47:00.079-08:00

Rome was amazing. The city has a very particular atmosphere that is unlike anywhere else I have been to so far. While being a big, bustling city, it retains a certain relaxed quality; perhaps it's la dolce vita. Having now been there, I feel I can now understand how some people fall absolutely in love with Italy. I, too, have fallen in love with Rome, if not Italy. It didn't take me long, just the walk from Termini station to our Bed & Breakfast at Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore. It was the combination of seeing nuns and the vibrant and warm shades of golden yellow, peach, and terracotta orange buildings accentuated with green or brown shutters that charmed me. Having watched Roman Holiday just before leaving on this trip, I understand why Audrey Hepburn's character could not stop exclaiming

Santa Maria Maggiore
After checking into our bed & breakfast, we set out to explore Rome. Heading to the Terme di Caracalla, the Roman baths, we made a left turn and there was the Coliseum just ahead.

Rome has a very layered feel; ruins seem to be scattered pretty much throughout the city (many of which were discovered during excavation for construction) so they can be seen among buildings built at anytime in the last two millennia.

These are the ruins of what are thought to be ancient temples located just off one of the busiest streets in Rome, which cats have made their home:

Where Am I? Rome!

2010-12-27T06:35:00.048-08:00

You guessed it: I was in Rome for the holidays!

Legend has it that Rome was founded in 753BC by Romulus, who along with his brother Remus, was raised by a wolf. In fact, the image of two baby boys suckling a wolf can be seen all over Rome.

It is into the Trevi fountain that tourists toss an estimated 3,000 euros every day. According to legend, if you toss a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder into the fountain you will come back to Rome one day.

Congratulations to Jocelyne, the lucky winner! I will pop this postcard in the mail for you tomorrow. Also, thank you to everyone who played!

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #5

2010-12-20T22:00:00.005-08:00

Today I am leaving on my next trip. I will be gone one week over the holidays. Here are the clues for the postcard challenge:

1. It is one of the oldest cities in Western civilization, its history stretching back at least three millenia.

2. Legend has it that its founder was raised by a wolf.

3. An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into this city's fountain every day thus ensuring continued tourism.

Where am I going? If you think you know, leave your answer in the comments below. Again, props to you if you can answer each of the three clues(but don't worry, it will not put you at an advantage for a postcard). I will draw the lucky winner once I am back on December 27th. This means you have until 12:00pm (Noon) Central European Time (CET) on December 27, 2010 to guess and leave your answer. If you are commenting anonymously, please remember to leave your name in the body of the comment otherwise I don't know who your are.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Looking a lot like Christmas II

2010-12-20T11:51:00.000-08:00

I just thought I'd share a few more Christmastime photos with you:

I strung string between these two wall lamps in our living room and hung the Christmas cards I received as they came in. If you look closely you'll notice that the second one from the right is actually a Hallowe'en card. Although my friend mailed it to me in October, I did not receive it until early December.

This card is from my dad. It's super neat. Not only does it pop-up into a three-dimensional winter cottage, but if you press a button on the card, it actually lights up!

Merry Christmas!

Looking a lot like Christmas

2010-12-19T04:31:00.054-08:00

Just thought I'd share a few photos of Saint Etienne at Christmastime:

Santa's sleigh

A polar bear and Christmas tree

Le marché de noël

Where Am I? Paris!

2010-12-17T09:57:00.044-08:00

You guessed it: Peter and I were in Paris!

Paris was lovely. I am truly convinced that there is no bad season to visit, having been in spring 2006 and this past September. No matter the weather, the sights are beautiful.

While Peter had the amazing opportunity to tour Europe with Siskiyou, he didn't really get the opportunity to be a tourist in the towns they played. So in Paris we did touristy things like see the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Sacré Coeur, Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge, and the Mona Lisa. We also visited the Opera house, which was really cool and something I might not have done had I not been visiting Paris with a musician.

The trip was somewhat bittersweet because it mean that our visit was ending and Peter would return to Canada. Even so, I am so glad he came to see me.

Congratulations to Kit, the lucky winner! I will pop this postcard in the mail for you tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone who played! Just a reminder to please leave your name in the body of the comment if you comment anonymously, otherwise I don't know who it is that is playing.

The next set of postcard challenge clues will be posted on Tuesday.

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #4

2010-12-14T23:29:00.029-08:00

Peter and I are leaving on a short trip before he returns to Canada on Friday. Here are the clues for this fourth postcard challenge:

1. It has consistently been a top--if not the top--ranking tourist destination.

2. Thirty-two bridges link the two sides of this city divided by a river.

3. It is home to a structure weighing 7,000 tonnes but that exerts about the same pressure on the ground as a person sitting on a chair.

Where am I going? If you think you know, leave your answer in the comments below. Again, props to you if you can answer each of the three clues(but don't worry, it will not put you at an advantage for a postcard). I will be back on December 17th and will draw the lucky winner once I'm home from work that day. This means you have until 5:00pm Central European Time (CET) on December 17, 2010 to guess and leave your answer.

Good luck!

I did it!

2010-12-14T14:20:00.027-08:00

I ate escargot! Peter and I went for dinner tonight at the Escargot d'Or, the nicest restaurant in SaintÉ, and I ordered Escargots de Bourgogne as my appetizer. It was actually super yummy, all covered in butter and pistou. The escargots were actually a lot firmer than I expected them to be and I found that I didn't actually think too much about what they actually were (snails!) and so I wasn't grossed out at all.

Nanaimo Bars

2010-12-13T08:30:00.066-08:00

Every Monday the teachers get together at recess to share a dessert, or douceur du lundi as they call it. I signed up for December 13th, today. I wanted to bring something Canadian and so I decided to bring Nanaimo Bars, which were invented just outside of the city for which it is named.

In 1986, the City of Nanaimo held a contest to find the "ultimate Nanaimo Bar recipe". I used this "official" recipe, but strayed from it on a few points:

1. I approximated the amount of coconut and almonds I used in the bottom layer (mostly because of the size of my baking dishes).
2. I could not find graham crackers in France so I used baby/digestible cookies.
3. I cut the amount of sugar I used in the middle layer and used regular white sugar instead of icing sugar and added a splash of vanilla extract to the middle cream layer.

The recipe calls for vanilla custard powder, which from what I can tell is just to add vanilla flavouring so in the future I would probably omit it and just use vanilla extract (it was not easy find in SaintÉ, but I ended up finding it hidden on a bottom shelf in Auchan).

It was super easy to make. The hardest part was creaming the butter by hand with a whisk (women baking without appliances must have had great arms).

They were well-received by my colleagues, many of whom just helped themselves to a small square because of all the butter involved--I don't blame them; this is my second time baking in France (not that I baked often in Canada) and I am starting to realise how much butter is frequently involved.

Peter is Arriving

2010-12-08T07:18:00.043-08:00

Peter's train journey from Fulda, Germany to Lyon, France
In a few short hours, I will be meeting Peter at Lyon Part-Dieu train station. Peter finished his month-long European tour with Siskiyou last night in Fulda, Germany. Early this morning he boarded a train to make the several-hours-long trip to visit me before he returns home to Canada for Christmas. Schematically, Peter's journey looks like this:

Fulda, German → Frankfurt, Germany → Bern, Switzerland → Geneva, Switzerland → Lyon, France

With transfers in Frankfurt, Bern, and Geneva.

As tonight is le 8 décembre, it's the first day of the fête des lumières, and Peter and I are staying in Lyon to see the festival.

Dijon

2010-12-06T08:27:00.070-08:00

Our motive was mustard...

The Maille boutique in Dijon. Me with lots of Dijon mustard.
And oh there was mustard. Lots of mustard. The Maille boutique in Dijon certainly had dozens (if not hundreds) of varieties. There were several mustards to sample in store, the most interesting of which I tried was the chocolate Spéculoos mustard; it had a subtle chocolatey-cinnamony taste that was followed by a more traditional spicy dijon flavour. I picked up a bottles of Pétales de Violette et Pousse de Radis Rose and citron harissa mustard.

(Photo of me with mustard by Kathleen Campbell)

Where Am I? Dijon!

2010-12-05T12:16:00.032-08:00

You guessed it: I mustered up the energy to catch a train Saturday morning and went to Dijon! (I have been looking forward to using that pun.)

Congratulations to the lucky winners, Andrew and Mandy! I will pop this postcard in the mail for you tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone who played! There will be at least two more postcard challenges this month, which I will post next week and the week after.

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #3

2010-12-03T06:00:00.043-08:00

Tomorrow morning I will be taking a day-trip. Here are the clues for this third postcard challenge:

1. This city was once the capital of Burgundy.

2. It is the home of a popular sauce sharing this city's name.

3. Kir was invented here; or at least, it was named after a former-mayor of this city who popularized it.

Where am I going? If you think you know, leave your answer in the comments below before 5:00pm Central European Time (CET) on December 5, 2010.

Good luck!

Il neige!

2010-11-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

The snowy courtyard of my lycée
It's snowing! For real this time. Even while being a gorgeous November, it has snowed three times. The first two times, snowflakes fell from the sky and turned to rain as they neared the ground and last Friday's snow, although it stuck, was barely more than a dusting.

My feelings toward the snow vary. At times I find myself loathing it, other times I get giddy and excited. I feel uncomfortable admitting I sometimes loathe snow. As a child, I could not understand why my mom was not as excited as I when it snowed (because she had to drive in it) and vowed to myself that I would not grow up to detest the snow. The last few winters in Vancouver have had particularly heavy snowfalls though (by Vancouver standards), and being Vancouver, the city is ill-equipped to deal with it, which has turned me against the snow.

I am mostly excited for this snow as I am in France and my commute to work is a five minute walk. I am also hopeful that the snow will deter the French from walking their dogs and letting them shit freely on the sidewalks without picking up after them.

The same view from my kitchen window taken November 26, 2010
It would also be perfect weather to wear these. I discovered them last night and got super excited; until now, I think the only way to get the coveted CBC Radio 3 toque and scarf was to win them. Were I in Vancouver, they would totally be at the top of my Christmas wish list.

November is the Cruelest Month

2010-11-29T14:07:00.006-08:00

View looking to the right from my kitchen balcony taken November 18, 2010
November is decidedly my least favourite month of the year in Vancouver. It's rainy, cold, and downright dreary. Moreover, being Canadian, there are no November holidays to brighten one's mood (although Peter's birthday has helped improve my esteem of November).

In contrast, November in SaintÉ has been beautiful and unexpectedly sunny, albeit cold. November here is not despicable at all.

Arcade Fire Live in Lyon

2010-11-28T06:36:00.132-08:00

This was an eventful week. The day after hosting American Thanksgiving, a group of us hopped a train to Lyon to see Arcade Fire.

Arcade Fire played Vancouver the week after I left. I was kind of sad to be missing them. When I found out they were playing Lyon, I was immediately excited and bought a ticket.

Fucked Up shared the bill, which I thought was a bit of an odd pairing and the audience's reception would seem to indicate they thought so too. We arrived just after 8:00pm and Fucked Up had already started. Shows in France apparently run earlier and more on time than in Vancouver, so we missed most of their set. I nevertheless caught what I could of their set. I really supported Fucked Up's 2009 release of Do They Know Its Christmas?, proceeds of which were donated to charities helping women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and Aboriginal women.

Arcade Fire was amazing. It was a little surreal and threw me off a bit when Win Butler greeted the crowd with, "Bonjour Lyon!" as I typically see shows in Vancouver. Arcade Fire is one of my favourite bands and Suburbs is one of my favourite records of 2010 so I relished every minute of their set. The show was a good balance between Suburbs and their two previous records, Neon Bible and Funeral.

One of the highligts of the night was Régine Chassagne's two-song interlude. To be honest though, prior to Suburbs, I did not find songs featuring Chassagne on lead vocals captivating. I felt her songs on Suburbs, however, were stronger and more engaging. Her performance of "Haïti" and "Sprawl II" solidified this for me.

(Photo via Exclaim!)

American Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T03:54:00.143-08:00

This past Thursday was American Thanksgiving, as Canadians call it to distinguish it from our own Thanksgiving, which takes place about six weeks earlier. Thanksgiving has never been that big a deal to me, probably because my parents grew up in Québec, where the holiday was not really celebrated. Even compared to English Canada though, Thanksgiving seems to be a bigger deal in the United States. The Canadians on the program here were not very organized and therefore we did not celebrate Thanksgiving. The Americans were thinking about it well in advance, and a friend of mine, Kathleen from Georgia, even brought two cans of pumpkin for pie, boxed stuffing, and gravy mix.

As both ovens and spacious apartments seem to be luxuries in France, I volunteered my flat for the American Thanksgiving festivities.

On the day before Thanksgiving, Kathleen arrived at my flat bright and early and we started by preparing the crusts for the pumpkin pies using this foolproof recipe for flaky pie crust.

Next, Kathleen went to pick up "la grosse dinde," the large turkey she had specially pre-ordered from a butcher (because apparently the French do not commonly eat whole turkeys). Our freshly killed grosse dinde was 12 lbs., smaller than its "large" American cousins, probably because it was likely a heritage turkey and was not pumped with growth hormones (vive la France!).

As neither of us had every roasted a turkey before, Kathleen called her grandmother the night before to ask for tips. It proved especially useful, as Kathleen's grandmother was old enough to have roasted freshly killed turkeys before (rather than getting them plastic-wrapped from the supermarket as is more common today).

Kathleen's grandmother suggested that because it was freshly killed (and a bit bloody), we should rise and soak it in salt water for an hour to clean it.

Me giving a thumbs up, proud that we had so far managed to handle the turkey.
Kathleen, my room mate Andrenne, and I affectionately and alliteratively named the turkey Didier la Dinde. After soaking Didier, Kathleen and I wrapped him back up in the brown paper he came in and put him in a plastic bag in the fridge until we were ready to roast him the next day.

Kathleen left to go tutor. Meanwhile, Andrenne made stuffing, I went out to go buy carrots for the side dish I was making, and my friend Jacky from Los Angeles came by to use our oven to make yam casserole--an American dish combining mashed yams, sugar, cinnamon and marshmallows.

Later that night Kathleen returned with our friend Marryn, and we baked the pumpkin pies one at a time because the oven was only big enough for one pie plate.

Pumpkin pie baking in the oven. Note the oven thermometre next to it, because our oven dial does not have temperature settings like a regular oven, it has settings 1 through 9.
It truly felt like the holidays, as we cooked all day the day before and all day on Thanksgiving day. It was so cold outside, and we had so much food prepared, we were able to keep what did not fit in our fridge out on our balconies.

The next day Kathleen came by at on o'clock to have a light lunch and roast Didier. We stuffed Didier with onions and stuffing, buttered him and into the oven he went for the next several hours.

The roasting of Didier la Dinde
My room mates and I all had to work that afternoon, so Kathleen kindly kept a watchful eye on Didier with Marryn and Amanda.

Kathleen proudly bringing Didier to the dining room table.
Our 20-25 guests started arriving at seven o'clock with their appetites and side dishes for our Thanksgiving potlatch. It was a a huge success. There was more than enough food for everyone. I packed a little tin foil of turkey leftovers for each guest to take home. Our fridge is full of left overs and I have had yogurt with cranberry sauce and granola for breakfast two days in a row now--yum!

(Photos: my own, except pumpkin pie photo by Kathleen Campbell)

Les manifs continuent

2010-11-23T01:43:00.099-08:00

Another manifestation just marched by my house this morning:

After the mani I wrote about in October opposition to retirement reform continued to be sustained ahead of the Senate's vote on the bill. The students continued to blockade the school, only letting prépas students in to attend classes. This continued for the next week. I therefore spent most of October sitting in the teachers' lounge to make sure I would get paid not not be marked as "on strike." I taught my prep school classes and the odd class when lycéens who did not want the school barricaded managed to find their way in. The students do not have the right to blockade the school, but no one took any action to break it up; that would be flying in the face of more than 200 years of history and likely have caused an incident.

Here is the video I shot of the student blockade on October 12th
The student blockade let up for the last two or three days before Toussaint holidays, but attendance was poor.

I had planned to go to Belgium over Toussaint holidays and was nervous about trains being perturbed, especially as there was another day of protest scheduled for the day after I was leaving. Fortunately, I left earlier than I needed to and everything ended up being fine. My roommates were not so lucky.

The retirement reform bill passed at the end of October, but that has not deterred the resolve of all. Another mani was held November 6 and, as mentioned, one took place today. The one I saw this morning seemed less well attended than that of October 12th, but they were just as determined to force government to bend to the will of the people.

Remembrance Day

2010-11-21T14:19:00.061-08:00

Monument to the war dead of WWI and WWII
Last week and the week before I taught lessons about Remembrance Day, focusing on the differences between Canadian and French commemorations of this day. I had not brought a poppy with me from Canada when I left in September, and was surprised that poppies weren't also a tradition in France.

The biggest surprise, however, was when my students told me they did not really commemorate le jour de l'Armistice, as it is called here. The school held a ceremony the day before Remembrance Day, but attendance was voluntary and only one of my students told me they had attended. I think age and the different, more difficult history concerning the Résistance and collaboration during WWII, may have a lot to do with youth commemoration of Remembrance Day; some of my students told me that their families did not speak about their relatives' involvement in the war.

Despite this, I did see evidence of Armistice Day ceremonies being prepared for in Toulouse, and having taken place in SaintÉ (pictured above) when I returned from my trip.

Siskiyou en France

2010-11-19T05:11:00.167-08:00

Siskiyou at The Saint Ex in Bordeaux
As I mentioned, I went to Toulouse to see Peter play with Siskiyou. Peter had previously played bass on Siskiyou's record. At some point this past summer, Colin Huebert asked Peter if he would be interested in playing bass on an autumn tour of Europe. It was a split-second decision for him, as he would not only fulfill a dream, but potentially get to see me in Europe.

Despite my perhaps inherent bias toward Siskiyou, as Peter is my boyfriend, I really like their music. Prior to the show, I had only heard Siskiyou's album online. The live show was excellent. The live show was true to recordings, for example, using a melodica live as a substitute for the horns and accordion on the record.

Peter showcased his musicianship, not only played bass, but guitar, melodica and keys, and sometimes more than one of these at once, always transitioning seamlessly. In addition to Peter on tour with Huebert and Erik Arnesen, the line-up was rounded-out by Shaunn Watt on drums, vocals, and guitar. I first met Shaunn six or seven years ago when we were in high school, but had since lost touch. It was nice to meet him again so unexpectedly and on a completely different continent, and was a testament to how small the world (or the Vancouver music scene) really is. Although not familiar with his more recent projects, which include the Vancouver-based folk/rock band Red Cedar, I was a fan of Sic Semper, and think that Shaunn's vocals were a perfect fit for Siskiyou.

The write up in Le Lieu Commun's monthly listings compared Siskiyou to Sparklehorse, but I hear more old Modest Mouse and "It's All Going To End" reminds me of Eels.

My favourite songs are "Everything I Have" and "Never Ever Ever Ever Again" so it was awesome to see it performed live, with Bart on the musical saw for the latter. Another highlight of the live show was their rendition of Neil Young's "Revolution Blues," which you can watch here.

I really enjoyed my trip to see Peter with Siskiyou in Toulouse and Bordeaux. It was a fun couple of days in Toulouse and Bordeaux with Siskiyou, even with the van troubles. As we arrived in Bordeaux at 5:00pm and it was getting dark, I didn't get to visit the city, so I will have to go again and tell you about it then.

Did you see Siskiyou on one of their Canadian tour dates?  What did you think?

Le Beaujolais Nouveau

2010-11-18T14:35:00.042-08:00

Today, the third Thursday of November, was la fête du Beaujolais Nouveau. The Beaujolais region is close-by, just East and North of Lyon. Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine of the season to be ready to drink and today was the first day that Beaujolais Nouveau could be uncorked and sold. The celebration dates back to the 1980s and its roots are based in advertising, but it is fun anyways. I especially liked the colourful rooster on the labels of the bottles we had for our party in the teachers' lounge after class today.

Toulouse

2010-11-14T14:56:00.154-08:00

On Wednesday morning, I woke up really early to catch the 6:14am train to Toulouse to see Peter, who is currently touring Europe with Siskiyou.

I was so tired that I slept for most of the train ride between Lyon and Toulouse. The train rolled through the French countryside, and what I did see of it was beautiful: rolling hills dotted with stone farmhouses. I wish I could have mustered the energy to pull out my camera and snap a few photographs, but the scenery alone would be enough cause to make the trip again.

Gare Toulouse Matabiau

I arrived in Toulouse at about 11:15am at Gare Toulouse Matabiau, which is right on the bank of the Midi canal. My hotel was just on the opposite bank on the cleverly-named boulevard de Bonrepos.

As Toulouse is called la ville rose, I somewhat expected to see bright pink buildings. Toulouse gets its name, however, from its rose-red brick buildings, which differs from the predominantly beige stone buildings I've seen in Paris, Lyon, and Saint Etienne.

Earlier that week, I had done a lesson on Remembrance Day only to be told by my classes that its French equivalent, Armistice Day, was not that big of a deal (more on this later).

I passed this war memorial, Monument aux Morts, during my walk around Toulouse. It seemed that there were preparations underway for ceremony the next day as bleachers had been set up across from the monument and nice flowers had been planted around it.

I continued down Allées Jules Guesde, through a city park where I saw a peacock (but he did not show me his tail), and across the Garonne river.

View of Pont de Halage de Tounis

View of Pont Neuf crossing the Garonne river
One interesting thing I noticed in Toulouse was that the street signs were in both French and Occitan.

After crossing the Garonne, I headed back to my hotel for a quick nap before meeting up with Peter.

Where Am I? Toulouse & Bordeaux!

2010-11-12T09:27:00.001-08:00

You guys guessed it: I was in Toulouse and Bordeaux this week!

Congratulations to the lucky winner, Julie! Please e-mail me your address and I will pop this postcard in the mail for you. Also thank you to Kit for playing, hopefully third time will be the charm!

I'm staying put for the next little while now, but I still have lots of stories from Belgium and this trip to tell. The next postcard challenges will likely not be until December.

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #2

2010-11-09T21:00:00.039-08:00

This morning I am catching a train to my next destination. I'll be gone for a few days, visit two cities and be back in time to teach my class Friday afternoon. Here are the clues for the second postcard challenge:

1. The first city I will be visiting is known as la ville rose.

2. There, it is always noon on the canal.

3. The two cities are approximately 245km apart.

4. The second city is found on many labels, as well as in many glasses.

Where am I going? If you think you know, leave your answer in the comments below. Again, props to you if you can answer each of the three clues(but don't worry, it will not put you at an advantage for a postcard). I will be back on November 12th and will draw the lucky winner once I'm home from work that day. This means you have until 5:00pm Central European Time (CET) on November 12, 2010 to guess and leave your answer.

Good luck!

In Bruges

2010-11-08T14:50:00.122-08:00

Or,Here's Another Picture of a Bridge

Bruges, like the rest of Belgium, was beautiful. It was not at all the tourist-infested nightmare I had heard it was. In fact, our day was spent leisurely strolling over Bruges' many bridges and admiring the town's natural and architectural beauty. We were in such awe of the scenery we saw everywhere we looked that we probably snapped two-hundred pictures of bridges (how many are there in Bruges?) and buildings between the two of us.

Rather than repeat the word "beautiful" a thousand times, here are a few of the many pictures of Bruges' bridges I took:

If autumn is as beautiful as it was in both Bruges and at the abbey in Leuven, I may be converted me into an autumn traveller.

Leuven

2010-11-06T07:17:00.001-07:00

Leuven is just twenty minutes East of Brussels by train. I had never heard of Leuven before Kristen spoke about doing her MA in philosophy at the university there. It may be familiar to observant drinkers of Stella Artois, as Leuven is home to the brewery and the name appears on the beer's label.

KU Leuven University Library
Leuven has been a university town since the middle ages, when the university was founded in 1425. In the late 1960s, a feud between the French and Dutch-speaking factions of the university caused the two groups to split. KU Leuven became a Dutch-speaking university, while the French moved to Louvain-la-Neuve and founded the French-speaking Université Catholique de Louvain.

During First World War the university library was burned by the Germans. After the war, the Americans rebuilt the library only to have it burnt by the Germans again during the Second World War. It's a beautiful library and the names of the American universities that made donations towards its reconstruction after WWII are carved into its stones.

The bizarre bug-on-a-sewing-needle public art in the square opposite the library.
Leuven is probably not somewhere you would typically visit as a tourist unless you knew someone there, such as I did. The abbey there, however, was one of the highlights of my trip.

Cows grazing in the fields near the abbey.

The Belgian countryside is so beautiful. Sitting across the lake from the abbey I seemed to suddenly understand what inspired the northern painters' rich pallets: the dark green, burgundy, amber and orange leaves.

Belgium

2010-11-05T04:29:00.129-07:00

I spent a wonderful week in Belgium and now I am left with the challenge of how to sum it all up.

I have to admit that were my friend Kristen not in Belgium doing her MA in philosophy, I might not have visited the country--or at least not so soon. It is my impression (or false impression perhaps) that Belgium is often left off of travellers' itineraries when visiting Europe. I think this is because Belgium is relatively little known compared to its European Great Power neighbours and its monuments are not as immediately recognisable as, for example, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, or the Colliseum.

View of Brussels' Town Hall spire

I flew to Brussels from Lyon. It was cloudy and starting to get dark when we landed. Brussels International Airport was unexpectedly large and somewhat of an obstacle course to get out of. Following the exit signs, I took at least four rolling sidewalks, then up and later down several escalators to the train. From the airport I took a train to Leuven, where I would be staying at my friend Kristen's flat. When the train pulled out of the tunnel it was dark out, so my arrival in Belgium was somewhat mysterious. I would have to wait until the next morning for my first real glimpses of Belgium.

Where Am I? Belgium!

2010-11-03T16:28:00.001-07:00

You guys all guessed it: I was in Belgium! Home of Tintin and its invasion by Germany brought Britain into World War I because of the 1839 Treaty of London.

Congratulations to the lucky winner, my Dad! I'll pop this postcard in the mail for you and you should receive it shortly. Also a big thank you to Kit and Andrew for playing!

The next set of clues for postcard challenge #2 will be posted next Wednesday when I leave on my next trip. I hope you play!

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #1

2010-10-25T04:37:00.000-07:00

Toussaint holidays have arrived so on Wednesday I'll be leaving to take a little trip. Here are the clues to the first postcard challenge:

1. This officially trilingual country is renown for its fine chocolates and beer.

2. It is also the home country of a famous fictional reporter.

3. A treaty this country had brought Britain into the Great War.

Where am I going? If you think you know, leave your answer in the comments below. Bonus points to you if you can name both the reporter and the treaty (but don't worry, it will not put you at an advantage for a postcard). I will be back on November 3rd so you have until 12:01am France time on November 4, 2010 to guess and leave your answer. I'll announce the winner on November 4th! Good luck!

The Snailr Project

2010-10-22T09:36:00.022-07:00

Just as I was devising my postcard challenge, Anna of Little Red Boat announced her own postcard plan, the Snailr Project.

Anna planned a train journey around the United States during which she would send postcards to interested readers. You can read more about the premise of the Snailr Project here.

As it was such an interesting idea, and I love receiving snail, I signed up. Anna's journey was to end two days before I was to leave Vancouver for France so there was even a chance I might even receive the postcard before I left. As luck would have it though, the postcard arrived the day after I left.

As part of the project, Anna asked that recipients scan a photo of the postcard back to her. As my postcard was in Vancouver and I was in France, I had my mom send it to me. So not only did the postcard travel from Somewhere, U.S.A. to Vancouver, Canada, but it also travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to me just outside of Lyon, France, a journey totalling more than 11,300 km.

My Snailr Project Postcard's Trajectory
I received postcard #88, which reads:

One handy tip, should you ever find yourself in downtown Memphis, waiting for a train in search of something a bit unique: We find ourselves in Earnestine + Hazel's sundries store, which is only a few steps form the station

Minuses of Earnestine + Hazel's: Its horrendous selection of bottled lager (and nothing else) and if you don't like dive bars, or are vegetarian, also you wouldn't like it much. Because: of E+H Plusses, as well as only beer; they only serve one food: teh soul burger (grilled on a plate wased in pickle juice) they have a barman who is lovely and when you talk to him, will give you money from the till to put some tunes on the (soul-only) jukebox, and let you look around upstairs--which used to be a speakeasy/brothel. Lovely.

Thank you, Anna, for including me in your Snailr Project!

Stay tuned, I'll post the clues to the first postcard challenge early next week.