Sud de la France

09Jun07

South of France 24 – 27 mai.2007

Mode of Transport: Train Grande Vitesse.Status upon Arrival: Ready for the Mediterranean

We took the TGV straight to Marseille. 3 hours by train and what a wonderful ride. The TGV is a high tech speed train that connects cities in France. Probably one of the most interconnected and advanced train networks in the world, only rivalling that of Japan. Canada needs to jump on the bandwagon, a country so big should invest on this machine, from east to west it would be amazing.

To be continued…

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Praha České republiky

09Jun07

Praha České 19 – 22 mai.2007

Mode of Transport: Train.Status upon Arrival: Sleeeeepy

I pulled another all nighter. Our train was out at 6.45am so I didn’t bother sleeping. I’ve found out over the last few trips, that it would be easier not to go to sleep, than it was to sleep. Waking up in the early hours of the morning is such a bitch, especially if you have a long journey ahead. A 6-7 hour train ride plus the on-arrival search for accomodation. My body says that this situation is better handled sans sleep. Yes I’m strangely backwards.

After being kicked out of the first class cabin we ran into two young ladies from Costa Rica. Paula and Andrea of course, pronounced in spanish, sounds totally different. So something like ‘Paowla’ and ‘AndréAh’, were trilingually talented in English, German and their mother tounge of Spanish alternating among the three with ease. In general multi-lingual talented women are smoking. They were sweet girls, I tried to dabble in spanish and failed miserably, we managed to pull off some naughty shots of Stephon, and at the end of the sleepy journey we parted ways. Later on that night we coincidently stumbled upon each other once again. We never did get a chance to say goodbye. Adieu Paula and Andrea wherever you are!

Praha is magnificiently beautiful all over. How this beauty managed to stay intact during the war is unfathomable. From Old Town Square, The Chain Bridge and the CastleHill Side, the architecture unique, the people friendly, the prices cheap and I mean CHEAP compared to Western Europe. We were dropping G’s! The beauty definitely rivals that of Paris. Had some great opportunities to drop some Czech with the local shop owners. Might I say thank you to the Russians who kept this jewel from being demolished. Thank you, you communists.

My Praha highlights

1) Chilling on top The Chain Bridge Tower overseeing the city and soaking it in 2) City View from the Castle side Hilltop 3) Wandering and catching an eyeful!

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Müchen Germany

03Jun07

Mûchen Germany 16 – 18 mai.2007

Mode of Transport: AirBerlin.Status upon Arrival: Satisfied because of the sandwich they served on the plane

The first backpack swing with Stephon, our destinations Müchen Bavaria and Praha Czech Repubic. Müchen was different and more similar to Canadian standards on cleaniness and efficiency, something which is lacking in France. It’s what the Germans are stereotypically known for in Europe, and it’s something I miss from Canada. On arrival the people were helpful and not the least bit annoyed with questions. We were pointed in the right direction and made our way to central station. For a city of 1.3 million the city was quite calm and relaxing. The weather wasn’t so great, mostly cloudy and rainy for the time we spent there. We wandered the quartiers, and had a chance to visit one of the concentration camps turned musée. Kind of made me feel sick. The photos they had up were extremely graphic, and the short film was disturbing. To think that these type of things are still happening in the world today…

We stayed with a fellow couchsurfer Norberto and had a whole living room to ourselves. What a great host, Bavarian breakfast and all! This interesting character of Porteguese origin from Luxembourg, now working in Müchen was the best couchsurfing host I’ve had, by far! Of course with no disrespect to the others, they were great too! When we first arrived, we were treated with a wonderful pasta dinner, and had the pleasure to talk to a local Müchener over a tall glass of red wine. Talk about hospitality. Müchen was great and we met some cool people, but by the end of our short stay we were eagerly awaiting the action of Praha. With an early morning getaway, we packed up the backpacks and headed for the road.

My Müchen highlights

1. Our wonderful host and delicious bavarian breakfast 2. Centre-ville sights and views 3. And the helpful people of Mûchen from the young beautiful lady who gave us tips on the nightlife to the old man who approached us at JosephPlatz offering to lend us a hand.

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London England

09May07

London England 04 – 06 mai.2007

Mode of Transport: British Airways.Status upon Arrival: Happily Excited

2.5 days in London was way too short to squeeze, and I missed a lot of things. It is hard to classify a city in such a short time but my days in London were bitter sweet. I might be a little bias, since I’ve been living in a non-anglophone country for  18months. Even though I am accustomed to the french way it was just relaxing not to worry about any sort of miscommunication or inappropriate cultural behavior.  

Although this time around was a little different. I exchanged the couchsurfing couches, sleeping bags and hostels for a 5 star luxurious hotel in the heart of the city, with an amazing view of the River Thames. The National Gallery, Big Ben, The London Eye, The British Muesuem and bunches more were all within walking distance. Of course with the help of my sweet darling parents who accompanied me to London. I was quite happy to learn that we were staying at the same hotel that once hosted the famous French Impressionist painter Claude Oscar Monet, my personal favorite. Some of his work on the London series were at the National Gallery.

In comparison, London isn’t as architecturally beautiful as Paris, but where it loses points in beauty it gains in a mix of multi-cultural buzz, modernity, daring style and self expression. Plus the ever-so attractive english accent could drive you mad especially for someone like me, who breaks at the knees when I hear it. I could listen, not understand the entirety and still be extremely entertained, puzzled look and all.

Oh I will be back again…

My London Highlights:

1. The entrance to the museums are free and there are some douzies. 2. The ‘after work lets have a drink at 18H’ scene. 3. The numerous shopping districts and funky style, which was a breather from the conservative polished style of Paris.

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