Here I am in Paris again. Arriving here on Sunday was, in many ways, like coming home. I love living in Canada and being Canadian (or is that Canadienne???) but a part of me will always belong in France (despite the crazy keyboards - apologies in advance for any typos!!);
My plane left Toronto a little late - the crew had recently arrived from another flight and needed to get in their required rest time before they could fly again - but we arrived in Paris on time.
From Toronto to Montreal, I had the row to myself. In Montreal, a couple and their 16 month old daughter boarded. I was apprehensive to say the least, but she was an entertaining cutey and she slept most of the way.
The sky was overcast and drizzly when I arrived. With the help of a kind French couple, I figured out the bus thing and took the bus directly to my hotel (well, less than a block away). After a nap and some downtime to combat jetlag, I took the Métro and set off to explore.
I got off the Métro at Cité - the Métro stop closest to Notre Dame but also the Métro stop with a lot of stairs (although not as many as the Métro near Sacré Coeur) - not so fun when you've just flown for way too many hours!!
It was a great feeling when I was able to direct some American tourists to where they needed to go - I know this city better than I thought I did!!
After wandering through the flower and pet market (ferrets or squirrels, anyone?), I walked over to Notre-Dame and sat and people-watched for a while. At one point I looked at a tourist who was taking a picture and thought that she looked familiar but thought, "Nah, couldn't be." - famous last words!! She looked over and recognized me, too (after an understandable double-take). It was a teacher who teaches high school French in the same school board as I!!!!! And, a teacher that I had roomed with at a conference. Small, small world!!!
She invited me to wander around with her and her group (her husband, sister-in-law, and a friend). We wandered around the Island for a bit and then went for dinner in the Latin Quarter. We ate at the "Taverne de la Huchette" - the same restaurant where my mom, my aunt, my friend and I ate in 1999 and where I ate on my last night in France before moving home from Bayeux (2002). As always, the food was great and the service was a blast. I really had to laugh when the waiter brought my crème brûlée - or, rather, my crème!!! He had forgotten the "burnt sugar" crispy topping!!!!
Yesterday (Tuesday), I slept in and then took the Métro up to Charles de Gaulle / Etoile, where the Arc de Triomphe is and then wandered all the way down the Champs Elysées (stopping for an iced coffee and free wifi internet at McDonalds - who knew!! - and to browse through the Disney store) to the Jardin des Tuileries.
The last few times I've been here, I've been unable to visit the Orangerie museum because it has been closed for security reasons and for renovations. Thankfully, I was able to visit yesterday. This is the museum where Monet's Waterlillies hang - what amazing creations!! I knew they were beautiful but had no idea of the scope or magnitude of them - or how many there were!!
The museum also has other Impressionist paintings (my fav), including some by Renoir (my fav). Had to laugh though - one of Renoir's landscapes was out on loan - to the National Gallery in Ottawa!!!
I met up with Patty (the teacher) and her friends again last night for dinner near the Eiffel Tower - what a blessing to run into someone I know!!
Today, I've been wandering around the Les Halles district. I don't think I'd ever seen the Eglise Saint-Eustache before - breathtaking!! I'm heading over to the Pompidou Centre next to take a few snapshots and the back to the Forum des Halles for some shopping. Later, maybe a visit to Saint-Denis basilica (where the Kings of France are buried) and then a boat ride down the Seine.
If you've read this far, I congratulate you!! Sorry for the lack of pics - not sure I want to hook my camera up to an unknown computer and I don't have a card reader - maybe next time. I'll definitely get some put up when I get home.
Until next time, happy trails!!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Canada Day
For many, the official start of summer is Victoria Day - the first long weekend of the summer. For me, and I imagine most teachers, Canada Day is the signal that summer has finally arrived. A day to kick back and relax, knowing that the marking is done for another school year.
Last night, Fergus held their annual fireworks - take a look:
Sunday, June 24, 2007
The Hazards of Air Travel
Travelling by air is always an experience - early landings for medical emergencies, extra security measures due to enhanced security concerns, weather delays, mechanical problems - and this trip was no different. Getting to Europe was a challenge, but we finally arrived a day and a city late. Getting home from Europe was just as much a challenge.
We arrived at Munich Airport and went through security. We then spent time wandering around the airport, looking in the duty free shops. We then went through passport control to get to the international departures area and spent more time browsing through the shops.
We went to the gate at the appointed hour. Thankfully we had not bought any liquids in the duty free shops as we had to pass through security a second time - complete with x-ray machines and removing our shoes - where they were confiscating all liquids (again).
Our flight was delayed two hours so we were waiting at the gate for hours with nothing to drink - not even a water fountain! Thankfully, there were bathrooms because the gate attendants were not being very nice about letting people back out to get food or a drink.
We finally boarded our plane and flew to Philadelphia. We were supposed to catch a connecting flight from Philadelphia to Toronto via Pittsburg. We missed our flight to Pittsburg, but they put us on a direct flight to Toronto - with a confirmed seat for one of us and likely a seat for the other. (If this is sounding familiar - you're right!)
So, we get to the gate where a very unhelpful gate attendant tells us, no we're not confirmed on the plane, we're not even first on the list for standby! (This is the same gate attendant that the agent arranging our new flight was talking to!).
So, we wait a few minutes and then are told we need to get on the plane in the next five minutes because they had been given an earlier departure time as long as the plane got out within ten minutes.
We get on the plane with no boarding pass, no assigned seat, and no idea if our luggage would make it! BUT, we were on the plane!
We arrived in Toronto at the same time we should have arrived if we had made our original connections - no harm, no foul - except that the luggage was back in Philly!
I finally got my luggage back on Thursday (we flew home Sunday) - a little worse for the wear, but everything was there.
We arrived at Munich Airport and went through security. We then spent time wandering around the airport, looking in the duty free shops. We then went through passport control to get to the international departures area and spent more time browsing through the shops.
We went to the gate at the appointed hour. Thankfully we had not bought any liquids in the duty free shops as we had to pass through security a second time - complete with x-ray machines and removing our shoes - where they were confiscating all liquids (again).
Our flight was delayed two hours so we were waiting at the gate for hours with nothing to drink - not even a water fountain! Thankfully, there were bathrooms because the gate attendants were not being very nice about letting people back out to get food or a drink.
We finally boarded our plane and flew to Philadelphia. We were supposed to catch a connecting flight from Philadelphia to Toronto via Pittsburg. We missed our flight to Pittsburg, but they put us on a direct flight to Toronto - with a confirmed seat for one of us and likely a seat for the other. (If this is sounding familiar - you're right!)
So, we get to the gate where a very unhelpful gate attendant tells us, no we're not confirmed on the plane, we're not even first on the list for standby! (This is the same gate attendant that the agent arranging our new flight was talking to!).
So, we wait a few minutes and then are told we need to get on the plane in the next five minutes because they had been given an earlier departure time as long as the plane got out within ten minutes.
We get on the plane with no boarding pass, no assigned seat, and no idea if our luggage would make it! BUT, we were on the plane!
We arrived in Toronto at the same time we should have arrived if we had made our original connections - no harm, no foul - except that the luggage was back in Philly!
I finally got my luggage back on Thursday (we flew home Sunday) - a little worse for the wear, but everything was there.
Munich, Germany
If you read the first post on this blog, you know already that we missed Munich on the first part of our trip due to airport purgatory. We did have a few hours in Munich on the last night of our trip. Our first stop was the Hofbrauhaus and then a local restaurant to enjoy a Bavarian dinner.
The Glockenspiel
The Hofbrauhaus, complete with Oompah band and lederhosen.
Salzburg
Salzburg, a city nestled in the mountains, is the birthplace of Mozart. The mountains are inspiring. The fortress perched up on the hill overlooking Salzburg dominates the skyline and is more than a little intimidating.
Festung Hohensalzburg
Mirabellgarten
The narrow pedestrian streets of Salzburg reflect the old and the new. The signs hanging out front of the stores use pictures and symbols to identify the shops - much as they did in medieval times when few people knew how to read. The shops themselves are very modern - McDonald's, Claire's, Nordsee, etc.
The hills are alive with the sound of music!
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