Wandering Traveller

2007-09-10T13:24:00.000-05:00

Last Full Day in Paris...

Well folks, this is it. My last day in Paris, and as usual, I don't want to leave. I know I will return to this beautiful city some day, but it may be awhile before I can get back. (ka - we're still returning in 2011, right?)

Today was a beautiful/cloudy/almost rainy day. It seems par for the course for my time here in Paris. It never really rains, but it seems to get close to it, then 20 minutes later, the sun is beating down. I am really going to miss the charm of the city - there can never really be a bad day in Paris - even when it's almost raining!

We headed to L'Arc du Triomphe. Funny, when ka and I came here last time, it was pouring down rain, so we decided not to go - it almost rained today as well... almost missed it again! Anyway, we toured around the bottom section, then J1 & I climbed all 285 stairs to the top. It was a great site. You could see each of the 12 roads that make up the "etoile" - and that round about would have been hell to get on and off if one were driving!

Next stop - lunch on Les Champs Elysees. We stopped at an open cafe/restaurant called Georges V - it had good food (of course - is there ever a bad meal to be had in Paris???) Everything was so tasty... even dessert... and the cappucino was exactly how it should be.... I am going to miss all the cafe breaks when I get home! Not to mention the cafe itself! I'm not exactly sure what they use here, but it's really good coffee!

We had to walk off that large meal, so we continued walking/window shopping down Les Champs. We actually went into the Louis Vitton store... the song that kept playing through my head... "If I had a million dollars"... if only I had $5000 to spend on a purse... well, I don't know if I would or not, but I like the idea of it anyway... We kept walking... browsing a couple of stores... but mainly window shopping. We also ran into the Scottish rugby team in their kilts.. We kept on walking until we got to La Concorde. J2 had to go back to the flat at this point as his blisters were getting really bad. J1 & I walked into Les Tulleries gardens, and strolled until we got to my "old" stomping ground from last time. Since we were in the fashion district.. might as well peruse Chanel, Dior, Arpel & Van Cleefs and Rolex..... We then went into the ballerina store to admire the costumes and the shoes...

By this time, our feet were hurting, so we headed back to the flat to meet up with J2. We are headed out for supper tonight, last night in Paris. This will probably be my last post until I get back home. Don't ask me if I'm nervous about flying back on tomorrow's date - I'll tell you when I get home.

2007-09-10T01:15:00.000-05:00

I love Paris, but Paris doesn't love me...

I woke up yesterday morning to an unpleasant, yet familiar sensation.... oh no, not again... oh yes, I love everything about this city, but apparently my system can't handle it. Good thing I was prepared this time! J&J were nice enough to wait it out with me... from my experience last time, I was ok after a couple of hours, until the next morning. A little scary heading out after being sick, but I am bound and determined not to miss anything this time!

Our first stop, The Catacombs. Ok, my initial first reaction... EWWWWWWWWWWW! I know, I know, but can't help being a girl sometimes.. I got past that really quickly though - and starting thinking about the people. What the catacombs are is about 100 years worth of bones from cemetaries stacked in a cave, about 7 feet high (see photos). Leg bones, arm bones & Skulls are stacked like lumber - for about a kilometre. It was interesting to say the least. It was also sad at the same time. When you are buried in Paris, you have a "time" limit to be buried there. After that, I'm not sure what happens to your bones, but this was one solution - stack them up in a cave! There had to be over a million bones in the catacombs. J2 had forgotten his camera (!?!!) so he was the one taking the photos. Somehow or other, I lost my camera case in the catacombs. So if anybody happens to be visiting Paris, and going to the catacombs, can you pick up my Roots camera case? It's somewhere down there... (I think)

Next stop - LUNCH!! We stopped at a nearby cafe and had a bite to each. I'm being careful now as to my choices (no more cafes and cheese... :-( Life is not fair at the moment!). Lunch was good. Oh, um... I think I forgot to mention that the world rugby cup is in town this week... there's lots of people to gawk and stare at... Anyway, there were a bunch of rugby players at this cafe.... having a cafe... we'll leave it at that.

Next stop - back to the flat to pick up J2's camera. Quick rest for us all, then out to the Eiffel Tower. Quick stop first at the Pont d'Alma to see what had happened there for the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's crash site. A lot more writing on the cement dividers. Off to the Eiffel Tower! We stood in line for about 45 minutes before getting off at the second level. It was a beautiful clear day, sun shining with a little heat. Up all 3 floors, and back down again. It was wonderful to see the city all layed out.

After that, it was time for supper. On our stroll to our dinner destination, we saw the strangest thing. Three motocycle cops come flying up the street, stopping traffic. We thought perhaps there was some emergency going on somewhere... 2 seconds later, this bus full of rugby players comes whizzing by... ah, that explains the rush - these boys were probably late to their match! We walked back to the Pont d'Alma and went to a cafe/restaurant called Le Grand Corona. I think this was the place that ka stopped last time for the pomme tartine... so of course we had to check it out! ;-) Dinner was very good - *sigh* I don't think there's a bad meal to be had in Paris! We had the tartine for dessert with creme fraiche... oh my...

The sun had finally set, and we were on our way to take a night boat ride with Bateaux Mouches! It was nice night for a ride. Everything looks so soft and pretty at night... the lights are all different, some bright, some not so bright, made for a lovely ride.

It was after 11pm at this point, and a very long day. We headed back to the flat for some much needed rest. After all, Monday is my last full day in Paris! I still don't want to leave!

2007-09-08T07:59:00.000-05:00

Shop 'til you drop...

Today was flea market day! All right, so in North America you picture a big barn like building, with dusty, cheap items that fall apart when you get home. This is not the case in Paris! In Paris, the flea market contains those cheap items, however, you can also purchase antiques, clothes, SHOES, cheap souvenirs, and almost everything else under the sun. The nice thing is that you can barter, or ask for the Canadian discount, and most owners are willing to oblige. (give them a nice smile, and usually they will....). Anyway, J1 & I had a good time going through all of the stalls, and the streets. (J2 has bad blisters on his feet, and wasn't able to make it) Last time, ka and I only did about 10% of the actual flea market... if you can picture about 3kms square of stuff, crammed into every nook and cranny possible. Oh the items we purchased... it was a very good day, but it's not over yet! We are off to do some more shopping!

Later that day...

so J1 & I headed out for a cappucino at the cafe around the corner from us. The best thing to do while in Paris is to sit and watch all the people go by while having une cafe. So many languages, styles of clothes, rattled tourists.... never a dull moment! Then off to the chocolaterie - the chocolate shop! Even just walking in, I'm sure you gain 5 pounds from the smell... heaven! Purchased a few items... ok, quite a few... then back to the grocery store. A lot of stores are closed on Sundays (including some cafes, grocery stores, stores, etc) so we had to stock up on certain items, like bottled water, to carry us through until Monday.

Back to the flat... J1 was tired from all of the activity as she had been up most of the night... it's hard getting used to a new time zone. J2 & I decided to head out for a bite to eat. Since it was prime time for the cafes... let me explain.. it was 7pm - people are getting ready to go out... however, the clubs don't open until midnight. So, the idea is that you meet up with your friends at a cafe, have a few drinks, then head to the club. J2 & I went out for a bite to eat around 7:30, and the cafes were packed, and were only serving sandwich fare... which is ok. We finally found a seat at a cafe not too far away, and sat and had a drink & a sandwich. (if anybody out there knows what goes into a "Martini Rouge" please let me know!) Headed back to the flat and called it a night.

All in all, a good day....

2007-09-07T12:06:00.000-05:00

Mirror Mirror On The Wall....

We got up early this morning to head to Versailles. (well, I was up at 5AM... the fight in the courtyard this morning kind of killed any sleep that was left to be had.. nothing like people swearing at 4:30.. picked up a few new words anyway... ;-) So we headed out at 9:30 this morning, and headed on the RER train to Versailles. *shudder* It's one thing to head out on the metro trains, but the RER trains are a little scary. You can see the route, but not all the trains stop at the specific stop you want. Therefore, you can hop on the RER train, but you could, potentially, not get to your destination. But, we found the right RER train on the first go-round, so it was all good. The problem was that we were going during rush hour... that was fun! People smushed into a small space..... anyway, we survived the trip (with wallets intact) and arrived at Versailles.

The day was cloudy, looked like rain at one point, but the sun prevailed, and it was a perfect temperature for quite a bit of walking. We started with the outskirts of the Chateau. You have to understand, that this place is IMMENSE, and to see it all in 1 day was quite the challenge! Starting point was Marie Antoinette's house - "La Petite Trianon". The was Marie Antoinette "house" whenever she didn't want to stay in the palace walls. Marie Antoinette seemed to be all about fun, as she liked to play games (in fact, had a whole play village made up - life size houses to you & me - so she could have some fun, playing in the "real" world), perform plays, etc. Her "little" house was so decadent, it was hard to imagine that it could get any more rich from here - boy was I wrong! The cutest thing about the village... was the parrot that J1 & I ran into while visiting the play "farm". (it is currently an animal refuge - someone obviously donated the parrot). The parrot could mimic anything. We stopped and listened to him for a while - we heard a car horn, the sound of an axe, goose honk, chicken, dog, cat.. I could have stayed for a bit, but J2 was waiting for us, so onto the next stop!

The next stop was "Le Grand Trianon" - this is where the king stayed when he didn't want to stay at the palace. Grand rooms, close to the hunting grounds, meeting places... all very opulent. Surely, I thought to myself, that it couldn't get any more decadent & opulent that this... marble floors, huge crystal chandeleirs, every lily gilded... and on and on... again, I was wrong.

We went to the third stop on the outdoor tour, the canals. The king & queen had them built so that they could have a mini harbour - so sail boats would sail. This is the place that is most photographed.. people can rent row boats to go up and down the "harbour". It's quite the scene. By this time, it's 2pm, and we are a little hungry (considering we all ate an early breakfast, it's a long time to go between meals!). We stop at the cafe on site by the harbour... well, we'll just say, they know they have you trapped there - a little pricey! But, most of it was good...

Anyway, we walked back up to the chateau... it was quite pretty actually to see the water, fountains, and statues. (photos to be posted shortly) Then, into the chateau itself...

Words can not describe the interior of this place. I have run out of words to describe it. You'll just have to see it... there was just so much!

My favourite part, of course, was the hall of mirrors. From the chandeleirs, to the gilded frames, to the statues.. it was breathtaking. (see photos).

At this point, we had been at Versailles for 7 hours, so it was time to head back to the flat. It had been a long day, so we are calling it a night - after all, we have to be up bright & early for the FLEA MARKET tomorrow!

2007-09-06T11:12:00.000-05:00

Stairs, stairs and more stairs....

Today we got up bright and early after almost 12 hours of blissful sleep. We had our route all marked out. First stop, St. Chappelle. This is the oldest cathedreal in Paris, built around 1248. The most impressive thing about the cathedreal, is it's tall, tall stain glass windows. The windows are about 100 feet high, almost floor to ceiling. We were told to go on a sunny day, but unfortunately, it was a little cloudy today. I wasn't sure if this was the only opportunity for me to get to St. Chappelle, so J&J and I went in. It's very impressive. I just wish it were sunnier! (oh well, these things happen!) Did I mention that we had to go up about 100 round stairs just to get into the cathedreal? I was dizzy just going up and down those stairs.. (the stairs are always "tiny" compared to what we have back home...)

Next stop - Notre Dame! After wandering inside for a little bit, J1 & I decided to do the gargoyle tour. Well, after climbing all 425 stairs (around, around, around, around - just a wee bit dizzy, and out of breath by the time we got to the top) it was quite the sight. It was interesting to see all the gargoyles up close (see photos already posted). Time has weathered away some of the detail - but keep in mind, the gargoyles have been "guarding" the cathedreal since 1345, so they looked pretty good for something that is 6 1/2 centuries old!
We also saw "Quasimodo's" bell in the bell tower - that bell is massive! After going down and around, around, around around around all 425 steps... it was time for lunch! We stopped at a sidewalk cafe to have crepes... yummy! J1& I split a "crepes marron-chantilly" - meaning, crepes with chestnut & whipped cream... and of course, we had a coffee to go with it! J2 had eaten previously, but he joined us in the coffee. It was nice just to sit and watch the people go by, listen to all of the languages being spoken - trying to guess who is from there.

After that, we walked around Illes des Cite for a little bit, found an Italian Gelato place and had some gelato (I told you this is all about the food! ;-) Walked around a bit more, and decided to split for a couple of hours. J&J went to a sculpture museum, while I went on to the Shakespeare & Company bookstore.

This bookstore is an old bookstore that has been around since the 60's (well, the reincarnation of it, anyway - the original closed down when the Nazis occupied Paris during the second world war). Anyway, ka gave me this book "The Time was Soft There" by Jeremy Mercer to read while I was in Paris. This book is an account of the author's time spent at this bookstore, and his relationship with the owner, George Whitman (no relation to Walt Whitman). This used bookstore makes no apologies for having left wing books, and the owner seems to enjoy a good debate now and then. His daughter, Sylvia now manages the bookstore, and apparently, things have dramatically changed (well, the store is neat and organized now... ;-) Anyway, I'm always amazed whenever you read of a place, then one day you are there to see how close your imagination was....

After that, spent a little time at Cafe Panis (almost mentionned in the book) and I believe I actually ran into the author (not 100% on this one). Too chicken to ask, but anyway, you never know... Had un cafe while writing the first batch of post cards... then went back to the flat to meet up with J&J for the evening...

Tomorrow - Versailles!

2007-09-05T07:52:00.000-05:00

Back in the land of the pink toilet paper...

After finding our place so quickly, J1 and I took a little stroll around the area to familiarize ourselves with the area (J2 was so beat, he had to sleep...).

The good news - there's a patisserie around the corner! Oh the treats that were displayed (of course, I had to buy.. and get the baguette for tomorrow morning...)... and there's also a little cheese shop... I think I've died and gone to heaven (yes, it always about the food here!). There's also numerous chocolate shops (yum!). I think I'm throwing my diet out the window for the next 6 days, and deal with the consequences when I get home.

J1 and I stopped for a late lunch at the BHV cafeteria (more on BHV in a little bit). J1 asks "is there any food that's bad here?" - not likely, from my experience... although, come to think about it, I did lose 50 pounds the last time I was here in the following 6 months, so maybe gorging oneself on French cuisine is not a bad thing....

We then stopped in at BHV - Bazaar Hotel de Ville. It's one of the largest department stores in Paris. One of the only, actually... anyway, it's pretty much like any department store, except of course, for the prices. I had my hand on a lovely winter coat, designer label apparently... then dropped it quickly when I saw the price. One cannot be blowing an entire vacation money on a lovely winter coat.... Everything is designer wear, might have to go back at the end just to say I've bought something there.... a plastic bag maybe.. lol

We're pretty beat at this point as we have been up for over 24 hours, so onto the grocery store to pick up little supplies (there's a lot of little ways you can save money in Paris - buying bottled water in bulk is one, and buying breakfast, coffee, etc for the flat, is much cheaper this way than trying to eat a restaurant all the time. Anyway, it's "fun" looking through the grocery store aisles, as things are so completely different here than they are at home.

I'm not sure what is on tap for tomorrow... I can't think much past tonight...

2007-09-05T05:13:00.000-05:00

We Have Arrived!

All right, after almost 18 hours of moving, we have finally arrived at our destination. Not too much to report this time on our arrival. The Robert Q ride was fine (minus the screaming kids), we had no hassles at the airport, and the flight was fairly smooth.

We found our flat in 1 try (good to have people with you that know how to read a map.... I'm directionally challenged!). We are in Le Marais, kind of a shopping district it looks like, well Jenn will be happy, lots of stores to look into.

More later, going out to explore the area.... and see what's available!

2007-09-03T23:21:00.000-05:00

On The Night Before Paris....

It's now 0:24 am and I can't sleep. Too excited/anxious/nervous about the trip to Paris. What's going to happen this time? It won't be the same trip, different location, different travelling campanions and different time of year. I'm excited at the thought of going back to see the things I missed the last time; anxious that I may get sick again or something will happen (my luck at this time of year is never good); nervous that this time will not seem as easy.

Only 4 things left on the to-do list.... should really try to get some sleep now as I will be up for over 24 hours (who can sleep on a plane?). If that Economics textbook wasn't buried in the back of my "twilight zone" closet, I may just drag it out again... it always put me to sleep when trying to study at university... *sigh*

Catch up with you all on the other side of the ocean!

2007-08-21T05:27:00.000-05:00

The Coundown is on!

All right, in 2 weeks from today, we leave for Paris. I am excited and thrilled to be going back. This adventure will be a new one for me, as I have never travelled with my sister and her boyfriend before. It hasn't really hit me yet that I am leaving in such a short span of time. I am excited, but it still doesn't seem real that I am going back. Maybe if I get my butt in gear and start organizing thing (aka - start making that to-do list!), it will seem real.

Here's hoping for: great weather, no lost luggage, no illnesses, no twisted or broken limbs, no incidents at the airport or on the plane, great finds, no lost/misplaced cameras, no accidents, and a great time had by all. (note: since Murphy's law always seems to apply to me, I have found that the only way to counteract Murphy's law is to say it or write it down)

A bientot!

2007-05-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

Back to Paris!

In exactly 115 days, I will off to a new adventure with my sister Jenn and her husband Jamie. We are travelling to Paris. I will be there for exactly 8 days, but they will be continuing on from there. They have rented a beautiful flat in St. Germain with an extra bedroom, and very graciously, asked me if I wanted to join them.... an offer I could not refuse!

Seems like a good time to re-iterate "the rules" of travelling with me...

1. Do not hand me a map - I am severely directionally challenged and will lead you in the exact opposite direction you need to go (finding the metro stop - no problem - just after we get off the metro, best to know where we are going)
2. Drinking tap water is NOT a good idea - no matter what I say at the time
3. Bring Immodium (remind me constantly before we leave.....)
4. Be prepared to walk everywhere - running shoes are not tacky when you are a tourist... ;-) Best way to see where you are is to walk the streets
5. Be prepared for adventures you did not plan for... after all, you will find the best places when you take an "adventurous turn"... (it happens a least once on a trip - I will get you lost!)
6. The last, most important rule - HAVE FUN. After all, life should be a giggle, and if you are travelling it's an adventure, not a chore. There are so many places to see in the world, and if we are tired and grumpy, stop a second to think where we are, what we will see and who we might meet. Then SMILE. You are thousands of miles from home, enjoy the moment of experiencing something other than your every day life.

I can not wait to start this next adventure, but will patiently wait for the next 115 days to pass.....

2006-10-27T20:53:00.000-05:00

Pictures Are Posted!

255 pictures are now posted for your enjoyment. Although the French postal system appears to be slow, my camera did finally arrive yesterday. Enjoy the show - for best viewing - click on slide slow.

One thing to note- I forgot that when you post the pictures, it shows the most recent first.... sorry - you'll be seeing my trip backwards. (it took 3 hours to post them... not likely to re-post in the right order!).

Some of the photos are a little blurry - don't know why, but they are... .sigh... Enjoy!

2006-10-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

FOUND!

Heard from Raphael today - he's got my camera.... phew! will be here in about a week Since I'm feeling better, now the trip did a reversal... ka is not well.... hope you have a speedy recovery ka!

Pictures will hopefully be up next week, or the week after that......

2006-10-08T08:02:00.000-05:00

AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Well folks, it turns out that you may have to wait a bit for pictures. ka may have hers posted soon though. I can't find my camera, and I'm hoping and praying that I left it at the flat, and Raphael will return it to me. Otherwise, it was stolen, and I'd have to cry.

It is great to be home, however, I miss Paris already.... *sigh* Being home also means getting used to the QWERTY keyboard again. I don't know if I posted or not (but I know ka did) but the keyboard is slightly different over there, with strategic keys (such as a, w, z and the punctuation marks) are located at different places on the keyboard we were using (AZERTY)... as such, you may have noticed little typos that we may not have caught... or left as a little joke (re: Zeird, Zonderful Zorks on ka's blog).

Trip home was uneventful... after almost 20 hours of moving, it was nice to be in one spot. Found myself up at 2:30 this morning (8:30 Paris time... the time ka and I started getting ready and plotting our day) and could not get back to sleep.... guess this will take a couple of days to get used to....

Hope you all are haveing a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend....

2006-10-07T19:24:00.000-05:00

Home Sweet Home

We have made it home, in 1 piece after 20 hours of travelling. It's time to go to bed,,, more stories to follow, I'm sure,,,

2006-10-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

La Belle Dame & La Rive Seine

So it our last day in Paris, and I really wanted to do atleast 1 more thing.... Notre-Dame Cathredreal.

After getting up this morning, feeling a little better, ka and I discussed our plans for the day. It as ka's mother that suggested we take a boat ride on the Seine, just to see all the sights from the river. We had talked about it, and if there was time in the end, we would do it. Today was the day - and thank you very much to ka's mother for making the suggestion.

We head to the infamous Point D'Alma again ( this was where we were on our first day in Paris, near the site of Princess Diana's car crash). This was also where ka and got a little lost lookin for the Palais Toyko.... sigh.. anyway, as we are about to cross the street to get to Bateaux Mouches, lo and behold, the guy beside us stops down to pick up a ring. It's not the same guy I ran into in Les Tulleries gardens, but it was the EXACT same thing... pretends to find the ring on the road.. bends down, picks it up, tries it on, tries to put it on his finger, it does not fit.. and offers it to us as a gift. We simply said "No Merci" (ka says, we've seen that one before!) and walked away. It amazed me that these pickpockets are obviously trained by 1 person.. Anyway, we get to the Bateaux Mouches, have a lovely ride on the Seine... but did we sit down to enjoy it? Who could when we were snapping so many pictures. It was a lovely ride... the name of our boat was "La Flute".

After the boat ride, I was going to come back to the flat, take a nap, then head out again to Notre-Dame. I was feeling good still, so I decided to head to La Grande Dame, while things were still good. Hopped on the métro, and headed over the cathrédral. It was an amazing sight to see. You can not imagine the Notre-Dame cathredral unless you've seen it. Tall, tall, tall gothic columns, beautiful stain glass windows and lovely prayer sanctuaries. I was going to push my luck and do the gargoyle tour, but decided against it, as I would not have time to get back and meet ka... and push it too much my first day out (and last) day in Paris.

I hope you all have enjoyed taking this journey with me. This will be my last post before I get home.. and d - I will probably be planting myself at your place to up load the pictures... (hope that's ok).

2006-10-06T10:12:00.000-05:00

Cartes Téléphoniques & Night Walk in Paris

I'm getting behind!! Go figure on the last day we are in Paris!

d - this one is especially for you - the phone cards... you know what it is like to travel with me... and sometiemes... things just happen...

2 days ago, after we got the list of doctors from the consulate, I was trying to decide if I should call. ka was so kind, even though her feet must be killing her, ran down to the tabaccaniste to get a phone card. We have a phone in the apartment, but we can not make outbound phone calls with out one of these specializd cards... kind of like the long distance cards at home. So the cheapest denomination we could get for LOCAL calls was 7€50 - and that gave us 23 minutes of local calling (didn't realize how spoiled we are at home... pick up the phone and dial). Unfortunately, the card that ka bought was not good for a home phone, only ones at a payphone. It was then that I decided not to make an appointment as I was feeling better, but we kept the phone card anyway... just in case. So the next day, that was when I decided to go to the doctor's. Could not find the phone card that we had purchased yesterday, so we grab all our change, and head to the nearest phone booth. Once we get to the phone booth, of course, it only takes those cartes téléphoniques. Poor ka, she ran back to the tabaccaniste, bought another card.. only this one, we can use from the home phone... sigh.. welcome to Jilly's world.. the irony is not lost on me! Since we were at the phone booth, we went ahead and made the call. I still have that phone card... I still don't know where the other one is!

After a long day yesterday... we decided to head out for a walk around St. Honoré. We truly are in the ritzy section of town. Cartier, Tiffany's, Rolex, Van Cleef's..etc are just around the corner from us. So after a bit of window shopping, we decided to head into a life café so ka could eat (I'm still on clear foods for a couple more days.. no last soupe à l'oignon for me!) - I had a tea. We sat and chatted, in a little corner café, looked like the theatre crowd was there, as we were right around the corner from Opéra. It as a wonderful night.

2006-10-05T09:08:00.000-05:00

La Tourista - Thy Name is Foul!!!!

Ok, so I woke up this morning, feeling better than I had in the past few days, but after an hour of being up, it started all over again. There is nothing worse than being sick, and being so far from home, family and friends who give you love and support.

So, after thinking about it.... I decided not to chance it anymore, especially since this was the third day of this happening. Using the list that wa provided to me from the Canadian Conslate (thanks again ODG), I called a local Canadian doctor and made an appointment (more on the phone card later). ka went out to see a church (La Chapelle - she went after reassurances that I was ok for a couple of hours), and came back and met me, we then tried to flag down a taxi. After heading to Rue de L'Opèra, ka was succesful in flagging down a cab (a little scary on a blind corner).

Dr. Nancy Salzman has her offices right next to Les Champs Elysées, in a beautiful section of town. Thankfully, the consulate had provided some English speaking doctors, as I was afraid I was not able to communicate everything that had been happening. The doctor was absolutely wonderful, talked to me a little, took my temperature, felt my tummy, and said everything will be ok - I probably had something called "La Tourista" - something very common for North American visiters to France. I can't tell you enough how wonderful she was. Since Immodium is not available over the counter here, she gave me a prescription, and an antibiotic if needed. She says I am safe to travel home. No tests were required, as I was coming home shortly, and to follow up with my doctor once I get home.

So now that I'm re-assured that things will be ok, and I don't have to panic, I need to take a little time and thank 2 people in particular.

Dad - thank you for listening, and your reassurances - thank you for always being there for me.

ka - I could not have asked for a better travelling companion on this journey. You have been so wonderful to me - patient, staying when I'm scared, (even though I feel terribly guilty you have missed so much because of me), talking me through this. It is no fun being sick while you are away, and being sick, sometimes you can get a little grumpy - thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for skipping some of your plans today to come to the doctor's with me, making sure I got there ok, and coming back with me. You are a wonderful person. It is your kindness I will remember most on this journey.

2006-10-05T01:27:00.000-05:00

Out and About

I'm feeling better today, and am headed out to see a couple of things... taking it easy my first day back sight seeing...

2006-10-04T10:05:00.000-05:00

Pink Toilet Paper looks nice.....

A quick word about the toilet paper in France... it's pink... and it's well... rough... the higher up brands you buy, are more like our paper towel, then the soft cushiony stuff we have at home... when you're not feeling well, you think of all the stuff you miss.... a shower with water pressure.... the nice toilet paper... dogs that don't yap at all hours of the day/night.... the karoake couple that don't live upstairs from you... knowing all the name brands of things that you know will help you... (no gravol or gatorade here!) and so on, and so on...

Thank you to everybody who responded.. I'm feeling a little better today... ODG was thoughtful and sent the phone numbers and email address of the Canadian consulate in case I need to go to a doctor... they have responded, so if I'm not feeling better tomorrow, then I'm definitely going... probably too much rich food or something.... might be the way the refridgerate the food here (they dont seem to)..... or could be the way they use raw eggs in everything.... stick to what I know... been eating soup the last little bit... only thing I seem to hold down... oh and drinking lots of water (the little voice in the back of my head keeps saying... what if it's the water that's making you sick?)

Just 48 hours before we head back... I think I'm going to live... ka has been having wonderful adventures though - I'm glad she's getting to see everything... for me, might be next time I come back.... but I want to see Notre-Dame before I leave.... if I have to drag myself there, I will!!!

2006-10-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

No new adventures today - I'm sick again- this keeps up I may be cming home early...

2006-10-03T03:13:00.000-05:00

A word about Dan Brown and the Louvre....

I have never seen anything like it before... at the Louvre the only work of fiction that they sell is Dan Brown's book, The Da Vinci code. Out of the thousands of fiction works that have been published about the Louvre, this is the one that is sweeping the world. You can take a tour of the works that were mentionned in the book. There are tours of the city based on Dan Brown's book... heck, even in Chapters there was a guide book you could buy so you could follow in the foot steps of the Da Vinci code. You can even stay in the room in the hotel in Paris that was metionned, and you'll get a special phone call in the middle of the night. All this craziness over the novel. Dan Brown is either a very smart man, and is getting lots of noteriety from this book, or he has a very good agent that is willing to go the extra mile. I couldn't help but to wonder if Dan Brown was getting any commissions every time someone took the The Da Vinci Code tour at the Louvre.

Now, I must admit that I read the book 2 years ago and loved it. What a thrilling story and adventure he takes on. However, what you decide to believe is entirely up to you.

2006-10-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

Bonjour Mona Lisa!!!!

To preface this posting of my blog, please note that ka and I had a bottle of wine at dinner, so you'll have to excuse any typos.... or things that may not make sense... I'll fix them tomorrow...

The day started very well... we got up and went to the Louvre. We had planned on going to the Louvre on a rainy day, but since time was running short, today was the day. As it turns out, it rained all day, so our timing was perfect. We had a game plan. We knew there was no way that we could see it all in one short visit.... so, we marked the places we wanted to go, and did them. First stop - the Mona Lisa. As you may or may not know; the Mona Lisa is very small in size. They have recently moved her to a separate gallery so that you will have to go through other Italian matsters before you get to her. It was all well, as we got to see other Da Vinci, Raphael, and other Iconic paintings I remember from my Catholic upbinging. It was weird at one point to see the actual painting in front of me. So, off we go to the Mona Lisa - she's on a wall all by herself with 4 security guards guarding her, and making sure no one takes any photos. (more on the gift shops later)

Once we saw her after standing in line, I thought ka was right beside me, I turned around to say I was ready to go, but she wsn't there... now, you must understand that we went through the same thing yesterday at La Musée D'Orsay; but I was able to find her 2 times out of 3.. however, the Louvre is on a much bigger scale... I think I now know Mom always said - "stay close by - I don't want to lose you" - after 20 minutes of frantic searching for ka, it was some miracle that I found her - I swore I was going to put a GPS unit on her or something... she said I needed a leash or something as she swears she blinked, and I was gone from the Mona Lisa line. All was not lost though... I have 2 new favourite artistes - Jacques-Louis David and Paul De Larouche. I was deeply moved by his "La Jeune Martyre" painting. I knew I should be looking for ka, but I was overcome at the moment by this painting. Right beside it was the famous French Revolution paint by Jacques-Louis David - I'm sure you know the one I'm talking about - the half naked woman holding the French flag on top of all the dead bodies of the revolutionsites. ( sorry, blog will be in half French, half English tonight... can't think quite in one language anymore)

Anyway, after 20 minutes of almost frantic searching, I was just about to go to Venus De Milo; as we both said that we wanted to see it, there she was.... she didn't see me, but I ran down the stairs (for the first time in over a year since I broke my ankle, I actually ran down the stairs...) and I caught up to her. It was at that point that we made sure that we were going to stick together!!! The Louvre is HUGE, and it could take days of wandering to find ka if I lost her again.... (hence the leash for me, and the GPS unit for her... ;-). After gazing upon Venus di Milo, we decided it was time for un pause café. We stopped for Cappucino at one of the many cafés inside the Louvre. After that we went outside to gaze upon the glass pyramids, and of course, take a few photos. It was quite refreshing to be outside for a while, as the temperature varied from cold to hot in la musée. It was nice as it was one solid temperature - chilly. After many poses, it was time to head back in and search out Bosch - Ship of Fools. We found it with little or no difficulty ( or, we cheated, we went to the information desk to ask where it was). Oh, I need to back track a little bit...

After the cafés, we decided to hit the bookstore and the souvenir shop. I didn't find anything I wanted in the bookshop, but ka found many books she was interested in. I decided to head out, but meet her back either at the shop I was headed to, or I would find her back at the book shop. So, I bought some pictures of Mona Lisa and La Jeune Martyre, and headed back to the bookstore to find ka. She was ready to check out of the book store. She wanted to go to the post card shop; but I was feeling a little dizzy, so I wanted to go back up to the courtyard for some fresh air. After waiting about 30 minutes for ka, I was about to panic about losing her again (and about to get up and find her), she appeared. The souvenir shop is around the corner, and is a little confusing if you are turned around, and there's too many people around you - you can easily lose yourself). Thankfully though; we found each other again. Hence, we really do need to put leashes on each other!

Anyway, we found Ship of Fools, and wandered around the 15th Century German exhibit - it was wonderful. All that art... I can't say enough about it. After that exibihit, we were onto the sculptres of Michaelango - there were 2 on dislay - entitled "Slaves" - one was wondering what Michaelangelo was feeling at the time he was sculpting... We also saw more Boteccelli, and some Donatello - specifically "amoureux et physche" they were beautiful.

So, we didn't see much art this time, we have to save some for next time we come! It was late at that point; so we had to run home (it's literally right around the corner) and make plans for supper.

So we hit our guide books, and decided upon a restaurant in the Latin Quarter... ok so we splurged a little bit, but it was simply wonderful... the art deco, the checkered tablecothes; the chandeliers... sigh... no to mention the bottle of wine that would probably cost over $100 at home... but we are in Paris... so we had a good meal, as I we had to eat today were cafés and a couple of spring rolls... oh and a brownie... best thing... no migraine at the Louvre... phew! Navigating the métro while slightly intoxicated was interesting, but we got home safely...

It was another wonderful day in Paris... I can't believe we are headed home soon!

2006-10-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

La Musée D'Orsay

Got up this morning, and went to the Musée D'Orsay as it was free today. The line ups were long, but worth the wait. What was wonderful was that there were rooms dedicated to artistes. There was a whole room of Degas (almost 2), a whole section dedicated to Rodin and Carrière, there were also Renoir, Corbeil, Monet, Manet... and well I could go on... It was simply wonderful to see everything all together. In the Rodin exhibit, you actually saw his pactice pieces, and you could see the changes that he made before the final sculpture was made. The Monets were magnificient... it' not every day you can say that you saw 10 Monet paintings in 1 day... and the Degàs!!! I actually saw the ballerina series... up close and personal... I foget to mention the Van Goghs... The haystack painting was there, along with the painting that went with it, "reves" - haystack with a couple entwined in a little after noon nap... something I will never forget.. I am a new fan of Millet, as well as Camille Pissaro... the Monets I had to sit for a bit and admire their beauty....

Unfortunately for me, the lighting in the museum lead to a migraine, and I had to duck out early. ka was absolutely enchanted, andI'm sure that she will have much more to say on today than I will.. Tommorrow... more art as we try to tackle the L'Ouvre... must remember to fortify myself with a strong cup of coffee before going... do not want a migraine in the L'Ouvre!

2006-09-30T13:44:00.000-05:00

Two Gimps in the City

We were off to an early start this morning - onto La Marché Des Puces! (for those bargain hunters out there, you'll know this is the flea market) So off we went, going further and further out of the city, we definitely hit the urban area, and I believe the area where the riots were last year. We found la marché without any issues (we are definitely getting better at that!). Oh the wonderful things we found! Bought little gifts, and a few items some people have requested (Kath I found your souvenirs at a really good price - D'Eyn, I still haven't found your requested item)... the best was... I found some.... *cough* personal items for myself at a really great price (things I definitely could not get at home at those prices!). ka also found some really good things as well... The best was that we got to haggle for the prices... I managed to talk almost every purchase down except for 2... they were just stubborn! And when they accepted too readily, I realized maybe I didn't go down far enough... oh well.. we really did some great shopping... The best part, I know understand how the French women can afford all those shoes... They buy them at the flea market for 10€!!! Pointy shoes, all the latest shoes, some rip offs of the designer shoes... you'd never know they weren't the real thing.

After the flea market, I had a little lunch... ka had a cappucino (we are definitely going to miss that when we get home!) then off to Le Cimetaire Pierre Lachaise. Ok, I knew the cemetary was big, but oh my goodness, this cemetary was HUGE! Every square inch is used. so ka bought a map, and off we were to find the graves of certain people. First stop, Collette - famous writer. Then off to Frederic Chopin, Molière, Jim Morrison, Modigliani, Bugatti, and of course, Oscar Wilde. The thing to note about Oscar Wilde is that his tomb is covered by lipstick kisses (you'll see in the photos). When in Paris, do as Parisiennes do.. so I puckered up and kissed the tomb.. unfortunately, neither ka nor I had any lipstick on us, so my lip prints are there, just not visible. But the most poignant memorials we saw, was the memorial tombstones to the Holocaust survivors. There were about 5 for the victims of the concentration camps, 2 memorials to the French resistance fighters, and others, telling the world never to let this hapen again, do not let their deaths be in vain. I was really overwhelmed at this point.. seeing the number of victims, of the monuments, saying herein lies the ashes of 7000 people, buried with the soil of Auschwitz, just moves one to tears. At this point, we had been at the cemetary for over 3.5 hours, and did I mention that the streets were cobblestoned? Poor ka's feet, and my ankle were throbbing by the time we left. But on the way out, there was more memorials to the fighters of World War I, so we stopped to pay our respects.

On the way out fo the cemetary, it was WAY passed time for un café. So off the nearest café, where we had une café, and well, an expresso too. Off we were onto the next item on our list, L'Arc du Triomphe. It had been spitting rain on and off all day, but by the time we got there, a couple cracks of lighting, and there was a downpour. We took a couple of photos outside of the arc, went in to buy tickets.. and by that point, with my ankle throbbing, and memories of slipping on wet floors, I asked ka if it was ok that we skip the top of the arc. I really wanted to see it, but it had been a long day, and I didn't want either one of us to have an accident.... ka was most gracious, and agreed to head in for the night. If there's time to come back to it, we will, but just to see the majestic arc wa enough...

It's a rainy Saturday night in Paris... but it was a good day...

2006-09-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

Rumblies in the Tummy.....

After 5 days in Paris, it would appear that my system is in overload. ka's poor feet are still sore, and my stomach is protesting today (can't decided if it was the mayonnaise or the Diet Coke I consumed). We are not headed out today, although it's a shame, and i want to cry "Foul!!!!" as the weather appears to be beautiful....

The good news is that we still have 7 days left in the beautiful city of Paris....

So here's ther perfect opportunity to explain a few things about Paris. After 5 days of watching the people walk by, I am pretty good at picking out the locals, and who are the tourists... and well, the British as well..

Parisiennes... for the women, not a hair out of place, dressed from head to toe. Shoes will either match their purse, or their top. Accessories are a must, from necklaces to braceletes to rings. Shoes seem to be the most importnt part of the outit... can I say I wish I had the money to buy a few pair of shoes??? Boots also seem to be on the come back... lost of the boots we've seen are knee-highs... swater dresses also seem to be à la mode right now... not the cable knit kind of the 80's, but sweaters of softer fabrics.. The men, sports coat, shirts (mostly white, but have seen a few pink and yellow shirts), lean fit jeans (not skinny jeans, there's a bit of "room" in the jeans) and of course, the shoes - this is their apparel for both the office and going out at night time. Men's shoes seem to be long and pointed - same as the women's.

We can pick out the British men, and they are always in a 3 piece suit, and the hair is slightly dishelved... whereas the Parisienne men's hair - slighly long, but again, not a hair out of place. The men also seem to have matching shirts and sweaters, in which they will tie over their shoulders, à la Don Johnson style... but the sweater and shirts are mainly black and white. I have seen a few women do this as well. The women don't seem to wear scarves... maybe we are too early in the season for that... as every tacky tourist shop seems to have silk scarves, with pictures of the Eiffel Tour on them.

As for the tourists - running shoes. It appears that no Parisienne would be caught dead wearing running shoes. (you could pick me out in the crowd very easily....!)

I wonder how the Parisienne women stay so slim with all the bread, cheese and wine they consume... not to mention a Patisserie or Chocolatiere on it seems every corner.. guess they are better at fighting temptation than I... lol.. D'Eyn you would be in diabetic heaven with all the sweets and things they have here....

2006-09-28T15:36:00.000-05:00

Jilly in the City
Today poor ka's feet were too sore to go onto the next section of Paris, so I compiled a list of 15 things that I wanted to see, that she didn't, and was suppose to go see those monuments. It was going to be a cheap day as all the things I wanted to see were fountains, monuments and churches and such that were free.... (the best laid plans.....) So I made sure ka was comfortable, and went on from there..

First stop, Rue d'Alger.. I took this one for you Kath! Second stop - Jeanne D'Arc monument - it looks like a gawdy gold statue in the middle of the street... ok, not off to a great start, but it was a start no less..... Off onto the métro I go!!! I should mention that the métro is very easy to get around the city of Paris - and very fast as well. If we had to drive to these locations, I'm sure it would take twice as long... The only scary thing is the warning signs about pickpockets. They have recorded announcements on the PA telling you to keep your things close to you to protect yourself against them. Again, the sites, smells and the pulse of the city are so different from one stop to another. First stop, the street of the headless woman. Legend has it that there was a woman that was beheaded, that took her head and walked down this street. Apparently, there was suppose to be a statue of this woman on the street corner were the street begins. So, reading my trusty map book, I get to the street corner, ( in 1 try no less!) and the statue has been taken down for restoration.... sigh... ok - all is not lost, I'm walking on the Left Bank of the Seine river, and it's a glorious sun shiny day in Paris, so how could it be bad that the statue was not there? I toured around Illes Des Cité for a little bit, watching all the touristes go by, sitting on a park bench, munching on my Anjou Pear, taking it all in. Watching the wokers on Notre-Dame cathredreal, watching all the people speaking different languages go by, watching the tour boats go by on the Seine... then I realized that I had other things to see and do, so I found my next métro stop on my trusty map, and headed to the Latin Quarter.

One thing to note about the métro, you can definitely tell what area of town you are headed to by the métro itself, and by the people on the train. When I got on the métro that was headed to the Latin Quarter, it was much like the train we got on to head to Montmatre - the trains were old, the stations were a little run down (re: dark and dingy), and some unsavoury characters hanging about. Once I got to the Latin Quarter, my destination was the Roman Baths. But first I was enamoured by a bird park, so I decided to stay there for a few minutes, and watch the birds. Off I headed to La Musée Des Moyens Ages to see the Roman Baths; only to discover, that ka and I had planned to see this musée at a later date (they have the unicorn tapestries there that d and I saw 1 of in Scotland). So I wandered around the grounds, only to discover, that the Roman Baths were currently under re-construction, and I could see them from the gate. Good, checked off my list... onto the next thing.

The thing about touring by yourself, is that you allow yourself to get distracted, and veer off from your intentions. I found a very elusive open Bureau du Poste (finally!) and bought stamps (check your mailboxes in a few days!). It seems that oveseas stamps are hard to come by - but they carry plenty of stamps for mailing within Europe and the UK. The guy at the Bureau to Poste looked at me funny look when I asked for 20 stamps - AND, he had to ask somebody where they were... Nevertheless, I puchased my stamps, and I was on my way to find a fountain... except....
So it was about 3pm at this point, and ka and I are used to, at this point, of stopping and having a café... so I find this little café called Café Nero... I stopped to have a café blanc (you have to order it with milk, otherwise it comes black, with no milk to put in it) I sat and wrote more postcards out, watch the students go by, some were protesting with signs "Cuba Libre" and handing out pamphlets, some were dressed in togas, I'm not sure what they wanted, as the café manager shooed them away when they came. Sitting in the sun, with my café, and writing postcards, ever watching people, I realized that I should not be rushing from place to place to see all of these things, but just enjoy the city, so that's what I did. After sitting for an hour in the café ( forgot to mention that the café came with a piece of dark chocolate to put in your café, which made it all the better) finished all my postcards (some were written the previous night), I decided to walk the main street of the Latin Quarter. I should have mentionned earlier that the Sorbonne is in the Latin Quarter, which is why there were a lot of students hanging around.
So I'm walking down the main boulevard of the Latin Quarter, just enjoying the different texture and pulse of this part of the city. Everything seems so vibrant, even the people. I'm just enjoying the walk, and lo and behold, I stumble onto to something that was on my list today. If was Foutine de St. Sulphice. There were 4 noted clergy men of their time, facing each direction with 2 lions at their feet. I sat in the square, just marvelling at the masonry work. The cathedreal St. Sulphice was closed at this point (and under repair), so I took a couple of photos of what I could of the medieval statues. It was then I decided to head back to the flat. It was a good day all in all.

However, the day does not end here....

After making to our métro stop - Les Tulleries - I decided to spend a little bit of time in the Gardens. Sitting on a park bench, watching the pigeons... one person threw 1 little bit of bread, and about a hundred pigeons were flocking to that one bench. It was a site to behold. Because I was 1 bench over from where the food was thrown, the pigeons thought that perhaps I had food too. Up hopped 1 brave little soul, right close to me to see if I had anything for him. I of course took a photo, as I could not believe the audacity of these birds. So they were flocking around me, and that's where I met my first street urchin. He "pretended" to find this ring on the ground, asked me if it was real, and having to way to tell, I said I wasn't sure. He tried it on, and gave it to me as a gift. I said thanks, and he started to walk away. He then came back, and asked if I had any money, as he was so very hungry. I did not bring very much money with me today, as I did not want to spend very much. I gave him my pocket change - it was all I had on me (except that bill I keep tucked in a separate place in case of an emergency), thinking that if I were in a similiar situation, I would someone at least to give me a couple of Euro so I could get some bread. Apparently, I'm to soft hearted - he then had the audacity to ask for more. I said that was all I had, and left. One thing to note, I thought I had put the ring in my jacket pocket, but it was gone by the time I got back to the flat - little bugger had picked my pocket as well. Nothing for him to find though - I had everything in my secret hiding place.
So, onto the patisserie, hoping that ka was feeling better, I bought a couple of tartes (and a baguette for tomorrow morning), and went back to the flat to find out what we wanted to make for supper (can't eat out every night - too expensive!). ka was happy with her tarte. Back to the grocery store around the corner, purchased veggies for a salad, and a lasagne for me. We had a great supper, and then it happened. Good thing we were wearing our St. Michael's pins that ODG so thoughtfully gave us.... I was re-heating coffee for ka in the microwave, when WHAM! the microwave door flew open, and coffee was in all directions. I got showered the most with coffee, but the strange thing was, it was not hot, and nobody got burned. Note to self: not using the microwave anymore! Strange thing as, the cup did not explode either... somebody, somewhere was looking out for us.....
So now, a little wine to calm our racing hearts... all in all, another good day.

2006-09-28T03:46:00.000-05:00

Short note before we get started today....

It's official - we will not be posting photos until we get back. Sorry folks, but the computer that we have does not seem to like our cameras. Between the 2 of us, there will be over 2,000 photos to post when we get back.

2006-09-27T17:13:00.000-05:00

Bohemian Rhaphsody

Today ka and I were off to Montmatre - the heart and soul of an artiste's paradise. First stop - Moulin Rouge. We didn't go inside, as neither one of us had any interest, but just stopped to take a picture. It looks much better in the movie Moulin Rouge. Anyway, at that point, we were off to La Musée de la Vie Romantique. We saw an incredible collection of art from Pierre Lotti. This museum also had works from George Sands. One point of interest for me was a porceline cast of Chopin's hands. All those hours of trying to play Chopin on the piano, picturing Chopin's hands as long tapered fingers, only in reality, his hands were not much bigger than mine! If anyone has ever attempted to play Chopin, you will note that his works contain a lot of movement, very quickly with complicated chording. How he did it, I'll never know. The museum also contained works and items by George Sands - the pioneering woman of the romantique era. The museum also contained a delightful Tea Garden, where ka and I had lunch. We both got big pots of tea, and the staff were wonderful.
After lunch, it was determined that the rather large lunch was needed, as we trucked up the hill (flashes of Halifax were going through my mind), only to veer off in different directions. ka went to the Salvatore Dahli musuem, and I went to the St. Pierre de Montmatre cathedreal. We had agreed ahead of time to meet at Basilique Sacré-Coeur. The cathredal to me was amazing. It was built in 1134 and remains standing as a working Catholic church. I lit a candle to St. Theresa for my mother. Ater it was determined that ka needed a little more time at the museum, I wandered through artisan's alley. There were many artiste's sketching portrait of the people that paid for their portrait, and several calls of "mademoiselle!" to me, I had the fortitude to start bartering prices of their artwork. After walking away several times, I went back to search for ka. As I was mounting the stairs, I happened to see her coming. We entered the Basilique Sacre Coeur together, and I must admit, I was overwhelmed. No words could describe the santitude of this church. Tall gothic colums surround the church, as well as little prayer rooms to the saint in which you wish to pray.

After it was determined that a little fortyfiny café was needed, we headed to an outdoor café. There is nothing like watching the people go by in Paris. After leaving the outdoor café, we went ack to artisan's alley to start batering for art work. I bought 2 original pieces of art, then felt guilty about talking the artist down, but then again, she would not have agreed had she not wanted to sell her artwork. ka also bought 1 amazing piece of artwork, and I helped her with the negotiations.

Since our feet dictate what we do next, it was determined the best course of action was to go back to the area of the flat and have supper, and retire for the night. But on the way back down the hill, it occured to me that many artistes must have made this trek up and down the hill after a night of debauchery. We stopped at a "Frommagerie" and bought cheese. ka bought very stinky cheese, and I bought some very soft brie and guyère (my stomach may not agree with all the different types of cheeses, but I'm enjoying them anyway!).

We are getting really good at using the metro stations - 3 short hops and we were back in our stomping ground. Went for a light supper at an outdoor café, bought a couple bottles of wine, and headed back to the flat (with the very stinky cheese!).

It was a good day.

2006-09-26T16:31:00.000-05:00

Moderne D'Objets D'Art and the Eiffel Tower

We slept in a little today - got a bit of a late start - that's ok though - we needed the sleep. We bought metro passes for 5 days. Say what you ill about the French, they were nothing but kind of us today as I tried to fumble though some French. The gentlemen at the metro counter was very kind and took pity on me, and spoke very slowly so I could undersand what he was saying. All in all, I think we got the best deal. One thing to note, French in Paris is very different from the French we took in French immersion. What is nice about here is that they seem to appreciate your efforts in French, whereas in Québec, they immediately switch to English.

So, off on the metro we go! No issues getting on or off, and we found the right stop with little difficulty. It was once we got off the metro that we did a little touring, adventurous touring, that is. *cough cough* ka is never going to let me have the map again! (all joking aside, probably wouldn't be a bad idea) Once we get there, I'm good at getting back, as I can memorize the route... anyway, we finally found the Palais Tokyo - modern pieces of "art" on display. It was recommended that we go there by ODG - and ODG - you owe me 6 Euros!!!!! Suitcase on the floor does not constitute art! Neither does a wall of bottles! The tape room was interesting, however, I can set up 6 fans at home, and demolish a cassette tape, and watch it fly across the room..... well, ok, we can atleast say we went there, and it was interesting.... ODG, I suspect we are going to have a debate about this at some point.... and btw... you're buying ;-)

We then went to La Musée D'Art Moderne de la Vie Paris.... I will admit I am not a big fan of modern art - however, there were some Matisse and some Picasso's to look at... and 1 amazing photographer - Sabine West..everything else I will probably forget in the next minute or 2...

Forgot to mention - Mama G we stumbled upon the accident site of Princess Diana - it was a little overwhelming - there were a lot of people that signed the overpass where she died, with lots of heartfelt sentiment.

Onto the Tour D'Eiffel - what an amazing site. It was something I will never forget. We went at the best of times. In late afternoon for the day shots, and stayed until dark for the night time shots. Simply amazing to be there. Thank you to ka's uncle Allen for recommending that we go in late afternoon to see both. We were on the highest peak for sunset.... ( a little scary going up there... the féniculaire kept going up and up and up... I didn't think it was going to stop!) what a glorious site to behold - Paris at sunset. I have pictures, but am unable at this point to download them. Sorry folks! ka is going to try tonight, so you may want to go to her site to see them.

Since both of us had very tired feet at this point, we decided to call it a night - we were going to stop for an expresso, but the café where we had dinner last night was closed. Well, we still had the 2€ bottle of wine that we purchased yesterday, so that will have to suffice for tonight...

Tommorrow, onto Montmatre!

2006-09-25T23:13:00.000-05:00

Footnote to yesterday....

ka and I went for a walk to keep ourselves awake, and to familiarize ourselves with the area that we are staying in. It's hard to describe the pulse and beat of this city. ka says the air is very soft, and I would have to agree with her.

We walked to the Jardins Toullieres, and it was interesting. You could very easily picture all the Victorian ladies and gentlemen walking around the gardens. And then, you see it - the L'Ouvre. It is bigger and more impressive then you can imagine. It was quite the sight to behold. Even just thinking about all the works of art on display, made us all giddy inside. We are going to be in front of them....!

We had supper at a little sidewalk café... the food was amazing... and we watched the world go by.. it was great, and I can't wait to do it again.

After supper, we went to the nearest patisserie, and got our dessert - there is nothing like French sweets - incredible!! And, of course, we got a baguette for breakfast the next morning.

By then, not even the expressos that we consumed could keep us awake, as we had been up for over 24 hours at this point.

Now, we woke up @ 4:30, and going to try to get a little more sleep before we start the day...

Hope to post pictures later today...

2006-09-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

We have arrived!

So we have made it to our little apt in Paris! After a "little" wandering around the very busy streets of Paris, ka and I are in our flat.

The day started pretty mundane. Packed the last few items, went to the grocery store for last minute items, walked to Robert Q, and met up with ka. Got on the Robert Q bus, made the mistake of drinking too much water before the trip, and around Woodstock, I was feeling a little uncomfortable to say the least..... with no planned stops a long the way, let's just say it was a long ride to TO.

Got to the airport with no issues, except the counter was not open yet. So we wondered around for a little bit, grabbed a bite to eat, and got checked in. The girl at the counter was fantastic, as she gave us seats near the rear of the plane, away from screaming children. So off we went through security, and all the plates and screws in my ankle did not set off the security alarms..... guess the good dr's at Victoria hospital did not lie to me after all..... ;-) We went to the bar for a drink, and got on the plane. The plane ride was pretty uneventful (except for a little turbulence) and of course, 2 awful movies were played, but that's par for the course, I believe.

Got to PARIS, and zipped through customs with no problems. Took awhile to get our luggage, but eventually it appeared, and we both breathed a sigh of relief. After a little confusion, we were off on the bus that was to take us within a 5 minute walk to get to our flat. *cough cough* those that know me well, know that I'm a "little" directionally challenged.... so the 5 minute stroll took quite a bit longer, and we'll leave it at that.... but we are here now, and the place is fantastic! d you would appreciate this - lugging my suitcase up a very narrow flight of stairs after a long 24 hours...

ka is almost finished unpacking, so I'll leave off at this point - more to come with pictures (hopefully!)

2006-09-24T08:15:00.000-05:00

Salut Bonjour!

This is it! Barring any delays at the airport, in less than 24 hours now, we will be in Paris! I have loaded up on cards, books and a few clothing items in the event of lost luggage. Murphy's law always seems to apply to me, but if I think of them or prepare for them first, then it doesn't happen. So pardon me for a little bit.... here's to no accidents, no slip and falls, no broken bones, no illnesses, no lost luggage, no muggings, enough money, clear directions, no drunk pilots, the bird does not think it's a duck over the water, no hassles at security, and no language barriers. Here's to a good time, a good friend, a great place to stay, and a beautiful city.

See you on the other side of the pond! Salut bonjour!

2006-09-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

For a laugh....

I checked my horoscope today.... and this what is said...

Double- and triple-checking things wouldn't hurt. Neither would having a backup plan -- just in case. In all likelihood, this is all overkill, but it doesn't hurt to have a Plan B and C in your pocket just in case.

spooky.... now I'm more and more convinced I'm going to forget something! So yes, the suitcase is out, and items are going in!

I have also posted ka's web site, as she will also be documenting our adventures.

2006-09-23T00:33:00.000-05:00

I MEANT to do it, really I did.....

ok - the plan was to come home early from work, do laundry, tidy up the last little bit in my apartment, and start the packing process. Well, that went out the window 1 hour after I got home. Went out for supper, played some cards with friends, and now, here it is, 01:30 in the morning, and I'm still not packed. I have almost everything ready to go - except my clothes.. and well, shoes too.....

ODB and ka seem to think that we'll only get rained on in Paris.... better pack that umbrella too.... sigh... less than 48 hours now! Sleep? who can sleep?

2006-09-22T05:58:00.000-05:00

60 hours to go!

d brings up a good point - just to clarify - I have not been cleaning for days on end.... I have been avoiding that task (and laundry) like there's no tomorrow. But, alas, I can delay no longer.... when I get home from work today, it's first on my priority list - and well, I'll probably do laundry as well. Then the packing begins!

As the Doktor said so elequently....

I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again....

2006-09-20T19:27:00.000-05:00

96 hours to go......

To Do List:

Clean Apartment
Laundry
Pack
Keep Tigger from going crazy (not much hope in that one!)

Why can't we go tomorrow? Oh yeah, 'cause I'm not ready yet!

I don't think I have posted the link to the apartment where we are staying - note the pink toilet paper - we will definitely be in France!

After some thought - I have removed the link from my blog - however, if you would like to see the flat, post on the blog and I will send you the link.

2006-09-18T22:03:00.000-05:00

A little bump in the road.....

We are 6 days before we leave... things are starting to heat up... I got sick today (pesky inner ear infection again!) and had to leave work... ka has a leak in her basement - water pouring in due to all the rain. At least these things happened before we went away....

Here's hoping that tomorrow brings a better day......

2006-09-17T18:44:00.000-05:00

T Minus...... 7 Days!!!!!!!!

1 Week from today - at this time next week, ka and I will probably be giggling at the gate, waiting to get on the plane.... and maybe ready to play a few rounds of Phase 10? or tic tac toe? or engrossed in the latest Pamela Anderson novel? (inside joke between ka and I - I'll let her tell it ... lol... hmmm... might have to purchase it for her as a going away present..... LOL... I'm going to get my butt kicked pretty soon.......)

Well, the to-do list before I leave is diminishing.. and that's a little scary, but exciting at the same time. I didn't do any grocery shopping this week, as I didn't need to - that was also strange. ka and I went shopping yesterday, bought a few new clothes to go away with - most of all - a fancy dancy new jacket - I think my sisters may even be impressed with it - it's not fleece! ;-)

Left to do - clean, clean clean - get EUROS, clean - and do laundry.....oh, and PACK!

2006-09-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

Trip Photo link is now working - and I moved it up for convenience.

Just 8 more DAYS!

2006-09-13T21:52:00.000-05:00

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

I can't believe that it's almost here - and then again, it seems like it is taking forever to get here.... Just 7 more working days before we leave..... 11 more days, just 11 more days... or rather 10 days until Sunday, the day we we leave...... ARGH... I just want to get there... but have too much to do before I get there!

Patience is virtue - possess it if you can........

I'm running out of steam... .have to quit looking at that guide book - get too revved up, and can't sleep....... The thought of standing in front of the Mona Lisa, seeing the opera house (seeing an opera!), having a cafe on a side walk trattoria, just really really stuns me in that I'm actually going to be there....

And then again, in my capacity as a pofessional worry wort, my ankle has been acting up. I don't know if it's the weather or what... I'm hoping the weather.... and really should stop wearing heels! (but they look so nice!!!) No, nothing is going to stop me, nothing at all...

We heard from the landlord of our flat this week , and everything appears to be in order - he's left the keys in a lock box for us... I just hope we are coherent by the time we get there to comprehend all the instructions!

On must get before we leave - map of Paris - with all the streets listed! In the book that we have, there are streets listed, but I have a feeling they are only the major streets....

Enough ramgling, must get some sleep!

2006-09-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

T-Minus....15 days

Ok - so say that I'm not excited would be a lie, but there's a lot to do before we get going. Today I was talking to a co-worker about Paris - she lived in Paris, and I brought my Paris guidebook to work. She knew exactly where we should be going - other than the usual tourist traps. Ok - I admit that on the bus I nearly missed my stop this morning, as I as reading the guide, and in the area where we are staying, there are a whole bunch of really cool things. I can't wait, I really can't... but must take care of the mundane things before we get there p- and most importantly - must not forget my passport!

2006-08-31T21:38:00.000-05:00

23 days to go... just 23 more sleeps, and we'll be on the plane!!!!!!

Yep, insomnia is hitting early again - too much to do before I elave... and I suppose starting a new job right before leaving may be adding to my stress, but it will be worth it in the end....... sigh... why can't it be tomorrow we leave... oh yeah, I haven't goten my Euros yet!

If anyone has any ideas on curing insomnia , please let me know!

2006-08-25T03:24:00.000-05:00

Less than a month now!

29 days to go.... 29 days to go.... just 29 more days to go!

It's 04:23 in the morning, and I can't sleep.... if I can't sleep when there's 29 days to go, I can imagine a bad case of insomnia coming on shortly..... I'm even having nightmares of forgetting my passport at the airport, but I'll take it as a good sign.

Have I mentionned I'm going to Paris? I took a French call today from one of our clients, and it made me sweat a little getting the tones right in speaking back, however, I could understand everything she sad..... so I'll take that as a good sign as well.... well, it someone is telling me off, I may have difficulties with slang, but I can understnad the words atleast.....may not be able to reply back, but I'm sure it will all come back to me eventually.

Sleep, must sleep.....

2006-05-20T16:01:00.000-05:00

Here goes!!! And we are off again! I am headed to PARIS!!! not until September, but gearing up for the trip... and I can't wait..... still have to find a place to stay, but that will come in time.... well, this weekend, I must, but it is going to be a fun fun fun trip!

2005-03-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

Well - I'm currently in California enjoying myself immensly. I have travelled with Anna for this trek, and it has been a lot of fun. I left on Sunday, March 13th. We left the snow and clouds behind and am currently enjoying the California sunshine.

It was a pretty long day when we first arrived. We left @ 1400 from TO, and arrived in California @ 2030 local time. We had a 3 hour layover in Milwaukee - truly exciting, with nothing to do. I read a Janet Evanovich book in 1 sitting.

Arrived at night, got the car rental. We rented a Chrysler Seabring, convertible. We had no problems finding our hotel, which is good because both Anna and I are directionally challenged at reading a map... well, okay, I drove, she read the map, but still... we did pretty good.

Our hotel is just in Beverly Hills. It has been so wonderful here. The breakfast every morning features fresh fruit - I have never had it so good. The food is amazing here. I guess it hasn't had to travel thousands of miles to get to London....

On the first day, we did the Hollywood walk of fame, Graman's Chines theatre - we saw Be Cool in that theatre - amazing - I sat where Bruce Willis sat the day before for the premier of "Guess Who"... sigh - to be that close.... ;-)

We did a little more shopping, then went back to the hotel. We were both pretty beat. But then, we got tickets to a comedy taping. We set out to NoHo - North Hollywood - and saw Ant. He was taping his DVD special that night. It was a long day - but we still had to eat supper - so we went to El Pollo Loco for dinner - it was VERY VERY VERY good.

Second day headed out to Burbank for the NBC studio tour. We could not pick up tickets for Leno - he is not taping this week. We'll be back. We then went to CBS to get tickets for the Price is Right for the following day. We spent the rest of the day going through the farmer's market - it was very cool. We then went for a drive past Keanu's house, and lo and behold - there he was! Outside just about to get into his Jetta. Hello HANDSOME! ;-) Back to the hotel, and back out to the strip for dinner. Went to Mel's diner - saw Dominic Monaghan, and Justin Timberlake. What as ass. We were walking the strip - which, apparently nobody does 'cause we were the only ones walking on the side walks. I noticed this guy ducking in the back seat of a cadillac. Which, of course, drew my attention. so I looked - he looked familiar, could not place him, then it clicked when I looked away. So I looked back, and they had already turned the corner. When we walked past this restaurant, and there was the same car. There he was, complaining that his food was not ready for pick up - I guess in Hollywood, you don't exit your car to get your food, it gets picked up by the side of the curb - WHATEVER!

So we trudged back to the hotel - it was a good night - but was very tired.

Wednesday we went to CBS to get on the Price is Right - I know, silly, but it's something that I used to watch with my grandmother all the time, and since she's not well now it means more to me than ever. So, we got to CBS studios at 0730 - tickets said to be there by 8 - we were 311th in line. Well, after 1 hour of waiting, we found out that we were not going to even get a stand by ticket. THAT SUCKED!!! I was so depressed... we got tickets for the next day, and went to the beach - Venice Beach that is, to drown my sorrows in the sand - with ice cream, of course. I wore sunscreen - but not it the right places, as I got a really bad sunburn on my arms and the bottom half of my legs. Anna has been quite good about saying that I'm not bitching too much... har har. But it was quite interesting being on Venice beach - saw the muscle men, saw the hippies - a lot of pot places out there - and swam in the ocean - it was a perfect day. We went back to the hotel, and vegged - after getting el Pollo Loco though....

2004-07-15T22:04:00.000-05:00

Hello Again!

Some of you have professed a little confusion over my last post - let me clarify. I said I was going to add some stories that I didn't have time to post while I was in Scotland - what I have done is gone back to original post and added to the story - so you would get the full effect. Of course, now that I look over what I have written, there's a lot that got left out.... oh well... maybe someday I'll tell you every thing that happened.... ;-)

For now - I will not be posting on this blog - but stay tuned! The trip to Scotland has inspired me to travel to Ireland - just haven't figured out the timeline yet... but it will be within the next couple years at most.... but of course I would let you guys know when I go....

2004-06-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

Back Home!

Well I have arrived home safe and sound after a slight delay at the airport. I look back at my blog and I realize that I've left a few things out, so over the next few days I will be updating the blog - especially the "I'm okay" story - but D already has that on her site too.... just thinking about it makes me chuckle...

I'm just updating my pictures now for those who want to see them - looking at them now makes me realize that I wish I was back there - sigh, but all good things must come to an end. Enjoy the pictures, and if you have any questions, or want clarification, let me know.. ;-)

Hope all is well with all of you, take care, and I will talk to you soon.

Jill.

2004-06-02T05:02:00.000-05:00

Hello again!

Well, I didn't climb Ben Nevis - got violently ill that morning so I basically stayed in bed for most of the morning and afternoon. Felt a little better later in the afternoon, but decided not to risk it. The hostel we were staying in was really nice - the staff were great, and it had a very relaxed atmosphere - there was even a pub in there! Anyway, D and I have been on the go for so long that it was kind of nice just to take a day and relax. We had beautiful weather again, in Fort William - who would have thought that you can get a tan in the highlands?

The next morning, we headed to Culrain - on to Carbisdale Castle! I drove all of the way there - is was a great drive! I'm certainly going to miss our little car - Queen Maeve! She corners like she's on rails... ;-) The drive was full on winding roads, so it was a lot of fun - and 12% road grades - and whatever comes up goes right down again! We got to Carbisdale Castle at around 1 pm - toured the castle for a couple of hours - and honestly - wasn't that impressed. Because this was a Scottish Youth hostel the rules were much stricter there - and there were a lot of families there as well. So after a couple of hours touring the "castle" - and I use that term lightly - we took a walking tour around the castle - once we got down the road a bit - low and behold! There's a sign to a pub - finally something to do! So we walked across a foot bridge that was part of a train bridge (those of you who know me well, know I hate bridges.... so it was a little bit of an adventure keeping my stomach from knots) once we got there - the pub was closed! Oh well, we headed back to the hostel, ate supper, then decided to drive to the pub. Well, it took us longer to drive there than walk there, so we turned around and parked the car back at the castle, and walked back (over the bridge) to the pub. Had a couple of pints, and headed back.

We woke up early the next morning to drive to Glasgow - the last stop in our adventure. The drive was long, but it still was beautiful - rain and all ;-)

We stopped for lunch a little late - around 2pm at MacDougall's landing. It was very beautiful there - surrounded by the green mountains.

Once we finally found the hostel (um... I had a little adventure trying to read the map... cough cough... ;-) - the parking was free! YAY!!!

Walked around Glasgow for a bit - our beds weren't ready yet because of the Buddhist convention - walked back to the hostel, unloaded the car - then headed to a pub to have a pint. The pub was called - Ben Nevis! I have a fealing this is going to haunt me for a little while - not going up that mountain. Next Time!

well, it's our last day here - and we're getting ready to walk to the city - and tomorrow - the adventure begins with trying to find the airport!

this is probably be my last post - I will update the pictures once I get home...

See you soon!

2004-05-29T09:58:00.000-05:00

Hello Again!

Don't have much time - very expensive here to use the internet. Well, other than driving every direction but upside down, we are having a wonderful time in the highlands. I enjoyed Thurso very much - a very coastal village. It was very relaxing. Then we drove to Gairloch - a 7 hour drive - it was a very long day. Here is where we were introduced to "Passing Places" - 1 lane highways with a little side to opass cars - made for very interesting driving. Also, cattle grids - if you went over them too fast, well watch out - our car, Maeve, might become a rocket launcher. ;-) Gairloch is another costal town - only we stayed in Melvaig in the lighthouse. It was very serene there - with nothing to do but walk around the lighthouse. We think we saw dolphins, but are not quite sure. **ADD IN - one thing to note - on the drive to the lighthouse, the roads were 1 lane, on cliffs it seems - glad that D was driving - I thought I was going to be sick several times on the way - little bridges to drive over, turns where you can not see if someone is coming the other way - and not many passing places. Once we arrived at the Lighthouse, it was very serene. There were sheep and chickens all over the place. Since the drive was very long, we decided that we were have dinner there at the lighthouse (I was really hoping that it wasn't chicken or mutton on the menu - don't thinkg I could have eaten it if it was after seeing the sheep and the chickens running around the yard earlier). Neither one of us wanted really to make the drive back into town to get groceries after the drive up there... Dinner was a little expensive, but so worth it. It was the first full meal we had in over a week. We got seated with these Dutch ladies - they were so funny! They had taken a 15 hour ferry ride to get to Scotland, and were just going to places day by day - where ever they wanted to go. Because there wasn't much to do - we were a little isolated, we walked around on the cliffs - and no, I didn't get too close to the edge! Waited for sunset - again, around 23:00 - and walked back. I met the cat Bobbit, and it was then that I was feeling a little homesick for Mischief. The owner called her huge - but she was half the size of Mischief. they also had a dog name Charlie - I think - also called Arthur - they had a new kitten called Merlin. The ladies that were running the hostel were very nice - reminded me a little of my girl guide leader Mrs. Crowe. The rooms in the lighthouse were very nice - no bunkbeds that night! We each got 2 comforters and 2 pillows - so comfy! We shut the light off, then D suddenly says - "I don't know if I could sleep with the light.." The lighthouse was a working lighthouse, so we could see the light travelling around the room.

The next morning, onto the Isle of Skye - it was very beautiful. It was my day to drive - onto more twists and turns! I drove over the Skye bridge without incident... ;-P Our hostel was right by the sea with a beautiful view. (again, not much to do but walk around the farm a bit... no pubs in sight, Mama G ;-) We were staying at a farm house called Flora MacDonald. We had a room to ourselves that night as well. We went down to the end of the Isle - then went to the Clan Donald house to tour it a little - the gardens were absolutely beautiful - even if they did have mutant rhubarb there! (the rhubarb in some places were taller than me!) Since there wasn't much to do, we went to bed kind of early - ok, I made D stay up until atleast 22:00 - she was ready for bed @ 21:30! I was so sure that if she went to bed early, that she would wake up @ 5am - but the joke was on me that morning! D got up (I though) @ 7am - I thought she was getting up to take her shower, so I got up, looked out the window, and noticed the sun was just rising (clue #1). Since the sun was coming up so late comparitively on this isle, I thought it was a little weird that @ 7am that the sun was just rising - but we were further south, so I didn't think anything of it. Because it was so beautiful, I decided to walk to the end of the lane and take a picture. Went a little into a farmer's field, but nobody seemed to be up, so I took my pictures. It was a beautiful sunrise. Walked back to our little cabin hostel, and sad on the front porch for a little while, waiting, for D to get out of the shower (clue #2). So I waited for 30 minutes, and when D didn't come out, I went in. It was then that I realized that it was only 05:30!!!!! I said screw taking a shower now, and went back to bed. D got up at her normal time of 7 am... ;-)

We drove to Fort William today - it rained most of the way. Nice drive. Queen Maeve, the warrior car, performed quite well on the inclines and declines - what fun!!!

Yes, we have see quite a few sheep on the highway - all the lambs are out on the highway - had to watch for passing places and sheep at the same time - what fun!

It was raining when we arrived - so I decided not to go to Ben Nevis that day. We had been on the go for so long, it was nice to take a little time off from touring. The hostel invites that kind of atmosphere. Since the owner screwed up on our reservation (he forgot we were coming) we ended up with a family room in the hostel - a double bed bunk bed! I got the top bunk (it was my turn) but what luxury it seemed! So once we got settled, went shopping for pizza (a little different from the pasta that we were having... ;-) and came back to eat. Because this was a holiday weekend, there were a lot of families there. But that's ok. Since this hostel was licensed, we decided to head down to the common room - aka pub - and chatted with the staff for a little while. It was then that Harry and his companion (don't remember his name right now) joined up. They had been walking for the past 3 days - 28 miles a day for 2 days, and 14 miles the last day - but they ended up in the wrong place. They paid a fisherman 40 quid to get a ride on a boat back to Fort William. They were so tired, but not tired enough to have a couple of pints. Harry was quite the character. At then end of each day of their walk in the highlands, they somehow found a pub to have a couple of pints. I had a little trouble understanding their Glasgowigen accent, but they were fun anyway. D and I headed up to our room around midnight, and around 2 (I think) Harry headed up to his room (he was in the bunk room next to ours). A couple of minutes later, we hear this big crash, and this voice saying "I'm okay" in a very heavy Scottish brogue. D and I laughed about that for the rest of the trip. It still brings a smile to my face today.

gotta go - write more later...

2004-05-26T11:04:00.000-05:00

Day 7 - Inverness to Thurso

I got to drive again today! Yay! Woke up realy early this morning - 7am really early? Anyway, got up, showered, had breakfast, and hit the road. Was a little sad to see the Inverness hostel go, but onwards and literally upwards! Hit the road (fueled up the car - great little car - have gone over 250 miles at this point, and it was only at half tank!) The driving up to Thurso was a little... um.... topsy turvy? Not my driving, but the roads!!!! Jenn- you will appreciate this - 13% road grades!! And very tight turns... Up and down all along the coast - it was so lovely. A lot of farms along the way - BIG cows and a lot of sheep. It was such a nice drive - up down around - we went to John O'Groats, had lunch there - John O'Groats is the "end of the road" in Scotland - it's the most North-East point of Scotland. (for those of you following along on my map, look at the top right hand corner) It was sunny on one side, then cloudy on the other. Spent a little time walking around, doing a little shopping - it was just so lovely. Got back into the car, and drove to Thurso. Thurso is such a - yes, I'll say it again - LOVELY town. On the sea shore, the town has lots of old buildings. We walked around, did a little shopping, then went grocery shopping at the Co-Op. Back to the hostel as it looks like rain, and, lo and behold! Lisa is here! She's the Aussie we met in Stirling. We're running into the same group of people from time to time - it's nice at this point to see another familiar face.

Anyway, laundry is - pardon the pun... - dirt cheap here, so off to do laundry. Going to try to upload pictures tonight - but no guarantees....

**ADD IN - D and I walked through Thurso again at night - it was 22:30 and the sun wasn't showing any signs of going down. So we went to the beach - there were 4 dudes surfing! We stayed on the beach for over an hour, waiting for the sun to go down, got some pictures, and walked back to the hostel. Spent a little time talking to Lisa - wished her well on her journey... who knows, we might meet up with her again when we go to Australia in 5 years....

*no Jamie found**

2004-05-26T10:22:00.000-05:00

Day 4 5 & 6 - Inverness

No internet access at the last hostel - so I'm a little late posting this... ;-) Drive from Stirling to Inverness was interesting. Went through a lot of mountains - the heather is not out yet, so the hills look a little brown, but it was still a lovely drive. The Scottish Broom is out in full though - lovely yellow flower all over the hills. I'm finally getting the hang of driving over here - of course, highway driving is a little easier. However, getting the hang of the traffic circles is a little tougher.... ;-) But I've got the hang of everything now.... even driving on the wrong side of the road... getting used to that too... have to watch it when I get home!

Arrived in Inverness - lovely city. Parked at a Safeway, and walked up to the hostel (well, ok - we walked in circles a little bit to find the place, but we eventually found it). The hostel was in the middle of some old row housing - it was on the second floor of course, up some steep narrow stairs - our room was on the third floor. I'm starting to wonder about my luggage choice, but too little too late now.... Anyway, we also had to find parking. Parking was actually cheap in Inverness - £3.00 per day - compared to the £36 pounds we paid in Edinburgh for 2 days, this was quite cheap! The parking lot was not too far from the hostel, and it was a relatively flat - no hills to chug up and down. The hostel was really nice. We met up with an Aussie couple we had met in Stirling. After we got settled in the hostel, we went grocery shopping at the Safeway. Food prices weren't too bad, we got a lot for a little (watching pences very carefully...). Spent a little time walking around the city, then went to bed. This hostel was very nice and clean.

Day 2 in Inverness - we went to the Culloden Battlefields. We found it the first time too! (great navigating D!) The site was a little overwhelming - so much emotion on the battlefield were so many men lost their lives fighting for what they believed in. We walked the fields for about 2 hours. One thing to note about the fields - they are using Hebridian sheep to keep the brush on the fields down. Every now and then you would see this dark brown sheep munching away at the grass.... interesting... Anyway, after Culloden, we went to Clava Cairns. Interesting that these stone burial fields have lasted over 2,000 years. There were 3 stone circles, and it was very powerful. Sat in the car after that and had lunch. This dog came up to us - she looked like a sheep dog. She came up to say hello, then went on her way. Drove back to Inverness, and walked up and down the picturesque town of Iverness - did a little shopping (bought postcards and stamps mostly...). Went back to the hostel to make pasta (a favourite it seems... ;-)). Spent a little time in the common room - it was a great mix of people - some people from Australia, couple of guys from Poland (big flirts!!!!) and a Canadian who was staying there for a few months. After some conversation the cards came out (whoo-hoo!) Played UNO for a little while (Aussie rules are much different....) then decided to call it a night - we had a big day ahead of us tomorrow.

Day 6 - Happy Birthday to me, Happy birthday to me... we stayed in Inverness (Carbisdale Castle unfortunately didn't happen for my birthday, but it will later on in the trip). D and I had planned on doing a Loch Ness tour - we could get a discount because we were staying at the hostel, but their had to be room on the tour, and we had to be there for 10 AM. We arrived a little early - then D surprised me for my birthday - she bought a full day tour of Loch Ness for my birthday. It was a lovely surprise. It was a beautiful day (a little nippy, but 'tis ok). We started the tour on a bus - drove around a little of Inverness - saw the loch for the first time (anxiously looking for Nessie, of course) It was so beautiful - the perfect sunny day. We stopped along the side of the road, took a couple of pictures, took a pink granite stone from the beach, and went back on the bus. We then stopped at a shop where we could buy souvenirs. I should mention the tour bus driver. Tony has dedicated his life, it seems, to researching the loch ness monster. He had all sorts of facts, and faked photos of the monster- only to reveal that they now believe that the "monster" is in fact a very large sturgeon fish. So much for the mystery! ;-) Anyway, after the souvenir shop, we went to a Loch Ness exihibition tour. Again, gave a little history, and the research they are currently doing in proving the theory of the "monster". A lot of sonar is currently being used to discover the truth. After the exhibition, we were dropped off at Urquhart Castle. This castle is in ruins because the Jacobites blew it up so that the English would not use it. The castle has had some repairs to it, but you can definately picture what it used to be like. After the castle tour we went on a lovely boat ride down Loch Ness (all the time searching for Nessie, or course). We ended back up in Inverness. By the time we got back, it was past 1800, so we were a little hungry. We went out to eat, the restaurant was called "Castle Restaurant" - it was like a greasy spoon diner - but it was my choice to eat there, as this is what I wanted. Had curried chicken and rice, with a huge side of "chips" - it appears that all meals come with a side of chips here. (even D - she ordered a pasta dish, and got a side of chips with it!). Wanted a quiet night, so we walked around Inverness a little, and went back to the hostel. Both of us got a little sunburned that day - don't know how, but somehow it got through my sunblock!!! Spend a quiet night at the hostel - I really didn't feel like going out and celebrating. This trip is really all of the celebrating I need at the moment.

One thing to note here - in Inverness it doesn't get dark until after 2300 - and the sun rises at 0440!!!! And it's not even the longest day of the year yet!!!! Anyway, spend some time outside, as it was still pretty sunny @ 2130 - writing in my travel diary with a cup of tea, contemplating life a little.... went to bed

*no Jamie found*

2004-05-22T14:46:00.000-05:00

Ok! new Day! Day 3 - onto to Stirling!

Woke up at around 8am - D was already up and showered.... but it felt good to sleep. Got showered - finally met the girls in the dorm (previously they had been out or already sleeping when D and I came in for the night) They were from Holland - it was nice to talk to them - was probably the first real conversation I'd had with anybody in the hostel. Those girls were going to Vancouver next year, so D and I gave them a few tourist tips.

Anyway, met up with the boys from Hamilton again - still partying from the night before! Wished them well and left. Went for breakfast at the cafe across the street. Back to the hostel, trekked our suitcase/backpacks down all those flights of stairs (see photo!). After trekking to the car, we were finally able to set out. Steph and Beth had given us some pointers from the night before on how to get out of the city. Well, as soon as we turned the corner from the car park, D realized we were in trouble (she's pretty good with the being on the left hand side of the road thing - probably a good thing that she was driving today... :-P ) Well, after making a wrong turn (or shall I say adventurous turn?) I was trying to figure out on the map where to make another turn when this taxi cab driver asks us if she can help us. She was SO NICE! She gave us great directions and we were on our way to the M-9 highway to Stirling.

Once in Stirling we had a little problem. We had a general idea of where we were going, but not the exact location. After successfully navigating a couple of the traffic circles, we became a little confused, and ended up on the wrong side of the street. Well, we stopped and asked for directions at a pub. They were really nice and gave us directions. One elderly gentleman at the pub said that he would go with us - works well for us, and for him as he needed to get back downtown. He never did give us his name.... hmm... oh well... Anyway, we arrived in Stirling! Found the hostel with no problems after the car was parked.

Got into the hostel and setted off for Stirling castle. - walked of course.... The castle was great - again another sunny day - no clouds or rain this time.... hmm... maybe my theory on Scottish weather is wrong.... anyway, this castle was more open - we were able to walk on the ramparts - the royal apartments were closed, but it was still nice.

Next on to the William Wallace Monument. OK - here's the story. On the MAP, it looked fairly close - after walking for 5 kms and getting no closer - took a picture from the side of the road and starting heading back. We needed to get some food, so we stopped at the local grocery store - a very interesting and very different. We spent £8 - but that is $20 in CDN funds - and we didn't buy that much. hmm... and the produce is all cellophane wrapped... make me appreciate more what we have at home.

Anyway, D and I are so exhausted from all the walked from the past few days that we have decided to stay in tonight. Go to bed early and head to Inverness in the morning.

Well, that was the plan anyway. So while D was typing updating her blog, I was talking to this girl Lisa from Australia. It was really interesting to talk to her. She was a "WULF" er - she came from Australia to Ireland to work on Organic farms in Ireland. She decided after 2 months to go to Scotland for a little holiday. WULFers don't get paid, they get food and accomodations and that's it. Anyway, so we just sat up and talked until 2300 - it was really nice.

Off to bed now!

*no Jamie found**

2004-05-22T14:25:00.000-05:00

Great News! Just uploading my pictures now to the website - just remember to click on "show oldest first" and you will get them in order of my trip.

Well! so much has happened since I signed off yesterday. Where to begin? Can't believe that is only day 3 of 14 - time either goes really fast or really really slow.... guess I'm still a little jet lagged.

Yesterday Doris and I walked nearly 15 kms - I think. Well, after breakfast we walked to Edinburgh castle. The castle was neat - I didn't get there last time because of a little problem with passing out. It was nice to be able to see it. All the cobble stones, the great hall, the "royal" apartments etc etc etc. It was very cool. We spent a couple of hours at the castle - had a little problem finding the washrooms (the public "toilets" as they are called here) it appears that it got flooded out due to all of the rain. So we were on the lookout for a washroom - then went to the cafe and used the washroom there. (just a little side note - the weather - nice sunny, then windy, cold, sunny again, clouded over, etc etc etc). Was a little disappointed with the castle, but not everything can last from medieval times.

After Edinburgh castle, we went to Holyrood Palace (we walked - of course.... ;-)) Although we seemed to know where we were going, it appears we got a little off track. After trekking up and down the steep streets of Edinburgh, we finally arrived at Holyrood Palace - only to find that it was closed as a "dignitary" was staying there.... D was really upset - this was the one place she wanted to see in Edinburgh and it was closed. Took a couple of pictures through the gate. Then started the trek back to the hostel.

Haven't spoken much about the hostel. We were sleeping in dorm rooms - approximately 8 beds (4 bunk beds) to a room. The showers were right outside our room. Which was nice, except the other morning, it appears that I interrupted some nocturnal activities of a couple in the shower when I came in. That's the thing - anybody can walk in anytime..... just keep in mind that the whole floor is sharing that shower... so I'm getting used to changing behind wet shower curtains in the morning. ;-)

Ok - back to the day. Went back to the hostel - wrote a few postcards - kept up my journal - had a conversation with some "boys" from Hamilton. They were very intent on celebrating May 24 weekend in Edinburgh.

Met D's friend Steph for dinner @ 2100 at a nice restaurant called Guilano's. Steph brought her friend Beth as well. They are really nice ladies. Very good Italian food at the restaurant. The one thing I've noticed here is that when you're in a restaurant you have to ask for your bill - they don't bring it to you automatically. anyway, we sat in the restaurant until midnight - it was very nice to meet them.

Walked back to the hostel - notice a trend here? It was about 0:30 when our heads hit the pillow - very long day - lots of activity but it was good to sleep.

*no Jamie found*

2004-05-21T01:32:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note this morning - sorry guys, no photos yet - have not found a place to download them.... yet - will be on the hunt over the next couple of days.

The weather here is so confusing. All day yesterday you could set your watch by it. 20 minutes hot sunshine, then it would cloud over and become very cold. Then, 20 minutes later it would "mist" - it doesn't rain here - it "mists" - then 20 minutes later hot sunshine. I swear I don't know what to wear here! I'll get the hang of it before I leave...

The other thing I forgot to mention yesterday was the people that we have encountered here. They have been so nice and accomodating. Every question we ask, it greeted with a smile - no "dumb tourist" expression here. Yesterday when we went for lunch, I asked the waiter the proper tip amount - something you don't think about I guess before you leave - anyway, the waiter said " for me, 55%, everybody else 10-15%" - gotta love their sense of humour.

I think I forgot to mention the hostel yesterday as well. It's an old hour with 5 floors - and guess where our rooms are? Of course, on the top floor - no elevator!!! I knew I brought too much stuff and the wrong suitcase when I was trying to drag that sucker up all those floors. A hostel employee took pity on us and took my suitcase, I grabbed D's knapsack and we made it up. Now that I've climbed the stairs a few times, it doesn't seem so bad. That first time though, it was a little tough... ;-)

Well, that's about it for now - D and I work up @ 5 am this morning (we went to bed @ 1800 last night - too exhausted to stay up any longer....) the only place that could possibly open early for breakfast (7am) was Starbucks Coffee - and we weren't interested in going there. So we made the trek to the car (a hike really - up and down all those hills!) got a few items, and came back here to make use of some time on the computer.

Well, it's close to 8 am - getting very hungry... time to see what's open for breakfast.

*no Jamie found*

2004-05-20T09:28:00.000-05:00

Well, after a very long flight, we've finally arrived in Edinburgh. I left @ 1307 from my apartment yesterday, arrived in TO @ 3:15 - D's parents were very kind in giving us a lift to the airport. We made good time cause D's dad has a bit of a lead foot... ;-)

Since our flight did not leave until 18:55 - we had a lot of time to kill. So we stopped at the nearest pub in the airport, had a beer to relax... nursed that beer for 2 1/2 hours because it was so expensive! It was interesting watching all of the people coming and going.

Our flight did not leave until 19:30 - but we did all board before 18:55. It was a little frustrating because our seats were called last. Ok - the plane - very close quarters - not an inch separating the chairs. It was a very long, uncomfortable 6 1/2 hour flight. could not sleep - at all - too hot in the plane. they showed 2 bad movies - well, ones that should have been good, but weren't.... Once we finally arrived this morning @ 06:30 local time (1:30AM EST) we were feeling very tired. I could hardly keep my eyes open, but we had to drive from Glasgow to Edinburgh. OK - THE CAR!!!!! WOW!

When we booked the car rental in March - we knew we were getting a free upgrade - They gave us a Rover 25 - it is a beauty! We have yet to name her, but rest assured, it will happen. So D took the first leg of the drive - she drove from Glasgow to Edinburgh - but somehow, D and I got a little lost, and off course.... (par for the course for my vacations... ;-) We were somehow south of Edinburgh. We stopped at a gas station, and the attendant was very kind in giving us directions. We bought a map book to help us. So I got to drive at that point - In truth, I was VERY NERVOUS about re-learning to drive a standard, driving on the opposite side, and learning to shift with a different hand! So, I took the city route back into Edinburgh. Think I scared Doris a number of times. I'm not used to having to leave room on the left hand side, and let me tell you - the streets are VERY narrow. I think I nearly took a pedestrian out... but he was fine - I checked... ;-)

Well, what they don't tell you in those map books is where the CONSTRUCTION is. Ok - so we got a little lost the second time trying to find the hostel. BUT in our defense, every time we would navigate a street, it was either a one way, or the "round about" was under construction. Jolene - I think I know now where they got the idea for the traffic circle in Halifax - they are all over here!!!! So I think I've mastered the shifting in the standard now - except on hills - they leave no room behind you when waiting at a red light - good thing we've got insurance!!!

so when we found the hostel, was so wiped out I layed down for an hour. So so tired - was up for over 24 hours at this point. After the one hour - D and I went out for lunch at a place called Garfunkel's. Then we wandered the Royal Mile. Both of us are so tired right now, which is why sitting at the computer seemed liked a good idea right now.

Tomorrow it's Castle Edinburgh, and Holyrood Castle. After that, we are off to meet one of D's friends for supper. Sleep is all I can think of right now... so I'll sign off.

*no Jamie found*

2004-05-18T22:50:00.000-05:00

T-Minus 19 hours.....

Well, it's midnight before I leave, and I can't sleep - at all. Too excited/nervous! The other thing is that Mischief threw up tonight as I was cleaning up, and this makes me very nervous leaving her for 2 weeks. I know that I'm leaving her in very capable hands, but it's still hard. They say that cats don't have facial expressions, but I swear she's been giving me dirty looks all night.

Well, almost packed - just the toiletries stuff to pack. I did about 12 loads of laundry today - amazing what loads those big washers can take at a laundry matt!

Anyway, I'll try to get some sleep... yeah right! Maybe I'll go find that Economics textbook - that always put me to sleep right away when trying to study... ;-)

2004-05-14T08:31:00.000-05:00

Well, it's 6 days before I leave and I can't contain my excitement. However, I do have to get through a mountain of laundry before I go. *sigh* hop to it!