Well, it’s June 17th and I will be back on Canadian soil in only 2 days. As predicted by all, I cannot believe how quickly my 6 months away have gone. While I am sad that my 6 month vacation is nearing its end, as I have seen and experienced so much, I am excited to come home and see everyone I have missed so much.

I am also looking forward to spending a summer at the lake and then starting my “real life” in the fall. While I will dearly miss the student life (and hope to return to it in the future), I am thrilled to be in a position now where I can tangibly contribute to my community and (while cliché) apply the many lessons I have learnt over my 5 years in post-secondary education.

As for the blog – I am very behind in updating the many sights I have seen in the last month and a half. As I am leaving Europe in a day and a half (and desperately do not want to leave my une Canadienne en France chronicles, incomplete), here is a Coles Notes version of my May and June:

• Mom and Dad visit – we attempt to see as much of France in 11 days as we can. We successfully see Paris, the city of love, Grenoble (Rhone Alp region), Bordeaux, the red wine mecca, and Cannes in the beautiful South of France.
• I am so sick I spend two weeks in bed.
• I go to London to meet up with PK before he spends 2 weeks touring through the UK with his best friend Warren. We are both sick and whine at each other like an old couple. We manage to see most of the London sites and regardless of feeling lousy, we thoroughly enjoy London.


A beautiful English garden


Yea! Buckingham Palace!




London Eye – PK and I really did see all of London


Bridge near the London Eye

• I return to Grenoble and frantically try and finish all of the school work that had I managed to put off until the last minute.
• During exam week, I take off to Barcelona for 4 days. I meet up with Dan and Ange (two great friends from Vancouver) and we spend everyday together, along with Ange’s parents who were also visiting, discovering the beauty that is Barcelona. We eat the most fabulous food at every meal and see almost all of the sites. I bask in the sunlight which I have been missing due to foul weather in Grenoble and have the most amazing time.




Barcelona beautifully juxtaposes old and modern art


Arc de Triomphe – Spanish style!


The Barcelona crew – Dan, Ange, Florence, Gerry, and James (our host and tour guide)


After a great dinner of traditional Catalunya cuisine


I say pose and Ange gladly obliges


In front of Sagrada Familia


Dan, Ange and I on the Barcelona City tour bus


Barcelona’s Gothic town – narrow, winding streets


Sunshine! and Beach!


The most amazing meal ever. Honestly – best in this lifetime!

• I return to Grenoble, finish off my exams, meet up with PK, and pack up everything I can fit into two bags. It is a frantic last 5 days and I barely manage to fit everything in. Not to mention the sad parting of roommates and friends. (Good thing Niki is going to come and visit me in Vancouver next summer!)
• PK and I leave Grenoble on May 27th and head to Amsterdam. We visit the two museums, take in Amsterdam’s famous coffee shops and fall in love with the feel of the city. We eat some amazing meals (and some not so amazing meals) and leave Amsterdam wanting more.


Our favourite coffee shop


The most amazing mint tea ever!


The famous canals




One of our best dinners on the trip so far – Netherlands traditional food with a twist


PK in all his glory

• One May 31st, PK and I take the train to Paris. We spend an entire day in the Louvre, visit the Musee d’Orsay and wander throughout the breathtaking city. The weather was very grey, but as Dana has pointed out to me, Paris is almost more beautiful with that backdrop and I can’t help but agree.


PK licking his lips in anticipation of the famous Parisian food




The Louvre – PK and I spent 6 hours there!


The view from our hotel room

• After Paris, on June 4th, we fly to Dublin. The city is a stark contrast to Paris and seems homely (or should I say modest?) in comparison. PK describes the city as “more real and much warmer” than Paris; “It may be uglier, but the people exude a much greater feeling of hospitality.” The reason for our visit to Dublin was to go see Radiohead at Malahide Castle. We see the first concert of their European tour and are blown away by the concert. It is, or course, absolutely spectacular – the music, the band, the lights, the setting…ahhh, everything rocked!

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The Guinness Storehouse


PK is uber excited – look at that grip on the brochure




The view of Dublin from the top floor of the Storehouse\


This building is much more exciting (and photo worthy) now that I am standing in front of it


Malahide Castle


The massive stage at the concert


VERY excited to be seeing Radiohead


The rainbow kept the rain from dampening our spirits










GREAT concert


The huge crowd


Last look at Dublin before we were off to Prague

• From Dublin, we were off the Prague for 2 nights. Both PK and I had heard amazing things about the city and were excited to see it first hand. Upon arrival, we had a true Czech lunch made up of various types of pork, sausages, duck, dumplings, cabbage and cabbage soup. It was so good, especially with the half-litre jugs of beer served up with it. Prague overall though left us unimpressed; it was overly touristy and the locals seemed mostly annoyed to have so many foreigners in their city. The architecture was stunning and its preservation from WWII was impressive, but we are in no hurry to return.




Huge beers (by my standards at least)


Screens set up in the town square to watch Czech Republic’s first game in the Euro Cup


The famous astrological clock – how cool!


Charles’s Bridge behind me




The view from Prague Castle


PK working at a smile


All of the doors in Prague Castle are much shorter than PK!


Stunning Gothic cathedral



• After Prague, we stopped in Vienna for one night before heading to Salzburg. We didn’t want to make the long train trip in one day from Prague to Salzburg so we though Vienna would be a perfect place to spend one night. We arrive in Vienna at night and spent our time in the “Fanzone” watching two Euro Cup Games. The Fanzone was right in the downtown of the city, next to some of Vienna’s most beautiful buildings. It was absolutely huge with over a hundred food and drink vendor stalls, 10 huge screens and a capacity of 50,000. The Euro Cup atmosphere was contagious and watching the Romania-Italy game and the France-Netherlands game next to fans was awesome.


The Fanzone – Yea Euro Cup!




Soccer mania


PK is addicted to soccer!

• On June 10th, we made our way to Salzburg. We rented an apartment in the city and have loved having a kitchen, and a couch. We have spent our days wandering through the small, but gorgeous old town, watching a tonne of soccer and lazing indoors because of the rain. We are in Salzburg because Greece (PK’s team) has 3 games here. PK went to the first 2 (which unfortunately Greece lost) and is planning to go to their last game tomorrow against Spain. I wanted to go to a game, but with scalped, single tickets going for anywhere between 200 and 400 Euros, it was a little bit out of my budget. Salzburg also has a Fanzone (much smaller than Vienna’s though), where PK and I have taken in many of the tournaments games.


Fans everywhere!


The Swedes march to the stadium on game day (there were thousands of them!)


Greece v. Sweden


Greece v. Sweden


The Salzburg Fanzone


PK proudly wearing the Greek jersey


Greece v. Russia


Greece v. Russia


Greek fans chanting, drumming and building energy for tomorrow’s game. Want more of a first hand experience? Watch PK’s video on YouTube: Ellas Ole Ellas Ole


Rain didn’t stop us – thank goodness for ponchos

• On June 16th, PK and I went to Munich for a day trip. The train ride was only 2 hours both ways, so we couldn’t resist to take in a bit of German Bavarian culture. The weather was less than optimal so we spent most of our time eating German food (pork, potatoes, dumplings and cabbage) and drinking Munich beer. The best part of the trip was our visit to the Hofbrau Haus – this venue is a huge beer hall/restaurant, where beer is served in 1 litre steins and the music, laughter and drinking makes for the most joyous atmosphere.

The beautiful garden behind the Royal Residences

Surfing in the Englisher Garten park – too cool!

Bier Garten in the middle of the park

Hofbrau Haus

Mmm, Weissbier

PK managed to drink 2 of these

The band, playing traditional Bavarian folk music

This is only one of four rooms in the Hofbrau Haus

Marienplatz – I really love the Gothic architecture

Phew! So there you have it; my last two months in a nutshell. I am excited to see everyone when I return and to share more photos and stories that did not make it to the blog.

At the end of April, Mom and Dad undertook the 12 hour flight to come visit me and see some of France. We met up in Paris at 8am and I forced them to deny their jet lag and spend the day sightseeing. We were staying near the Champs-Élysées, so we spent the day wandering around there. The concierge suggested a great French Bistro close to the hotel and I was able to surprise Mom and Dad with my adept ordering abilities. Highlights:

• Dad’s utter amazement with the traffic circle that surrounded the Arc de Triomphe. The organized chaos blew his mind.



• As we strolled down the the Champs-Élysées, a homeless beggar approached Mom and I holding out a note explaining her situation and asking for money (or so I assume). I shook my head at her and kept walking, my typical approach. About 5 steps later though, I realized that Mom was no longer beside me. I turned around to find her intently reading the woman’s note. I had to go retrieve/rescue her like a mother prying a 5 year old away from a candy store window.
• The first amazing French dinner I have eaten since arriving in January.

The next day, we crammed in as many Paris sites as we could. We visited the Louvre, the gardens next to the museum, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. That evening we went to Paris’ most famous dinner theatre, the Moulin Rouge and returned to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up beautifully against the dark night sky. Moulin Rouge was spectacular; the costumes, dancing and singing were amazing. After a few glasses of wine I was cheering emphatically and Dad even seemed to be enjoying himself.

On our last day in Paris, we went to the Paris Flea Markets and Mom and Dad ate their first French crêpes. The flea market was not as cool as it was claimed to be and we didn’t get to the train station on time because cab drivers apparently don’t work on Sunday afternoons. We had to search for over a half hour to find a cab and I have never seen Dad move with such agility as he darted back and forth across the streets to flag one down.

We missed out train to Grenoble, but were able to catch the next one only an hour later. Once in Grenoble, we spent a few hours of separateness as 3 days in one hotel room was a little cramped. For dinner, I took Mom and Dad out to one of my favourite restaurants in Grenoble, La Ferme a Dede. We had hearty mountain cuisine (plenty of meat of potatoes) and ate so much we had to waddle home.

We stayed in Grenoble for 2 nights, as I had a few classes that I need to attend. Mom and Dad spent their days wandering around the city and practicing their French. They also went up to the bastille (where the GGSB Gala was held) and took in all of Grenoble. Mom’s remarks, “Grenoble is so big; I had no idea. The downtown is so condensed and quaint. I can no longer tell everyone at home that you are going to school in a lovely small French town.”

From Grenoble, we headed to Bordeaux. It was here that I came down with the most atrocious flu. It was so bad that I had to make a hospital visit. The flu kept be in bed for over 2 weeks, causing me to subsequently
miss the rest of our France adventure. From Bordeaux, we drove to Cannes, and before we knew it Mom and Dad’s 11 days were up and we were back on the road for Grenoble and then Paris.

Even though I was unable to act as slight interpretor and tour guide for the second half of our trip, Mom and Dad said they still had a fabulous time. They were so taken by the Riviera, that they would like to return in a few years, rent an apartment and spend a month there. I tried my best to weasel my way into that proposition, as I too love the water, endless beaches and fabulous food that reside in the South of France.

I don’t have anymore pictures to share, because Mom used her camera while I was thoroughly testing out the hotel beds. For the stories of what Mom and Dad were up to in Bordeaux and Cannes (and a recounting of the multiple amazing meals and bottles of wine consumed), you will just have to call them and ask yourself!

How is the end of May already upon us? I am startled at how quickly the last month has passed. Sorry to everyone who was looking for updates as I have been detached from the online world these last few weeks.

First Mom and Dad arrived; then I contracted the most awful flu that knocked me out for over two weeks; before I knew it it was time to go to London to meet up with PK; and finally, school is nearly over, prompting me to complete all of those assignments that I had efficiently pushed off these last months. I start writing finals tomorrow and in 11 days I will pack up my things and leave Grenoble. Wow. Where did the semester go?

When I look back over my photos though, I remember the ample adventures and accompanying fun. Really, there hasn’t been a dull moment. Ahh, France.

On Thursday night, our school, the GGSB, hosted a gala for students and staff. It was held at the Bastille, which overlooks the entire city, and consisted of a dinner and dance. Everyone looked smashing and the food and drinks were ample. The music was decent and everyone was there. The roomies and I had a fabulous time.

The roomies looking good

The gondola leading up to the Bastille

Model pose

Nicky and I – oh so glamourous

The view from the Bastille

The Italian ladies, Nicky and Carla

My running buddy from Portland, Nicole

The German boys!

The outfit – I inadvertently fit with the theme “The Revolution”

The roomies and Francesco’s girlfriend, Laura

Zindzi and Caitlin, my dinner mates

My favourite Texan, Erin

Ray Bans – oh so cool!

The dance party. L to R: Me, Umi, Elaina

Cool, right?

My travel guide/buddy (aka Umi) planned a day trip last weekend to the town of Voiron. It is a 15min train ride from Grenoble and home to the famous Chartreuse distillery. She hooked me with the “free tour and tasting” so we (Umi, Caitlin, Ashleigh and I) set out early Saturday morning for a mini-adventure.

First, we toured through the distillery and tasted the famed Chartreuse. The cellar is gigantic, with huge oak barrels over 10 feet tall. The history of this elixir was quite interesting as well. The highlight was of course, the tasting of the Chartreuse. It has a very distinct flavour and was so strong we couldn’t even finish our glasses (mind you, it was only 11am by this time).

Chartreuse Cellar

Chartreuse – where the name for “Chartreuse Green” originated

After our tour, we found our way to the huge outdoor market in the centre of town (of course) and then to the large city park for a picnic lunch. We had brought all goodies to share and had a yummy lunch in the sunshine. Afterwards we visited a famed chocolate shop, and saw the token cathedral and drank coffee on a patio. All in all, it was a fabulous day!

I love markets!

Umi was so excited to see the petting zoo (and subsequently live animals)

The Cathedral

Umi – are your feet not touching the ground?

Over Altigliss Week (Spring break March 22-29), Nicole and I went to Mestre to stay with her family. Mestre is right beside Venice. It started as the industrial centre of the famous lagooned city and now is one of the many villages surrounding it. We left on Saturday and traveled through the mountains (Torino) to Milan and then across the Italian countryside to Mestre.

We had an absolutely amazing time in Italy. For Nicole, she was so happy to see her friends and family (Stefano, Daniela and Isabella). And for me, I got to experience a true slice of Italian life. Most of her friends spoke a little English, but neither of her parent’s could. It is amazing how much can be communicated with gestures and smiles. Nicole was a very patient translator and her family were amazing hosts. I cannot imagine a better way to see Italy than my trip home with her.

Daniela and Stefano

Isabella and Nicole

Saturday

On our first night in Mestre, we met up with Nicole’s group of long-time friends. They meet every Saturday night in a Church parking lot, smoke a tonne of cigarettes and decide, impromptu, the evening’s plans. After being introduced to everyone, they asked me where I wanted to go. Not knowing anywhere in Mestre I replied, “Somewhere very Italian.” They said, “Great idea.” So after a brief catch up with Nicole, we loaded into three cars and drove off to Kalispera, a Greek pub. Not very Italian, but fun nonetheless. We drank Italian red wine, took photos and chatted. Well, they chatted mostly and I tried desperately to pick up on what they were saying. My few Spanish courses came in very handy (Spanish is quite similar to Italian) as I was able to at least discern what the topics of conversation were.

Nicky’s Posse. 1st to last: Mazz, Nicky, Monica, Giuliano, Angela, Linda, Chiara, Filipo

Sunday

The next day was Easter, so we had a lovely lunch with Nicole’s family. Her mom made a fabulous risotto and we ate until we were stuffed. Her mom even bought us all huge chocolate Easter eggs – mmm, I love chocolate.

Easter Lunch
L to R: Me, Isabella (Nicky’s sister), Nicky, Daniella (Nicky’s mom), Grandpa

Isi and Nicky

That night, we went over to Monica’s house for a relaxed dinner. Nicole told me that “Natale con i tuoi, e Pasqua con chi vuoi.” Which means: Christmas with your family and Easter with who you want. So we spent it with her friends. I had my first Italian pizza, Spritz (a fabulous Italian wine cocktail), and Colomba (Italian Easter cake). Everything was delicious!

Mazz tending the fire

In Italy everyone gets their own pizza. I managed to eat all of mine – I felt very accomplished!
L to R: Nicky, Jiordano, Filipo, Mazz, Monica, Page, Linda, Enrico

Monday

Monday was Page’s birthday and she organized a lunch outing to celebrate. We drove for two hours out of Mestre into the mountains. It was an absolutely spectacular drive. The Italian country side made amazing scenery and I was serenaded the entire way by Enrico’s booming vocals and Monica’s and Nicky’s confident accompaniment. As we climbed into the mountains, we were met by sunshine and snow – the perfect backdrop for an Easter Monday lunch.

Stretch-your-legs break. L to R: Nicky, Linda, Chiara, Page, Monica

The Rifugio (a type of Italian restaurant that serves traditional Italian mountain cuisine) Page had chose was perched high on the mountain side, affording it a great view of the valley.

The view from the restaurant.

As we entered we were met with a cacophony of noise – cheers, chatter, laughing and singing. The atmosphere was electric and the smell of food was amazing. Our stomachs were growling and we couldn’t wait to be seated. After a “short” wait, we finally we shown to our table. The waiter plunked down bottles of water, sparkling water and red wine at both ends of the table and quickly took our order. There were no menus handed out; the waiter listed the few choices offered for each course and Page picked an array of each.

First course – tris di penne all’arrabbiata, pasticcio e pasta con funghi e piselli
Second course – grigliata mista di pollo, manzo e maiale, servita con polenta
Third course – tiramisù fatto dalla Page, sgroppino e caffè

We ate pasta, bbq meat (done right in the restaurant) and delectable tiramisu and drank wine lemoncello and coffee. Everything about the lunch was absolutely phenomenal. I was in Italian food heaven for the entire afternoon! The lunch lasted three hours and was accompanied by the most amazing “Italian family” atmosphere. The restaurant was booming with energy and warmth and we were in no hurry to leave. We ate and drank to our heart’s content; so stuffed that we almost couldn’t get up.

** Most of the lunch photos are courtesy of Filipo (Thanks Pippo!)

The Birthday Girl, Page

L to R: Mazz, Page, Linda, Chiara

Monica and Nicky

Nicky and me

L to R: Enrico, Chiara, Linda, Page, Mazz, Filipo, Giuliano, Angela, Monica, Nicky, me, Jiordano

L to R: Chiara, Linda, Page

Page’s amazing tiramisu – I don’t know how we all managed to eat the HUGE slice she dished out, but it was worth it!

Page with her lunch guests:

1st to last: Mazz, Me, Guiliano and Angela, Chiara and Linda, Jiordano and Enrico, Nicky, Filipo, Monica

After we finally dislodged ourselves from our seats, we took a few photos in the remaining sunshine and started out trek back down the mountain. On the way, we stopped at a look-out to take a few pictures of the sunset. (Can you tell by now that the Nicky’s friends love photo ops?)

The girls

L to R: Page, Linda, Mazz, Nicky, Guiliano, Angela, Linda, Filipo, Monica, Enrico, Jiordano, me

Filipo with the girls:

The drive home

That night Nicky and I watched The Bodyguard (Whitney is amazing) and contentedly relaxed, our stomach’s so full.

Tuesday

Tuesday was our “Venice” day! After a yummy breakfast of cake, fette biscottate, jam and coffee (our morning ritual prepared by her mom) we were off. Venice’s scenery was everything it is talked up to be. The labyrinth of canals and narrow pathways made for an amazing afternoon of sightseeing. Even Nicole had a great time wandering around, playing tourist for the afternoon.

The other main activities in Venice include shopping, riding in gondolas and eating next to the water. Nicole and I did two of the three (She refused a gondola ride: “Gondolas are overpriced and meant for tourists. And it is not at all romantic; the water smells disgusting!”). At lunch we tried a Venetian dish comprised of onions, peppercorns and sardines which was surprisingly good and we watched all of the silly tourists ride by in their gondolas! We did a little but of glass shopping (which Venice is famous for) and didn’t get too lost. Having a tour guide that speaks Italian was a definite bonus! We spent five hours there and could have spent another ten discovery more of the tiny islands. One the bus ride back to Mestre, we deemed the trip to Venice a definite success!

View from Rialto Bridge

Piazza San Marco

Basilica di San Marco

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View of the lagoon from the gates to San Marco

Gondolas everywhere!

My favourite little Italian

View from our lunch table

Mmm, coffee – Nicole and my addiction! Even the sugar packets are Venice themed.

Oh so chic!

We finished off our night with a nice dinner at home. I made dinner for Nicole’s family to thank them for the hospitality. Luckily there were no disasters in the kitchen and dinner turned out great (except that it was a little late – my usual style). Everyone must have liked it because Nicole’s mom had me write down the recipes for her. Actually, she had me tell them to Nicky who had to write them down in Italian. This was definitely the most challenging task of the meal. I need to start paying better attention to the proportions I use as I seldom use recipes as strict guidelines!

Wednesday

Wednesday was a relaxed day at home. Nicky had homework that she tried to do and I made a list of the homework I needed to work on (the list was as far as I got!) After dinner we met up with her University and friends for Spritz. Nicole’s University campus is in Treviso (the University of Venice has a number of satellite campuses) another town close to Venice and Mestre. We found her friends at the campus and then wandered down to a pub for a few drinks. They had a great catch-up with Nicky and a birthday drink for Pasty (one of the friends).

L to R: Marco, Stefano, Marco, Cippo, Diego, Luigi

L to R: Me, Pat, Vale, Pasty and Vania

I have no more Spritz left!

Thursday

On Thursday I set out to Florence for a day trip. The train ride is about two hours each way, but Florence was completely worth the trip. I spent the day wandering through the streets and trying to see as many sites as I could. The one main attraction that I wanted to see was the Duomo museum. Unfortunately, I had the same luck with museums this day as I did in Paris. I managed to go to Florence on the during the Free Art Week – admissions were waved at all art venues. The line for the Duomo almost wrapped around the building just to get a reservation. Needless to say, the Duomo was out. So instead I went to the Uffizi. It is an old palace that has been converted into a museum. I mostly wandered through the expansive gardens though, but did tour through the Costume wing. Before I knew it, it was time to go catch my train back to Mestre. Florence was beautiful, but it was a little lonely walking through the streets alone after having spent the last five days surrounded by people.

The Duomo Di San Giovanni

The Duomo Di San Giovanni

The line-up for a reservation at the Duomo Museum

Waterfront property

Now that’s a pink bike!

The entrance to the Uffizi

The gardens at the Uffizi

Disheveled, someone felt sorry for me and offered to take a photo!

The Secret Garden; Italian-styles

Florence from the top of the gardens

Spring is here!

The view from behind the gardens

The view from the park bench I sat at to write out my postcards

Once I got back to Mestre, Nicky and I met up with Monica, Filipo and Chiara. Chiara took us to a great little Italian wine bar for dinner and drinks. We sat out on the patio, under the heat lamps and drank phenomenal red wine. It was a VERY Italian venue. We had a great night in the “Italian ambiance!”

Friday

Today Nicky and I headed out to Treviso to look around her campus and have lunch with her University friends. Her satellite campus houses only the International Trade faculty, so it was quite small; but lovely nonetheless. We took a quick peek around and then headed out for lunch. There ended up being over a dozen of us so the meal was quite entertaining. We had French fries, Panini, Tramezzini and Spritz – a very Italian lunch.

Nicky is not happy – we missed our train and had to wait an extra hour!

She is trying to teach me the art of the pout

Lunch with (L to R) Silvia, Pasty, Vale, Pat, Stefano

More coffee!

Afterwards Nicky and I went to United Colors of Benetton (which is from Treviso), but it was closed for lunch. Lunch in Italy is from noon to three! So we headed back to Mestre .

Tonight was our last night in Italy, so I offered to make dinner for Nicole’s friends. Italians seem to only eat Italian food, so I offered to make them anything they wanted. We settled on Greek cuisine (only Mazz had had it before). I managed to make a feast for thirteen in Nicole’s mom’s tiny kitchen that everyone enjoyed. We laughed so hard and once again ate too much. The highlight of the meal: the look on Nicole’s and Monica’s face when then bit into the cheesecake for dessert. I know – not Greek, but it was specially requested, so I made an exception.

As away gift, Filipo made Nicky and I a DVD slideshow of our “Week in Italy.” He had to take time off of work on the Thursday just to finish it in time for our departure. It was an amazing good-bye gift – Nicky and I were both sad to leave. I am already thinking about when I will be able to go back to see them all again. I am trying to post the video on YouTube  – I’ll let you know once I upload it.

Saturday

Nicky packed so much that it takes her and Monica to close the suitcase.

We trained back to Grenoble after a phenomenal spring break. Nicky spent a lot of the 9 hour trip sleeping while I spent most of the time looking out the window. Italy was amazing and I feel so fortunate to have met everyone that I did. The invitation is open now for them to plan a trip to BC!

The day before Nicole and I left for Italy, it snowed in Grenoble. The first snow-fall of the year no less! It was very slushy and only lasted a day or two. Like Vancouver, it very rarely snows in Grenoble, making it all the more whimsical. As you can see by the photo, Nicole was as surprised as I was.

I had my first experience skiing in the Alps on Monday and it was spectacular! I had the most amazing day – so much snow, interspersed sunshine, no line-ups and amazing views.

I can’t say if skiing in the Alps is better than skiing in BC – they are quite different from one another. In the alps there are many lifts and gondolas criss-crossing the mountain (you need to take 2 gondolas, a lift and a t-bar to get to the very top), the vertical from base to summit is much greater (almost 2000m difference at Les Deux Alps), and there are no trees on the top half of the mountain. Given that there are no trees the runs are very undefined. Every chair has an easy out and the slopes off of the easy out (the runs) were rated in difficulty. You really could ski anywhere you wanted. Another huge difference (thanks to the size of the mountain) was that you have lunch up on the hill. There are restaurants and snack shops on the mountain at the end of all of the gondolas. Everyone eats their lunch while relaxing in lawn chairs on a restaurant patio, perched on the slopes.

After a few years hiatus from skiing, it was an amazing first time back. I am itching to go again. Hopefully after Altigliss vacation week (no school next week) there will still be enough snow on the mountains for another great day.

My ski buddy for the day, Jen

Lunch time

So much powder

Goggle tan in the making

Rhone-Alps tradition – Mulled wine after a long day on the slopes

Believe it or not, but I ate at a fast food restaurant while in France. It was not by choice however- I lost a bet. The conditions of this loss? One meal eaten at Quick Burger (the French equivalent of McDonald’s) bought by Brandon, the complete eating of the meal, and the posting of the proof on the world wide web.

The food snob in me died a little that night. We had the No. 3 meal: a triple stacked burger with enough cheese to give you a heart attack, French home fries and Fanta.

After dinner, Brandon, Francois and I were all slightly nauseous and thoroughly proud of our accomplishment. To celebrate we went and drank beer. Yup – calorie overload!

During the month of February, Nice transforms into a Carnival playground – claiming to be the second largest Carnival celebration, right behind Rio de Jainero. After hearing about the spectacular sites to be seen, some classmates and I decided to spend a weekend checking it out. We were enticed by the promise of parades and street festivities that last all night, and the thought of spending a few days on the French Riviera.

We left Grenoble on Saturday morning (March 1) at 530am and arrived in Nice by lunchtime. After we dropped our things off at the hostel we went on search for lunch and the beach. We wandered through Old Town and dined at a sidewalk bistro near the open markets. After a fantastic lunch we found our way to the boardwalk.

The city square

Book vendors like in Paris

Carnival Paraders! L to R: Caitlin, Umi, Tareq, Zindzi and Stephan

As soon as I saw the water I realized how much I have missed it. I guess that growing up and now living beside large bodies of water has had a more profound effect on me than I had realized. With only a river in Grenoble, I missed “real” water and was so happy to be next to the sea. But for me, a wimp who hates the cold, the water was too frigid for a swim this weekend.

The beach!

Umi is very excited to be in Nice!

Nearing sunset

Confetti that floated down to the beach. It was everywhere in Nice.

Rock outcrop along the shoreline. L to R: Stephan, Caitlin, Zindzi, Umi

Time for camera tricks. Me “holding” Stephan.

Confetti, confetti, everywhere! Zindzi is loving it.

After sufficient beach time, we wandered through the fair grounds, had some gelato and headed back to the hostel. We needed naps!

Coolest wind catchers I have ever seen

The fair grounds

Old Town – winding, tiny streets everywhere

After a nap that did not feel nearly long enough, we were back down on the boardwalk for the Parade of Lights. It was absolutely amazing. I have never seen a parade, on television or otherwise, that even compares to what Nice had in store for us. There were the most spectacular floats and costumes, all in the theme of “King of Bats.” The crowd spilled into the road, at times dancing and jesting with those in the parade. Silly string and confetti were flying all around. No one was safe – everyone sprayed and showered everyone else. The atmosphere was exuberant and energetic. The dark night, bright lights and loud music really engendered a party feel.

Yup – those are statues over a hundred feet in the air all lit up.

When silly string attacks!

Poor Umi – totally silly stringed!

The King of Cats float

So massive

Stephan getting a hug

So many intricate costumes

A bat man?

After the two-hour parade, speechless, we bumbled about its awesomeness and went on search for dinner and a Carnival party. We were met with minor success, but by 1:30 were ready for bed!

The next day, we were met by the sunshine that evaded us the first day. We shopped at the huge downtown outdoor market, ate by the water and spent the afternoon downtown.

Food heavn!

Sunshine, water and summertime

Eating along the boardwalk

We hiked up to the lookout point and had cat naps on the beach! The sun was so warm, it felt as though spring had arrived. The sunbathers were even out and a few braved the cold Mediterranean waters.

The many many stairs we climbed up the outlook.

It was worth it – look at this view!

The other side of Nice

Mmmm, lunch

The sunbathers working on their tans.

The afternoon Carnival events were taking place all along the Boardwalk and in the downtown park. We wandered through them and then went in search of snacks and some late afternoon entertainment. We decided to go to a Tea House and had a great time smoking hooka, drinking mint tea and chatting in the silk and cotton laden room.

Candies and confetti, yum!

Matador and bull

The money Launderers

Ooo hooka

That night was the end of Carnival and they had a fireworks show at the beach to commemorate the event. It was very reminiscent of Festival of Lights in Vancouver: hundreds of people at the beach, chatting with friends and furtively glancing at the barge, anxiously awaiting the show. The fireworks were amazing and a fantastic end to the Carnival.

The next day we took the train to Monaco and to see wealth at its most opulent. Everything that is said about the country is true: the most massive yachts one has ever seen, beautiful, expensive cars at every corner and designer goods on everyone. We had our bags and jeans on and could not have stuck out more! The highlight of the day though was the visit to the Monte Carlo. We played a few slots and even played roulette (only once though because one chip is 5 Euros). Stephan was the big winner of the group; he won almost 200 Euros on Roulette. It was very exciting for all of us! It was unbelievable to see the amount of money that was being laid down on the tables at 3pm on a Monday. I cannot even imagine how the Casino transforms on Saturday night during the Grand Prix…

The walk from the train station

The harbour

Near the Monte Carlo

Monaco – the car just happened to drive by as I was taking the photo

The Monte Carlo

L to R: Zindzi, Caitlin, Umi, Stephan, Tareq

It was a fantastic weekend trip. The company could not have been better and the Riviera is absolutely beautiful. After this weekend, I understood why it has such a glamourous image.