The last leg...

So after being stranded in London for 5 days due to the volcano, my friend Mel and I finally made it back to her place in Toulouse. Seeing how we spent the night in the airport, we had a quick siesta before heading to the west coast of France, to Mel's friend's cottage in Hossegor.

We had a hot weekend, full of baguette, cheese, wine, the beach and petanque (basically the french version of bocci). We even fit in a daytrip to Sainte Jean de Luz, where I actually ate oysters, prawns, mussels and fish soup...alot for a person that hates seafood.

We headed back to Toulouse for Mel's last week of work, backed up her apartment and moved in with a french family (friends of Mel's), who had a 2 year old, 4 year old, and 6 year old...it was quite the stay. We had the most amazing wine and cheese night for the wife's (Vanessa) birthday, with four different wines, homemade bread, 8 cheeses...and jell-o shooters thanks to Mel.

For our last beach holiday, we decided to go to Les Saintes Maries de La Mer, a small beach town in between Nimes and Marseille, right at the south of France on the mediterranean sea. It was a mix of french, spanish and greek...it was amazing! We spent most of our time on the beach, and one day decided to walk to a lighthouse...it was 26km there and back! The weather was a little unpredictable. We got sunburnt, got caught in a rain storm, a wind storm, and a crazy sand storm all in a span of 5 days!

We are now back in Toulouse, leaving tonight for another night in the airport before flying to Paris early tomorrow morning. Mel will continue on to Canada, while I spend my last 3 days in Paris before coming home...

Pictures!

Here are a few photos from the Topdeck trip...more to come...

Paris

- Me with the Eiffel Tower (finally!)

-Kissing Oscar Wilde's grave

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

- View from our log cabin - At the highest point on the Swiss Alps

Florence

- Toga party

Rome

Pisa

Salzburg

Budapest

"From Paris to Berlin" cont'd...plus Amsterdam

Notes on the final part of my topdeck trek...

Vienna

- only one day in Vienna

- best cappuccino of life

- went to the museum of natural history...saw the Venus of Wilendorf...amazing

- went to a Schnapps factory...had absinthe and 23 carat gold/orange schnapps (really good)

Budapest

- went to a restaurant which served portions so massive that they were served on cutting boards and in cooking pans

- headed to a cool bar with fire pits and old cars that people sat in

- walked up to the summit of the Pest side...incredible views

- went to a labyrinth underneath the Budapest castle...we found a fountain in the underground labyrinth that was pumping out red wine...the wine was really gross

- went to a bath house...felt like a new person after icing myself down, going it a 55 degrees sauna, and then submerging myself in ICE cold water

- got stopped by the transit police on the way home with the group. Jenn and I hadn't properly validated our subway tickets because they had ripped in half, and we couldn't fit them in the machine. They said that we had to pay a fine, but we both didn't have any money since Jenn's locker had been broken into at the baths, and I had used my money to pay for her entrance. Since we didn't have any money, they wanted ID. I didn't have ID because I hadn't brought my whole wallet to the bath beacuse I didn't want it to get stolen...like Jenn's. The guy thought I was being difficult (even after I showed him my empty bag), so he said he was going to call the police and have them deal with it. Our hungarian coach driver and I tried to explain that if I had money or ID I would give it to him, and that we were trying to cooperate. In the long run, we got the transit police to lower the price of the fine, and had to borrow 50 euros from a guy on the tour to pay our fine upfront.

Krakow

- went to a bar called Prozac...crazy music, and really low chairs

- was there when the polish President, his wife, and senior members of the government were killed in the plane crash. There were memorials, vigils, gatherings in squares all over the city.

Auschwitz

- I don't really know what to write here. I find it emotional to talk about it. We walked in the barracks and the gas chambers. Saw the shoes, suitcases, and human hair of the prisoners that was left behind. We went to Birkenau and walked along the train tracks. Lots of crying. I don't think I will ever forget what I saw.

Prague

- 3 hour walking tour of Prague

- went to a weird dinner with the group at a medieval restaurant, and then went to an even more bizarre marionette show of Don Giovanni

- went to a 6 level night club...each level had a different music genre...was doing the twist at 4am on the 3rd level

Berlin

- day trip to beautiful Dresden...had currywurst (best meal of the trip)

- dodgy dinner of beetroot, red cabbage and beef goulash gave me a stomach flu that I am still getting over

- played pool with the hostel staff in the bar till 2am

- went on Third Reich tour of Berlin...one of the best tours I have ever been on

- went to the Holocaust Memorial and Museum...very emotional

- saw the book burning square

- went on a pubcrawl with the topdeck crew...extremely late night (got home at 5am)

Amsterdam

- saw a cheese and wooden clog demonstration

- walked around the red district

- went to Anne Frank's House...emotional, but one of the best museums I have ever been in

- had fries with mayo...amazing

- went to Rembrandt's house

- went on a canal cruise at night with the topdeck crew

- did another pubcrawl, before heading back the next morning to Oxford (Amsterdam, Brugge, Calais, Dover, London, Oxford...long trip)

Was supposed to fly to Toulouse today, but am grounded in the UK. Am heading to London today to try to sort out when I will be allowed to fly next...can't afford a train to Toulouse, so have decided to wait out the volcano ash in London...

"From Paris to Berlin"...or at least half way there

Quick notes about my topdeck trek...

- Left Paris and headed to Swizerland

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
- gorgeous, small, safe town...hostel didn't even give us keys to lock our doors
- had a good night in the pub before heading up to the "top of europe" the next morning. Took a train up to Jungfrau in the Swiss Alps...tallest point in europe
- had cheese fondue for the first time

Florence, Italy
- Had a toga party in the hostel, before heading out the next day to tour florence
- Say a italian leather demonstration
- Had the best bruschetta ever...could be because it was the first veggies in a couple weeks

Rome, Italy
- Walking tour of rome...screw up with public transportation, so trip back to the campsite ended up taking a few hours and alot of "scusi...do you speak english?"
- Missed the tour bus to the Vatican the next morning...but managed to figure out my own way there (alot of running and weaving through confused italians). Got through the line, security and tickets in 40 minutes!...and it was Thursday of the Easter weekend...crazy fast!
- Saw the Sistine Chapel, St.Peter's Square, the Colisseum, and the Forum
- Ate alot of pizza, pasta and gelati
- Got my cell pickpocketed (so, sorry if I haven't been answering any texts or calls)
- Went on a roman pubcrawl to 3 different clubs...all you could drink for the first hour, free pizza, free t-shirt, no cover to clubs...messy italian night...

Venice, Italy
- Explored the city
- Saw a venetian lace demonstration
- Took a "water bus" which was pretty cool
- Had a roof party at the hotel
- Beautiful city....got majorly sunburnt

Salzsburg, Austria
- Toured the town
-Went to a beer hall in a monastery...had a couple of steins...everyone chanting, banging their steins and dancing on the tables to accordian and spoon music.
- Went to an austrian club, danced the night away before an aussie friend got headbutted in the forehead. Spent the rest of the night in an austrian hospital with an aussie and a hungarian friend, while the other aussie got stitched up.
- Went on a 5 hour hike through the austrian hills (skiing had shut down the day before...)

-Heading to Vienna tomorrow, and then on to Budapest the next day...offically halfway through the topdeck tour...and am starting to get exhausted, but am having an amazing time.

I definitely have the travel bug...

Quick note about Ireland and Paris...

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...here are a few quick notes about my stays in Dublin and Paris...

DUBLIN
Monday
- Got lost at 11pm at night, trying to find my hostel...people partying everywhere!
Tuesday
- Walked around and saw OConnell Street, Parnell Square, street concerts in St.Stephens Green, Grafton Street
- Went to the National Museum of Ireland, Trinity College; Douglas Hyde Gallery
- Went out for dinner and drinks with Deirdre...met an irish man wearing a Ottawa Senators pin...made friends with him
Wednesday
- St.Pattys Day!
- Saw the parade, more people and more green than I have ever seen in my entire life!
- Met up with Katrina and Kayla ( two architecture students doing an exchange in Madrid)
- Went to bar number one...had great street meet for dinner
- Met up with Katrinas sisters friend, Justin and his Irish friends at bar number two...had my first whole Guiness to myself (soooo filling)
- Headed with the whole group to bar number three...had green beer and did the irish jig
- Went with Irish friends to bar number four...picked up a nagan of husset (mickey of vodka...so weird) along the way...did the jig and belted out Fairytale in New York in the bar
- Met back up with the girls and went to bar number five, six and seven, before getting some street meat, making friends with some cops, and later heading to bed
Thursday
- Went to a great cafe for lunch with the girls
- Wandered around St.Patricks Cathedral, Guinness Brewery (too long of a line to go in) and St.Stephens Green
- Headed to the airport and caught a flight to Oxford

Hung out in Oxford for two days before heading to Paris

Paris
Sunday
- found hotel and finally food, and hung out in the hostel bar
Monday
-Saw St.Chapelle, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Orangerie, Tuileries, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs dElysee and Centre Pompidou
- went out for a French dinner
Tuesday
- Headed to Chartres to see the Chartre Cathedral
- Walked around Montparnasse
- Had a dinner of cheese and baguette on the Seine
Wednesday
- Headed to Poissy to see La Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier
- Visited the Musee dOrsay
- Had a crazy last night at the hostel bar...met alot of travellers...made friends with the French people that worked there...went out to another bar...spoke French alot
Thursday
- Visited the Cimetiere de Pere Lechaise...kissed Oscar Wildes grave...saw Moliere and Jim Morrisons graves
- Headed to a dodgy area of town to meet up with our travelling tour...got caught in a downpour of rain and hail while we were walking there (all our stuff got soaked...I think I have to throw out my shoes)
- Met the people on our Topdeck tour at dinner
- Went on a night Tour of Paris
Friday
- Wandered around Paris for the day
...and am now heading off to a French dinner where I will be trying escargot before leaving for Switzerland tomorrow...



Pictures to follow...

Norway

Spent my first week in As, Norway recovering from jetlag, and getting used to the snow. During my second week, we decided to venture out of As (since there is nothing in this town...not even a coffee shop), and head to Oslo.

During our first visit to Oslo, we saw the Design and Architecture Centre of Oslo...some cool industrial design projects, but the rest of the centre was kind of disappointing. We then headed to the Munch Museum - there was so much security, but I guess that can be expected seeing how the "Scream" has been stolen so many times. I was very suprised by the "Scream". It looks so much more vibrant in books, but when I say it in person, I realized that it is crayon on cardboard...literally. It has probably faded since it was done in 1893, but still I was so surprised. After the Munch Museum we met Ingrid, and headed to the Oslo Opera House. I am in love with the Opera House. It is such elegant architecture. You view it as art, but still realize it is a building...it is breathtaking. We climbed to the roof and saw amazing views of Oslo.

On our second trip to Oslo, we saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D. The theatre was beautiful, and parts of the movie were well done, but there didn't seem to be a point to have it in 3D. After the movie, we raced to the train station, hoping to catch the 11:48pm train back to As, only to realize that there was no 11:48 train, and that there was only a 12:48am train. Having an hour and a half to waste, I wandered back to the Opera House to take pictures at night. It was lit up, and was this beacon in the fjord...it was beautiful.

On Saturday, night we went to an "Around the World" party hosted by the international committee at Hayley's school. It was fun to see all the different nationalities, and how they party. I am sure I will see alot more of that as I head to Dublin for St.Patty's Day!

Copenhagen...my new love

Last weekend, Hayley and I headed to Copenhagen to celebrate her 21st birthday. Upon arrival, we were very excited that there was no snow! Copenhagen is so beautiful. The buildings are colourful, the streets are all cobblestone, people bike everywhere, and the city is so safe, that bikes aren't even locked up. I want to learn danish and move there!

After navigating through the city to get to our hostel (we got off at the wrong subway station), we ventured out and had an amazing vegetarian buffet dinner at Riz Raz. We were so excited to see taboulah and hummus, and fresh baked pita bread!

On Saturday, after grabbing coffee and some pastries, we decided to explore Christiania - an original hippie commune. We entered through this wooden arch, and found a small neighbourhood that was covered with graffiti, including alo of graffiti that said "no photos". After walking along for a bit, we began to feel uncomfortable when the locals, and their barking dogs, started to stare at us as they warmed themselves by flaming trash cans. We quickly ducked out of there, and decided that it probably would have been a better idea to visit Christiania in the summer, not at 10am on a cold Saturday in March. We then went shopping in the town square, out for a sushi birthday dinner, and then headed to a club called "Rust" to see the danish version of "tegan and sara", and a female dj accompanied by a contemporary dancer.

When we woke up on Sunday, Hayley had some sort of stomach flu, so we decided against biking and taking a brewery tour (our original plan), and instead walked around the University of Copenhagen, and then checked out the Danish Design Centre. It was amazing - full of sustainability themed installation art and icelandic architecture. As we caught the right subway and headed back to the airport, all I could think about was what a dream it would be to move to Copenhagen and study at the Danish Design School...

Journey from Seoul to As

4 flights, 3 airplane stir-fries, 2 trains, 1 bus...

I have finally arrived in As, Norway, or at least part of me has...my bag is still in Hong Kong!

It all started when I left Tamara's in Seoul at 9:00am on Monday, March 1st, and took an hour shuttle bus to the airport. Everything was going smoothly, until I found out that there was bad weather in Beijing, and that our take-off would be delayed. After an hour delayed, we flew the 2 hours to Beijing (had airplane stir-fry #1 for lunch). I got my bag, and went to check in for my flight to Hong Kong. Since it was a connecting flight, and my final destination was London, I asked them to forward my bag to London (so I wouldn't have to pick it up during my 2 hour lay-over in Hong Kong). They agreed, and I proceeded to my gate.

Once again, the take-off was delayed (no idea for what reason). We finally took off, an hour later than expected, and I had a peaceful 3 hour flight to Hong Kong...during which the airline played Christmas music (no idea why), and I had airplane stir-fry #2 for dinner . We landed, and were dropped off in the middle of the runway. I was at the back of the plane, so had to take the second shuttle to the airport. As I was waiting for the shuttle, I realized that my connecting flight was leaving in 45 minutes! Upon arrival at the airport, I jumped off the shuttle, and started pushing my way through the swarm of passengers from the Beijing flight. As I looked up, I saw that there was a man ahead of me holding a sign with my name on it. He told me that the gate for my connecting flight was closing in 10 minutes, and that we had to run. We swerved our way through the crowds of people, going in the staff lines at security, and literally running at full speed through the airport. In between dodging people, and gasping for breath, I explained that I really needed my bag to make it on the flight. He assured me that they should be able to get it on, and that he would call down to the basement to make sure. I thanked him, and walked onto my flight.

When I got on the plane, I found out that I was in the middle aisle, squeezed between two people, on a 12 and a half hour plane ride. I also realized that my airplane tv didn't work. So here I was on a 12 and a half hour flight, stuck in my seat, no airplane movies, and consuming airplane stir-fry #3. I decided to put on my ipod, listen to some Amanda Marshall (who is for some reason my "go to" artist when I need to zone out), and try to practice meditating.

After 8 hours of sleep, 2 more hours of Amanda Marshall and a curious, hot English breakfast, I arrived in Heathrow...or at least part of me did. It seems that my bag didn't make it on the flight! I went to baggage enquiries, and had an interesting conversation with the British Airways representative:

Me: I just landed and can't find my bag
BA rep (after looking up my tracking number): It comes in tomorrow
Me (getting a little teary eyed): I won't be here tomorrow...I am leaving for Norway in 5 hours.
BA rep: Do you really need it?
Me (holding up my satchel that held my magazines and wallet): Yes...
BA rep: Are you staying in Oslo?
Me: No in As (pronounced OZ)
BA rep: Oh, so you are in OZlo...
Me: No, in OZzzz

After talking to him for 20 minutes, we agreed for them to send my bag to the Oslo airport, where Hayley and I would be flying out of on Friday on our way to Copenhagen. I thanked him, went and bought a bus ticket, and boarded a 2 hour bus to Essex...sans sac. Checked in at the Stansted airport in Essex, bought a delicious sandwich (was so good...probably because it was the only non-airplane food I had had in 2 days), and flew to Torp, Norway. Upon arrival in Norway, I bought a train ticket to As, where Hayley (my younger sister) is staying, and took a shuttle to the station.

After boarding the train, I found out that I was on the wrong train, and quickly switched at the next station. A beautiful 2 hour ride on the train, and I was at the Oslo station. I quickly transfered platforms, and followed the swarm of people onto the last train...I barely made it on, I literally had to worm my way on to the second last step...it was packed! Half an hour later, the conductor called out As, and I let out a little "yeah". I jumped off the train, and fell into Hayley's arms...

Last week in Seoul...

After having spent a nice relaxing weekend meditating, I begun my week by spending the day at Tamara's kindergarten school. There were kids everywhere! I visited the school again on Wednesday for the kindergarten graduation. It was kind of hilarious being the giant red head in a crowd of korean parents...all of them staring at me, trying to figure out which student was my kid.

The rest of the week was about experiencing as much korean cuisine as possible. From spicy chicken and brown sauce on Monday, wing night and Cass (korean beer) on Tuesday, shabu shabu on Wednesday, LOTS of soju drinks on Friday, potato pizza on Saturday, and galbi (korean bbq) on Sunday...my stomach is still adjusting...

Friday not only brought countless soju drinks, but also my first noribong experience. Noribong is korean karaoke, where you and a group of friends rent a room and request songs that you all sing to at the top of your lungs. After belting out Piano Man, Living on a Prayer, Tiny Dancer, Summer of 69, Bohemian Rhapsody, and many more, we tried to catch a cab home...only to find that alot of cabbies in downtown Seoul don't like to pick up foreigners. In the end, Lexi, a blonde, and I had to hide and let the brunettes flag down a cab...I still can't get used to how alien I am here.

It is now my last night here in Seoul, and as I pack, I can't help but stop and think about how I am in Seoul and leaving to travel to Norway! When did all this happen?! I am sure I will figure it all out on my 41 hour trip...Seoul to Beijing, Beijing to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Heathrow, Heathrow to Torp, Torp to As, Norway! Here it goes...

My weekend as a monk...

Having finally recovered from my jet lag, I have started to venture out in Seoul. Seoul is full of bright lights, entertainment, and endless amount of foods to try. Last Thursday, Noelle and Tamara took me out to try galbi (korean bbq ribs). After cooking the meat on a grill, you would dip it in sauce, add some roasted garlic or onion, and then wrap it all in a leaf of lettuce, and shove it all inyour mouth. It was delicious!

On Friday, I went to a going away party with Tamara, for the Korean teachers at her school. It was a fun night, but the most amusing thing that happened had to be that the Korean teachers called me "Barbie"...supposedly I earned the name due to my height and weight... It is definitely interesting trying to get used to people staring at me in the streets because of my hair, and people calling me "Barbie" because of my height...I am starting to realize how different I am in this country.

On Saturday, Tamara, her co-teachers Lexi and Monica, and I took a 3 hour bus ride

to Geumje Jellabuk-do, South Korea to spend a weekend as monks at a Buddhist temple. After arriving, we changed into our monk robes, spent the day touring temples, meditating, making lotus lanterns, having traditional, vegetarian meals, and sleeping on the floor in traditional monk houses.

On Sunday, we woke up at 3am, and headed over to the temple to participate in a buddhist ceremoney with the monks. It was an amazing experience...standing in this temple in the mountains in South Korea, chanting and bowing with monks in front of 15 foot high Buddhas and Bodhisatvas at 3 in the morning.

At 4am, we went and meditated with our monk,

and then headed off to a traditional monk breakfast, where we had to eat in silence, and hold the bowls up so that they would cover our mouths while we ate. At the end, we filled one of our four bowls with drinking water, and then had to use a leftover radish to scrub our bowls clean. We would then pour the radish and the drinking water into the next bowl and clean it. Once all the bowls were clean, we had to eat the radish and drink the cleaning water.

After breakfast, we were taught how to make buddhist beads. You use 108 beads, and have to do an elaborate bow everytime you put on a bead. This elaborate bow is about 8 different steps, and we had to do it 108 times. It was quite the experience bowing in front of the Buddhas and Bodhisatvas 108 times while making buddhist beads...although, my legs are definitely killing me today. After making the beads, we went for a meditation walk in the mountains and then had a lunch of kimchi (pickled cabbage) and rice before returning home.

The weekend was absolutely amazing. I feel relaxed and well rested as I head into my final week in bustling Seoul...

Go!...Happy Chinese New Year

So I have finally started my trip. It has been quite the whirlwind leading up to it, and I did feel like I was on auto-pilot for the first few days, but now I feel like I am starting to settle into the travelling mode.

My parents drove me down to Montreal, then I flew to Paris, where I had a 6 hour lay-over, heard beautiful French, and had to find my way through the maze that is Charles de Gaulle airport (alot of walking back and forth, asking for help, and my first solo shuttle ride). After leaving Paris, I flew to Stockholm, where I had a very, very short connection. Everything was going smoothly till I boarded the plane, and found out that the cargo door wouldn't close, so we had to sit on the runway for 2 hours. We finally took off, and flew to Beijing, where I had my temperature tested 2 times to make sure I didn't have H1N1, and met my friend Tamara at baggage claim.

Beijing is hard to describe. You don't really feel like you are in Beijing when you are in the main area of town. I found I only started to experience Beijing when we tried to participate in the Chinese New Year ceremonies or when we went and saw the chinese sights, where I was constantly stared at, and people kept pointing and taking pictures of my red hair.

Another thing that was difficult to get used to, was the fireworks during Chinese New Year...they don't just happen at midnight. They were going off from when we arrived on Saturday at noon, and were still going off when we left Monday at 3pm. Even when I woke up at 5am and 6:30am due to jet lag, they were still going off. At night, the sky was constantly lit by fireworks.

After going out to drink Tsingtao (chinese beer) on Saturday night, we woke up early Sunday, and tried to visit the Lama Temple...there was a huge festival going on, and police were dividing the thousands of people (no joke, thousands)into groups, and hurding them into the temple (we didn't get in). We then went to the Great Wall of China, Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, and later tried chinese foood for the first time in China...Chinese New Year is a very family oriented thing, so many restaurants were closed while we were there. The food was really good, but not as amazing as the Great Wall of China.

It is unbelieveable. It goes on for miles and is on such a steep and rocky terrain that you can't even imagine who hard it was to build. We found this hidden stairway on the Great Wall, so we decided to climb up, and found a platform where they shot bow and arrows. On all the stones, were written names of different countries. We found a piece of abandonned chalk, and added Canada to the group of names.

On Monday, we tried to go shopping for souvenirs, but everything was closed so we decided to head over to see the olympic Bird's Nest and Water Cube. The Bird's Nest was amazing. I could have stood there and looked at the structure for days. Before heading to the airport, we had wonton soup for lunch...the wontons were so delicate, they just melted in your mouth.

After getting to the airport to fly to Seoul, and finding out that once again, my plane was at a different terminal, I had an amusing plane ride sitting next to a 9 year old Korean girl, who really wanted to practice her English. I am told that I will run into alot of kids wanting to practice their English, as I start my adventures in Seoul..

Ready...Set...

So it is offically 2 weeks today until I start my 3 month long trip. For those of you haven't heard me talking about this trip (I know that there are probably few), I am travelling to Beijing, Seoul, and then all around Europe.

I have recently graduated from my undergrad degree in architecture, have had a horrible time finding a job in my field (who hasn't in this economy), had to move back to my parents' house, went through a bad break-up, and starting working at a string of minimum wage paying jobs. When life gives you dilemmas...go travelling...

So the mission of my trip is try to experience as many celebrations in their place of origin as possible, like Chinese New Year in China, St.Patty's Day in Dublin, and Easter in the Vatican City. Along the way I will be going to Beijing, Seoul, As, Oslo, Copenhagen, Dublin, Oxford, Paris, Lauterbrunnen, Pisa, Florence, Venice, Orvieto, Verona, Vienna, Salzburgh, Budapest, Krakow, Prague, Dresden, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brugge, Toulouse, San Sebastian, Marseille, Berne, and London...

Let the wild rumpus start...