Vacation Highlight: Train Travel

The first time I experienced train travel was on my way to Versailles. I don't really count it though because it was a short trip, and I was still in a foreign-land daze.

The next time I took a train was from Paris to Bern, Switzerland. It was a 4.5 hour ride from one country to another - can you imagine?! It would take longer to get from Vancouver to Edmonton.

When I was in Bern, we went on a day-trip to Interlaken, again via train.

This time it was awesome. We stood and had a sandwich and a beer for lunch, followed by a smoke - at the train station. Yes, you read that right, I was able to smoke, inside the train station. yesssss!

We couldn't finish our beer before our train, so we took the can onto the train.

Sidenote: This was very common - people walking around drinking alcoholic beverages. Usually just beer, but even in Paris, people were casually strolling and drinking and smoking and it was the best thing ever.

The train-ride to Interlaken was beautiful. Lakes snuggled into the foothills of the Swiss Alps, the snowcapped  mountains, well it was splendid.

Check it out:

Of course, not all train travel is happy travel - the ride from Bern to Paris was depressing as shit. And it was late, but the cops all of a sudden were on board, so I think we may have been smuggling a criminal or something.

Also, is it weird that I didn't have to fill out any paperwork going into France or Switzerland, and they didn't even look at my passport going or leaving Switzerland?! Does anyone else find that strange?

Anyways, trains are awesome and I wish we had more access to them here. That would be great.

Vacation Highlight: New Shoes

Before I left for Paris, I knew I wanted to buy one thing: a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes.

Can you imagine?! Louboutins from Paris! l'eek!

Well, thanks to a ridiculously busy January and February at work, I was able to afford a pair. These would officially be the most expensive pair of shoes in my closet. I wasn't going to take this decision lightly.

My first day of wandering, I stumbled upon the Louboutin store by Notre Dame. I wasn't quite ready to go in, but looked through the window, scoping my options. I thought the store was a little small, but whatever.

On my last day of wandering, I directed myself back to the store. I was ready.

I walked in, looked around. The pair I liked from the website were far too expensive, but right next to them were the prettiest shoes I had ever seen.

I asked to try them on, but that store didn't have my size - the flagship store did though.

Yesssss!

I made my way through the complicated Paris streets and numbering systems, walked by it a couple of times and finally found it. I walked in, tried them on and fell in love.

See:

Aren't they pretty?!

I may not wear them a lot, obviously, but these shoes are totally a vacation highlight!

Vacation Highlight: New Friends

The day I went to Montmarte and Sacre Couer, I got painfully lost looking for Moulin Rouge. Well, not like actually lost, but frustratingly confused. I then saw two boys walking with an English Frommer's guide and asked if I could follow them to Moulin Rouge.

Um, best decision ever!

Peter and Roberto were friends, from Denmark and Houston, respectively, who met up in Paris for a quick vacation. Fun!

Not only did they help me find Moulin Rouge, they let me tag along for drinks and dinner and dancing. And then we hung out the next day and toured the Luxembourg Gardens and did a boat cruise of the Seine.

We parted ways just before I went to the Avett Brothers, but not before dinner at a resto Jarod recommended. Side story: we took a taxi 300 meters because we couldn't find the place the night before, only to have it end up being closed. Too funny.

Anyways, it was nice to have people to talk to over dinner and take pictures of and with. I really like traveling alone, don't get me wrong, but it is nice to have someone else remind you that what you're seeing / doing is real and not just a figment of your imagination.

So, yeah a shout out to Peter and Roberto.

Vacation Highlight: The Avett Brothers

A couple of months before my vacation, I noticed The Avett Brothers were touring Europe. Well luck was on my side, they were going to be in Paris while I was in Paris!

My St. Patrick's Day was spent with a few boys from North Carolina and it was awesome.

I've seen them before, in Vancouver with Steve and it was great, but they are more accomplished on stage now and I know their albums better. The boys brought their banjo - thank goodness, and I'd like to make a request to them to include it on all future records, it was the one thing I and Love and You was missing.

The crowd was small - the club's capacity is 250 and it wasn't a sold out show. The guys were awesome. A foot-stomping good show, and the French crowd was surprisingly knowledgeable about the music. They played I Would Be Sad which, let me tell you, will break your heart with every listen.



Seriously.

They were an incredibly gracious bunch, thanking the small crowd every chance they got.

All-in-all, splendid!

Well ...

I cannot properly capture how incredible my trip was, so I won't even try.

But it was absolutely perfect.

Everything from wandering around Paris for days, to spending a magical weekend with a pretty special boy - well, it is fair to say my expectations were exceeded.

No, I didn't get everything done I wanted to. I missed seeing many museums, and landmarks in Paris, but I did that city the way I like to do urban adventures - getting lost in them.

Getting lost helped me make a couple of new friends that helped take my Paris trip up several notches.

I am home now and so very sad. I was right, saying goodbye to the a certain Swiss boy was so difficult. For the first time since P3, I cried about a boy. I cried, in fact, for a good portion of the day.

And yes, I was annoyed, and had to lose a day of work with no pay, but I'd like to give a big shout out to British Airlines for the strike. Their cabin crew strike provided me just one more day with said boy. Thanks Unite!

So there you have it. If you want specifics, let me know via comments - I will do my best to answer them.

Paris Night 1

Gah - it has been a long day to get here. First, I am an idiot and went to the airport six hours in advance because I got the time of my flight wrong. No, I am not an amateur traveler, I was just a wee excited. 


The flight to London was fine, although I have to say there is something about a British accent that makes me want to be nice to the person with the accent. 


When I departed in London, I ran for my connection and barely made it, though my bags did not. When I landed in Paris, I got a text message from the person I am renting the apartment from. Apparently the one I reserved wasn't available, so he gave me his nicer suite in a different location for the same price. WOO HOO!


Although I had done all of my research for the previous location. 


Oh well. 


I waited for a couple of hours at the airport to get my luggage - otherwise they wouldn't have delivered it until after 10AM tomorrow - um, no. 


So I finally get to the apartment and it's in such a great location! A 5 minute walk to Notre Dame, 10 minutes from Pompidou, and a few more blocks to the Bastille.

WHAT!?


Awesome. 


I showered, got ready and around 11pm, went to explore. I got totally lost, walked for a few hours and came home nice and early - 2:30AM. My first meal in France - pizza. Nothing was open! I also got hit on.


Boys, if a girl is quietly sitting by herself eating a pizza, don't approach her mid-bite. It is poor form. 


Tomorrow will be another adventure. I have to orient myself to this new neighborhood - metro stops etc.


Where to tomorrow? I'm thinking about hitting the Louvre and doing a couple of museums. Who knows though. 

PS - leggings as pants are totally still ok here! YESSSSS! 

A brief pause

I'll get back to the Olympic recap in a day or two, I promise. I just have to stop for a second and breathe.

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Paris.

It felt, for some time, like tomorrow would never be ... tomorrow.

And now it's here.

Oh, and I can't wait to land in Paris. I love that final descent into a new city - looking down, seeing a whole new, unexplored place. I will never forget the first time I landed at LaGuardia, I knew I was in love.

What will this descent be like? Will I like Paris as much as I love New York? Will I be laughed out of the city for not speaking even a hint of French?

The excitement, the wonder, the, well, the everything. I have heard so much about this city, from so many different people. Will the city live up to they hype?

We shall see.

My bags are packed. The outfits have all been carefully selected, with consideration given to form over function. Fuck function - I want fabulous.

I might not sleep tonight. I'm totally ok with it. I'll sleep on the plane. This feeling is too rare to be wasted sleeping.

Dream a little dream ...

Photo via forever is just a word

35 days 

Still dreamin'

ffffound!

42 days.

Too busy for life

But I'm not too busy to daydream -



47 days & counting ...

Wanderlust

The problem with vacations, even short ones, is that they get me all ... distracted.

I come home and well, it is the last place I want to be. I would rather be on the beach somewhere, or exploring some fantastic city, with some fantastic person.

But instead, I am here, typing away, wishing I was anywhere but here.

ANYWHERE.

This week, when I returned to work, for the first time in a while, I wished I was retired.

Tangent - why is retirement wasted on the old? I mean, I would have WAY more fun retired right now than any old person. Give me my CPP now, and I will start working again at 35 and slave away for the rest of my days. I don't care.

So, where am I wanderlusting to?

Paris.

There's a side-story you need for some context.

When I was 14, my dad took me to the UK with his family. His family and I have had, let's say a rocky relationship.

While we were there, we took the Chunnel to Calais, France. As he was in the cafe buying lunch, he realized that Paris was only a 45-minute train ride.

He came out of the cafe excited - and he never gets excited.

"Iris! Paris is only 45-minutes away. Let's go. You and me and Paris!"

I had never been more excited for anything - PARIS?! For reals?

Well, this idea was quickly shot down by his sister. Apparently this was a family trip, and a visit to Paris with just he and I did not qualify as a family trip.

Fuck that.

Paris was so close ... like Westlock close, and I didn't get to go.

*sob*

Recently, after many glasses of wine, my dad confessed one of his biggest regrets to me - not saying screw you to his family and taking me to Paris anyways.

This made me want the city even more. This city that was so close ... in my grasp almost, but so far away.

I haven't been back to Europe since and when I go again, it will be very different.

That is why I am thinking about skipping a family Christmas, because, well, they never go well, and heading to Europe.

What could be more lovely than spending a week in gay Paris in solitude? The city, me and who knows what.

sigh.

I think it might just be a pipe-dream though. My mother would kick my ass if I missed a holiday with her.

Although she did just have heart surgery - that might have slowed her down a little. I'm sure she doesn't pack the same punch she used to.