Hello Alone (Croatia)

At the 8 week point now! On Monday, I made my way to the Venice train station at about 1:30pm. I was actually planning to spend more time in Venice and take the night train to Zagreb later that evening but in December, Italy decided that they didn’t want trains going through Slovenia or something so they stopped all of the night trains. Therefore, my time in Venice was cut short as I only got about 24 hours there. I was still feeling sicker than before so maybe it was good for me to get some rest on the train. In Croatia, trains aren’t a huge form of transportation; they mostly use buses. So I had to take a train ride to Trieste on the edge of Italy, then take a bus to Rijeka. We had to go through border control (for the first time on my trip) which seemed to take forever; I just wanted to sleep cause my nose wouldn’t stop running on the bus. We then got to Rijeka, which was right on the sea. When we got there, both of my ears were completely plugged but I didn’t realize it; I just remember walking through the streets and loving how quiet the city was. I was lucky to find a hostel close to the bus station so I rang the bell to see if they had a room. I was waiting and waiting and then I heard an extremely quiet voice on the intercom. And that’s when I realized how plugged my ears actually were; I could hardly hear anything! Anyway, they had room for me and it was by far the cleanest and nicest hostel I’ve been in so far! I had a late supper and went to bed.

Tuesday morning, I woke up early to catch the bus to Zagreb. You can’t book tickets online or anything so I’ve just been going to the ticket station and there’s usually always a bus about to leave in the next ten minutes. The bus to Zagreb was about two hours and afterwards, I went to my hostel to drop off my stuff before spending the rest of the day exploring. I started off by going to the Dolac Market, a daily market with so many fruits and vegetables, as well as some homemade souvenirs; it was really neat to see! Afterwards, I went for lunch to a Croatian restaurant. I had grilled vegetables and meat and for dessert, I had Gibanica, a four-layered cake with chopped walnuts as the bottom layer, then poppy seeds, then cheese, then apples. It was so good! I’ll have to try to make it when I get home. I then walked around the lower town and the upper town, just taking in the sites. It’s a gorgeous city! Croatia is a lot more welcoming and laid-back compared to many of the other countries I’ve been to. I can get a coke and just sit there for two hours whereas in Italy, I felt like I was always rushed to eat as fast as I could cause they were trying to get you out just as fast as they got you in.

Wednesday morning, I got up early again so I could make it to Plitvice National Park by 11. I read in a lot of reviews that it was too touristy and overcrowded and I could definitely see that since most people chose to do the 3-4 hour hikes. I chose to do the 6-8 hour hike, which went completely around all of the lakes, went up and down, and just had a lot more variety than the others. Luckily, my hike usually went to higher ground in the spots where there were lots of tourists so I could see all the tourists below me, but on my path I hardly ever saw anyone; it was so nice! I couldn’t believe how blue the lakes were, it was absolutely insane! The only logical explanation I have is that they put blue food colouring into the lakes every night. I’ve never seen such clear waters, it was amazing! Now I know why these are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. By the end of my walk, my legs were just hurting and I was ready to go to bed. I stayed in a town called Grabovac, about 11km away from Plitvice. So I had to wait for the bus to take me there. I must have waited 20 minutes and still nothing had come, but the stop was starting to attract more and more people. Then a taxi driver came up and asked if we wanted a ride. Clever guy, he sits by the stop and once he can get a full car, he shows up right before the bus. He charged 100 kuna per person to go to Zagreb which isn’t too bad considering my bus ticket from Zagreb was 105. And then for me, he charged 20 kuna, about three bucks! So I got in the taxi with six other people and headed to Grabovac. There aren’t really any hostels around the area since it’s still not that touristy, but they have lots of guesthouses. So I had to go a little over what I normally pay for a room but I got my own room with an ensuite and balcony! Such a nice change from hostels! When I got there, a girl answered the door; she must have been 9 or 10. She showed me my room, asked for my passport, and got me checked in haha I was quite impressed! I then asked where the closest place to eat was, which was 500 metres away. I think my legs were mad at me for doing even more walking. It was a little restaurant at a campsite so it was quite cheap. However, Croatia is considerably cheap compared to everywhere else I’ve been in Europe. And they always give very generous portion sizes, unlike Italy.

Thursday morning, I caught the bus to Zadar. Every time I’ve talked to other travellers and told them I was going to Croatia, they’ve all been like, “Oh you’re going to LOVE it, it’s so beautiful!” but I was always comparing it to Switzerland and I couldn’t see what all the hype was about. But on this bus ride, I finally saw the beauty of Croatia. Gorgeous hills and mountains, and all of the leaves are just starting to change colour. I absolutely loved Zadar! It was another one of those really positive energy cities; I got a really good vibe from it. I had some shrimp risotto for lunch (yum!) and then walked around the old town. One of the coolest things about Zadar is its sea organ. There’s an organ that’s built into the water and it plays notes based on how much water is pushed into it. So when boats go by and make big waves, more notes are played; it’s really cool and it’s so hypnotizing; I just got lost staring at the water and listening to the organ play. After walking around the entire old town, I got some gelato and I was casually strolling down the street when I saw a sign. It said, “70% off, 29 kuna.” My brain quickly did the math as I continued to walk down the street only to find out that wow! That’s five bucks a shirt! So I turned around, noooooooo! I was doing so good! So four shirts, a dress, and less than 30 bucks later, I had another bag of stuff to carry. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. Crap… I went to two more stores and bought even more stuff. When I went back to my hostel, three of my roommates were there: two guys from England and one from Mexico. The four of us went for drinks and went for a night stroll along the coast, it was fun!

Friday morning, I caught the 3.5 hour bus to Split and then in Split, I was planning to catch the ferry to Hvar soonafter. However, when I went to buy my ticket (which I wanted for 11:30am), she said the only ferry going was at 5pm. I was so not impressed… Not only would I be stuck in Split but I would be missing the last of the nice weather in Hvar since it was supposed to rain the next day for the following week. Luckily there was a sooner ferry at 2:30pm that went to a different port. So I decided to take that one and therefore keep myself entertained in Split for the next three hours. Meaning sitting at a restaurant and reading and writing. I wasn’t planning on walking around Split carrying my bags of newly acquired items. I finally caught the ferry, which took about two hours, and then I went to my hostel and found out that they had overbooked.. So instead of having to stay in an 8 bed dorm, I was put in a one bedroom suite with a kitchen and bathroom for the same price. Score! I took advantage of having my own room. Since I was literally down to my last pair of underwear, it was time to do laundry. But standing at a laundromat all day (when you could be exploring the city) is not my idea of a fun time. So I decided to do it the old fashioned way… In the kitchen sink. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I’ve never handwashed clothes before, but I’ve seen the washing machine work plenty of times, so I tried to imitate it as best I could, complete with a wash cycle and a rinse cycle. Couldn’t figure out how I’d do a spin cycle… Then I set up my drying station in the wardrobe, hung everything on the pole and hangers, and set up the fan to dry them. It worked quite well! I spent the night exploring the old town in Hvar. I went to an amazing restaurant and had the best pizza I’ve had in a long time (even better than Italy!). The thing I liked about Croatia was you knew all of the food was homemade. In Italy, I’m pretty sure everything was premade and just sitting there all day. In one restaurant I went to in Pisa, every time someone ordered a pasta, I’d see the “cook” walk into the room beside my table and walk back out trying to hide the frozen microwave pastas that she took back to the kitchen…no joke! And in Croatia, the bread basket you get at a meal is always soft, fresh bread. Not like in Italy, where the bread was always hard and stale. It’s funny how now that I’m in Croatia, I’m noticing all these things about Italy. I wouldn’t have noticed that the bread was so stale in Italy had I not gotten such fresh bread in Croatia. I wouldn’t have noticed the unwelcomeness from Italy as much, had I not felt so welcome in Croatia and Switzerland. But life is all about comparisons, is it not? I think it’s unavoidable. To find a better job, a bigger house, a cheaper lifestyle. To have a better day or year. I wonder if it’s what determines a lot of what we feel. If we didn’t know what a good day was like, would we still be upset about a bad day? Or would it just be like every other day and therefore there’d be no such thing as better or worse?

In Croatia, I really started feeling homesick. Backpacking alone is different than any sort of travel. Sure, it’s a great way to meet people but it’s tough! Leaving home for ten months to go to France was difficult as well but backpacking is a different form of difficulty. Au pairing in Rambouillet or even having my apartment in Paris for a month…it’s still a new world but at least you have a sense of familiarity. That same bed you sleep in, the same table you eat at, the same cafe you walk by on the way home, the same people you get to see. Even though it’s foreign at first, it becomes what you know, your rock, your anchor that holds you in place. But backpacking… Every night has a new bed, every meal has a new table, every walk has a new path, every stranger is a new friend, every day has a new adventure. Nothing is certain, you always have to be prepared for whatever’s thrown your way. Nothing is ever familiar. And even if it becomes familiar, it’s gone within a couple of days. You get lost in your own world, you start grasping what’s familiar to you: your memories. And because you’re so exhausted with all of the constant change, you hold on to those memories. And then you realize that you’re alone in a world full of people. Sure, I love seeing the world and meeting new people but I’m sick of having the exact same conversation with everyone I meet. “Where have you travelled?” “What are your plans after travelling?” I miss talking about nothing, or enjoying the silence with someone. I hate that when I get attached to someone, I have to say bye to them the next day. I hate constantly having to think about what comes next, where I’m sleeping the next night, how I’m getting to my next destination, and if it doesn’t work out, then what? Plan A, plan b, plan c. How nice it would be to stay in one place and not worry. I’m hoping that’s what Greece will bring me. That’s the difference with Croatia… Every night in Croatia, I’ve stayed in a different place, whereas in Switzerland and Italy, I’d usually stay for two nights in one place. I didn’t know it, but it makes a huge difference! Live and learn I guess…

Because I was so sick of moving around, the next morning I randomly decided to catch the ferry to Dubrovnik, meaning I would no longer be spending a night in Split. Lucky for me, the ferry only runs twice a week and Saturday was one of those times. So I went into town to catch the bus to the port. Unluckily for me, Saturday was September 1st. We were officially in the off-season and therefore, the one bus I could take to the port was no longer running. I was desperate to get out so I took a taxi. Fifty dollars later, I was finally at the port with a ticket for the 8-hour ferry ride. It was so relaxing and it was a nice environment cause everyone on board was in the same boat (ha) so even though most people didn’t speak the same language, it still felt like we were a little community. We had to stop at a port on the way there, which luckily had wifi so I found the ONLY hostel available (lucky for me!) and booked a bed. We arrived in Dubrovnik at 6:30 so I went to my hostel and then went to the old town with a couple of guys from Poland and Hungary. One thing I didn’t realize about Croatia is that since it’s still not part of the European Union, people are still allowed to smoke in the clubs. It was so gross, I’m so glad we don’t have to deal with that in Canada! We ended up not getting back to the hostel until 5 and then I was up again at 7, so I tried my best to get through Sunday with two hours of sleep.

On Sunday, I was still in Dubrovnik but I was in a different hostel since I had booked it way earlier. I spent most of the day on the beach and then that night, I met up with the people from my previous hostel. I didn’t stay out AS late that night, one because I wanted to get up early on Monday and two because I physically couldn’t. Of course though, I ended up getting lost and not getting back to my hostel until 2 anyway. On Monday, I got up and I finally went to Old Town in the daylight! It’s so cool, with the walls and all of the old buildings and churches. I wish I could have walked the walls but it was way too hot out; I wouldn’t have survived without shade! Afterwards, I just hung out by my hostel until I had to catch my ferry. Will be on a ferry for the next two days, should be a fun time! Love always

Hello Alone – Charlie Winston

Something in the Water (Italy)

Well my Italy portion of my trip is already over 😦 On Sunday, Ben and I just relaxed in Zurich and waited for our trains. I then caught my train to Milan, which ended up arriving an hour later than expected. So I was in Milan in the dark, when the buses were no longer running. The Italian guys sure lived up to their reputation. Within five minutes of me arriving in Milan, some guy approached me, and after several, “Please, come to the disco with me,” replied with several, “No, I have to find my hostel,” he ended up buying me a metro ticket and made sure I got on the right metro to get to the hostel. I got quite annoyed with the stares I got from the men while I was in Italy. I noticed that many of the other women were wearing pants! Well, I refuse to wear pants when it’s 34 degrees outside; I just wish I could wear my shorts with a little peace. I also felt bad being in Italy and not knowing the language. I mean, really, the only Italian words I know are “penne con pollo,” so it was hard for me to communicate since that’s not always something you can fit into your everyday conversation. However, I’ve used my French here as much as I’ve used my English because most Italians seem to know French better than English (or at least the ones I’ve met), so I guess at least I don’t have to be that stuckup American girl who expects the world to only speak her language. I always wonder if that’s what they all think when we come and only speak English…

Monday was just not a good day for me. Everything I had to do in order to get to my hostel by the Cinque Terre seemed to go wrong. That morning, I got up early to catch the train to La Spezia. Maybe I was really tired or maybe I just wasn’t used to it but I almost had a heart attack when a big, black bird came and sat on my window sill. I don’t know how Snow White does it… Anyway, to get to La Spezia, you have to change trains partway through and my two trains were extremely close in time. Luckily, everything in Italy seems to be late (literally, I don’t think I got on a train that was on time for my entire week) so even though my first train was late, so was my second. As soon as I got on the train, I remembered that I forgot to validate those stupid tickets. I still don’t understand the point of validating a ticket when you BOUGHT the ticket with a date and time anyway. I was just hoping that no one would come through the train to check tickets. But unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side that time. The lady checked my ticket and said I could either get a fine or get off the train. I don’t know who in their right mind would pick the fine when given the choice so I gladly got off the train. I had no idea where I was but I had an hour and a half to kill so I just walked in a random direction, bought food to make three sandwiches, got two yogurts and a whole package of cherry tomatoes (all for less than five bucks! It’s so nice to not have to spend an average of 18-25 dollars on a meal anymore) and I found a bench right by the water and picnicked there. I later found out the town I was in is called Chiavari; it was good to have fallen upon it by accident and finally have my first real taste of Italy! I got on the next train to La Spezia, only to find out that buses don’t run in the afternoon, so then I had to sit and wait for the bus for three hours. Then I GOT on the bus, only to find out that you had to get a bus pass from the train station; you couldn’t pay on the bus (unlike every other bus I’ve been on). So I tried to explain this to my bus driver, ask where I pay, etc. in French and English but she didn’t understand. So I just gave up and sat down on the bus without paying. Finally, I got to Biassa which is a cute, little town with not much to do. And I was stranded there since the shuttles to the Cinque Terre only leave in the morning. But the hostel was nice; my roommate was from Australia and seemed to know quite a bit when it comes to travelling.

On Tuesday, I took the shuttle to Riomaggiore, one of the towns of the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is also known as one of the best walks in the world. It’s a walk that runs from village to village with five villages total (hence the Cinque). There was one section that was closed off so we had to take the train instead, but other than that, I did the entire Cinque Terre! It’s not too hard of a walk; it’s just the stairs combined with the sun beaming down on you with no wind that’s not too fun. I sweat more than I think I ever have in my life, in places I didn’t even know it was possible to sweat. Even my eye sockets were sweating! But luckily, there was a beach in each town to cool off in. I think all of the Italians thought the tourists were crazy for doing the Cinque Terre in 34 degree weather. I’m so glad I did it though! It’s such a beautiful area of Italy that still isn’t that well-known. I spent the rest of the day in Monterosso del Mare, the last village, and spent my time on the beach and by the water.

The next morning, I got on a train to Florence. On the way, I made a stop in Pisa to get my picture of the leaning tower. What I didn’t realize was that it was a 25 minute walk to get there from the station. So carrying all of my stuff in the hot weather, I slowly made it to the tower. Very busy, but cool to see! Then I got on the train to go to Florence. Now, walking the Cinque Terre in 34 degree weather is hard but it’s possible. But walking through Florence (on flat ground) in feels-like 42 degree weather is nearly impossible. I didn’t even know a temperature above 35 degrees actually existed when it comes to weather. But unfortunately, it does. I talked to the other people in the hostel about how there was so much we wanted to see and do but it was actually physically impossible. After walking for half a day, all you could do was lie on your bed and try to keep cool. I had no energy to do anything or talk to anyone. I will never again complain about our Saskatoon 27 degree weather with no a/c! I would have done anything to be thrown in a snowbank. And I found out that hot Janelle=crabby Janelle. I really didn’t like Florence. Maybe it was the weather that made me feel like that, but all I can associate with it is negative thoughts. I did like the Duomo, but other than that, there wasn’t anything that really blew my mind. So I will skip over Florence.

On Friday, I was SO happy to go to Rome and be in 34 degree weather again. I saved some money and took the 3 hour train instead of the 1.5 hour train. But a half hour after the train was supposed to leave, we were STILL sitting in the Florence station, trapped in a train with no air conditioning. Everyone was just sweating! And we had to continue like that for the next three hours until we got to Rome. Now I know that maybe saving my money isn’t always the BEST idea… I got to Rome and I was absolutely starving since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. So I went with a girl in my hostel (Christine) to get gelato (obviously). Now, I’ve had my fair share of gelato and I’ve made a point to always get a different flavour (so far lemon, melon, strawberry, watermelon, peach, grapefruit, coconut, raspberry, banana, mint, coffee, and chocolate), but this was by far the best gelato I’ve ever had! After our gelato, we walked to the Vittoriano, a beautiful monument. Then we went to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, which were awesome! I absolutely LOVED Rome! I wish I could have stayed longer! Every building was absolutely beautiful and it was just so fascinating that so much of it had such a huge history. Christine and I split up so I went to have my first pizza in Italy (so good) and then I went to the Trevi Fountain before going back to the hostel.

Saturday, I walked to the Pantheon and then went to the Tazza d’Oro for the “best coffee in the world.” I got iced coffee, which was actually ICED COFFEE. Like frozen coffee made into a slush, not like Timmy’s with added cream and whatnot. And all I can say is WOW! I don’t know coffee that well but I knew that this was some good stuff! After my coffee fix, I walked to the Vatican, the smallest country in the world. I wanted to see St. Peter’s Basilica but unfortunately I forgot about the “no exposed shoulders or knees” rule so I was forced to head back to my hostel to put on (gulp) jeans. Shani, another girl in my room from New Zealand, had arrived at the hostel at the same time so she joined me. We went back to look at St. Peter’s, which was huge! It was neat being able to see so much of Michelangelo’s work! Afterwards, we walked to the Pantheon before finding a restaurant for dinner. 10 euro for all you can eat buffet and a cocktail, what a steal! The buffet was all deep fried haha, it was the weirdest buffet I’ve seen: deep-fried cheese, onions, peppers, broccoli, etc. It was good though and definitely worth it! The best part was dessert: deep-fried apples, yum! Shani and I walked to the Trevi Fountain and threw a coin in. Apparently if you throw in a coin, you should have luck in finding love. So it better work!! We then headed to the Spanish steps and took in the atmosphere. It was great! And it was fun having someone to explore with, as it can get boring doing it alone all the time.

Sunday morning, I had to leave Rome to go to Venice. On the way there, it rained (thank goodness!); I don’t think I’ve seen rain since I was in Paris… But then it also rained most of the time I was in Venice. And that’s when my throat started to get sore and my nose started running nonstop. I was sick in Venice 😦 I walked around for a bit and then I got an unlimited waterbus pass and then just took it everywhere; I could have stayed on it all day long! It was just a big boat that went through the grand canal but it was so relaxing and it was probably the best way to see Venice. I went out for dinner before heading back to my hostel to get to bed early so I could fight off this cold. I woke up the next morning feeling better but still not great. I decided I would spend the morning in Murano, an island known as the glass island, where beautiful glass products are made. I would have bought everything if I could! Unfortunately, I don’t think I’d be able to carry it for the rest of my trip without breaking anything. Also, many of the items were a little out of my price range. But I did get a glass Christmas ornament so that should suffice. I had my last pasta lunch before going to the train station so I could leave Italy.

Italy was a great country to visit: lots of history, so beautiful. The culture reminded me a lot of France; Italy is still very dirty and I didn’t get the warm welcome that I got in London and Switzerland. However, it was still an awesome experience! I loved every place I went to (minus Florence); I just wish I could have stayed longer, especially in Venice since it was cut pretty short. Now I’m off to Croatia to see some more beautiful sights! Hope everyone enjoys the tiny bit of summer we have left, and good luck with everyone who’s going back to school or work! Love always

Something in the Water – Brooke Fraser

Ambitions (Switzerland)

Wow, I’m already getting close to the halfway point of my trip! On Sunday evening, we got to Geneva. We were planning to couchsurf our first night there. For those of you who don’t know what couchsurfing is, it’s basically a facebook for couches. You write to someone and ask if you can stay on their couch for a night or two. Anyway, there was someone who had said we could stay at his house but forgot to tell us where his house WAS. I had asked him before we got on the train and was expecting a reply once we got to Geneva. But when we got there, we had no reply. Meaning we were stuck in Geneva with no place to stay. I was at the point where I would gladly find a park bench and use it as a bed, but we found the closest hostel and got two spots in a six-person dorm. Is it ever expensive in Switzerland! I was always warned that it’s the most expensive place in Europe but I still wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Usually when things are expensive, my first choice is McDonald’s but even THAT was pricey. We decided to go to an Indian restaurant. Ben got daal and I got tandoori chicken. Of course the servings would be tiny! So our meal came to about 43 dollars for the two of us, and I was still hungry. That night, we went for a walk by the lake and to our surprise, there was a fair, which was really weird because on the train that day, I was saying I was sad cause we were missing the Ex. So we GOT the Ex, but in Geneva!

The next day, we got breakfast for free from our hostel so we ate as much as we could so that we didn’t have to eat again until supper. We went to the tourist office to get a walking map, and toured ourselves around the Old Town, which was very cute! Afterwards, we split up for awhile and I went to the flower clock and the jet d’eau, which was so cool! We then met up with Helena, my friend who was also an au pair in Rambouillet three years ago. It was so great to see her again! We reminisced, and just seeing her brought back memories that I had totally forgotten about! It’s too bad the other girls weren’t able to join us, but I’m glad I at least got to see someone. She took us to an amazing restaurant that gave awesome portion sizes, and because we hadn’t eaten all day since breakfast, we were easily able to finish everything. We went for a walk by the lake before heading back to Helena’s for the night.

Tuesday morning, we got up extremely early to go to Gruyères. We went to the cheese factory first, where we got to see how cheese is made, and we got free samples! We then went for lunch and this time I splurged (cause you can’t go to a cheese factory and not have fondue!). So that’s what I had. It was so filling but so good! For dessert, I had meringues with Gruyères cream, which was delicious. After lunch, we went to the Gruyères castle before heading to Broc. I’ve decided that when I retire, I’ll get a place in Broc. As soon as we got off the train, all I could smell was chocolate. It was amazing! I thought I died and went to heaven. But in Broc, the houses were normal and I’m pretty sure in heaven, the houses are MADE of chocolate… Aren’t they? Anyway, we went to the Nestle-Cailler house of chocolate. The tour was so cool! And at the end, there was a tasting room and we were allowed to eat as much chocolate as we wanted! I ate until I thought I was going to be sick; I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to that point before… I also don’t think that I’m used to this chocolate because Cailler condenses their milk for their chocolate, and the milk comes from the cows in the Gruyères area (where we were before), whereas most other companies use powdered milk. So this chocolate was VERY rich and filling, I definitely noticed a difference compared to the chocolate at home. After the tour and tasting room, I went and bought hot chocolate (cause you can’t go to a chocolate factory and not have hot chocolate!), even though it was about 28 degrees outside. The hot chocolate was basically a melted chocolate bar. It was SO thick and creamy; I almost couldn’t finish it! After we were finished, we caught the train to Bern, Switzerland’s capital. In Bern, we couchsurfed with Christina and Ursula, who were definitely the best girls to have our first couchsurfing experience with. They were such nice girls and if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have done half of what we did on Wednesday. Our first night, they took us for a walk to the rose garden and the bear pits.

On Wednesday, Ben and I went back to the rose garden and bear pits since we couldn’t exactly see them the night before. The bears were so cute!! A couple of them were swimming and fighting in the water, I could have watched them all day! Afterwards, we walked to the clock tower, walked around the old town (which is a UNESCO world heritage site), and went to the Münster cathedral. We then met up with Christina so she could show us around. We rented bicycles (for free!) and biked through the town and along the river. I was paranoid the entire way because I’m pretty sure the last time I rode a bike was in France three years ago, when the family took me biking. But everything was fine! Then we set our stuff by the river and jumped in! It’s a local thing to do; you walk upstream as far as you want and then just float downstream back to where your stuff is. It was kind of like the river tube ride by the Nipekamew sand cliffs. I loved it! It was so relaxing and refreshing, as it was 31 degrees that day. After a couple of times doing that, we rode our bikes to a restaurant that’s over the river; the rapids run right under its deck. We just shared a piece of pie and got some refreshing drinks. Ben and I bought some groceries so we didn’t have to buy another meal, and then we spent the rest of the day relaxing on the deck and in the house.

Thursday morning, we got up to catch the train to Interlaken. We got settled in our hostel, the Tent Village, which is a community of tents with bunkbeds inside. So far, it’s been my favourite place to stay! It’s been warm during the days but at night, it gets freezing cold! I was brought back to when I was younger, trying to keep warm in the tent trailer when we went camping in the mountains. We walked around Interlaken all afternoon. It’s a cute little town similar to Banff; it’s so awesome being completely surrounded by mountains, I love it! By law, it’s quiet time everywhere in Switzerland at 10pm so we just hung out with our roommates, two girls from Chicago, and socialized with the hostel staff, who are also from the US. Our tent was complete with slugs and snails, and the hostel bar was complete with mice so we were for sure roughing it! However, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I forgot how much I missed taking our trailer into the mountains and relaxing there.

On Friday morning, we just spent the whole time at the hostel. I lied on the hammocks and just relaxed before my big adventure. It was nice to have half a day to do nothing instead of always walking around and exploring! At 1pm, I got to go on my canyoning adventure! It was located in Grimsel, about a 40 minute drive from Interlaken. Our group was pretty small; there were three French people and two Koreans, so it was easy to get to know everyone. Our adventure started with a ten minute hike up the canyon, which was difficult because of the limited movement that our wetsuits allowed. Then, we repelled down a 50 metre cliff; we were attached by a metal pole on the side of the highway haha. We did some waterfall slides, many jumps, and a zip line that undid itself when you stopped holding on so you’d just fall into the water. My heart was pumping especially fast when I was about to do a ten metre jump off a cliff into the water. All I could think is that I was going to hit the rocks and not jump far enough. I was also quite nervous when I had to shimmy along the crack in the rock, with my back against one side and my feet against the other. But I did it all! And I’m still alive! Although I definitely felt it in my thighs the next day… I don’t think I could have done it if it weren’t for my guide, Iain, though. He for some reason reminded me of Matthew McConaughey with a Scottish accent. So of course I needed to show him the strong, brave, and confident woman that I am :p When we got to the bottom of the canyon, we had a nice picnic with sandwiches and beer. We then got in the van and Iain said within about twenty minutes, we’d all be completely out. He was right; everyone in the vehicle passed out by the time we made it to Interlaken. It was such a great time though! I’m glad I spent my money and did something, instead of later thinking, “I should have done that!” Especially in Interlaken; there was so much to do! That night, Ben and I walked into town and went to Hooters for some much-needed onion rings. Then we went back to the hostel to get ready for our early morning the next day.

Saturday morning, we got the bus and train to Winterthur, a town about twenty minutes away from Zurich. We used it as our homebase and couchsurfed there, as we weren’t able to find a place in Zurich. Our hosts, Christof and Steffi were so awesome!! They had a gorgeous apartment; Christof is a web designer/programmer and Steffi is a pharmacist. Ben and I went to Zurich for the afternoon but we weren’t really feeling it. It wasn’t like all of the other towns we had visited; I think it is more specifically aimed towards tourists. We went back to Winterthur and went with Christof and Steffi to one of their friend’s housewarming parties. We had to go out and buy our own meat and drinks, and then all the meat was cooked on the BBQ. We got to meet Steffi’s sister and sister’s boyfriend, and many of their friends. After dinner, we went to the Winterthur Music Festival! It was awesome to see some live music and to talk to some more people. I thought it was an awesome night, I had so much fun! The couchsurfing experiences almost seem to be the best experiences!

This morning, we got up and we’re planning to spend our last day together in Zurich before going our separate ways tonight. Ben’s headed to London and I’m on my way to Italy; it should be a fun time! If I had to use one word to describe Switzerland (besides expensive), I would choose cute. It had cute houses, cute buildings, cute people, I just loved it! It’s definitely worth spending the money for. And my favorite destination in Switzerland was by far Interlaken! I probably could have kept myself entertained there for days! I hope you all are doing well! Love always

Ambitions – Joe McElderry

Choices (London and France)

Now it’s been a full month since I left, how crazy! On Monday, I made my way to London! It was about a two and a half hour train trip under the ocean. I was expecting to see sharks and jellyfish but I was disappointed to see nothing of the sort 😦 Just a big, black tunnel that made my ears constantly pop. Finally, I arrived at St. Pancras Station. The first thing I noticed about London was how clean it is! No more having to watch every step I take in order to avoid stepping in the presents that the dogs left behind. And I love the cars! I don’t know why, I don’t even like cars… It was also weird to be able to talk to people I don’t know in English! I’m so used to approaching someone and only speaking French, so that was nice! I got to London around 2:30 and went to find my hostel, Clink78. It’s actually really close to the train station so I didn’t have to worry about the metro very much since almost all of the metros stop there. I found my bed in my 14-person dorm and it actually wasn’t that bad! After getting settled, I made my way to the will call office so I could pick up my Olympics ticket. I then headed to the Hard Rock to get my drumsticks before going to Hyde Park. I had to go through security before getting in but once I got in, it was so cool! They had some kind of chocolate tour and then they had four huge screens, each playing a different event of the Olympics. There were people everywhere! I made myself say hi to the first Canadians I saw and you’ll never guess where they were from… Regina! So they gave me some of their leftover tattoos since I didn’t have any, yay! After Hyde Park, I went to Buckingham Palace and watched the guards move (I thought they weren’t supposed to?). It started raining so they had to move into this little hut thing. I then went to the Big Ben and Parliament Buildings, which were gorgeous! London’s architecture isn’t as breathtaking as France, but I really enjoyed those buildings! I also got a nice view of the London Eye, didn’t go on though. I spent too much money on souvenirs… (so much for no more shopping!).

Tuesday, I woke up and had breakfast. I sat with this guy named Cameron who was from the UK and has never left except for Belgium, which I found absolutely insane. He said it’s not weird at all for EU citizens not to travel Europe. His accent was sooo strong though; half the time I felt like he was speaking a different language! After breakfast, I went to the London Tower and walked across the Tower Bridge, then walked along the river. I didn’t really do anything specific, but there was so much going on everywhere because of the games so it was always easy to find something to look at or to do. I then went to the station so I could head to Olympic Park. They said to leave at least three hours before your event so I was ready (and had been counting down every minute before then) by 4. I was impressed at how organized they had made everything; they kept the crowds moving smoothly and I seldomly had to wait (except for getting back to London). We had to go through security, just like you would at an airport. No drinks or liquids unless they’re less than 100mL! The Park was so cool! I heard someone beside me yell out, “This feels just like Disneyworld!”And was he ever right! There was that magical feeling you get, like a kid gets on Christmas morning, or that we all get at Disneyworld. It was just so awesome to be there, it almost didn’t seem real! I found my way to the Aquatics Centre and got in nice and early (so I could watch them dive beforehand). Only a true fan would know Alexandre Despatie from across the Aquatic Centre, just by seeing him holding his lavender towel 🙂 I was second row on the balcony, which were considered the best tickets. But when I sat down, I couldn’t believe I paid THAT much money for the view that I got. Sure, the seats WOULD have been awesome… If the staircase wasn’t right between my seat and the diving boards. Literally could not see a thing! So I made friends with the two girls from Great Britain who were sitting behind me (they bought cheap tickets for the women’s diving and said those seats were better than the expensive seats) and then I moved beside them once the diving started. I was able to see the entire competition, yay! The diving was great! It was just too bad when Alexandre’s knee buckled during his last dive, causing him to slap across the water, and making the entire crowd go, “Ooooooh,” in unison. I felt bad for him but he was happy with his overall performance, considering he lost three weeks of practice due to cracking his head open a month before the Olympics. After the medal ceremony, I was heading out of the Aquatic Centre and heard, “Canada!” So I met Phil and his son Justin (who’s about my age) who are from Montreal but moved to London in 1997. They invited me for drinks so we got some beer and strolled around Olympic Park. They were really nice guys and it was fun to meet some Canadians! I then headed back to my hostel, which took forever! We had to wait outside in the rain while they slowly piled us onto the Javelins. I didn’t mind, but it was pretty difficult to enjoy myself with everyone around me complaining. The next day, I went to St. Paul’s Cathedral and then walked through Picadilly until I made it to Westminster Abbey. After my back and shoulders could no longer hold the weight of everything I brought (and bought!), I went to the train station and waited to go back to Paris.

On Thursday morning, Ben came to Paris! I met him at Starbucks and then we stopped at my apartment before I gave him the big tour! We went to the Notre Dame, the Pompidou Centre, the Louvre, and through the Jardin des Tuileries. Lots of walking, so Ben was sure ready to pass out by the time we got home. I was impressed that he was able to stay up til 10! On Friday, we went to Versailles. We first went to an Italian restaurant for pizza and chocolate mousse (so good!), then we went to the castle grounds to relax in the sun. After Versailles, we went to Rambouillet to go to the Celtique! This time, no one I knew was working there; I was quite disappointed. That status that the girls and I worked SO hard to get was gone. No more being the important customers who were greeted upon their arrival. Now we had to wait. And wait and wait until someone came to serve us. Just like we had to do the first time we came three years ago. How sad… After the Celtique, we went for a walk in the castle grounds and stopped at my school before heading back to Paris. On Saturday, we did a walk from Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe to Trocadero to the Eiffel Tower. By that time, we were both extremely tired so we went back to the apartment for dinner, then went to the Sacré Coeur for a bit before trying to get to bed early.

Sunday morning, we woke up extremely early to pack up and leave the apartment. We went to Hillsong (for my last time) and then went for lunch with Beatrice. Now we’re finally on our way to Switzerland! We’re heading to Geneva first so in about three hours, I’ll be there! Now the adventure begins! And now I’m ACTUALLY backpacking! I have my little university backpack, and I have about six shirts, one pair of pants and one pair of shorts to last me for the next five weeks! I’m actually quite impressed that I was able to put that and a sleeping bag in my backpack! We’ll see how it goes… I hope everyone’s doing well! Love always

Choices – The Hoosiers

Hey You (France and Vimy Ridge)

Can’t believe I’ve been gone for 4 weeks now, where does the time go? On Tuesday, I went to visit the first family that I was with when I au paired. Alexia and Julien hadn’t changed much except for being three years older. It’s just hard to believe that Alexia’s sixteen now and she’s starting to learn how to drive! It was great to see the family again, and I managed to speak French for a full five hours! Catherine said my French was really good so that made me happy! Although after about 2-3 hours, I was mentally exhausted; it’s hard on the brain to speak, think, and listen in French for so long cause you have to use it constantly. They took me to the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, an old abbey from the 12th century. It was so pretty! I would have posted pictures BUT the computer in my apartment has broken down and the owner hasn’t bothered to come fix it. So now I can no longer upload pictures unless they’re taken on my iPod 😦 hopefully I can get to a computer soon to put some up! After the abbey, we went back to the house to play poker. It was a good time! I also left my suitcase with them so all of the shopping I did was for nothing and now, any shopping I do, I’ll have to carry with me. So no more shopping!

On Wednesday, I went on strike. That’s right… Wednesday was August 1st and the day before, I found out that my one-month metro pass was expired. I paid for one month because I’m in Paris for one month but I guess their months are from the 1st to the 1st, so I ended up paying one month for just over half a month. I was so not impressed… So I decided that I wasn’t going to use the metro. I don’t know who I was trying to prove my point to but it’s probably just because of me and my stubbornness. I’m a Taurus, it’s not my fault. So I walked to the mall to eye shop (no, it doesn’t count) and on the way, I found an English pub so I walked in and asked if they could turn on diving. At the time, they were playing cycling (which people were watching) but they changed the channel on all the tv’s just for me! Alexandre Despatie and his partner Reuben Ross got 6th place, but they weren’t expecting a medal in the first place. The REAL event to watch is THIS TUESDAY, August 7th, probably between 12pm and 2pm your time on either TSN, Sportsnet, or possibly CTV!! You might see a lone Canadian girl cheering in the crowd (that would be me). Anyway, after diving, I went to the mall and then walked back home. The entire trip was about 8km, so that was a good way to get rid of the crepes and croissants I’ve been eating! :p Afterwards, I went to the Sacré Coeur with Laura and Kelsi since it was their last night.

Thursday afternoon, I went out for coffee with a friend that I had met in church three years ago, Beatrice. She’s originally from Kenya but hasn’t left France since when she came five years ago. It was so great to see her again and to spend time with her that day, and again on Sunday!

On Friday, I got up way too early to catch the 7:20 train to Arras, a town about 45 minutes north of Paris. I sat at a little café to wait for everything to open and then I caught a taxi to Vimy. The taxi driver kept complimenting my French and said I hardly had an accent!!!!!! You have no idea how hard I’ve tried to sound French, to perfect that “r” noise that comes from the back of your throat: the sound that seems so weird to use because it’s never been used in the English language, but is needed in French so you don’t sound like a foreigner. How many times did Emmanuel tell the kids, “Help her with her r’s; she has to have them perfect before she leaves!” So the fact that I hardly had an accent anymore was a huge compliment! Vimy Ridge was absolutely amazing! I started by taking the tour through the tunnels and trenches. Because the Germans occupied the hill (that the monument is now on), we weren’t able to attack above ground because we would be seen. Therefore, tunnels were built in order to move the soldiers forward. Railways were also put underground to bring in supplies. It was really neat to be able to walk through, but it was tough to imagine how it would have been 95 years ago, under such different and difficult circumstances. On the way to the tunnels, the soldiers had to walk through a field containing all of the graves that were dug in advance, ready to be used (by many of them) once they went into action. The soldiers weren’t allowed to talk to each other and had to stay underground until given the message to move to the trenches. They waited for 36 to 48 hours in the tunnels with only 24 hours worth of food (the attack got postponed because of a snowstorm). To communicate with each other, they used phones but with wires running along the wall, they used morse code, pigeons, and runners. Pigeons mate for life so they would keep the male underground and send it up with a message attached to its leg for it to find its mate and at the same time, deliver the message. In another area, there was one pigeon, Cher Ami (he’s on Wikipedia), that was shot and lost one eye and one leg, and still managed to deliver the message, saving 200 Americans during World War I! Runners were a volunteer position and they were highly respected since during peak war periods, they usually wouldn’t live longer than 3-5 days. They would go in groups of two to run and deliver the message, many times getting killed in the process. Soldiers would sleep in dugouts that were in the sides of the trenches, usually with their feet hanging out because they weren’t very large. Also, the distance between our trenches and the German trenches was about 25 metres! So they were actually able to yell back and forth to each other. I found myself tearing up many times throughout the tour; words can’t even describe the feelings I felt. After the tour, I went to the monument, which is dedicated to all of the Canadian soldiers who died in France. On the monument, there are the names of 11,285 missing soldiers, whose resting place was then unknown. It really is a beautiful monument and area; definitely worth visiting! I always hear how I should be proud to be Canadian and be thankful for my freedom, and we have our Remembrance Day every year, but only until that moment did I actually FEEL it; it was so overpowering and it’s indescribable but I hope that every Canadian has the chance to feel what I felt at some point in their lives, because it’s amazing. I can now truly say I’m proud to be Canadian and I’m so thankful, and I UNDERSTAND. Those kind of things you can’t just learn in school or from a book, you have to learn from your heart. After I left Vimy Ridge, it started to rain so I spent the afternoon in a café before catching the train back to Paris.

Saturday, I didn’t do much except clean the apartment and buy groceries. Sunday, I went to Hillsong for church, then went for lunch with Beatrice. We spent as much of the afternoon as we could in the jardin du Luxembourg, then headed to her church when it started raining. After church, we went to the movie Brave which was so awesome! I heard good things about it, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. I then went home to start packing! This afternoon, I leave for London; I’ll be there until Wednesday! Hope you’re all doing great! Love always

Hey You – Pony Pony Run Run

Cemetery (Dieppe and France)

Luxembourg Gardens
Well, another fun week is unfortunately done. Monday was my shopping day (I seem to be having quite a bit of these…). My goal for Monday was to get 1) a Christmas tree ornament, as I’m hoping to get one everywhere I go. And 2) a Lollipops Paris purse. I’ve always wanted a Lollipops purse ever since I saw my very first one in February three years ago. I remember it clearly: the family and I went to Hendaye for the week and the day that I decided to go to Spain, I jumped on the boat that would take me from France, across the bay, to Spain. There was a family on this boat and the mom had a gorgeous purse that I instantly fell in love with. So I got up nice and close until I saw the “Lollipops” label on it. When I got back to Rambouillet, I looked it up and went to the store, but only to admire the purses as they were way too much for my $3.75/hour paycheck to afford. But now it’s sale season, and sale season is a magical time. That day, I ended up getting my Christmas tree ornament, but I didn’t find my Lollipops purse. I however found not one, but two pairs of shoes. So now I have six pairs here… Oh geez. 

On Tuesday, I went to my favourite gardens, the Luxembourg gardens. It was a gorgeous day out but it was one of those days where you had to sit still or you would die of heat. So the Luxembourg gardens were great for that! Then I found a cute, little park in Bercy so I explored that for awhile.
On the way to the cemetery
Uncle Walter Ahrens 30/09/20-16/07/44

On Wednesday, I woke up early to catch a train to Dieppe. It’s a nice little town about two hours north of Paris, right next to the English Channel. It’s also the closest beach to Paris. And since it was 31 degrees, I think a good majority of Paris had the same idea as me. When I got there, I found out what bus I had to take to get as far south as I could. Then I walked about ten minutes outside of town to the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, a beautiful little cemetery on the countryside. There, I was able to find Uncle Walter’s grave, my Grandpa’s brother. I felt so happy to finally be there, after talking to my mom many times about going. I felt such a sense of pride, knowing that he fought for our freedom. But it was also scary to me. And what’s so scary about it? A combination of things… The fact that he was only 23, a year older than I am now. That he went to the other side of the world to fight for his country and for our freedom, never to actually return. That only a handful of people have went to see him in the 68 years he’s been gone. But I know he hasn’t been forgotten. No, I knew who he was even when I was a child. Grandma and Grandpa kept a picture of him in that guest bedroom with the pink bed and the organ, the room my sister and I always slept in. But I wonder… Was HE proud? Happy? Did he get everything he wanted in that short amount of time we call life? Did he love? Was he loved? What were his final thoughts when he looked death right in the eye? Then I wonder, if I were to die tomorrow, would I be happy with the way I lived my life? I think so… But did  I do everything I wanted to? Well, no. I have never let myself love, never been loved, never had a child to call my own. But maybe because I don’t know really those feelings, I don’t know what I’m missing out on and therefore it would be okay. Because I’ve also had amazing experiences, experiences that I DO know how they feel, and they’ve made me live life to the fullest. I’ve been lucky enough to swim in the Pacific and Atlantic, ride a helicopter, travel the world, walk up the Eiffel Tower, fly a plane, zipline through Mexico, swim with dolphins, go repelling down a waterfall, find friends who love and care for me. I’m happy with who I’ve become, with the people I have in my life, and the family that I have been blessed with. It would almost seem selfish to ask for more… But I hope that Uncle Walter got everything he wanted out of life; I think he should be really proud of what he did. After the cemetery, I made my way back into town. I explored the castle, which was pretty cool, and then I went to the Canadian square. It was really neat in Dieppe because down all of the streets, there were maple leaf signs with “Dieppe 1942-2012” written on them. Everywhere there was a France flag, there was usually a Canadian flag as well. I went for a walk by the beach, which was really overcrowded, but then I found a deck that was reserved for reading. They were strict on making sure that everyone who sat on that deck was only there to read. So that was kinda cool! I went for dinner afterwards and I figured I should probably have seafood since I was by the sea. So I got some kind of fish soup and then a HUGE bowl of mussels. They were okay, but the consistency was really throwing me off. I made myself finish them though, even though I wasn’t sure if I could keep it up. Then I had dessert! I don’t even know what it was but it was delicious! Some sort of apple cake thing, so good! And then I had to catch my train. And I literally could not walk; I was way too full! That’s what the French do though; they give you a really awesome deal to get an appetizer, main dish, and dessert, and then they give you HUGE portions. And you eat the entire thing cause French food is amazing, and then you can’t move at all! That must be how I gained 25 pounds the last time I was in France…
Dieppe Castle

On Thursday, I continued my search for my Lollipops purse but ended up buying two OTHER types of purses. Then Friday, I finally became the proud owner of a Lollipops purse, yay! On Saturday, I stayed at home to watch the Olympics before Laura came. I still don’t think I’ve seen an event with a Canadian in it. Unfortunately, France only focuses on France, but I guess it makes sense since they’re fourth place in the medal standings right now. Laura showed up later that night with her friend Kelsi, so we went out for dinner before going to bed. On Sunday, we went to the Moosehead Canadian pub for poutines and then we spent the rest of the day at the flea market. That night, Laura and I went to the movies to watch To Rome with Love! Unfortunately, half of the movie was in Italian with French subtitles, so I had to translate as much as I could to Laura. It ended up being an okay movie in the end though. Today, Laura and I went to L’as du Falafel for lunch and then we just walked down the street and shopped. It was fun! It’s good to finally have someone to talk to and to enjoy my time with; I’m really happy that she was able to come! I only have less than two weeks left here so I’m going to have to figure out if I need to do anything other than shop… Miss everyone tons! Love always
Cemetery – Charlie Simpson

Penguins & Moonboots (Paris)

Vel d’Hiv Memorial
I can’t believe I’ve already been gone for two weeks! The time goes by way too fast, but it must be cause I’m having a great time! Monday, July 16th was a very important day in history: the 70th anniversary of the Vel D’Hiv roundup, a day that wasn’t even acknowledged in France until less than twenty years ago, in 1995. Seventy years ago, 13152 Jews were arrested by the French police, who were at that time controlled by the Nazis. The victims were kept in the Vélodrome d’Hiver, a bicycle stadium, for days without food or water, before being sent to the camps. I spent the day at the Shoah Memorial, a museum and memorial of what happened during those years beginning in 1942. It was sometimes disturbing, but very moving, and I felt like I should acknowledge what happened, as most still choose to ignore it. After I couldn’t take any more sadness, I went to where the Vel d’Hiv used to be, before it was destroyed in a fire. There, in front of the memorial were many Jewish people, probably amongst them some survivors. I wondered what it felt like now for them, to show who they are with pride; I had a tremendous amount of respect for all of them and just to be in their presence felt great. For more information on this tragic part of our history, I encourage everyone to add a book to their Reading List: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. It’s an amazing book and it has also been made into a film. I think we all need to be a bit more educated about this stuff 🙂 I only remember slightly going over it in school, but not to a great extent.
Tuesday was my shopping day. I woke up nice and early to catch the train to Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, which is where I used to always shop three years ago. I guess I haven’t mentioned yet but France, by law, only has two sale seasons every year. It’s against the law for any stores to put stuff on sale when it’s not during that period of time. So right now, we’re just nearing the end of the summer sale, which is why I’ve been spending so much time shopping. And the sale season is the best/worst time to come to Paris. I found out that I have no self control; I’m turning into a shopaholic! Good thing I came with an almost empty suitcase! That day, I got most of my clothes at H&M, one of my  favourite stores in Europe (it just isn’t the same in Canada).
Bois de Boulogne
Wednesday was my relaxing day. I went to the Bois de Boulogne, a beautiful park on the edge of Paris, that hardly any tourists know about. It has a small lake in the middle, where people can rent rowboats and paddle to the island to have lunch. I spent my time right beside the lake, reading The Time Traveler’s Wife. It was a gorgeous day, and it was nice to get away from all of the mayhem that occurs in Paris.
Thursday was my Rambouillet day! The family told me to come at 7pm for dinner but I got to town at about 12 so I could spend some time walking around town and going to see familiar places. I started at the mall (of course) and did a bit of shopping there. Then I stopped at my school and headed downtown, where they were taking down the carousel! So I’m glad I at least got to see a little bit of it. I got my lunch at my usual Chinese place and took it to the castle grounds to eat. Everything was pretty much the same, it felt so good to be back! I think I got better feelings being back in Rambouillet than when I first got back to Paris. After lunch, I walked through the grounds and went to look at the castle. Then I went to my absolute favourite store (Cache Cache), which I probably shouldn’t have saved for last. Then I went to the Celtique, my café! I was pretty sad when an unfamiliar face came to take my order, but then I saw Old Guy walk out, and it brought a smile to my face. None of the other guys were there though. I got my demi-pêche and I had forgotten how good they were! It was amazing! I ended up staying at the Celtique for about two hours before it was time to see the family. My heart was racing as I got closer and closer to their house, getting to about a thousand beats per minute. I tried walking as slow as I could to try to calm myself down before I got there, but it didn’t work. And then I was there. I walked up to the front door and knocked, waited, but no one came. Then I heard a car drive up and as I turned around I heard, “Janelle!” All of the nervousness washed away and all I could feel was happiness. I gave Anne and Emmanuel kisses and then Elsa stepped out of the car. And as soon as I saw her, tears started pouring out of my eyes. I started bawling as I picked up that little girl and held her close, as she said in her high-pitched voice, “Janelle, you looked after me when I was really, really small?” That’s right. That precious baby that I met for the first time when she was four days old, whose diapers I changed, whose bottles I gave her, who I’d let fall asleep in my arms, as I tried to make as strong of a connection as I could with her so that maybe she might remember me, that sweet, little baby was now a beautiful 3-year-old girl. She’s the cutest thing and she’s such a tease, I never saw anything other than a smile on her face. And she snuggled right up to me all night and asked me to pick her up and hold her. All that worrying I did about her being too scared to talk to me because she didn’t know who I was, was completely unnecessary.
Me, Elsa, Antoine, and Alice
Alice and Antoine are pretty much the same, just three years older and much more mature. Alice is nine, oops sorry, “almost ten,” and Antoine is eight. Alice is still her talkative self, still my little helper when it comes to my French. She was always so good with making sure I understood everything at the age of six, and even now, when the adults were talking, she’d come up and say, “Do you understand what’s going on?” and her English! The parents and I can no longer speak English when we don’t want the kids to know what we’re saying. Alice picks up bits and pieces, strings those pieces together, and can figure out what we’re talking about. She even read me an English book! I was so amazed and so proud. I went and got my wallet and showed her the marble she gave me three years ago, the one I carry with me everywhere I go. And she replied with, “Just a second,” and bolted upstairs. She came back down with a piggy bank and said, “There’s only one coin in here and I’ve kept it for three years. I’ll never spend it,” as she pulled out the Canadian quarter I gave her on my last day. I was touched, that something that doesn’t seem like much to us, could mean so much to a 6-9 year old. And I was shocked that she had kept it without losing it this entire time! Antoine is the same too; he’s shy and he keeps to himself. The parents say that I’ve been the only female who’s been able to give him hugs and kisses, and who he’s actually had a real relationship with. “Antoine thinks he’ll never be able to find a girl like you,” I couldn’t help but feel flattered. I remember trying so hard to get him to open up to me, and finally succeeding. As for the family, they haven’t had an actual au pair since me. They’ve tried but Anne said she kept comparing them to me so they didn’t last long. The first lasted two weeks, and the second lasted three. Since then, they decided, “It’s Janelle, or no one.”
Tryo!!
That night, I got to sleep in MY bed in MY room, which has now been made into Anne’s office. It was nice being back, being able to sleep in a familiar place, and being able to see familiar faces. I had breakfast with the family, helped Elsa get dressed, and did Alice’s hair, like I always used to (but this time while I was doing Alice’s hair, Elsa was doing mine). Then I said my goodbyes and went back to the train station, as they had places to go. It sucks that I only got one day to spend time with them, since they’re leaving on holidays, but it was totally worth it! I loved every minute of it! 🙂 That night, and for the next two nights, I went to the FNAC Festival. They had seven concerts every night set up on a stage outside the Hotel de Ville, and they were all free! So I got to watch singers and bands, some I didn’t know, some I knew from keeping up with the French music scene while I was gone. There were 75000 people who showed up for the festival; it was crazy! I got to see Naive New Beaters, Pony Pony Run Run, Revolver, and many others that I had never heard of before (and will have to add to my music library!). One of my favorites was We Were Evergreen so I decided to name my blog title after one of their songs. The last night and the very last concert was my favourite band, TRYO! I came early that night (the concerts start at 5:30) and I ended up getting front row! By the end, my back and legs were killing me but it was totally worth it! Anne was very jealous that she couldn’t go; she probably loves them more than I do since she’s the one who introduced them to me. The festival was a great way to spend my weekend! Now I just have to find more stuff to do before Laura comes on Saturday! I hope everything is going well at home, miss everyone tons! Love always

Let the Rain (Iceland, France, and Bastille Day)

Well, less than a week in Europe so far and I’m having a great time! My journey started off in La Ronge, when I left on Sunday after our family reunion. I arrived in Saskatoon around 6:30, unpacked, went for dinner with Ben and met up with Katie, then started repacking at around 9, tried to go to sleep at 1:30, could hardly sleep and woke up at 6:30 to go to the airport! I had to walk on the tarmac to my plane for the first time in Saskatoon, and as soon as the plane started its motor, it began rocking back and forth. And for the first time ever, I thought I wasn’t going to survive. I mean, we all know I like planes as much as I like pilots! 😉 but this one didn’t feel so great… When we got in the air, I swear the motor quit and I was just waiting for us to fall. At least that flight was only to Edmonton. I got to Edmonton as soon as they started boarding my flight to Toronto. On this flight, I watched The Hunger Games! (which was very suiting since I read the book the day before). When I got to Toronto, I finally got to eat! No, the plane didn’t serve ANY snacks, so I was starving since all I had was a muffin before I left Saskatoon. I had an amazing Indian tikka masala meal, with rice and chutney at the Beaches Boardwalk Café. Then I waited for my four-hour layover to finish so I could hop on the plane and make myself go to sleep. Like that would happen… 
Hallgrímskirkja Church
Five hours later, we were finally in Iceland (Reykjavik) at 6:30 in the morning (12:30am our time). We had to go through a second round of security when we got there, before we could be mixed with the EU passengers, it was weird. Then I waited for my luggage. And waited… And waited… And waited… And of course, nothing came. So they informed me that the next flight from Toronto wasn’t coming until Thursday, meaning they’d have to send my luggage to me in Paris once it got there. But they kindly gave me an overnight pack, consisting of a toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream and a razor, cleansing milk and moisturizer, a brush, deodorant, and an XXL white t-shirt. I then caught the Flybus to my hostel: Reykjavik Backpackers, which didn’t have check-in til 2pm. So since I had just over five hours to kill, I spent the majority of the day walking, taking pictures, and going into absolutely every store downtown. And Iceland  sure is gorgeous! I was always shocked by how beautiful something was and then I’d turn the corner and I was shocked all over again! The Hallgrímskirkja Church was absolutely breathtaking!! I noticed that the majority of the population is blonde; I’ve never seen so many blonde people in my life! So I actually fit in, even though I kind of missed being the minority in La Ronge… 😛 When I checked in at the hostel they asked, “Do you have a sleeping bag?” And I said, “No, they lost my luggage so I have nothing,” (not that I had a sleeping bag in the first place…), so they gave me free linens and towels, wahooo! Then I continued to walk around, shop, then went back to the hostel to shower. I can live without shampoo and soap, but the hardest part was not having flip flops to wear on the shower floor, yuck! Anyway, I managed to stay up until 8 and then passed out in my top bunk. When I woke up at 11pm, it was still light out, and when I woke up at 2am, it was the same thing. 24-hour sun days are kind of cool!
Gullfoss Falls

I woke up the next morning at 6:30 to get ready for my big tour that I signed up for, the Golden Circle Tour. They took us to a bunch of lookout points, to Þingvellir National Park, and then to the Gullfoss waterfalls, which were so cool!! I got drenched just walking to them, but it was sure worth it! There, I had some traditional Icelandic lamb soup, which wasn’t too bad, although I don’t think I’ve ever eaten lamb before. Then we went to the geysers of Geysir, which shoots out water because of pressure underneath the ground. The first time it happened, I jumped cause it was so unexpected. After that, we visited the Skalholt church, and then went back to Reykjavik at around 6pm. Afterwards, I just sat by the pond until my bus came at 9:30 to take me back to the airport. I later realized that I got sunburned just from sitting outside from 7-9pm, wasn’t expecting that!!

My flight to Paris was at 1am on Thursday and was only 3 hours long. I wasn’t able to sleep at all so I was quite tired by the time I got to Paris. Nothing a grand crème and a pain au chocolat couldn’t cure! I got settled into my apartment, which is in the Montmartre area, right by the Sacré Cœur. It was so good to be back in Paris, seeing the familiar metro stops, smelling the familiar smells, I was smiling from ear to ear while walking down the sidewalk. The only thing that’s changed is my ability to tell the difference between Parisians and Americans. Three years ago, an American would stand out like a sore thumb but now, someone that I think is American is actually French. Either the French got more American or vice versa because there were three ways that you could tell the difference before (not counting the extreme obnoxiousness that came from the Americans): 1) Denim. Denim used to be a no-no in Paris, but now EVERYONE wears it! 2) Converse sneakers. They used to be a French thing, now they’re an everyone thing. And 3) Hair gel. If there was a guy who wore more hair products than you, you’d know that he’s French. Now, no guys wear hair gel, which I can’t complain about. Anyway, once I got to my apartment, my first task was to get groceries, shampoo, etc. The grocery  store was awesome, seeing all the foods that I’ve totally forgotten about. I tried to remember everything Anne had taught me in the kitchen and grabbed some things to make some simple meals. After the grocery store, I made my way to H&M to get my much needed clothes. I don’t remember actually going to sleep that night but I know it was sometime between 10 and 12. I didn’t wake up the next day until 2:30pm! That day, I stayed in my apartment because I had to wait for my suitcase delivery.

Saturday was Bastille Day, the biggest day of the year!! I woke up early to make it to the Champs-Élysées for the morning parade. It was just a whole bunch of military marches and vehicles, not floats or anything like we have in Canada. I then headed to the Eiffel tower (finally!) to enjoy my lunch in the park. After that, I went to a free piano concert, cause I’m cool like that and would choose a free piano concert over a free actual concert any day. I then thought about how I haven’t touched a piano since the last time I left France, and I figured maybe I should pick it up again. Afterwards, I went to the Eiffel Tower and waited an hour and 15 minutes for the bathroom (!!) before finding a spot in the overcrowded park to wait for the fireworks to start. This year’s fireworks were disco themed, playing classics from the 70s and 80s, such as “It’s raining men,” “YMCA,” and “Funky town.” By far, the best fireworks I’ve ever seen!! Getting home was an adventure in itself, as all of Paris (and more) was trying to do the same thing. The next day, I went to church (yay!), which moved locations since the last time I was there. Afterwards, I went to the Pere-Lachaise cemetery to see Chopin’s grave, and then I went to the Sacré-Coeur to hang out for a bit before heading home.

About two weeks before my trip, up until I got to Iceland, I kept doubting myself. “My life is perfectly fine here; I’m with the people I love, what kind of crazy person decides to go halfway around the world alone?” But as soon as I made it to Iceland, I knew I had made the right decision. Now I’m just wondering what stopped everyone else from going with me… It’s so worth it! Hope everything’s going well back at home, thanks for reading!
 
Let the Rain – Sara Bareilles