Last day in Lille and Return to the Homeland

Laura and me - Last day in Lille

Delicious Waffle

Flavie and me - Lille Grand Place

As most of you probably know, I'm back in Nova Scotia. What you probably don't know, is how I spent my last day in Lille and how the journey back home was. So, if you care to read on, that is what you'll be reading about! Still with me? Good :) Okay so I got back from Cognac on April 25th in the evening. That night I met up with my friends Laura and Flavie and we had dinner together which consisted of goat cheese, bread, salad, and a delicious chocolate cake for desert. I then went back to residence to say goodbye to my friends Serena and Kaylee. The next day I ended up getting up early to have breakfast with Kaylee and say goodbye one last time. After that I went back to bed for a few more hours. I was starting to get anxious about leaving so I didn't sleep very well that night. Once I woke up again I ran some errands, packed, and made sure I tied all the loose ends before leaving the country. I also went out to get my last boulangerie sandwich, a pain au chocolat, and some chouquettes. I figured since it was my last day there, it was okay to eat everything in sight. At 5pm, I planned to meet up with Flavie and Laura again so we could hang out and go get something to eat. We ended up shopping a little and then we went to a little ice cream place at Grand Place where Flavie used to work. We all ordered a waffle with chocolate which was absolutely delicious! I'm drooling just thinking about it now. After that we parted ways for a bit because I needed to go buy my train ticket for the next day. When I was done I caught the metro back to Laura's place where Flavie then came back to say goodbye (sad). Once she left Laura and I decided to go to one of the several kebab places for supper. I ordered a galette (basically a shaved chicken wrap with veggies) and fries with andalousse sauce. Holy yum. I need to find out if I can make andalousse sauce because I miss it already. Once we were done eating Laura and I decided to spend the evening watching Kung Fu Panda I and II. It was a wonderful way to spend my last day in Lille. The next day I got up bright and early (after having basically no sleep) to have breakfast, check out of residence, and then catch my train to the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. When I checked in at the airport I found out that my luggage was overweight but I worked some magic and when I put it back on the scale it was a kilo underweight. SO glad I didn't have to pay the 50-75 euros for overweight luggage. The flight from Paris - Montreal was 7 and a half hours long but it passed really quickly. I only watched one movie and basically slept for the rest of the time. I then had a 2 hour layover, followed by an hour and a half flight to Halifax. Everything went really smoothly - no lost luggage, sat by nice people, slept the majority of the time. Yup, the trip was much easier than the first time I took it. I think it's just something you get used to. Now that I'm home I have a lot of mixed feelings. I'm so happy to see friends and family but I'm so sad to leave France and the wonderful friends I made there. I truly had the most wonderful experience of my life. I got to see some of the most beautiful parts of the world and I made some truly amazing friends. 4 months isn't forever, but I feel like I got to learn and experience so much. I don't know when or where my next adventure will be I know I'll be back in France again someday :)

Trip to Cognac with a great friend!

Cognac

My friend Anne-Alicia invited me to go to her hometown, close to Cognac, France, for some of the April break so on April 21st, we caught a 5 and a half hour train from Lille to Angouleme, where her dad picked us up. The train ride seemed to pass by quickly so it wasn't too bad. The first hour or so we spent eating and talking in the food car. After I enjoyed my first ever "croque monsieur," Anne-Alicia and I apparently got too into our conversation because the guys who check your tickets on the train (who were sitting across from us) suddenly yelled "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" because I guess we were talking too loud. I was so taken aback because they didn't get ask us to quiet down nicely. We decide then that maybe it was time to return to our seats. When I got back to my seat I drifted into sleep almost instantly and didn't wake up again until there was about an hour left until we reached Angouleme. That's probably why the train didn't seem so long. Once off the train we were greeted by Anne-Alicia's father who drove us to their house. Upon arriving at their house, we were greeted by Anne-Alicia's mother (who just so happens to be Canadian), along with Erable and Eloa, the dogs. After I met the family, got a tour of the house, and met the family horse, Couca, it was time for supper. This trip consisted of a lot of firsts for me food wise. Not only did I have my first croque monsieur but I had my first taste of Cognac, duck, ratatouille, pate, and frois gras. I felt so French! After dinner it was time for some French TV then we were off to bed. The next day was pretty chill because the weather was quite bad. We did go into Cognac for a little tour. I loved seeing the old building and in that kind of weather, it made for some cool dreary-looking photos. I also got to meet some family friends and eat more delicious food. On Monday we got up, had breakfast, and decided that we would take a trip to see La Rochelle, a city in Western France, about an hour away from Cognac. There we had lunch at an Irish bar, went inside the harbour towers, went to the aquarium, and did a little shopping. There are at least 3500 boats docked in this city. It was crazy to see them all. It's a really cute city and it was cool to see because of its connection with Quebec. The next day Anne-Alicia took me to go on a tour of Courvoisier, where her parents work. Courvoisier is a brand of Cognac and it's located in Jarnac. On the tour I got to learn how they make Cognac, about Napoleon Bonaparte, and of course got to drink some Cognac. One part of the tour that was really neat was a room with a video about Cognac and at it plays, a machine actually sprays the aromas of the XO Cognac - creme brule, candied orange, and iris. Yum! After that Anne-Alicia took me to see where they stored all the oldest Cognac. Even the youngest Cognac in that room is older than me! After that we went back to the house. We decided to go outside and clean Couca. He was quite dirty because he loved rolling in the mud and due to the weather, there was an abundance of it. Once he was all clean and Anne-Alicia's siblings had cleaned out his stall, we all went inside for supper. We had lemon meringue pie for desert and I've been craving it every day since then! Unfortunately, the next day it was time for me to head back to Lille so I could have time to pack before my journey back to Canada. After saying our goodbyes I took my trip from Cognac to Angouleme, Angouleme to Paris Montparnasse, Paris Montparnasse to Paris Nord, and then Paris Nord to Lille. I had so much fun seeing another part of France, spending time with a family, and hanging out with a great friend before having to leave.

La Rochelle

Youngest Cognac in this room is still 1 year older than me!

Let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France ♫

Nice, France

Eze Village, France

Monaco, Franc

Well this post is long overdue! I traveled to the South of France from April 14th - 18th but I got so busy after I came back that I haven't had the time to report back to those of you who wish to read about it. Blogger has changed it's format though so now I can post photos on here easily! A little late in the game for me but it is nice for my last posts and perhaps it will come into play in my next adventure! So on April 14th I took off on a solo trip to Nice, France. I arrived in Nice around 8:30pm so I went straight to my hostel. My first night consisted of skyping with my mom and going to bed early. Not very adventurous, I know, but I was le tired. I got up bright and early the next day to see if I could sign up for scuba diving but because it was pouring down rain, they weren't taking people out. I thought it would be a good idea to catch some more z's and then head out once the rain had stopped. At around 10:30 in the morning I grabbed a map (which I didn't really end up using) and took off to explore Nice. I love just taking off on foot and wandering around a new city. I find it's the best way to see everything and a great way to stumble upon things you wouldn't normally see. My wandering lead me to the flower market, the Chateau de Nice, to some adorable little shops, and to the Port. My favourite part of that day was the Chateau de Nice. It provides a wonderful view of the city, the Mediterranean, and the mountains. I was so happy to be there and experience such beauty! That night I grabbed some supper and ate it by the water while I listened to the waves crash against the rocks. It was so peaceful. The next day I got up early again to actually go scuba diving. I had to be there at 9am so I walked along the Promenade des Anglais towards the Port. Once I met the instructor for scuba diving I found out that I was the only person who paid to go that morning. There were about 6 other people who came along but they were all co-workers or friends. We took the boat out along the coast and when we stopped the others all started getting ready so I thought I would too but they told me I had time so I sat down and took in the view. They then informed me that I should put my scuba suit on in 30 minutes. I was confused at first as to why I had to wait 30 minutes until I realized that they wanted to go scuba diving without me first. So there I was, sitting on the boat all alone while I got sea sick. After the 30 minutes was up, they all emerged from the water except for one who was going to guide me in the water. Once I was ready I jumped in and was quite surprised by how cold the water was. Once I got used to the cold, I started to really enjoy myself. I got to see lots of different fish, coral, sea urchins, and I got to see a little octopus! Just as I was really getting into it, the instructor signalled to me that we were going up. I was surprised at how little time we were actually in the water for. After everyone was dried off they started barbecuing sausages. They then told me that I was welcome to eat with them, but it would cost me 5 euros. So not only did I have to wait 30 minutes on the boat for them, and then only get 20-30min in the water myself, but I had to pay extra to eat? I must say, I was not exactly impressed. I felt like I was intruding on their little scuba party and that I wasn't a paying customer. Even though there weren't very hospitable, it was still a really awesome experience. Once back on dry land I thought I would go back to the hostel for a quick rest because I was surprisingly quite tired but on the way back I stumbled into the area that usually had the flower market but instead of flowers, it had turned into an antique market! The items ranged from dishes, to jewellery, to stuffed ducks. Some antiques were hundreds of years old and could cost up to 700 euros. I was shocked at the prices but of course there were some more affordable things as well. I ended up buying a silver ring and two little "Babar" ornaments. That night I met two girls from the United States. We ended up getting supper together and then we spent the evening looking for the Russian Orthodox Cathedral and walking along the Promenade. The next day one of the girls (the other left for Paris) and I caught a bus so we could go see Eze Village and Monaco. Eze Village was a tiny little village with shops, homes, and a church situated on a hill. The climb up wasn't too bad because there were a couple of stores to visit at each level. It was an extremely cute village that made for great photos. Next stop was Monaco. Funny how a 20 minute bus ride can take you to another country! The bus dropped us off close to the casinos so our first stop consisted of a little gambling. After that we visited the Japanese Garden which was absolutely beautiful. Next we made out way along the water to the port there where there were hundreds of expensive yachts. One even had it's own helicopter on top. Oh rich people! We then made our up up to the palace and Old Monaco. The view from up there was breathtaking. I couldn't believe that I was actually there. After more exploring and sight seeing we caught a bus home. The next day I was on an early flight back to Paris and by the time I got a train, I was back in Lille around 1:30pm. The South of France was one of my favourite trips that I took. I definitely want to go back someday so I can explore it ever more!

Two Austrians and a Canadian in Paris

Salut tout la monde! Guess what? I still love Paris! Thursday, April 5th, marked my 5th visit to Paris and my 4th since I have moved to France. I had a wonderful two nights and three days for two reasons - I got to see Gabriela and Marcus, two Austrians I had the pleasure of meeting while they were on an exchange at the Mount, and because I was in my favourite city (to date). I caught a train from Lille on Thursday afternoon at 1pm and an hour later I was at the Gare du Nord with two great friends, ready to have another wonderful Parisian experience! Before the exploring started, we had to check into our hostel. When we got there we were pleased to discover that we had been upgraded to a apartment-style room with a double bed, a single bed, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a little dining room with a TV. I'm pretty sure we got this upgrade because they forgot our reservation but whatever the reason, it was awesome to have a room to ourselves for only 22 euros each per night. Once we were settled, we left the hostel to go to Montmartre. This is one of my favourite areas of Paris. It has a beautiful view, artists, and of course, Sacre Coeur. After that we jumped on the metro and went to Notre Dame. I was happy to go back to see Notre Dame because I haven't been there since I was there for the first time, 2 years ago. This time, I was also able to go into the Cathedral which I had never done. I love that I get to do something I have never done before each time I go to Paris, what a city! Next we went to the Louvre. We didn't go inside but Gabriela was able to get some pictures doing her favourite pose - planking - on the famous glass pyramids. After that it was time to find some food. After a lengthy period of searching we decided on a restaurant called the Hippopotamus (I ate here with my sister as well) where all three of us had a cheeseburger with fries. Yum yum. Following dinner, we decided to get something to drink and track down some cards so we would have something to do back in our room. The rest of the night was devoted to cards, French TV, Desperado, cork-filled rose (had to be innovative as we didn't have a bottle opener), and catching up. The following morning I awoke to the smell of fresh baguette and pain au chocolat. Best way to wake up in my opinion. Gabriela had kindly went out to get us all breakfast while Marcus and I caught some extra Z's. Once all three of us were ready for the day, we left for more sight-seeing. The day included walking along the Champs-Elysee, shopping, L'Arc de Triomphe and Trocadero so we could eat nutella crepes and stare at the Eiffel Tower (one of my favourite things to do in Paris). We decided it would be best to make supper at the hostel that night so we went to Monoprix and bought supplies for spaghetti... and a baguette of course! It was delicious! Once we were full and well rested, we left the hostel again to go see the Eiffel Tower at night. I swear, it is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. I could sit there for hours while devouring crepe after crepe. On the way to the metro, an native English speaking couple asked us where the metro was. Since we were heading that way, we told them to just follow us. After talking to them for a while, I found out that they were also Canadian and one of them was from Nova Scotia. I can't believe how small the world is. Oh the people you meet! Once off the metro we went in search of a bar Gabriela had looked up in her travel book. Gabriela managed to find it but once the bouncer saw we were wearing sneakers, there was no getting in for us. We decided to just have a drink at a bar and then head to bed because we were exhausted anyway. The next day, Saturday, we got up, checked out of our hostel and went out for breakfast. Our last stop of our three day weekend was Centre Pompidou. This is a really interesting area of Paris. It has the inside-out museum (not sure of the actual name), shopping, beggars, fountains, and sculptures. We spent our remaining ours walking around and shopping. We then grabbed a quick bite to eat and then it was time to get our bags and part ways. T'was sad indeed to leave each other but we decided it was only see you later. I love Europe too much to not come back and they love Canada too much to not come visit. We knew we would see each other again someday. Due to the fact that I was so tired, I decided I would go back to Lille instead of hanging around Paris. My journey back was fairly uneventful minus an *NSYNC lookalike circa 1995 in a tight black shirt flexing his muscles at me on the metro. I couldn't help but laugh, he was an interesting character. Overall, it was a wonderful little vacation. I'm hoping to go back to Paris once more before I leave so I can have a nutella crepe, stare at the Eiffle Tower, and also see Versailles.

A bientot!

Defying Gravity... There's no place like London...

I just spent the last weekend in London and it would seem that Paris has some competition for where I'm going to live in someday. Surprised? I know, me too. I'm sure that 3 days straight of absolutely beautiful weather played a large factor in me loving London, but I also enjoyed the culture, sights, and accents (of course!) My adventure started on Saturday morning, March 24th to be exact. The Eurostar left at 8:30am but because England is not in the Schengen area, you have to go through customs beforehand which means you have to be there around 45min in advance. This didn't take too long and I was soon sound asleep on the hour and a half train ride to St. Pancras Station in London. When I got off the train I was a bit nervous as to where I had to go to find my hostel but everything was well marked and really straightforward. It took me a little while to notice that I was even in an English-speaking country because of how multicultural it was. I think I heard every language but English for first half hour I was there. St. Pancras Station is located right next to King's Cross Station so I of course had to take a small detour to satisfy my inner Harry Potter nerd and go see Platform 9 & 3/4's. It was funny to see the hustle and bustle of people trying to get to their trains and then see a group of tourists surrounding a wall with a sign and half a trolley sticking out. Next I was off to King's Cross road where I was staying at Clink78, a 200-year-old court house that has been restored into a hostel. The hostel was really cool - There were rooms where prison cell's used to be and the internet room was set up like a court room with a judge's chair that had an illuminated "Guilty" sign behind it. I stayed in a room with some girls who were part of tour group camp that was learning how to give tours all over Europe for over 7 weeks. There were only 50 chosen out of 2000 and it seemed extremely intense. Seems like an amazing way to see the world but I think I value my sleep too much. After dropping off my bags I grabbed a map and took off to explore. I wanted to find a place where I could find Wicked tickets and I remembered the course on google maps told me to walk along Fleet Street so off I went to the street that fictionally housed the demon barber, "Sweeney Todd." Along the way I soaked up the sun and took pictures of all the sights. The atmosphere felt much different than France and I loved that I was in a country that spoke my language again. It was nice to not constantly have to think about what I needed to say. After about an hour of walking, I found a place where I could purchase a Wicked ticket. Now that I had done that (my #1 priority haha), I had about 7 hours to kill before the show, so I just kept walking. While gazing up at a beautiful church, I almost got hit by a red, double-decker bus even though the walking light was green. Not cool. I eventually found myself in St. James's Park which was a great place to be on such a beautiful weekend. The flowers were out, the sun was shining, the grass was green, and people were relaxing everywhere. I decided to get some food and find a place on the grass to just let it all sink in. After my relaxing lunch, I went to Buckingham Palace, wishing that I could find Prince Harry so he could whisk me off my feet. What did I find instead? A creepy middle aged man who asked me if I wanted to go for a walk in the Park. I politely said that I already went for a walk and I was waiting for my friends (only half true). Crisis averted! I then slowly walked along the streets of London and shopped on my way towards Harrods, the department store where John Rendall and Ace Bourke bought Christian the Lion in 1969. I soon found out that Harrods was not my scene. Although extremely cool and unique, I was overwhelmed by the crowds and quickly left. I looked at my map and saw that I was close to Hyde Park so that was my next destination. After walking for so long, my feet were exhausted so I took another lovely rest in another gorgeous London park. I then eventually made my way back down to Buckingham Palace where along the way I saw The Wellington Arch, Green Park, the Canada Memorial, and the Canada Gate. After that I shopped some more, had supper, and then it was time to see Wicked! What an amazing musical it was. It was so entertaining, I was smiling the whole time. Definitely worth the 50 pounds! When the musical was done I caught a cab back to my hostel and basically went straight to bed. I had been going since 6am and I was exhausted! The next morning I got up to meet my friend Carole (from France), and her friends Jens (from Sweden), and Clement (also from France) to hang out for the day. We had breakfast at a cafe while waiting for Clement and once we were done we took off for a market. The market was filled with delicious smelling food, unique jewelry, and awesome clothes. I could have bought everything. Another reason why I need a never-ending supply of money! Next we walked to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London - both breath-taking I must say. It was so cool to actually see them in person, they're really impressive. After that we walked along the water, across the Millennium Bridge (the one the Death Eaters destroy in Harry Potter :P), had some lunch, watched some buskers, and reached the spot where the London Eye is located. Directly across the Thames, was/is a beautiful view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, another amazing sight. Next we crossed the Thames again to get a better look at the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We then decided to make our way up to SoHo where we got to see Piccadilly Circus (London's Times Square) and have a snack. We then took the underground back to the three different places we were staying. Since it was another long day, and we had to travel the next, we decided to call it an early night. Sunday, March 26th, was my last day in London. I got up, checked out, and had some breakfast before taking the underground to Green Park so I could watch the "Changing of the Guard" at Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, when I got there, I found out that there would be no ceremony that day. I was disappointed but I figure it's another reason to go back to London! Due to the fact that there was no ceremony, I decided to go meet Carole and Jens at a Starbucks that wasn't too far away. Once we had a snack we met up with Clement again and two of his friends (from France) in Chelsea. We walked along a fancier part of town and then sat down for some pizza. I, however, had to take off early because I had to get my bags and then catch my train. Although I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, and not in a room full of other people, I was sad to leave London. I definitely could have stayed for a couple more days, there was so much to see and do! I'll definitely be back in England again one day though!

Cheerio!  

Vimy Ridge on Saint Patrick's Day

Saturday, March 17th (also known as St. Patrick's Day) I, along with a fellow Canadian named Serena, and an American named Jon, took a day trip to go explore Vimy Ridge. Our day started at Gare Lille Flandres where we bought tickets that would take us from Lille, to Lens, to Vimy. When we got to Lens, we had about a half hour to kill before our next train so we decided to get some frites a.k.a french fries! Next it was on to Vimy! When our train got there, we got off onto a rickety wooden platform out in the middle of nowhere. We soon discovered that we were on the wrong side of the train tracks so we crossed over, but we were still unsure of where to go. It seriously looked like there was a zombie apocalypse in Vimy and it wasn't even a Sunday. Stores didn't look like they were open and we saw a total of one person and one cat for a good 10 minutes of walking. As we made our way along the deserted road we discovered a 8 a Huit (a French convenience store) and realized that there were in fact inhabitants in the town. We asked for directions at the 8 a Huit and took off for a 45 minute walk to get to Vimy Ridge. Along the way we admired the ivy covered trees. It looked like there was going to be a hobbit that would poke its head out from behind a tree at any moment. It was obvious when we finally got to the site because the majority of the land was full of bumps and craters because of the explosives that were set of during WWI and it was sectioned off with a little electric fence so that people wouldn't walk through it (possible explosives left in the ground). We explored the reconstructed trenches with cement sandbag lookalikes when a man, coincidentally who also lived in Lille, told us that we could go underground if we signed up for a tour inside, so... we did just that! We were just in time for the next tour so we jumped in the group and followed along into the depths of the 10 foot underground trenches. Everything had been re-done to make it safe for visitors - what used to be wooden beams and were now metal and parts of the roof and walls were filled in with cement. When the Canadians were digging the trenches in WWI, they were digging in chalk which made things a lot easier for them because chalk was easy to cut through, but it still kept its shape. We got to see a small room where they would sleep which had 8-10 beds in it at a time. Not exactly ideal living conditions. We also got to see what is believed to be an original carving by a soldier in the chalk of a Canadian maple leaf... pretty neat! Next we went outside where we learned about trenches, snipers, no man's land, and craters. Short tour, but overall really informative and let's face it, my attention span wouldn't have been able to handle much more haha. After that we took a look inside the Welcome Centre and picked up a map so we could go see the Canadian memorial. The memorial is situated in the middle of a bright green field, with paths leading up to it, overlooking a town (not sure which one exactly). It's really quite stunning. It cost $1.5 million to build and it has the name of every single Canadian soldier carved into the bottom, but it was put in place to remember each soldier who lost their life fighting for their country in WWI. We ended up talking to a lady from Canada and she had a niece who was going to school at the Mount. Talk about a small world! After that we took a cab to the Gare d'Arras (easier and more straight forward to catch a train from there instead of Vimy) and then took a train back home to Lille. That night was a pretty relaxed night, despite it being St. Patrick's Day. I took a nap and then went to Jon's room to play cards and hang out with Jon, Serena, and Kaylee (also from America). Overall, a successful, fun, and educational day!

Bisous!

Erin in Lille!

After our long day of traveling, we were quite tired so we bought some supper at Carrefour City and had a chill night in. In the morning, we got up and walked to the Lille Citadel where the free zoo is located. We took loads of pictures in the park. It is a really nice place to go a read a book, explore, or go for a walk/run. There's one part of it that has a really awesome cave that's surrounded by water. Definitely made for some good pictures! Next, we went to the zoo. I was so excited because, as most of you know by now, I loooove animals. It was a great place to spend the morning. The zoo has monkeys, birds, and rhinos, just to name a few. Erin and I spent the majority of our time watching a couple of gibbons chase each other around their habitat. They were hilarious! I will definitely be spending a lot of time there. Who can complain about a free zoo! It's going to be so beautiful there when the weather gets nicer too. After the zoo we walked to Vieux Lille (Old Lille) and got a sandwich at a boulangerie. We then spent the rest of the day shopping which was exhausting, but fun. I wanted Erin to experience a kebab while she was here so for supper, we went to the closest kebab place, which also happens to be my favourite. The guys who work there are so nice. When I first got here, I thought a kebab was like a shish kabob. Not the case. It's more like a sandwich and you can get shaved chicken or lamb (I think). You can get it on a bun or in a wrap with fries and a choice of sauce. SO delicious! To get a wrap, fries, and a pop, it only costs 4 euro 50. Since they're a decent size, Erin and I spilt one and got 2 pops so supper only cost us 6 euros. Not too shabby! We then went back to my residence and watched the movie The Vow and The Hot Chick. We got up on Saturday at 7am because Erin had to catch her plane home. We took the metro to the train station where I got her on her train and we said our goodbyes. It was a sad day indeed. The whole trip went by wayyyy too fast and we were both wishing that she could stay a few days more. Alas, that was not the case. Overall it was a wonderful trip, just too short. Now who wants to visit!? haha.

A la prochain!