Berlin in a Whirlwind

If you're still following my adventure, after having done a tour de France, my mum and I returned to London, where she flew home from.  I stuck around Londontown a few extra days to visit an old friend and hit some of the city's great museums.  From London, I hopped a plane to Berlin where I met up with my travel buddy, Jacky, whom you may remember from my trip to Amsterdam. 

Berlin was love at first glimpse of the TV tower.  The city has a really cool vibe I can't quite describe.  Our first day there we took a walking tour and saw the sights, including the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Wall, and the location of Hitler's bunker.

Berlin, and Germany for that matter, has such a rich history full of upheavals, of which there are lots of commemorations throughout the city.  There is the monument to the victims of war and tyranny, the Holocaust memorial, and a monument dedicated to the commemoration of the Nazi book burnings to name but a few.  Despite this, I didn't get the impression that Berlin is a city weighed down by its history.  It's possible to relax, have fun and enjoy the city that Berlin has become.  To me, there are multiple Berlins.  It just depends which one you want to see when you visit the city.

The Tally

I've been thinking a lot about the travels I've done. I feel like I've been a lot of places. As my friend Claire said to me, "Every time I talk to you it seems like you're just coming from or going on some trip." I took every opportunity I had to travel--I travelled to nearly everywhere that was on my mental list of places to go to. At the same time, I feel that there's so much left to see.  While I'm "travelled out," I still fantasize about future travels.  I was in a bookstore the other day and found myself drawn to the travel guide section.

So in my 8 months abroad:

• I took 20 trips, including day trips,
• During which I visited 25 cities
• In 8 countries.

Tour de France, Part 2

When I last left off, my mum and I had just visited marvellous Marseille, with its beautiful harbour and sunshine-filled skies.

The next day we boarded another train, this time to Paris. We got there around the early evening and stayed in the same hotel I had stayed at when I first arrived, a little hotel well situated in the 18e arrondissement, with easy walking access to all the sights. I was really excited to show my mum Paris, as it is such a stunning city—especially your first time visiting. That evening we went for a walk through Montmartre to Sacré Coeur, down the butte de Montmartre past the Opera house and through the jardin des Tuilleries.

The next morning we woke up early and were off on a day trip to Chenonceau castle.

This Loire Valley château is impressive and surprisingly tranquil (given the number of visitors) and has an interesting history. Built at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Henry II gave it to his “préférée”, or mistress, Diane de Poitiers. After his death, Henry’s wife, Catherine de Medici, evicted Diane and inhabited the château. During the First World War, Chenonceau served as a hospital. During the Second World War was situated exactly on the dividing line between the Occupied and Free zones. As such, it was used by the Resistance.

The next few days we had in Paris were spent visiting the sights, including the Sainte-Chapelle, which I’d never seen before. Then we boarded the Eurostar back to London.

Home!

After nearly nine months away (8 months and 15 days), I am finally back home in Vancouver!

I can't wait to finish telling you about my tour de France with my mum, my two weeks out and about Québec, and my trips to Berlin and Prague.


(Photo by NASA via Design*Sponge, illustrating a Vancouver City Guide I highly recommend.)

Still Life with Suitcases

When I visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, I was absolutely fascinated with the photographic quality of  the Dutch masters' still life paintings.  So, with my own recent experience juggling suitcases and fancying myself in the Darjeeling Limited, I find myself very attracted to these modern still life paintings of suitcases by Canadian artist Christopher Stott that I stumbled upon via Design*Sponge.

 

Tour de France, Part 1

After visiting London, my mom and I spent a week marathon travelling through France, visiting five cities in all. With all our luggage and train travel, I felt a bit like the Whitman brothers in The Darjeeling Limited. But it went surprisingly well.

We started in Saint Etienne, where I showed her the town I had called home for the last seven months.

The next day I took her to Lyon and showed her all the sights. Lyon being the gastronomic capital of France, we ate dinner in a bouchon lyonnais called Le Tire Bouchon.

bouchon (boo-sho(w)n): literally, a lid or plug; here meant as a traditional lyonnais restaurant

The Tire Bouchon has a great ambiance that is everything that people are trying to capture when they put up Toulouse-Lautrec’s Le Théâtre du Chat Noir print. My mom had the traditional lyonnais dish quenelles, a type of pastry or pasta served in a sauce, and I had a parmentier (shepherd’s pie).

Then the next day, Thursday, April 28, we left with our suitcases to head to Nîmes. A trivia fact for you: Nîmes is the home of denim or de Nîmes, which Levi Strauss exported to California to make jeans for the gold prospectors. Nîmes also has many Roman ruins including the best preserved Roman arena in the world.

(Clockwise from the left) A matador statue in front of the Nîmes arena;  view inside the Nîmes arena;  Jardin de la fontaine;  la Maison Carré; la Tour Magne.

While we did cover a lot of ground in train travel, our tour de France did not feel pressed for time once we got to each destination.  It actually had a relaxed and leisurely feel as we did not overbook each day. 

The following day we took a short train from Nîmes to Marseille.  Our hotel was located just one block from the Vieux Port.  As our room was not yet ready, we decided to have a coffee and admire the view of the Vieux Port.  Once allowed into our room, we happened to be able to catch a bit of the royal wedding we saw the preparations for a few days earlier.

Marseille had an amazing atmosphere, which reminded me a lot of Rome, especially in la vielle ville.  We walked along the Vieux Port, which is full of boats and protected by historic Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Jean forts on either side of the harbour’s mouth.  We also took a short passenger ferry ride to the Château d’If, made famous by Alexandre Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo.   Being an island prison-fort, the Château d’If reminded me a lot of Alcatraz, which I visited two  years ago during my trip to San Francisco.

(Clockwise from the top) Marseille’s Vieux Port;  view of Château d’If; view of lighthouse and Marseille from If island; view of Notre-Dame from Marseille’s Vieux Port; view of a street in la vielle ville.

Stay tuned for Part II.

Au Revoir!

Today was my last day in France. I spend yesterday in Toulouse and day-tripped to Carcassonne today.  Tomorrow I leave on my last trip before returning home to Vancouver.

With all the goodbyes I've said in the last few days, I've been thinking a lot about goodbye vs. au revoir. To me, goodbye can sound so final as it does not imply the possibility of seeing one another again. Conversely, au revoir literally means, "see you again" or "until we see each other again." Au revoir is more optimistic vis-à-vis the prospect of another meeting. In my case, I'm not leaving never to return again. Even after eight months, I still feel there's so much of this beautiful country to see. Au revoir leaves me the possibility of coming back, either on vacation or otherwise.

Au revoir la France!

Nine Months Ago

Nine months plus one day ago, I bought my one-way ticket to France. Now today is my last day in SaintÉ before I leave on my last trip before going home to Vancouver.

Yesterday, I took some time out of my week of packing and wrapping up loose ends to go to a beach on the Loire River with friends. It was the perfect way to spend my second to last day in my small French town.

London Calling

Just as I did exactly five years ago on April 22nd, I boarded a plane to London. This time, however, I was leaving from France, not Vancouver. Flying across the Channel, I was just as excited as five years ago because this time I was meeting my mom in London and it was her first time in Europe.

Walking down into the Tube on my way to the hotel after the better part of a year not taking public transit, I felt like I was facing David Shrigley's Underground knot. Fortunately I made it, and as an expert transit rider the knot quickly unravelled.

It was really good to be in London again, and it was such a great city to visit with my mom. Over the weekend we were there we had such lovely summer-like weather that we walked nearly everywhere we went and enjoyed London's many parks. We saw all the essential London sights, like Big Ben and the Tower of London. Passing by Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace we saw the camera crews setting up for the royal wedding.

Where the camera crews were across from Buckingham Palace
If you followed my London postcard challenge, you know that I was in London twice (because my mom flew in and out of London). My second trip to London consisted of seeing the friends I have in the city and visiting several of the great museums here, including the National Gallery and Tate Modern.

London is a great city. I find London to have a very similar feel to Vancouver, partially because of its Asian influences and similar weather. I felt at home away from home. I can't wait to go back, hopefully as part of a trip including Scotland and Ireland.

Music Map

I love maps and music. So how cool is this map of New York made out of Regina Spektor lyrics made by artist Francesca Pasini? Read more about its creation here.

You might also like:

• Typographic Maps
• Map Quilts

Where Am I? Berlin & Prague

You guessed it: I was in Berlin and Prague!

Berlin, formerly divided into East and West Berlin, could be said to have a split personality. Evidence of the divisions is still evident and some say there are still two Germanys.

Prague was once part of Czechoslovakia, which ceased to exist after the revolutions of 1989 when it underwent the “Velvet Divorce” in 1993. Prague’s Spring 1968 marked an uprising of the people against the government, which was violently put down.

For this contest I have a postcard for each city. Congratulations to Andrew and Mandy and Ali! Email me your address and I will send your postcard along.

The last postcard challenge of my European trip will be next week so stay tuned for your last chance to win snail mail from me before I go so stay tuned!

The World Going by my Window

This is the view from the window of the train between Chartres and Paris. The luxury of travelling by train is the scenery. Fittingly, the Beatle’s lyrics “Keeping an eye on the world go by my window” (I’m only Sleeping) always pops into my head when I’m gazing out the train window.

On a different note, I’ve noticed that these fields of yellow flowers are growing all over France and Europe. I saw fields of them again tonight en route from city 1 to city 2. I have no idea what they are, but they seem to be grown as a crop. Any guesses?

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #11

Tomorrow I’m leaving on a trip in which I’ll visit two cities over six days. Here are the clues for this second to last postcard challenge:

1. The first city could be said to have a split personality, East and West.

2. Only fragments of the "dividing line" remain in this first city. Bonus: What is the dividing line?

3. "Eich ben ein..." Bonus: Complete the phrase and who spoke it?

4. The second city was formerly part of a country that ceased to exist in 1989.

5. Spring 1968 had particular importance in this second city. Bonus: Why?

6. Good King Wenceslas was a resident of this second city.

Think you know where I am going? Leave your answer in the comments below! To add a new twist to this challenge, I’ll add your name to the draw an extra time for each bonus you answer correctly (i.e. you have the opportunity to have your name in the draw 3 times). You have until May 14 at 5:00pm (CEST) to guess.

Good luck!

Where Am I? London!

You guessed it: I was in London!

1. William the Conqueror vanquished London in 1066.

2. Six-hundred years later the city nearly burnt down in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

3. The knot is a reference to the London Underground, art by David Shrigley that adorned a map of the Tube.

4. Big Ben is actually the name of the bell, not the clock tower. Nevertheless it is a big deal as one of London's main attractions.

5. The royal wedding, which I’m sure was referred to by media as a fairy tale, was the event I missed both times I was in London.

Congratulations to Rachelle! Email me your mailing address and I'll send your postcard! Thank you to everyone who played!

I can’t wait to tell you about my two trips to London, but I’m leaving on my next trip tomorrow, so I have my second to last postcard challenge for you!

Juggling Suitcases

I recently re-watched Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. One thing that amazed me was that despite travelling with several suitcases, the Whitman brothers managed to avoid losing a single one; that is, until the end when they decide to throw away their cares and abandon their excess baggage (now how's that for a metaphor)?

I have been travelling with my mom around France for the past week while running the extended postcard challenge. We have been travelling with two large, heavy suitcases (one of which my mom is kindly bringing back home for me) and a small suitcase. At times, managing three suitcases has left me feeling kind of felt like the Whitman brothers, only I wish it was as easy as it looked for them.

All of this is to say that I can't wait to fill you in on my three weeks of travels.

If you haven't already, you can still play in postcard challenge #10. The second to last postcard challenge will follow immediately afterward next week. With the postcard challenge coming up on a dozen, I'm wondering about how to keep it fresh. Any suggestions? What if I told you where I'm going and asked you to tell me an interesting fact about that city? What do you think? I'd love feedback.

(image via imDb)

Where Am I? Postcard Challenge #10

Update: April 28, 2010: No one guessed the right answser.  As I'm going back to this city May 4-9, I thought I'd extend the contest until May 8th.  Good luck!

So my contract is up, and now it's just travelling. This evening I'm meeting my mom, which I'm super excited not just because I haven't seen her in seven months, but because it's her first time in Europe. Guess where we're going:

1. Six hundred hears after first being conquered by its historical rival...

2. ...the city nearly burnt completely to the ground. There are no known reports of violins being played. Bonus: What years am I referring to in clues 1 and 2?

3. Its bright lines can look like a knot to the uninitiated. Bonus: What is the reference?

4. Ben is a pretty big deal here.

5. My trips bookend a fairy tale event, which is taking place. Bonus: What is the event?

Know where I'm going? Leave your answer in the comments below before May 8th at 5:00pm (CEST) for a chance to win.

Good luck!

Last Ticket

Last night it was with great excitement that I bought my last ticket. The one that will take me home after nearly nine months away.

Yesterday a student asked me if I preferred France or Canada. It's not that I prefer one over the other, but more that I feel things here coming to a natural end. Although I'll miss the friends I've made here, I am really feeling ready for whatever is next.

So with this in mind, it's nice to have a date set; it makes me feel a little less transient.

(Photo by NASA via Design*Sponge, illustrating a Vancouver City Guide I highly recommend.)

Nothing Toulouse

In Making a Second Visit to Toulouse

When I was last in Toulouse in November to see Siskiyou play, I met Paloma, my friend's sister living abroad in France. At the show she invited me back. So the last weekend of February, which happened to be the first weekend of my February/March break, I paid her and her husband a visit.

I love Toulouse. If I were ever to spend another year abroad in France, it would be in Toulouse. It is such a beautiful city, which could just be le style toulousain of rose brick with turquoise accents. Or the Garonne river. But there's something more to the city I find alluring. It has both the feel of a small town (you seem to be able to get anywhere in town in twenty minutes by foot or bike) yet also has the vibe of a big city.

While there, it was also comforting to speak with Paloma, an expat about cultural differences I'd noticed and be reassured by her. Just because I speak French does not mean I've been automatically attuned to cultural differences. But that's another post.

Overall, I spent a lovely few days with Paloma and her husband, who showed me the sights I'd not known about and missed in November, and fell in love with the city.

Payin' the Rent

My room mates and I pay rent at the end of the month and so we're getting ready to settle for our last month, April. Ever since hearing Pairie Cat's song Paying the Rent, it always seems to pop in around rent day. For me, this jingly and poppy, albeit cynical song seems to make parting with my hard-earned money on rent day not so be so bad. Give it a listen here.

Oh, and early Happy Rent Day to everyone else!

How are Things on the West Coast?

This is my current desktop picture. I can't believe how fast this year abroad has flown by. I thought the period from la rentrée from Christmas vacation to February/March break was short, but these last weeks from la rentrée from March break until Easter break have gone by in the blink of an eye. After some travelling and Postcard Challenges, I'll be home!

It's bittersweet. Despite the downs, among the many ups, I'll be sad to be leaving my French town and France. But at the same time I'm looking forward to whatever life is going to bring my way next. I currently have the famous John Lennon quote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

I'm also excited to see all the ways in which Vancouver has changed, the new little details I'll notice, and even bracing for reverse culture shock.

So, dear readers back home, how are things on the West Coast? What should I know about before coming home?

(Photo by NASA via Design*Sponge)