Welcome to Dublin

I flew into Dublin this afternoon and immediately made my way to James' apartment. James is Mark's friend from when they worked at Macquarie in London. He's been so nice and generous and has offered to put me up for the few days that I'm here.

I arrived at the apartment and was greeted by James' cousin, Daniel. I was surprised how weak his accent was - I was told that the Irish are some of the hardest people to understand in the world (although now I think that refers to the Northern Irish). We had a good chat and then I decided to go into the city so that I could get as much done in the short time that I'm here.

I took the DART (Dublin's train system) to Pearse Station and then meandered through the streets - getting lost a bit along the way - with my camera and my travel guide. Before I arrived, James made me a long list of things that I should do/see while I'm here. I first made my way down to the Shelbourne Hotel to get an Irish coffee at the bar. The Shelbourne Hotel is a famous hotel situated in a landmark building that has played an influential role in Irish history. In 1922, the Irish Constitution was drafted in room 112, which founded the Irish Nation. Also quick fact, Adolf Hitler worked in the hotel in the 1900s with half brother Alois Hitler, Jr.

After my VERY strong whiskey spiked coffee, I walked to Temple Bar to see what it was all about. Temple Bar is the main pub/restaurant street in Dublin that is heavily geared towards tourists. The band U2 was first discovered at The Temple Bar, along with many other aspiring bands/singers known mostly in Ireland. I followed James' suggestion and got spicy chicken wings at Elephant & Castle on the main strip. The sauce was tangy and spicy, but the blue cheese dip was the star of the show.

It was getting late, but before I went back home I wanted to experience a true Irish pub. I went across the street to the pub James suggested, The Auld Dubliner, for a pint of Irish cider and some live Irish music. I took a seat at the bar and met a few friendly locals who were out for a few after a long Monday at work.

I made it back home without any troubles. James got home soon after and we caught up a bit before he was off to bed again for work tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow I will be going to the Guinness Storehouse to see how Guinness is brewed and then if I have time I will be checking out the Kilmainham Jail.

xoxo
Alexis

The London (Un)Scene

Day 3 in London, but it feels like I just got here. We slept in a bit this morning after a late night but we made plans yesterday to get a few things done today so we pulled ourselves out of bed and made good use of the afternoon.

Today we went to Camden Town to check out this really cool hippy vegan bar/cafe that I have unfrotunately forgotten the name of. It had kind of a psychadelic vibe to it with low-base music and black lights. We spent a good few hours there starting with a vegan lunch and then onto beers and cocktails. We then did some walking around the Camden Town Market where you can find everything from tweed paintings to spin sets to superhero figurines haha. Rossy was really in his element! Unfortunately we had to cut it a bit short because it was time to go home to get ready for the night.

Tonight Kyle, another one of Nimmy's friends, is deejaying at a venue called East Village. He's warming up for two of London's top deejays so it should be an awesome night. After East Village we're going to a party called Low Key that has a strict guest list of about a hundred people who are all friends and friends of friends, etc. Luckily I have a friend's name to use a to get me in, but it's a party that unless you know someone in the London party scene you would never even know about. As Nimmy puts it, "This is what living in London is really like".

I really love it here and I'm sad I have to leave on Monday but I'm sure I'll make it back here again soon. Up next: DUBLIN! :)

xoxo
Alexis

Shuffle & Shift

I'm in love with London already! I know it's only been a day but I feel like I could see myself living here for at least a couple of years sometime in the future. We'll see though - that won't be for another while now.

Nimmy and I are venturing around town to some of her favourite spots in the city today. The best thing about knowing someone local when you are traveling is that you get a more real feel of what the city is really all about. She took me market shopping on the east side to Brick Lane. The streets were lined with vintage shops and markets selling everything from houseware to fur coats to retro tees and handbags. It's also the type of vintage that isn't paired with a heart stopping price tag (in most cases). We spent a couple hours window shopping and then grabbed a burger at one of Nimmy's favourite joints: The Big Chill Bar.  

We then made our way to King's Cross train station to pick up her friends Rossy who was also coming down for the weekend from Newcastle.

Tonight we're going to a party called Shuffle to see Shardai deejay. Their whole group of friends is really into dance music and many of them have started deejaying. Shardai started a few years ago and is now amazing on the tables. 

I'll add more to these entries when I get back to Paris. I only get a few minutes a day on the computer so I'm just trying to give you the outlines. Pics to come, as well.

Love you all!
xoxo
Alexis

En route to LONDON!

After a failed attempt of spending New Years in London, I am now eager and excited to spend the long weekend with my long lost friend from Hong Kong: Nimmy.

I took the early afternoon train on the Eurostar from Gare du Nord to St. Pancras International in London. The trip is about an hour and a half so I arrived with enough time to make some use of the afternoon. I made it to her apartment by navigating my way through the London subway system and eventually made it across the river to Lambeth North. A short alk later I was warmly welcomed by her roommate, Shardai, who I had already heard so much about.

While waiting for Nimmy to get home from work, Shardai and I hung out and got to know each other a bit. Her and Nimmy are friends from home (Newcastle) and she moved down to London for school. Turns out we have quite a few similar interests so we got to talking about all sorts of stuff, including our travels, our goals and ambitions for ourselves in the future, our past working experiences with working with the special need, politics and international development, etc. She's working towards an English and Communications degree and hopes to become a teacher one day for the special need.

At about six, I heard someone walking around in the hallway and then suddenly the living room door swung open. Nimmy was home! I can't describe how excited I was to see her. It had been over two years since we last saw each other. I remember our goodbye so vividly; we were hugging and crying in front of HKUST repeating to ourselves "We'll see each other again soon. We'll see each other again soon". Even though it had been so long, it felt like we were right back to where we were before. It was exactly the same. I think it's really special and rare to find a friend like that, when you know that oceans or decades apart won't change anything.

We used the night to catch up and rest before a big weekend of going out. She made us delicious (and SPICY!) enchiladas and we put on a flick.

Tomorrow she will be taking me around to her favourite spots in the city.

Until then, sweet dreams.
xoxo
Alexis

Grenoble, France

Today I took my second day-trip out of Paris to Grenoble - a city in Southeastern France surrounded by snow-capped mountains and the beautiful Rivière Isère. It has been coined by the French as the capital of the Alps. I was excited for my trip to say the least...

I caught the 7AM train at Gare de Lyon and arrived in Grenoble at 10AM. My first impression of the city didn't really meet my high expectations. The clouds were hovering over us giving the city a gray, bleak feel and it was freezing! Even with my four layers and mittens, the wind still got to my bones and I was worried it would last the whole day. I made my way towards the City Centre not really having any idea what there was to see or do, and then came across a sign pointing to La Maison de Tourism - my one-stop shop for all of today's activities. I got myself a map of the city and Mme. Tourism at the help-desk provided me with a walking path to see all of Grenoble's main sights and attractions. I was all set to go!

Saint Laurent Footbridge and Bastille

By the time I got a good feel for where I was and where I wanted to go, the sun had broken through the clouds and burnt them all away. It turned out to be a beautifully sunny and warm day. My first stop was La Musée de l'Ancien Evêché that my lady friend at the Tourism Centre recommended. It wasn't open until the afternoon so decided I better make my way up the mountain while the sun is high and bright. I started the hour long hike up to Fort de Bastille from the Saint-Laurent footbridge over the Isère River. There are three main paths to get up the mountain; I took the middle one, but it proved to be a lot more confusing then expected. There were a bunch of stairs going up and up so I figured that was the right way, and if not then oh well - I'm really not in any rush. So I climbed and climbed, taking picture after picture, until I hit the end of the paved road and saw a sign blocking the entrance of the dirt path saying (translated into English) "Dangerous. Enter at your own risk." So I entered. At this point I knew I had taken a wrong turn somewhere because this obviously wasn't the correct way up to the Bastille; but I was still going up and the view was still getting better so I didn't care.
The dirt path was lined with naked Aleppo pine trees and from time to time you could sneak a peak of the city view through the branches. I finally got to an opening and hoped for a path to lead me back on track, but all I came to was the edge of the cliff and a pair of locked wooden doors that led to nothing. I was pretty much at the top of the mountain though and the view of Grenoble and the surrounding Alps were breathtaking. I decided to park myself there. I was all alone so I was able to play around with my camera and I just laid there in the sun for a an hour or two enjoying the tranquility and the view.
Next up was my city walking tour. I walked back down to the river and across the bridge, then began sight-seeing. I started with the Saint André Cathedral and surrounding medieval area, then walked to the City Gardens where many of Grenoble's famous authors and artists would spend their days writing and/or reflecting, past Place Victor Hugo to see the hotel that Napoleon stayed at for two nights in 1815, back up and into la Musée de l'Ancien Evêché, across to the Place Notre Dame and then finally to Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau to see the house where Stendhal, the famous romantic author, was born in 1783. Pretty cool!

Stendhal's Home in 1783

It was now 4PM and I wanted to find some food to relax for a bit and read. Of course in France all restaurants close between the hours of 3PM and 6PM to get ready for the dinner crowd so I was out of luck. Instead I found a cute café and ordered a glass of wine, hoping that by the time I finish my wine they'll be open again for food. It felt great to sit down after six hours of being on my feet. One glass of wine down and still no food, so I paid my bill and went to the Irish bar next door to kill my last hour with a beer, some Jack Johnson and NBA highlights on the big screen TV. It was awesome :) I caught the 7:30PM train back to Paris and slept the whole way home.

Tomorrow I'm going to get myself ready for my upcoming week in London and Dublin. You'll all get to meet one of my favorite girls in the world, Nimmy, who I will be staying with in London.

Love from Paris,
xoxo
Alexis

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Do you ever wake up in the morning and just feel like dancing? That's how I felt this morning, so to get myself energized for the day I put on some Akon and had myself a little one-person dance party in the apartment!

Today wasn't too eventful. I spent all morning doing laundry and cleaning so that I'll be all set for my upcoming trip on Thursday. I made myself breakfast and put on Aladdin and The King of Thieves to play in the background while I packed and ironed. Gotta love YouTube Disney movies! After I put my last load in the wash, I embarked on a four-hour walk all around the city. I walked along the Seine until I hit the Eiffel Tower and then found my way home by meandering through uncommon streets and discovering some really cool areas in the city! I eventually got back to Bastille just in time to take a quick nap before having to get ready for dinner.

Tonight I'm meeting Fiona and Alain for dinner at La Derrière in Les Marais. I actually haven't met them yet because they were unable to attend the bar night last week, but we're all part of the online expat group and from the conversations we've had they seem really nice and fun. Fiona is from Ottawa and Alain is Parisian. I think they're both a bit older than me but nonetheless I'm excited to finally meet them!

That's it for today. Tomorrow I'm taking the train to Grenoble. I really hope the weather is nice because there is apparently an amazing view of the city from the top of the mountain. Stay tuned!

xoxo
Alexis

Sunday Night Football

Do you ever notice that when you're away from home for an extended period of time, the first bit seems like it lasts forever but then all of a sudden it's time to go home. I remember that's exactly how it felt when I went down to Nicaragua. The first 24 hours seemed like a week long, but then before I knew it we were on a plane back home. Well I'm not quite at the home stage yet, but I can feel the days starting to go by more quickly everyday, and I'm trying my best to soak it all in so that Time doesn't escape me once again.

Today Mark and I went to Café de l'Industrie to get one of their scrumptious brunches - a perfectly satisfying plate of smoked salmon, eggs and baked potato that cured us from the damages done last night :S  We sat there for awhile reading our books. I'm currently reading Greenspan's Fraud and Mark just got started on the Alchemist after I raved about it to him and declared it my favorite book of all time! I kept interrupting his reading with questions about economic policies and economic theory that Ravi Batra, the author of Greenspan's Fraud, failed to clarify in his descriptions. As I flipped through the pages I could sense the bias in his opinions. He often fails to expand on areas that could ultimately belittle his arguments and for that reason I find it hard not to take the position of devil's advocate. At the same time, though, I think any good debate is composed of two biases of opposite extremes and I guess that's what Batra is trying to put forth. We'll see if it gets a little more objective as I read further.

Tonight we're meeting a big group of Mark's friends to watch the NFL Greenbay/Chicago game at W.O.S Bar - a sports bar in the 5th arr. apparently owned by a die-hard Packers fan and is also the meet up point for the NFL Expats Group. I'm really excited to have an All-American night with beers and wings and loud spirited football fans! I'll try my best to get full photographic documentation of the night.

Just got home from the bar and I'm switching teams because the Bears played horribly and the Packers were really entertaining and actually played like a team. Good win Packers! We spent the first half of the game at the Aussie bar mentioned above and then went to The Moose to watch the second half. The Moose is one of the few Canadian bars in Paris, and when you walk in you immediately get transported back to North America. I spoke french to this group of people and the first thing they said to me was, "Uhh, we're American" - I guess they caught on to my "non-french" accent and didn't quite understand why I was speaking french to them - haha whatever.

Here are a couple pics from the night. Mark made a bet with Csaba that the Bears would throw an interception by the end of the game, and surely enough it happened in the last play of the game with something like 30 seconds left. Unlucky...

xoxo
Alexis

Canal Saint Martin

It’s the first day since I’ve been here that Mark hasn’t had to go into work! So of course the obvious choice to begin our day was to not, and take the opportunity to catch up on his much needed sleep. At around noon, Mark and I actually began our day with a walk up and along the Canal Saint Martin. A brief history: Construction of the canal was ordered by Napoleon I in 1802, in order to create an artificial waterway for supplying Paris with fresh water to support a growing population and to help avoid diseases such as dysentery and cholera. Today, the canal is a popular destination for Parisians and tourists who watch the barges navigate the series of locks and road bridges. There are also a number of popular restaurants and bars along it - popular among the student crowd.

We decided to get lunch at the hostel where Mark first stayed when he arrived in Paris almost three years ago - St. Christopher's Hostel. It is located right on the canal and has a very lively bar/restaurant attached to it full of young international travelers hanging out, playing pool and watching the NHL on TV. It was a fun and chill afternoon that kinda reminded me of the many days/nights I spent at Bifteck in Montreal (beer, NHL and pool).

We're at home now lounging and resting before heading out to Madelaine's birthday party at Les Pères Populaires - a crowded bohemian student bar popular for its cheap pitchers and laid-back atmosphere. Madelaine is one of Mark's friends who used to work at Michael Dyens with him, and who I met a couple weeks ago at Minibar. I think the plan is dinner, drinks and then dancing after. Should be fun! I'll update with stories and/or pics if anything crazy happens ;)

Miss you all lots and lots!

Until tomorrow xoxo
Alexis

An Old Friend

It's getting colder in Paris. I've been told that February is the coldest month of the year and I can feel it creeping up. It doesn't take anything away from its beauty, though. I woke up this morning and took my book to a cute hidden coffee shop in the Marais. It's literally called "Café Inconnu", which means secret café. It's tucked away in a little alleyway that is often overlooked by the hustle and bustle of the streets surrounding it. It is dimly lit with a very bohemian/hippy vibe and it was full of people reading and on their laptops sipping on their morning espressos. I ordered my own, took a seat on the couch near the fire and enjoyed the late morning/early afternoon with my coffee and book.

One of the best things about doing an exchange semester is the people you meet. In my four months in Hong Kong I met so many amazing people from all over the world, many of whom I still consider to be my closest friends. The sad part is that once your time together is up, everyone goes back to their respective homes and it becomes difficult to stay in touch but I truly believe that these connections last a lifetime because you go through such a significant part of your life together. Luckily I have had the chance to see a few of them since, and tonight I'm meeting Kevin and his friends for dinner at Le Saut de Loup  - the restaurant in the Jardins de Tulleries.
Kevin is one of the many French friends I made in Hong Kong who would always insist on speaking french to me because he knew I wanted to practice my french. Our friendship grew to become almost like a brother-sister type of relationship and I'm really excited to see him again :) He currently lives and works in Strasbourg and I'm hoping to go visit him later on during my trip, perhaps when I get back from Athens in April - it's suppose to be breathtakingly gorgeous!

That's it for now. Tomorrow Mark and I are going out dancing at Buddha Bar so I'll give full details tomorrow night! :D

xox
Alexis

Only in France!

10AM: I stepped into the kitchen, stepped in a small puddle of water underneath the sink, wiped it up, put on the kettle and went back into the living room to begin a relaxing day at home.

10:10AM: I went to check on the water for my tea and noticed an even bigger puddle of water underneath the sink. Hmmm.... I wiped it up and went back into the living room with my teapot and cereal.

11AM: I check on the kitchen once more and this time an even bigger puddle was underneath the sink. It's official, we have a leak! I brought out the bucket and mop to mop up the floor but that didn't seem to help any. Water kept coming and coming.

I emailed Mark to let him know the problem and to see if there was anyone I could contact to help come fix the problem. He called a plumber who was to arrive at 2PM. There wasn't much I could do at this point so I did my best to keep the kitchen in relatively proper order until the plumber got here.

When he arrived, I answered a few basic questions and then let him do his thing. He figured out where the water was coming from and what the problem was pretty quickly, but before he could start on fixing it he said, "We're going to have to turn off the water supply. Do you know where it is?" Uhhh, no idea! We searched the apartment for the nob and turns out it was in a very awkward spot behind the fridge. We eventually got access to it, but for some reason the building decided to make it impossible to turn without the risk of breaking the whole thing and flooding the entire apartment. His only solution was, "We're going to have to shut off the water supply to the whole building."

We went downstairs to find the porter in order to shut off the water, but to our surprise she wasn't in her office. Her door says she's in from 8AM-8PM everyday so we rang the doorbell once, twice and three times but not a sound in return. Plan A: officially out the window. Plan B: Let's do it ourselves! (Only in France!)

We walked around the building asking anyone and everyone what we could do or if they had the key to switch off the water. No luck, until we accidentally stubbled across a door near the entrance that led to a dark cold basement that shined a little light on our situation. I found the light switch and he went down to check it out. Jackpot! We found all the main nobs to the water supply in the whole building, but which one was ours was still a mystery. He sent me back upstairs to test a few out and I shouted back down to staircase "Yes!" or "No!". An hour later we had overcome that bump and he was back in the apartment finishing up the job. I gave the man props; our building doesn't have an elevator and it's not easy climbing up 6 flights of stairs multiple times in a row! I paid him the EUR200 and he was out the door by 4PM, just in time for a much needed walk to get some fresh air.

Jardin de Tulleries

I walked to the park and back, then got started on cleaning up the kitchen, which now could be mistaken as a smelly swamp. I managed to get that all done by the time Shota came home, and then I got ready to go out for the Canadians Expat meet-up happening at Le Sous Bock in the Marais.

I got to the bar and it was an interesting mix of people. Some quite old and some fairly young; some Canadians and some just there to practice their English; but everyone was keen to be there and get to know a few more people in the city, which is all you need to have a good time.

I met this guy named Mike who had just moved to Paris from Montreal and turns out we have a lot in common. He was a '09 McGill grad in Management who is now working at SocGen with Mark, although in a different department. It was nice having someone there that is familiar with your idea of "home", but in the end he was actually quick an ass so I don't think I'll be seeing him again. Désolée!

The night ended with Mark and I sitting on his couch chatting and hanging out before we both crashed pretty hard :)

xoxo
Alexis

Geneva, Switzerland

I only recently figured out how easy it is to take a day trip by train from Paris to an array of beautiful cities around Europe. I guess it's like anything - it seems scary and intimidating at first, but once you give it a try you realize that there's really nothing too difficult about it at all.
I booked the SCNF (Paris's main train system that runs both domestically, as well as internationally) to Geneva for the day. I woke up early to meet Aliya at Gare de Lyon at 6:30AM to catch our 7AM train. It started out a little bumpy as we planned to meet at the ticketing terminals, but we didn't realize that there are ticketing terminals all over the train station. There are also two levels that caused a little confusion. I waited for half an hour near the departures board and by the time seven rolled around, it was time to board the train with or without my friend. Luckily two hours into our three hour ride, she found me sitting in a different cart and I quickly had my traveling buddy back :)
We arrived in Geneva at 10AM, took out a few Swiss Francs from the ATM and, thanks to my trusted traveling guide "Europe on a Budget", we were able to navigate our way way up North towards the League of Nations (or the UN). The morning started out a little hazy, but the sun soon broke through and burnt the clouds away. It turned out to be a gorgeous Tuesday afternoon. We decided we best take part in one of the hour long guided tours to get the best experience of the UN since the land is now closed to the public. A little background information: the United Nations was founded in 1945 to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. Its aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, economic development, social progress, human rights and achievement of world peace.
After our visit to the UN, we made our way to the Red Cross Museum. I was excited for this thought-provoking museum and its quietly dramatic exhibits, including the 34 footprints in a tiny cell-space where a delegate found seventeen people crammed together. Unfortunately as we went to pay our admission, the lady informed us that the museum is closed on Tuesdays :( Darn!

So we made our way down to the water to Geneva's most famous landmark, the Jet d'Eau - a large water fountain in the middle of Lake Geneva. After taking a few pictures, we were on the hunt for our first meal of the day. We were starving! We found a cute little restaurant on the cobblestones in the Old Town serving fondus and Italian dishes. We took a seat on the patio and enjoyed a delicious pasta meal. Our waiter was an interesting Swiss man who had a very sarcastic sense of humor. I couldn't tell if he hated us for being the annoying tourists polluting his city, loved us for being funny girls who were trying their best to replicate a french accent or indifferent towards us and just hated his job. I was amused by it, though, and tried my best to be as friendly as I could.
We had about two hours left before our six o'clock train back to Paris. We heard amazing things about the view from the top of the Saint Pierre Cathedral so we knew we had to go check it out. We paid the four Franc toll then began our climb to the top. It was a breathtaking view up there to say the least. The best part was we were able to catch the beginning of the sunset that lit up the sky with beautiful pinks, blues and yellows, all the while looking over the entire city of Geneva and the sparking lake.
Time was almost up so we grabbed a coffee (I still can't believe we lasted all day without one!), and then headed back up to the train station. We were back in Paris by 9PM, exhausted from the day and ready to curl up into our warm beds.
Next week I'm doing another day trip so stay tuned! :)

xoxo
Alexis

Life or Something Like It

I woke up this morning with a BIG smile on my face! The sun was shining once again (whoever said Paris is cold in the winter was seriously mistaken), Mark had the morning off and we had a full array of plans we felt ambitious enough to tackle. First thing's first, though - Sunday Market shopping!
The market was the same as usual: busy, busy, busy! There was a poissonerie having a big promotion on fish so I spent most of my time waiting in line to get us fresh cod and salmon for the week. I got home, changed and then we left for a bike ride along the Seine River using Paris's Velib system - a public biking system that allows you to take out bikes in half hour intervals for up to 24 hours (Montreal calls it the Bixi system). On Sundays, the city closes the lower level highway that runs along the river for runners and bikers to enjoy to themselves. Biking past the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, Place de Concorde and les Champs Elyées with the sun shining in my face was an unforgettable experience and something I plan to do more of while I'm here. We found bike docks near the Arc de Triomphe and then Mark showed me around his old work area when he worked at Michel Dyens, which is located on Avenue Montaigne along with their friendly neighbors Christian Dior, Chanel, LV, Valentino, Céline, AX, and the Canadian Embassy!

We stopped for a delicious Lebanese lunch at Noura and then Mark went back to work for the afternoon. I continued my day in the sun with my camera, and then came home to prepare dinner for when Mark got home. I made us cod with a tomato avocado salsa and, of course, baguette on the side. We ended the day with The Other Guys starring Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg - not the most highly recommended in my books but I think Mark enjoyed it :)

Goodnight!
xox
Alexis

Welcome to the Torture Chamber!

Okay I admit, the title of this entry may be a little over-dramatic. Today I had the pleasure of being introduced to the place where Mark works: Société Générale.
We began our day with our homemade omelets. I guess we’re beginning to make somewhat of a tradition out of this (although I think to be classified as a tradition, it needs to happen at least three times so wait until next weekend, but we’re making solid ground). We then hopped in a taxi and made our way West to La Défence – Paris’s major business district where all the top banks and companies have their head offices. Mark had to go into work for a few hours so I kept myself busy at the mall. About half an hour into my five-hour wait I got bored and decided to see a movie at the in-mall cinema. I watched The Tourist with the idea that the Venice backdrop will spark my excitement for my Italy trip even more. It did, and I now plan on making a stop in Venice.

SocGen Offices
(aka. The Torture Chamber)

After the movie I still had about 2 hours to wait so I grabbed a coffee at one of the nearby cafés and read my book until Mark was ready to go. Seven finally rolled around and we hopped back into a taxi and drove home, first down les Champs Elysées and then along the Seine until we reached Bastille. The nighttime lights in Paris are nothing like you’ve ever seen before. The French really know how to make every building, every sculpture, every bridge and every road shine and sparkle to its highest potential.
We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some meat and tagliatelle to make ourselves a tasty pasta dish. We may be heading to Mark’s friend's going away party happening at a nearby bar – we’re just getting our plans straight now.

Booked Barcelona and Rome today! London and Dublin in 11 days :)

Bisous
xx
Alexis

Musée de Cluny & Jardins de Luxemburg

As an EU citizen under the age of 25, I usually get cheaper rates for tickets, flights, and admissions. In Paris, however, showing my British passport gets me into most of the museums free of charge. Today, I visited le Musée de Cluny.
I began the day with a short trip to the gym. It's been a long time since I lifted weights at the gym, but it made me feel great the whole day. I'll try to do that more often from now on. I made myself a quick breakfast and then was off to the museum. Le Musée de Cluny is also known as the National Museum of the Middle Ages that holds, among many others, the six La Dame à la Licorne tapestries from the late fifteeth century, often considered one of the greatest works of art of the Middle Ages in Europe. I made sure to bring my passport, and not only was I able to get in for free, I was able to skip the line! I entered the museum, walked into a dark room and the first thing I see is a huge tapestry covering the whole wall with spotlights highlighting the beautiful details and colors. This continued throughout the whole museum - one beautiful piece of art after another.
After the museum, I walked around the 7th and 8th arrondissements and came across Pierre Hermé - considered to be Paris' best patisserie serving up the softest, most delectable macaroons you will ever taste! I ordered the vanilla white truffle and passionfruit. AMAZING! I think I'm all macarooned out now though :) After that, I continued on my walk and stumbled upon les Jardins de Luxembourg. I grabbed a seat on a bench and people watched for awhile. There were a lot of mothers with their kids strolling about, old couples holding hands, and joggers going for their afternoon run.
It was about dinner time so I started to make my way home. I stopped in a boulangerie on Ile Saint Louis to get a baguette and met the cutest man who works there. He started out as a baker in Southern France, and then moved to Paris after his daughter graduated from school to start this bakery together. They've been in business now for almost 20 years. I said goodbye, ripped off a piece of the baguette and marveled at how amazingly delicious it was. It was warm and soft on the inside and crusty on the outside - a perfect baguette! This small joint has now become my new favorite boulangerie!

I just spoke with Mark and he said that he might be pulling an all-nighter tonight. There must be some law against working this much! Or maybe a law against sleeping so little! Oh well - he's a trooper. I'll make soup and watch a movie. I think Ben Affleck is pretty good company for a night :)

Love,
Alexis

Let's Dance!

Heading out to Queen tonight for a girls night out - quite literally. Queen is Paris' hottest gay club located on les Champs Elysées. It'll be my first time in a gay-club but if it's anything like what I've heard, it should be an entertaining and fun night. I'm heading out now, but I will update when I get home!

From left: Veronika, Alyia, Sarah, Shauned, Me

Okay so the night didn't turn out exactly as planned. I met Alyia outside Sarah's apartment in the 13th arrondissement for the pre-drink. It was us and two more, Shauned and Veronika, who I had the pleasure of meeting last night. Shauned is a Welsh girl here doing a marketing internship for the semester and attends university in Newcastle with many of my friends from Hong Kong; Veronika is a Russian girl in Paris doing her practicum in the surgery ward at one of Paris' hospitals. She is also Sarah's roommate. We opened a few bottles of wine, put on some old school pop (when I say old school, I mean high school days), and got ready together before heading out. We were about two hours late meeting Phillipe and Guillaume at l'Arc de Triomphe. In my head I was going a little crazy due to my punctual nature, but the other girls seemed to just laugh it off so I went with it.  The boys weren't too upset - in fact, I doubt they even realized we were late in their state :)

Unfortunately we never ended up making it to Queen. I guess I'll have to save that experience for another time.

xoxo
Alexis

An Afternoon with Monet and Van Gogh

After an eventful night last night at the hospital, I woke up this morning with a pounding headache. I guess my body is just getting use to all the drugs I've been feeding it. I looked out the window and saw wind and rain so I decided to sleep in a bit and wait for it to pass. By the time noon rolled around, the sun had come out and I was feeling a bit better. I made myself a good breakfast and then made my way to the Musée d'Orsay - a museum housed in a grand railway station built in 1900 that is home to many scultures and impressionist paintings (the largest collection in the world) including painters such as Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gérôme, Degas and Cézanne. It has become one of Paris' most popular museums and I was fortunate enough to spend my afternoon surrounded by these masterworks and learning about the different styles and time periods in art history. I also got to gage the kind of art I like best. I've realized that I really like the powerful use of contrasting light, whether it be one beam of light highlighting a small area of the painting or a more pronounced use of light to show a beautiful sunset. I've included a few of my favorite paintings in the post.
After a couple of hours in the museum, I was craving a big bowl of pho. I remembered Shota's girlfriend saying that there are good places in la Quartier Chinois in the 13th arrondissement so I took the metro to Place d'Italie and went hunting for that bowl of soup. I must have walked around for an hour before turning a corner and realizing I had just walked in a huge circle with no Vietnamese joints to be found. I figured best to go home and google search it and try it another time. I hopped back on the metro and took it back home to Bastille, picked up un demi baguette and had that with carrot soup for dinner.
I think I might call it an early night and try to sleep off this headache. But first I have to take my nightly dose of medicine. Boooo :(

xoxo
Alexis