Since we've been here we have headed out of town only a few times, but never 'just outside' Paris. We had our trips to England, Nice-Monaco and Prague. So it was time for a little road trip. Add the facts I hadn't driven in 6 months (yes I know, can you imagine the pain I've been suffering) and that my mum and Erik are on their third visit to Paris since we've moved here, it makes a perfect reason to get out of dodge for a day.
We rented a car in Paris and made our way along the Seine. Empty roads on a Saturday morning in August in Paris. Phew! The destination was Monet's garden and house in Giverny, about 80 kms west of Paris. As any road trip with my mum, you don't just take the autoroute to get there. You have to take some small side roads, just to see what you find. My mum had been in this area previously so she knew what to expect. Little French villages, along rivers and up against white chalk cliff banks. Quite picturesque indeed.
Once we arrived at Giverny we met up with a friend of Mack's who is doing a 6 month intership at Monet's garden during his horticulture schooling in NYC. Talk about a change from NYC to the little village of Giverny. We had met Chris the weekend before at Les Grandes Eaux de Versailles. He also spends time working near Versailles and Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Chris showed us around a bit then left us to explore Monet's house and garden. Even though it was quite busy it was amazingly relaxing. No wonder Monet's paintings are so are inspiring. I won't try and put words to it, I will just let the pictures do the talking.
After the house and garden tour, we met up for lunch with Chris at the Hotel Aubry just down the street: huge salads and good wine were enjoyed by all. We strolled the rest of the village and came across a small little museum: basically a bunch of old guys repairing old industrial equipment.
After Giverny we headed west along the Seine through the town of Vernonnet where we 'stumbled upon' an old mill, still clinging on to the remnants of a medieval bridge and tower.
The town of Les Andelys, is home to Chateau Gaillard, a castle built in the 1100's, that has seen it's days of action. Once it was no longer required, it was systematically pulled town to prevent it from being used as hiding and gathering spot for groups of thieves or rebels to plot against the kings of the day.
On the way back to our place in Paris, we stopped for an apero at Mack and Petra's place. Bread, cheese and wine of course.
Our next trip out of town will be at the end of September when Rob and Cynthia come to visit. We are going to meet them in Belgium on their way into Paris from Germany, so stay tuned.
More pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/DKSPENCE76
We spent 5 great days in Prague and stayed with my friend Paula and her 2 year old daughter Maia. Paula's parents escaped from Czechoslovakia in the sixties and came to Canada. Paula moved into the house at the bottom of our street in West Vancouver when she was 5, so we've known each other a very long time. Her family still has a place in Prague and we timed our trip so we could spend some time with her and Maia.
The family apartment is in one of the suburbs of Prague and is on the second floor. The main floor has a bar/pub in it, perfect for great food and cheap beer. Eating in Prague is still cheap: 1-1.50euro for a pint of draft. Meals were hearty and large; made of mostly meat, and always accompanied with potatoes and/or bread dumplings, and gravy, yum! France has a reputation of being a meat eating country, but the Czech Republic (and probably all the Eastern European countries) can take that title in my book. Barely a vegetable in sight; most definitely NOT a country for vegetarians. Vegan? Forget about it, I would be surprised if there is even a Czech word for it. They would probably run them out of town like they did to the Russians in 1989!
Typical Czech breakfast: bread, cheese and deli meats. And probably beer, but we didn't have any. Those bananas are not from the Czech Republic, and shouldn't be in the photo.
Lunch and dinner: meat, carbs and beer. Does cabbage count as a veggie?
We barely spent 200euros in the five days we were there. Of course 'western' items are the same price, but we didn't go to Prague to buy a pair of shoes or clothes. Go anywhere in Europe at the end of July and you are bound to be in a sea of tourists. Prague was no different!
One of the most interesting things we did, was the Communism Museum. Very ironically located between the bastion of capitalism: a McDonald's, and a Casino. This is a must see in any visit to Prague. Make sure to spend the time to watch the video's (english subtitles) including footage of the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Being in Europe and seeing all the century old historical sites, castles, palaces etc is great. However seeing amazing footage and reading articles from a major event that has happened in our lifetime is simply amazing.
Most of our time was simply spent exploring different areas of Prague including Vysehrad, Mala Stranka, Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. Walking a city like Prague is a good way to burn off all the beer calories. Saturday was Maia's second birthday, so we had a little party and her grandmothers house.
Prague Castle and Charles Bridge
Apparently the Czech's drink the most beer per capita (although I'm sure the Germans would dispute that). After our first sip we understood why. This stuff just goes down so easily, is so good and so cheap. Of course like the rest of Europe you can drink and buy it anywhere. When will North America wake up. I can't believe we are so anal about beer and wine in Canada. It's absurd - end rant!
Lots more pictures posted in two albums here: picasaweb.google.com/DKSPENCE76
The Bastille Day adventure continues.............
After battling the crowd at the Défilé Militaire in the morning, we decided to take the afternoon off and just relax at home, before facing our next battle: the crowd of people going to the Eiffel Tower to watch the fireworks. I guess this is karma in action and getting us back. In Vancouver we lived 3 blocks from Kits beach, and could simply walk down to the beach to watch the annual Symphony of Fire or Celebration of Light fireworks competition. Then we would stroll back home, in the sea of people, and stand on our patio and watch the gong show of cars, buses, people, strollers, bikes, taxis, tow trucks, rollerbladers and drunks, all fighting their way up the streets to get out of town. 4-5 hours of people accumulation all trying to leave at the same time.
No such luck here. If we wanted to see the fireworks we had to prepare for battle. So off to the store for some roasted chicken (we don't have an oven), some cheese, wine, bread and the other usuals. We arrived just after 6pm. Yup, it was pretty crowded already. Before the fireworks there was a Johnny Hallyday, and guests, concert. Johnny Hallyday is one of the biggest rock starts in France, but he's from Belgium and lives in Switzerland - go figure! We met up with our friends Thierry and Aurélien for a picnic on a postage stamp size piece of grass. Thank goodness for cells phones otherwise finding eachother in a crowd of 700,000 people simply wouldn't have worked!
Since the sun sets about 45 minutes later in Paris, the fireworks didn't start until about 11pm, but it was worth the wait. It was the 120th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower and the city/country decided to spend a bit more than usual. They actually used the Eiffel Tower as a screen, and projected images onto it spanning the 120 years. They even projected the image of the tower itself, then twisted it and made it jump, so it really looked like it was alive. Amazing!
Here is a short YouTube clip I found: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zw2E_v5AW8
After the show, karma came back to haunt us again: thousands of people all leaving the area, getting on the roads in cars and buses, on bikes and in the metro. I think we walked about halfway home until we figured it was safe to find a metro that wasn't a sardine can.
A great day for us, and a great day for France.
More pics posted here: picasaweb.google.com/DKSPENCE76
Bastille Day in France is the national holiday, to celebrate the French revolution. I hadn't been in Paris for the 14 of July since I was 10 years old and still remember military planes flying down the Champs Elysées with red, white and blue smoke. This year I wasn't disappointed.
We arrived at the Champs Elysées on Tuesday morning with what seemed to be the rest of Paris, but actually managed to find an area that was quite manageable to watch the parade. After going through the security check, who thought our camelback full of water was a great idea, we watched patiently as the dozens of branches of the military and guard services stood at attention, waiting for Président Sarkozy to drive down the Champs.
La Garde Républicaine
Président Nicolas Sarkozy
The défilé militaire, as it's called, starts with the 9 jet fighters roaring down with red, white and blue smokes trails, then a steady barrage of military air planes in perfect formation.
Our first Canada Day outside of Canada! Wednesday after work we went to the Canadian Embassy for a party and met some 'new' people. Kim met a girl from her first year residence at Queen's who just moved to Paris with her husband as well. What a small world. Then a bunch of us went to The Great Canadian Pub for a good burger and some beers. Much drinking ensued.......
Well, July 1st was more than just Canada Day for Kim and I in Paris. July 1st we received the keys to our new apartment in the Latin Quarter. Kim is only a 9 minute walk to work (vs 50 minutes transit before). We had a great time the past 4 months living in the suburbs and were fortunate to rent the place we did. But, the whole point of moving to Paris is to be in Paris and experience Parisian life, with all it's plusses and minuses. We are on a main street so it is a bit noisy with the windows open, even at 11pm at night like right now, but we have so many awesome amenities around, like shops, bakeries, 2 pools, squash club, parks and 3 markets. It's been really hot the last few days including 34 degrees today, so the fact that our hot water isn't working isn't a big deal! It should be fixed by tomorrow. Mack and Petra are also staying a few days with us in between their temporary apartment and their 1 month trip to Africa starting tomorrow.
Apartment pictures here: picasaweb.google.com/DKSPENCE76/OurNewApartment#
Google Maps here: MAP
Hope you all had a fun and safe Canada Day!
The Ultimate Parisian Lunch - UPL
You may be asking 'With all the good food in Paris, what is the Ultimate Parisian Lunch? How can there be one ultimate lunch?' Well, it's quite simple really; the Ultimate Parisian Lunch is whatever you want it to be. Allow me to explain: Since spring is here and nearly gone, and summer is knocking on the door it's time for Parisians to flock out side, and try and find a little refuge in a city with little green space. Unlike London which has about 25% green space I feel like Paris has 2.5% green space in the center core. Sure there are 2 big forests on the East and West sides, but that is too far. Parisians don't usually like to go very far, and when they do it's for their famously long vacations, like in August when the city basically shuts down, except for the tourists, but I digress. So, what to do in a densely populated city to find a quiet bit of refuge and enjoy the UPL? The first thing to do is to find the closest market that is open. Most markets are only open a few days a week, so do your research ahead of time. If there isn't one within walking distance you can use the metro or rent one of the city bikes for 1euro per half hour - a fantastic way to get around. The best thing about the UPL is that it is completely up to you, you get to make it up exactly as you see fit, what you feel like eating and what is available at which ever market. We have done this the past 2 weekends and have had a great time. The first weekend we went to the Marché Port Royal and this past weekend we hit up Marché Edgar-Quinet with Mack and Petra who just moved here from San Francisco. We bought a random assortment of bread, cheese, cured meats, olives, fruits and vegs and of course a bottle of wine. Another tip when visiting Paris: bring a few bottle openers (and cups) from home and keep them in your bag, or jacket. But even if you find yourself without one, chances are someone near you will have one. Then the real work begins: if you aren't near on of the main jardin in the city (Luxembourg, Parc Monceau, Les Tuilleries or Jardin des Plantes) finding a bit of greenspace can be tricky. So the next best solution is to find a bench (sometimes easier said than done) on a wide street with some trees, or a bench in a little square or plaza where a few streets intersect. The fist weekend we had to settle for the bench under a tree but last weekend we went to Jardin du Luxembourg and shared a postage size piece of grass with the rest of Paris! It wasn't really that bad - but definitely not like the wide open spaces in Canada.
Mack, Petra and Kim
Since most of you reading this aren't in Paris right now that's ok. You can still accomplish the same thing in your local city. For those of you in Vancouver head to your local farmers market on Saturday or Sunday, if you can walk or take your bike there then all the better, as that is also part of the journey and you'll want to get to your picnic spot quickly to enjoy all the good food you just bought. You can also head to Granville Island, pick up the things you need at Oyama, Duso's and the bakeries and either head towards Kits of the other direction along False Creek. Find a nice quiet grassy spot in the sun or under a tree in the shade, spread out your food, crack open the bottle of wine (who cares if it's illegal in Vancouver), sit back and just enjoy.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will let all the pictures do the talking. Monaco SuperCar show pictures posted here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dkspence76
Our apologies to our loyal followers for the slow postings of our travel and Paris blog. April has been a busy month that started with an Easter weekend trip to southern England via the Eurostar for my uncle and aunt's 50th wedding anniversary. The following weekend we flew to Nice on the Mediterranean to spend 4 days in the area with my mum and Erik. Then my mum and Erik were in Paris for 10 days, two of Kim's cousins from Ontario: Laura and Amanda were also in Paris for 2 days during their 1 month European tour. Mack's fiancee Petra was here for an interview, Adam's sister Megan and her boyfriend Jason were here on holiday, and last but not least, my friend Luke from Queen's was here for a few days from Rotterdam, Holland so we spent some time together after 10 years!
Day One: Nice. After landing on a beautiful sunny morning, at the seaside airport, we walked through the town of Nice. The colour of the buildings is amazing, and Kim took some beautiful pictures. As with most towns in europe, the 'old' areas are the most interesting, but they tend to get runover by tourists. Damn tourists! In the afternoon we spent a bit of time driving the coastal roads and ended up in Monaco for a short time, as we planned to spend another day there later in the weekend. We stayed in a fantastic Chambre d'Hote (Bed and Breakfast) in the hills above Nice in the small village of Aspremont.
Day Two: We drove to one of "les plus beau villages". The small town of St Paul de Vence is a 'village percher' or perched village, since many of the old french towns where built on top and on the sides of mountain and hill tops. My mum and dad were here 40 years ago on their honeymoon. Unfortunately St Paul de Vence is very close to Nice so it is more touristy than it was 40 years ago, full of art shops and the like. So off we went on our quest to find the non-touristry parts of the Cote d'Azur. Next stop: Tourettes sur Loup - another perched village further away and not nearly as touristy. We had lunch in the town square and watched the locals play boulles (bocce). Next stop was the town of Grasse. Grasse is the perfume capital of the world with dozens of parfumeries and
flower farms. We went for a 'free' tour of the Fragonard parfumerie. I only say 'free' because it is free, but the last stop on the tour is the gift shop where you smell all sorts of perfumes. I did pretty well in our group of 10 or 12 by guessing correctly 3 of 5 samples we were given to guess the primary ingredient. Maybe I have a new calling! Did you know that it takes 1000kg (2200lbs) of Jasmin flowers to make a litre of Jasmin essence? Luckily they grow quickly. The other very interesting part of the tour was the room where the "nose" works. The "nose" is the person in charge of creating the next recipe. They have at least 7 years of schooling, and work in the room for 3 hours a day, and developed only 1-2 new formulas all year. I don't think I would have the patience for that. Other than that, making perfume is much like making whiskey or moonshine.
Day Three: Day three was the 3 meals in 3 countries day. Breakfast in Nice, France, lunch in Monaco and dinner in northern Itally. Why? Why the hell not? No more borders!
Luckily when we drove into Monaco on the first day, a large poster caught my eye. Something about a exotic car show. That night I googled it and found out that we had inadvertently decided to visit Monaco on the weekend of the Top Marques SuperCar Show. I bought a ticket online (50euros - but worth every centime). So off I went into SuperCar heaven and drained the battery on Kim's camera - luckily right at the end. The pictures are all posted in a separate album on our Picasa site. Meanwhile my mum, Erik and Kim went to the famous Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium. We then met up and walked around Monaco a bit. Unfortunately other than the Casino, a few nice buildings and some exotic cars and yachts, it isn't really a great place to visit. The harbour is quite plain, with no attractive waterfront like in Nice or Cannes. But then again, if you want that, you can go to countless other seaside towns and villages. Monaco is just pure 'over the top'; the Vegas of Europe in some ways, just without all of the 'trash'. After Monaco we went to another perched village. This time is was St Agnes in between Monaco and the Italian border. St Agnes is the highest village with a direct line of sight to the ocean. It is perched over 800 metres above the Med. There are even castle ruins from the 15th century and it was even a Roman outpost. After St Agnes we drove 30 minutes to northern Italy and had a nice walk and dinner by the beach. What a day!
Day Four: Off to another small town, this time Biot - one of the glass making centres of France. We had a nice lunch in the town square, but no locals playing boulles this time. Then off to the seaside town of Antibes for a walk around and a cafe. The final stop before heading to the airport was teh famous town of Cannes - where the film festival is held every year. Plenty of good people watching along the beachside - including a lady in a fur coat in 20 degree weather, and another lady in a leopard print jacket, a huge diamond ring and carrying her 'clinging-to-life' rat dog with it's tongue hanging out. Ah yes, and a trip to a Mediterranean port wouldn't be complete without pictures of yachts.
So that was it, our first 'real vacation', and since then it has been a world wind with lots of visitors and the start of apartment hunting. More on that later.
More pictures are posted in the 2009-04-Nice, Monaco and Cote d'Azur album: http://picasaweb.google.com/dkspence76
