Oh La La

In a word, Paris was lovely. I arrived early in the morning by train from Ghent and somehow found another perfect blue sky. I have been lucky with weather throughout this trip, but this was a truly outstanding day. The lovely Elena (whom I met in Brussels) had recommended the towers of Notre Dame as a particularly excellent panoramic view. I decided that even the best panoramic view is improved by a blue sky, and off I went.

Elena did not lie to me, and I was quite excited to see such a stunning view of Paris and it’s landmarks I already knew so well. Also, the gargoyles that lurk around the towers of Notre Dame were a great bonus. Around the broad side of the cathedral, I met a Brit named William and shared with him my idea to walk to the Eiffel Tower. We walked together. It was a pleasant walk along the Seine, past Pont des Arts (pedestrian bridge), past the Louvre and those well-known pyramids, through the Jardin des Tuileries, across the hectic Place de la Concorde, over the tunnel known for Princess Diana’s tragic accident, and eventually, finally to the Eiffel Tower. It was a pleasant walk, but the sheer magnitude of that famous radio transmitter certainly disguises just how far it is from Notre Dame. The Eiffel Tower is massive. And for me – much like seeing the Sydney Opera House, or Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London – it was quite a thrill to see with my own eyes, even if I already knew exactly what it looked like. As it turned out, this was not the end of our walk, and we continued along a ways to see some more interesting bridges – including the Bir-Hakeim Bridge, which was featured in Inception – and a smaller version of the Statue of Liberty. William told me it was the most beautiful day he’d seen in three and a half months of living in Paris. I had no prior days in Paris for comparison, but it was a fine day.

View from the towers of Notre Dame

Le Pont des Arts

My next days were spent visiting the eerie Catacombes, which house the remains of about 6 million people, browsing and reading in the remarkable bookstore Shakespeare & Company, wandering the Latin, Marais, and Montmartre districts with Jessica (a Seattleite whom I met in Bruges and whose company I thoroughly enjoyed), walking through the serene Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, eating crêpes, doing some excellent window shopping along the Champs-Élysées (I think actual shopping would have been nice too, but I can't quite remember what it feels like to make purchases...), and visiting a selection of the many art galleries and museums that Paris has to offer (my favourite of which was le Musée Rodin).

The Catacombs

Shakespeare & Company

the Panthéon with Jessica

Montmartre

"the Thinker" by Auguste Rodin

 

Then I had the extraordinary small-world experience of coincidentally meeting a Canadian friend of mine from my Explore program. Izzy and I became good friends this past spring while studying French together in Trois-Rivières. However, then I moved home to Winnipeg, and she to Victoria, and we fell somewhat out of touch. So my shock was genuine when she approached my table at my (our) hostel bar. Meeting Izzy again in such strange circumstances (she is planning to spend a year in Paris) was a pretty neat turn of events, and I enjoyed spending a few days with her.

Reunited in Paris

We visited Versailles to wander through the expansive gardens, managed to spray red wine on the ceiling of Izzy’s hostel room, went to Disneyland Paris for Valentine’s Day along with a new Canadian friend, Lindsay, and paid a night-time visit to the Eiffel Tower with a box of red wine in tow.

Still no success (twelve years after my first attempt in Orlando!)

My last night (with Izzy and Lindsay)

Paris is expensive. The metro is dirty and full of people who are not quite “all there”. The men stare brazenly, even when you glare at them in an attempt to shame them into looking away. The parks are greatly made up of gravel, with some grass, rather than mostly grass, as I am used to. The scammers are abundant and relentless. However, there is no denying that Paris is a vibrant, charming, and stylish city with something for everyone. I liked it very much. And after all, those crazy people on the metro just added to my experience.

I’ve already spent a few days in Rome and arrived in Florence. So far so good, and it can only get better when I meet up with my dear friend Andrea in Bologna come Tuesday!... or maybe Wednesday (so is my variable life with a backpack).

Sending love from Italy!

All That Can Happen in a Day

I thoroughly enjoyed all my time spent in Belgium, for the people I met, the food and beer I enjoyed, and for the somewhat topsy-turvy nature of the country. I had a chance to visit four cities:

1.    Brussels: Brussels was great. I arrived Thursday evening to be greeted by Elena from New York, who occupied the bunk below me. We quickly agreed to get up and explore together the next day. Brussels is not a beautiful city. In fact, it’s not even pretty, or stylish. However, what it lacks in looks, it seems to make up for in character. For example, the city has a considerable flea market that runs from 4:30 am every day of the week! Elena and I visited at about 10:00, and after a perusal through the heaps of clothing, accessories, shoes, furnishings, and the rest of anything you can imagine, we stopped for breakfast. Only the server informed us that there was no food available until 11:30, “just coffee or beer.” Sure enough, there was a couple at another table, toddler in tow, drinking either pints of beer or apple juice. All street signs are in Flemish and in French. It was not uncommon to find a modern building in stark contrast to an old, neighbouring building – in one case, office buildings designed with metal steeples meant to imitate the gothic Cathedral next door. The city hall is absolutely stunning, whereas the European Parliament building is an awfully anticlimactic, and one of the best panoramic views is available for free atop a parking garage. Mannekin Pis is a particularly famous statue that has become somewhat of a symbol of Brussels. He is a naked, peeing boy. However, I preferred Mannekin’s lesser known sister Jeanneke Pis – equally naked and yes, squatting down to pee. It was certainly an interesting city to wander about.

Trying a delightful Macaron from Pierre Marcolini

Mannekin Pis

City Hall

Elena and I with our waffles and fresh mint tea.

Jeanneke Pis

Cathedral with imitation office buildings.

2.    Antwerp: Antwerp is somewhat prettier than Brussels, and far more stylish due to its school of fashion. I drank coffee and read my book. I drank red wine in a café with free Sunday afternoon jazz. I visited the lovely Fashion Museum, and walked by the less lovely red light district. I paid visits to the Cathedral of Our Lady and the very excellent exhibits at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. I also enjoyed discovering the Orthodox Jewish population in my hostel’s neighbourhood. It’s tough not to smile at a bearded man riding his bicycle, wearing a black trench coat and top hat.

3.    Bruges: I’m not sure Colin Farrell knew what he was saying when he suggested hell might be spending the rest of eternity In Bruges. Personally, I thought Bruges was quite wonderful. I stayed at an excellent hostel (Snuffel) and met numerous people – Swedes, Kiwis, Germans, Aussies, Canadians and an American – whose company I enjoyed. However, besides the company, Bruges is a really lovely, little place. Cobblestones and canals continue to charm me, and the view from the famous Belfry was certainly worth the climb on the sunny day I had. Equally as charming were the elderly ladies I visited at the Jerusalem Church to see a demonstration of lace making. I had never considered how lace was made, but it is truly an art. I was especially delighted to witness the 80-something year old luminary of the group with fingers so dextrous, I might have thought she was a video in fast forward if I hadn’t been looking on as she worked. Significantly less charming was the volume of smoke that accumulated in the crowded bars. I had thought smoking was banned in Belgium, but apparently the looseness and fine print of the ban goes along with Belgium’s quirks.

The Belfry

View from the Belfry.

4.    Ghent: My good friend Dirk and 4 of his buddies made their way to Ghent to spend a night out showing me the town. To be honest, the night is a bit of a blur of Belgian beers, bar-hopping (must have been at least ten), and the odd mojito, but a fun night it was. The birds were singing by the time we rolled back into our bed and breakfast. My only regret is that there was not time enough to thoroughly enjoy both the night out and the appealing comforts of the bed portion of bed & breakfast. However, I can’t do it all. At least the breakfast was delicious – as were the private bathrooms. I wish I could say I was lively enough to explore the next day, but past seeing a very interesting art exhibit on Body Image at the Guislain Museum, I mostly enjoyed the fact that my hostel was in fact, a houseboat run by eco-friendly hippies.

Ghent

If you’ve noticed that I’ve left out the culinary delights of Belgium, it was only due to the fact that I enjoyed the chocolates, waffles, French fries and beers throughout Belgium rather than in one specific place. The chocolate actually made me feel somewhat delirious with pleasure. The waffles were just as exciting (yes, exciting). The French fries were made special mostly by the Belgian special sauce, which is a sort of beer and meat sauce not unlike gravy. The good variety of beers I tried were all very pleasing, though as my Grampa pointed out, not alongside the chocolates or the waffles.

I hadn’t had any special expectations for Belgium, but whatever they might have been, I feel the country far exceeded them. I had a grand time in Belgium, and would highly recommend visiting.

I’m now in Paris! I arrived early this morning by train from Ghent to a day I am told was “the most beautiful day in three months”. And while I can’t say for the last three months, it certainly was a beautiful day.

Sending love from France!