Finally made it to Octoberfest!!!

So after 4 years of trying, Michele and I finally made it to Munich for Octoberfest. What a weekend it was too. We ended up renting a car for fairly cheap and had 3 other people come with us. We left Paris at 7pm on Friday evening. It took us an hour to get out of Paris due to traffic and the craziness that is Paris driving. We continued to head towards Germany. Along the way we had 35 euros of tolls to pay while in France only. And to say that the roads weren't very well maintained is being nice. We continued with a pee break every 2 hours or so. Around 1am we arrived in Germany to find that the highway we were supposed to be taking was closed. Not only that but there was actually no signs telling us which way to go. So with a 50/50 chance, we turned the wrong way. We ended up in a small German time that was all quiet since it was so early in the morning. We drove around and ended up finding another 2 cars (of Spanish people) who were also lost. They weren't going to Munich but they were going to the city we needed to drive by. So through broken English as we didn't speak any Spanish and they didn't speak any French and very little English. Finally we ended up following them and had to turn around and go the other way. We refound our route and continued on. Around 430 am we decided we needed a break so we parked the car at a reststop and then tried to sleep in the car for a couple of hours. At 630, slightly more rested we continued on to Munich. Again, we got slightly lost while in Munich but we arrived at a camp ground that we had hoped had some spaces left. Unfortunately they didn't. So we tried to go to another one to see if they did. We arrived and decided that we had the tent and sleeping bags so let's just park the car in the parking lot and go to the festival and if we have to sleep in the car and put the tent up on a grassy patch nearby. So we did. We had quick toilette showers and then headed into the city to the festival. What a site. A huge fair packed with people. We finally managed to wriggle our way into a beer garden and thanks to our friend we found some space at a table. It was now 130pm and we finally got ourselves a liter of beer at Munich's Octoberfest! We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening having a great time, meeting all kinds of interesting people from all over the world. It was truly an amazing experience. That evening when we left the fair grounds we headed back to the car, set up the tent in front of it and went to sleep; some in the car and some in the tent. The best part is, we weren't the only ones. There were a few others who had just pulled out their sleeping bags and were sleeping beside their cars. The joys of Octoberfest!! If I were to do it again, I would definitely do a few things differently but all in all a fantastic weekend and I finally made it!!!Thanks to those who made it possible, and especially to Michele who drove the 850 kms each way to get us there and back! You rock hun!!

Thank you for reminding folks

So I know that as my time in France draws near I should be enjoying myself and remembering all the great things about Paris but every now and then something happens to remind of things that I will not miss at allonce I leave to go back to Canada. One of these such things happened this week. I have to say that usually the public transport system out here is pretty good (except when they are on strike of course). But the other day I was completely dissappointed. First my tain was late which happens so I wasn't too worried. But then as we are heading to the next stop the conductor gets on the speaker and says not to open the doors while in motion. Honestly, I didn't even think that you could do that! lol.We go one more stop and then the train doesn't move. The doors don't close and we have to wait. Finally about 15 minutes later they come on to say that there is a problem with the doors and they won't close therefore we all have to get off the train. Normally, if you were on a regular metro no problem, however, this was a regional train which meant you would have to wait. Back home, the normal thing to do would be to bring a train in to replace that one since it was only half way through its route. Not here, here we had to wait 30 minutes for the next scheduled train heading to that destination. What crap, especially at 8am on a wednesday morning. No worries, none of had to get to work or anything. Gerks!!!
The other thing, or more like the other things, that have been driving me crazy this week are the ignorant people who take the public transportation. I don't understand how you could fully fall on top of someone who is sitting in the metro and not even say excuse me!! Would it not have bothered you if someone had done that to you, oh wait. It does. I am so tired of these people who push and kick and bump into, step on toes, fall on top of other people in the metros and then don't excuse themselves. Then to top it off, someone will bump tem and they give them the dirtiest look possible. Are you kidding me?
So needless to say, when I do leave it will be a very tough moment but having to take the metro everywhere with everyone else is one thing that I will not miss. I will miss being able to get everywhere by public transport but definitely not having to do it with all those ignorant gerks!!

Sorry for the rant but I haven't it was time before I leave :)

Jimmy Buffet

So I know it is a little late but last Friday night I went to my first ever Jimmy Buffet concert. What a crazy experience. First off, it is in Paris, and concerts here are always so interesting as there is a mix of locals and visitors. This one was particularly special. Most of the crowd were american (or at least North American) and many of them flew into Paris just for the concert. I wish I could afford that. Fly to Paris one day, that night go to a concert and then the next moring fly back to America. Crazy. Anyways, me and the girls heading to a bar for happy hour before hand. It has cheap margaritas which we thought as fitting. THen we went and lined up with all the other Buffet fans and drank in the streets before the concert. Finally we entered the concert hall. It was a pretty good hall. The standing area was set up in a way that it slanted downwards towards the stage which made it easy to see the whole stage even from the back. One thing about some of the concert halls in France is that the cheaper tickets are standing room and the more expensive ones are seats in the balconies. Overall it was a fantastic concert. Lots of fun and dancing. The only difficult thing was the beer. Apparently the concert hall didn't study their audience as they ran out of beer. They had a ton of wine left but no beer. So they ended up having to buy cans and then pouring those into the plastic cups. Why they couldn't just give us the cans I am not sure. It sucked for the bartenders since they had to deal with the stupid and angry fans who wanted beer. lol oh well. After the concert we headed to a bar nearby. It was fun to see all the fans dressed up and walking down the street to the bar. I had a great time and so much fun!! Way to go Jimmy!!!

The sites of Paris

So since I am not working much right now, (and by much I mean at all! lol) I decided to do some sightseeing. I am trying to get in everything I have wanted to see for the past 3 years and been putting off. So today I went to the Catacombes and quarries. Let me just start by saying I wasn't really sure what to expect. I mean I know it is a bunch of bones and such but had no idea how many. So first you go down these spiral stairs (for a good 5 minutes non stop). I def got a little dizzy. Then you read a couple of plaques talking about what the underground quarries used to be and then how they were turned into catacombes b/c the quarries under the left bank of the river caused so many problems with the cemeteries that were above them. Then you walk down a winding tunnel with very little light for about 10 minutes. Then you get to a door that above it says "Stop. Here is the Empire of Death" (that is the translation anyways). And then there are the bones. And not just a few but millions and millions and millions. They are just stacked all the way along both sides. Every now and then there is plaque that will say these are the remains from such and such cemetery. Basically what they did was remove the remains from the cemetery and smush them all together in an area of these underground quarries. It is crazy. And then you walk for a good 20 mintues through the winding paths of these remains. It is quite humbling actually. By the time you get through it all, you realize that despite what your belief of what happens after life may be, in the end your body is no more. The bones were just there. Like no big deal and all stacked on one another. Some of them were famous people or at least well known people of France but you would never know which ones because they are all burried there anomonously.
A couple of tips of anyone who may be planning to visit this somewhat depressing but definitely interesting site. 1) Don't wear open toed shoes. Because it is underground, there is water that drips from the ceiling sometimes and there are puddles so be careful. 2) If you don't like the dark or get anxious in it, a flashlight might be a good idea (could help with photos too as no flash is allowed). 3) It is probably a site that is better to visit with another person but overall is definitely worth visiting. Enjoy!!!

Back in Paris

So again, it has been awhile. I swear, one day I will get better at this :)
The rest of the summer was great. Lots of fun, some interesting events at work, good times with friends, but all in all a great time home!! So now I am back in Paris. The flight was long and had some interesting events. For example, when I got to the Toronto airport security the guy saw my Western sweatshirt the guard scuffed at me. I told him I had also gone to another university and he said that his son goes to Western. It turns out the boy didn't do so well his first year! lol After my long flight to Warsaw I had to go through security again. This time, the guard looked at my bottle of buckleys medicine. He didn't believe it was medicine so made me take some there at the security! lol Can't say I've ever had to do that. Another hour wait and then a two hour flight and I finally landed in Paris. I got home and had to wait for my landlady to come home. I sat in the hallway with all my stuff. She came home about an hour later and I got into my apartment and started to unpack. I had to bring up some boxes from the storage. I unpacked a little and then headed to bed. The past week I have spent catching up with friends here, getting my bearings again and enjoying the beautiful city!! To top things off I went to a concert on a boat last night and tonight I am going to watch an Opera at a movie theatre! lol More details to come!!!

Being back home in Hamilton

So I have been home for just over two weeks now. Things have been pretty crazy and super busy too. I flew home on a Thursday night and then went to work on the Friday morning! It is nice to be home but as usual a little weird. I am starting to finally get back into the swing of things. This summer (or at least so far) has made me really wish I could get settled into a real routine. Get a real job, a place to actual call my own! lol It is nice to see my friends and family though. It is weird though as most of them are starting to move to places just outside of the city but still close enough. Work is keeping me busy. I am happy to be back at the camp again and getting super excited for the camp to start!!! Our numbers are a little low, but I can't wait for next week. The campers show up on Tuesday and I am looking forward to a summer of fun times. As usual it will be stressful and sometimes frustrating but in the end it is the best part of my year!! Yes I know, some of you who are reading this will chuckle at that comment as I do complain about it throughout the summer but once the summer is over, I miss it. So it is worth it!! So here is to a great summer of fun, campers, hot weather (like the 33 degrees it is supposed to be on Tuesday! lol), family, and more fun!!

Watched a movie with Ethan Hawke

So the family I babysit for is connected in the film industry out here. The husband is a director for a small company out here. Through his work he has made friends with many actors and directors and such, plus the fact that he can speak English is a big bonus for those in the industry that don't speak french but are in France for filming and such. One of said friends is Ethan Hawke. He was in town the past few months filming a new movie and Sebastian (the husband) asked him if he wanted to present a film and have a discussion about it with the audience afterwards. So being the family's babysitter, and Sebastian knowing that I have an interest in film, he invited me and a few friends to come to this film presentation. So Saturday morning at 11am, me and two girlfriends went to a small little theatre in Paris and waited with the rest of the audience for the showing of Point Blank (a 1967 Lee Marvin film) to start. As a guy was explaining that after the film we would be able to discuss the film with Ethan, I happened to turn around and look towards the door and who should pop their head into the theatre but Ethan Hawke. We made full eye contact and I even got a little smile :) I then told my girlfriends who also turned around and smiled at Ethan, and then of course giggled. It was quite clear that we were the north americans in the room! lol So Ethan presented the film and then he went and sat in the balcony of the theatre and we all watched Point Blank. It was actually a really good film and I really enjoyed it. Then afterwards Ethan came back to the main level of the theatre and sat up front and did a question and answer period for a while. It was pretty neat to sit there and discuss the film with him. It was interesting to hear another actors perspective about the acting within the film and on the film as a whole. Afterwards, Ethan was a sport and signed some autographes and even took some pictures with people. It was quite a quaint little event and a pretty cool experience. Gotta love having random connections like that :)