Salut from Paris!!

Hello all!!


wow I am real sorry it has been quite a while since I have been on here. And actually, most surprisingly to moi!, alot of things have occured!! anyway I guess I should start cuz I need some sleep tonight!!


PARIS!! oh my god!

Well what can I say really, usually the weekends here are rather lonely as I am not very fluent in french yet and don't know that many people. However this past weekend my host mother asked wether or not I would like to go to Paris... and I mean really, who is going to say no to that? so on saturday I skipped my soccer game (this was a first for me! never have I skipped sports for pure pleasure...) anyway yes I was quite anxious to get going, however if any of you know french culture you'll know that they are people who like very much to move slowly and could possibly do not much of anything all day if given the chance, they say they like to relax and take their time which is quite true, as I've seen so far. So for those of you who know me and how I may be a tad bit like my Manns relatives (I won't give names ha ha) I like to get a move on, like now!! lol and I am not used to the waiting game, but this is an experience and a new country and so I am learning quite quickly how to pass the time.

Anyway so we finally got going around 2 pm, took the train to Paris from Vaires, was only like 20 minutes or so. When we got there the first thing I noticed was the buildings - wow!! Well and of course the vast amount of people! But the arctitecture on even the most non important buildings here is soo much better than in Canada - sorry guys!?! ha ha but ya the Train station and apartment buildings were even totally cool. So we took the bus first off (this is me, my host mother and her best friend ) I have learned that navigating is quite the skill here and one you must have in order to survive!! anyway we went to Hotel De Ville - this is the mayors office, or palace as you may call it! I am not sure why or how he seems to need all the room, anyway I assume that this is also where alot of other important people work as well. I should really ask but it is possible he lives there too!!? sorry I should know that..lol Anyway so next we went on a walk about along le Seine, I tell ya, that is a pretty sweet river, and people are everywhere on it's banks doing ALL kinds of things. I now understand why Paris or really France even (so far) is the city of Love, I guess you could say people are VERY affectionate here!! ha ha We also went to La Louvre, didn't go in because my host mom said that it takes about 3 days to actually go through the whole thing, and I believe it - that place was enormous!! But still it was like magical to see it from the outside, the history around it is soo awesome and it was real cool to see things from the Da Vinci Code too. Again the arcitecture is gorgeous you can stand there and look at it all day and still not see everything possible. Next we continued on to Notre Dame and I must say I never seen such a work of art, I can not imagine how long it took to make such an amazing place. It took your breath away just looking at it! Everything was soo detailed too! I really can't imagine the work and time that went into that, didn't go in once again because the line up of tourists was astronomical!!! well we walked around again some and got some ice cream - which was not at all like the stuff back home, more like sherbert but good all the same! By the time we got home it was like 8 or 9 and I watched The chronicles of Narnia on my t.v in my room (in english he he - I cheated...but I used french subtitles!? ha ha) yeah it was really weird and has been for the last two weeks ( WHOA 2 weeks tmorrow!) to just be at home on a friday night and especially on a Saturday!! but i'm sure that will pick up in time..!!


PARIS AGAIN!!!

oh wow, yes it is true! the next day my friend Julia, who is from Thunderbay and is also a long term rotary exchange student and is living in Chelles (fairly close to me), her host dad had asked her if she would like to watch some of the Rugby World Cup!! and when she told me this I was like OMG!! that is so awesome, so she invited me to come whenever they would go and it ended up being the sunday (9th) right after I had been in Paris! so yeah I was totally physced!! so I was too meet them on the platform for the train in Chelles, because the train from Vaires stops there, anyway I got off and everything and ran around frantically trying to find them but couldn`t, so I got back on cuz I didn`t want to miss the train and figured that I could meet them in Paris, but of course they showed up as the train pulled away and had to wait for the next one, meanwhile wondering where the heck I was! so they called veronique (she wasn`t happy though....eek..lol) and then got ahold of me, on my crappy cell that I couldn`t here julia on but anyway managed to meet her in Paris (like I so cleverly thought ha ha) and went the Hotel De Ville again! At this place they have set up this monsterous t.v screen for the people to watch the rugby on!! it is really sweet and they have also put down this fake, plastic grass to sit on, it is very similar to the fake grass (I think it is plastic too) that I play football on. Anyway we watched Canada versus Wales and we had heard that Wales was gonna kill but all the same I brought a huge Canada flag and we cheered really loud and proud!! ha ha we also sang the national anthem (which was in french and I forgot it - lol so I just sang in english) and oh god the poor people around us - we can not sing ha ha!! anyway yeah it was alot of fun and actually Canada was up until the second half when they slide terribly - it was like they hit a birck wall!! ha ha but they did alright and it is only the round robin!! lol I hope that my brothers are good and jealous - actually I would like to see a live match but that is very very doubtful! OH yes and half-way through the game this little frenchman comes to speak with us because he saw our flag and he was like oh Canada - and we are like well oviously yeah lol - no we were real nice and spoke to him alot, he said that he had been to montreal (like every french person we meet here lol, Montreal or Quebec city are the only things that exist about Canada to them, lol oh yes and the fact that it's cold) and he said he loved it and that it was very big!! and yes it is. lol and then omg !! you won`t believe this - he was like 30 right? and he asked for our numbers; so we said we didn`t know them ha ha ha!! it was really funny though because it was actually true - the configuration of telephone numbers here is soo weird!!

So after the game we went to get something to eat at one of the many little stands around Paris, I chose something called a Steak hachee, the picture actually showed some real definate meat - I shouldn`t have got my hopes up because as all the other `Steak` here , it is not the same REAL steak as we know it! ha ha it is like a baby hamburger patty with a whole lotta grease - yet good all the same! And at least this time it was cooked, the majority of the meat I eat at my home is basicly still mooing - or at least cold in the middle. It was quite the transition from the way i`ve had meat at home, lets just say `well cooked` - it`s not bad though mom!! i LOVE your cooking! he he However the "meat issue" as Julia would call it was difficult for us at first because at home we are always told not to eat meat that is not fully cooked because you'll get sick - but here I suppose that is not something they are worried about...and i haven't got sick yet so, c'est la vie!!!



now for some pictures and then bed time!!!!









Le Seine - There are so so many bridges across it and also alot of buskers (sp) and performances!! Along the banks of the seine you`ll find alot of tourists and therefore things are more expensive - but it is still very good!






Notre Dame - or the side of it at least!! Once again the arctitechure on this building was phinomenal! (sp)











Hotel d`Ville - like i said it is like a palace ha ha , in the background you can just see the HUGE screen (from this angle it looks like it is covered by that ugly round tree ha ha)











Gare l`est (Paris Train station- east) -it is pretty insanely large and has a shopping centre in it as well. this is where ALL the trains are out of so there is the TGV and many many others; very busy place!













Le Louvre - this is one of the squares inside the main entrance. It is pretty unreal!! I can`t wait to go inside!!





Square with a pool and cool fountains - on one of our walks through Paris i saw this and it was soo cool, it totally reminded me of Sabrina ( the movie). I found that if you just walk around aimlessly you can find alot of cool stuff. - this is now one of my favourite past times.



Ok i am not going to try and lie about what is behind me because i do not remember, i just know that these huge gates looked so cool and medieval! so... pic of me in Paris on Sat. 8th




Julia and I with my Canadian flag at the Rugby match in Paris on Sun. 9th he he good times!



Le Louvre - underneath the ground, this is in the Da Vinci Code, and it is real cool. Apparently there was ALOT of controversy over the building of this monument at first - the people REALLY didn`t want it as the thought it would ruin the history of Le Louvre, but the President insisted and today everyone loves it! ( well most of everyone does!! lol - i am sure there are still some who don`t think it was necessary ) anyway this was reallu awesome to see!!


*** well i miss you all and i hope you enjoy my blog!! ha ha
a bientot!