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Day 0 - 05/9/14	Hotel YYZ I guess I got to the airport a little early. I arrived at 8pm for an 11pm flight, and using the automated self check-in, took all of one minute to get my boarding pass. The flight was about an hour late. Ok fine. We got on, but after an hour and a half sitting on the tarmac, we were told to get off. Mechanical problems. Great. A new aircraft was designated to depart at 6:30am. So 10.5 hours of waiting to take off, and not much sleeping accomplished.
Day 1 - 05/9/15	Getting started The flight actually wasn't bad. Fittingly, one of the in-flight movies was Moulin Rouge. We touched down in Paris around 8pm, which kinda thrëw a wrench into my plans for exploring the city that day. Eventually I made it from Charles de Gaulle to Porte d'Orléans via the RER and métro. It's interesting in Paris that everyons carries a transit map. Usually it's a sure sign that you're from out of town, but after seeing the spaghetti network that comprises the Paris métro system (not to mention the noodlery of streets above ground), one quickly understands the necessity of having a map handy. A side note here is that I do not recall that any of the subway cars I rode were equipped with air conditioning, and so it was usually quite muggy and sometimes stinky. Upon exiting the métro station I felt like a fish out of water. There seemed to be ten streets coming together at this one intersection and I couldn't make any sense of the rungs of street signs. Quite luckily, the hotel is a high rise with a large illuminated sign which, after spinning around a few times, I spotted a few blocks away. After checking in, I decided to go for a stroll in search of eats. As advertised, there were cafés everywhere, but I was really looking for something à emporter. So I stopped at a little stall operated by a man I have dubbed the crêpe Nazi. The crêpe was delightful, the line was long, and the demeanour was quite agitated (especially as I tried to order a crêpe avec fromage, of which he had just ran out). In the end I did get my oeuf-poulet-fromage. It wasn't quite what I had wanted, but I wasn't going to argue!
Day 2 - 05/9/16	At these prices, who would want to drink water? I started the day with breakfast at the hotel. It consisted of juice, coffee, and a great variety of bread and jam (all you can eat!). Actually quite good. Then back on the métro en route to the Louvre, where I would start my ballade. Of course, I had chosen a mightily crappy day for being outdoors, with rain in the morning and a strong cold wind all day. Nontheless, I did the entire route from the Louvre to the Champs Elysees and finally the Arc de Triomphe. A rather inane but anecdote-worthy (well, almost) experience was buying one (yes just one) stamp at a self-serve terminal at the post office. This is something definitely not available at home. It's a small thing, but really the convenience is huge - no need to line up behind somebody trying to send a stuffed poodle when all you need are a couple of stamps. My French isn't much use for any sort of conversing, but fortunately it allows me to read quite a lot and hence use these and other similar self-help terminals (e.g. for métro tickets). Lunch was back in my hotel room. I had picked up a lentil and chicken salad at a "Drugstore Publicis" along the Champs Elysees, and back at Porte d'Orleans I found a supermarket where I got a baguette, Saint Agur cheese, and a bottle of white chardonnay. The wine was quite cheap at about 2.50€; there were even some that, at 1.50€ per bottle, were cheaper than water. Also, I lacked a corkscrew, so I had to buy one which ended up costing more than the wine. But fret not, I wholly expected to get my money's worth out of that cork screw. Of snails and space shuttles Early in the evening I strolled around the rue Rambuteau shopping area, and then visited Les Halles, which is a massive multi-levelled (underground) and hopelessly confusing shopping complex. After fleeing that jungle of people and escalators, I really needed to pee, so I located one of those automated toilet/space pods and took it for a whirl. The experience was a little bizarre, with your hygiene and privacy at the mercy of a machine. Doors opened and closed, water and soap was dispensed, and air dryers whirred, all automatically and seemingly without cue. I suppose the novelty was worth the 0.40€. But as with bathroom humour, I suspect bathroom novelty gets old pretty quickly. After being lost for a while, I walked south across the Seine and located l'église St. Germain des Près. And that is where Carine located me. We went to St. Michel-Notre Dame via the métro. After the obligatory stop at the Notre Dame cathedral, we went to a small outdoor market along the Seine where there are all sorts of wines, foie gras (free samples!), patés, and other exotic canned/bottled goods (e.g. duck's neck). The St. Michel area is crammed with restaurants. I had a good look around before deciding that I really wanted to try that French gastronomic specialty: escargot. And so dinner at the restaurant Le Chat qui Pêche consisted of escargot, cote d'agneau, caramel creme, et vin rouge. I was glad to have Carine's enlightening and pleasant company; one always learns a lot by talking to the locals. An interesting quirk when ordering wine: there wasn't an option to have just one glass, so I had to get a half-bottle. Everything was yum yum good.
Day 3 - 05/9/17	A picture is worth... (i.e. this day is better experienced through my photo album) Approximately six hours of this day was spent at the Louvre, which really did not do it justice. The exhibits I managed to visit included (in approximately this order) history of the Louvre, ancient Egypt, most of the European sculptures, and French, Spanish, and Italian paintings. I believe this constitutes only about half of the museum. In many parts the atmosphere with all the visitors and tour groups was rather circus-like, which was not quite what I envisioned of the grand and elegant Louvre. There was of course the mandatory sightings of Aphrodite and La Joconde (a.k.a. our girl the Mona Lisa). However I was quite surprised that that quintessential French work "Liberty leading the people" (Delacroix) got relatively little attention. I never realised it was so large, yet I almost missed it due to the *lack* of crowding around it and my generally poor eye for paintings. For snacking between exhibits, I tried some of the Louvre's coffee and pastries (croissant aux pommes, tarte aux pommes). At about five in the afternoon I decided I was all Louvred-out and left for a stroll towards my next rendez-vous point. Along the way I ate some more pastry (pain au chocolat), and just enjoyed my wandering. Quite by accident I came to a public park and eventually to l'église St. Eustache. On a sunny day such public spaces in Paris are just thrilling, and despite the crowds one can't help but sit and enjoy. As planned, Caro and David met me at rue Rambuteau in front of the métro station. We walked around for a while, stopping in front of Centre Pompidou, before going to Paradis des Fruits for dinner. I had something vegetarian - I don't recall the name exactly - and a giant ice cream creation for dessert.
Day 4 - 05/9/18	Eiffel déja vu I think I can say I've fully experienced La Tour Eiffel. I visited once in the morning, taking the stairs to the second level, and again at night, taking the lift to the top. While it was indeed a good view, I'd venture that it's actually too far up to see much. Since Paris doesn't have a skyline apart from La Défense, everything seemed to blend together. I found that the view from atop l'Arc de Triomphe was much more compelling. Though at night on the Eiffel Tower, you really understand where the city of light gets its name. The approach to the tower through the Champs de Mars really is as good as it looks in the movies. Given more time and maybe warmer clothes I might have lingered longer to soak more. On the way there in the morning, I transferred at Gare Montparnasse. As a consequence of the size of some of these stations, quite a few of them have moving sidewalks (pedways?). Montparnasse, however, is even more blessed. One of its movator things is designated as "experimental", with a posted speed of 9 km/h! (The others were 3 km/h.) Alas, it wasn't operating at the time of day or day of the week during which I passed through. I even returned the next day in hope of catching a ride, but again no such luck. (Tsan later attested to its coolness, and Maxime confided that he'd wiped out twice on the thing!) And now I digress. The morning at the Eiffel Tower brought yet another circus of tourists (and indeed it was Sunday after all), made even more so by some ginormous carnival going on across the river at the Palais de Chaillot. The lines for admission to the tower were worthy of Disney World, complete with signs informing you of estimated wait times. And nestled among the chaos were watchful militia men toting big ass rifles, which was slightly unnerving. Relaxation, rollerblades, and raw meat I met up with the gang at rue Rambuteau around lunch time. Most everybody made it, for which I was quite happy. We went to Bistro Romain (apparently a franchise) for lunch where I had foie gras followed by tartare de boeuf. Yes the French do like to brag about their food, but it really is that good. Mind you, the tartare is not a dish for the squeamish; in appearance, it most resembles an uncooked hamburger. But as a dish, I don't know of anything that compares. So you'll have to try it and see for yourself. Much recommended. After lunch 'twas time for a stroll. There was a bird market, some ice cream, a stop at Notre Dame, and then the quartier Latin. We also crossed paths a couple of times with the inline skaters that congregate and take to the streets of Paris every Sunday in the summer. Downtown Paris is quite a place for a walk, especially on a sunny day as it was, with sights like the Pantheon, Hôtel de la Ville and la Seine providing a great backdrop to all the hustle and bustle on the streets. We ended up at le Jardin Luxembourg for the last part of the afternoon. It's quite a feat, I think, that within such a dense urban centre, Paris maintains such luxurious green spaces. People flock to these public sanctuaries in droves. Telling, too, that most such places are called "gardens" and not "parks". It was just a perfect setting in which to relax and chat. As already established, I revisited the Eiffel tower at night. There was some food mixed in there: some frites from the Eiffel concessions, a "Twix Top" bar from a vending machine, and some mediterranean sweets (somewhat like baklava) from a small eatery near École Militaire. Not exactly a hearty dinner, I suppose. Methinks that Parisiens like to vacation. It seemed most riders of the Sunday night métro were lugging large travel bags or suitcases, presumably on their way home from weekend getaways. It is indicative, too, of the accesibility of public transportation, that so many choose to travel this way for vacation.
Day 5 - 05/9/19	A really green thumb Chateau Versailles is closed on Mondays. This is what I learned only after wandering around the grounds for an hour! All was not lost, however, as the Jardin Versailles was open. Prior to visiting it, I decided to walk down the street to check out some shops and get lunch. Interestingly, though, as the Palace was closed for Monday, so too were most of the nearby merchants. I did manage to get some lunch to go at a cafe-style joint. I grabbed a hearty chicken and veggie salad from the fridge. A nice touch was that my take-out package was complemented (quite unexpectedly) by a separate cup for my drink --what, no drinking from the bottle? -- a fresh roll, and a tiny bottle of vinagrette. 'Twas quite possibly the most elegant bagged lunch I've ever had. I ate it sitting in the sun, on a curb. Then off to explore the massive garden. Perhaps the palace being closed was a blessing in disguise (or perhaps not), as I required a good four or five hours to fully peruse the garden. It was a great day to be outdoors too. From the outset, however, my legs felt like they were encased in cement. Perhaps so many days of scurrying about the streets of Paris combined with the previous day's speedy Eiffel stair-climb had taken its toll. Anyway, the grandeur, sheer size, and level of detail of the garden were mind-boggling. The pictures will speak to that. Another lucky coincidence of coming on Versaille's off-day was that there were relatively few visitors; it was quiet, almost peaceful. But on the other side of the coin, presumably also due to it being an off-day, none of the fountains were turned on - that is, until I was just about to leave! So I stayed just a few more minutes after the waterworks started to snap some photos of any aquatic creations that weren't too far from the entrance. Montmartre quickie Back within the Paris city limits by evening, I stopped off at the hotel and then went to meet up with Maxime. En route, I transferred at Gare du Nord and took forever trying to naviqate this massive (not to mention massively confusing) complex. I had heard about Pigalle, the Paris sex industry centre, so out of curiosity I asked Maxime to meet me at that stop. It got only a brief walk-by, though, as my intended destination (really!) was Montmartre and ultimately the Basilique Sacre Coeur for a great view of the city at dusk. Dinner, after a brief look-see of the Moulin Rouge, was at a Belgian style restaurant, complete with its own Manneken Pis. This place specialised in mussels and, thouqh I don't usually eat them, I decided to try them in a cream sauce. Top it off with some Belgian beer, good bread, all-you-can-eat fries, and waffles with ice cream for dessert, and it was a pretty good dinner.
Day 6 - 05/9/20	Nothing to declare Woke up, got packed, and headed for Gare du Nord. I was a little early, so I went wandering for some time in the vicinity of the station. The great thing about travelling light -- and I mean light, as in less than what I've seen some people bring to yoga class -- is that it takes absolutely no time to pack, and my bags never become a consideration in any activity. Freedom to roam unimpeded, as if I had no destination and no worldly possessions. Somewhere along the way I also came to the realisation that because I carried so little to begin with, and nothing of value at that, theft or loss of my little backpack really wouldn't be a big deal. What could be so bad about losing two pants and some underwear? I was thus at ease. And so after a little exploration I determined that the area around Gare du Nord is not all that exciting. The few blocks surrounding the station are certainly packed with hotels, cafés, and shops, but go just a little further and it calms down quite a bit. Being around noon and having not eaten yet in my haste, I got a crêpe au chocolat from a little eatery. Turns out it'd be my last. The second year in a row The ride to Rotterdam in the purple Thalys train was as high speed train travel should be - smooth, comfy, and clean. The recorded announcements were in four languages. Where the tracks swerved ever so slightly, evidence of the speed was found in that there was a noticeable bank in the curve to aid in coping with the laws of physics. And where there were deficiencies in the track, namely somewhere between Antwerpen and Rotterdam, we slowed to a crawl, costing me an extra half-hour. Nevertheless, 3.5 hours is a pretty impressive travel time. Impressive, too, was the 48€ return fare, which was a consequence of my travel dates and fortuitous discovery of an online sale back in August. Travelling outside of crazy season, and moreover on weekdays, certainly made things a bit less expensive and definitely less crowded -- on planes, trains, monuments, and the like. But enough about semantics and how about Rotterdam? Well it felt like a homecoming of sorts. Stephany met me at Centraal station and we went for a walk down to the shopping area. On the way, she treated me to an old favourite - kroket from the wall. Mmm mmm. I felt quite well-oriented, seeming to know the scenery at every turn. Somewhere along the way we acquired a nice girl named Liz, who was wandering around a department store. The three of us then went to chill at a nearby café. Yay coffee! I chose the extra skerke variety, which was indeed potent but quite tiny (i.e. about half the volume of an espresso). Serving Super Sautéed Saté in Scheveningen (try saying that three times quickly) We then set out via tram and subway to the next meeting point (exactly where, I cannot recall - no I wasn't drunk). We hitched a ride with Dickie (sp?) over to Scheveningen and, after all was said and done, the group had swollen quite a bit to include KT, Yin Ling, and a couple of new faces. Chow time. We'd decided to come to Scheveningen (again a spot familiar to me) for its restaurant selection, but ironically the following review is mostly negative. As the so-called guest, it was my choice, so I casually opted for some Dutch food at "Vitesse". The food was really nothing to talk about, except for certain pieces of saté which were charred to a beautiful deep black complexion. Upon complaining, the response was at first defensive, and then belittling. To their credit, they did redo the order after some arm-twisting, but the attitude stayed. At least the beer was good. I had two servings of Oranjeboom -- almost the translated namesake of Molson Canadian (I said almost), but happily not imitating its taste. After dinner, the mob quickly dispersed. Yin Ling found an enormous splatter of bird poopie on her windshield and, after using the few remaining drops washer fluid, managed only to spread the poop around with the wipers. The night was spent at the Cheungs.
Day 7 - 05/9/21	Sumo sightings in Rotterdam I woke up at a comfortable hour. Stephany took me on the tram and we met Kenneth back at the shopping district, at an in-store cafeteria. I was treated to coffee and a pastry -- I should've written down the actual name -- which was like a large sausage roll. And so we embarked on the day's little stroll. Old sightings: world trade centre, museum park, spido port, Erasmusbrug, skate park, euromast. New sightings: walk of fame, veerhaven, some park adjacent to euromast, euromast (up-close), Erasmus MC and university. At the Euromast, we decided it was rather unimpressive and thus not worth going up to the top. However, it did have good washrooms that were free of charge. At around 2:30pm we met up with Yin Ling and Dickie (again sp?) at "Sumo", a Japanese (duh) restaurant. All you can eat! Cindy and Liz arrived later, in that order, and when all was said and done, I believe it was around five o'clock, and I was obviously stuffed silly. If I come visit, I can show you around A light stroll with a bit of window shopping certainly helped the digestive system. Now near six o'clock, many of the shops were closing up. As a visitor, one does a lot of exploring during the day, and often I overlook the fact that some places become much less busy at night. At the square with the big red arms (that's how I describe them), they were holding some sort of football keep-away competition. Interesting. For my last hour in Rotterdam, we sat and chatted at a café. Yay coffee! I really can't get enough of the European coffee. Oh, and the company was good too. It was remarked more than once since my arrival in Rotterdam that I seemed to have a pretty good handle on the place, in terms of knowing what to see and do - to such an extent, I joked, that next time I'd take the role of guide. Krokets and not-grumpy old men So back to good old Centraal station where they would see me off. There was just enough time before my train to stock up with a couple of satekrokets -- mmmmy favourite -- and a kipcorn. (Thanks again Stephany.) I stepped onto the train and that was it, the end of my one day in Holland. Despite the short time, however, it was really very relaxing. With no pressure to try to visit everything, no stressing over directions, with familiar faces, and familiar places, it turned out to be a really nice getaway. After boarding, I encountered what appeared to be a grouchy old man who was sitting in my assigned fenêtre seat, rather than his spot at the couloir. But appearances can be deceiving. Intermittently, between having our tickets checked and our arrival back in Paris, we had quite a nice chat. Language was a barrier at times, but the conversation was enlightening in that some of my preconceptions about the French, such as latent xenophobia, were confirmed whereas others, such as all palates being well-versed in wines, were debunked. But as an ever-diligent scientist, I'm not concluding anything yet. After some time, the guy dozed off. When he woke up, we continued chatting, though he was apparently unaware that he was now speaking French! Surprisingly, I managed for a short while, before he returned to linguistic cognisance. We arrived in Paris at Gare du Nord right on schedule, but yet again I got lost inside the station and wasted much time trying to find the RER. I got back to Porte d'Orléans quite late at night, but smartly I'd made a reservation at Etap and it all went smoothly. I had a late night snack of the aforementioned Dutch snacks with some wine. Doesn't get better than that.
Day 8 - 05/9/22	More delays and near-anal probes I guess this doesn't really count as another day in Paris, because it was spent mostly at and getting to the airport. I took the RER to Charles de Gaulle -- how blessed are they to have a rail route direct to the airport -- and somewhere between Gare du Nord and there, a guitar-toting gentleman entered the car. He played a few tunes, and quite well I must say. He was very polite and afterwards didn't even ask me for charity. I'll spare the details of the airport -- I suppose all are unique in their own ways -- except for mentioning that security was extremely tight. I needed to have my passport and "proof of address" (driver's license, in my case) checked before being allowed to line up for the check-in counter. Same drill while boarding. At the metal detector, I made sure to remove even my belt and watch, but the thing still went off, I suspect from the zipper on my pants. Some of the Air Canada crew were familiar to me from my flight one week prior. Also familiar, was the scenario that saw us sitting in the cabin waiting for mechanical problems to be assessed. Thankfully, this time the total delay was only about an hour. Back to the wasteland And so up, up, and away from France I went. Being Thursday in mid-September meant that I got two seats to myself. Re-entering Canada over northern Québec, one thing that struck me while up above was how barren and hostile the land looks. Who'd want to live there amongst all the pointy mountains and rivers blocking you every which way? Well, nobody, it seems. Being back in Toronto was slightly surreal. The massive sprawl quickly reintroduced itself to me, and it just seemed so dark at night compared to Paris. And so that's it. Six days in Paris probably wasn't enough; only the tip of the iceberg. Ten or more would've been nicer. And so it seems the Parisiens have not heard the last of my mangled French. A la prochaine!