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Honeymoon 007 \ A bientot, Lyon

On December 23, 2014

On our final day in Lyon, we majorly slept in. As a seasoned traveller, I likely should have realized we weren’t on European time yet, but I guess wine clouded my judgement & I didn’t set an alarm. I still had a few things I wanted to show N, so it was a bit disappointing to realize we’d missed so much of the day.

I’d promised my coworker I’d stop by Starbucks again so that was our first stop once we got moving. He was in a meeting, but snuck out for a quick chat. My old store manager was also there, so it was fun to say hi to her as well. Soufien & I made tentative plans for later on as the clock was ticking for N & I to get a real lunch.

Unfortunately, one of our maps placed the restaurant in the wrong location, so we wasted precious time on a wild goose chase. When we finally arrived at the correct location, they had stopped serving lunch. Instead, we made a dinner reservation & headed to a more touristy spot in Vieux Lyon for a traditional style bouchon lunch.

This is the type of meal you tend to waddle away from. Traditional Lyonnais food is heavy. It’s full of the type of things you’d find at Grandma’s, if your Grandma is a French woman who enjoys butter & offal. My starter salad was mostly bacon with a side of greens & a hard boiled egg. We managed to find back to Place des Terreaux for a tour of L’Atelier de la Soierie by one of the artists. She was taking a break from the free-hand floral designs she creates. The shop was also in the middle of filling a large order of beautiful silk scarves so we saw a bit of that process. I highly recommend a visit if you’re passing through Lyon. The shopkeepers are friendly, helpful, & always willing to explain a bit of the historic process they continue to use. They’re one of the last shops to still use this method, so it’s a pretty unique experience.

The square was getting busy so we decided to join some of the locals for a few beers at Café Leffe. Place des Terreaux was one of my favourite squares to grab a drink & people watch. There’s always so much going on as it’s a major thoroughfare for locals & the site of many events. It also gave us a chance to use free wifi to make plans with some of my friends for later that evening – the joys of being without cell reception.

Our dinner that evening was another very traditional Lyonnais meal. Café Comptoir Abel is said to be the oldest & most authentic bouchon in the city. We went for some very traditional dishes including veal, kidney, andouillette, & paté. If you want to be adventurous, this is the place to do it. & while many of those foods probably aren’t in your regular dinner rotation, I highly recommend giving them a try in Lyon. These dishes are typical of what was cooked regionally by the 19th century middle class, when many women began working as cooks. (You can read more about the Lyonnais “mothers” & this simple style of cooking here.)

It was a beautiful evening to sit outside on the patio. In typical A&N fashion, we ordered way more food than necessary, especially considering these dishes are on the heavier site & we’d had a big lunch. This is a definite theme when we travel.

If you ever ask N to take your photo, he’ll take about 15. By the end, I always look like this.

After dinner, we met two coworkers from my Starbucks days at a little pub on the Presqu’île. It was fun to catch up with them & properly introduce N. We reminisced over how much had changed in the last six years (& how much really hadn’t). I can’t imagine a better way to wrap up our time in Lyon then with great company, a few drinks, & a beautiful night on a patio.

The next morning we boarded an early train for Italy. It was bittersweet to be moving on from France, but exciting to prepare for new adventures in Italy. Genoa was next on the list & the beginning of our weeklong cruise.

Noel, Noel

By whoalansi

On December 19, 2014

In Uncategorized

Is it possible to be homesick for a place that isn’t really home? With Christmas around the corner, I certainly feel that way. While I love many of our traditions here at home, there are many things I miss about this time I year abroad too.

I find my feelings of nostalgia are especially strong in December as I reminisce about the Christmas Markets this time of year. While most people tend to plan their trips in the summer months, I find there’s something particularly special about Christmas in France (& England). The cities are so festive, filled with lights & decorations. It’s hard not to get caught up in it.

That’s not to say that we don’t get into the Christmas Spirit in Canada – we certainly do. & I love heading out to the mountains to celebrate this holiday with family & friends. I just can’t shake the feeling that we’re missing this wonderful part of Christmas in Europe: the Market.

We have Christmas Markets & I’ve been to a few that I’ve enjoyed, but a Christmas Market in Europe is a thing to experience. I loved wandering my neighbourhood one in the evenings. Amongst the typical homemade gifts you see in most markets, you’ll also find delicious food & wonderful drinks. My favourite market treat is raclette with a side of vin chaud (mulled wine), of course. The raclette tartine or tartiflette are also great choices. You really can’t go wrong with warm, melted cheese. A European Christmas Market is the perfect place to meet up with friends or wander yourself. & with most of these markets in the city center, they’re easily accessible.

Raclette Tartine: baguette, raclette cheese, & charcuterie. Perfect!

The daily morning market is still my very favourite, but the daily Christmas market is a close second. Europe is beautiful any time of year, of course, but I especially love the cooler months. Don’t let the fact that it’s a less popular time to travel deter you – it truly has its own merits. It’s less busy & if you go in November, you’ll get to experience the beginning of the Christmas season. You may not be sitting on a beach this time of year, but you can certainly brag about the warmer temperatures to your friends back home (if you’re Canadian at least)!

Most of my photos here are pre-DSLR days, so don’t let the grainy low light shots deter you. I hope the beauty of the French Christmas Market still shines through. I have such fond memories of them.

Honeymoon 006 \ Trabouling in Lyon

By whoalansi

On December 11, 2014

In Travel

I’ve mentioned many times that I don’t usually enjoy tours. That hasn’t changed. I still prefer to explore on my own, but even I’m willing to make exceptions. Traboules require a bit of explanation & it can be nice to let someone else take the reigns (plus I’m a huge nerd for history). & there’s so much history in Lyon. This may actually explain why I first gravitated to it. I also fell in love with these weird little passageways on my first visit.

The latest version of this tour included fancy headphones. Not only did they make us look super cool, but they also made it easier to hear our soft-spoken French tour guide as we wandered the narrow streets & used the traboules to weave between streets & buildings. I especially liked the guide’s description of a traboule as “a public passage in a private space”.

Traboules are unique to Lyon so it can be tough to explain them to someone who’s never experienced them. I know N didn’t quite get it until we were actually trabouling.

The residents of these buildings have agreed to allow access to the public. They ask that we respect the tranquility of the spaces by passing in silence. The streets outside can be noisy, which makes the quiet traboules feel especially tranquil. If you decide to explore the area on your own, ask for a map at the Tourist Office: each traboule is marked on the map to make route-planning simple.

Rue St Jean, the main street of Vieux Lyon, can be crowded, but as you make your way through these passageways, you’ll often find yourself alone. You’ll also get to experience beautiful architecture that would otherwise remain hidden if the residents of this neighbourhood hadn’t agreed it was worth allowing tourists & locals alike to explore.

La Tour Rose is one of the most well-known traboules

After the tour, we had some time to kill before our late dinner reservation. On the hunt for wine & a good picnic spot, we headed over to Les Berges du Rhône. Les Berges is a park along the banks of the Rhône, & a premier spot for picnicking. There’s always something going on! This time we stumbled upon a board game event: hundreds of people playing all different kind of games & enjoying the beautiful day. Unfortunately, being Sunday, most stores were closed & we struck out in our wine search at every tabac on that side of town. Instead, we grabbed a drink on one of the patios along the river. It wasn’t exactly the picnic we had in mind, but no real complaints there.

Enjoying the sun on our way to Les Berges

A game of Carcassonne in the park

Our balade eventually led us to one of the newer Starbucks along Rue de la Ré. I wanted to see if one of my friends was working. Turns out he had transferred back to the store we’d worked together at in France, so we made our way up there. Of course, I had to take a photo outside. There she is, the first Starbucks of many! Although, Soufien wasn’t working when we visited, we did run into another of my coworkers & made plans to come back to following day to see S.

On our way back to our apartment, I remembered that épiceries often carry wine so we grabbed a bottle. Success! Who would have thought it could be so difficult to find wine in France?! Back at our place, we threw open the giant windows, laid our feast out on the kitchen counter, & relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

It’s hard to deny that Lyon is gorgeous with it’s old buildings on the hill & Fourvière in the distance. I could have hung out in that apartment for another week enjoying that view & visiting the market in Croix Rousse daily. While there’s so much of the world I want to see, I think I’ll always want to go back to Lyon.

That night, we got a bit dressed up & headed out for a late dinner at Brasserie de L’Est – one of Paul Bocuse’s brasseries. Located in the old Brotteaux Train Station, the menu & decor are meant to take you on a Round The World trip. A miniature train circles the dining room above your head, paying homage to the buildings’ past.

I’d been to another of Bocuse’s Brasseries, Le Sud, when I lived in Lyon & it was a wonderful experience so I was really looking forward to this dinner. It certainly did not disappoint. Paul Bocuse is such an icon in this region, & in the culinary community. A visit to one of his restaurants should definitely be on your To Do list.

As for our meals, N & I shared Salmon Gravlax & Foie Gras Mousse to start. Then N went for the cod while I had beef. Both were delicious & cooked perfectly. My beef came with a side of thick-cut fries, which were kept warm over a candle. I thought it was pretty cute. To cap things off, we shared an excessively large crème brulée – a desert I can never resist.

We wrapped up our meal just in time to catch the last metro home & tucked ourselves into bed satisfied with our wonderful day.

November in Instagram

By whoalansi

On December 8, 2014

In Uncategorized

I’m using a different method to post this month’s Instagram recap. You’ll have to let me know if you like it. It’s significantly less time consuming than my previous methods, which I’m always a fan of. It might not be the best quality though. I really wish tables with photos weren’t such a pain in blogger. It takes me back to my first website, when I almost always chose to write in html. Now, I’m the complete opposite. I find I’m much more motivated to blog about what’s going on than to write a bunch of html to get those thoughts up there. Maybe one day I’ll get back into it, but for now I’m still wishing on a better way to add tables. You hear that, blogger! Get on it. We like tables. & while you’re at it, I’d like to put two photos side by side & have them look nice, without using photoshop. Consider it my blogging Christmas Wishlist. I’m sure I’m not the first to want these things!

Here’s what we got up to this November:

1. We started off the month with Banff Winterstart. It’s an 8 km night run up Banff’s Tunnel Mountain. N & a few of our friends dressed as penguins. I highly recommend this run. We had a great time!
2. Rouladen has always been a winter favourite for my family. I wanted to share that with N, so I made a paleo version. It was delicious!
3. Saturday morning coffee in bed has become a staple lately. N gets up at 9:30 & puts coffee on. He likes to get up & play games, while I sit in bed & read. I like these kind of slow starts.
4. I’ve been writing Thank Yous all month. I really wanted them to be genuine so I took my time. Sometimes wine was involved. My desk is messy.
5. I’ve been making an effort to workout more this month. As soon as the temperature dropped, my motivation evaporated, but this month I made an effort to get my butt moving at least four times a week. Many burpees were involved.
6. We got a beautiful Staub Cast-Iron Grill Pan as a Wedding Gift & christened it with some delicious grass-fed beef. This is my kind of Friday evening at home.
7. Brunch at OEB is a monthly thing for us. Their breakfast poutine is by far the absolute best way to start the day. I literally compare every breakfast to theirs. It’s always worth the wait.
8. D & I had a girls night with some of her coworkers last week. We grabbed dinner & drinks & then hit the mall for some shopping during the ‘Twas the Night event.
9. My awesome optometrist (& friend!) hooked me up with some awesome Ray Bans. I’m really excited for longer days so I can more wear out of them.

Winter thoughts

By whoalansi

On December 3, 2014

In Uncategorized

Winter may not be official for another couple weeks, but our climate certainly says otherwise. We’ve been bundling up, wearing extra layers of wool, & trudging through snow banks for a couple weeks now. & I love many aspects of winter – planning ski trips with friends, comfy wool socks (these are a staple for me. They’re men’s but they last for years), flannel & leggings, carefully braising beautiful meals (winter cooking is probably my favourite), skating at the rink in our neighbourhood, & reading by the fire at my parents’ house in the mountains. Just thinking about all this gets me pretty excited for the winter months ahead.

Unfortunately, my motivation seems to wane when the temperature drops far below zero. I’m not alone here either. There’s even a disorder for this season – seasonal affective disorder – SAD. Isn’t that acronym depressing? I don’t think I suffer from SAD, I just have a hard time motivating myself to get up & do a whole lot of anything. Gilmore Girls was just added to Netflix & I’ve made every excuse to watch episode after episode on the couch. I’ve watched it while blogging (like right now), writing thank you notes, cooking, & even cleaning.

In the summer months, I’m usually pretty motivated to workout. I get my butt to the gym or go for a run or even just go for a walk. We live about a minute from the river paths, so it’s easy to take advantage of this proximity. In the summer.

The great thing about the paths though is that they are cleared all year long & we’re lucky enough to experience breaks in the freezing cold pretty often. Even when it is cold out, it’s just a matter of taking the plunge. Once you get out there, it’s really not so bad.

I’ve been making an effort of getting out there more often lately. Even on the days that I don’t feel like heading to the gym, I’ve been going. I’ve been setting my alarm for 5 am & forcing myself out of bed for spin class. (I know that seems so crazy, but I have the best time once I’m there. The best!) I reminded N to pick up his skates so we can head over to the skating rink in the evening. Free dates are the best dates, right?

that’s it. Those are my thoughts about winter. None of this is truly groundbreaking, but I hope maybe it helps a little bit if you’re finding yourself in hibernation mode. You can do it! Get up, get out, & go for it. You can either hate on winter for the next 6 months or you can find a way to make it great.

Or maybe you’re already an expert in getting through the winter. Let me know if the comments what keeps you going

Honeymoon 005 \ Lyon: Croix Rousse & the market

By whoalansi

On November 25, 2014

In Travel

One of my favourite things about my life in Lyon was my neighbourhood. I lived on a quiet little street, just off the Boulevard de la Croix Rousse. This street separates the 4th arrondissement (the plateau) from the 1st (the pentes or hill). Although my apartment was actually right at the top of the hill, it was just at the end of the 1st. This quarter, Croix Rousse, is nicknamed la colline qui travaille (opposite the hill that prays, which we explored the previous day) because of the numerous silk workshops that were relocated from Vieux Lyon in the 18th Century.

These workshops are the reason for the unique architecture in the area, including the beautiful tall ceilings in most buildings. The ceilings had to be tall to accommodate the very large Jacquard looms, making for beautiful, light-filled apartments now. Things weren’t so great for these silk workers (canuts) back then though – their working conditions were horrible. The subsequent revolts are a big part of Lyon’s history.

Day 2 Itinerary

In many ways, this neighbourhood reminds me of the Plateau in Montreal. The area & its people have a reputation as being different from the rest of the city & in many ways it feels more like a village than part of a large city. So, on our second day in Lyon, we set out for Croix-Rousse first thing. This was one of the things I was most looking forward to in Lyon: giving N a glimpse of my life here in 2008.

Exploring Croix Rousse

We were staying near Place Sathonay, which I had often frequented while living in Lyon, so I took us up my regular route. Most people would take the Montée de la Grande Côte, as it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but my tour would take us back that way on our way home. This way I could show N the stairs at Montée de Vauzelles too. My parents wound up taking them when they were looking for my apartment on their last visit so he’d heard of them before. I even made him take a picture of me at the bottom before we started our climb. (I’m sure he thought I was a little odd getting excited about a set of stairs, but memories, friends.)

The top of the stairs connects with the end of Rue de Vauzelles, & my former building is pretty much right in front of you at 13. Not much had changed from when I lived there, besides a little extra graffiti. Even the view of the Basilique de Fourvière was just as I’d remembered it.

Croix Rousse Market

Giddy to show N the rest of my neighbourhood & hit the market, we only stayed long enough to take a picture in front of my building. The Croix Rousse market is by far my favourite. Located less than a block from my apartment, I spent many a morning browsing everything from fruits & vegetables to fresh cheeses & charcuterie. There was even a fish monger on the corner of my street. I was happy to discover that not much had changed. The fish monger is still there & most of the market’s stalls seemed to be in the exact same places. The market runs from Tuesday to Sunday, giving you ample opportunity to check it out if you’re ever in Lyon (& I highly recommend that you do.)

The fish monger on the corner

We’d hoped to grab a croissant or something quick before making the climb to the boulevard, but it being Sunday, everything was closed. We probably should have grabbed something the night before, but six years makes you forget how quiet things can be on a Sunday. It always takes me a few days to get back into the rhythm. Being one of the most popular days for brunch at home, it’s easy to forget that’s not the case in Europe. We found a little café serving breakfast & had a very French start: tartine, fresh pressed orange juice, & coffee. It won’t keep you full for long, but I knew we’d be picking up an assortment of delicious things at the market so I wasn’t worried.

Picnic Lunch

Satiated, we strolled back through the market, picking up cheese, meat, & a baguette from different vendors. My favourite is always the cheese. Cheese is plentiful & relatively cheap (compared to the prices we’re used to) in France. We had no trouble finding three to try.

L’Arome de Lyon was one of my picks. I’ve never seen it anywhere else so, when I spotted it, I knew I wanted N to try it. From what I’ve read, it is a goat cheese soaked in brandy & then covered in grape skins, stems, & seeds. If you’re up for something different, I highly recommend giving it a try. (I’ve mostly learned all of this from google, but Lucy’s Kitchen Notebook has a good review also.)

N was enamoured (bordering on obsessed) with all the saucisson sec. He wanted to buy it all. We were a bit limited by our lack of utensils so we chose a chorizo. If he’d had his way, I’m sure we would have bought four or five others. We’re both suckers for good quality charcuterie.

This abundance of incredible saucisson sec spurred the first of many discussions about how we could possibly move to France. His plan is to learn to make saucisson sec & start our own business. Once we figure it all out, we’ll import cheeses too. It sounds quite delicious. I’m totally game!

There’s a little park at the end of the boulevard so we headed that way with our finds: 3 cheeses, spicy cured sausage, prosciutto, & baguette. It doesn’t look like a lot, but we barely made a dent in our lunch before we were full. I love this kind of lunch in Europe though. It’s so easy to save for later & perfect when you’re on a budget. (Not that we were on much of a budget. We just love this type of fresh cheese & charcuterie & it doesn’t get fresher than this!) When we finally called it, we just wrapped it all back up & stashed it in my purse.

Canuts – Silk Weavvers

For some reason I can never remember exactly where Le Mur des Canuts (the silk weaving neighbourhood mural) is, so we wandered around in the general area for a while before stumbling upon it. It’s always a little further east than I expect.

Lyon is quite well-known for its murals all over the city. This one honours the silk workers in the area. Every so often, the murals around the city are updated & you can see the older versions of this one on the wall beside it. The version I was most familiar with before this trip, was done in 1997, but when we arrived I realized that it looked a bit different. They’d added some greenery to the building on the right & the people looked different. I thought it was just my memory, until we read the plaques & realized this version was from 2013. I think the coolest part of the updates is that they age the people in the murals, so that was why they looked different to me. The people in the version from 2013 are 15 years older than the original & those in the 1997 version are 10 years older.

in 2008

This year

The streets on this hill wind back & forth, like switchbacks on a mountain, which explains the need for the famous traboules in this neighbourhood. Traboules are famous all over Lyon & we’d be seeing more of them on our tour of Vieux Lyon later, but the ones in Croix-Rousse were built at a different point in history so they are unique. I showed N one of my favourites as well as Passage Thiaffait, the lookout above the montee de la grande cote, & a much quieter montee than the previous night. (Here‘s a little more information about these traboules. I’ve done this tour before as well.

We showed up for our tour in Vieux Lyon a bit early, so we had time to grab a drink at a funny little café in front of the Cathedral. The owner kept coming out to tease us, which is pretty amusing to translate to your english-speaking husband.

I’ll talk a bit more about the traboules in my next post. In an attempt to split up our day in Lyon & keep my post shorter, I managed to still ramble on for far too long. One day I’ll figure out how to concisely write about travel. Maybe. (Doubtful).

Living Abroad \\ Do your research

By whoalansi

On November 22, 2014

In Travel

I’ve neglected this series a little bit, but hopefully that doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten about those travel dreams. Is it even possible to forget travel dreams? It certainly isn’t for me. While we don’t have any travel plans in the near future, the idea is always on my mind. I think 2015 will be a pretty quiet year for us, but I’ve already got my sights on at least five different big trips before we truly “settle down”. Wanderlust, I tell you.

While we were planning our honeymoon my favourite part (aside from the actual experience itself) was the research. It’s always my favourite part. I love giving people ideas on what to do (also known as, what to eat) in different cities I’ve visited. Even when I haven’t got a trip planned, I love reading about things to do in different places around the world. I love hearing about someone’s experience with travel & living vicariously through their adventures (& especially their misadventures). If wasn’t obvious before, my obsession with wandering the globe should be apparent by the end of this post.

Portofino

I’m also a big nerd when it comes to research. & I really think it’s a key factor in ensuring the success of your experience abroad. I’ve done the bulk of my travelling alone & when I lived abroad, made all the arrangements to go on my own. When I have travelled with others, I’ve usually been the girl who shows up to a coffee date to discuss plans with a long list of things I’ve already looked into. I enjoy this kind of thing, so I’m more than happy devouring the information available.

Here are a few of my tips for getting organized before a trip:

1. Look into visa requirements & laws for entering the countries you plan to visit.

This one isn’t very interesting, so get it out of the way first. I haven’t run into many issues with this when in comes to travelling to other countries. It’s usually as simple as submitting a form online nowadays. Get it out of the way early though. There’s nothing worse than planning a entire trip & realizing you missed this crucial step too late.

Living in another country is another story & often requires a lot of paperwork & proof of anything from the necessary funds to live for a few months to a clean bill of health. I can only speak to my experience with obtaining a French visa, which I have applied for twice. Luckily I had some help from our exchange Center my first time so I knew what to expect. I can’t thank them enough – they prepared me for the bureaucracy & offered support while I navigated the system once I arrived. Most countries are a bit easier from what I understand, but do your research. Ask people who have been, look into online forums, use the Google. Just get this step out of the way early.

I drove 12 hours to Vancouver for a 15 minute meeting to get this document. Hurrah!

2. Decide what kind of traveller you are.

Do you like to have a itinerary planned out & booked in advance or do you like to decide day by day? Personally, I like to book most or my accommodation in advance. I like to know that I have somewhere to sleep that night. This is especially true when I travel on my own. It’s usually difficult to get away without booking flights in advance as well. Round trip winds up being the cheapest option.

I’m certainly no expert on getting the cheapest fare; in the past I’ve used anything from travel agents to expedia. Lately, the Google flight search has been coming up with great results. The internet is a wealth of information here so I don’t have much to say about it.

In terms of train travel, you can definitely get away with booking more last minute. This isn’t always the case & you may pay a higher fare, but generally, it’s not a problem. I’ve always had good luck with French & German trains, at least. Sometimes you may have to wait a few hours, but that’s usually the only risk. This happened to us in Venice. The next train was fully booked & we wound up hanging out at a restaurant next to the train station for a few hours, giving up precious hours we could have enjoyed in Cinque Terre. Rookie mistake. It’ll happen.

Gare de Lyon, Paris

As for accommodation, I think it’s getting increasingly difficult to leave booking to the last minute, even if you’re not travelling in the off season. It’s certainly still do-able, so don’t completely discount the idea if you want flexibility. In some cities, namely Paris in my experience, it can even be very difficult to reserve a hostel bed in advance. Again, this just comes down to doing a little bit of research.

When I’ve travelled on my own, I’ve had a definite preference for hostels. The few times I was forced to stay in a hotel were some of the loneliest. Although, I enjoy wandering the streets & eating lunch or enjoying a beer or café on my own, there’s something about returning to an empty hotel room at night that intensifies any feelings of loneliness.

If you’re looking for a safe, clean, & reliable hostel, the HI network will certainly provide them. I’ve stayed in many & they’re generally great. Their downfall is that they aren’t always the most lively or fun hostels. They sometimes have a curfew even. That’s why I tend to gravitate towards the independent hostels. There are no rules with these. That can be great & I’ve stumbled upon so many gems this way. Just be aware that the lack of standards can go the other way too. I rely on hostels.com and hostelworld.com as well as online recommendations. Location, a good night’s sleep, & a fun atmosphere are usually the top things I look for. That criteria has served me well so far. (Although I’ve sort of knocked the HI hostels, the one in Lyon is actually great. I lived there for a week when I was apartment hunting.)

Now that I’m getting older, I’ve moved away from hostels. I certainly didn’t want to share a dorm room with 20 other people on my honeymoon. We’ve been using AirBnB for most of our travel in the last couple years & I love it. I’m such a nerd for research so I’m sure that’s part of the appeal, but we easily stayed in the absolute BEST places on our honeymoon. Our hosts were amazing, the apartments we rented were gorgeous, & they often provided us with ideas for what to do during our stay. Check it out, if you haven’t already. I can’t say enough good things about it.

Our Genoa apartment’s rooftop patio

Lyon apartment

3. Research what to do!

This is fun part. Since my first trip backpacking through Europe in 2005, I’ve learned what I really want to do when I’m in a new city. That first trip, I spent a lot of time going to museums because I thought that was what you were supposed to do. Maybe it is & maybe that’s exactly what you want to do when you go to Europe, but if it isn’t, that’s ok too. There are some museums that I will still take the time to visit: the Vatican Museum & the Louvre (although I’d skip the Mona Lisa), for example. For the most part though, I pick a couple main sights (I’m a sucker for a beautiful church or a good view) & spend the rest of my time wandering around, usually getting lost along the way. I really enjoy history so if there’s a New Europe Free Tour, I almost always jump on that. (I don’t generally recommend tours, but these ones have been really great. & free. Win!)

New Europe Tour in Munich

It’s obvious that I love to eat so that’s what I do the bulk of my research about. I make a list of all the restaurants that I’m interesting in with a little description & bring that with me. It’s like my little guide. Obviously this isn’t for everyone, but I love those lists. Before iPads & iPhones, I wrote it all out on loose leaf and carried that around with me, usually in the pocket of my moleskin journal. I realize I’ve probably lost most people here, but that’s my jam. Find yours & own it. Get excited!

Incredible Pasta in Portland

Birthplace of Pizza!

Wandering in Prague

Wandering the Beach after brunch in Mexico

Fried Cheese in Prague. The best!

4. Get a little bit organized (or if you’re me, a lot).

Since I love research & organization, I’m so into this. You are likely not the type of person who is. I mean, I’m the girl carrying around a list of restaurants, a moleskin journal, a good book, & a DSLR when I travel. I’m seriously into documenting my trips as much as I am into planning them. & I’m all about the details (obviously, my travel posts are rarely less than 1000 words. Sorry!).

The first few times I travelled, I only got online if I went to an Internet cafe so things have changed substantially since I last went. I still like a lot of those old school resources (you can still find me sitting on the floor of the travel section of the library or book store, taking notes & devouring books), but we used our iPad and iPhones a lot on our last trip. Here are some great apps:

– Evernote. This is my number one. I have it downloaded on every computer or mobile device I own & it syncs with all of them, as well as with Nathan’s phone. It’s so easy to use & organize. We primarily use it for meal planing, but it was also great when we travelled. I made lists & reminders & scrapped those loose leaf notes for an online version. When we had online access it was really easy to copy a restaurant address I’d saved & paste it into google maps to get directions. We could easily access it on the go from our phones too. You can’t make everything available offline with the free version, but I was able to make enough of our notes available that it was incredibly useful.

– Google Maps Engine. Everyone knows Google Maps & we use it a lot too, but I really like Google Maps Engine. The difference is that it allows you to save personalized maps & drop pins with locations & notes. I’m an extremely visual person, so this helps me to get a sense of what to do on a day & what sights are near each other. I’m not against taking the metro out to the middle of nowhere for a great meal, but it makes a lot more sense to do things that are nearby on the same day, if you can. Sometimes we inevitably zig zagged our way across cities, but this helps to limit that a little bit.

– Blogger. I only used this app once while travelling & it definitely has it’s downsides (um hello, hyperlinks?) but in a pinch, it’s an easy way to blog. I tend to write a draft in it & then edit it on a computer before publishing, but that just me.

Those are the main apps I find useful for travel. Both times I lived abroad, I used substantially more online resources. I brought my laptop both times & was always connected to emails, my blog, & photo sharing. Facebook was only in its infancy when I first travelled so I mostly kept in touch with email & shared photos on photobucket. (My friends will remember my weekly novels about what I’d been up to. My penchant for long winded story telling hasn’t changed much over the years.)

5. Look at a budget.

I know it’s so boring, but it’s also so necessary. If you don’t have any means to supplement your travel while you’re actually travelling, you have to pay a little bit of attention to what you’re going to spend. I try to do this before I leave so that I can enjoy my trip.

This is where some of the research comes into play. I like to start with the big things: flights, trains, & any sights or activities that are important to me. I add those up first. If I’m really on a budget then I don’t include my accommodation in those numbers because I’m doing that as cheaply as possible. Hostels in Europe will usually run you about $40 a nights if you’re staying in a dorm. I budget $100 a day so that leaves me with $60 for food & drink. Most of the sights I plan to see are either already budgeted for or are free (wandering the market, sitting in a park, getting a feel for a neighbourhood). Hostels usually include breakfast & I tried to make dinner in the kitchen or spend around $10-15 on dinner. You can enjoy nicer restaurants at lunch at a cheaper price in Europe, so I tried to do that. In France you can get the plat du jour (three courses, usually) for around $20. That left me with $25 for drinks – beer, coffee, or actual partying. Some days I inevitably went over. Some days I wanted to go for a really nice dinner (I tried to budget for that in advance). Some days I grabbed a baguette & some cheese & had a picnic on a bench or in the park. My point is that’s thought about this a little bit in advance & even on my smallest budget, I had a great time in Europe & didn’t max out my credit card.

Giant Pickles in Munich. Cheap & delicious market snack.

Hostel Happy Hour Drinks. Always budget.

Picnic in the Park. Market finds are a great budget lunch.

It doesn’t have to be a huge chore either. These couple calculations usually take me a few minutes. It’s not an exact science & I always add a little bit for emergencies, but I definitely find it helps to think about it a little bit before. (& knowing the ways you can save a bit helps too. Taking an overnight train will save you a night in a hostel & get you to your next destination bright & early, for example.)

This is what I’ve found useful over the years. I’ve gotten better at planning my trips & found myself enjoying travel so much. A lot of my tips apply to my trips through Europe, but I think they apply to other places as well. I’ve just done the bulk of my travelling on that continent & am most familiar with the costs & culture there.

How do you plan your trips? Feel free to share your tips in the comments! (& congrats if you made it to the end of this post!)

Saturday morning thoughts \ House Hunting

By whoalansi

On November 15, 2014

In Personal

I like to start my weekend mornings with a cup of coffee in bed, catching up on reading or a few blog posts, before I face the day. When I have the choice, I’m a slow morning girl. I suppose that’s a bit funny since I’m also the girl who wakes up before dawn for a spin class, but that’s usually a workweek thing – Even a 9 am class on the weekend feels too early for me sometimes.

This morning, I caught up with the fresh exchange and their house hunting story. This post couldn’t have come at a better time for me. N & I have started the daunting, albeit exciting, process of becoming homeowners. We’ve been saving for a few years & living in an inner-city condo that we have a love-hate relationship with. We love the location. We hate a lot of little details about the condo itself (such as the incredibly frustrating laundry situation). It’s time to find a place of our own.

When we first looked at buying a home a few years ago, we saw ourselves in a condo. There are many things I love about the condo lifestyle & it fit our budget for the neighbourhoods we’re interested in. As time has gone on though, we’ve fallen out of love with certain aspects of condo living & since we decided to rent for a couple years, it no longer feels like the type of place we’ll still want to be in five years. If we’re going to put this much money into something, I’d like to feel comfortable with it for at least five years.

So now we’re looking at houses – houses in inner-city neighbourhoods in this crazy oil & gas town. I know it’s going to be a huge challenge to find the right house. For one, many of the houses in the areas we like have been renovated or are infills, bumping them far out of our budget. There are also many that require the kind of structural overhaul that we cannot afford. We’re looking for that perfect blend of character home that everyone our age would like, a needle in a haystack if you will. I’m hoping that the fact that we’re willing to put some work into any home we buy will help us. While many people want a renovated kitchen, I’m actually hoping for something older. Of course, it needs to be functional since we won’t be updating it right away, but I’d prefer it didn’t have the granite countertops & new appliances yet. I’d like to be able to update a kitchen to be my kitchen.

We know this is a tall order & are expecting it will take some time. We’ll undoubtedly want to give up. (I’m sure I will throw my hands up at some point & say, alright let’s just move out to the suburbs like everyone else our age. Urban sprawl it is!). I hope when I do, I can remember both this post & Megan’s.

That’s my main reason for writing this: to remind myself that we’ll find it. We’re in that rare situation where we can take our time & find the right place & I want to remember that fact.

Happy Saturday!

Honeymoon 004 \ Lyon

By whoalansi

On November 10, 2014

In Travel

The first time I arrived at Lyon Part-Dieu was in February 2006. My train was two hours late, having hit a car enroute, & I was worried about my hostel reservation. Another girl on the train noticed & set my mind at ease, offering to let me stay with her if worse came to worse. As soon as the train stopped, she put me on the quickest bus towards the hostel, her contact info saved in my phone in case my reservation had been cancelled.

I didn’t wind up needing to take her up on her kind offer, but it was nice to have made a friend & experience such kindness from a total stranger. It was the beginning of my love affair with Lyon & when I decided to move to France in 2008, it was the first city that came to mind. It turned out to be the best choice. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend a visit. It’s big enough to keep you occupied, while still being walkable & friendly. Three days is plenty of time to see the city, eat at a few fabulous restaurants, & get a feel for daily life.

Day 1

During my seven months abroad, I had three visitors for whom I gladly played tour guide. It’s so satisfying to show people close to you your home. I’ve told N so many stories of this place & when we started planning our honeymoon, I hoped he’d be game for a visit. This place is such a huge part of my identity that I couldn’t wait to share it with my new husband.

I’ve taken to referring to Lyon as my French hometown & it felt like that from the moment we stepped off the train. I know the city & that was apparent as we navigated it with ease. I excitedly pointed out landmarks & shared memories from my séjour around every corner. There’s something so special to me about this level of ease in a place. It goes beyond comfort. I’m struggling to explain what I mean, so I can only suggest you live abroad yourself. I’ve talked about how life changing I think this experience is before & I’m sure I will continue to do so for a long time because I really & truly believe it. (You can read those posts here.)

We had rented an apartment on AirBnB again & (again) it did not disappoint. Around the corner from Place Sathonay (a square I passed daily when I lived here), our apartment featured two large windows that framed the beautiful Fourvière Hill. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that. The living room was perfect for relaxing with a bottle of wine & some cheese & charcuterie from the market up the hill (which we did, of course) & we were just down the hill from my old apartment. Thank you, AirBnB!

Fuel

It was a bit of an odd time of day by the time we got settled – too early for dinner & too late for lunch. We’d eaten on the train but I knew we needed some fuel for our climb up to Fourvière. We settled on moules & frites to share at a Léon de B just off the pedestrian street, rue Mercière. It’s a bit of a touristy spot, but they serve great Belgian beer, unlimited fries, & large servings of moules. I can’t argue with that.

Exploring

Rejuvenated, we headed out for our hike. We made a quick stop at Bellecour & the statue of le Petit Prince & Antoine de St Exupéry. If you attended our wedding, you know that I translated a passage from this famous book. My favourite quote is inscribed on the side of this statue. The fact that Exupéry is from Lyon had a lot to do with my choosing this particular passage. Ah the symbolism.

On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.

Fourvière – la colline qui prie

Fourvière is known as la colline qui prie (the hill that prays) because of the iconic white basilica atop this hill. It also features the remains of a roman amphitheater & smaller Odeon. You’re rewarded with these incredible, & slightly unexpected, roman ruins as you near the top. You can see the basilica up a little further, but I can rarely resist a visit of the ruins first. We explored the site a bit before continuing our climb.

The view of Lyon from the basilica is gorgeous. You can see the whole of Vieux Lyon & the Presqu’île as well as both rivers. I’ve always loved this basilica, perched up on the hill above the city. Walking down the street to my little apartment when I lived in Lyon, I would drink in the sight of it, all lit up on that hill, a beacon for the city below. I can’t imagine I’ll ever tire of it.

We wound our way back down through the gardens & stairways back to View Lyon to grab a beer on one of the cobblestoned terraces in the old town.

We picked a cafe on the edge of the old town. In some cities, it’s only tourists all the time in this type of area. Here I found it to be a good mix of locals, exchange students, & tourists if you stick to the outer edges. It probably helps that people actually live in Vieux Lyon.

It was getting dark as we wandered home to change for dinner & I snapped some pretty photos in the fading light. We also caught some Russians jumping off bridge. My photos are quite blurry, but it’s a funny memory.

Evening

We had planned to get dinner in Croix Rousse that night but we let time get away from us & by the time we arrived, they said they were full. We wandered around disappointed for a while (a few of the other places in the area were closed due to the August vacation thing) until finally settling on dinner on the main boulevard. It was nothing special sadly, aside from the location.

After dinner we wandered through Croix Rousse & stumbled upon a festival of some kind. It mostly consisted of salsa dancing so we sat & watched for a bit before continuing down the Montée de la Grande Côte. This pedestrian route is lined with shops, restaurants, & bars. It was Saturday night so we found ourselves a lively terrace across from a couple bars & ordered beers amongst the locals. It was busy, which made for some great people watching & eavesdropping.

We enjoyed a couple drinks there before I decided to show N the club we used to go to when I lived here: Ayers Rock. We only lasted about 30 seconds before we realized I was 6 years younger when I was last a frequent visitor of Ayers. It’s not quite our scene anymore. It was good for nostalgia though.

We finished off the night at a pub next to Place Sathonay before packing it in for the night. We had a big day planned for Sunday so we thought we should get a good nights sleep.

October in Instagram

By whoalansi

On November 6, 2014

In Uncategorized

So here’s a new tradition for you: posting my Instagram recaps late. Does twice in a row make it a tradition? It’s probably happened more than that in reality.

It’s tough to ignore winter now. Daylight Savings was last week & I always forget how much this little change affects everything. I think most of us are playing catch-up still (keep the coffee flowing) & my walks home are getting increasingly dark. I think that’s the worst part of winter: walking to & from work in the dark. It feels lonely. Luckily, it doesn’t last long & there is something so wonderful about realizing the days are getting longer. I guess it would be tough to appreciate one without the other. (That’s the theory I’m going with this year, anyway. Roll with it.)

Let’s talk about October. It was a good one. Here’s what we got up to:

1. For YYC Pizza Week, we decided to check out Posto Pizzeria. This little restaurant, sister to Bonterra, Cibo, & now Scopa, is fast becoming a favourite. Our visit coincided with Porchetta Thursday, which I can’t recommend enough if you love pork even a little bit.
2. I changed my name on my licence. I’m slowly changing it on other things too, but for now I’m in this strange in between phase. Sometimes I use my maiden name & sometimes I use my married name. I just like to keep people guessing.
3. We picked up another eight of a cow this year, so we’ve been working through last year’s order. Now that we have a meat thermometer, we’re all about the roast. This one was particular delicious.
4. My lovely friends got married at the River Cafe & we were so excited to celebrate with them. They had perfect fall weather, beautiful full, & one of the best dance parties. Congratulations, J & J!
5. We spent Thanksgiving out at the lake with my parents & brother. It was gorgeous & we ate some incredible food. I blogged about it here.
6. Our travels to France & Italy this year have carried over a little bit into our lives here in the form of charcuterie, wine, & cheese. One of my favourite ways to spend an evening is with a beautiful bottle of wine, some nice cheeses, & salami. Europe knows what’s up.
7. My sommelier friend introduced me to Metrovino this month & it was such an incredible wine shop. I’m already predicting I’ll be upping my wine game very soon.
8. A girlfriend & I met up on the new St Patrick’s bridge for Feast in the East. We shared Taiko Taco & Waffles & Chix.
9. Halloween. My coworkers are a lot of fun & we had some great costumes. I went the easy route & dressed up as a scarecrow. L was an adorable Olive Oyl.

On to November. Please don’t talk to me about Christmas yet, guys. We have a full, blissful month of non-Christmas activities & I fully intend to be a grinch until at least December 1.

whoalansi

| FRANCOPHILE | OENOPHILE | LOGOPHILE | TUROPHILE | A self-professed foodie, lover of language, & travel enthusiast, I find joy in sharing my adventures as I eat, travel, & try to find the right words to tell you about it. International experiences are my jam, & I have some serious wanderlust. I'm cheesy, loyal, independant, & most of all, passionate; I wear my heart on my sleeve. I've been called intense, & I can't deny the label: I’m earnest & embrace my interests wholeheartedly. My experiences abroad have fueled an appreciation for a wide variety of foods & I love watching Calgary diversify. I delight in the ongoing search for delicious fare & take great pleasure in sharing my knowledge of Calgary's food scene.

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