travel Archives - Page 3 of 4

Tag: travel Page 3 of 4

Living Abroad \ misadventures 001

On May 2, 2014

A very quiet Rennes 2 Campus

Misadventures are inevitable. Just like at home, shit happens. &, just like at home, you can’t really plan for it. Instead, expect that things will go wrong & prepare for how you will deal with them. Learn from my mistakes.

I’ve done a reasonable amount of travelling, most of it on my own. I’m only now starting to do some travel with others & enjoying it. As I’ve mentioned before, I think travel is incredibly important & I think travel on your own can be invaluable. I personally learned a lot & a lot of that is because I wasn’t fully prepared. I had a lot of growing up to do when I first went travelling.

I’m going to take a bit risk here – the risk that you may think I’m a bit of an idiot for some of these mistakes I made while abroad. That’s a risk I’m currently willing to take though. For one, they happened long enough ago that they’re now funny & for another, I learned a lot from each of them.

As I’m a fairly long-winded storyteller, I’ll be splitting these stories up. I don’t want to overwhelm you too much with all of my silly stories. Here goes with the first…

The view from my residence

The first time I left North America was in 2005. I’d been dreaming of spending a semester in France & it finally happened. My parents were to meet me in Paris a few weeks after my arrival in Rennes, but I was on my own flying to France, catching a train to Rennes, & figuring out this little french town that would be my home for the next six months.

I really thought I was prepared. I’d read about Rennes a million times & I’d looked at maps of the area near the University where I’d be living. I didn’t print any maps though & smart phones weren’t exactly commonplace. Was Google Maps even an app yet? I’m not sure that it was.

Anyway, I missed the 9am train to Rennes by a few minutes when I arrived in Paris so I had a few hours to kill at the airport before the next train. I found some food & wandered the airport before settling in to wait for my train. I was too excited to sleep so by the time I arrived in Rennes, I’d been up for well over 24 hours.

Place St Anne

Rennes has this incredibly efficient, albeit tiny, metro system. It’s awesome & extremely easy to navigate, so I found my way to Villejean, the area where I’d be living, without incident. I also easily found the University, but since it was a Saturday, it was closed. Unlike so many other exchange countries, no one from the Université de Rennes 2 would be there to meet me either. I was on my own to figure everything out, something that I’d expected, but was not the least bit prepared for. Could I remember the map for the life of me? No. Were there any other students around? Of course not. School wouldn’t officially start for another 2 weeks so, as I’d later find out, there were only a handful of exchange students scattered around different residences nearby.

I started wandering, figuring I’d run into my residence eventually. I probably wandered for forty-five minutes, lugging close to fifty pounds worth of luggage, before I swallowed my pride & decided to ask for help. I fluently speak French so this shouldn’t have been an issue, but I probably didn’t ask very clearly for what I was looking for so the only response I got was that there was a pay phone down the street. Little good that would do me since I didn’t have the proper card to activate a French pay phone.

Metro République

The combination of lack of sleep, being abroad for the first time on my own, & feeling like I’d already failed just a few short hours into my séjour lead to this scene: a blond (very, by french standards) 19-year-old girl in lululemon sweatpants & pumas, sitting on her giant suitcase, crying in the middle of the sidewalk.

I let myself feel wallow for a few minutes before picking myself up. It was time to find somewhere to sleep that night. I headed back into the centre & found a hotel, leaving the search for my residence for the following day, when I’d be clearer headed & fifty pounds lighter.

When I returned to Villejean the next day, I got off the metro & immediately, clearly, saw the residence building. It was literally right in front of me, plain as day.

So what is the point of this ridiculous, long-winded story? Was I just a foolish, young kid? Probably. In fact, I was most definitely young & often, quite foolish too. But there are three things I’ve taken away from that day (three main things, at least).

Rue St Michel, Rennes – all bars

The first thing is that it’s okay to ask for help. The thing I didn’t realize at the time was that I was completely overtired & desperately needed directions. At the time though, I was fiercely independent (Obviously – I moved to another continent by myself…) & hated asking for help. I saw it as a sign of failure. But I should have asked someone for help long before I’d reached a point of feeling so completely lost & exhausted.

Next, anytime you panic, you inevitably make the situation much worse than it needs to be. There’s no point in panicking about something you can’t do anything about. So try not to (I realize that can be nearly impossible sometimes. It’s something I’m still working on too).

Lastly, you’re going to get lost. Embrace it. Yeah, getting lost while you’ve got all your luggage with you isn’t great, but it’s bound to happen. Get a little bit comfortable with being uncomfortable. Getting lost has become something I actually enjoy about travel. Perhaps not while I’ve got all my luggage with me, but one of my personal favourite things to do now is just wander. Funnily enough, that’s actually the meaning behind the name of this blog – Au fil de mes balades, which roughly translates to while I wander.

Living Abroad \ Travel Young, Travel Old, Travel Often

By whoalansi

On December 20, 2013

In Travel

Raleigh Beach, Thailand

Lyon

“We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle once said. While I don’t want to sound all gloom-and-doom, and I believe your life can turn around at any moment, there is an important lesson here: life is a result of intentional habits. So I decided to do the things that were most important to me first, not last. – Jeff Goins

This article was circulating around a while back and it really hit home for me. You hear comments about it so often and the hardest part of travelling or living abroad is letting go of all the reasons not to. The older I get, the harder it is to take that leap: quit my job, leave my friends, spend my savings globetrotting. That’s not to say it wasn’t hard to do when I was younger though either. It’s not easy to pick up your whole life and move to another country, especially one where you don’t know anyone. Hell, it’s not even easy to move across your own country. It is worth it though.

Lyon

Fete de Lumieres, Lyon

Traveling will change you like little else can. (JG)

I wholeheartedly believe this. I’ve seen it in myself and I’ve seen it in others. Travel most definitely changes you. I believe it changes you in the best way possible. If you’re struggling to take the plunge, stop. Travel will never be the wrong answer, especially if you’re young.

There has never been an instance where I truly regretted having travelled. Sure, there have been times when I’ve thought, “It’d sure be nice to have a downpayment for a house” or “It’d sure be nice to be further along in my career”. Yes, those things would be nice at this point in my life, but would I even want them if I hadn’t had the experiences I did? I don’t think I would. I think I’d still be yearning to live abroad.

Sevilla

Lisboa

Roma

Go now. That’s the best advice I can give you. Go before you’re too entrenched in whatever life you’re comfortably creating for yourself at home. Go before you decide you’re too old. Go before you regret not having gone.

It’s never too late to go travelling, but it will eventually feel that way. & you will eventually put other priorities first too many times. I firmly believe that it will only get harder the more you establish yourself. Maybe not financially, but in every other way. The longer you stay in one place the harder it is to leave.

So get out of here already. The only thing standing in your way are your excuses.

You can thank me later.

Living Abroad

By whoalansi

On December 1, 2013

In Travel

I started this blog while living abroad in 2008. I wanted a way to document that time in my life as well as write, be creative, and keep in touch with friends. My time in France was not only one of the inspirations for this blog but also one of the most rewarding and incredible experiences of my life.

I think about France often. Honestly, I think about travel in general a lot, but especially both of my experiences living in France. I’ve said countless times that I think travel (and especially solitary travel) is one of the best things you can do in your twenties. Those experiences have shaped me in so many ways and I know I’d be a very different person today without them.

I’m grateful I was given the opportunity to live abroad twice. I’ve been told that I’m brave for having the ability to take these opportunities and run with them. It’s hard to always see yourself in that way – a lot of the things I’ve done in my life were possible because of the support of my family and friends. For them, I am also very grateful. A lot I accomplished because of sheer determination. I’m a stubborn person and I knew I’d regret not taking the chances I did. It took a lot of research, planning, and many missteps along the way, but I made it.

I’ve told so many people to go travelling or go live abroad but I realized the other day that I’ve never really written about the how or the why. I think it’s time to change that. I look forward to looking back on my experiences and sharing them in this series and I hope it helps someone who needs that extra push.

Road Tripping: Seattle

By whoalansi

On November 17, 2013

In Travel

I can’t believe it’s been over two months since we were in Seattle. It was a really quick trip, but we managed to see a lot of the city. We got in late in the afternoon and parked by the pier. We had about an hour until my friend and his wife could meet up with us so we wandered around.

Pike Place Market was just down the street so we headed there right away. I’m not sure what is up with this gum wall, but it’s huge. N thought it was pretty gross and I kind of do too. Interesting to photograph, but I don’t think I could bring myself to touch it and add my own piece to the wall.

We wandered the market a bit and then went in search of parking to meet up with my friend and his wife. I hadn’t see Lucas since he came to Calgary for Stampede Week in 2006. We originally met in France while studying in Rennes in 2005. He played tour guide and showed up some of the main sites downtown. We eventually decided on Ivar’s for some seafood on the pier. It was great catching up and hearing about everything they’d been up to since I’d last seen him (there’s a lot. They’re pretty worldly and impressive people!) They were generously putting us up at their home just outside Seattle so after dinner we headed back to their house to rest up for the next day.

Our first stops after breakfast the next day were the Ballard Locks and Fish Ladder. They were built to link the freshwater of Lake Washington to the saltwater of Puget Sound. There is also a fish ladder built to allow easier passage for salmon to return to Lake Washington and navigate the locks. There are glass panels below the waterline so you can watch the fish swim up the ladders if you’re lucky. We waited and waited, hoping to see a salmon swim up the ladder, but it was wasn’t until we were just walking out that one finally made an appearance. It swam so fast that we didn’t get to see much. It’d be really cool to be there when a lot of salmon are making their way to Lake Washington.

We had visited Pike Place Market briefly the day before but wanted a little more time to see it and try some seafood so we headed back there. The rain held off and gave us the opportunity to wander the market. We tried some fresh crab and marvelled at the amazing seafood. The rest of the market was great too, but that scale of seafood isn’t something we see at home so we were spent most of our time in awe of the seafood.

We tried to visit the first Starbucks, but the line outside was insane so we took dumb pictures outside instead. It was possibly the most touristy moment of our trip. I worked at Starbucks long enough to grow an intense appreciation for good coffee and small roasters, of which there are plenty in both Seattle and Portland. I appreciate what Starbucks has done for this industry. It really wouldn’t exist if someone hadn’t come up with the idea to open this little italian style cafe and try to sell the idea of lattes, americanos, and cappuccinos to North Americans. Thank you, Starbucks.

Lucas had mentioned we should check out the library. It’s a pretty cool building and definitely well worth a wander if you’re looking for something to do downtown and are interested in architecture. We didn’t stay long, but we wandered all the way up to the top. This is the top floor of the library.

Afterwards, we decided we’d seen enough of downtown Seattle and headed up to Capitol Hill. This is such a cool area of Seattle. We were ready for a break, some beer, and a snack so we wandered the area looking for a good spot. We stumbled on Oddfellows and decided it looked like a good choice. We shared some charcuterie and a couple drinks. I absolutely loved the space and was sad to have to head back to the car. I would have loved to have had more time to explore Capitol Hill. I guess that means we’ll have to make another trip out to Seattle.

We headed to the Walrus and the Carpenter for dinner that night. The restaurant is in Ballard, which is another really cool neighbourhood. They don’t take reservations and it is a pretty popular spot so we showed up and had a two hour wait ahead of us. Luckily this gave us a chance to wander around the area and grab a drink on a patio. Again, another neighbourhood I’d love to have more time to explore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter is a little Oyster Bar in a beautiful old restored building. They also have a lot of small plates and a beautiful wine and beer selection. We ordered a bunch of delightful things along with both fresh oysters and fried ones. It was a delicious meal and the perfect end to our food tour of the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, it seemed too cramped a space to pull out my SLR so I only have grainy iPhone photos of the meal. Trust me, these don’t do it justice.

We woke up “early”the next morning, grabbed coffee in the beautiful town of Edmonds (Lucas picked a beautiful spot to call home!), and hit the Interstate. We stopped for some quick outlet shopping before crossing the border back into Canada; it was time for Kelowna and a very exciting half marathon!

Portland Brews

By whoalansi

On October 13, 2013

In Food, Travel

When planning for Portland we mostly looked at how to eat our way through the city. N was equally excited to try all the amazing beer options in the city though. Portland is well known for its great craft breweries.

One of the first places we went was Clyde Common. I love this restaurant and bar. Their beer list was the first to introduce us to The Common’s Urban Farmhouse Ale. This was probably my favourite beer of the whole trip. Not surprisingly, it won the 2013 Beer of the Year for Willamette Week.

Deschutes was the first actual brew pub we tried. We decided to do two different samplers to maximize the amount of different beers we tried. We also tried the Green Monster, which is an accidental sour beer they now brew every year. It was very different. Not bad, but I’m glad we just did a sample. I really enjoyed the Mirror Pond Ale and the Black Butte Porter. The brew pub was a fun experience.

On the East side of the Willamette, we found a fun patio at Mississippi Studios and Bar Bar in the Mississippi District. They had lots of tables in a little courtyard beside the actual bar. It looks like it’s a fun venue for concerts in the evenings as well.

We couldn’t come to Portland without trying Rogue Brewery. Even in Calgary, this awesome craft brewery is well known among beer lovers. We shared a sampler at their brew pub in the Pearl District and then both tried one of their Rogue Farms Beers. I had the Good Chit Pilsner and N had the Dirtoir Black Lager. We both loved Rogue Farms. All their beers are amazing, but the Farms are definitely my favourite. We brought home a large bottle of each to enjoy at home.

Our last night in Portland, we had plans to head to Pok Pok on the East side for dinner so we decided to try a little pub on that side of the river as well. Beer was a cute little pub with a long list of bottled beers. We went for a couple of brews they had on tap. Delicious as always. It seemed to be the trend when it came to beers in Portland.

There were lots of other pubs we also went to that we loved. Henry’s Tavern has a great assortment of beers on tab and a pretty great happy hour food menu (try the mac and cheese!). We also had a great time challenging each other to Pac Man and Pin Ball games at the quirky Ground Kontrol. Portland has no shortage of options for beer lovers. The hardest decision we had to make was which beer to try next. There just isn’t enough time to sample them all!

Road Tripping: Cannon Beach

By whoalansi

On September 23, 2013

In Travel

Instead of taking the I-5 all the way to Portland from Vancouver, we took a detour to the coast at Olympia. I’d driven interstate highways before and knew they were quick, efficient, and mostly incredibly boring. My dad’s own trip down the Pacific Coast Highway in his Triumph TR-6 had sparked my interest in doing the same. We wouldn’t be able to head all the way down, but when planning our trip, I couldn’t resist sneaking in this little detour.

We’d originally planned to head all the way down to Tillamook and then start heading towards Portland. I’d planned a stop at Cannon Beach after seeing countless gorgeous photos of it. We arrived around dinner time and wandered around the beachy little tourist town in search of some french seafood to go. All the restaurants were packed (and total tourist traps). All we wanted was something french we could take away to the beach.

We finally found a little place, grabbed our fish and chips, and hit the beach. As you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful evening. The light was incredible and the beach is breathtaking. We decided to head straight to Portland from there instead of continuing further down the PCH to Tillamook. I think we both decided we’d be back though. Next time, we’ll go all the way to California.

iPhone Blogging

By whoalansi

On August 28, 2013

In Uncategorized

N and I are gearing up for a road trip to Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, and Kelowna in a couple days. I’m really excited to be heading on vacation finally. It seems like we’ve been planning this trip for ages!

I thought it might be fun to try and post here and there from our trip so I downloaded the blogger app for my iPhone. Do people blog from their phones? Is that a thing?

It seems relatively easy to use so I can actually imagine myself kind of using it. I can even add photos!

This is my view right now as I type this from the park near work on my lunch break. Fun!

Anyway, we’ll see if I actually end up using it. It seems like a fun option for quick travel posts, but we’ll see if I tear myself away from all the food we plan on eating (and instagramming about).

Vegas!

By whoalansi

On November 2, 2012

In Uncategorized

Today marks 1 month until Nathan, my dad, and I will be standing at the starting line of the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas. This will be my third half marathon and both mine and Nathan’s first time in Vegas. I’m looking to finally break the 2 hour mark (last time I missed it by sixteen seconds). I can’t wait to see Vegas AND cross this awesome race off my bucket list.

Heather, Nathan, and I after Calgary 2012

Calgary’s weather has been making training a little on the difficult side, but it’s still been going surprisingly well. A month seems simultaneously like a lot of time and very little. That’s only 3 more long runs, 3 interval runs, and a couple handfuls of shorter midweek runs. Somehow it always seems like training flies by and race day is suddenly here. I’m sure this next month will be no different.

Hoping I feel better this time than Calgary Half Marathon

Vegas, I am so ready for you!

The Paralympics

By whoalansi

On August 31, 2012

In Uncategorized

Seven years ago, my fellow coach – Karen – and I met an awesome twelve year old named Morgan Bird. Her parents had signed her up for a swimming bootcamp and we had the pleasure of being her coaches. At the end of the week it was obvious that Morgan was hooked. She signed up for Swim Club and started the following week.

That first year (and every year thereafter), Karen would say “Birdie, when you make it to the Paralympics, Coach Karen will be there to cheer you on.” Morgan would laugh, thinking Karen was ridiculous for saying that she’d qualify for the paralympics, but Karen was persistant in her belief that Morgan would one day make it.

I had the pleasure of coaching her that first year alongside Karen and then for another few years afterwards. I’ve still never met a happier or more positive swimmer in my entire coaching career. Morgan made my job easy by always being game for whatever was thrown at her and doing everything with the biggest smile.

Naturally, my plan was always to join Karen in the cheering section and now that day is officially here. Morgan made the London 2012 Paralympic Team this year and we’re off to London tonight. We’ll be in the stands for her 50 free on Sunday and you can bet we’ll be cheering our heads off. Let’s see those dash feet in action!

Springtime in Lyon & a “weekend” in Rennes

By whoalansi

On April 22, 2009

In Uncategorized

So, I’m pretty well at the end of my séjour in France. I’ll be back in Calgary 3 weeks from today & I actually leave Lyon in one week. I’ll be heading up to Munich for a few days, then on to Prague & back down to Strasbourg before heading back to Lyon to pick up my bags & taking the train up to Paris for a final day before the long flight home. This also means that I’m on to my final 4 shifts at Starbucks. No more free coffee for me…I’ll have to figure out a new plan to support my caffeine addiction, I suppose.

Anyways, I’ve been enjoying a really nice spring over here. All the terraces are back out & there’s nothing better than a drink on a terrace after a busy day at work. The grass is green, trees & flowers are in bloom & I’ve even got a bit of a tan. In fact, my friend Jamie (who’s father is black) was mad the other day because I’m just as “tanned” as she is. I don’t really know how this has happened, but I’m not going to complain. Perma-tan is cool with me.

The majority of my international friends in Lyon took off travelling for spring break at the beginning of April, so I had a pretty chill week. Jamie stuck around a little bit longer so we spend a lot of time together. I never would have thought that shopping could involve so much walking, but we hit the market, rue de la ré (in the center), croix rousse (my neighbourhood up the giant hill) & Part Dieu shopping mall in one day. Did I mention that neither of us have cars or bus passes this month, so we went all over on food. & if that wasn’t enough, we headed over to Rachel’s that night to make pizza, popcorn & watch Bridget Jones’ Diary. It was a pretty good day, shopping-wise as well as food (bagels at City Bagels in town!! yum!) & company-wise. We also managed to enjoy a beer on a terrace & relaxed in the park for a while. Ah yes, life is tough for me. The following night, I headed over to Rachel’s again to watch Remember the Titans. Classic.

They both took off for Rome the next day though, so I had a pretty lowkey weekend at home. I’d bought a train ticket to Rennes that week & hopped on a train early Monday morning last week to head over to one of my favourite cities in France. I’d been expecting somewhat dreary, cold weather in Rennes, but I arrived to find cloudless blue skies. I found my way to the Youth Hostel & set out for the day, grabbing a picnic lunch on my way to Parc du Thabor. The park there is absolutely beautiful. There are so many beautiful flowers & trees & the grass is so green (it rains a lot, so that’s really no surprise). I spent a good chunk of the afternoon there enjoying the sun & relaxing. I finally decided it was time to leave & got ambushed by some guy as I was leaving the park. He was fairly nice & incredibly chatty, but I really wasn’t interested. Problem is, I really don’t know how to tell people I’m not so interested in French without being incredibly rude. & he wasn’t being incredibly bothersome, I just wasn’t interested in having a drink or dinner with him. I do however, now have a place to stay in Paris, should I ever need. (haha, ya right) Anyhow, he accompanied me to the Tourist Office & then down to the metro & waited for me to buy myself a ticket even (I’d lied & told him I was going up to Villejean to meet friends) before taking off. I saved my ticket for Thursday morning, when I’d be leaving Rennes & went for Ice cream at Quick instead of meeting my imaginary friends in Villejean.

I spent the rest of the evening wandering around Rennes. The city is really quite small so around every corner I found something familiar. I couldn’t go anywhere without being hit with some memory from when I lived there. The city was virtually unchanged which was a bit of a surprise. It was nice though, however unexpected. I have such fond memories of Rennes, so it was wonderful to just wander around. It’s hard to explain, but that city will always be something special to me.

Hanging out in Parc du Thabor

green grass, sunny day, perfect picnic in the park

so pretty

les portes mordelaises: original gates into Rennes

For dinner that evening, I indulged in some typical Breton food- a galette complète at one of the many crêperies in town. Galettes are savoury crêpes that you can find all over Brittany. They’re made with blé noire (dark flour, black flour??) & are one of my favourite things about Brittany. A galette complète has jambon, oeuf, fromage (ham, egg, cheese) on it. There are tons of other combinations however.

galette complète: jambon, oeuf, fromage

Rennes square

The following day, my good luck with the weather ended. It was rainy & cloudy as I set out for the day after breakfast. I decided to head up to Villejean. It’s not really your typical tourist attraction in Rennes. In fact, it’s not really a nice neighbourhood at all. It’s where the Université de Rennes 2 (aka where I went to school) is. It’s also where my rez was, so I know the neighbourhood pretty well. The school was completely unchanged, apart from perhaps some new paint to mark the building letters & more graffiti. It’s not the prettiest school around. Rez looked exactly the same as well, aside from renovations on the inside. (Excuse me?! Toilets IN the rooms?! not fair!!) Seeing as it’s easter break right now, everything was pretty deserted & it was a little bit eerie. Not quite as bad as when the entire school was on strike though.

I wandered back to the center afterwards & did some shopping. For such a small city, Rennes really does have incredibly good shopping. Furthermore, people actually wear colours other than black & grey or some shade between the two. It was incredibly refreshing to see people in hoodies & colours! That night I went to my favourite moulerie/crêperis: L’Abri du Marché. It is so cozy & cute & looks right out onto Place des Lices. I had Moules du Nord, which were muscles with crème fraiche, smoked salmon & leek. It came with homemade french fries & a dipping sauce. I also got a nice glass of white wine & enjoyed the meal. I’d been looking forward to Breton food the entire time I’ve been in France. Actually, I’ve been looking forward to it, since I left in 2006. Yes, it’s that good! I decided to splurge & get dessert as well. I had a dessert crêpe called La Houat which was pear, raspberry coulis & whip cream. Basically: amazing!

the most delicious moules et frites! Brittany

The following day got even better weather-wise. By the time I arrived to the centreville, I was completely soaked. I had also learned that my rain jacket is, in fact, not waterproof. Sweet. I tried to spend most of my time inside. Wandering around the exhibition at the tourist office, the mall & little shops along Rue du Bastard. Finally I decided it was time for some lunch & headed to another crêperie, this one on Rue St Georges. I enjoyed a galette chevre miel (goat cheese & honey) & a crêpe caramel buerre salé. Caramel & butter in Brittany are both salty, which I love. I’m much more a savoury person, so I really enjoy the buerre salé. & yes, part of the reason I came back to Rennes was for the food. Food is France is delicious, but I especially love the food from Brittany. (we all know my stomach is in charge of most of my decisions…)

In the afternoon, I headed back to the hostel & took a siesta before making dinner. In the kitchen at the hostel, I met a few guys on exchange in Brest. (ya, I know….sucks to be them…). There were 2 spaniards & a belgian. They shared some beer & brownies with me & we decided to head out for drinks all together. We headed to Kenland first where there happened to be a football game on there. We had a drink there & then they took pity on me & decided to change venues. We headed to Le P’tit Velo, which used to be one of my favourite bars in Rennes. I think they were going renovations though because it wasn’t as large as I remember it being. It was still a nice evening on a terrace in Place St Michel. We headed back to the hostel pretty early so I could pack for the following morning. It was time to go home & back to work, sadly.

Everyone was back in Lyon when I got back & we all met up at Kate’s on Friday night for a drink & some Starbucks cookies & cake. Then Kate & I headed out to Vieux Lyon to meet up with Anne. I hadn’t hung out with her in ages so it was nice to see her despite the bar being incredibly crowded. There was also a really great band playing covers of Coldplay & the like. It was a good night. I worked the rest of the weekend & then Sunday night headed over to Kate’s to make poutine. Turns out she’s never had it before! It wasn’t as good as when Alyssa & I made it because she didn’t have compté, but it was still quite good. We hadn’t had a sleepover in ages so we did that as well. How grade 7 of us. 😉 haha.

The next morning I headed out on my velo’v to work. I had picked up a shift to help Nadya out while everyone was doing this training stuff at the other store. I got off at 1 & met my friend Johan that I worked with at Republique (he was my tutor). He wanted to take me for a drink because he headed off to Alsace to see his family & wouldn’t be around to say goodbye. We were both starving though so we ended up at Ninkasi. It’s this little chain in Lyon that has great beer & burgers & fries. It’s so good! We chatted & hung out there for a few hours & then headed back to Starbucks to say hi to some of the others & ended up hanging out for a good chunk of the afternoon with my store manager, shift supervisors & DM.

Yesterday, I randomly found out it was Free Ben & Jerry’s day! Jamie, Kate & I met in Vieux Lyon & had our fill of free Ben & Jerry’s. It was delicious. They even let people have refills! We were pretty stoked about the random find…especially since the weather was so good.

Free Ben & Jerry’s day!

So, that’s about it…I’m now in procrastination mode. I should really start getting organized & packed, but we all know that’s not going to happen before the weekend. I have to move all my stuff to my friend, Rachel’s, by Tuesday & knowing me, I won’t start packing until Monday. Smart idea considering how much stuff I’ve accumulated. Oh no…

Anyways, I’ve bored you long enough with my random adventures. I’m sure to have even more exciting stories as I head off for a couple weeks of last minute travel. I’m already dreaming of all the delicious food I’m going to enjoy….& the beer!. Yup, I’ve picked 3 cities that are very proud manufacturers of beer. Now I just need to plan a trip to Belgium & I’m all set on that front!

me & my perma tan in vieux lyon

WHOA lansi

francophile, oenophile, logophile, turophile

Tag: travel Page 3 of 4

Living Abroad \ misadventures 001

Living Abroad \ Travel Young, Travel Old, Travel Often

Living Abroad

Road Tripping: Seattle

Portland Brews

Road Tripping: Cannon Beach

iPhone Blogging

Vegas!

The Paralympics

Springtime in Lyon & a “weekend” in Rennes

ABOUT

whoalansi

Social Media

Archives

Blogs I Follow

Search

whoalansi

Social

Search

Subscribe to Blog via Email