Bonjour Mes Amis! Je suis a Lyon France…
First let me start by saying, that somehow.., I always get the interesting flights.
The ones where there’s some odd technical difficulty that requires 2 hours to find out
That it is nothing after all. Well- that happened to me in Montreal… so of course- we didn’t leave until 10pm EST( which is 6am France time)..in the meantime crazy red haired French lady keeps staring at me. And whenever I say anything to her- its like I interrupted the tearing down of the Berlin Wall or something. Anyhoo… lets just say she is what we would call a “treat”.My conclusion is that I think she thought I was a famous person. What gave it away lady- the lulu lemon pants, the sunglasses or the crazy hair? Come on!
So we finally leave Montreal. And I realize I forgot to take sleeping pills out of my checked baggage. Nice. There goes my good nights sleep. Ce’st la vie! I did get in about an hour and a half.
Arrival at the airport. All is well- I get my luggage and notice it is incredibly hot in the airport. Or is it….
Apparently I had food poisioning- broke out into a cold sweat and started vomiting in a garbage can. But man- I felt So much better after that! But then- suddenly my suitcase felt almost 10 pounds heavier when trying to get it on the train. Maybe I should have eaten something before I left the airport. Ahh well… I did make it to Lyon safely and can I just say- wow. What a great town! I’ve only seen small part of it- but apparently- it’s the good small part. Great architecture, fabulous cafes, etc etc etc.. and they have a starbucks! Right across from the opera house- so it makes it even better. After the 36 hours traveling- I thought I deserved one.
Met up with Elizabeth Withey from the Edmonton Journal- and we attended the Porgy and Bess Dress rehearsal last night. Great cast. ( and frikin hot too! ) Interesting way to stage the opera, and I will be seeing it 2 more times before I leave this place- so I wasn’t worried if I was going to miss anything!.... best part of the night? The Chocolate Mousse I had following the performance ( at midnight) yummy… the French know how to do it up!
Oh yeah- my hotel. Very cute- and seriously 2 steps from the sein River. Its beautiful! sounds of a band playing along the river put me to sleep last night!
Thats all for now! More later;)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
La France
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Nice and Toasty in Nashville
Well after 7 hours in a airport ( i know it could have been worse) and finally boarding a plane at 7pm- only to take off and turn back to Denver 20 min into the flight. And then fix the problem.. take off again and then turn back to Denver- right before the beverage service. At about 11:00pm- they decided to switch planes.
And at 2:15am I rolled into my hotel room. At least my luggage was already in Nasvhille waiting for me:) So far the conference is good... too much air conditioning in the rooms- and its like 30 degrees outside. Always enjoyable. I feel like a poll.. whats your most memorable travel experience? ( problems, long delays etc....)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Disappointed in Denver
The last few days have been a bit chaotic! To say the least. Yesterday- my lovely car was hit by another not so lovely car. Unfortunately I was in it when it happened. No serious injuries reported- just some lovely marks where the seatbelt was, and a sore arm. Could be worse. My car on the other hand- though driveable, I think may be a write off. Totally the other person's fault- and they knew it so that was good I guess. This is my 3rd accident in 10 years- 3rd accident that wasn't my fault, and my 3rd Honda that is now no more. So sad. Maybe I shouldn't get a Honda anymore. I seem to have the worst luck with cars!
I won't find out until next week if the car is actually driveable or not- because I left early this morning for a conference in Nashville. And when I say early- I mean getting to the airport at 4;30am after 1 hour of sleep. Unfortunately- it seems as though the plane didn't want to get up that early and needed a nap, because we sat in the plane on the runway for over 2 hours- thus allowing me to miss my connection to Nasvhille and having a 6+hour layover in Denver. ( not the most exciting airport I must say). It's a good thing I decided to throw in a few dvds at 3:30 this morning. Apparently batting your eyes at the nice man at the customer service counter does not help you to get on an earlier- already overbooked flight.
I guess it could be worse right?
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Getaway to Bragg Creek
One of the things I love about Alberta is the hidden treasures that you can find throughout the province. This weekend Myla, Sabrina, Anna and I headed to Bragg Creek ( 1/2 from Calgary) for a fantastic little girls getaway!
toasting to fabulous times and friends!
Me trying to arm wrestle the tree. I'm pretty sure the tree won
Friday, September 29, 2006
More Pics From Days 8-14
(This is what a coffee bean looks like before it begins the roasting process)
the team at the top of the volcano
Zaak and I jamming on the gee-tar. (My fingers got very very very sore that day)
The ruins in Antigua
Me and a very very very tall tree...
Leia Mais…Guatemala Days 8-14
So here’s the continuation of the Guatemala Days 8-14. Yeah- so I'm about 4 weeks overdue for the update. My bad.
Sunday morning we woke up (got to even sleep in an hour) and hit the market in Tatic. We were split into random teams of 4 and had 1 hour to find everything on the list that was given to us. Lucky for those of us who knew a bit of Spanish- not so lucky for those who didn’t. Its amazing how much pointing and fast movements of the head can make you understood. ( My team tied for 1st place- yay team)
Then some of us headed to Zaak and Amber’s place and were greeted by a theatre-style set up to watch Zaak’s now famous documentary. We felt very special being one of the few groups of people that had seen it before it premiered at the Montreal Film Festival. During that final week in Guatemala, we also took corn to the grinders, and made a traditional Guatemalan dish for supper. We also got to go see how the Guatemalans did their weaving. We visited a coffee plantation and saw what the process was for it to be made. I am seriously considering a career as a coffee shop owner now. 
Wednesday dawned bright and beautiful and it so happened that it was Tami’s birthday. Guatemalan tradition uses fire crackers to wake the dead instead of your cake with candles. So we each lit 1 fire cracker at about 10pm and woke the neighbours. So fun. We left Tatic for Antigua and toured the ruins in Antigua ( Antigua is 11 x 11 blocks… and there are 26 cathedrals in those 11 x 11 blocks) Saturday- our last day, began very very early- as we left to hike the Volcano Picaya. 
Me with my asthma decided to take the easy way up and I hired a horse. He was a good horse. I was very very VERY happy I took the horse- even though it was still a 30 min hike once we got up there. 
The volcano is active- so lava was flowing right in front of us. It was the coolest thing EVER. I’ll never forget that. After that- we spent 4 hours shopping, had a fabulous goodbye dinner and then packed up and came home! The 2 weeks spent there- felt like a month. Guatemala is a beautiful place, one that I can’t wait to go back and visit- who knows… maybe even live there someday!
Leia Mais…Tuesday, August 29, 2006
More pictures from the first week
Annie and I in Guatemala City- waiting for our luggage
Mike and I climbing out of the sink hole
Annie, Lals and I at the Mayan Ruins
Leia Mais…Guatemala Days 1- 7
So I guess I have a lot of catching up to do for the past 14 days of not blogging.
Guatemala was beyond awesome. 16 days, 14 people, hundreds of children, lots of chicken and 1 amazing volcano.
We came, we saw, we conquered. Or maybe the country conquered us- who knows… So- due to my lack of updates- I’ll give you the quick overview
Days 1-7: Arrived in Guatemala City, with 32 bags and suitcase- exhausted and excited, we fell into our beds. Next day we toured the cathedrals and National Palace in Guatemala City and headed off to Tatic- our home for the next 10 days. Painted a the Chicoy school, saw new land, visited catholic church in Tatic and witnessed a Mayan ceremony,
Sang in a sink hole and drove to the Island of Flores. Took a very ghettoized ferry across a pond, and took in the amazing Mayan Ruins. Witnessed amazing wildlife- cheetahs, monkeys, parrots, eagles, spiders- you name it, we saw it.
And the highlight? I got to meet my sponsor child Heidy ( pronounced Hay Dee) and her family
Leia Mais…
Friday, August 11, 2006
Guatemala or Bust....Yay Air Travel!
Oh the joys of war and terrorism. Normally I would join the millions who sit back and are silently curse those who feel like they need to make a point by plotting to kill thousands of innocent lives- while feeling sorry for those set to travel in the next few weeks.
And yes- yes, I do join in the silent cursing- but this time- its personal. While living in Toronto during 911, I felt the effects of the disaster more then some out West did. And yet- I still had the comfort of my cute little apartment on the corner of Bloor and Spadina. Not so much this time…
As 16 of us leave for Guatemala on Sunday afternoon- I can’t help but worry- just a bit, of the possible issues in air travel over the next few days. Of course- its not as bad as in the UK- ( no carry on baggage whatsoever... I couldn’t imagine a 7 hour flight without my ipod- they better have good entertainment on board) But absolutely no liquids. This means if any of our baggage gets lots…. Oops well… sorry! ( MY POOR CURLY HAIR WITHOUT MY PRODUCT… Be prepared for a scary picture) I just don’t understand what possesses people to harbour such sick and disturbing ideas. Well- At least my carry-on has been lightened by a few pounds, so much for being prepared if my luggage gets lost!.
SO- After a year of planning- and many hurdles, We will leave on Sunday. We have 900 pounds of “Stuff” ready to go- and that not even counting our personal luggage. I’m sure we will endure long lines at customs and very thorough bag checks. And yes- it’s all for our own good. and safety, but still- there is an element of worry. But hey- we’ve come this far right? Lets just hope the crazies are caught- at least for the time being!
That being said...
Guatemala or Bust!
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
I Love New York!
You know that song... " If I could walk 500 miles..." Well- I think I did this past weekend. My calves at least think I did. New York was fabulous. I could totally live in that city. It made me 
miss living in Toronto. ( Sigh) BUT....after being away for 10 days and living out of a suitcase- I was definitely ready to come home. ( didn’t expect the extreme heat, but that’s another story) Anyways- we did a carriage ride thru central park- ( to cut down on the walking time)
I saw 2 plays- the 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee ( Funniest Musical ever) and The Producers ( also fabulous). 
We also did the Sex and the City tour- in which a bus and tour guide takes you all around the 
city to different spots included in the show. We went to Miranda's Gym, Carrie's house, ate cupcakes in a well spotlighted park- way too much fun! We got to see even more of New York. I shopped way way too much. Actually I guess it wasn't that bad. I did good though- very good- I don't have plans to enter into any retail stores for awhile. 