I'm back to work this week after a week off. I sure kept myself busy and entertained and, unfortunately, the time flew by! During the week I played badminton with this group of Asians and got my backside handed to me, I went to a redneck racetrack to see cars worth less than my last pair of shoes bumble around the course until there was nothing left of them, and then I went to Paris with Diana, her sister, and her friend.
Paris was amazing. Although, I was in a great deal of pain because badminton had been the day before we left, and unless you are an avid player, you use muscles you forgot existed and my body was refusing to cooperate when I told it to move... Nevertheless, we took the Eurostar from London to Paris and played the tourist game for a few days in France! We went to the Bastille, the Louvre, Notre Dam, L'Arc de Triomphe, climbed the Eiffel Tower, ate crepes and other such French food, as well as watched the Vancouver Olympics in a Parisian Cafe. Oh, and we attempted to go see Versailles, but I'll explain that...
The Louvre itself is an architectural marvel and I was thrilled to see the Mona Lisa, the Raft of the Medusa, Liberty Leading the People by Dealcroix, and other works by Raphael, Leonardo, Vermeer, and Carravagio... it was unreal! The Mona Lisa is rather puny in comparison to her reputation, but otherwise, it was still absolutely fantastic.
Climbing the Eiffel Tower is a feat for most people. I would say that on any given day it would be a welcomed bit of exercise for me... but the bodily harm I suffered through my day of strenuous sport prior to my trip to Paris made for an incredibly challenging climb. (Okay...I know badminton isn't exactly rugby, American football, or even a bloody stairmaster... but I thought I was knocking on death's door when I reached the top of that tower!!!) The view, however, was worth it all.
Diana really wanted to go see the Palace at Versailles and we were all in agreement. It was about 4.00pm and we were scheduled to leave on the Eurostar back to London at 8pm. Plenty of time we thought. We asked how long it would take to get there and we were told "trente minute" - 1/2 an hour - perfect! We saw a train leaving to Versailles and hopped on it. However, little did we know, there are 3 different "Versailles" destinations in Paris... about quatre-vingts (80) minutes later... we arrive in the sketchiest, dirtiest, French ghetto I could imagine. No palace in sight, sadly the only thing even remotely royal that could possibly be nearby would be a shady French version of Burger King! I guess it's a good thing Paris is just a hop away and there is a chance of seeing the real Versailles some point in the future!
I have decided that badminton really isn't a sport I want to commit to, so I've joined a volleyball league which begins tonight! Volleyball certainly is not a popular sport here, so I had to dig around for a league. Apparently there are a lot of Canadians on the team which doesn't surprise me at all. It will be a great way to meet some new people around where I'm now living. I will let you know how it all goes!
Well, loving life at the moment! It will soon be March which means the rain may start to think about ceasing... I hope all is well with you all!
Lots of love,
Amy
With all the interesting stuff you've seen the 2 most exciting parts of this blog for me (not surprising) are that you watch the Olympics (and I hope you cheered LOUDLY for Canada) and that you are playing volleyball.
ReplyDeleteWe are doing well...the kids are getting bigger and bigger. Jason goes back to work monday after 3.5 glorious month of parental leave...we'll miss him.
Good job blogging again...I'll genitally remind you next time when you have slacked on your blogger duties!
Peace out
Erin (for all of Team Stewart)