A certain someone from home comes to Paris

After a dancing frenzy at Cafe Oz on Fri I was sure I would take Friday night off but in Paris that is unheard of, no one goes to bed before midnight on the weekend, no one even eats before then! So again back to the fountain at St Michel, drinks with Marcel, Duncan and Mark (Elin's friends), onto a small and empty bar in a dark alley until becoming decidedly bored so onto... you guessed it, The Highlander. This also proved a dud and so it was that we moved to Pub St Michel for a final dance, some hot chippies then home with the rising sun.

Saturday Elin's other half Emilia arrived back in Paris so of course we had to go out and celebrate. Drinks at Rebel Bar with the cute couple Rudy and Vanessa then onto a packed and crazed out crowd at the Highlander. After two weeks of almost non stop drinking I took a break and was shocked by the behaviour of some people. I don't know if it was my sober state or the fact that there were a huge group of Irish people that made it seem like the whole place was on some kind of group 'high'. I mean you can trust the Irish to take drinking to a whole new level. One of them rebutted this and said Aussies are just as bad but after that night, I say the Irish take the cake!!

An early night on Sunday after Star Wars in French and up on Monday for a full day with the girls, a big lunch, a trip to the pool, some Lego fun and we were all very happy campers! I was even more happy at the prospect of the arrival of... my dearest mother!!! It is such a great feeling to see someone who you have missed so much after such a long time, especially in the streets of Paris. So it was that she joined me and the girls for a picnic of Baguettes and fromage fresh from the market, at Parc de la Villette. This is where La Geode is which is a huge globe made out of reflection panels and is quite spectacular. A good day had by all, especially by me who is over the moon to have a little part of home a mere 20 meters away, I will sleep well tonight!!

Lets do it all again!

Another few nights of Paris mayhem starting with monday night 'wing night' at the moose. They were nearly as good as the ones at the Great Canadian but a little saucy for my liking. Amazingly I went home before midnight without having anything to drink so was all prepared for early morning school. Unfortunately I woke up at 9:20 realising I'd set my alarm to the wrong time. Things just never go to plan do they? Tuesday I strolled down to Ile Saint-Louis via Bastille and wondered the cute little streets full of great shops before heading to Elin's place for a home cooked meal thanks to chef Angela. A few bottles of wine and some delicious pasta later I called it another early night and this time made it to school on time.

Wednesday I got back into running up the canal before heading to Odean for drinks at the Moose where me and Elin mysteriously bumped into about ten people we knew without any organisation. From there to the highlander, some tequila, a painful game of twister and back to bed to get ready for thursday night at CAFE OZ!!! We arrived early which in Paris is midnight. However an hour later and there were plenty of people dancing on the tables, a lot of sleazy men who think 'you're just so beautiful I need to dance with you' is a good pick up line and some free champagne . A couple of hours of dancing like crazy with our new acquaintance Moosdof (green guy in pic) and we were ready for the best Grecs in town, a kebab in a bread roll which at 2am next to a pretty Paris fountain is the best thing in the world. Until you get swamped by desperate men and its time to catch the night-bus to bed.

Ahh good times!!

Part two of Moose crew week: in which we discover the perfect swimming spot and lovely Lilly comes to stay!

After getting through my three days of obligatory school and catching up on sleep there was no holding back on going out with Elin. To top things off Lilly from Australia was in town so a good couple of nights out were exactly what the doctor ordered, or the Moose at least. Firstly though a long awaited visit to the Petit-Palais to see an amazing exhibition: Yves Saint-Laurant. A glorious display of the designers genius with over 400 incredible outfits. I would have to say it was one of the most enjoyable exhibitions I have ever seen!

Friday night back out with Elin and hanging it Buttes Chaumont, a huge and beautiful park where we tried to get into a bar with Marcel and some of his friends but failed due to a painfully long line. So it was back to Saint Michel and Latin Bar for a few too many free cocktails before heading to ye ole Highlander. I had been quite happy in the warmth of the bar until Elin suddenly announced that it was time to go swimming, that it was now or never. Lately Elin has become addicted to late night swims in... the canal, the seine, whatever water she can find really! So it was her mission to get me in too and succeed she did! After midnight on Friday you could have found us under Pont Neuf jumping from the bank into the glum green water of the Seine. Having at first turned my nose up at the idea of jumping into the algae ridden waters I have to say it was quite fun letting the current carry us, ignoring the smell then climbing up the ladder to jump back in. No, we're not at all crazy!

Saturday Lilly arrived at my place and that night we started with Margaritas at Latin Bar, on to Irish bar Corcorans for beer, an attempt to convince the guy at Cafe Oz to let us in for free for a quick dance with no success then ending up at... The Highlander, once more. Three hours sleep at Elins in a bed too small for us all then Sunday was spent lazing about back at Buttes Chaumont and an early night at the Moose.

One full on week later and we're ready to do it all again. Well at least after school has finished for the week, there was nothing worse than going to class with only four hours sleep!

The endless week of moose outings! (Part 1)

From last Saturday through to yesterday, nearly every night has been spent on the town with my good friend Elin. Saturday night we met Marcel at The Moose, a bar where Elin and I founded the moose crew and now cannot stop talking about the 'Moose', then it was onto the highlander till the wee hours of the morn. Monday started with wings at The Canadian, back to the Moose where we stayed talking with bartender Eric, playing with boxes and having arguments with an Irish, a German and an American as to what constitutes a jumper, they were all very particular about it! Again to the highlander, a few too many shots then home to bed and not enough sleep to get to school in the morning.

Tuesday night dinner with Elin and Angela at Latin bar with the cutest Tequila shots. A visit from crazy frenchman Rudy and friend then we enjoyed live music at the Highlander on open mic night.

A crazy couple of nights, not enough sleep, not enough going to school, but who cares when you're in Paris with good company and haven't had to pay for one drink the whole time??

C'est la vie!

Paris Plage

The last few days have been spent walking around new parts of Paris as I suddenly felt bad at the amount of ground I have covered in the time I have been here. Wednesday I met up with Elin and we lazed at Paris Plage. For those of you who have no idea what this is, let me tell you its pretty damn great for a faux beach. From Chatelet all the way down to the end of the smaller island a land of deck-chairs, beanbags, umbrellas, ice-cream stalls and lots of entertainment sets up camp along the Seine for a month of Summer. I have arrived at the tail end of it but its still looking good. There is sand with masses of lounge chairs, Trampolines and BMX for the kids, and the other day a very impressive roller-blading performance. In the next week I plan on spending a lot of time there reading and snoozing by the beautiful river taking in all that a Paris Summer has to offer.

Other discoveries have been the Port de Plaisance de Paris Arsenal, a little stretch of water on the river side of Bastille. There's a beautiful flower garden and lots of nice grass to have naps on! I also found myself near the Eiffel Tower the other day as I VOTED for the first time in my life at the Aussie embassy right next to the tower. From there I walked to Hotel des Invalides, another new landmark for me, then via the Grand and Petit Palais all the way to the Tuileries where I sat and finished my book. Good Times! The rain and harsh cold then put a stop to my wanderings so it was time to head home. Summer in Europe seems to have concentrated itself in Russia where a deathly heatwave is taking place leaving the rest of us in nearly freezing cold weather. Ch ch!!

Despite the weather I am going to force myself to be a true Parisian and discover the city through aimless wondering!!

Back to Paris, my home away from home

Well the holidays are over, at least my holidays within my holiday are over. I still have another two and a bit months of seeing Europe. On the schedule: Athens, maybe Budapest, Dordogne in South France, Morocco, Prague and between all that I'll be spending my time in Paris. Yes, I'd be jealous too!!

So England, in typical England fashion showed me the best weather it could muster up: an inescapable downpour leaving me drenched, grey skies all but one day, cold like an Australian winter and the occasional gap in the clouds just to show there really is a sun and keep those English hoping. It was a bit of shock coming from Dubrovnik where bikinis, shorts and dresses were the everyday attire.

My first three nights were spent with Aunt Cathy and Uncle Rupert in their beautiful Stafford home. I was given a tour of the English countryside and a peek into the old castle days in Ludlow and a nearby town. On our way to London I was also given a tour around the oldest university town in the world: Oxford. It was absolutely amazing, walking through the sandstone buildings and carefully cut gardens, one can almost smell the money that used to be a students ticket into the prestigious school. I thought Sydney Uni was impressive but Oxford is mind blowing!

Back in London I stayed with family friend Diane and her gorgeous baby daughter Georgia. Of course, when in London there's one thing that can't be avoided (apart from hemorrhaging money every second of the day) and that is to pay a visit to Topshop in Oxford Circus. I think I spent nearly three hours in the store. In the end I had to drag myself from the endless racks of clothes in a state of starvation and anxiety that I could end up using every cent in my bank account. I also visited the British Museum (my they have a lot of things), Tate Britain, Buckingham Palace for a bit of Changing of the guards action, I walked around Soho and Covent Garden and, did I mention Shopping?

I left London yesterday, thankfully as I could feel the money being drained from my wallet just from breathing. I am now back in wonderful Paris in nice weather, back to speaking French, to eating delicious pastries and endless walking through beautiful streets.

Feels good to be back Paris!

Summer-Dubrovnik Style!

It is ridiculously hard being here. Every day is a struggle. We get up when we want, head to one of the beaches with crystal clear, aqua water, grad some cheap, delicious lunch, head back to another beach, and then after all that if we feel like it we head out for dinner and check out the town. Then, as if it wasn't already too difficult, we have to do it all again the next day. Damn right hard!

After lots of walking around Amsterdam this beautiful city on the Croatian coast has been the best reward for me and Bron. The first day we checked out some of the beaches near to where we are staying, a great little guest house outside the main tourist area where fruit grows in every inch of the garden and a friendly kitten tries to sneak into our room. On day two it was more beach then a look at the Old Town which is really a magnificent piece of history with its huge walls and fort overlooking the vast waters of The Adriatic. Friday night we hit the town, met some other Aussies, who seem to make up the majority of tourists here, and drank cocktails in buckets which as Bron can tell you, is NEVER a good idea.

We filled the rest of our days with a trip to Lopud Island where we sat under palm leaves on a secluded little beach all day, occasionally cooling ourselves in the beautiful water or going to get ice creams. That day ended with the ferry trip home and the most incredible sunset EVER! Today we hired a scooter to feed our adventurous souls with some exploring outside the town. We only just survived the highway as our little motor only got us up to about 60km as lines of buses and trucks honked at us from behind. Nevertheless it was worth it as we discovered the most beautiful beach, took a look at the areas around Dubrovnik and even had a swim in the spooky surrounds of ghostlike buildings that had been gutted during the war and were covered in bullet holes. We have taken to doing Jetstar poses everywhere we can so I'll share a few.

We really have had an amazing holiday tomorrow we head to London where I will stay for a bit. Poor Bron has to head back to Australia but me, I'm gearing myself up for another three months of Paris, travelling and the most important part of it all- FUN!