Women’s Short (Tuesday, February 21st, 2006)

- The journey was "eventful". I missed my train from Neuch (saw it pull out of the station as I ran towards it)...after freaking out (HARD-CORE) and other crazy thoughts, I ended up jumping in a taxi to rush to Bern to try to catch my next train. I just barely missed that one too (stupid one-lane highways, with no potential to pass – I do give credit to the driver for driving – safely – as fast as possible) and ended up getting the rest of my tickets reimbursed and purchased a new set: Bern-->Zurich-->Milano Centrale-->Torino Porta Susa. I was scheduled to arrive at 6:41pm (all skating events start at 7pm). Boot out of the station and cab it to the rink. I arrive as skater number 3 is finishing (darn it, missed Tugba Karademir and Kimmie Meissner), but thank goodness I can to see Joannie Rochette. Oh, and I would have only missed the warm-up if there weren’t so many other people who arrived late as well. Grrr...I had 7 hours to travel...what was their excuse?

- Stands DEFINITELY a lot fuller than last week (have heard that the second week of the Olympics is usually busier)...and remained in my correct seat (for once).

- I guess I’ll never get to see Michelle Kwan compete live ever. I’m thinking she’s going to retire now. At least, I hope so. For her benefit.

- Spotted Nancy Kerrigan sitting with Brian Boitano just a couple seats away from me. Couldn’t get the courage to say hello.

- Mira Leung just doesn't do anything so me. Her face is so blank, and she needs some make-up. It's true, on TV, it does make a difference.

- Elena Sokolova's disapointing skate broke my heart. She's a skater who looks better in person than on TV.

- Spotted Ross "The Intern" from the Tonight Show. Ha ha ha. (Interesting: While randomly looking on the website for stuff about this guy I found his blog from the Olympics in which he mentions that while sitting in the level 100 seats – the ones that I ranted about – he "looked up one level (to the expensive seats with backrests)". So my seats were more expensive, but higher up. They obviously didn’t make this rink for figure skating fans…although he was right, my seats were a lot more comfortable – with armrests and a backrest...they just sat on benches.) Frig, if I’d known, I would have been able to save money AND have a better seat…oh yeah…those seats weren’t available to the public. After some more research, I’ve now figured out that the level 100 seats were the same price as mine.

- I’d seen this little one on TV competing in the Europeans (just about the only competition we get to see on TV here, other than the Olympics and Worlds) and was impressed by her jumping ability and little trick here and there. I also noticed that Tatiana Tarasova was her coach, and so I thought I should keep my eye out for her in the future. So, I obviously noticed her at the Olympics. Tatiana wasn’t
at the boards though, but even still she was (like most little ones are) a jumping machine. Blank face throughout, but I was still impressed with the overall package all the same. I give her two more years.

- Sarah Hughes and fam were in the stands cheering for Emily. Didn’t spot her in person, but she was on the jumbotron a bunch.

- I want Irina to win. Sure, I’m not totally a fan of her style, it’s a little choppy to me, but after everything that she’s been through, I’d like her to win. I’m surprised that there aren’t more ladies doing Beillmann spins, given the new judging system. I think the big pick from the skaters is the change of edge in spins. I predict that everyone will be doing ALL the same spins really soon. There’ll be no variety anymore. What a shame.

- Silvia Fontana must have also come back just to skate at home in the Olympics. The Italians really beefed up their team with oldies.

- I’m so happy that Fumie skated well. I’ve always loved her skating. She’s such a pure skater. All parts of her skating are strong, and she has such great flow, even coming out of her jumps. I know that her Federation puts a lot of pressure on
her, so I’m happy after all of the difficulties she’s had in the past couple of years that she had a great skate. I’m rooting for her in the long.

- Carolina Kostner FLIES across the ice...and has crazy wipe-outs. Her face doesn’t really light up when she skates, but she’s got a really unique look to her, partly because she’s so limb-y and she has such a quick, trotting stroking technique. Too bad
she bombed...it would have been great for her to skate well at home.

- I wish I was in the 100 level for this one. I mean, from watching her on TV, I feel like I would have been much more impressed by Sasha if I could see her facial expressions and the little nuances in her carriage that I just couldn’t see from being in the 200 level. Even still, I could make out that she did have some amazing extensions.

- Well, she won the short, but I predict that she won’t win the Gold medal. Not that I don't want her to win, I just think that she’ll do something to ruin it for herself. She always does. I’m happy for her that she’s in the lead right now, but it’s so close that it won’t matter.

- Walked around town after the event was over...and ate yummy gelato. I was feeling pretty awake, so I just wandered for a bit.

- I’d visited this place during the weekend, and been disappointed. I thought that (after waiting in a pretty long line up) it was have lots of stuff about the 2010 Olympics, or stuff about BC or Canada in general, but turns out, the outside was more interesting than the inside. The front was a log cabin (this is obviously the back) which would be donated to the city of Torino (I’m not sure for what
purpose) by the 2010 Organizing Committee. Once inside, I was given a Canadian Flag lapel pin (you know the ones) and a Vancouver 2010 luggage tag. I chatted with a mountie about what she was doing here, and how she was enjoying her experience, and then was told that all there was to do inside was to visit the HBC Store and buy Team Canada paraphernalia. Forget that. I took off. I know that they’ll close the BC House and have special events there for Team Canada, but obviously you had to be invited to those things.

- I knew right from my first visit to Torino (even before the Games started) that I would never have to chance to see the Today Show. Too bad. I think it would have been pretty neat to see, but whatever. It’s just another sacrifice that I’m more than willing to make to even watch the Games in the first place.

- ...and then there’s the Canada House. Each country (or at least the bigger ones) has a House where athletes, team members, organizing committee, and nationals can visit and relax. I’ve read crazy things about the Russian House and the House of the Netherlands and I was pretty excited about visiting the Canada house as well, because I was told great things about it and how welcoming they were to Canadians (with a valid passport). Well, when I ended up visiting this place, I was very disappointed. The Italian security guards downstairs were plenty welcoming, but after going upstairs and chatting with the people upstairs, to have access to the leather couches, big screen TVs, refreshments and of course the parties you had to "get a wristband". To get a wristband you had to be a friend/family of someone on Team Canada. I think if I tried hard enough, I could get in touch with
the person that told me about all of this, but given my commuting schedule and the fact that I probably would never actually have any free time when the Canada House was open (I’d visited it on the weekend), there wasn’t really any point. Still, it would have been cool. Instead, the only access I had was a room with pictures of Canadian medalists thus far, and results of all the Canadians. Oh, and of course the chance to purchase any HBC paraphernalia...again. I heard from other people who’d gone to other Olympics, that usually the Canada House is much more exciting.

- Ended up in the train station after awhile. It was packed!

Original Dance (Sunday, February 19th, 2006)

- Horrible weather outside! I had a lot of time to kill before the event, so walked around a bunch (looking for some good food), and got cold and wet in the process. Yuck. All the other days had been really really great weather, so I guess eventually that would have had to change.

- Tried to sell my tickets again, but offered even less money than the day before. Darn it. Maybe I should have taken the money, but you know what, even if they’re just pieces of paper, they’re just too special to do that. I was considering giving them (for free) to people who were significantly involved in the sport, but unfortunately hadn’t bumped into anyone again recently. Oh well. I honestly think that if I don’t get any money back from the ticket that I wouldn’t be able to use, it wouldn’t matter. Call me crazy, but it was worth it.

- Spotted Marina Anissina again. So fab.

- The Latin Combination theme is so fun! Music that you can really get into, some great dancing and of course, some great costumes!

- It’s true, with the new system, all the couples are starting to look the same. If I see another Biellmann lift, I’ll scream (especially one with a bad position).

- Out of all the Latin music in the world that the skaters could have picked, how did a couple teams end up picking the same piece? Although, it was a pretty fun one.

- The athletes definitely get the shaft in the seating domain. Stuck in the top right hand corner? At least the Canadian’s still came to cheer their teammates on.


- Marie-France’s fall was so scary. There was no way she could have broken her fall. I really hope she’s okay.

- The Italian face-off was the funniest thing ever. Did they show it on TV?


- Splatfest central for the final group. What’s up with that?

- Ended up hanging out in a café all night. Met a bunch of really nice people, stayed awake, read my book and was a lot more comfortable than I could have been elsewhere. Call me crazy yet again (might have been the cold, being so tired or just plain happiness that I was at the Olympics), but after some lengthy introductions and banter, I ended up giving away one of my tickets that I couldn’t use and will see if I get any money in the mail. Life’s all about taking calculated risks right? I couldn’t lose anything in this case (except for a piece of paper that I would cherish forever), but this way I could add a new experience to my collection book and my memories of Torino would be more colourful because of it. I’ll let you know what happens.

Two hockey games (Saturday, February 18th, 2006)

I’ve never been to a hockey game, nor have I ever really been a fan of the sport, but when I was presented with the opportunity to watch two games, I decided to go with the flow and experience something new.





*******************
Game 1: Canada vs. Switzerland
- I was expecting a bigger venue again. I sense a trend.

- Met Joannie Rochette, Tugba Karademir and Jeff Buttle wandering around. My courage disappeared really quickly (and I couldn’t think fast enough) and the conversation didn’t last very long. Also, the game was starting soon, so we all need to go our separate ways. Oh, and Val Marcoux and Craig Buntin were there too.


- Hockey fans as so exciting! You really get pumped up by them!

- Hockey games have cheerleaders?




- Had great seats and were sitting near the VIPs. Apparently there were a bunch of stars wandering around, and I randomly took their pictures, but of course I have no idea who they are.

- Do hockey games normally have that many penalties?

- Darn, no fights.


- I thought these guys were supposed to be good. Why did they lose? I think the Swiss goalie was just really good and to my untrained eye, it looked like the Canadians were having difficulty passing to each other. It looked like they kept missing receiving the passes.

- “Ab Schweiz!” *clap*clap*clap (at least that’s what I think they said)

Final score of the game:










***********************
Game 2: Czech Republic vs. Finland
- Different game, different venue. We were right beside the Olympic Stadium and the flame.

- Those scalpers are some serious fast talkers. And apparently hockey (even if non-final events) is much more popular than skating. They can make profits (off of ticket price) for hockey, but skating was going for about 50% of ticket price.

- Was offered 500euro for 670euro worth of tickets, but couldn’t bring myself to take a loss. Those tickets were just too special to me, but I did spend the whole night wondering if I’d made the right decision.

- I feel like a pro-star at going through security. I’ve done it too many times.

- Now this is what I was expecting in terms of rink size. The style of the interior was very similar to the Palavela.


- The Games really did a great job with the graphics. Bold colours, and quite effective!

-Started to get a little bored. Hockey just isn’t my thing.

- Fight, fight, fight!!! (Left some blood on the ice)



- Still can’t believe the cheerleaders. And those are some pretty bad outfits.

- I was surprised that the Finnish hockey fans don’t use the same cheer as Finnish Synchro fans. “Suomi Finland…”

- Again, I gotta say that I love the fans! And I get a kick out of seeing the media booths.

- The more scoring there is, the more interesting it is for me.



- Congratulations to Finland. Final score 4 - 2.

Compulsory Dance (Friday, February 17th, 2006)

- Saw the flame for the first time these games. Pretty neat!

- Snuck down into level 100 again, but stayed up near the top of the level because there were more empty seats there. Blessing in disguise, because easier to see the patterns from there.

- Too bad I don’t know the Ravensburger Waltz. Would have been cool if they did a dance that I knew how to do myself.

- Love watching dancers stroke. So smooth.

- You know, their facial expressions aren’t as extravagant as I expected, but maybe that’s because I wasn’t close enough to see the full effect of them (I’m so blind).

- Glad to see the Lithuanians come back, but I’m sure they’re disappointed with their results.

- Navka and Kostomarov are tall! It really helps them stand out, and they command the ice with their presence.

- I’m not an ice dance specialist by any means, but I was happy that I could tell the difference between the quality of the different teams. Seeing it live makes it so much more obvious.

- Fusar Poli and Margaglio win the award for ugliest costume of the night. Yuck! And they definitely came back from retirement just because the Olympics are in their home country.

- So happy for Marie-France and Patrice. They deserve it, but there’s still two parts left!

- The results are close. With the new system, it’s still anyone’s game.

- Walked out away from the venue in front of Marina Anissina. How fab was she in her firey-red hair and huge fur coat?

- So glad I could sleep in a nice hotel room and on a comfy bed tonight.

Men’s Short (Tuesday, February 14th, 2006)

- The journey there isn't all that bad after you've done it one and know what you're getting into.

- Hardly any line waiting to go through security.

- Said hello to Ken Congemi who was going by to get into line in another entrance gate. Darn it. Again, I would have liked to chat with him. Would definitely be rooting for his skater. Great potential, clean and smooth skater.

- Saw a friend in the stands...so great to catch up!

- Why oh why are the stands so empty? Oh well, at least I had the courage to take advantage of it and sneak into the level 100 section! Ended up sitting in the first row for the whole night. Can't complain about that!

- Group 1. Start off the night with a bang! At least with the new system, they doesn't have to hold back in the marking.

- Quite impressed with Daisuke Takahashi. He has some serious flare, but I think he's inconsistent.

- Evgeni had some serious speed and power. Such a big difference between him and the other top skaters. Also, he seems a LOT less scrawny than before.

- Sitting in an area filled with Canadians, so it was easy to blend in and was really lucky that more people didn't show up to kick me out of my seat, but it was so annoying. Here's my rant: the people who had 100 level seats didn't buy their tickets. They got their tickets for free because they are affiliated with sponsor companies, are linked somehow to the IOC (but not the big whigs - those people sit on the judges side...also quite empty) or something else like that. So they get the best seats in the house, and most of the time, know nothing about figure skating, and don't even really care that they're experiencing something so great. And then the people who are die hard fans, or just fans in general, end up having to pay big bucks for crappy seats. These privileged people sometime show up an hour late, leave an hour early, walk out during a skater's performance (even the really good ones) to get a coffee, talk during the performances...GRRRR! Frig, if only they knew how lucky they were and made the most out of their experience. Level 100 is also schmooze central.

- If he can keep it together, Shawn Sawyer will be the next one.

- Jeff, Jeff, Jeff. Grrrr.

- Disappointed with the quality of skating tonight. No one is standing up and taking advantage of everyone else's screw ups. Ugh. Sitting in the front row and no one to gawk at!

- I really like Stephane Lambiel's style.

- Remember when Brian Joubert was it? What happened to him?

- Dick Button (a very welcoming person) was chatting with Brian Boitano in the stands and I plucked up the courage to join in.

- Chatted with the Stage Manager of the NBC booth. Realized that Sandra Bezic was in the booth too!

- Evan Lysacek has a really scary triple axel take off. It seems really whippy. I wonder if they're working on that.

- Emanuel does it again, and continues the trend of a crappy night of skating. I had my fingers crossed SO bad.

- Saw Ken Congemi after the event...didn't get to chat for long (again), but I was happy to bump into him again.

- The car ride from Torino to Milan is quite long. A hardwood floor is indeed hard and the walk to Milano Centrale has never been better.

Pair's Short program (Saturday, February 11th, 2006)

Well, this is the first of my series of thoughts about the different events that I had the opportunity to attend for the XX Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy.
They won't be in too much detail, but will be in the form of random thoughts about my experiences surrounding the events.

***********************

- First "real" time making the long journey to Torino...not bad. A train delay in my connection in Italy (should have known - not in Switzerland anymore), but made the experience more interesting as I had to divert from my plans on how to get to the rink from the train station.

- Met Ken Congemi and Mitch Moyer (American coaches) while waiting in line to get through security. They were super nice and we chatted for awhile about skating, the direction it is going...you know, the typical banter. Would have loved to chat with them more, and really grill them about stuff, but the line moved quickly, and they were seated in a different section, so we couldn't meet up later. AND felt super bad that they had to watch from the stands because of the limited credentials allowed in the pit.

- The Olympic Guidebook that I received along with my tickets (which I memorized cover to cover) lies. You can definitely bring in a backpack and food too.

- Security into the venue area entails putting your bag through the x-ray machine and walking through the metal detector thingy and then having a wand waved at you if you beep.

- I was pretty giddy after getting through security...I think it was finally hitting me that I was there and the fact that I was chatting with the coaches just made me more excited...after being by myself on a train for such a long time, talking and meeting such nice people was so great!

- My seat was pretty good, but was envious of those people below.

- I expected the venue to be a lot bigger. It was the Olympics afterall, and venues on TV always look so big. Also, from a spectator's point of view, even the best seats are pretty far away from the ice surface.

- The interior of the Palavela has a certain bling quality to it. So exciting!

- Why are the stands so empty? Thought figure skating was supposed to be a popular event!

- Met the husband of Gayle MacLelland (Skate Canada). Can't believe all the people I'm meeting! Chatted for awhile...swapped stories...learned some inside info.

- Spotted the CBC and NBC booths...and the commentators sitting in them! Barb Underhill and Paul Martini. Dick Button and Scott Hamilton. Tee hee!!!

- Inoue and Baldwin...throw triple axel!

- Met and chatted with Marilyn Chidlow (Skate Canada). What came out of the conversation may all just be talk, but still made me very happy that night. And boy...she's petite!

- Surprised to see Shen and Zhao in the competition...thought they were out for the season!

- Yeah for the Canadians!

- Totmianina and Marinin...wow.

- Sure glad that the shops stayed open until midnight on this date.

- Was disappointed to see how sleepy the Olympic host city is...on a Saturday night!

- Medal's Plaza is pretty fun.

- Lots of people sleep in train stations waiting for their train the next morning.

- I can do it.

****************

You know, it was the little things that night that I got really excited about. Sure I was watching some great skating, but things like: meeting people in line and in the stands, seeing the commentators that I'd only seen on TV before, watching a warm-up, seeing some of the famous coaches by the boards...you'd think that seeing the actual skaters would have done it for me too, but surprisingly, they weren't the stars of my night. It was all the other things.

-logo courtesy of www.torino2006.org

The Mermaid Chair

The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd

I had read the first book by the same author, and had enjoyed it, and since this book was available to me, I decided to read it as well (again, I knew that I would be needing something, anything to read).
The story is about a woman who is happily married with a daughter that she loves, and due to a medical problem with her mother, she needs to go back to the island where she grew up to take care of her. While there, she has the chance to reminisce about her childhood and deal with (of course) some unresolved issues. She meets a monk with whom she begins to share a special relationship with. The woman is tested and embarks in a journey to find herself and what is truly important to her.
I enjoyed this book more than The Secret Life of Bees. They were both good, but this one made me want to keep reading more than the first, and I also didn't flip through any pages without reading them (which I had done with the first book). Even the ending wasn't too bad (as I usually find endings disappointing).

I would recommend this book. It's an easy read, and although it's not always happy in nature, I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen to the characters and reach that "moment" that all books get to eventually.

-picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

Puts that ______ team commitment to shame

Remember back in the summer and fall of 2003 when my love for skating took me to the next level and had me doing crazy things? You were all concerned for me (thank you) but understood why.

Well, the Torino 2006 Olympic Games got me doing something at lot crazier (time-wise) than that previous adventure, although it was a lot safer for me as I didn't have to sit behind the wheel.

This is how the typical day went:
8:00am-10:45am ~ Working
10:45am-5:15pm ~ Train from Neuch-->Bern-->Brig-->
Arona-->Santhia-->Torino Porta Nuova7:00pm-11:00pm ~ Wishing I could be on the ice with them
4:50am-12:32pm ~ Train from Torino Porta Nuova-->
Milano Centrale-->Zurich-->Neuch12:45pm-5:00pm ~ Working

The last time I had to do this particular journey, the ride back to Neuch was one of the most difficult things that I've ever done. I didn't feel good at all. You're mind can only take so much, but what kept me going was the love of the sport, the fantastic spectators from around the world that I met, careful planning and packing, the ability to fall asleep almost anywhere, having grown up in the Eastside and looking out for myself, spotting and chatting with famous people and of course sheer determination, as, of course, we all know...I'm invincible.

Soon, I'll post thoughts about the different events that I got to see and then you can piece together how the last three weeks have unfolded for me (the day after returning from Torino for the last time, I jetted off to London for 5 days - will post about that too).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why do all of you under 30yr olds reading this have to have jobs, school and other commitments that don't let you come and experience these things with me?

p.s.

I love my Moon Boots.

They're almost as horrible as Uggs...but not quite. Whatever. I don't care.

I still love 'em.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling

Going against my hesitations in that I will be disappointed with the movie version when it comes out (because the book will be so much better), I decided to read the fifth book of the Harry Potter series anyway (I knew that I would have plenty of time to kill in the near future, so a thick children's book would probably be of some benefit).
The fifth book in the series means that the plot takes place during Harry Potter's fifth year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Right from the get go, this book has a different tone. Harry is a lot more serious and quite bitter in my circumstances. I guess he's had a pretty rough go, especially after the events of book number four. More time is spent in the events leading up to Harry's return to Hogwarts (life at the Dursleys) than the other books, which made me think that this book, much like the fourth one would leave me feeling like the author was cramming in the rest of the story in the last 50 pages, but after reading more of the book, it was understandable why the long build up was necessary.
We know that Lord Voldemort is back in action (after book four), so it's obvious that this book will have everything to do with that fact. The whole book is building up to (of course) a confrontation between Harry Potter and his clan (which has grown in size and is made up of a more varied cast of characters) and Lord Voldemort and his clan (again, some new characters here).
The added stress is that the Ministry of Magic doesn't really believe (or is unwilling to believe) that Voldemort is back and also clamps down on Hogwarts and its faculty members.
Harry's role as a quidditch player takes a back seat in this book, and we learn a little bit more about his love life, but soon that takes a back seat as well. I think that author could have done more and had more stories to tell, but the book would have gone on for much too long. The details about the daily life at the school were pretty standard with the other books. I was happy with the Weasley twin's part, but wanted more between Ron and Hermione.
Even at the end, I felt like a lot of information was being fed to me to explain events in the book and that it was crammed in to finish off the story. The build up during the book was really great, but for the past two books, I've just been disappointed after "the point" was hit and the book had to be drawn to a close.
The ending was pleasant but a little plain as well. It did leave me "ok" about the whole situation, especially after yet another difficult year for Harry.
We'll see what the movie's like...and I might as well read book 6 too.

-picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

Olympics update

Yes, I am attending events at the Olympics...yes, I am loving every moment of it...yes, I'm exhausted...yes, it's worth it...yes, I'm crazy...yes, I wish you could all be here with me...

[after the games are over i'll post more]

Berlin

[p.s. I think I'm on a roll]

So, we arrive in Berlin and I'm excited to see a couple key things in my very short time in the city. Before travelling, I do a little bit of research on the city just to get an idea of places, streets, sites, monuments, whatever that I might want to visit once there. And then once I arrive, like I said in my Stuttgart post I map out the rest of my trip (literally) and take it from there. I like having a plan of attack.
Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and grey the whole time we were there, and while that made me feel better that the TV tower was closed due to construction, I still would have wanted to see more after waiting in line at the parliament in the crazy wind and cold (the doormen must have loved the people sneering at them as they kept the doors shut until the last possible second). Even though there were
no public tours of the parliament building itself, there was free access (would recommend if you visit) to the glass dome roof, in which you walked up in a spiral pattern and could get a great view (given clear weather conditions) of the city all around. I still enjoyed the cool architecture, and guessing where I should have see different things pop up according to my panoramic guide. I like seeing that sort of thing.
I did a little bit of shopping (naturally), and of course most the stores were the same as all over Europe, so I wasn't too impressed by anything. I went in the German equivalent of LaFayette (again nothing too different) and walked by stalls that were being set up for the Christmas markets.
I got the see remnants of the Berlin wall (one goal), visited Brandenburg Gate (again, a goal) both during the daytime and again at night, and saw Checkpoint Charlie (ditto).




Anyone else hear classical music?




I also went to a little museum called The Story of Berlin (on recommendation). It's a great set up. A really interactive museum. Well done. Lots of sounds, colours, lights, things to touch, move and feel...but when you're in the exhibition all by yourself (seriously, no one else was there), maybe it's the subject matter, but I was really creeped out. Hearing different sounds coming from different rooms and seeing flashes of light from my line of peripherery was really really scary. I walked through that place pretty fast.
I also tried my hand at riding the subway system, and ummm...are all the subways starting to look very similar to each other or what? Or maybe I was missing the TTC enough to think the Berlin subway walls were very similar to those in Toronto.
C'mon...imagine a different colour, font, and you'd think you're in another city! The subway sign for the Checkpoint Charlie stop, just steps away from:





A little bit more dingy than the other ones I've ridden, but depending on the line, there were some really nice cars.






errr...can someone help me out? Which TTC station is this?




I was a little disappointed with Berlin. I'd only been to two cities in Germany before this trip (Munich and Stuttgart), so that's the kind of expectation I had of a German city. Oh, and all that historical stuff about the wall too. Bottom line, I was expecting something rich with culture. Sure there was a lot of culture there, but it was a lot more
Americanized than I was expecting. I understand now that they rebuilt the city and tried to change a lot of it around, but honestly, I saw one too many Starbucks Cafes and Subway eateries.
After a tiring two weeks of traveling, I headed back to Neuch (via Charles de Gaulle in Paris) and resumed sedentary life...until my next adventure.

Paris

Continuing on my marathon trip, after going to Nice and Monaco, I ended up in Paris. If you didn't already know it: I love Paris. It may be cliche, but it's true. There's so much about that city I love...the language, shops, people, sights, crowds, sounds, smells, of course the metro...

So, we arrive on November 11th (way back in 2005), and after eating sushi for lunch (I'm proud of myself for building up the courage to eat Asian in Europe again after the mishap of New Year's dinner last year - year of the Rooster...should have been even better because it was my year) I took some time to wander down the Champs-Elysees.
Everytime I visited the city last year, Louis Vuitton was under construction. I don't know if this was just because it was open again, of it it's a normal thing, but there was a line up to get in the darn store. Laugh all you want, but I wanted to know what the big deal was, so I joined the line. Once inside (the line did move rather quickly) I was in a little bit of shock. Sure, I've been in LV before, but this is the megastore, so forgive me if I was a little bit overwhelmed with all of the choices. I made my way through the tourists splurging and rode the escalator up to the second floor. There were some beautiful shoes, but I have to say that most of the clothing isn't really for me. After walking around the whole store, I have decided that the LV monogram (and most of its designs) are a little too tacky for me. I would much rather pay for Hermes. Speaking of Hermes, I forgot to say that before LV, I took a detour to Hermes. FABulous. I went there to try to look for that hat that I saw in Monaco (strangely enough, I couldn't find it) and even though there was no line up to get into the store, it was pretty packed on the inside. It was plenty pretentious inside, and the clientele was a lot more up-itty, but for good reason. Now that stuff is nice. LV just seems so tacky to me
now (HA! Listen to me trying to sound like it's all beneath me or something). So yeah, now I'm thinking that if I invest in something, it'll be from Hermes. I know I can't have a Birkin Bag, but there were a lot of other things there that I wouldn't mind looking into. Plus the combination of orange and brown is go much better than gold and brown. Whatever.
After seeing all of the necessities (even though I've seen them all before), you know: Sacre-Coeur, Tour Eiffel (it sparkles!!!), Le Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Bateau Mouches, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe I had to return to the Cafe Deux Moulins. Yuppers. Happy thoughts...


Taken from the "tabac counter"...which actually doesn't exist.





The glass that she writes on actually doesn't exist either.




Anyway, I already know that I'll be back to Paris before the summer again. Just walking around that city rejuvenates me.
I also got a haircut while I was there. Strangely enough, during my time in Europe, I haven't gotten a haircut in Neuch. Right before arriving, I chopped off my hair (very short - different and not horrible, but a little boring) and let it grow out until the end of the year (don't forget, I think of years ending in June, not December) when I went to Paris, and decided to splurge and cut my hair. Like, really really splurge. He ended up cutting my hair just like how they usually do it. Layered to frame my face and blowdried to perfection. Too bad I don't know how to blow dry my own hair, and I don't have a curling iron here to cheat. So when straight, it looks pretty much like nothing. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that while in Europe, seems like I end up going to Paris to get my hair done. (Kind of like going to Milan for shopping - ridiculous.) This time around, I spent a lot less money, and ended up with a cut that I really liked! I emphasized my need for something that looks good without any product or styling, and he actually listened! Finally! Months later, I'm still happy with the way it has grown out. I thought about going back to the same place when I go back again, but I'm thinking that if I go back to Toronto sometime, I might just wait until then and try the Vidal Sassoon school. I've heard interesting things (it's just hair...I'm not too picky). Who knows though. I might go back to the same place in Paris or try a new one!
What else different did I experience in Paris? Nothing that stands out (at least right now) it seems. I hit up all the shops that I really wanted to visit, did all of the things that I was waiting to do...and rode the metro lots and lots.
Paris is definitely my favorite getaway. It's like going back to Toronto for a weekend while I was in Kingston. Something familiar and metropolitan just for a little while. A breath of fresh air.

After Paris...flying to Berlin (another new experience)...

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd

Another small and easy book to read, the blurb on the back of the book really didn't make me want to read this book (part of the reason why I find it hard to just pick up a book and read it - the blurbs never sound interesting), but many people had mentioned that this was a good book that I might enjoy, so one day, on the train, after having it sit in my bag for a good two months, I decided to finally give it a chance.
It wasn't too bad I suppose. At one point when I had nothing better to do with my time, I was actually quite happy to pick the book back up again and try to read as much of it as possible.
The story is about a little girl who is yearning to find out the truth about how her mother died. She has a tense relationship with her father, and after witnessing a heated exchange between her black nanny (the book is set in South Carolina in 1964 around the time the Civil Rights Act was signed) and a group of racist white men she runs away from home and spends the rest of the book with her nanny and some new characters in a completely different town and a different way of life.
I have to admit that I skimmed through certain parts of the book (but I think for almost all books, there'll be a part that my attention span sort of disappears and I just need to do it), but as a whole I really enjoyed the different ideas and characters that were presented in the book.
It had some serious issues, but as a whole, it was quite light and didn't make me feel depressed in any way. There aren't any surprises in the plot and I was happy with the way it ended. Everything made sense and carried out how they felt like they should have.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a simple, quick, positive read.

-picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

What the heck?

So the Torino2006 organizing committee says that you can't resell your tickets even if you're not looking to make any money. Fine.
Then what the heck is this?!?
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr...