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Paris, chic
and modern, historic and glamourous. |
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Day 1 - Local Life |
Since I started learning French as a teenager, speaking French in Paris is a
big goal. On arrival, I immediately seized every opportunity! |
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For the
afternoon, I had to :
- Go to Post Office
- Get a Hair Cut
- Buy skincare for my dry skin
- Buy hand-made chocolates
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Wanna find out what this
big green tank is for? And my adventures upon arrival?
Read Details about
Day 1 - Local Life |
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Day 2 - Work Hard, Play Hard
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Getting up
early was alright even I slept little. However, it was difficult to stay
awake in the meetings during the afternoon (my Vancouver bedtime). The guy
who was sitting next to me is an internet addict. In France, hotels have
arrangement with Wireless Service Providers. So this fellow Canadian was on
Orange network all
the time, paying from his own pocket. Summer promotion offered €20 for 4
hours rather than regular price €20 for 2 hours.
He was making South Park pictures for many Canadian
volunteers and I asked for mine. On that day, I was wearing a red vest,
khaki skirt. He modified the hairstyle to fit mine, ho ho. |
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That day our entire Committee was stressed. Some,
including me, felt saddened as the other Committee criticized my proposal
and personally attacked our Chair. Ouch. We
put it all behind us and in the evening, 7 of us went out to dine at a
French restaurant recommended by the Concierge as the restaurant serves
relatively traditional French cuisine.
The restaurant is called
Au Pied de Cochon
(At the Pig's Foot). Inside the restaurant, we could easily find decorations
with pigs, figurines, illustrations. Like most above average restaurants,
all waiters are male and are well-dressed. The day before at Tarte Julie, I
was served by female waitresses.
What did I get? A set dinner:
- French Onion Soup
- Escagots (Snails)
- Pork Ribs
- Crème Brûlée
I was happy with the food, particularly with the
escagots, except the port ribs. It was too dry.... Watch me enjoy my Escagot!!!
(See
more photographs at Au Pied de Cochon) |
5 Crazy Engineers |
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Day 3 - Mermaid on La Seine |
After another full day of
work, 10+ of us decided to take an evening boat cruise along River Seine. |
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For €8, we got an hour of guided tour along the
romantic river. What a good deal! We boarded the boat near Pont de L'Alma,
where a good view of Tour Eiffel was found. |
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The boat sailed towards the east, along many
attractions like Musée d'Orsay, Louvre, Place de la Concorde, Palais de
Justice, Basilique de Notre-Dame on l'Ile de la Cité, l'Ile St. Louis. The
sun was shining into my eyes as I forgot to bring my sunglasses.
Then the boat turned around to sail westwards, passing
by l'Hôtel de Ville, Place de Châtelet, again by Louvre all the way to Tour
Eiffel, little Manhattan.
Once again, it turned around, by the Statue of
Liberty. The original Statue of Liberty is the 3rd Statues of Liberty I
viewed at close distance. The other 2 are in New York City, Las Vegas.
The boat sailed by Tour Eiffel again and returned
to the terminal.
(Photo
Album from Mermaid on La Seine) |
Warm breeze, soft sun.
Such an enjoyable boat cruise. |
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Day 4 - Step Climbing Robot |
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Along with my American
friends, Kristi and Scott, I visited the Palace of Versailles, L'Arc de
Triomphe. Versailles is too beautiful and the
360-degree view of Paris atop of L'Arc de Triomphe is also unforgettable. |
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Check out more
photographs. Find out how we climbed roughly 2000 steps in 1 day!!
Read journal for
Day 4 - Step Climbing Robot |
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Day 5 - Cultural
Exploration |
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Sunny Day =
Walking Day Rain or Shine, I planned to visit
Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum. Given it was sunny, I visited
additional cultural sites including Ste-Chapelle and Conciergerie.
Another day with numb legs. All because I climbed
up the bell tower of the Notre Dame Cathedral, and walked through many
galleries inside Louvre.
More about my
Day 5 - Cultural
Exploration (with Numb Legs) |
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In the evening, I
explored different culture with people from various European countries,
Middle East, Mediterranean Sea. Certainly I was also proud to present Canada
to them! |
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Day 6 - Local Life
Encore
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It rained in the morning, but my mood was not
affected. I truly felt like I was living in Paris. How so? I went to a mass
at Sacré Coeur Cathedral. I checked out paintings, sculpture by Dali,
bookshop, even concept car showroom. |
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Purely Coincidence!
I bumped into friends from Vancouver!
Read my full journal for
Day 6 - Local Life
Encore
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A week in
Paris, I wished I could stay longer, visit more cultural and historic places
like Museum of Orsay, Moulin Rouge, do more shopping, etc.. However, I was
more excited about spending the remaining of the week in
Munich since I have
never been to Germany. |