I'm on the move again! After a weekend in Venice (cold, but very beautiful) I left Geneva at 7am and hopped on the first train to Paris. Having had my fill of Paris the first time around (it's big, dirty, busy, and ... well ... not my favourite city!) I hopped onto a second train bound for Brussels. And then a THIRD train from Brussels to ... yep, you guessed it (well probably not but we will pretend) ... BRUGGE!
This is my third visit to this awesome little city (second since arriving in Europe a month ago). This time I am staying three nights and have the next two full days to explore at my leisure. Which is FANTASTIC. I have gone over the map of Brugge and circled all kinds of places I want to go and things I want to see ... including (of course!) the chocolate museum!
Unfortunately the weather is NOT good right now ... very cold (it was snowing earlier - yuck!) and windy and grey skies. Boooooooo. But I am not about to let this less-than-ideal weather stop me from my exploring! I might even rent a bike tomorrow (after finding mittens, that is!).
I know that I am behind on the pictures ... I'm sorry! I have been looking at them and thinking about blog posts and labels and comments and ... well ... I just haven't been at a computer that I can use to upload photos! So that will be coming soon, by this weekend at the latest. PROMISE!
The last week or so has reminded me again just how much I have come to value my independence and personal strength. I have worked hard to develop my confidence and strong sense of self - and to show it to the world - and this is not something that is going to change. Fortunately, I trust my instincts enough to listen when they tell me that the situation I am in is not good for me and that I will be unhappy. Woot for independence!
On that note, if any of you are considering ever coming to europe to travel around and explore, I can not recommend highly enough that you buy a RailEurope pass! It's amazing and it offers the peace of mind of knowing that you can get on a train from wherever you are and go somewhere else. :) And I highly recommend Bruges :)
Alright folks, that is today's update. I have made secret plans for the next little while and will be blogging whenever I can.
Take care!
xox
Candz
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
bienvenue a suisse!
At long last I return to you! The past week has brought some unexpected changes, and there is still a lot up in the air. But things are good and I am happy and safe :) so I really can not ask for more!
To make it brief, I am in Switzerland right now. Genève (that's Geneva for us uncultured North American folk :P) is really beautiful. I was quite spoiled last week with +20 and sunshine in Madrid ... alas, I have been reminded that in much of the world it is only springtime (a brisk +5) *sigh*.
So my next few weeks are quite up in the air. I have several options (I won't bore you with the details, yet!). I feel like I am playing my own game: What country will Candice end up in next ?!? Though at times exhausting, it is so much fun :) Yesterday I spent 9 hours on the train from Barcelona to Genève. A long day, but I love the train :) It's pretty relaxing, you can stretch out and move around (more than on a plane or in a car), it's environmentally friendly, and it offers a great opportunity to see the countryside and enjoy the sunny weather. AND it gets me where I want to go pretty quickly.
I had planned on a much longer post, but a) i have forgotten a lot of what i wanted to say, and b) this swiss keyboard is a little tough to type on! And I just climbed 113 stairs ...
lots of love
xox
candy
To make it brief, I am in Switzerland right now. Genève (that's Geneva for us uncultured North American folk :P) is really beautiful. I was quite spoiled last week with +20 and sunshine in Madrid ... alas, I have been reminded that in much of the world it is only springtime (a brisk +5) *sigh*.
So my next few weeks are quite up in the air. I have several options (I won't bore you with the details, yet!). I feel like I am playing my own game: What country will Candice end up in next ?!? Though at times exhausting, it is so much fun :) Yesterday I spent 9 hours on the train from Barcelona to Genève. A long day, but I love the train :) It's pretty relaxing, you can stretch out and move around (more than on a plane or in a car), it's environmentally friendly, and it offers a great opportunity to see the countryside and enjoy the sunny weather. AND it gets me where I want to go pretty quickly.
I had planned on a much longer post, but a) i have forgotten a lot of what i wanted to say, and b) this swiss keyboard is a little tough to type on! And I just climbed 113 stairs ...
lots of love
xox
candy
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Valdamorillo!
Hello there my dears :)
So the amazing journey with Michelle has ended *tear*. We finished it in style with an awesome (fantastic!) weekend in Barcelona ... as you will see from the pictures.
Now I have arrived in Valdamorillo - the village just outside of Madrid where I will be living until June. I´ve posted pics here of the house, my room, the dog, etc etc. The kids are at school but I will post pics of the family soon. :)
The weather is BEAUTIFUL right now ... +16 and sunny. I took Tatu (the dog) out for a walk this morning and we enjoyed the view together. It is just going to keep getting warmer and I can´t wait!!
On the 26th the family is going to Paris, and I am going to go to Sevilla (Sev-ee-ya) and Granada for a few days! It will be my first solo excursion and I´m pretty excited.
I think I´m going to take a nap in the sunshine ... I hope all is well at home and I will be in touch :) Thanks for reading!
xoxox
Candz
So the amazing journey with Michelle has ended *tear*. We finished it in style with an awesome (fantastic!) weekend in Barcelona ... as you will see from the pictures.
Now I have arrived in Valdamorillo - the village just outside of Madrid where I will be living until June. I´ve posted pics here of the house, my room, the dog, etc etc. The kids are at school but I will post pics of the family soon. :)
The weather is BEAUTIFUL right now ... +16 and sunny. I took Tatu (the dog) out for a walk this morning and we enjoyed the view together. It is just going to keep getting warmer and I can´t wait!!
On the 26th the family is going to Paris, and I am going to go to Sevilla (Sev-ee-ya) and Granada for a few days! It will be my first solo excursion and I´m pretty excited.
I think I´m going to take a nap in the sunshine ... I hope all is well at home and I will be in touch :) Thanks for reading!
xoxox
Candz
Friday, March 7, 2008
España
Hola!
We're in Spain now ... Barcelona to be a little more precise. The train ride from Montpellier to Barcelona was ... interesting ... the train was pretty sketchy and the trek was about an hour longer than it was supposed to be. I'm guessing that's because we just sat in Perpignan for about 30 minutes. :P
It's late and I'm exhausted .. I'm sure I will have a lot more to post tomorrow or Sunday (or maybe Monday). We head to Madrid on Sunday where I will meet my first au pair family. I'll be in touch soon!!!
:)
xox
Candz
We're in Spain now ... Barcelona to be a little more precise. The train ride from Montpellier to Barcelona was ... interesting ... the train was pretty sketchy and the trek was about an hour longer than it was supposed to be. I'm guessing that's because we just sat in Perpignan for about 30 minutes. :P
It's late and I'm exhausted .. I'm sure I will have a lot more to post tomorrow or Sunday (or maybe Monday). We head to Madrid on Sunday where I will meet my first au pair family. I'll be in touch soon!!!
:)
xox
Candz
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Montpellier!
I LOVE MONTPELLIER!!!
Okay so my destiny has been revealed to me:
Learn French, marry a European man, and live in Montpellier to raise my little Canadian/European/French babies.
That’s the plan :)
Hahahaha.
So anyway, Montpellier is absolutely incredible. I will be posting pictures. I love this city. Paris was nice and exciting but also so exhausting and way too big for my preference. Montpellier is exciting and gorgeous and also very ‘manageable’ in the sense that it’s big enough for lots of things, but small enough that you can get from one end to the other without wanting to shoot yourself … there are little markets in the squares with stalls selling fruits and veggies, bags, scarves, etc. I LOVED it. Yes mom, I did buy a bag … I love it :).
(new necklace = brugge, new ring = brussels, new scarf = paris, new bag = montpellier) (and of course awesome bracelet = ecuador, thank you to julia) :) :) :)
Tomorrow we go to Barcelona. Another massive city … but we’ll have company on Saturday and I’m excited about that :)
Talk to you soon! And thanks for the comments and emails letting me know that you’re enjoying the blog!!! It makes it worth writing for sure!
Xox
Candz
Okay so my destiny has been revealed to me:
Learn French, marry a European man, and live in Montpellier to raise my little Canadian/European/French babies.
That’s the plan :)
Hahahaha.
So anyway, Montpellier is absolutely incredible. I will be posting pictures. I love this city. Paris was nice and exciting but also so exhausting and way too big for my preference. Montpellier is exciting and gorgeous and also very ‘manageable’ in the sense that it’s big enough for lots of things, but small enough that you can get from one end to the other without wanting to shoot yourself … there are little markets in the squares with stalls selling fruits and veggies, bags, scarves, etc. I LOVED it. Yes mom, I did buy a bag … I love it :).
(new necklace = brugge, new ring = brussels, new scarf = paris, new bag = montpellier) (and of course awesome bracelet = ecuador, thank you to julia) :) :) :)
Tomorrow we go to Barcelona. Another massive city … but we’ll have company on Saturday and I’m excited about that :)
Talk to you soon! And thanks for the comments and emails letting me know that you’re enjoying the blog!!! It makes it worth writing for sure!
Xox
Candz
Ahh southern France! :)
Wednesday March 5, 2008
Here we are in Montpellier! It’s been a rather interesting day … last night michelle and I both woke up to the sound of someone pounding on our hostel door. This wasn’t a huge surprise, as the hostel was really loud most of the time and there were a lot of people around. Upon listening to the voices, we determined that it was two of the guys we had spoken to very briefly early in the evening. Clearly drunk. Upon discovering our door to be locked, they decided to wait for us in the hallway. I wonder if they were disappointed that we didn’t show up??? Lol.
That was the second of our two rather sleepless nights en Paris.
Today we headed off to Montpellier on the TGV, which is a really sweet high-speed train. The train was awesome – everyone was quiet and most of the people slept for the majority of the 3.5 h ride (ourselves included). The French countryside is gorgeous. I think my fate has been revealed to me: I must learn French and find a way to live in southern france – preferably in the Montpellier area!
We found our way to the tram easily (awesome and very efficient!) but couldn’t find our hostel. After some wrong directions, we finally managed to get there. It was closed. So we went and had pizza (delicious!) and waited until the hostel would be open …
It was horrible.
We checked in, and left within an hour. It was filthy, the room stank of cigarettes, the staff were unpleasant, and we couldn’t even shower because the pipe was leaking water all over the main room. The internet didn’t work and the whole place felt like a prison. The entire thing SUCKED. So never ever even consider booking at the HI hostel in Montpellier.
Fortunately, Michelle spent 2 months living in Montpellier in summer ’05. They are a wonderful French family and have been SO great with hosting us and feeding us and it was absolutely incredible to sleep in a real bed with a real duvet and heat and an incredible shower. It’s just amazing.
SO here we are!!!!
I didn’t get this posted until the 6th … but read it as if it was from the 5th. :)
Xox
Candz
Here we are in Montpellier! It’s been a rather interesting day … last night michelle and I both woke up to the sound of someone pounding on our hostel door. This wasn’t a huge surprise, as the hostel was really loud most of the time and there were a lot of people around. Upon listening to the voices, we determined that it was two of the guys we had spoken to very briefly early in the evening. Clearly drunk. Upon discovering our door to be locked, they decided to wait for us in the hallway. I wonder if they were disappointed that we didn’t show up??? Lol.
That was the second of our two rather sleepless nights en Paris.
Today we headed off to Montpellier on the TGV, which is a really sweet high-speed train. The train was awesome – everyone was quiet and most of the people slept for the majority of the 3.5 h ride (ourselves included). The French countryside is gorgeous. I think my fate has been revealed to me: I must learn French and find a way to live in southern france – preferably in the Montpellier area!
We found our way to the tram easily (awesome and very efficient!) but couldn’t find our hostel. After some wrong directions, we finally managed to get there. It was closed. So we went and had pizza (delicious!) and waited until the hostel would be open …
It was horrible.
We checked in, and left within an hour. It was filthy, the room stank of cigarettes, the staff were unpleasant, and we couldn’t even shower because the pipe was leaking water all over the main room. The internet didn’t work and the whole place felt like a prison. The entire thing SUCKED. So never ever even consider booking at the HI hostel in Montpellier.
Fortunately, Michelle spent 2 months living in Montpellier in summer ’05. They are a wonderful French family and have been SO great with hosting us and feeding us and it was absolutely incredible to sleep in a real bed with a real duvet and heat and an incredible shower. It’s just amazing.
SO here we are!!!!
I didn’t get this posted until the 6th … but read it as if it was from the 5th. :)
Xox
Candz
for chelsey
Hey sweetie,
I’m glad that you wrote this, but more glad that you are forgiving yourself. Things happen to us all the time that change who we are, and sometimes it takes us a while to realize we don’t like who we have become. You can’t be angry at yourself for that – you just need to take a deep breath, acknowledge it, and say “okay, this is what I want to be, starting now”
I’m not angry with you – I hope you know that. I know how intense things can be and it can be difficult to think clearly when your emotions are swirling around you. It takes a long time and a hell of a lot of practice to be able to keep oneself from being entirely consumed by the feelings (sometimes meds as well, lol). And sometimes it’s just not possible.
And I don’t really think we ‘fell apart’ either … I told Jérôme that I am very close to both of my sisters :) So howabout don’t worry about it and don’t feel bad anymore, because things are good now. Okay?
Xox
Grosses Bises from Montpellier
Candice
I’m glad that you wrote this, but more glad that you are forgiving yourself. Things happen to us all the time that change who we are, and sometimes it takes us a while to realize we don’t like who we have become. You can’t be angry at yourself for that – you just need to take a deep breath, acknowledge it, and say “okay, this is what I want to be, starting now”
I’m not angry with you – I hope you know that. I know how intense things can be and it can be difficult to think clearly when your emotions are swirling around you. It takes a long time and a hell of a lot of practice to be able to keep oneself from being entirely consumed by the feelings (sometimes meds as well, lol). And sometimes it’s just not possible.
And I don’t really think we ‘fell apart’ either … I told Jérôme that I am very close to both of my sisters :) So howabout don’t worry about it and don’t feel bad anymore, because things are good now. Okay?
Xox
Grosses Bises from Montpellier
Candice
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Paris!
Bonsoir!
Another exhausting and awesome day! Today we got up early (had to take advantage of the free breakfast offered at the hostel) and decided to fill our day with Paris sight-seeing. Our first stop was, of course, the Eiffel Tower! It was pretty freaking awesome.
I’m going to be posting a video … and before I do I want to explain that my actions in this video were coerced by my sister – CASSIE – who decided that this would be the ultimate way for me to show just how much I love her. The video will explain the rest …
oh yeah, and this might be kinda icky ...
Our next stop was the Musee d’Orsay, which was really nice. Michelle and I were both quite exhausted, so we weren’t able to enjoy the whole thing, but we did get to see some fantastic art.
Third – and definitely most intense – was the Cathedral de Notre Dame. It was GORGEOUS and AMAZING and so fantastic I can’t even think of enough adjectives to describe the experience. I have pics and videos, which I will post as soon as I can.
After all this, we found a little bakery (not that we had to search, since they are EVERYWHERE and so delicious :)). Michelle picked up some treats and had what seems to be the world’s most delicious coffee meringue. Don’t believe me? I’m sure she’ll tell you! :)
We head to Montpellier tomorrow. It’s only 7pm here but I am completely exhausted, so I think this post will be kept short in favour of some rest.
Talk to you tomorrow, from Montpellier!!!!!
Xoxo
Candz
Another exhausting and awesome day! Today we got up early (had to take advantage of the free breakfast offered at the hostel) and decided to fill our day with Paris sight-seeing. Our first stop was, of course, the Eiffel Tower! It was pretty freaking awesome.
I’m going to be posting a video … and before I do I want to explain that my actions in this video were coerced by my sister – CASSIE – who decided that this would be the ultimate way for me to show just how much I love her. The video will explain the rest …
oh yeah, and this might be kinda icky ...
Our next stop was the Musee d’Orsay, which was really nice. Michelle and I were both quite exhausted, so we weren’t able to enjoy the whole thing, but we did get to see some fantastic art.
Third – and definitely most intense – was the Cathedral de Notre Dame. It was GORGEOUS and AMAZING and so fantastic I can’t even think of enough adjectives to describe the experience. I have pics and videos, which I will post as soon as I can.
After all this, we found a little bakery (not that we had to search, since they are EVERYWHERE and so delicious :)). Michelle picked up some treats and had what seems to be the world’s most delicious coffee meringue. Don’t believe me? I’m sure she’ll tell you! :)
We head to Montpellier tomorrow. It’s only 7pm here but I am completely exhausted, so I think this post will be kept short in favour of some rest.
Talk to you tomorrow, from Montpellier!!!!!
Xoxo
Candz
Monday, March 3, 2008
Bonjour!!!
Greetings from Paris! Michelle and I have spent the last several days trekking around various countries in Europe and have now landed for two days in Paris. It’s so beautiful … think of all of the photos of quaint little streets, cafes and shops everywhere, and everyone speaking French. :) Tres exquisite!
On Friday morning we left Konstanz and headed to Lausanne, Switzerland. We met Michelle’s friend Jamie at the train station and after depositing our luggage at his flat, he took us out for a few hours to tour the city. And what a city it is! Lausanne is literally hills. Everywhere. And steep hills at that. Not for the faint of heart, and especially not for the faint of legs! It is an incredibly beautiful city – pictures are on their way! Lake Lausanne is bordered by mountains. The view from the train is absolutely breathtaking – words cannot possibly describe how incredible it was to see the lake surrounded by hills and little houses all over the hills. The sun was shining for our arrival in Lausanne which made it even more incredible.
After a (free!! Thanks to Jamie :)) evening in Lausanne, we packed up and headed off to the train station to spend alllll day Saturday making our way up to Belgium. For those of you who have access to (or are interested in looking up) a map, our route was as follows. Hop on the train in Lausanne and head to Basel. There we switched trains and prepared for the LONG haul – 7 hours – which took us through France (Salsburg) and into Luxembourg. From Luxembourg we headed over to Brussels, where we caught another train to Brugge. If you ever have the opportunity, GO TO BRUGGE! It was my second time there (I went when I was in Europe in high school) and it was worth every minute of the 10 hours we spent on the train to get to it.
Brugge is an incredibly beautiful, old, quaint little city. It is surrounded – and built on – water and is very well known for its lace. It has many gorgeous churches – all Roman Catholic – and we were lucky enough to be there on Sunday to enjoy the church bells ringing. I will be posting videos so check back for the link!
We took a boat tour around the canals of the city (very funny guide :)) and then found a little market square where some artisans were displaying (and of course selling) their handmade crafts. I bought a glass necklace which can be seen in a couple of today’s pictures
After enjoying most of the day in Brugge, we hopped back on a train and headed off to Brussels. It was my second time in Brussels as well, and it is quite an amazing place. After chilling out in our hostel room for a while, we headed out in search of “frites” (Brussels is famous for its frites – aka fries) and were fortunate enough to find ourselves a ‘guide’ of sorts :). Jerome (said in a French accent) led us to “La Grande Place” – the famous Brussels square – where we enjoyed the breathtaking architecture and explored the many streets and shops that the area has to offer. It was a fantastic evening :).
That brings us back to today. This morning we got up early and headed to the train station to lock up our bags and wander around a different part of Brussels. Our first destination was a flea market which runs every day from 4am to 2pm. It was quite the sight! Little mats everywhere with merchants displaying their various items. You could find just about anything there if you looked hard enough! After wandering around and taking a few pictures, we continued on down the street. Our next stop was in a little shop that sold various jewelry and other little things. I bought a glass ring, which I LOVE!
Now we are ‘digesting’ after a really nice (and not tooooo expensive) dinner at a Greek restaurant just down the street from our hostel. We are staying in a double room so we have the whole room to ourselves, which is great. Of course it’s a mess :P with our stuff strewn about, but it sure is nice to not be sharing a room with any random people – though we met a really nice girl from Texas in our room last night!
I think we may head across the street to a pub for a drink later on tonight. OH, one huge difference we have observed between Switzerland and Belgium vs France is that in Switzerland and Belguim, EVERYONE smokes EVERYWHERE. It’s such a relief to be able to walk into a restaurant, café, bar, etc and not immediately start choking (no offense to you smokers – my point is simply that I am obviously not a smoker and prefer to stay that way). Vive la france! Hahahah.
Thanks for reading, and especially thanks for your emails! I’m going to start the replies now. Hope all is well (fantastic, really) with everyone at home in Canada.
Lots of love!
Xoxo
Candz
On Friday morning we left Konstanz and headed to Lausanne, Switzerland. We met Michelle’s friend Jamie at the train station and after depositing our luggage at his flat, he took us out for a few hours to tour the city. And what a city it is! Lausanne is literally hills. Everywhere. And steep hills at that. Not for the faint of heart, and especially not for the faint of legs! It is an incredibly beautiful city – pictures are on their way! Lake Lausanne is bordered by mountains. The view from the train is absolutely breathtaking – words cannot possibly describe how incredible it was to see the lake surrounded by hills and little houses all over the hills. The sun was shining for our arrival in Lausanne which made it even more incredible.
After a (free!! Thanks to Jamie :)) evening in Lausanne, we packed up and headed off to the train station to spend alllll day Saturday making our way up to Belgium. For those of you who have access to (or are interested in looking up) a map, our route was as follows. Hop on the train in Lausanne and head to Basel. There we switched trains and prepared for the LONG haul – 7 hours – which took us through France (Salsburg) and into Luxembourg. From Luxembourg we headed over to Brussels, where we caught another train to Brugge. If you ever have the opportunity, GO TO BRUGGE! It was my second time there (I went when I was in Europe in high school) and it was worth every minute of the 10 hours we spent on the train to get to it.
Brugge is an incredibly beautiful, old, quaint little city. It is surrounded – and built on – water and is very well known for its lace. It has many gorgeous churches – all Roman Catholic – and we were lucky enough to be there on Sunday to enjoy the church bells ringing. I will be posting videos so check back for the link!
We took a boat tour around the canals of the city (very funny guide :)) and then found a little market square where some artisans were displaying (and of course selling) their handmade crafts. I bought a glass necklace which can be seen in a couple of today’s pictures
After enjoying most of the day in Brugge, we hopped back on a train and headed off to Brussels. It was my second time in Brussels as well, and it is quite an amazing place. After chilling out in our hostel room for a while, we headed out in search of “frites” (Brussels is famous for its frites – aka fries) and were fortunate enough to find ourselves a ‘guide’ of sorts :). Jerome (said in a French accent) led us to “La Grande Place” – the famous Brussels square – where we enjoyed the breathtaking architecture and explored the many streets and shops that the area has to offer. It was a fantastic evening :).
That brings us back to today. This morning we got up early and headed to the train station to lock up our bags and wander around a different part of Brussels. Our first destination was a flea market which runs every day from 4am to 2pm. It was quite the sight! Little mats everywhere with merchants displaying their various items. You could find just about anything there if you looked hard enough! After wandering around and taking a few pictures, we continued on down the street. Our next stop was in a little shop that sold various jewelry and other little things. I bought a glass ring, which I LOVE!
Now we are ‘digesting’ after a really nice (and not tooooo expensive) dinner at a Greek restaurant just down the street from our hostel. We are staying in a double room so we have the whole room to ourselves, which is great. Of course it’s a mess :P with our stuff strewn about, but it sure is nice to not be sharing a room with any random people – though we met a really nice girl from Texas in our room last night!
I think we may head across the street to a pub for a drink later on tonight. OH, one huge difference we have observed between Switzerland and Belgium vs France is that in Switzerland and Belguim, EVERYONE smokes EVERYWHERE. It’s such a relief to be able to walk into a restaurant, café, bar, etc and not immediately start choking (no offense to you smokers – my point is simply that I am obviously not a smoker and prefer to stay that way). Vive la france! Hahahah.
Thanks for reading, and especially thanks for your emails! I’m going to start the replies now. Hope all is well (fantastic, really) with everyone at home in Canada.
Lots of love!
Xoxo
Candz
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