The internet connection at the hotel works whenever it feels like it which makes it difficult to write regularly. The router is on the 3rd floor (we are on the 5th) and it's the only one for the whole building.
On top of that we usually get back home late every night and I am just too tired to write before going to bed. We've been going non-stop since we got to Paris, trying to see as many people as possible and spend time with them all. There are not enough hours in a day. I try to keep up with things we do, but they seem to happen faster than I can put them down.
Let's hope that the pictures from this trip don't end up with the movie from Italie!!!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
9eme jour de vacances – 6eme jour de croisiere – 24 Aout
No time for breakfast today. We have to leave the ship at 8:45am. There are a few things in this cruise that are a little strange; like giving you 7 hours in Malaga (which was beautiful, but still) when 3 would probably have been more than enough. Today in Barcelona we only have 4 hours. This is a big city and although they have a good transportation system, it still takes some time to go from one place to the next. I have been there before so I know the places and things that we absolutely must see. We are docked not far away from the entrance and are in no time on “Las Ramblas”. The weather is beautiful and the city is waking up. We walk up the famous avenue to “Plaça Catalunya” and then go on “Passeig de Gràcia”. We first get to “Casa Batlló” and then to “Casa Milà” also known as “La Pedrera”, 2 of Gaudí’s visionary work.
Gaudí was born near Tarragona in 1852. Although little is known about his personality, his famous architecture lives on, intriguing, inspiring, touching countless people. However, he was not very well respected during his lifetime and many of his buildings in Barcelona are still disputed.
We then take the subway to get to “La Sagrada Familia”, the most famous architectural element of Barcelona. No time for a visit though; we have to keep moving. The weather had suddenly changed in the short metro ride. It is now overcast and the sun had disappeared. After a walk around the site of the "ever unfinished" cathedral, we get back on the subway. The next stop is “Park Güell”. After the metro we have to walk up a steep hill to get to the park (thank god for escalators). We enter from one of the side entrances and make our way to the main one seeing Gaudí’s major art work and architecture pieces. The park overlooks the city and the scenery from up there is breathtaking. We probably do the fastest visit of the park, ever. 15 minutes later we are leaving. Mom is afraid that we'll be late to get back on the boat. We take the subway again and get back to the boat around 1:30pm and head to the lunch buffet. We leave Barcelona at 2. They have a meeting an hour later to tell us about the disembarking formalities in Genoa (the end of the cruise for the Italians) and Marseille. After that we all go take a nap.
Tonight we make our way back to the formal dining room. It is another elegant affair, not as fancy as the "Captain's Dinner", but we had to dress up. Dennis is in a great mood and seems to have forgiven our table mates. Dinner again is about 15 courses long and ends up with a Baked Alaska for dessert.
We then decide to go to the disco while mom goes to bed. We dance for a couple of hours and leave the dance floor drenched, sweating like pigs.
Gaudí was born near Tarragona in 1852. Although little is known about his personality, his famous architecture lives on, intriguing, inspiring, touching countless people. However, he was not very well respected during his lifetime and many of his buildings in Barcelona are still disputed.
We then take the subway to get to “La Sagrada Familia”, the most famous architectural element of Barcelona. No time for a visit though; we have to keep moving. The weather had suddenly changed in the short metro ride. It is now overcast and the sun had disappeared. After a walk around the site of the "ever unfinished" cathedral, we get back on the subway. The next stop is “Park Güell”. After the metro we have to walk up a steep hill to get to the park (thank god for escalators). We enter from one of the side entrances and make our way to the main one seeing Gaudí’s major art work and architecture pieces. The park overlooks the city and the scenery from up there is breathtaking. We probably do the fastest visit of the park, ever. 15 minutes later we are leaving. Mom is afraid that we'll be late to get back on the boat. We take the subway again and get back to the boat around 1:30pm and head to the lunch buffet. We leave Barcelona at 2. They have a meeting an hour later to tell us about the disembarking formalities in Genoa (the end of the cruise for the Italians) and Marseille. After that we all go take a nap.
Tonight we make our way back to the formal dining room. It is another elegant affair, not as fancy as the "Captain's Dinner", but we had to dress up. Dennis is in a great mood and seems to have forgiven our table mates. Dinner again is about 15 courses long and ends up with a Baked Alaska for dessert.
We then decide to go to the disco while mom goes to bed. We dance for a couple of hours and leave the dance floor drenched, sweating like pigs.
8eme jour de vacances – 5eme jour de croisiere – 23 Aout
Gym at 8am to work a sweat before the morning croissants. Today we won’t reach Ibiza until 7pm so we have all day on the ship with nothing to see out in the ocean until 5pm. At 11:30 we all go to the lounge where they have the election of “Mister Coral”. I’m glad I didn’t sign up. The cruise director is always trying to have us all participate in everything. Instead I do some reading. They start an hour of karaoke and I put my name on the list to please my brother.
We then go to lunch. It seems all we do is eat. The weather is the best it’s been so far since we left Marseille. The sky is blue the sun is shining, and the temperature is perfect. After our meal we go back to our spot in the lounge. Neither one of us want to be in the sun. I do some more reading while mom and sis do some craft projects with the passengers. My brother is listening to music. An hour later they have a dance class (like everyday) and today the selection is “merengue”. We all take part and it is lots of fun. Then we play games with the cruise animation crew.
Around 4:30 we start seeing an island on the horizon and I go back and forth between the deck and the lounge. I cannot wait to get to Ibiza. I read some more until we get close to Formentera which is about ½ hour from Ibiza. I think everybody is anxious to get off the ship for different reasons. Excitement, tiredness of being “stuck”… but the first glimpse we have of the fortress and its cathedral perched on a hilltop with the city laying on its flanks (both within the walls and outside) and going all the ways down to the ocean is superb.
Mom is still not feeling too good and decides to stay on board. We leave the ship around 7:15pm and head straight to the fortress and its cathedral. It’s beautiful. Once inside, it reminds us of Tangier and its “souk”. We find streets going up and down and left and right, steps, and sudden turns making you feel like you’re going in the wrong direction. Unlike Tangier though, everything is clean, cute, pretty (and a bunch of other similar synonyms) and you don’t really care if you get lost or not. We start by walking up on the wall around the fortress for the amazing view. From there we see Formentera and a few other islands. We then venture in the streets after a stop at the cathedral.
We finally get out of the fortress and walk around town for a while. It’s as if everybody just woke up. The city comes to life late in the evening. Everything is open, stores, restaurants. Dinner is a late affair in most of Europe anyway. The evening is perfect and it’s wonderful to just walk around.
It is getting late and we decide to go back to the ship to have dinner. We don’t want to rush having only about an hour left before we have to be back on the ship. The island is really known for its nightlife and unfortunately we will not have time to experience any of its 40 clubs.
We find mom who just finished her dinner. I guess we’ve been like Dartagnan and the 3 Musketeers since the start of the cruise, always together all the time. Today the staff kept asking my mom where we were! We eat and then all go to the show (a 70’s extravaganza). After the show Paolo and I go up to the disco but the music is not to my taste and I go to bed. We have to wake up early tomorrow anyway and it’s past midnight.
We then go to lunch. It seems all we do is eat. The weather is the best it’s been so far since we left Marseille. The sky is blue the sun is shining, and the temperature is perfect. After our meal we go back to our spot in the lounge. Neither one of us want to be in the sun. I do some more reading while mom and sis do some craft projects with the passengers. My brother is listening to music. An hour later they have a dance class (like everyday) and today the selection is “merengue”. We all take part and it is lots of fun. Then we play games with the cruise animation crew.
Around 4:30 we start seeing an island on the horizon and I go back and forth between the deck and the lounge. I cannot wait to get to Ibiza. I read some more until we get close to Formentera which is about ½ hour from Ibiza. I think everybody is anxious to get off the ship for different reasons. Excitement, tiredness of being “stuck”… but the first glimpse we have of the fortress and its cathedral perched on a hilltop with the city laying on its flanks (both within the walls and outside) and going all the ways down to the ocean is superb.
Mom is still not feeling too good and decides to stay on board. We leave the ship around 7:15pm and head straight to the fortress and its cathedral. It’s beautiful. Once inside, it reminds us of Tangier and its “souk”. We find streets going up and down and left and right, steps, and sudden turns making you feel like you’re going in the wrong direction. Unlike Tangier though, everything is clean, cute, pretty (and a bunch of other similar synonyms) and you don’t really care if you get lost or not. We start by walking up on the wall around the fortress for the amazing view. From there we see Formentera and a few other islands. We then venture in the streets after a stop at the cathedral.
We finally get out of the fortress and walk around town for a while. It’s as if everybody just woke up. The city comes to life late in the evening. Everything is open, stores, restaurants. Dinner is a late affair in most of Europe anyway. The evening is perfect and it’s wonderful to just walk around.
It is getting late and we decide to go back to the ship to have dinner. We don’t want to rush having only about an hour left before we have to be back on the ship. The island is really known for its nightlife and unfortunately we will not have time to experience any of its 40 clubs.
We find mom who just finished her dinner. I guess we’ve been like Dartagnan and the 3 Musketeers since the start of the cruise, always together all the time. Today the staff kept asking my mom where we were! We eat and then all go to the show (a 70’s extravaganza). After the show Paolo and I go up to the disco but the music is not to my taste and I go to bed. We have to wake up early tomorrow anyway and it’s past midnight.
7eme jour de vacances – 4eme jour de croisiere – 22 Aout
We all woke up early (not mom) to go to the gym and it is closed! Of course we decided to go to breakfast instead. We get to see the sunrise around 7:40 while we’re enjoying croissants and other goodies.
We get ready for our visit. Today we arrived in Tangier, in Morocco and have a few hours to walk around. As we leave the port, we are assaulted by taxi drivers and guides wannabes. They all want to help you have the best experience and the best visit. We had decided to go on our own as we did the previous days. We like to see what we want, when we want and stop when we wish. That’s why we’ve avoided all the excursions. We don’t like their rigid schedules. Before even leaving the port “Gaston” has decided that he will be our guide whether we want him or not. He wouldn’t take “No” for an answer and followed us out talking non-stop and giving me a headache. It wasn’t even at this point a matter of money since he wasn’t asking for much, but I would have killed him or myself, if I had to walk around for hours having to listen to his endless rambling. We have a map and are pretty confident we can manage. We didn’t plan to get in the “souk” (where you can get lost very easily). There is a 2 hours time change here and everything is closed anyway. We were just going to see the major attractions along the main roads and go back. We don’t have that much time in town. As we walk around taking pictures, we run into another couple of French people. We head in the same direction for a while and a couple of kids (Mohamed and his brother Youssef) come and talk to us and tell us they can take us to all the good spots quickly. We go along and indeed we have a nice visit. On the way back they even take us through the “souk” which is now open. After almost 2 hours we are back where we started. We give our “friends” $20 for the 2 of them and get back on the ship. It’s lunch time and we head for the buffet, our second home now!!!
After lunch I’m tired and I go down to take a nap. When I wake up, the ship is already in the port of Gibraltar. We decided not to go out. The weather is not great and it’s very windy and chilly. We stay out on the ship and play UNO until the dinner buffet.
The ship leaves Gibraltar around 8:30pm and we are en route to Ibiza, the longest stretch of our journey. We see a sinking ship and a few dolphins playing behind the boat. We watch until it’s too dark.
We go to the show but after a while I go to the movie theatre and watch a movie. My sister joins me after the show. We go back to our cabin at midnight.
We get ready for our visit. Today we arrived in Tangier, in Morocco and have a few hours to walk around. As we leave the port, we are assaulted by taxi drivers and guides wannabes. They all want to help you have the best experience and the best visit. We had decided to go on our own as we did the previous days. We like to see what we want, when we want and stop when we wish. That’s why we’ve avoided all the excursions. We don’t like their rigid schedules. Before even leaving the port “Gaston” has decided that he will be our guide whether we want him or not. He wouldn’t take “No” for an answer and followed us out talking non-stop and giving me a headache. It wasn’t even at this point a matter of money since he wasn’t asking for much, but I would have killed him or myself, if I had to walk around for hours having to listen to his endless rambling. We have a map and are pretty confident we can manage. We didn’t plan to get in the “souk” (where you can get lost very easily). There is a 2 hours time change here and everything is closed anyway. We were just going to see the major attractions along the main roads and go back. We don’t have that much time in town. As we walk around taking pictures, we run into another couple of French people. We head in the same direction for a while and a couple of kids (Mohamed and his brother Youssef) come and talk to us and tell us they can take us to all the good spots quickly. We go along and indeed we have a nice visit. On the way back they even take us through the “souk” which is now open. After almost 2 hours we are back where we started. We give our “friends” $20 for the 2 of them and get back on the ship. It’s lunch time and we head for the buffet, our second home now!!!
After lunch I’m tired and I go down to take a nap. When I wake up, the ship is already in the port of Gibraltar. We decided not to go out. The weather is not great and it’s very windy and chilly. We stay out on the ship and play UNO until the dinner buffet.
The ship leaves Gibraltar around 8:30pm and we are en route to Ibiza, the longest stretch of our journey. We see a sinking ship and a few dolphins playing behind the boat. We watch until it’s too dark.
We go to the show but after a while I go to the movie theatre and watch a movie. My sister joins me after the show. We go back to our cabin at midnight.
6eme jour de vacances – 3eme jour de croisiere – 21 Aout
I woke up at 8 this morning. I don’t like not having a window in my room. I hate sleeping in complete darkness. Paolo and I got ready and went down to the gym where we found Patricia. She had tried to wake us up at 7:30 (the time we had decided upon) but didn’t succeed and gave up. She leaves after a few minutes and Paolo and I do a 30 minutes work out. We all go to breakfast after that. At 9 the ship enters the port of Almeria. We will not get out since only people going on an excursion are leaving the boat. The ship sails away ½ hour later towards Malaga, where we will spend the afternoon and meet with the excursionists.
We keep busy waiting for the ship to get to Malaga. We get a thrill playing bingo with mom and almost winning $100. We have lunch at the buffet then go to take a “siesta”.
Finally we’re here. What a treat. Today the weather is beautiful and maybe it adds to the experience but Malaga is just amazing. Like all European cities, there are 2 or 3 churches around you at all times. We first pass the Cathedral which is very imposing and exquisite with all its details. We then stroll in the old part of the city. Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born here, and the “Fundacion Pablo Picasso” has the whole place mapped out by Picasso’s life. The house where he was born; the church where he got baptized; the place where he first lived; the place where his dad did this and the one where he did that… Every other block has a house where some member of the Picasso family did something, therefore now it’s a museum. Our map in hands, we go from one interesting spot to the next. Everything we see is wonderful. The highlight though is the “Castillo de Gibralfaro” located on a hill overlooking the bay and the port.
We walk back to the ship and decide to go to the buffet instead of the formal dining room.
At 11pm they serve “crepes” and we enjoy a sweet touch before making it an early night (well it’s only midnight). We’re all tired anyway.
We keep busy waiting for the ship to get to Malaga. We get a thrill playing bingo with mom and almost winning $100. We have lunch at the buffet then go to take a “siesta”.
Finally we’re here. What a treat. Today the weather is beautiful and maybe it adds to the experience but Malaga is just amazing. Like all European cities, there are 2 or 3 churches around you at all times. We first pass the Cathedral which is very imposing and exquisite with all its details. We then stroll in the old part of the city. Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born here, and the “Fundacion Pablo Picasso” has the whole place mapped out by Picasso’s life. The house where he was born; the church where he got baptized; the place where he first lived; the place where his dad did this and the one where he did that… Every other block has a house where some member of the Picasso family did something, therefore now it’s a museum. Our map in hands, we go from one interesting spot to the next. Everything we see is wonderful. The highlight though is the “Castillo de Gibralfaro” located on a hill overlooking the bay and the port.
We walk back to the ship and decide to go to the buffet instead of the formal dining room.
At 11pm they serve “crepes” and we enjoy a sweet touch before making it an early night (well it’s only midnight). We’re all tired anyway.
5eme jour de vacances – 2eme jour de croisiere – 20 Aout
It’s 1:45am and I just got back to my room. Today was a great first day. I woke up at 7:30 this morning and Paolo and I went to the gym for 30mn. We then headed to the breakfast buffet!!! While we were having breakfast with mom and sis, we entered the port of Palma de Mallorca. We could already see from the boat that there were a lot of beautiful historical buildings and churches. We were ready for our first tour. We left the ship around 10 and took the bus towards the city center. The historical centre is very nice. Everything is maintained so well. We saw palaces, churches, an immense cathedral, more palaces, gardens… The weather was overcast but it was for the best otherwise walking around for 3 hours would have been a little less comfortable. After a zillion pictures (although my battery died and my brother's camera is acting up) and many “oohs” and “aahs”, we took the bus back to the ship. We needed a little food to recuperate from our long troll. We had a light lunch as the boat was leaving the port.
After lunch we went down to our cabins. Paolo and I started to watch a movie on my laptop but we both fell asleep after a few minutes. We rested and took it easy the rest of the afternoon.
We started to get ready around 7pm for the Captain’s Cocktail. Everybody dressed to the nine we went up to the lounge and met the captain and had a drink before heading to the dining room for dinner. We had a nice meal and our table mates got Dennis upset again!
Mom wanted to go see the show. I was a little scared but we all went anyway. Well, let’s just say it’s not the Queen Mary 2, but they did their best. After the “Parade of flags” mom went to bed and we headed to the disco for a little fun. The place got packed very quickly and it was really hot in there, but the music was good and we had fun. It is bed time now.
After lunch we went down to our cabins. Paolo and I started to watch a movie on my laptop but we both fell asleep after a few minutes. We rested and took it easy the rest of the afternoon.
We started to get ready around 7pm for the Captain’s Cocktail. Everybody dressed to the nine we went up to the lounge and met the captain and had a drink before heading to the dining room for dinner. We had a nice meal and our table mates got Dennis upset again!
Mom wanted to go see the show. I was a little scared but we all went anyway. Well, let’s just say it’s not the Queen Mary 2, but they did their best. After the “Parade of flags” mom went to bed and we headed to the disco for a little fun. The place got packed very quickly and it was really hot in there, but the music was good and we had fun. It is bed time now.
4eme jour de vacances – 1er jour de croisiere – 19 Aout
The internet connection on the ship was so slow that my brother and I gave up after 10 minutes. The entries made on the ship will be posted now that we are back in Marseille. I will post some pictures after I gather them all from our 3 cameras.
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My brother arrived in Paris around 1am and we talked with him, planning the continuation of his journey the next day. We finally went to bed around 2am.
We woke up around 8am and went down for breakfast. Afterwards, we walked around the hotel for a last sight of Marseille. We checked out and took the metro to go to the port. More surprises were in store for us. I don’t even want to relive that by talking about it. It was a stressful morning. Paolo’s phone ran out of “time” while we were talking to him after he landed in Paris. My sister’s died last night, and mine was almost out too. The cell phone system is different from ours and you “charge” your phone with a certain amount of minutes that gets depleted as you use it. You then have to “recharge” it. You need to buy more “time”. It’s not that complicated but it’s really not the most convenient system either.
Anyway, I was afraid I would have no way to reach my brother once he arrived in Marseille. I told him I would be waiting for him at the train station, but the crazy circumstances seemed to dictate that he would have to get to the port on his own. To quote my mom: “It was easier to give birth to 4 kids than bring Paolo here”. But after stressing for hours and probably a stomach ulcer, he made it to the ship in time and we’re just happy he’s here.
We checked in and boarded the boat and settled in our cabins. We watched Marseille disappear as the ship sailed out and spent some time talking and laughing. It is exactly how I imagined it. I feel like I’m back in time, when none of my siblings were married with kids and it was just us and mom. We make each other laugh with silly things, make fun of one another, and tease each other. We are all carefree the rest of our families thousand of miles away. We walk all over the ship, discovering where everything is, checking each deck (there are 7 decks).
At 5pm we have the mandatory safety drill and we all gather in our respective evacuation spots. This allowed me to have an idea of the rest of the crowd. The boat left from Genoa, Italy, so a big portion of the population is Italian. However there are also, Germans, French, Spanish, British… There are a few beautiful kids (and I mean from kids to teenagers). I know roommie, 16 will get me 20!!! There are a few cute men, with ugly wives and I don’t think I’m being bias; I know a pretty girl when I see one
We then have a meeting to know about all the excursions planned on this cruise. The only thing I learn was that it’s just incredibly expensive. We decide to do most of our tours on our own
We have dinner at the second seating (9pm). We have 5 tablemates, who are French as well. We meet our waiter Dennis, who is from the Philippines. My mom in her usual logic says: “Our waiter reminds me of Norman. I like Norman, so I like our waiter”. Quite some shoes to fill. Dinner goes well, until our tablemates annoy Dennis. At first this made me think he was gay, because he went from nice to prissy bitch in 6 seconds (I know something about that) but he’s married with children (although this has never stopped anyone before). It’s impossible to know if there are any gays on the ship. All the guys (well most of the younger ones) dress well and have “man purses”. Next to them, Ryan Seacrest looks butch and macho. It’s so much easier in the US.
After we went back to our cabin, Paolo and I talked for hours before finally falling asleep.
*************************************************
My brother arrived in Paris around 1am and we talked with him, planning the continuation of his journey the next day. We finally went to bed around 2am.
We woke up around 8am and went down for breakfast. Afterwards, we walked around the hotel for a last sight of Marseille. We checked out and took the metro to go to the port. More surprises were in store for us. I don’t even want to relive that by talking about it. It was a stressful morning. Paolo’s phone ran out of “time” while we were talking to him after he landed in Paris. My sister’s died last night, and mine was almost out too. The cell phone system is different from ours and you “charge” your phone with a certain amount of minutes that gets depleted as you use it. You then have to “recharge” it. You need to buy more “time”. It’s not that complicated but it’s really not the most convenient system either.
Anyway, I was afraid I would have no way to reach my brother once he arrived in Marseille. I told him I would be waiting for him at the train station, but the crazy circumstances seemed to dictate that he would have to get to the port on his own. To quote my mom: “It was easier to give birth to 4 kids than bring Paolo here”. But after stressing for hours and probably a stomach ulcer, he made it to the ship in time and we’re just happy he’s here.
We checked in and boarded the boat and settled in our cabins. We watched Marseille disappear as the ship sailed out and spent some time talking and laughing. It is exactly how I imagined it. I feel like I’m back in time, when none of my siblings were married with kids and it was just us and mom. We make each other laugh with silly things, make fun of one another, and tease each other. We are all carefree the rest of our families thousand of miles away. We walk all over the ship, discovering where everything is, checking each deck (there are 7 decks).
At 5pm we have the mandatory safety drill and we all gather in our respective evacuation spots. This allowed me to have an idea of the rest of the crowd. The boat left from Genoa, Italy, so a big portion of the population is Italian. However there are also, Germans, French, Spanish, British… There are a few beautiful kids (and I mean from kids to teenagers). I know roommie, 16 will get me 20!!! There are a few cute men, with ugly wives and I don’t think I’m being bias; I know a pretty girl when I see one
We then have a meeting to know about all the excursions planned on this cruise. The only thing I learn was that it’s just incredibly expensive. We decide to do most of our tours on our own
We have dinner at the second seating (9pm). We have 5 tablemates, who are French as well. We meet our waiter Dennis, who is from the Philippines. My mom in her usual logic says: “Our waiter reminds me of Norman. I like Norman, so I like our waiter”. Quite some shoes to fill. Dinner goes well, until our tablemates annoy Dennis. At first this made me think he was gay, because he went from nice to prissy bitch in 6 seconds (I know something about that) but he’s married with children (although this has never stopped anyone before). It’s impossible to know if there are any gays on the ship. All the guys (well most of the younger ones) dress well and have “man purses”. Next to them, Ryan Seacrest looks butch and macho. It’s so much easier in the US.
After we went back to our cabin, Paolo and I talked for hours before finally falling asleep.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
3eme jour de vacances
For some reason I had a very hard time falling asleep and staying asleep last night. (hmm I need some....what's the name of the commercial for the sleeping pill with the butterfly again?) Anyway, I'm not sure why but I couldn't get some rest. Maybe I was just excited about the day ahead. I got ready and left for Orly where I was catching my flight to Marseille. After an uneventful short trip (about 1:30) there I was so close to seeing my family. I hadn't planned on seeing my brother in law with my niece and my nephew but they decided to drop off my mom and my sister in Marseille and make it a day trip. We all met at the hotel. My nephew who is 13 is officially taller than both his parents, and my niece is on her way too. I have not seen them in almost 2 years and they've grown so much. We hang out at the hotel for a little bit and then decide to go drive around and visit some of the town. My mom wants to go see the Cathedral Notre Dame de la Garde, which sits on the highest hill of the city overlooking it on all side. The view from there is breathtaking. The city is enclosed between the ocean and a chain of mountains.
I had been there once before with Olivier and some friends, but I think we just drove through and hadn't seen really anything at all. The oldest part of the city is a "maze". A labyrinth of narrow streets going up and down hills and north or south one second and suddenly east or west the next. Try asking for directions and you give up rather quickly. The explanation becomes so complicated that you'd better take your chances and go.
After the cathedral we go down to the "Vieux Port" area (the old port) that advances into the city. We look for a place to have dinner and we end up on "La Canebiere" a famous street here (probably the most famous one). It's been written about in songs and poems. It's a big boulevard starting from the old port and taking you further in the city. Gilles says that they've been doing lots of changes to make it more people friendly. There are fewer lanes for traffic and the sidewalks have tripled in size allowing for a nice troll, while you're window shopping or looking at the architecture.
We check out several places for dinner and finally agree (no small feat when you have kids in the group, who would be happy with Mc Donald) on a Tunisian restaurant. It's a small place but it looks like the customers are local people and that generally is a good sign. That was a good choice, because the food was excellent. We all cleaned our plates. After dinner, Gilles, Jean and the kids drop us off at the hotel and go back to Avignon (about an hour away) where Gilles lives. My sister, my mom and I go back to my room to deal with my brother!
Paolo's saga: They finally lifted the red alert on Guadeloupe and the airport was re-opened. My brother would keep us updated via text messages, but the information would change every 5 minutes. They were leaving…they were not… they were… or maybe not. I couldn't make any arrangements for him in Paris until I was sure when and where he was arriving (Paris has 2 airports). This morning, I did try to see if I could change his plane ticket but because it was a non-refundable one, they charge you an arm and a leg. I begged and used my charm but nothing worked. The round-trip plane ticket is lost. You can't even use the return portion only. To avoid fraud (because of course a round trip ticket costs less than a one way) they will make you pay the rate of the day that you travel on which in this case was about 3 times the price of the ticket with an advance purchase rate.
Paolo's last text was that he was on the aircraft and that they would be leaving soon, arriving at Charles de Gaulle (instead or Orly) around 1am local time. At the hotel we started to look at options. Spend the night at Charles de Gaulle and take the TGV from there seems to be the most efficient, although not the cheapest. But we figured that he had not slept a lot for the past 3 days with the hurricane and then all these trials and tribulations about his flight, so we would just keep it simple. However we still could not book anything, because no one knew what they would do with the passengers once they got to Paris. The scheduled arrival airport is 2 hours away on the other side of Paris and the airline has to get you to your original destination somehow. Nobody seemed to know how that would happen though. If my brother didn't have access to his luggage until Orly, he obviously couldn't stay at Charles de Gaulle. Anyway, we just waited up until he arrived. Luckily they were giving people a choice, so Paolo got his bags. He will take the train in the morning and will be here with plenty of time before embarking on the ship. We found him a hotel and were just relieved that he had finally made it. We all went to bed.
The hurricane is leaving Guadeloupe now and moving on to other targets. Although there are no death accounted for in Guadeloupe (there are 2 in Martinique) it is one of the strongest storms in the past 20 years. The damages will mostly be seen in the agriculture. 70 to 100% of most plantations were completely flattened. 2/3 of the island is still without power and some roads are still blocked with debris cutting access to some people.
I had been there once before with Olivier and some friends, but I think we just drove through and hadn't seen really anything at all. The oldest part of the city is a "maze". A labyrinth of narrow streets going up and down hills and north or south one second and suddenly east or west the next. Try asking for directions and you give up rather quickly. The explanation becomes so complicated that you'd better take your chances and go.
After the cathedral we go down to the "Vieux Port" area (the old port) that advances into the city. We look for a place to have dinner and we end up on "La Canebiere" a famous street here (probably the most famous one). It's been written about in songs and poems. It's a big boulevard starting from the old port and taking you further in the city. Gilles says that they've been doing lots of changes to make it more people friendly. There are fewer lanes for traffic and the sidewalks have tripled in size allowing for a nice troll, while you're window shopping or looking at the architecture.
We check out several places for dinner and finally agree (no small feat when you have kids in the group, who would be happy with Mc Donald) on a Tunisian restaurant. It's a small place but it looks like the customers are local people and that generally is a good sign. That was a good choice, because the food was excellent. We all cleaned our plates. After dinner, Gilles, Jean and the kids drop us off at the hotel and go back to Avignon (about an hour away) where Gilles lives. My sister, my mom and I go back to my room to deal with my brother!
Paolo's saga: They finally lifted the red alert on Guadeloupe and the airport was re-opened. My brother would keep us updated via text messages, but the information would change every 5 minutes. They were leaving…they were not… they were… or maybe not. I couldn't make any arrangements for him in Paris until I was sure when and where he was arriving (Paris has 2 airports). This morning, I did try to see if I could change his plane ticket but because it was a non-refundable one, they charge you an arm and a leg. I begged and used my charm but nothing worked. The round-trip plane ticket is lost. You can't even use the return portion only. To avoid fraud (because of course a round trip ticket costs less than a one way) they will make you pay the rate of the day that you travel on which in this case was about 3 times the price of the ticket with an advance purchase rate.
Paolo's last text was that he was on the aircraft and that they would be leaving soon, arriving at Charles de Gaulle (instead or Orly) around 1am local time. At the hotel we started to look at options. Spend the night at Charles de Gaulle and take the TGV from there seems to be the most efficient, although not the cheapest. But we figured that he had not slept a lot for the past 3 days with the hurricane and then all these trials and tribulations about his flight, so we would just keep it simple. However we still could not book anything, because no one knew what they would do with the passengers once they got to Paris. The scheduled arrival airport is 2 hours away on the other side of Paris and the airline has to get you to your original destination somehow. Nobody seemed to know how that would happen though. If my brother didn't have access to his luggage until Orly, he obviously couldn't stay at Charles de Gaulle. Anyway, we just waited up until he arrived. Luckily they were giving people a choice, so Paolo got his bags. He will take the train in the morning and will be here with plenty of time before embarking on the ship. We found him a hotel and were just relieved that he had finally made it. We all went to bed.
The hurricane is leaving Guadeloupe now and moving on to other targets. Although there are no death accounted for in Guadeloupe (there are 2 in Martinique) it is one of the strongest storms in the past 20 years. The damages will mostly be seen in the agriculture. 70 to 100% of most plantations were completely flattened. 2/3 of the island is still without power and some roads are still blocked with debris cutting access to some people.
Friday, August 17, 2007
2eme jour de vacances
Because before I left for France I flew six days in a row, then got home and was rushing to be ready to leave again the following day, I did not really pay attention to the news; especially the weather. It turns out there is a hurricane over Guadeloupe right now. The island is on Red Alert and everything is shut down, and people are safely barricaded in their houses. I talked to my brother today and so far no extreme damages. The bad news, the airport is closed and they're not sure when it will open again. He was supposed to leave tonight and get here tomorrow in the morning. We would then have flown together to Marseille to meet my mom and my sister. Not going to happen. If he leaves on Saturday, he will get to Paris on Sunday and hopefully still have time to fly to Marseille and board the cruise ship. Boarding ends at 3:30pm and the boat sails at 4pm. If he misses the boat, I don't even know if they would let him catch up with us somewhere else. And that would be days later since the first stops are in some small islands in the Mediterranean Sea and I don't know how he would get there. I'm trying to think positive and hope that they lift the alert in Guadeloupe in time.
Yesterday, I had a nice evening with Valerie, our friend Yves and Valerie's brother and sister in law's "au pair" Kiki. Valerie's brother Jerome is married to a Danish girl and for the past 2 years they've had "au pair" girls from Denmark spending time with them and their son Alric who's now 3 and speaks French and Danish already. The 3 of them are in Denmark right now on vacations and I'm staying at their apartment in the 15th "arrondissement". So Kiki (a true Danish, blonde, blue eyed, beautiful 22 years old girl), Yves (who used to work with Valerie), Valerie (I worked with her when I lived here but we knew each other even before that), and myself had dinner at an Indian restaurant. Yves who lives in the suburbs took forever to meet us, because he cannot follow directions and got lost like 10 times!!! Kiki's French is still very limited (she's only been here a couple of months) so our whole conversation had to be in English. We had a wonderful time and laughed a lot. I was however getting really tired. We all got back to the apartment for hot cocoa and after a while I was literally falling asleep in the middle of a sentence. Finally Yves and Kiki left and Valerie and I went to bed. A looooong, fuuuuullll first day. I'm so happy to be here.
After a restful night I woke up to find a beautiful day outside. Sunshine and blue sky. Valerie left for work at 8:30am and I got ready to go for a jog. I felt happy running in the waking city with the great weather. After I came back, I had to finish bidding for my September schedule (the deadline is today) and that took a little while. I didn't leave the place again until 11am. I took the bus and the metro to go meet Valerie at her office. We had a nice lunch outside and walked around a little bit after before returning to her building. I stayed with her for a while, using her computer to check my e-mails, her phone to call my brother and my mom, and my ex Olivier. It's so nice to have a friend who's a Director!!! I made plans with Olivier, and we met at the Trocadero, facing the Eiffel Tower. The weather didn't stay as nice as this morning but it was okay. He took me to the bank of the Seine River to introduce me to "Paris Plage" (Paris Beach). It's something they do every year now and I had never seen it. For one month they close off miles of the road along the river and turn it into a "beach". Parasols, sand, lounge chairs, games, fountains, cafes, flowers and plants. It is truly amazing. You can walk along or stop and rest in one of the chairs and people watch or enjoy the "bateaux mouches" on the river as they go by. We walked for a couple of hours and then went to "Gare de Lyon" to meet Valerie. She's going to visit her mother for the weekend; a 3 hours ride south of Paris with the TGV (our bullet train). We had drinks at a cafe at the train station and chatted until it was time for Valerie to leave. Olivier and I decided to have dinner together and we went to a nearby "Brasserie". We had a wonderful time (except that we were surrounded by people smoking; it's time they pass the ban on smoking in public places). The food was great, and I guess people know it, because the place was packed. We finally left and parted ways. I took the metro back home.
Now that I've talked to my mom and my sister, I cannot wait to see them tomorrow. That hurricane better be gone so my brother can get here too...
Yesterday, I had a nice evening with Valerie, our friend Yves and Valerie's brother and sister in law's "au pair" Kiki. Valerie's brother Jerome is married to a Danish girl and for the past 2 years they've had "au pair" girls from Denmark spending time with them and their son Alric who's now 3 and speaks French and Danish already. The 3 of them are in Denmark right now on vacations and I'm staying at their apartment in the 15th "arrondissement". So Kiki (a true Danish, blonde, blue eyed, beautiful 22 years old girl), Yves (who used to work with Valerie), Valerie (I worked with her when I lived here but we knew each other even before that), and myself had dinner at an Indian restaurant. Yves who lives in the suburbs took forever to meet us, because he cannot follow directions and got lost like 10 times!!! Kiki's French is still very limited (she's only been here a couple of months) so our whole conversation had to be in English. We had a wonderful time and laughed a lot. I was however getting really tired. We all got back to the apartment for hot cocoa and after a while I was literally falling asleep in the middle of a sentence. Finally Yves and Kiki left and Valerie and I went to bed. A looooong, fuuuuullll first day. I'm so happy to be here.
After a restful night I woke up to find a beautiful day outside. Sunshine and blue sky. Valerie left for work at 8:30am and I got ready to go for a jog. I felt happy running in the waking city with the great weather. After I came back, I had to finish bidding for my September schedule (the deadline is today) and that took a little while. I didn't leave the place again until 11am. I took the bus and the metro to go meet Valerie at her office. We had a nice lunch outside and walked around a little bit after before returning to her building. I stayed with her for a while, using her computer to check my e-mails, her phone to call my brother and my mom, and my ex Olivier. It's so nice to have a friend who's a Director!!! I made plans with Olivier, and we met at the Trocadero, facing the Eiffel Tower. The weather didn't stay as nice as this morning but it was okay. He took me to the bank of the Seine River to introduce me to "Paris Plage" (Paris Beach). It's something they do every year now and I had never seen it. For one month they close off miles of the road along the river and turn it into a "beach". Parasols, sand, lounge chairs, games, fountains, cafes, flowers and plants. It is truly amazing. You can walk along or stop and rest in one of the chairs and people watch or enjoy the "bateaux mouches" on the river as they go by. We walked for a couple of hours and then went to "Gare de Lyon" to meet Valerie. She's going to visit her mother for the weekend; a 3 hours ride south of Paris with the TGV (our bullet train). We had drinks at a cafe at the train station and chatted until it was time for Valerie to leave. Olivier and I decided to have dinner together and we went to a nearby "Brasserie". We had a wonderful time (except that we were surrounded by people smoking; it's time they pass the ban on smoking in public places). The food was great, and I guess people know it, because the place was packed. We finally left and parted ways. I took the metro back home.
Now that I've talked to my mom and my sister, I cannot wait to see them tomorrow. That hurricane better be gone so my brother can get here too...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
1er jour de vacances
Apres 3 vols (San Diego-San Francisco; San Francisco-Francfort; Francfort-Paris) je suis finalement dans la capitale parisienne. De l'aéroport j'ai pris le bus jusqu'à la Place de l'Etoile, et de là un taxi jusqu'au Pont de Sèvres où j'ai retrouvé Valérie à son boulot. Elle travaille encore et j'en profite pour écrire ces quelques lignes.
Les gens qui me connaissent savent que Sydney est une de mes villes préférées. Mais en arrivant dans Paris, je ne peux m'empecher de penser que c'est la ville la plus belle au monde. Les grandes avenues bordées d'arbres, l'architecture, les monuments... bien que j'y ai vécu pendant plusieurs années, je suis toujours émmerveillé à chacune de mes visites. Le soleil essaye de briller un peu et on dirait un jour de printemps quand l'hiver s'est enfin retiré, que la température remonte et que les journées se rallongent. Ce n'est vraiment pas l'été, mais ça me convient tout à fait car Paris en pleine canicule est insoutenable.
Ce soir je dîne avec Valérie et Yves.
Les gens qui me connaissent savent que Sydney est une de mes villes préférées. Mais en arrivant dans Paris, je ne peux m'empecher de penser que c'est la ville la plus belle au monde. Les grandes avenues bordées d'arbres, l'architecture, les monuments... bien que j'y ai vécu pendant plusieurs années, je suis toujours émmerveillé à chacune de mes visites. Le soleil essaye de briller un peu et on dirait un jour de printemps quand l'hiver s'est enfin retiré, que la température remonte et que les journées se rallongent. Ce n'est vraiment pas l'été, mais ça me convient tout à fait car Paris en pleine canicule est insoutenable.
Ce soir je dîne avec Valérie et Yves.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Finally
I was hoping I would get back home on Sunday and have a couple of days to have everything in order before I leave for my vacations. Unfortunately my schedule kept on changing and I got back home this afternoon. Well yesterday now since it is after midnight. So I am finally on vacations for 2 whole weeks.
Henry, our friend who lives in Tokyo is visiting so I wanted to see him before I left and spent a couple hours with him and Michael, while my car was getting worked on.
I am as excited of going away as I am exhausted from flying. Actually the idea of getting on another plane (more like 3) so soon is rather annoying but I have no choice. Once I'm there I'm sure it will all be forgotten. I had a list of things to do which started with 9 items and ended up with 15 as I went through them. I did pretty good since I have 3 things left to do: unpack and re-pack; put my requests for my September schedule in the computer; pay my bills and balance my checkbook. Right now I'm just taking a little break to write this.
I cannot wait to see my family and spend some time with them. I will also visit a few friends before and after the cruise.
Alright back to work before I fall asleep on my keyboard.
Henry, our friend who lives in Tokyo is visiting so I wanted to see him before I left and spent a couple hours with him and Michael, while my car was getting worked on.
I am as excited of going away as I am exhausted from flying. Actually the idea of getting on another plane (more like 3) so soon is rather annoying but I have no choice. Once I'm there I'm sure it will all be forgotten. I had a list of things to do which started with 9 items and ended up with 15 as I went through them. I did pretty good since I have 3 things left to do: unpack and re-pack; put my requests for my September schedule in the computer; pay my bills and balance my checkbook. Right now I'm just taking a little break to write this.
I cannot wait to see my family and spend some time with them. I will also visit a few friends before and after the cruise.
Alright back to work before I fall asleep on my keyboard.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Friends and Family #2
I wrote about friends and family on Wednesday before I went to bed. Today when I checked my e-mails, my friend Lisa in Chicago had sent me this poem that same day!!!
This is the poem:
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim
"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him."
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
Around the corner, yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir," "Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
Remember to always say what you mean. If you love someone, tell them. Don't be afraid to express yourself. Reach out and tell someone what they mean to you. Because when you decide that it is the right time it might be too late. Seize the day. Never have regrets. And most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that you are today.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Friends and Family
Michael and Norman came to pick me up this morning so we could have breakfast before they left for
I realize that I have been really lucky. Although we are far from one another, I'm really close to my immediate family. It was not easy for me, as for most gays and lesbians, to come out but once I did, I wondered how people who cared about me could suddenly not love me just because of what for me is such an insignificant difference. Being the first kid of the family I had thought they might think I was going down the “wrong path” and was a bad example. I come from a macho society and homosexuality is not a thing that we were exposed to growing up and it certainly was never talked about. My mom is very religious and I thought she would have the hardest time coming to terms with my homosexuality. I guess she understood the "Book" the way it was supposed to and Love prevailed above all. My sister and I have always been close. I know she looked up to me and I did not want to “disappoint” her. I adore my baby brother and to think that he would not talk to me one day is unbearable. My relationship with my other brother is actually the one that has changed for the better. Growing up we were never that close. We liked different things and although we’re only one year apart we never had that much in common. As we got older we got closer. Older and wiser maybe? To me having a close relationship with someone is not necessarily talk on the phone everyday or live on the same block. My phone bill would be horrendous (well even more than it is) and we all live in different parts of the world. But still the bond is there, maybe even getting stronger as time goes by.
Throughout the years and the different places I've lived in, I have made some wonderful friendships and my "family" kept on growing. Some of those friends live far away but when we see each other we just pick up where we had left off. I have been blessed with a lot of wonderful people in my life who have had and continue to have an indelible impact on me. I sometimes think that I don't give a fair chance to everyone that I meet and might miss on a great relationship but I usually go with my gut feeling. Why do we like certain people and not others? Why do we feel a connection with some when others leaves us indifferent? Who's to say. I guess it has to do with where both parties are in their own life and skin when they meet. I can only be thankful for the people who are always there for me whether to share silly laughs or lend me a shoulder to cry on.
Someone said "to have a friend, you have to be one". I only hope that I am a good one.Friday, August 3, 2007
Back in time #2
I took this picture just before leaving Jacksonhole. The views around the airport are really breathtaking. I can only imagine how it must look in winter with all the mountains covered in snow. I am amazed at how many people come here. Here we use mostly 757s which are usually full (182 passengers) for a 1 hour 15 minutes flight from Denver. We use United Express or some of our smaller planes to go way farther.The town of Jackson is really cute and charming in an Old West kinda way. I walked around taking pictures and had brunch in a little cafe. On my way back to the hotel I was going to take a lift to get up on the mountain and enjoy the scenery, but there was some weather coming in and they closed down.
I actually would like to come back here one day (not for work though) and do some hiking. I read that there are some beautiful hiking trails, with lakes and waterfalls. I don't think there's much to do here besides enjoy nature anyway. I'd also love to go to Yellowstone which is a little north of Grand Teton National Park.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Back in time
The crew desk called me last night to give me my assignment. The scheduler gave me the trip number and I got excited for a second because that number, 5918, usually refers to an international trip.- You're laying over in J.A.C., he said. Where's that, Jacksonville?
- Uh no; Jacksonville is J.A.X.
- Then I don't know where you're going. Good night.
I didn't know where JAC was but I was pretty sure that wasn't an international destination. After I checked my schedule, I found out I was spending the night in Jackson, WY. Great. I don't know what is going on but lately I've been going to all those little towns that I've never been to or sometimes even heard of in 12 years of flying. Buffalo, NY; Providence, RI; Harrisburg, PA; Jackson, WY... I really wasn't looking forward to this trip. To wake up at 4am to drive to LAX and work five flights to end up in some town in Wyoming. I don't even know if I've ever been to Wyoming before.
On my first flight one of my coworkers looked at my trip and said: "Oh you're going to Jackson Hole". It turns out Jackson and Jackson Hole are one and the same. You learn something everyday.
We finally landed in Jackson Hole around 9pm. The sun had set but it was still clear enough to see that we are surrounded by mountains. It actually looks really beautiful. After driving for about 20 minutes in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, we reach the town of Jackson. I feel like I'm in a western. The town looks like it hasn't changed since the 1800s except maybe for electricity. I'm expecting cowboys on horses to appear in front of us. From what I can see now that night has fallen, it is and "interesting" place.
We reached the hotel and as soon as I got to my room, I went online to look up Jackson Hole. I found out that we are actually in the middle of a National Park, south of Yellowstone. Now I can't wait for tomorrow to see more. I don't leave until the afternoon, so I'll have a few hours to explore. To be continued...
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