Summertime in Paris

Ohlala, il fait chaud! Summer has most definitely arrived in Paris: sales began last week, there are hoards of tourists EVERYWHERE, and the heat is on! It's been a string of days where the mercury has hovered around 30 degrees celsius, combined with a healthy dose of humidity and pollution. Honestly, the conditions aren't so different from summertime in Toronto, but the difference lies in the fact that since practically every single building here falls under some sort of heritage protection code, there are very few places where there is air conditioning, which makes the heat just a little less bearable. I've been working at a coffee shop on the Champs Elysee for the last few months, and for the last week, we've literally been melting...it's going to be a long summer on the champs, and I'm just waiting for one of my fellow baristas to succomb to heat stroke.

After spending the last ten months talking about wanting to take some time to travel at the end of my Parisian sojourn, it's a little crazy to think that the end is rapidly approaching. I still haven't booked a new flight home, but I know that I should probably get on that soon. I'm under no strict deadline, but I figure that I should make it back by early November in order to participate in the November round of convocation. I have, however, managed to get my act together and book the first leg of my trip, and will officially be leaving Paris forever (well, that might be a bit dramatic...I'm leaving and giving up my status as a resident of Paris, but I'm sure I'll be back again) on August 17th on a train bound for Cologne, Germany. From there, the road will lead to Berlin and Munich, and then...who knows where? Ultimately, I'm heading eastwards towards Greece and Turkey, but I'm undecided as to whether I want to go through Hungary and Romania or if I should go the southern route through the Balkans. I backpacked through part of Croatia and Slovenia when I was 18, and absolutely LOVED it, so I wouldn't mind going back again, but at the same time I've always always always wanted to go to Romania (why? I'm honestly not sure, but Romania has always been on my list of places to visit). Tough decisions, eh? ;)

And a couple of random thoughts:

1. My favourite local boulangerie, Boris Portolan (avenue Secretan in the 19e) will soon be closing for a month for their summer holiday. I am DEVASTATED! The lady who works the front counter is super nice, and almost as importantly, their bread is absolutely amazing! This is especially unfortunate since I've recently taken to consuming a baguette a day, so the fact that they'll be closed for a month is going to kill me! Sure there are other boulangeries in the neighbourhood, but none of them can compare to BP. Luckily, they'll be reopening just in time for my birthday, so I'm planning on feasting on their various baked goods once the big day rolls around.

2. Michael Jackson! Oh MJ....quel dommage! He's the first major musical act that I remember recognizing as a child. I have distinct memories from when I was about 7-years-old of listening to the album "Dangerous" (on cassette no less!) while playing in my room. The song 'Black or White' left a serious impression on me. I also remember watching a special prime time interview he did with Oprah back in '93, and him demonstrating the moonwalk for her, in response to which she exclaimed something to the effect of "I've seen it, there are no strings attached!". Regardless of some of the stranger stuff that he was (sometimes allegedly) involved in, I'd like to remember at his best. Sigh....RIP MJ.

Here We Go Again

Ah, another year, another attempt at maintaining a blog about life overseas. For a handful of loyal readers (literally, maybe three or four readers), my last attempt at regularly writing a blog about my life as a foreign student in Paris was a dismal failure. I don't know what it was, but something about writing about everyday life in Paris felt terribly uninteresting, seeing as it was (and continues to be) not so different from life at home, and I quickly lost any motivation to update regularly. I again flirted with blogging about my trips to Morocco and Egypt, but once again, for one reason or another, I couldn't find it in myself to actually put pen to paper (or more accurately, to put fingertips to the keyboard) and write about the experiences. It turns out that my only 'successful' blogging experience came a couple of years ago when I kept a blog about a ten-week trip through China and Mongolia, and that was only because it was part of a larger research project blog to which I was a participant, and it proved to be a really nice way to let people know what I was up to without clogging e-mail inboxes. All of that being said, I'm feeling rather motivated to be more faithful in updating this latest effort for a number of reasons: 1. Naturally, first and foremost, my handful of loyal readers; 2. While blogging can sometimes feel like a rather self-important activity (I mean, does any one really want regular updates about what I'm doing??), I'm realizing more and more that it's only partly for the benefit of the reader, but is also a nice way for me to stop and really consider some of the things that I've been doing, and to write about it in a way that is meaningful for me (arguably my personal journal also fulfills this role, but I try to be a little more focused in my observations and a lot less emotional when it comes to blog writing); and 3. Every time I plan a trip, I like to read about other travellers' experiences, and I feel like my own experiences may be relevant and helpful for others. In any case, I'm going to try my best to update regularly, at least until I get home some time in the autumn.

So summer has arrived in Paris. Classes ended two weeks ago, and I'm officially done school for at least a couple of years. Originally, I had been planning on staying in France/Europe until the beginning of September and then to fly home to Canada and become a contributing member of society; this was the plan if only because my plane ticket was booked for September 1st. Recently, I've begun to seriously rethink these plans, and have decided that I have a rare opportunity to stay awhile longer, seeing as I don't have school to go back to in September, or any immediate work or family obligations. I mean, once I start working and, hopefully, building a career, I don't know how when another chance to spend three or four months travelling will present itself again, and so I'm feeling very 'seize the day'/'seize the opportunity'.

The new plan: stay in Paris until mid-August, then make my way down to Spain for a couple of weeks, followed by two or three weeks visiting friends in Germany and Greece. After Greece, the 'real' travel will begin, as I'm going to attempt to make it through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and finish in the Sinai (Egypt) by late October, and then fly home via London for early November, just in time for my university convocation. Originally, I had wanted to throw in Georgia and Armenia to the route, but seeing as I have a limited amount of time (no matter how much time you have, there never seems to be enough when it comes to travel!), I've decided to go for quality over quantity...though, even without Georgia and Armenia, my 'planned' route is stil incredibly ambitious, and I have a feeling it will have to be scaled back further.

Anyhow, between now and mid-August I'll be here in Paris, enjoying the city and all the doors that my carte de sejour offers (free entry into all national museums and monuments!), receiving the occasional visitor, doing research for the big trip, working my two jobs (I'm a bartender and a barista), and saving up my euros for what might (sadly) be my last great travel adventure for a while.

So that's what's going on with me right now....I'll update soon though, I promise!