Back for a day

beautiful Marseille

not so beautiful Marseille...

can you tell we miss the sun?

Nate and I had an inukshuk making contest on the beach in Nice (mine won). Canada represent!

Eze Village

Monte Carlo Casino (setting of Casiono Royale)

Me n' Monaco

Our hostel in Nice--looks just like a villa in southern France

You can't go to Pisa without making a fool of yourself in front of the tower

I told a huge lie right before putting my hand in the mouth, and he still didn't bite me; I think it's broken.

Coliseum

Poppies grow like weeds in Italy, it's beautiful!

Ponta Vecchio in Florence

I got home today from my trip down south; what a fantastic way to spend Spring Break!

Saturday afternoon we arrived in Marseille and we enjoyed the sun while walking around the city and the harbour. Sunday we awoke to another sunny morning, so Steph and I decided to take a little boat tour along the coast, through all of the beautiful calanques. The sun fooled us though, and just as we stepped on board, it started to rain. “No big deal”, we thought, and confidently headed to the very front of the boat to tough it out like true Canadians. About 20 minutes later, out on the open sea, we were practically blown off the front of the boat by the wind, so we headed inside where it was a bit safer…and just in time too—as soon as we sat down the waves started pounding over the front of the boat! Our island cruise turned out to be more like a rollercoaster ride, going up and down for 3 hours. I think Steph and I were the only two on board who didn’t end up getting sea sick (thank goodness!).

Nice was another beautiful city, probably my favourite of the whole trip. The hostel we stayed in was ridiculously cheap, and ridiculously fantastic. They had 12 cereals to choose from for breakfast, free internet, huge plates of food for supper for only a few euros, and staff the helped you plan day trips. On the second day we did a day trip up to Eze Village, a medieval village up on the highest point over-looking the Med; Monaco, home of the Monte Carlo Casino, and probably some of the worlds richest people; and finally to a little beach where we finally got to swim in the sea…for all of 10 seconds (it was freezing!).

Then it was off to Pisa, a city which has nothing to offer except its leaning tower. The tower was pretty cool though, it was leaning a bit more than I expected, so I didn’t dare go up it.

Rome, however, was a wonderful place to stay. We were taken in by some of Nate’s relatives, and we couldn’t have asked for a more generous family to stay with. They came to the station to pick us up, gave up the master bedroom for Steph and I to sleep in, cooked us huge, delicious meals, and even did our laundry! The two sons, Yvonno and Jean-Luca each took a turn touring us around the city. Hi-lites include the Coliseum, Saint Peter’s Basilica, and the Trevi Fountain. The line up to go into Saint Peter’s Basilica was ridiculously long, and we didn’t have too much time before our train left, so Jean-Luca told us in his best English: “Sometimes we go in the line.” Nate explained that he meant cutting in line (to get into a church of all places!) so we followed him towards the front, and somehow managed to merge into the line with an Asian tour group. What a wonderful tour guide, eh?

Then it was off to Florence, one nite on our own, and one with more family. The city was beautiful, although too expensive for my budget, so the hi-lite for me was probably staying with the family. They were just as great as the last family, except more “Italian”—loud and hilarious! Nate was always telling us about his grandparents in Canada who always force him to eat until he has to roll away from the dinner table; I have no doubts that they are related to the family we stayed with. All night I was told “mange, mange, mange!” until I had to say in my best Italian: “Io no poso; tu mange, mange, mange!” and handed over my plate to Michele to finish. They also served us some of Antoinetta’s home made liquor, and although I’m not usually one for hard liquor, this stuff was delicious! One was blueberry flavoured, and the other lemon; she even went and hand-picked the fruit herself. They were wonderful hosts, and even after I parted ways with Nate and Steph (they’re off to Venice and Milan yet), Antoinetta and her daughter brought me to my train to see me off.

So after a 16 hour ride, I’m back. Paris greeted me with cloudy skies and rain, but I guess that shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Fondation is the same as always too—I got home to a broken elevator and a broken washing machine. So I lugged my 3 ton bag up 100 stairs and proceeded to do 2 weeks of laundry in my sink. Gotta love the Fondation…

But I get to escape again tomorrow, as I’m headed off to Holland to spend a few nights with Herman and Ypie, a couple of my dad’s relatives. All I really want from Holland is some mashed potatoes, but I’m sure that they will treat me wonderfully and offer me a lot more, so it should be another great trip.

And by the time I get back there will be less than a month left! Can’t wait!