Eat, Live, Love (The Much Anticipated Sequal) - The Bittersweet End to a Long List of Adventures with MooReece

As I sit at my desk in my bedroom in my house in my hometown I can't help but feel a little sad that our journey (mine and Moo's) has come to an end. 10 weeks together, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week can really bring a girl and her miniature stuffed cow close together. Undoubtedly the most exciting, entertaining, scary, stressful and amazing 10 weeks of my life.

I left Canada on the morning of Friday May 28th, 2010 with a suitcase, a carry-on and a series of goodluck charms from many of my friends and family. Some were gifts intended for the trip or lent out (and due to be returned), others from days gone by but all of which I hold dear to my heart and remind me of the people I love back home. For those of you who don't know - Moo was a gift from my best friend many many moons ago - he was attached to a keyring that eventually wore out and has been a permanent passenger in my Jetta ever since. It was only a propos that I bring him along for this extended journey of self-discovery. I would almost break into a fit of tears everytime he got lost in the bottom of my purse. When you travel alone - you need your best buddy with you at all times to keep you sane. But enough about that... what did I learn?

I learned so much about the world, cultures, politics, human kindness (and human irritability), food, language, food, the wonders of walking EVERYWHERE, food and most importantly MYSELF. As cliche as it may be, these trips, whether intended as periods of soul searching or not always amount to that. I left at the best of times and also the worst of times. Everything fell perfectly into place so that I could go on this trip, I had the money, time and opportunity to pursue this and like my friends all said "YOU HAVE TO GO!" It was something I had ALWAYS wanted to do and it was the chance to realize my biggest dream (marrying Adam vanKoeverden aside haha). Nevertheless, nothing I ever do can be that simple. I had to stir the pot and throw some fuel (ok more like gunpowder) on the fire that had been becoming my life just before leaving. And by just before - I mean like 20 minutes before my friend picked me up to drive me to the airport. But hey - that's how I roll afterall right? Not to mention I'd be 6000+ km away and wouldn't have to worry about being burned by the explosion. Needless to say it wasn't the best idea but it had to be done and it surely could not wait, or worst, not be dealt with at all. Then fear, jet lag and homesickness set in and sent me on this emotional roller-coaster that I thought would have me coming home within the first week. Will power and self-determination are incredible motivators - and as hard as I am on myself sometimes, one thing I am is determined and stong willed. I just never realized how deeply those traits were ingrained into my being. I forced myself through the hell of that first week and little by little it got easier. Or at least I tried to convince myself that it was. Things back home were still unresolved and I was losing my mind with worry. I know, I know... ME WORRY??? NEVERRRRRR.... HAHAHA Thankfully I made some of the best friends I could ever ask for and I was living in PARADISE! I could not have been more blessed and I kept reminding myself of the dream I was living and each day kept getting easier...

I had a little slip up in between Antibes and Paris when it was soooooo HOT and I was teething and suffering from massive migraines. Travelling+sick = BAD COMBINATION. My sanity started to slip and I couldn't wait to come home. I hated my first days in Paris. It was dirty, smelly, crowded and just plain UGH! I would have traded my BonJovi collection to come home. But then the ickiness faded, I made a new best friend whom I will cherish FOREVER and started falling in love with my life all over again. For Pete's Sakes I was living IN PARIS!!! Suck it up Princess and start having a good time! So I did. So much so that coming home was somehow worst than leaving in the first place. I worked so hard to get through the challenges that brought me to this Zen and now I had to leave it. Heck, I could navigate line 4 of the Paris metro without flinching - that's Zen baby! Just like every good book though, it eventually has to come to an end. And although my adventures might be temporarily suspended, my journey of self-discovery has just begun and I look forward to the many MANY adventures that are sure to be just up ahead.

I left Canada with a broken heart and a need for change and I came back with that change and the realization that a broken heart is only an illusion, what is real are the things, places and PEOPLE that you love and who love you regardless of where you are on the planet. So to all of you who have followed and kept in touch via email/facebook/skype thank you for caring so much. You have all played an integral roll in this journey and proved to me once and for all that "Love knows no borders"


J'vous aime TOUS and it's good to be HOME! xoxo

And No We Haven't Been Drinking... (Adventures with MooReece con't)

Ok so I just had this wonderful blog all typed up and my sticky fingers must have hit something (that wasn’t SAVE) and well I lost it all. GAH!!!

Do I really need to redescribe my trip to Chateau de Versailles for ya’ll? Nah..if you care you can just ask me when I get home and I will tell you all about it. I will just say however that it really IS as incredible to see as they say it is, it is the most visited Chateau in France for a reason. It is UNBELIEVABLE! But, like Venice, it’s something you only need to see once. You WANT to see it, I can promise you that – but once you’ve seen it – you’ve seen it. I loved it and I’m glad I made time to go – Louis XIV was definitely an ambitious King.

I spent the weekend in Normandy. A pre-planned trip organized through my study abroad agency. We left bright and EARLY on Saturday and got back around 19h30 this afternoon (Sunday for those of you keeping track). A busy and jam packed weekend with not nearly enough time in any of the places to really truly appreciate them. What a TREAT to get the heck out of Paris! What a beautiful country side with farmland and trees and fresh air and sunshine and HAPPINESS! Quiet, calm, relaxed and wonderful. I LOVE NORMANDY – land of Camembert and Calvados! We visited Bayeux to see this giant tapestry (which sounds lame but is actually REALLY REALLY COOL – again won’t bore you with details unless you want to know) then headed off to the Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach to see the D-Day landing sites. We finished by visiting the US military cemetery is St-Laurent and I have to say, you haven’t been to a cemetery until you’ve been to a military cemetery like that. It is breathtaking and heartwrenching at the same time. It is so beautifully kept and respectful and extraordinary – white marble crosses (and stars of David) spread out in perfectly symmetrical rows. Each one was a person once upon a time who died in a horrific scene so that we can live the way we do today. I majored in the Holocauste and the events of the 2nd World War and so this was a real experience for me – one that I will keep with me forever. Never take anything for granted... and never forget to tell the people you love how much they mean to you – so many DIED so that we can do just that.

We stayed in the cutest little hotel (see pictures) and were treated to a really FRENCH 3 course dinner. It was very good as long as you don’t ask what you are being served. Pooched from late nights and long drives and treated to my own TV I plopped myself on my bed and watched some French tele and fell asleep with it on.

Today we had some free time (but not nearly enough) to explore Deauville – my new FAVOURITE town! This place is quite possibly the cutest, most beautiful, awesomest place on EARTH! It has the biggest, most amazing beach I’ve ever seen, high end boutiques for those of us with a retail habit and the cutest architecture I’ve ever seen – right out of a fairly tale. I picked up a real estate magazine – scoping out my new digs. I can instruct at the Health Club by the beach – no worries. BodyPUMP sur la PLAGE  After rushing out of Deauville we headed to the Calvados (Apple Liqueur) distillery for a quick tour, sampling and apple pie. WOOT WOOT! Let’s just say the Calvados will definitely wake you up! Another BEAUTIFUL spot as well – actually it was quite depressing to think we had to go back to Paris – most of us were definitely ready to pitch a tent in the Calvados yard and just hang out there forever. We’ll pitch in and work at the distillery – no problemo! Tell us what to do. We finished our tour of Normandy with a visit to the Caen War Memorial Museum. Again, not nearly enough time – had to rush through it – but at least we had audioguides making it easier to go through the exhibit. Lots had to be skipped – but I bought books. 1 got damaged by my water bottle though  NOT IMPRESSED!

All that to say that Normandy was AMAZING and just another highlight to the neverending AWESOME times I’ve had in Europe thus far. Paris has not won my heart – but if Normandy proposed I would say OUI OUI without thinking twice.

Life is Beautiful! And so is Italia! (Adventures with MooReece - and Haley and Ladan... con't)

Leaving Antibes was hard. Sure I was still in denial about it until yesterday, but if anything is a good distraction, a trip to some of the most famous cities in Italy is sure to fill the prescription.

Two girls (Ladan and Haley) are also studying in Paris with me and seen as we had several days in between programs we decided (ok well they decided, I just invited myself along haha) to trip it to Verona where we would stay and venture out from there. We had the opportunity to make day trips and visits to Verona (obviously), Venizia and Milano (that's Venice and Milan for you non-italians). I'm sure most of you have heard me complain about it by now, but holy catfish it gets HOT in Italy!!! I mean REALLY REALLY HOT! And I'm climatized! I've been living in the French Riviera for over a month and Italy is too hot to handle. Whodatunkit? So I guess here's a quick snapshot of my mini vacation to Italia : (facebook is giving me grief...hopefully I will be able to upload pictures... if not, sorry it will have to wait until I get home)

Verona

Romeo, where for art thou Romeo? Right? The town made famous for it's connection to one of the most famous romances in history (albeit a fictional one...but then again aren't they all?) There is the massive "Arena" which we hoped to have caught an opera in (Madame Butterfly) but it ended the night we got there and so we missed our chance. Nevertheless there are quite a few things to see in this beautiful and quaint city. Casa di Guillietta is obviously one of the most famous landmarks in the entire area. And YES there is an archway plastered with notes to her. Everything from asking advice to pledging one's undying love. Before you ask, YES I jumped on the hopeless romantic's anonymous bandwagon and stuck a note on the wall myself. I'm never one to pass up good luck, especially in the HEART department (we all know I need LOTS of it!) That's also why I groped poor Guillietta's statue along with 5000 other people that day. So funny because the paint is wearing where people's hands have been. All in the name of LOVE! There are also a few cathedrals in the area worth exploring (or at least standing outside and taking pictures of them) and the shopping is really good here too. I won't lie, my card was bouncing out of my wallet the second we stepped onto the shopping strip! Hot day, but bearable.

Venezia

Up bright and early to catch the train to Venice. Everyone wants to go to Venice! It's one of those places famous for being famous in my opinion. I'm no different from anyone else, I WANTED to go see it for sure! TOURISTS TOURISTS and more TOURISTS! Not my cup of tea. Venice is different. It's interesting and cool to see but not beautiful or charming like Verona or many of the other places I've been to. It's VERY touristy - kind of like Mackinac Island only with thousands more people. NO SHADE! It was sooooo hot that day and no real relief from the heat except in San Marco the massive cathedral. It along with its museum were definitely the highlight of my trip to Venice, even if I had to wear a papertowel shawl to cover my shoulders - at least I didn't have to wear one to cover my legs too - my dress was long enough - SCORE! There were pigeons EVERYWHERE and souvenir carts as far as the eye could see. We did take the water bus and thanks to a nice american lady who gave us her left-over transit cards, we saved quite a bit of money by only having to buy 1 pass instead of 3. Venice is one of those places you want to see to say you've been there and seen what it has to offer, but I definitely didn't feel the romance that is often attached to it. I'm very glad I went and San Marco alone was worth the trip but lets just say I won't be planning my honeymoon there.

Milano

OH SHOPPING! Another day of bright and earliness to catch the longer train ride to Milan. Not much of a game plan this time but by now we can get around Italy fairly well on very little knowledge of Italian. The train/bus/metro station is ENORMOUS in Milan. It's a mini city! I had no idea Milan was that big - but then Ladan reminded me of the mula that circulates in one of the world's financial capitals. DUHHHH!!!! To say the least, if the metro station has us swooning, we were only a little excited to see what the rest of the city had to offer. We hopped on the metro and came out in the centre walking out on the largest Cathedral in all of Europe. We didn't even have time to GASP in AWE however as we were tackled by creepy men trying to turn Haley into a pigeon lady (think Home Alone 2) and take Ladan as a wife. Surreal, as if people actually force themselves at you like that. I was worried I might have to get violent with the man covering Haley with pigeons but luckily he didn't follow us when I grabbed her away. The guy after Ladan was selling (but it's FREE he says) string bracelets. You've GOT to be JOKING right? Good LORD! Speaking of which - time to go into the Cathedral. I bought a scarf this time to cover my shoulders - did I mention it's still TOO HOT for sleeves? It's too hot for clothes! It's just too hot!!! Anyways... Haley and I visit this masterpiece and as amazing as San Marco was, this one appealed to me more - probably because it was more traditional in style. The CEILINGS are phenomenal and trully a work of mastery. It's amazing and unbelievable when you learn how OLD these buildings are and you try and figure out HOW they built that - we couldn't do that now with all our modern technologies - how did they do it with NOTHING? This is why I love history! AND SHOPPING! Yep, of course, you can't go to Milan without taking a tour through the "shopping district" conveniently located next to the Cathedral. Happiness - and AIR CONDITION! We made it out of Milan fairly early, but not before catching what we thought might be a protest of sorts but it was a dressed down mixed choir singing in front of a marked off section on the road. No idea what it was all about but they were GOOD!

Obviously there is so much more to tell but it's getting late and my coherency factor is non-existant right now. Not to mention you are all probably yawning by now. I know I am. Next up - the trip Verona - Paris and then Paris days 1 and 2...DUN DUN DUN!!!!

10 Things I learned durant mon séjour à Genève...(Adventures with MooReece and Sarah con't)

We had our first entirely free weekend so Sarah and I booked a last minute trip to Geneva Switzerland! WHAT A TRIP!

1. European user friendly airports and speedy security checks make traveling in Europe EASY. HOWEVER boarding with EasyJet is nothing but. (Apparently my purse needs to be stuffed into my backpack...but it doesn't need to close?) Slowest boarding EVER!!!

2. If you drive a bus shuttle from the airport - be prepared to have to deal with know-nothing tourists. We HAVE a name and an address, I'm sorry we DON'T come from here, so NO we have NO IDEA where our hotel is. This is why we are asking YOU the BUS DRIVER! Thank goodness for ease-dropping citizens who pointed us in the right direction after over hearing our dilemna and getting off the bus way too soon!

3. Never be afraid to seek out the nearest Tourist Information office (even at 6pm on a Friday) - it could save your legs (and your sanity!) Get a map, or 2, or 3 because you never know when the town you're staying in isn't actually ON the map!

4. If traveling in teams, ALWAYS have your partner double check your route BEFORE you leave to make sure you do not wander around for 2 hours seeking out a non-existant train station. On the bright side we did see Chateau Voltaire AND found the largest SUPERSTORE yet! But by 11 (or was it 12?) our legs were already POOCHED!

5. Always and I mean ALWAYS research public transportation protocols because if you don't have a ticket, your 10 minute bus ride could cost you 58Euro! NO I was NOT going to ask the bus driver why we didn't have to pay... it was the SAME A**HOLE from the night before! Thank goodness for sincerily being DUMB TOURISTS! Cause there would have gone our food budget for the weekend!

6. Don't forget that not EVERYWHERE in Europe enjoys Rivieran climate. When going to Geneva in June, don't forget your parka (and a pair of pants!)

7. EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays! If you're hungry, pack a lunch, hit the flea market or wine and dine yourself at Mickey Ds and Starbucks! YES my FIRST Grande Caramel Macciato (yes I know I didn't spell that properly) since being in France! AND it's a REAL GRANDE!!! It sure is nice to drink something that takes more than 2 sips :) Mmmmmm

8. Getting lost over and over again is all part of the experience so don't worry about planning too much, there are always detours that lead you to cool and exciting things you never would have thought of exploring had you actually ended up where you were supposed to.

9. How AWESOME is it that we got to sit in on a performance of the Geneva Chambre Symphony in Victoria Hall for FREE and only decided to go 30 minutes before?

10. Some things are just not meant to be. Some things are. Just go with it even if everything seems to be going wrong, it always works out in the end (even if the outcome was not the intended one... it will always be the required one). And you'll always make NEW friends along the way...So Don't Stop Believin'!

p.s. Photos coming to FB soon (if not up already...)

Adventures with MooReece - Bags are packed, off we go!

Well to put it simply the last few days have been nothing short of 'stressful'. Leave it to me to wait until the very LAST minute to get everything done and make sure I have everything I need. Aside from my minor meltdown on Thursday night I think I did quite well considering and so far I've only forgotten 1 thing. My camera connector cord to transfer my pictures to my netbook. Luckily though I picked up a card reader in Brussels (well the Brussels Airport) aka largest chocolate store in the WORLD! AHHHHHHMAZING! I'm not even hungry and my mouth is salivating at the endless array of truffles and other delicacies. I am in GODIVA heaven.

It's 9:03 am here and 3:03am back in Sudbury and I've almost been up 24 hours (although I did get a light nap on the plane). A most enjoyable experience so far. Neither Pearson nor Brussels is busy and I found my way around like a pro. One thing I notice as I sit at gate A46 awaiting my boarding call to Nice is that it is VERY QUIET here. There are hundreds of people around and I've been in libraries louder than this. I'm going to fit in GREAT with all these low speaking people. GAH!

Mooreece has already made it into a few pictures (Pearson gate, plane, Brussels...and my personal favourite: STARBUCKS in this beautiful Belgian airport!) I WILL NOT BE STARBUCKS DEPRIVED TODAY! In fact, I've added this mission to my list. To take a picture of every STARBUCKS I see. All for you J! :)

I will be boarding my flight to Nice shortly and by the time you all wake up I will be in the French Riviera. I miss you all already and I'm glad I have Mooreece with me to keep me company until I make some friends in France. This is surreal. I know I'm in a different world now and it's amazing and frightening all at the same time.

J'vous aime bien gros! xoxo Amy

p.s. ALOT of GOOD LOOKING European Men and I haven't even left the airport yet!