Mon dernier jour dans La Belle Pays.

Salut good friends,

Well it's been quite a journey over these last 10 weeks. Thanks for tuning in to the blog, and thanks to those who have sent great comments and emails my way. I look forward to seeing all my old friends and family again in the coming days, weeks and months.

(the following images are just random (au hasard) that I had on my camera...)

I thought I would take this opportunity to make some final observations about my time here in France, for those of you who may be interested in travelling here in the future - which I highly recommend.


1. If you are vegitarian, don't come here. You will die of malnutrition and starvation after your first day. In France, vegitarians are considered prey.

2. To reitterate my first blog, I don't think the french are rude; unless of course you're talking to someone who lives in the 16th Arri. of Paris. But why are you talking to them, anyways? The french are remarkably warm and friendly, and show incredible hospitality.

3. Somethings are so different that they are the same. In North America we are fixated on losing weight because we are overweight. In France they are fixated with losing weight because they are so thin, and God forbid they gain a pound.

4. If you are going to shop in France, do it in January. Two words: Les Soldes.


5. Travelling by TGV train is wicked, and wicked fast. Are you listening VIA rail??? Yeah, that's right, I CHALLENGE you to step up to the plate. Imagine getting from Toronto to Montreal in 1.5 hours, and 40 dollars. With a bar car... (maybe we should charge 1.30€ per litre of gas...then people might take the train.)

6. France is mini-USA, without all the war-mongering. Geographically, it has lush prairie, two different coastal areas, 3 major mountain ranges, desert, and tropics. But unlike the US, you can reach all within a half days drive of each other. Why am I not living in the south of France???

7. If you come to Paris in the winter, I have one word for you: WOOL (thanks for the tip, Mona). The average INDOOR temp in Paris in most buildings is 18-19°. A bit cooler than the balmy 21° that I'm used to.


8. Imagine a place where the food is the most expensive part of eating out, and the wine is the cheapest.


9. Speaking of money. The Euro is mega strong right now, and makes Canadian money slightly more valuable than the Ruble. Prices in Paris are equivelent, or slightly cheaper than Canada...before the conversion. Eg: Pint of beer in Paris = 6€, so...$30,000 (actually about $9).

10. Parisiennes do not walk enough (how do they stay so thin?). With probably one of the most comprhensive subway systems in the world, one doesn't need to walk more than 5 minutes to go anywhere in Paris. They couldn't even imagine having to walk more than 10 minutes. 2 in heels.


That being said, some of my best moments in Paris where days where I nearly walked from one end of the city to the other. Getting lost, getting found, and seeing all the great streets, squares, and people along the way. Bring good shoes, or buy some here. I recommend it.

11. Having an espresso (decaf) after every dinner is a great idea. Why didn't I think of this before?

12. Eating french baguette and camembert for lunch while climbing is an awesome idea. Why didn't I think of this before?

13. Beware of gypsies!!!! Seriously. They're tricky....

14. Here is how the french language is broken up:

1. Literary french. Only in old or fancy poetic books
2. Book french. As the name implies, only in books; what they teach you.
3. Spoken french. Found in neither of the above.

15. Regarding #14. If you are going to learn french, it's important to find a francaphone, present them with a french basics book and a sharpie marker. Get them to scratch out everything. Then ask them to tell you how the french really talk.

Here's my formula for success (sample sentance):

"Ben.....On va sortir avec Guillaume, en fait. Ca marche, ou quoi?"

1. 'ben' sounds more like baaaaaaaaaan. And is used to stall for time while you attempt to locate the correct conjugation of the verbs you are about to use.

2. 'On' = nous (we). Never use 'nous.' Nous just means you'll have to use another set of conjugations for your verbs. Thus making your 'ben' much longer. On is conjugated the same as Il/Elle/Ca.

3. Futur tense does not exist. I mean, it exists, but no one uses it (many exceptions apply here). It's easier to show intent by the verb ALLER (going) + Infinative of verb. So, "va sortir...going to go out." Much easier to say and remember than "sortira."

4. 'en fait' means, 'in fact' or 'actually'. Use it like 'ben.' Throw it in anytime you like. At the start or end of the phrase. It's fun, try it!

5. Ca (ça). Short for 'cela,' which means 'that.' Then metemorphs into 'it.' The french don't use Il/Elle. It's 'ça' for anything when you would normally say 'it.'

6. Ca marche? = it works?
7. Ou quoi? = or what?

As you can see the only REAL part of this sentance that resembles anything you will learn in a book is "sortir avec Guillaume."

And I still can't speak french...