PLAYING FOR BAGUETTES

Saying Goodbye

2009-05-31T14:13:00.001-07:00

As I sit here alone in my apartment for the last night in a city I've come to love and a culture I feel I've become a part of, the tears are flowing with no end is sight. David is having one last hockey hurraw with some of the guys from his team and I've just returned home from a dinner with our dear friends Robert and Corinne, to whom I've had to say an emotional farwell.

I'm not sure how to process the fact that Paris is no longer my home, when all I feel is how I've changed in so many ways such that in some ways, its all I know. I'm scared to find out how I will feel when the things that used to be normal for me, will feel foreign and yet, are supposed to be who I am because they are where I've come from. I know that the girl that came over here for an experience is staying behind and in her place is a different person with different thoughts, views, personality traits, likes, dislikes, habits, visions, dreams, aspirations, wants, and needs that make sense in the world she knows at this moment. I have no idea how she will fit in to a world she used to know.

Finding a way to express the emotions that are leaving me feeling raw and weak seems like such an impossible goal. David and I set out to try an adventure that involved just the two of us. We wanted to get away from all that we knew and put ourselves in a world where only we mattered and were there to rely on. We wanted something that would bring us together and draw our focus to each other to get a head start on our new marriage before children came along. But what we found when we arrived in this wonderful dream was so very different. Things turned out to include more then just ourselves. Our lives have not been focused on each other but instead have included some amazing people who have enhanced our experience and made our journey the incredible journey it has been. We've learned more about ourselves and about each other by having more then just us in the picture. The friends we've made and people we've met, in many ways, have become a second family to us and the pain I feel in having to say goodbye is something I had not realized would become a reality.

We've changed, David and I, for having an experience like this one. And as much as rewards like these come with some very difficult consequences, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I feel like I was meant to live an extrodinary life. Like ordinary things weren't meant for me. Too many times I have not fit into a normal world and the only people who ever have been able to, and ever will be able to understand and relate to me, are those other people who are not meant for an ordinary life either. Its been a hard and painful reality at times, but I've come to understand it now and can accept it with a resolute peace. Its no longer a hardship to bear, this difference. It has become a comforting freedom that I'm embracing more and more. I feel that this move was anything but ordinary and while the dream of this, before it happenned, only included the amazing things hoped for, the unkown sacrafices that came up along the way have all been worth it. And I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't trade certainty for uncertainty, comfort for the absence of comfort, and normality for the strange. I am more sure now then ever before that sacrafices are necessary for a life of extraordinary. And it takes courage give up the things that bring us the most security when we pursue our dreams. I know that many people would only ever dream the dream and never take the risks required to live it, and I know now that I can never be one of those people again. We've changed, David and I, and while the time that lay in wait for us will have its moments of sadness, despair and longing, we will continue on in our dreams and forge on to the next moment of extraordinary.

Thank you to everyone who has made my time here what it was. This doesn't only include the people who live in France as my truest of confidantes needed not be here to get me through this journey. I love you all.

Love Mindy

Top of Tour Eiffel

2009-05-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

Mindy is all smiles as she prepares to climb the Eiffel Tower.

Almost every tourist that comes to Paris makes their way up the great iron tower that looms over the city. We decided that we would make our way up as well and so, on our last day in Paris, we hiked up Tour Eiffel. The view was astounding and at the same time bitter-sweet for Mindy and I as we not only saw famous places from the top, but also memories of great experiences we have had in Paris. We celebrated the trip with a glass of champagne, took a final look around, and then, as the saying goes "what goes up, must come down".

The pace is good and Mindy is motoring up the stairs.

Halway up and we are still all smiles.

How much further to the top already.

Princess Mindy gets her reward. A room with a view and a glass of champagne.

Looking out to the souteast one can see the Champs de Mars directly in front, Les Invalides off to the left, and Tour Montparnasse in the distance.

Cheers from the top of Tour Eiffel!

Amsterdam: Tale of Two Cities

2009-05-12T08:30:00.001-07:00

Crisscrossed with amazing canals, Amsterdam has to be considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

We decided that our visit to the Netherlands would include a stop in the both famous and infamous city of Amsterdam. Known equally for its canals and red light district, Amsterdam is truly two cities in the same place. Since neither of us had ever visited it, we thought it was worth making the trip.

However before I really start on the city, I have to tell you about probably one of the most unique and nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. If you are travelling to Amsterdam, make a reservation at the Citizen M Hotel. A king size bed, wall mounted plasma television, waterfall showers, it is very luxurious. One small catch however. The rooms are the size of a broom closet. Fear not though as the design is incredible. We had a lot of fun staying here and I would for sure recommend it.

The entire room at the Citizen M Hotel. The circle on the floor on the left of the picture is the toilet which has a sliding glass door. In the right-center is the shower, also with a sliding glass door.

Anyway, on to the city. The bright side of Amsterdam offers tree-lined canals where houseboats are parked next to water-front restaurants serving a delectable variety of foods and beverages popular in Holland (see Heineken beer). We strolled through a market, toured the Anne Frank House, and enjoyed inspecting the exterior of the houses we passed. The city had a very relaxed feel to it (no, not in the pot-smoking relaxed way) that a lot of other cities seem to lack. Maybe it's due to the lack of cars in the city as everyone rides their bike everywhere. Whatever the reason, we enjoyed it.

At the top of the bike parking lot.

Beautiful buildings along one of the many canals

Everything is a little bit smaller in Amsterdam when it comes to buildings, including the doorways!

And even the houses. Number 7 Singel is listed in the tour books as the narrowest house in the world with a front facade boasting a width of only 1.3 meters.

Breakfast on Sunday was at the Pancake Bakery. Delicious!

And then there is the other side of Amsterdam. Legalized marijuana and prostitution in the infamous Red Light district of the city probably draws just as many tourists to this beautiful city as all of its museums, canals, and restaurants. Due to the laws and controls in the city however, Amsterdam is still clean and classy in this part of the city. It was interesting to see this part of the city although after seeing the basics, we were ready to make our way to other areas of the city.

One of the many "coffee" shops that doesn't quite specialize in the Starbucks blend.

Where else in the world would this museum be located?

The Red Light district at night.

We even found a Canadian connection to one of the "coffee" shops. Of course, that link would be to Vancouver, BC ;-)

Having to chose between the two sides of Amsterdam, this picture below pretty much shows the one that we prefered.

Best Chocolate in the World

2009-05-11T05:48:00.000-07:00

Gabrielle and Mindy study the "chocolate" map which shows the location of every Chocolaterie in Bruges. It didn't take us long to be headed in the right direction.

French chocolate is good and Swiss choclate is great. However for the true connoisseur, Belgium chocolate has no rival. And during our foray into this northern neighbour of France, we were determined to find the best that Belgium had to offer. As Gabrielle, Mindy's cousin's daughter, had joined us again for a visit, I was outvoted on the idea of potentially putting a limit on how much chocolate show be consumed.

We chose to visit the city of Bruges as we had heard of its famous architecture, canals, and of course food. The city did not let us down as we wandered around the town's center where impressive buildings, churches, and squares seemed to blend together seemlessly.

Dinner was in one of the open air squares as we sampled a local raspberry beer with pasta dishes all around (note to Gabrielle's parents, legal age for a beer is 16 in Belgium and we limited her to 250 ml ;-). Of course our dessert had previously been consumed as we had made our way around to a few chocolateries (see below for more)

One of the many Chocolateries that we found. Each had its own style, offerings, and tastes.

Got the goods and ready to partake

The Market is the central square in Bruges and is surrounded by amazingly beautiful buildings and churches.

Mindy and I outside the Basilica of the Sacred Blood

Crossing one of the many canals in the city. Although not quite crisscrossed as Amsterdam, the canals of Bruges still give the city a certain charm.

Cheers! One more phenomenal day of travel in the books!

Vimy Ridge

2009-05-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

The happy couple in front of the monument at Vimy Ridge

If there is one thing that every Canadian who travels to France should see, it is Vimy Ridge. The site of one of the largest offensives against the Germans in the First World War, Vimy Ridge is now a monument to remember the efforts made by the Canadian troops in the first battle where all four divisions fought together. Although the battle was critical to the success of the alied troops, it also served to unify a young Canadian nation who had previously always been in the shadow of Britain.

We took our time in touring the monument before making our way to the visitors center for the "Tunnels and Trenches" tour. The guides are all Canadian university students and we had a great time chatting with them about thier experiences in France compared to ours. They did a great job at presenting some very interesting information. This was my second visit to Vimy as I had visited 15 years ago with my parents and my brother and I must admit that even after seeing previously, Vimy Ridge was still very impressive.

In front of the flag on the approach to the trenches

Going down the stairs to the underground communication tunnels

Sleeping quarters in the communications tunnels. Yes, those beds have chicken wire on them.

On the eve of the assualt, Canadian troops filled the trenches and the tunnels to prepare for going over the top

"Machine Gun" Mindy mans a gun turrent in the trenches

In addition to the monument, visitors center, and tunnels and trenches tour, there are also a few cemetaries. Unlike the one we viewed in Normandy from the Second World War, where every soldier was identified, a large number of these graves read simply "Known Unto God"

Vanderlee Visit

2009-05-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

Amy and Kathleen Vanderlee paid a visit to the city of light and discovered it could also be the city of the walking.

Aside from Gabrielle, Mindy's cousin who is doing an exchange in the south of France, we have not had any visitors from our part of the world this year as a variety of circumstances have prevented some people from making the trip overseas (mostly upcoming weddings). So when we heard that Amy and Kathleen, family friends from Calgary, were doing a little European tour and would be visiting Paris, we were really excited to show them around.

Mindy had to teach, so I took the ladies from Calgary on a little walking tour of some of Paris' lesser know but equally impressive attractions. We started at Montmartre where we checked out Sacre Coeur before making our way down Avenue de Clichy to the Moulin Rouge. We then turned south and marched past Saint Lazaire train station on our way to Les Grands Magazines on Boulevard Haussmann. A quick stop at the Opera followed by some cold drinks outside of the tourist zone (which means we paid 6 euros for 3 drinks instead of 6 euros each) and we were ready to keep going. From Opera we went down to Place Vendome where Amy's jaw dropped at the site of all the luxury stores.

By this time it was getting a little bit late so we headed back to the Latin Quarter where we met up with Mindy for a fantastic french dinner. We introduced the ladies to Raclette and Tartiflette, and although it wasn't of the same quality as what we sampled in the Alps, it was still pretty good. We ended the evening with some fantastic conversation before we said goodbye.

During a fantastic dinner, we had a great conversation with Amy and Kathleen.

Connemara Penincula

2009-05-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

Kylemore Abby sits majestically in the middle of the Connemara Penincula

As we moved north from the Burren and into the Connemara Penincula, the Irish landscape became much more lush as we left the limestone rock behind. The goal was to hike to the top of Connemara National Park, however the weather decided not to cooperate and we had the opportunity to experience a nice little Irish rain storm. Rather than get soaked, we headed for the town of Clifden to check into our B&B and see if we could find a nice little pub.

Connemara National Park hidden in the rain

And of course there were some sheep wandering the road

Entering the town of Clifden

The Hillside Lodge is a fantastic little B&B with excellent service and beautiful rooms

We checked into the Hillside Lodge, which is located just outside the town and then headed into town for dinner. We had another fantastic meal accompanied by a little bit of Guiness before spending a quite night in the Connemara country side.

Our room at the Hillside Lodge. If you are ever travelling in the Connemara region, give Ruth a call at the Hillside Lodge. You will not be disapointed.

The view out to the Atlantic from the Hillside Lodge

Sampling the Guiness.

Mindy was tempted to try and order a Bud Light, but decided the smart thing to do was stick with the local specialty

The next morning we woke up early to check out Clifden castle before breakfast. The castle was built about 250 years ago, however it has not been maintained and is starting to crumble. It was still pretty neat to check out.

Mindy at the entrance to the castle road

Clifden Castle

The princess surveyed the property and decided that she would stick with the new castle being built back in Canada for her.

After breakfast, we headed to our final destination of our Irish adventure as we returned to Connemara National Park to take in the hike that we missed the day before. The scenery was once again stunning and we had the trail to ourselves. It was a great way to end what had been a fabulous trip.

The entrance to Connemara National Park

Going up the hill in Connemara

Mindy is now ready to jump into our next adventure

Dungaire Castle

2009-05-06T00:16:00.000-07:00

The happy couple at Dungaire Castle in Kinvara

As we moved north out of the Burren area, the northern point is marked by what many think is now the most photographed castle in Ireland. Built in the early 16th century by the Hynes clan, Dungaire castle has been fully restored to its original grandeur. Again, the castles in Ireland were less palaces as they were manor houses with defensive structures in place. Its was built along the coast in a spot that only allows access by land from one side, making it very difficult to attack. Have we mentioned how much there is to see and do in Ireland??? Although we still haven't found a pot of gold yet!

The second floor of the castle

From the bottom of the castle to the top of the tower is 77 steps. Of course, Mindy counted them and arrived at 76 steps and then proceeded to question the guide about just how many steps there really were.

Watching for approaching enemies from the top of the tower

Dungaire Castle and the surrounding lands as they would have looked like in 1568

Catherconnell Stone Fort

2009-05-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

In front of the ruins of Catherconnell Stone Fort

Out of all the things we say in the Burren, probably the most impressive were the ruins of Catherconnell Stone Fort, a fortified village that was built over a thousand years ago. Again, using dry stone masonery, Catherconnell allows a visitor to imagine what life would have been like in southern Ireland over a millenium ago. The stone fort was a popular idea at the time as Ireland was a country with its fair share of clan warfare where one needed a way to protect valuable assets such as livestock and grain stores.

Catherconnell was used up until the late 17th century when it was finally abandoned. As we discovered on our travels, much of Ireland's history was never documented as stories were simply passed down from generation to generation. As such, it is unknown as the present time who actually lived here. Archeological work is still being done at the site, so maybe they might figure it out in the future.

Mindy surveys the inside of Catherconnell

The rocks above are the remains of what was once a seperating interior wall that divided the fort into two sections.

The remains of foundation rocks of what was once the principal house in Catherconnell

The foundations for a smaller dwelling inside the fort

Mindy was all smiles as we walked the path down to where the current archeological work is being done.

Life did not only take place inside the fort as there was plenty of evidence of activity along the outside walls. Here you can see a pen with a small hutch at the back that was used for keeping baby animals at night.

Catherconnell as it might have looked like in the year 1000 AD

The Burren

2009-05-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

Poulnabrone is classic example of a portal tomb dating from sometime around 3800 BC. Stone tombs like this one dating back from the New Stone Age, are known as megalithic tombs and can be found all over the Burren due to the abundance of stone.

The Burren is a region in Ireland that comprises about 250 square kilometers covered in limestone rock. Despite the rock, the area is very lush and their is quite a bit of agricultural activity in the area, most notably beef and sheep farms. Due to the limestone that is available in virtually limitless quantities, the Burren is full of stone buildings and archeological significant discoveries such as the Poulnaborne portal tomb pictures above.

We were amazed by the dry stone masonery that we viewed while travelling through this region as we saw stone fences and out-buildings made in this fashion that were still in use today.

The Burren landscape is basically a limestone pavement filled with crevices in which grass and other plants seem to spring from.

A stone church at the base of the hills leading into the Burren

The modern graves are underground with huge tombstones and often a small area sectioned off in front of the grave.

A ruined manor house at the base of the Burren. We could only speculate about its history as we found no information posted.

I decided to take a closer look at the inside. This picture also shows the dry stone masonery.

Looking up the crumbling frontside of the manor house.

Okay, where to now???

Carron Church

2009-05-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

While driving in the Irish countryside from the Cliffs of Moher to our next destination, this building caught my attention as we passed by. So of course we stopped to investigate.

The strange building was actually the remains of Carron Church, the largest parish in County Clare until the mid 16th century. The parish was founded in the 12th century although the building that is standing today was contructed in the early 15th century. The cemetary that surrounds the church is still in use as we found out later in the day when a local gentleman informed us that his grandfather was buried here. Although the roof has long since disappeared, the walls are a great example of the dry stone masonry used in the area. Buildings like this one can be seen throughout southwest Ireland.

The gate leading to the church had a nice little warning. We checked our weapons and then hopped the fence.

While crossing the field to get to the church, a cow pie was mistaken for solid ground as you can see from the imprint of my left Nike Free.

Nature is slowing reclaiming the church.

Mindy was of course a little cold in the wind, but found relief inside the church where we discovered even more graves.

On our way back down the hill to the road leading past the church, Mindy shows off her athletic prowess at descending a hill while avoiding cow pies.

One day this church will collapse and nature will retake what was taken from it.

Cliffs of Moher

2009-05-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

The jumping off point of our tour of Ireland was at the famed Cliffs of Moher.

At a maximum height of 214 meters, the Cliffs of Moher present a pretty imposing view of the west coast of Ireland. It is also advisable to stay away from the edge as Olympic diving hasn't quite found a way for the divers to survive this event. The cliff side is unbelievably impressive as the waves below crash into the rocks below. There are thousands of sea birds that make their homes in the cliffs including the Atlantic Puffins.

We hiked the trails along the cliffside, including a small little "out-of-bounds" trail where there were no guard rails to keep you at the 200 meters above sea level elevation. We managed to stay on the trail however and really enjoyed the breathtaking views and the sea salt breeze.

Mindy decided that the sign was actually encouraging you to climb on to the stone wall barrier.

And she did finally manage to perch upon the top for a better view.

The waves smashing into the rocks below.

Checking out the view from the top. On to the next destination...

As go Éire

2009-05-03T11:53:00.001-07:00

Mindy is all smiles as we touched down in Shannon, Ireland.

As everyone who speaks Gaelic Irish would know by the title of this post, we were off to Ireland! And so begins the travel month for us with a short trip across the English Channel to search for pots of gold, four leaf clovers, and the ultra rare pint of Guiness! We landed in Shannon, County Clare in the southwest part of the island and were immediately impressed by the friendliness of the people. Mindy of course was happy to chat up everyone and by the time I picked up the car, she had made friends with half the county!

Driving on the left side of the road and the right side of the car is a wonderful experience.

We picked up our rental, a Santa Fe with automatic transmission (yes!!!), and headed out on the highway to learn how to drive Irish style. In sharp contrast to France, or at least Paris, everyone here obeys the speed limit and is really quite courteous and patient on the road. Maybe they are just used to having to a bunch of tourists driving around lost.

A view from the left side of the road. Don't try this in Canada!!!

Gaelic Irish is still very popular as a language although everyone speaks English. All the signs were posted in both languages.

For our first night, we were staying in Limerick as we didn't arrive in Ireland until a little later in the day. We decided that the first order of business, before we checked out the tourist sites, was to find a real Irish Pub for dinner. We of course checked with our local sources and headed to Dolain's Pub where we dined on Irish Stew (for Mindy) and Meat Pie with Beef, Mushrooms, & Guiness (for David). A pint of Kilkenny rounded out the fabulous meal as we enjoyed the cozy atmosphere. As we finished our food, a band started to tuning up and we were treated to some a nice little performance. A pretty decent start to the trip in my books!

Guiness Meat Pie and Irish Stew. Can it get any better?

The band. Notice the pints of Guiness on the table in front of them. No joke, they would play a song, stop, have a sip of beer, and then play again.

Slow News Week

2009-04-30T09:36:00.001-07:00

Just like a regular teacher, when classes end, you sometimes receive some nice little gifts from your students.

So the past two weeks have been a little slow here in Paris as hockey is done for the year but we haven't really started our grand finale travel month. As we are heading back to Canada in just over a month, we have been spending quite a bit of time preparing for making the transition back to Edmonton as we will be arriving to a new house in Leduc as well as potentially new jobs. The result has been what could be the described as the "dog days" of our Paris experience. Here are a couple of the highlights.

Some of my students wanted to thank me for my efforts and got together to buy me a french cheese cookbook (pictured above). It was a wonderful surprise and greatly appreciated.
Romain and I got together for a couple of beers and nachos at the TGC pub to watch the Canadians wax the Slovaks at the World Hockey Champioships. France also pulled out a victory against Germany which was a nice surprise as well.

So yeah, almost sounds like a regular week back home. Fear not however as starting tomorrow, Mindy and I will be back to running around Europe, touring like crazy and maximizing this incredible opportunity that we have been blessed with. We will also be welcoming a few visitors to Paris (stay tuned to find out who they are) which we are really excited about. In the meantime, tune into the Stanley Cup playoffs and cheer on your favortite team, but don't forget to check back with us soon!

Last Weekend in Paris

2009-04-25T13:46:00.001-07:00

Mindy was pretty happy to track down a couple boxes of KD.

Due to some upcoming travel, this weekend marks the last full weekend that Mindy and I will be spending in Paris. In celebration of this glorious weekend and to say goodbye to a city we both love what did we do? Most people would make a farewell tour to various sites before enjoying a nice, traditional french meal. We has a little different take on what we would do.

Well, we started this morning with Aunt Jamaima pancakes topped with maple syrup. After breakfast, which was consumed more around a brunch time, we hopped on the Metro and headed to the city center to do some shopping. I needed some new flip-flops so we visited such stores as Gap, C&A, Adidas, and the Nike store. It was finally while looking in the Quiksilver store where I found the sandals that I needed in the appropriate beach bum style that I like to sport while on vacation.

After our shopping experience, we headed to le Marais district to check out an American grocery store called ThanksGiving that we heard about. Aparently the store has been in business for close to 20 years, much to Mindy's dismay as she has really been missing her French's mustard, which ironically is not sold in France. We puchased the most expensive boxes of Kraft Dinner we will ever purchase ($15 Canadian for one regular box and one family size box) plus an A&W Rootbeer for Mindy and a Dr.Pepper for myself.

After completing our purchases, we headed back to the Champs Elysees where we picked up a couple burgers at McDonald's to take with us to the movies as we had previously obtained tickets to go see The Fast & The Furious 4. The movie was great, burgers were good, and the Dr.Pepper amazing. And so ended the first day of our goodbye weekend in Paris.

If you are living in Paris and need a fix from home, check out ThanksGiving at 20 Rue St. Paul.

Remembering Ferbie

2009-04-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

The memorial of my grandfather that hangs in Branch 87 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

A year ago today, I was on the island of Maui in the south Pacific with Mindy on our honeymoon. Little did we know, that in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, my grandfather, Ferbie, passed away. Out of all the people who have supported us on our adventure to France, the person who would have most enjoyed reading and hearing about our adventure, aside from maybe our parents and sibligs, would have been my grandfather.

He was a pasionate hockey fan who loved the Canadians, which would have been great if he came over for visit as it seems like the only teams you are allowed to cheer for in France are the Canadians and whatever team Cristobal Huet is playing for (currently Chicago). We used to chat weekly about the state of the Canadians powerplay and what changes he thought needed to made. During the summer, his focus would change to the Toronto Blue Jays, where his solution was to simply fire the manager. He had also resently came over for the 60th aniversary of the D-Day invasion and toured Normandy with some fellow veterns. I think it would have been a neat experience to visit sites like Omaha, Gold, and Juno beach with someone who knew so much about it.

So for those of you who knew him, say a little prayer today in remembrance and count yourself lucky to have met one of the most incredible men I have ever met.

A Year Already!

2009-04-19T09:29:00.001-07:00

April 19, 2008 - The Beginning.

There is a saying that goes something along the lines of time flying when you are having fun. If that is the case, then this year went by at the speed of light. We are constantly reminding ourselves how truly blessed we are as a couple and feel extremely lucky to have so many quality people in our lives. From new friends to old, so many people have enriched our lives during our first year of marriage. Thank you to you all.

May found us in Maui on our honeymoon.

A church picnic in Leduc in June.

July and August were spent at the family cabin at Gull Lake working on the new addition.

September saw us reunite after a month apart and share a kiss at the Louvre.

We travelled to Cherbourg in October for a little hockey.

As November drew to a close, we started to see signs of Christmas like the market at La Defence.

Christmas in December was spent in Spain as we visited Barcelona.

We then rang in the New Year in the Alps on a ski hill in January.

A warm spell in February allowed to get out and explore some of the sights of Paris such as Pere LaChaise Cemetary.

After the hockey season finished in March, we travelled Normandy with our friends Robert and Corine.

We celebrated the weekend before our anniversary in April by going on some rides at Disneyland here in France.

As for what the second year holds we arn't quite sure, but we hope it will be as exciting and funfilled as the first.

Disneyland...Paris Style

2009-04-16T07:47:00.001-07:00

Gabrielle and Mindy were pretty excited to be staring down Main Street USA at Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland.

So you are a tourist in Paris, what do you do? Well, museums, chateauxs, and monuments are all viable options, however when asked what she really wanted to do while staying with us this past week, Gabrielle did not hesitate with her reply. "Disneyland!!!" was the resounding answer. Okay, so maybe we presented it as a possible option, but let's just say that I was accompanied by two pretty excited ladies as we made our way to Marne-la-Vallee, some 30 kms east of Paris to spend a day with Mickey, Donald, and the rest of the Disney cast.

Arriving as the park gates opened at 10:00 am, we dove right into the rides. We were very fortunate as the crowd on hand was not overwhelming and for the most part, we waited between 10 and 15 minutes to board most rides. Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, and Buzz Lightyear rides were just a small part of the repetoire we sampled. Of course we also had to ride classics such as A Small World and Alice's Teacups. We all agreed that Space Mountain should have been avoided as we exited the looping in the dark with lights flashing roller-coaster just a little on the dizzy side.

We stayed right until the park closed at 9:00 pm and just like the kids we saw that day, we couldn't get the smiles off our faces.

Mindy and Gabrielle blast away on the Buzz Lightyear ride.

And took in the Canadian part of A Small World.

Before either screaming or laughing (I'm not really sure what that was) on Big Thunder Mesa roller-coaster.

We took some time off from the rides to visit with everyone's favorite duck.

And then back to the Teacups where we spun out of control.

Carefull Princess Mindy, don't prick your finger on the spindle or you will fall asleep.

Fortunately for Mindy, her Prince Charming was downstairs removing a sword from a stone before coming to rescue her.

The happy couple at the end of a long, tiring, and fun-filled day at Disneyland, Paris.

In the end, Mindy couldn't handle all the excitement and crashed for a little siesta.

Seine River Cruise Pictures

2009-04-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

Moving past Notre Dame at dusk.

The Latin Quarter as the boat moves around Isle de la Cite.

A famous little tower lights up.

Tour Eiffel.

Paris Blitz

2009-04-14T09:51:00.001-07:00

The starting point: Moulin Rouge

The Paris Blitz is not a new defensive play being run by a football team nor has the french capital been invaded. Instead, the Paris Blitz is the whirlwind tour that Mindy and I gave to Gabrielle as we explored the City of Light. The first stop was the Moulin Rouge where we quickly jumped off the Metro, took the pictures, and then jumped back on as we headed for our next destination.

On to Montmartre & Sacre Coeur. The ladies posed for a quick picture before the ascent began up the dozens of stairs that one has to climb to reach the basilica.

We stopped at Montmartre & Sacre Coeur where we marched up the stairs to the top of the hill before eating a fantastic picnic lunch on the steps overlooking the city. The afternoon sun was fantastic but we couldn't hang around too long as we had to move on to the next destination.

On to Pere Lachaise Cemetary as Mindy played the role of tour guide and pretty much repeated the exact same tour we took earlier in the year. Which meant that...

...Gabrielle has the awesome opportunity to pucker up to the tomb of Oscar Wilde!

From Pere Lachaise, we hopped the Metro to the trendy Le Marais district of Paris, where artisans, artists, and smaller fashion houses sell their wares. There are also quite a few little specialty shops in the area.

Mindy and Gabrielle almost hit their stride in the shopping district of Le Marais. Thankfully I was there to move them along to our next destination.

After strolling through Le Marais, we moved across the Seine River to Isle de la Cite as Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris had to be visited. We were a little lucky as our visit timed perfectly with the evening mass of Easter Sunday. It was fantastic to be in one of the most famous churches on one of the most spiritualy significant days of the year.

Gabrielle & Mindy were still smilling as I continued to amaze them with my tour guide abilities at Notre Dame de Paris.

By this time we were starting to get a little hungry so I quickly led the ladies to the Latin Quarter for a nice little french cuisine. I made the mistake of giving them the choice of restaurants and after a half hour of decision making, we finally sat down for a nice little meal. We all agreed that after our time in France, we will certainly miss the french tradition of taking a meal in stages (Entree, Plat, Dessert).

Happy ladies in front of the Fountain St. Michel in the Latin Quarter.

To finish off our day, we step aboard the Bateaux Parisienne for a night time cruise down the Seine river. It was a fantastic opportunity to grab some amazing photos (check back tomorrow) and offered a view of central Paris that even Mindy and I hadn't yet taken in. And with that, the Blitz was over.

Cheerful cousins on the Seine river in front of a famous little tower in Paris.

The Gardens of Versailles

2009-04-13T14:10:00.001-07:00

Mindy and Gabrielle pose at the top of the gardens before we started our trek into the vast estate.

I promise this will be the last post from Versailles, however in my defence, this place is so incredibly amazing, I just had to share it with everyone. Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves immensely while touring both the chateau and the surrounding gardens. The gardens, in modern terms I think the term estate might be better, as they cover an area of over 800 hectares. I guess they could be refering to the 210,000 flowers that are planted annually. Either way, the grounds are huge and really need to be seen. Below are a few pictures from our adventure.

Mindy and I pose midway down the grand canal. The chateau behind us is over a kilometer and half away.

Statues, monuments, and fountains are scattered throughout the gardens in little groves. Here is the coliseum grove.

Mindy strikes a pose to show off one of the fifty fountains.

While I prefer to simply relax and try and blend in.

Mindy is equally talented at relaxing as demonstrated above.

That's all from Versailles. If you want to see more, Mindy and Gabrielle suggest you buy a plane ticket and book your tour as soon as possible!

Chateau de Versailles Part II

2009-04-12T01:52:00.001-07:00

Mindy is ready to look way up at the amazing ceillings at Versailles.

As we continued our tour into the King's Apartments, we were amazed by the level of detail and beauty we discovered in room after room. The painted ceillings were by far some of the most impressive pieces of artwork that we have seen and when combined with the woodwork, presents a pretty mindblowing scene.

As a tourist at Versailles, one sometimes sees many beautifuls rooms and fails to see the unique features and detail present in each. Another beautiful room becomes just another room. Even you get into that trap at Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors will certainly shake things up and get

you back on track. The Hall of Mirrors is the central gallery in the chateau and is considered one of the most beautiful rooms in the world. Along one side of the hall are seventeen arched windows looking out over the gardens of Versailles. Opposite them are seventeen mirror-clad arches. Each arch uses twenty-one mirrors. You do the math and that is pretty impressive. The effect is one of light and space and even on a busy Saurday afternoon, the hall still seemed to have alot of room.

One of many impressive painting decorating the ceilling of the King's Apartments.

The famed Hall of Mirrors.

The king's bedroom. Even by today's standards, this would be a pretty nice place to crash.

The meeting room of the king. Some of the most important decisions of the 17th and 18th century were made in this room.

Enough of all the museum stuff, let's go ourside...

Chateau de Versailles

2009-04-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

We arrived this morning at the Chateau de Versailles along with a gazilion other tourists.

And of course had to stand in line before being allowed to enter.

If you ever wonder why there was a French Revolution, take a trip to the Chateau de Versailles and take a look at the lavish rooms, fine furniture, and opulent gardens. While the people of France were strugling with famine, the royals were building themselves a nice little country manor...that only had 551,220 square feet. That's over twelve acres of wall to wall luxury and that doesn't even begin to take into account the gardens that surround the palace! Due to the sheer size, as well as my inability to narrow down the pictures I wanted to post, the Chateau de Versailes will consist of a little mini-series of posts.

The Chateau de Versailles was constructed over a period of 40 years with various kings adding different features to the palace. We started off our tour by taking a quick peak into the chapel. Certainly quite impressive and larger than quite a few churches I have seen. Moving on, we viewed some amazing period pieces dipicting life around Versailles in the 17th century as well as some of the characters involved. From there we moved upstairs where we viewed many of the rooms used for entertaining, socializing, and meetings. Of course, each room was unique from all the others and the level of detail really amazes one as you stroll through the chateau.

The chapel at Versailles. The king and other nobles took mass from the balcony while the "common" folks remained on the bottom level.

Mindy and Gabrielle stop to listen to our audio-tour.

Mindy is very impressed by both the painting and the desk. No, we did not purchase either for our new home back in Canada.

I think I found a statue of one of my ancestors as the physique seems to be very similar to my current form. Actually this is one of many staues of Louis XIV.

Hey! Check this out! Wouldn't this look great in our room!

Not your ordinary fireplace and mantel.

Nothing cookie-cutter about Versailles as even each fireplace had a unique design or feature. Here the hearth is cased in marble with an ivory carving.

Let's move through this extravagent door for more in the King's Apartments...

Cathédrale Saint-Louis des Invalides.

2009-04-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

The entrance to the dome at Les Invalides.

A couple of months ago, Mindy and I went to visit Les Invalides in Paris (see January 29th update), however it was so nice outside that we decided to forgo the museum and instead wandered the grounds before continuing our walk through Paris. As Mindy's cousin's daughter, Gabriel, is visiting us this week, we will be in full tourist mode as we take in all of the usual suspects in terms of Paris sightseeing as well as a few known only to those who live in this vibrant city.

Unfortunately, I had to teach a couple of classes this morning and so Mindy and Gabriel attacked the city. A little walking tour landed them at the entrance of Les Invalides and it was decided that they should now take the time to go inside and view the dome from the inside. They were not disapointed as the beautiful French Baroque architecture leads one to feel as if the inside of the dome is enormously spacious. In addition to the architecture, the ceiling is painted in a beautiful design that can really take your breath away.

The interior of the dome.

Les Invalides is richly decorated and seems more like a palace than the military hospital is was.

In addition to the building, Les Invalides also houses the remains of what can only be considered as the royalty of the French military. Laid to rest in ornate sarcophaguses, visitors can view the final resting places of Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleaon's brothers Joseph and Jerome, as well as the tomb of General Leclerc who is widely regarded as one of the heros of France during the Second World War.

The tomb of Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon.

Leading down to the tomb of Napoleon is an arch with an incription that reads "My final wish is that my remains lie on the edge of the Seine river, in the middle of the French people, whom I love so deeply".

The sargophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The tomb of Marshal General Turene who commanded the French armies during the era of Louis XIV.

France vs. Holland

2009-04-05T11:35:00.001-07:00

A pretty good crowd of 1,300 showed up for the World Championship tune-up match between France and the Netherlands.

As the World Championships approach, teams other than those whose rosters are filled by NHL regulars, begin to prepare by playing exhibition matches against each other. The French team will be playing at the Championship in a pool featuring Russia, Switzerland, and Germany. The Dutch nationals will be playing in the Division 1 tournament in the hopes of making the jump up to the Championship in the coming years. They will be playing against the likes of Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Great Britain, and Romania. Good hockey nations, yet not quite at the same level as Canada, Russia, Sweden, or Finland. As the Asnieres rink is the one of the official training rinks of the French national team, an exhibition match against the Dutch national team was scheduled for this Sunday afternoon.

The game had a good pace and the Dutch proved to be a good test for the French team. The Dutch certainly get style points as they showed off some great speed as well as multi-coloured helmets. The Netherlands actually opened the scoring and held the lead for most of the game. France ultimately proved to be a little bit better in the end and squeeked out a 4-3 victory much to the delight of the home town crowd.

The action was fast paced in the international friendly.

A French attacker wrists a shot towards the Dutch goal.

Facing off in the French zone as the Dutch tried to get a late equilizer.

Of course the talkative twosome (Mindy & Corine) were on hand to miss most of the action while they discussed various subjects unrelated to the game. I think they did see one or two of the seven goals scored.

Étretat

2009-04-04T01:43:00.000-07:00

The cliffs at Etretat form an impressive natural view.

Our last stop on our Normandy excursion was at the coastal town of Etretat, long made famous for the cliffs that form a natural harbour protecting the village from the sea. Due to the flow of the currents in this part of the english channel, the bottom of the cliffs have been eaten away by the constant flow of the tides to form a natural arch under the cliffs as pictured above. They are the subject of a few paintings by the noted french artist, Claude Monet, and it is easy to see why he was so inspired.

The town itself has only 2,000 residents and so retains a small community charm about it. The seawall is filled with coffee shops and ice cream vendors for the tourists that flock to the area, but without the big chains. After exploring the seawall, we made our way up the hiking path to the top of the left cliffs. The view was stunning and as it was a beautiful clear day, we could see for miles in all directions.

Mindy can't believe she has to climb to the top of the cliffs.

Okay, she made it to the top, only to discover another cliff point just down the coast.

I tried to squeeze into a picture as well, however Mindy (while sporting her Chanel sunglasses) was not impressed about having to share the camera.

The view of the harbour from the top across to the right cliffs. The town can be seen on the right of the picture.

Another amazing view witnessed through the lens of Chanel by Mindy.

Deauville & Trouville

2009-04-03T15:04:00.001-07:00

The real estate gets pretty nice as you enter Deauville.

On Normandy tour continued as we made our way to the sister communities of Deauville and Trouville. Deauville is of course the more popular of the two are it is well known racecourse, casionos, beautiful houses, and international film festival. The town is is certainly high class and has a fitting nickname as "Queen of the Norman Beaches".

As we made our way through the streets of the two towns, Corine spotted an open air market and the decisionwas made to stop and pick-up the esentials for a great little picnic. Two types of cheese, rossette de lyon, fresh vegetables, baguettes, cider, strawberries, and a little dessert. We were set and made our way to the beach where we spread out some beach towels and enjoyed a little lunch. It wasn't particularly warm, but the sun was out and we were determined to enjoy being on the beach. After that, it was time to move on and leave the "Queen" in search of other adventures.

Mindy, Corine, & Robert did into the picnic lunch on the beach in Deauville.

The open air market supplied the elements for our lunch.

Honfleur

2009-04-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Princess Mindy at the top of the stairs leading to our room at La Cour Sainte Catharine Bed & Breakfast in Honfleur.

The town of Honfleur lies just east of the D-Day beaches in Normandy and despite its proximity to the Allied invasion, the town seems to have escaped most of the heavy fighting as the buildings are in immaculate condition. The town is beautifully decorated, especially the the square surrounding the harbour located in the center of town as many of the building were painted by artists either visiting the town or were residents themselves which included Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet.

The entrance to La Cour Sainte Catherine.

Upon our arrival in Honfleur, we immediately headed to the Bed & Breakfast where Corine had reserved rooms for us. As it was recommended by the Michelin Guide, which Corine swears by when it comes to accomadations, we knew that we were in for a real treat. What we couldn't know in advance is that the rooms, hospitality, and service would rival many luxury resorts.

La Cour Sainte Catherine has a facinating little history as the original buildings were constructed in the 17th century. It was originally used as a convent and was later converted into a cider house. The Nomandy region is known for growing apples and of course, with that also comes the production of cider. Renovated once again by the current owners, this delighful little guesthouse is a travellers dream.

The norman courtyard in the middle of La Cour Sainte Catherine.

Corine & Robert's room was located at the opposite end of the courtyard from us. Up the steps and through the far door.

After checking in, changing shoes, and composing ourselves after gawking unbelievably at our rooms, we departed through the small, winding streets of Honfleur in the direction of the central square and harbour. As I previously mentioned, the town is quite picturesque and I would recommend stopping by if you are ever in the region just to walk around the old town which is filled with small artist studios and quaint little coffee shops. Surrounding the harbour, on the bottom floor, are a variety of restaurants serving a huge selection of seafood as well as a few other items for those not interested in "fruits de mer".

Looking down on the town of Honfleur.

The central harbour.

Restaurants lined up beside the harbour in the center square of Honfleur. We ate in the one on the far right.

Our expert chef Corine selected a nice little restaurant which satisfied the criteria of ambience, menu quality, and value. We were not disapointed as we dined on everything from rabbit to salmon, muscles and fish. Mindy was a little less adventurous and ordered raclette, which we have found to never disapoint. Dessert was cheeses, chocolate cake, and a fruit pie of sorts made with creme that was absolutley fantastic. Of course this was all accompanied by a delightful bottle of red wine.

Looks pretty good. Tasted even better.

Strolling back to the B&B after our meal through the classic french streets.

After our meal we headed back to the B&B for a good nights rest. In a country, make that a continent, known for economizing space, La Cour Sainte Catherine offered us spacious rooms with huge beautiful beds. Our room even had two skylights above the bed so you could see the stars when you lay down on the bed.

The loft room that Mindy and I were privileged enought to occupy.

Corine & Robert's room was equally charming with a great view overlooking the courtyard.

After a fantastic sleep in the bed, it was time for the breakfast part of our stay. And we were not disapointed in this regard as La Cour Sainte Catherine kept up its high standards with the morning meal. Orange juice, fresh bread, crepes, and cheese gave us the perfect start to the morning.

The kitchen in the breakfast lounge. They did have cereal on hand...which was promptly ignored by everyone in favour of crepes and fresh bread.

The breakfast nook.

We really enjoyed the town of Honfleur and can understand why so many Parisians visit the town during the spring months to get away from the big city. Again, if you are ever in the area, this little part of Normandy is recommended.

Bizzou from Mindy to Honfleur as we move on to our next destination.

Canadian War Cemetary

2009-04-01T02:17:00.000-07:00

The entrance to the Canadian War Cemetary at Beny-sur-Mer.

Remembering the battle at Juno Beach may not have been a priority for the Canadian government, however honouring the dead and respecting their final resting place is something that was done right. The Canadian War Cemetary at Beny-sur-Mer is located a couple of kilometers inland from Juno Beach and is a beautiful location where the Canadian soldiers who gave their lives during the liberation are cared for and honoured as they should be.

Mindy takes a moment to walk through and review the names on the tombstones of the Canadian soldiers.

As we walked among the graves, one of the things we remarked was that most of the men who died in the war and were buried here in the cemetary were younger then us. We saw markers as young as 18 years old although the majority probably fell between the ages of 20 and 24. It was a sobering thought to think that these young men never had the opportunities that we have had in our lives and that it is only due to their sacrifice that we enjoy the freedoms and experiences that we have today.

Among the graves were what we later confirmed were the graves of two brothers from the Regina Rifles Regiment. Gordon and Ronald Branton died and were buried in Normandy. Gordon, the younger of the two, was killed during the D-Day invasion on June 6th, 1944. His older brother, Ronald, died just over a month later.

Hailing from Lethbridge, Alberta, one can only assume that the Branton brothers were colorful characters as the inscription upon both of their graves reads as follows.

We left with a jest,

our home in the west.

Now here with the best,

we lie at rest.

The graves of all the soldiers are well cared for and the grounds are immaculate. Again, another must see for all Canadians who visit Normandy.

The cemetary at Beny-sur-Mer is the final resting place to over two thousand Canadian soldiers.

Juno Beach

2009-04-01T01:42:00.001-07:00

Mindy presents the flags at Juno Beach.

After the vast and beautiful memorial setup by the Americans to remember and honour their war veterns, the Canadian effort at Juno Beach was a definete disapointment. The visitor center and memorial at Omaha Beach are free of charge to the public and a visitor can't help but be struck by the effort to remember those who gave for their country. The Canadian visitor center at Juno Beach in contrast charges an entrance fee and only operates at full capacity during the peak summer months. In fact, the visitor center would not even exist if it were not for the efforts of some veterns who came back to visit Normandy only to discover that no memorial existed! That's right, the Canadian visitor center has only been open for about five years and is the result of private citizens mobilizing to remember the Canadian effort during D-Day. Mindy and I felt compelled to pay the full price admission and even bought a couple of visitor guides to help support the foundation that runs the center. Hopefully one day, the Canadian government will find a little extra in a budget somewhere and support this worthwhile cause.

Given the circumstances, the Canadian memorial at Juno Beach does an excellent job in showing Canada's part in the war. The exhibits and media really make an impression and show just how much Canada sacrificed to liberate the French from the German army. You could literally spend a full day in the museum and there is a chance that you would not be able to take in all the information that is presented. This is a must see for all Canadians that come to Normandy.

The main exhibit hall shows Canada's involment not only in Normandy, but throughout Europe. It also recognizes the effort made back in Canada to support the troops.

Mindy enjoys a video presentation about how Canada became involved in the war.

A recreation of Canadian troops fighting in Italy.

A German bunker sits on top of dunes at Juno Beach.

Mindy enjoys a peaceful day on what was once a hellish battlefield.

Juno Beach. A cross that stands in memory of the lives lost here stands in the distance.

Gold Beach

2009-03-31T10:27:00.001-07:00

Mindy and Corine: At the Gun Show.

Moving east from Omaha beach, we continued our tour at Gold Beach, where the British troops came ashore during the D-Day invasion. Perched on the blufs overlooking the sea are the remains of German artilary guns that were used to fire at incoming marine crafts. The bunkers that housed the canons are pretty impressive as they were built to withstand enemy fire and are still in pretty good shape. Nothing but solid concrete.

Across the field from the artilary canons.

After exploring the remains of the guns, we walked across the field to the bluffs overlooking the ocean where the German observation post that directed the fire from the canons is still standing in relatively the same condition as it was 60 years ago. Again, the building is made of solid concrete and the impact craters of rounds fired back in 1944 can still be seen along the outside.

A rear view of the German observation bunker.

Mindy and Corine check out the lower half of the bunker.

While Robert admired the view from the top of the cliffs.

Below the bluffs, just of the shores of Gold Beach, lies the remains of the artificial harbour constructed by the British to land both men and equipment in support of the invasion of France during the war. It is quite impressive to see the giant blocks in the water that have survived years of crashing surf.

Artificial harbour at Gold Beach.

Mindy on the east side of Gold Beach.

Omaha Beach

2009-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the cemetary at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. There are 10,625 American soldiers buried here.

Along with our good friends, Corine & Robert, Mindy and I ventured north to tour the Normandy region of France this past weekend and take in the spectacular scenery and natural beauty offered by the region. We also wanted to view the D-Day beaches as the invasion of France by the allied troops in June of 1944 as been well chronicled in a variety of popular books, movies, and television series. It was time to view this hallowed ground for ourselves.

Omaha Beach is the where the main Amercian assaulting force landed during the invasion and where the heaviest fighting occured. Think about the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan and you should have a pretty good idea of what was going on. The hike from the beach to the top of the bluffs is quite a hike and trying to imagine what it would be like in the middle of a full scale battle is quite an interesting exercise.

One of the things that America does extremely well is honouring those who sacrificed their lives in the life of duty. We witnessed this first hand last year when we visited Pearl Harbour in Hawaii and the memorial and visitor center at Omaha Beach did not dissapoint. Everything is first class and the grounds are beautifully mannicured. We toured the visitor center and watched a couple of videos on the men who fought for freedom. It was truly inspiring and a beautiful tribute.

Robert, Mindy, and Corine strol past the rows of crosses.

The memorial at Omaha Beach.

Behind the memorial is a wall with all the names of the missing soldiers whose bodies were nevered recovered from the Normandy invasion.

The view from the bluffs overlooking Omaha beach. This is where the Germans troops would have been firing from.

The rocky shoreline at high tide of Omaha Beach.

Mindy perched upon a remaining chunk of concrete left over from the artificial harbour that was created to land equipement.

Barbeque

2009-03-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Bidding Tommi "Bon Voyage" before he heads back to Finland.

As you can tell, it has been a little bit of slow news week here in Paris as the hockey season has come to an end and Mindy and I have found ourselves to be surprisingly busy with teaching the past couple of weeks. Don't worry folks, we are just catching our breath and plan on recomencing our adventurous ways in the next couple of days.

This past weekend however, we did participate in the first barbeque of 2009 as Romain hosted some of us at his house in the hills just north of Paris. So on a balmy Saturday afternoon, we convened to play a little ping-pong, eat a little food, and relax in the sun. With the temperature around 15 degrees, it was quite pleasent and we enjoyed hanging out in the backyard with Romain working the jukebox (his computer) and playing some excellent tunes. One of my teammates, Guiz Pfeiffer introduced us to some spicy sausages which just so happened to work nicely with fresh baguette while Mindy and I prepared a little apple crumble for dessert (which proved to be quite the hit). Can't wait for the next one!

JC demonstrates to Andronik and Tommi how to properly smash the ball without spilling one's beer.

As the ping pong table was located in the sun, we decided to use it as our dinner table as well.

Season in Review

2009-03-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

As I look back on my season with the Asnieres Hockey Club, I am amazed by how quickly it passed. It seems like training camp opened only a couple weeks ago when really it has been seven months since I left Canada. It was a tremendous privilege and honour to play with the team this year as we had a lot of fun both on and off the ice. Although we lost in the first round of the playoffs, I feel like we really improved over the course of the season and the progress that was made should certainly bring hope for the future to hockey in Asnieres.

The above video is a little compilation of some of the highlights from the season. It's also available to be viewed on Youtube at the link below along with a few other highlight videos I have posted. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaBHOVOlu-c

Average Spring Day

2009-03-18T15:48:00.001-07:00

Mindy poses midway up the climb to Montmartre on a glorious spring afternoon.

I hate to rub it to all of you still experiencing frigid temperatures and continuing snowfall back in Canada, but here in Paris, spring has most definitely arrived as for the past week we have been experiencing temperatures in the mid to high teens with plenty of sunshine. Of course Mindy and I had to take advantage of this and decided to head back to the Montmartre area in Paris for an afternoon in the sun. For some strange reason we wore our jackets and ended up carrying them about five minutes into our walk up the hill to the basilica.

Upon our arrival at the basilica, we took a seat with the rest of the tourists and Parisians to enjoy the sun and the street performers that were out in full force to take advantage of the throngs of crowds. We grabbed a bottle of Evian from a vendor and relaxed while listening to the beats of classic songs being sung by a very talented man and his guitar while we watched an equally impressive footballer perform all sorts of mastery with his ball. He even climbed a light pole while bouncing the ball on his head! Unfortunately, I was a little too mesmerized by the performance and managed only to take a picture once the ball had fallen off.

Hanging out on the steps leading up to Sacre Coeur is THE thing to do on a warm Paris afternoon.

The extraordinary footballer we were watching as he descended the light post.

After hanging around for a little while, it was time for an early dinner, at least according to Paris standards. We headed to the Latin Quarter to see what we could find and were tempted by more than one menu. We finally settled on a nice little restaurant after Mindy bartered for a couple of free drinks for us to start our meal with and took a seat at a nice little table on the sidewalk outside. Appetizers of cheese filled crepes followed by chicken and beef for the main course hit the spot. We finished the meal with crème caramel and apple pie for dessert followed by a nice little coffee. It was the perfect way to end a beautiful spring afternoon. Oh...I should also mention that I wore short-sleeve shirt right through dinner.

Mindy waits at our table while I grabbed a picture of the restaurant where we ate.

Playoffs - Game #2

2009-03-16T09:49:00.001-07:00

A full house was in attendance as over 1,200 fans were at the rink in Mulhouse as the Scorpions welcomed Asnieres for the second game of the playoff series. In the picture above, Tommi reaches for a save while Bruno backchecks.

Going into the second game of our playoff series with Mulhouse being down 5 goals in the two game total goals series, we knew the odds of advancing definetly working against us. As it was potentially the last game of the year, it was especially important for me make it back into the line-up as I had decided that I was not going out from the comfort of the stands. So with my ribs in a protective wrap, I suited up for what I knew would be a very tough game.

We started the game off on the right foot as we had several good chances to take the lead in the first five minutes of the game. However it would be Mulhouse who opened the scoring on their first real scoring chance of the game. We rebounded quickly however with a powerplay marker less then two minutes later as Bruno Rivero jammed in a rebound to tie the score at 1-1. The rest of the period produced no more offence despite several powerplays for each team and we headed into the break with the score tied.

Mulhouse came out flying to start the second and scored only 26 seconds into the period. They continued to buzz us for a few minutes before Coach Dmitri had seen enough and called a timeout to rally the troops. It seemed to work as we went to work and notched two goals by Andronik to put as in the lead. Mulhouse fought back and tied the score before we again went into the lead on a powerplay tally by Emilien Rouyer. We played well and Tommi made some key saves to send us into the third with a one goal lead.

Unfortunately for us, our offense dried up in the third period and we would score no more. We just couldn't get the puck to cross the line. Mulhouse notched the equalizer on the powerplay before one of their Canadian players, David Croteau, scored a pretty goal with a great move to put Mulhouse in the lead. Knowing that they had pretty much sealed their ticket to the next round, Mulhouse played defensively for the rest of the game and the final score ended at 5-4.

It was tough to finish the year with a loss, but the guys showed up for the game and we played hard. My ribs were incredibly sore after the game, but the pain was well worth the chance to play one more game this season.

Taking the puck away from an attacking Mulhouse forward.

Keeping the puck out with a desperate streach across the goalline behind Tommi.

Meeting the Mulhouse rush.

The playoffs are a tight checking affair as demonstrated above.

24 hour roadtrip

2009-03-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of playing outside of the NHL is the bus travel and for our second playoff game this year, the Asnieres Castors enjoyed a nice little 24 hour road trip to Mulhouse and back. We left at 8am Saturday morning and returned home this morning at 8am. We lost a very tight game 5-4 and as a result were eliminated from the playoffs. A game post will be done in the next day or so, but for now, here is a link to the Mulhouse newspaper for the match summary. The picture shows our goalie trying to make a save in a scramble while two defensemen spawl across the goaline to keep the puck out. The one on the right is me and for the record, Mulhouse did not score on the play. Now it's time for some sleep.

http://www.scorpionspictures.com/images/articles/2009-03-15_alsace.jpg

More Travel Canada

2009-03-12T13:23:00.001-07:00

Edmonton, the "Festival City", is being promoted in a Metro near you. The caption on the poster reads (translated from French) "White nights in the Festival City", refering to our long summer days where the sun sets at 11pm and rises at 5am.

The Canadian government is back at promoting our wonderful country to the French tourist with billboard advertising promoting the value of a Canadian holiday experience. The first advertisement that I came across in this blitzkrieg of marketing was actually the poster in the photograph above depicting my home city of Edmonton, Alberta. Imagine my surprise while walking through Gare Saint-Lazaire in the heart of Paris and coming face to face with a picture where I can actually see the office building I used to work in last summer.

So here are your tax dollars hard at work promoting Canada as a grand place to visit. I think I might have to visit!

In Canada, we all have a little cowboy in us.

Water so clean you can see the sky by looking up or down.

Take a shower under Niagara Falls.

A little strol on the beach along the east coast.

Montparnasse

2009-03-10T11:40:00.001-07:00

Mindy at Tour Montparnasse

The Parisian skyline is famous for promenently featuring historic landmarks such as the Eifel Tower, Montmatre Basilica, and the Arc de Triomphe. The city is devoid of the clutter of modern buildings that block out the sun and hide architectural wonders. To every rule however there is an exception and in Paris that exception is found in the Montparnasse area where Tour Montparnasse reaches for the sky as the tallest skyscrapper in France at 689 feet.

We had never visited the area and decided now was as good as time as any. The area also features a beautiful cemetary and catacombs, which we didn't explore as we arrived a little late in the day (15 minutes after closing) to take a tour. What we did discover was something that Mindy and I both came up with equal but unique names to describe. I would call it a "Garbage Sale" while Mindy stuck with the more traditional "Rummage Sale" or "Flea Market". There were also an open air market of artisits as the Montparnasse area is widely known for being home to part of the Parisian artist community.

Mindy checks out the local art in Montparnasse. Look for the Coach purse.

Just another Parisian street for Miss Mindy.

Playoffs - Game #1

2009-03-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

As previously mentioned, Game #1 of the playoffs featured the hometown Castors welcoming the Mulhouse Scorpions in what would prove to be a very tough hockey game. Once again I was playing the role of cameraman as I continue to wait for my ribs to heal. The first period started with both teams feeling each other out as we were unfamiliar with each other as Mulhouse played in the South Division this year while we played in the North. The pace was fairly quick, however each team was pretty cautious and kept the opponent to the outside in their defensive zone. Finally after about 10 minutes, Franz Ehrhart created a turnover in the Mulhouse zone which led to him sweeping in a rebound for the 1-0 lead. Mulhouse quickly responded on the powerplay a couple of minutes later and the period ended with the teams even at 1-1.

In the second period we seemed to relax a little and actually relaxed a little too much as Mulhouse scored four quick goals with the first nine minutes of the period to jump out to a 5-1 lead. The team would not quit however and we responded with two goals by Paul Manushin and Emelien Rouyer near the end of the period to make it a little closer heading into the third.

To start the third period, the team knew we needed a quick goal to start the comeback and we got from Andronik Bourret just twelve seconds into the period. With the score 5-4, I could smell the comeback victory. However it was not to be as Mulhouse scored a bad angle goal that I'm sure Tommi would love to have back. This seemed to really take the wind out of our sails and Mulhouse is a dangerous team to be playing with no life. The Scorpions pressed their advatange and scored three more goals to leave with a final of 9-4.

It's back to Mulhouse for Game #2 of the series this Saturday where we will need a big effort to overcome and move on to the next round of the playoffs.

Second Season

2009-03-07T02:45:00.000-08:00

VS.

After 18 regular season games, 9 exhibition matches, 99 practices, 48 off-ice workouts, and more then a few team meetings, the part of the season that really counts for something has arrived. The playoffs kick-off this weekend, and for the Asnieres Castors, it means hosting the Mulhouse Scorpions in the first round. Each round consists of a two-game total goals series where each team gets the opportunity to host a playoff game. Basically its like playing a six period hockey game spread out over two weekends.

Mulhouse represents a formidable opponent as they carry 9 import players including three Canadians. Our team is not easily intimidated however as we have been playing our best hockey of the year over the past few weeks and seem to be peaking at just the right time. The victory over Dunkerque last week certainly proved that we compete and beat teams at the top of the clasification. It's time for the playoffs!

TradeCentre 09

2009-03-04T14:50:00.001-08:00

Cooking while watching TSN. What a treat!

For the most part being six to eight hours ahead of the majority of North America does not work in favour of hockey fans in France as we are forced to stay up until all hours of the night if we want to watch a game. For once however, the time difference worked in my favour as the trade deadline came and went today. If I was back in Canada, the deadline would have passed at 1 pm MT and I would have probably been checking for updates at my desk. Being in France however, TradeCentre 09 was prime time viewing and I was determined to take advantage.

Arriving home at about 3:30 this afternoon, I logged on to my computer and within minutes had the TradeCentre 09 on TSN streaming live. Five and a half hours left before the deadline and I was going to watch every second of the drama as it unfolded. As Mindy was teaching a little later then I was, I decided to try and solidify my position as Husband of the Year by cooking dinner. It was a good thing for the commercial breaks or else dinner might have been a little crispy. Anyway, it was awesome to be able to watch real live sports and follow the excitement, even if the number of trades was not as many as I hoped.

The TradeBreakers are about to announce another trade and I was there to catch it all.

Carnaval

2009-03-03T01:57:00.000-08:00

The team poses for a group shot with some of the friendly folks dressed up for Carnaval.

After our game on Saturday, the team made our way along the coastal walkway in Dunkerque to the restaurant where we were having our post-game meal. The annual Carnaval festival was in full swing and the revelers were out in full force, providing the team with a slightly more interesting walk.

Carnaval is basically a huge Mardi Gras type festival where revelers dress up in various costumes and parade around the town. Of course with such festivities comes the inevitable parties and carousing around the town as people let loose and celebrate. There are lots of traditional French songs that are sung as well as a few traditions that I didn't totally understand the significance of, but seemed to add to the atmosphere.

Captain Sly borrowed a cap and glasses to set the tone for the evening.

Even our coach, Dmitri, joined in the fun as he modelled some outrageous hair and sunglasses.

Romain and David M. get involved in a little dancing with some party goers.

Regular Season Game #18

2009-03-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

Last game of the regular and I was in the press box. In front of the biggest crowd we have played in front of (1,500 strong) that were making the noise of twice that much, and I had to sit back and watch with anticipation as the team faced off against the Corsaires of Dunkerque. A team I should mention that had only lost two games all year.

It was a standing room only crowd in Dunkerque.

We started the game as one would against a world class chess player: cautious. We played it safe and kept the puck out of our zone. Nothing fancy and without a lot of style, but it was effective as Dunkerque never really seemed to be able to establish any type of rhythym. The teams traded powerplays for the first twelve minutes and then IT happened. At the end of a penalty-kill, Baptiste Blommaert jumped on a loose puck at the top of the circles in their zone and wired the puck home. All of a sudden, we had the lead. Dunkerque seemed to be a little stunned by the fact that we had scored but to their credit, they were determined to stay in the game. Near the end of the period, our penalties caught up with us and the Corsaires notched one on the powerplay to even it up at 1-1.

I never want to blame the referees for penalties, but in the second period, the refs called a few too many penalties with not all of them being deserved. The pace of the game slowed down tremendously. After eight minutes of penalties being served, with the teams back at full strength, Baptiste notched his second of the night on a wicked from the top of the circles. Top shelf. The refs thought they needed to keep it close however and immediately gave us a couple of minor penalties. Dunkerque took full advantage and scored on the 5 on 3 advantage on a puck that Tommi didn't have a chance to see. I have to give the team credit however as we really buckeled down and worked to keep the momentum going in our favour. A power play goal by J.C. Fornero allowed us to finish the period with a 3-2.

In the third period, the boys came out knowing that they could win this one. Their was a look of confidence in our play as we pushed Dunkerque to make a mistake that we could capitalize on. Eight minutes in and J.C. found the mistake and buried his second of the night. Dunkerque, being the exceptional team that they are, continued to work and eventually forced us into making a mistake on a power-play. They converted the short handed goal and all of a sudden were back in the game. J.C. was determined to make sure that we didn't give up the victory and notched the hat-trick marker while short-handed! We were up 5-3 and that proved to be enough. It was a great victory and a fantastic way to finish off the regular season.

Beaches of Dunkerque

2009-03-01T02:45:00.000-08:00

As I am still on the injured reserve, this weekends trip to Dunkerque offered an opportunity to explore the coastal town located on the shores of the English Channel in the Pas de Calais region of France. Located only 10 kilometeres from the Belgium border and just a quick boat ride from England, Dunkerque is home to the third largest port in France after Marseilles and Le Havre.

While the guys were preparing for the game, I took a stroll along the shoreline and for a brief moment thought I might have escaped to Hawaii. Then I remembered that I was wearing my hockey jacket and the breeze coming off the ocean was a little cooler then what I believe one can experience on the shores of Maui.

The stroll in Dunkerque along the beach.

The sand in Dunkerque was a fabulous white colour and the town accented the shoreline with a colorful mixture of beach condos, restaurants, and watering holes. Even in February, the stroll and the next couple blocks over were quite busy as people enjoyed the fresh ocean air and relaxed pace of this northern town.

That water looks pretty inviting. What should I do?

Jump right in of course. I briefly considered making the swim across to England, but...

...the water was a little on the chilly side.

The beach homes in Dunkerque were a fantastic variety of colour and design.

The buildings in Dunkerque, including the church, are all newer as most of the town was destroyed during the Second World War.

Playing for Fois Gras

2009-02-28T00:21:00.001-08:00

Sly, Myself, Romain, and David M. dig into some foie gras and baguette after practice.

The standard changed. No longer am I solely playing for baguettes, but foie gras must be added as well. On Friday evening after practice, the boys broke out the foie gras and baguette in the dressing room as Bruno Rivero had been to the Agriculture Show earlier in the day and picked up a couple of jars of some award winning stuff. Foie gras is of course a french delicacy and usually consumed on special occasions such as at Christmas and New Year's. However the Asnieres Hockey Club decided that finishing practice on a Fraiday night was reason enough to celebrate, so we dug in.

Nothing but the good stuff!

Hockey Hebdo Article

2009-02-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

The Asnieres Hockey Club is essentially ran on the backs of volunteers as very few of the staff receive any type of compensation for their efforts beyond free game tickets and a cold beer every once in a while. As I have previously mentioned, the team's President, Mr. Christophe Cuzin is the club's heart and soul and works tirelessly to advance the club.

Recently Christophe was interviewed by Hockey Hebdo magazine, which is the equivalent of The Hockey News here in France. It covers all levels of hockey although most of the coverage is reserved for the Magnus division. Anyway, here is the link to the article. For those of you who can't read french, feel free to try and translate it using an online translator like Babel Fish or Google. Enjoy!

http://www.hockeyhebdo.com/interview_fiche.php?interview=161

Bercy 2009

2009-02-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

As you can tell, my computer is back from the IR after catching a nasty French virus, so I have plenty to share as our adventure in Paris continues with new experiences every week. For this post however, we did not dine on delectable French cooking or visit a site of historical importance from the past. Nope, last Sunday was all about hockey as Mindy and I took in the French Cup Final at the Bercy stadium in Paris.

The Coupe de France (French Cup) is a single elimination tournament that is played throughout the year involving teams from all four major levels in France (Magnus, D1, D2, & D3). We were eliminated in the first round back in October when we played against Reims (see my post from October 6th for a refresher). The final two teams always come from the Magnus League which is the top division in France and this year proved to be no different as Grenoble advanced to the final to square off against Dijon.

Back in North America, we often enjoyed attending NHL games and were fortunate to attend numerous Edmonton Oilers games last year as well as a couple of Rangers games while visiting New York. The fans in those venues could often get very boisterous but unfortunately paled in comparison to what we experienced at the Bercy arena. The french fans certainly know how to lend some ambiance to a sporting event as the supporters of both clubs were incredibly loud and sang/chanted throughout the game. Add the towel waving, banner flying, and glow-stick throwing...and it was pandemonium at the quietest of moments.

The game was entertaining enough although Grenoble was clearly the better team. They proved it as well by winning the Coupe de France with a convincing 6-1 victory. The game however was secondary as the event was something else and I can only hope that one day I see the same type of passion in an NHL arena.

Once again, I need to send a thanks out to Romain Sauvage, who hooked us up with VIP seating in Row 3. It was quite a treat to be a Nike VIP for the day!

13,000 strong packed the Bercy arena for the Coupe de France final.

Grenoble (in red) was clearly the superior team however Dijon (in blue) played hard.

At the end of the game, the Coupe de France was presented to the victors in the same fashion as a Stanley Cup winner with photographers, confetti, and officials on the ice.

And I can't leave out Mindy's favorite part of the spectacle...the Pom-Pom Girls who wowed us with fantastic intermission entertainment.

Five Hour Lunch

2009-02-25T01:24:00.001-08:00

Caramel pork ribs, fresh country bread, and a French potato dish consisted of the main part of a lazy afternoon meal.

If I haven't mentioned it already, Mindy and I are getting the royal treatment here in France when it comes to hospitality. The end result of all this hospitable behaviour has been many memorable meals where we have been forced to try new and exciting foods and receipes.

Besides my teammate Romain, Marc & Jocelyn have been extremely generous and decided that another Sunday meal was long overdue. I hesistate to call it lunch, although I did in the post title, due to the fact that it pretty much consists of the main meal for the day for us. And of course, a meal at Marc & Jocelyn's is not an eat and run situation as the title suggests. And so we dined from 1:00pm straight through to 6:00pm.

We started with foie gras appetizers before moving on to the main course as decribed above. Everything was unique to our pallets and Jocelyn inisited on second servings for all of us. We then moved on the cheese plate where a selection of cheeses including goat were sampled. After settling our meals, it was time for not one, but two desserts as we were tempted and indulged in a cream based jelly with biscuits before we were served stuffed baked apples. As usual, everything was delicious.

Dessert Number 1...

and Dessert Number 2! The two dessert system should become a component of every meal in my books.

Nike Vote

2009-02-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

Romain and I in Annecy sporting our Team ACG Nike Wear

As a general rule, this blog has been mostly about updating friends and family about the goings on of life here in Paris while Mindy and I take in the sights, sounds, and foods of a new culture. Throw in some sports highlights and a few tour guide videos and you have the basics of the Playing for Baguettes. Sometimes however, you just feel like you need to champion a cause.

As most of you know, Mindy and I have been the recipients of some fantastic hospitality here in France but almost all of the people we have come into contact with. However one of my teammates has really gone above and beyond and so this is my way to pay him back a little. Romain "Mr. Nike" Sauvage actually does work for Nike in the marketing department and is currently involved in a little promotion to design a pair of cleats for the French National Rugby Team. The winning design will be selected by the team from a set of finalists that are voted on by the public.

So this is me, asking the loyal readership to please cast a vote for Romain's cleats. Here is the link to the site. All you need to do is click on VOTE. It will literally take 30 seconds of your time.

http://nikeid.nike.com/nikeidv2/current_release/EMEA_NIKEID/assets/dfaa/index.html#/gallery/151092404

House Guest from Riga

2009-02-21T15:16:00.001-08:00

Roland, our Latvian houseguest, gets his picture taken just like every other tourist on their first visit to Paris.

This past week, the Frat House welcomed a visitor to our humble establishment as the team is starting to already prepare for next year and is bringing in a few players to try out. Roland arrived on Monday, fresh from the Latvian capital of Riga. As he is only 17 years old, Mindy and I took on the role of billets for the week and made sure Roland was well fed. Of course Roland, like any typical 17 year old, showed a strong affinity for the finer french foods such as Coca-Cola, Nutella, baguettes, and pastries. We made sure that a few fruits and veggies were served as well.

In addition to practicing with the team, Roland accompanied me on a little walking tour of Paris as I showed him some of the finer points of our little town including the Eifel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Latin Quarter. He seemed impressed with the French capital, however he was a little disapointed that the tour did not include the Moulin Rouge.

Roland ended his week with us by playing in an exhibition game against Wasquehal tonight, where he promptly scored 5 goals in a 7-3 win for the good guys. A nice little way to end his first trip to Paris.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

2009-02-17T03:13:00.000-08:00

Pere Lachaise Cemetery: One of the most visited boneyards in the entire world.

Although our computer has not yet made it's exit from the disabled list, I thought I would take advantage of having another full-size computer available in the house to post a full size update. Amazingly, Pere Lachaise Cemetery is one of Paris' top tourist sites, but Mindy and I somehow had left it off the list until just recently as we were looking for a new adventure in the french capital.

When we arrived, we started to wander around, heading in the general direction of where we thought Jim Morrision's grave was located. I think we made it halfway there before we were beset upon by what at first appeared to be a homeless person, but actually turned out to be a self-employed tour guide. From there on out, our casual stroll became a series of shortcuts as we made our way to all the more famous gravesites.

The final resting places of the occupants of Pere Lachaise cemetery range from simple to palatial, as we saw chapels that certainly must have cost a small fortune to errect. The phrase about "not being able to take it with you" certainly came to mind, but for most of these residents, they certainly will be resting in style.

Mindy beside Vivant Denon, the first director of the Louvre museum.

The exquisite grave of Frederic Chopin.

And the simple grave of Jim Morrison.

The first grave ever placed in the cemetery was only a simple headstone, and has since been grown over by a massive tree.

Since then, some people have made sure their grave has no chance of being distubed by any force of nature.

The cemetary also has a large amount of chapels marking the final resting place of many of the occupants of Pere Lachaise.

Quite a few of them have beautiful stained glass windows.

A kiss over the grave of Victor Noir is supposed to give a couple good luck when it comes to fertility.

I made sure to get my kiss however before Mindy planted one on the grave of famed Irish poet Oscar Wilde.

Our tour guide to Pere Lachaise, showing off who he is a fan of in the boneyard.

On to the IR

2009-02-15T13:34:00.000-08:00

I must apologize for my lack of updates during the past week, however it has not been without cause. Last Wednesday we traveled to Meudon for a makeup game. Again, a proper game summary will be posted once my computer is off the injured reserve list. We lost the game 8-4 in a game we could have won.

The bigger storyline from the match was the devastating injury I suffered in the form of a torn intercostal muscle in my right side. At least that's the preliminary diagnosis according to the doctors I've seen thus far. I'm scheduled to see more doctors on Tuesday to figure out a treatment plan. Playoffs are three weeks away and the goal is to be ready to go in March.

Needless to say, this has been a little bit of a painful injury. As I mentioned in my last post however, it's time to strugle & emerge, and the blog must continue. For the next little while, that reporting will happen from the IR...alongside my computer.

Strugle and Emerge

2009-02-10T08:13:00.000-08:00

For anyone who attended Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sakatchewan, and probably a few who didn't, the phrase "Strugle and Emerge" is one with special meaning. Not only the school motto, it defines those who take it to heart as a way to meet life's challenges head on. This post is a reflection of that both in its content and creation.

In our final regular season home game, we welcomed the undefeated Brest Albatross to town for what we knew would be a very difficult match as they had hammered us 13 to 3 in our first meeting. Brest is an absolutely stacked team talent wise as three quarters of their team are imports and they even have a couple of former NHL draft picks.

A game summary and video highlights will be posted at a later date once the laptop isback working. For now, I'll let you know that we lost a close one by a narrow 5-3 margin. We made some mistakes, which Brest made us pay for, but the team realy bought in to the game plan laid down by the coach and played our most disciplined game to date. It's a sign that although we have had some inconsistent performances, the team is progressing and has the necessary drive to win when it matters. Luckily we won't have long to wait as we play Meudon in a huge game tomorrow.

On Holidays

2009-02-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen the Robin Williams movie where the guy takes his family on vacation in a Winnebago, but still manages to file a report using only his Blackberry. I am now that guy, sitting here in Paris, typing away on my HTC Touch.

If hockey is the national sport of Canada, then taking vacation is the French equivalent. In that spirit, and the fact that my laptop is down for the count for the next couple of days, the blog will be taking a short respite this week. Yes, I will still be posting over the next week, although in less detail and without all the pictures and video. Stay tuned!

Starbucks Girl

2009-02-06T04:44:00.001-08:00

Christmas Day in Barcelona is completed with a Starbucks!

Upon moving to France, Mindy proclaimed that she wanted to immerse herself in the French lifestyle and savour the timeless traditions of eating meals in courses and dressing modestly but stylishly. Foods such as fresh baguettes, incredible cheeses, and delicious wines were supposed to become basic staples, and for the most part they have. However no matter what we do, Mindy cannot simply shake her need for her Starbucks!

Upon reviewing some of the pictures that I have taken in the past months (I am my mother's son in this regard), I couldn't help but notice that I had quite a few of Mindy, sitting in a Starbucks, sipping contentedly on a Mocha Blanc or Caffe Latte avec Caramel. This is of course, not a French tradition as the French prefer to take their coffee in small but powerful doses and really cannot understand the North American need for a tall, or should I say venti, cup of steaming beverage. A cold day to a Parisian is also anything under plus 3 degrees Celsius which might explain part of the riddle.

In any event, Mindy continues to support her favorite coffee shop's expansion to Europe and has even started to drag me along with her for that Starbucks fix when her friend Elodie is not available. We'll work on curbing her addiction with the hopes of it being remedied before our return to Canada. Until then...un grande mocha blanc s'il vous plait!

A piece of chocolate cake with a mocha hits the spot at the Starbucks near Opera in Paris.

A Sunday afternoon caffe in the Latin Quarter near Place St.Michel completes the weekend.

And yes, even I join in the act every once in awhile.

Home Decorating at the Louvre

2009-02-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

While we were at the Louvre, we decided to see if we could find some inspiration for our house back in Canada. Here are some samples of what we found.

A stone sarcophagus bathtub for Mindy to relax in.

A new throne from which to watch hockey games.

This little chandelier should be adequate for the foyer.

To sleep like a king, you need to have the proper bed.

A new piano for Mindy.

No master suite is complete without an extravagant make-up table.

Back to the Louvre

2009-02-03T07:31:00.001-08:00

Bacon, egg, mcmuffin, & oj. Mindy's lovin it!

As this past Sunday marked the first Sunday of February, Mindy and I decided that we were due to make a return trip to the Louvre to see a few more exhibits that we had missed on our last trip in October. Part of the deal was also to stop in at McDonald's for a little McBreakfast, although this is slightly more complicated then it sounds as not all the McDo's in France actually serve breakfast. A little advance planning might have helped our situation, but we like to sometimes roll the dice and see what happens. Obviously we did find our McBreakfast and all was right in the world.

During our visit this time around, we decided to take a closer look at some of the French paintings featured in Louvre. We also took in a Picasso exhibition and have come to conclusion that although Picasso might have been a genius in the art world, his style just did not make sense. Needless to say, we moved on quite quickly. The Mona Lisa was of course a crowd favorite and although we did stop in to check on the old girl, we didn't feel like fighting the tourists for a closer look and moved on.

We also observed some French sculptures and revisited the Napoleon apartments in the Richelieu wing. It is amazing to learn about the history of some of the pieces. A number of the sculptures were originally commissioned for the gardens at Versailles, but only seemed to have survived for ten to twenty years on average before being moved the Louvre.

The history and beauty of the Louvre cannot be overstated, but I think we are pretty much done with this part of our stay in Paris. We have been incredibly impressed by some of the pieces in the museum and it goes without saying that if you come to Paris, the Louvre is a must-see.

Quick...what are you looking at? I'm not sure either.

Hercules about to smash a giant serpent with the tiniest of rocks. Good luck with that one Herc.

Mindy was busy checking out the historical couture.

Saturday Night's Game

2009-02-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday night, we travelled to the southwest corner of the greater Paris region to play against Meudon. This promised to be an intense game as the Meudon rink features a small ice surface and as we are currently the number 4 ranked team in the division and Meudon is 5th, playoff positioning was definitely on the line.

Unfortunately for both teams and the fans in attendance, the zamboni driver decided to drop the blade a couple of extra inches midway through one of his passes. The result: a 3 inch deep hole measuring 2 feet by 6 inches in diameter right down to the concrete. Needless to say, the match could not be played.

A make-up date has not yet been set, but there is some speculation that it will be held in Asnieres when it does occur. All in all, it was a bit of a wasted night, but these are the things that can happen away from the bright lights of the NHL.

Champs de Mars

2009-01-31T03:05:00.000-08:00

The happy couple at the entrance to the Champs de Mars.

One of the things that is very different between Paris and the majority of Canadian cities are the green spaces and parks that can be found in virtually every Canadian neighbourhood. In Paris, due to the lack of space, these parks just do not exist. One of the exceptions however is the Champs de Mars, which is found at the base of the Eiffel Tower and extends south towards the Ecole Militaire. During our promenade, we decided that wandering the park was a great idea as the sun was out and taking a walk in a park in the month of January would something new for us.

The Champs de Mars is named after Mars, the god of war, as its original purpose was for military drilling and parades. Today however, the Champ de Mars is a beautiful, lush, green park where even in the month of January you can find joggers, people having picnics, and of course more than a few tourists taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower.

We knew the Eiffel Tower was close to the Champs de Mars, but couldn't agree on a direction to take. Mindy wanted to go left...

...while I was convinced we had to go to the right.

Mindy sends her love from Paris!

Gardens of Les Invalides

2009-01-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

Mindy in the middle of the parade ground at Les Invalides.

As Mindy and I found ourselves with the day off due to the strike by the Metro and RER workers, we decided to put our tourist hats back on and explore a little more of Paris. We headed for the Hotel National des Invalides with the full intention of taking in this fortress commissioned in the 17th century for retired and disabled soldiers. Les Invalides boasts a stunning basilica and now also houses a war museum with artifacts detailing the history of the French military.

Upon our arrival however, we were surprised by the weather we were experiencing as the temperature was only one or two degrees above zero, however due to the fact that there was not a cloud in the sky, it was beautiful day to be outdoors and we decided that it was best not wasted inside a museum. So we stuck to the gardens and explored the outside of the building.

The gardens at Les Invalides are perfectly manicured and contain more then a few historical pieces including rows of cannons used by the armies of Napoleon. It was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon in the beautiful sunshine.

Going into Les Invalides.

Can you guess which Looney Toons character was Mindy's favorite? Maybe Willie Coyote!

In front of the real "Golden Dome".

As we left the gardens, I asked this gentleman for directions to our next stop. He kindly showed the way on his map and then we were off.

Grève = Strike

2009-01-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

Metro information announcing the reduction of services for the strike day.

Le droit de grève (right to strike). It is often joked that the national pastime of France is to go on strike. If you don't like something, strike about it. Someone says nasty to you, go on strike. It is the solution to all your woes in France.

In response to the financial crisis, the public sector employees in the fields of transportation and education have decided that to send a message to the government, they would have a day where they would go on strike. It is of no concern to them that by doing so they are inconviniencing thousands of other people who rely on the Metro and RER services to make a living and do their jobs. Yes, this group includes both myself and Mindy.

The best part about the strike is they would not tell anyone until 24 hours before the strike how badly services would be affected. Needless to say, we had to play it safe and reschedule all of out classes from Thursday to either today or Friday. As it turns out, the Metro is only slightly disturbed as most trains will be running at 50% of there regular schedule or better. The RER however is only going to be running 20% of its trains and only during peak times. This really affects me as I need the RER to get to where I teach on Thursdays.

So tomorrow will be an unofficial holiday of sorts here in Paris as we will participate in the strike, although unwillingly, and take the day off.

Not going anywhere on this tomorrow.

Mindy & Elodie

2009-01-27T01:16:00.001-08:00

Mindy & Elodie after an exciting night of hockey.

Being the wife of a hockey player is a very challenging task as you are forced to move to faraway cities where you probably do not know anyone. Your husband gets an immediate social group in the form of a hockey team while his wife gets to hang out at home, waiting for husband to come home from practice.

Fortunately, Mindy is a very social girl and has had the pleasure of making a few friends to help pass the time and make sure she gets her quota of girl-talk. One of those friends is a former student of her's with whom she made an instant connection. Elodie is an employee of Chanel and works in the original building purchased by Coco Chanel when the company was just getting started. Sharing a common interest in high fashion and Starbucks, her and Mindy have become fast friends and rarely does a week go by where they are not meeting up for lunch.

This past weekend, Mindy invited Elodie and her boyfriend, Fabrice, to an Asnieres HC hockey game to help introduce them to Canada's pastime. They seemed to enjoy the game, even though the home team lost, and even joined us for a drink at the TGC for more hockey and a beer after the game.

Fabrice laughs at one of Mindy's jokes, or maybe her french.

Regular Season Game #14

2009-01-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

Inconsistent play is starting to become our motto, and it's a trait that we really need to shed before the playoffs start in just 5 short weeks. In our second last home game of the season, we welcomed the Elans (Elks) of Champigny to Asnieres this past weekend. The last four periods of hockey for our team have been really good as we came from behind to beat ACBB and then played a complete game in our victory over Evry. For some strange reason however, the streak would end there.

We started out the game in a slugish mood and never really shock off the feeling. Instead of playing the body, we were stick checking. Instead of skating, we were coasting. Instead of shooting, we were holding onto the puck. Instead of driving the net, we were playing on the perimeter. The list could go on. We just were not playing to our strengths. We did manage to notch a goal in the first however as Franz Ehrhart notched one on a scramble in front of the net.

Unfortunately in the second period, Champigny figured out that they had a chance to steal the game from us. We got caught napping and one of their players slipped in behind our defense to take a breakaway pass in on goal. Of course the puck ended up in the back of our net. At the end of a pretty unexciting second, the score was 1-1.

In the third, Champigny came out on a mission. They wanted the win. They notched a goal six minutes into the period on a blown coverage in our zone. We were not going to go quietly however and responded just three minutes later when Andronik won a face-off to me back at the point. I lofted a wrist shot towards the net with Andronik moving towards their goalie. He scooped the rebound and sent in cross crease to a wide open J.C. Fornero for easy marker. Again however, we could not get things moving as a unit and while we were on the power-play, they managed to take the lead on a short-handed goal. Add another into our empty net and we go home with a 4-2 loss.

A tough game to swallow as we have been playing really well of late. The guys were pretty disapointed in themselves after this one and I think it might serve to motivate us that much more going into the final four games of the season.

Images of Paris

2009-01-23T06:17:00.000-08:00

During our time here in Paris, Mindy and I have had many wonderful adventures that we have been able to share via the blog. Usually we have a couple of photos or a short video to accompany the description of the event or activity in which we participated. Occasionaly we have also posted about regular features of Paris that most tourists don't write home about like the Metro, billboard advertising, and the climate. Below are some photos I took that shows some of the daily scenes that we view as we travel throughout this magical city.

A typical Parisian building with a rounded corner. Businesses are often located on the lower floors with small apartments on the upper levels.

Even when the weather is a little cooler in the winter months, the Parisian still enjoy taking a coffee or a meal on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.

The poor can be found everywhere in Paris. In the Metro or on the sidewalk, you can often see them with a cup in hand hoping for a few euros.

Cars are everywhere in Paris. Most roads, such as Boulevard Haussmann above, are quite picturesque with trees lining the sides.

While in New York last year, I made sure to sample some roasted nuts from a street vendor. The Parisian version is not quite the same.

A typical scene outside of most buildings as the French love to smoke and chat.

One Year Wiser

2009-01-22T11:29:00.001-08:00

Cakes just don't look this good in Canada.

Today marked the beginning of the countdown to thirty for my lovely wife as we celebrated her 29th birthday. Lucky for us, this countdown will continue for the next couple of decades as Mindy has decided she will remain in her twenties for as long as she wants to.

The day started out like any other, with me waking up early to make my bride her breakfast and pack her lunch for the day. I guess I'm in training for when we have kids. The cookie for me however was that today, her wake-up call was "Good morning sunshine, how does it feel to be old like your husband". Her prompt reply came in the form of a flying pillow and a groggy response that went a little something like this: "I was born at 7 am Canadian time, so shut up and leave me to my denial!"

To treat herself on this momentous day, Mindy decided that Starbucks with one of her students was in order. A tall mocha sans creme and the smile was back on her face...mainly because at noon she still considered herself twenty-eight.

After work, we picked up a cake on the way home to share with the rest of the Frat House from our local boulangerie. We knew it had red fruits in it, but the rest of the description from the baker was lost in translation. It turned out to be a pistachio cake layered with red fruit sorbet and a white frozen yogurt layer on the top with a mango glaze. As with anything produced in a French bakery, it was excellent.

Now as I write this post, Mindy is frantically working the eye cream and checking for grey hairs in the mirror as she continues her journey towards becoming a senior citizen.

Slicing the cake. Look for the big piece, that's the one belonging to the birthday girl!

Paris Metro

2009-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Both a blessing and a curse to the daily commuter in Paris, the Metro allows for quick, somewhat reliable, and economical transportation around the greater Parisian region. As most of our teaching occurs in the offices of our students, we are privilaged enough to get to ride the Metro a minimum of twice a day as we commute from Asnieres. More often then not however, we have to ride it a little bit more then that as our students might not all be be in the same location that day.

The Paris Metro system is considered one of the world's finest in terms of access to the entire city and the surrounding suburbs. Combined with the RER (regional train) and the suburban tramway, there is not a location that you cannot reach by rail. Most of the Metro trains run at two or three minute intervals so you are never waiting very long for a lift. The unfortunate part about the Metro is that everybody uses it, and as a result, the trains can be very crowded. This is especially true during the morning rush hour as everyone tries to get to work on time.

Our commute times range from 45 minutes to an hour and fifteen, depending on where we have to go in the city. Although it is far less stressful then the stop and go driving of Edmonton's winter streets, Mindy and I have both agreed that we miss our cars.

The Paris Metro stations are a maze of underground tunnels.

A train arrives at Republique station.

Can you figure out how to move around Paris now?

Game Photos vs. Evry

2009-01-20T02:27:00.000-08:00

A couple of action shots from the game this past weekend at Evry.

Missed on a pinch, but still took my man.

Clearing the net on a penalty-kill.

Stepping up to meet the oncoming rush.

Set for the faceoff in our zone.

TGC Saturdays

2009-01-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Everyone has a beer and is ready to watch the game.

Everyone has heard of TGI Fridays, but what about TGC Saturdays? Canadians really don't comprehend how truly lucky we are to live in such a great country, especially those of us who live in both the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones. Between the NHL on TSN, Edmonton Oilers Hockey on Sportsnet West, Hockey Night in Canada, and the occasional NHL on Versus, we are never short having a game to watch. If you can catch a double-header, you can even watch hockey from the time you get home to when you go to bed.

In France, watching an NHL game is a little more complicated. First of all, we have to deal with the time zone issue as the Paris is six hours ahead of Toronto. So an "early" 7:00 pm start time is 1:00 am in Paris. Second, hockey is a little bit of niche sport in France as football rules the sports pages (and I'm not talking about the NFL here). So if we want to watch a hockey game you have to stay up until the middle of the night and watch via an internet feed, which can make it hard to gather the group to cheer on Montreal Canadians on a Saturday night. Unless you go for a TGC Saturday!!!

The Great Canadian bar on a Saturday night is the one spot in Paris where you are guaranteed to find a hockey game on the big screen and has become a favorite with the Asnieres Hockey Club after a big Saturday night win. This past weekend, as noted in my post yesterday, we won a huge game in convincing fashion, and so the boys and their ladies decided it was time to watch another hockey game.

We headed to Place St.Michel, where the TGC is located, and took over the biggest table in the bar. The boys headed outside to sit on the patio, while the girls stayed inside to chat until the game started. At 1:00 am, we all congregated back in front of the big screen (HD TV no less) and cheered for the Montreal Canadians against the Ottawa Senators. My grand-father, Ferbie St.Cyr, would have been proud.

After a couple of beers, two periods of hockey, a Montreal lead, and lots of laughs and fun, we all headed home as the effects of the playing the game earlier started to catch up with us. As per usual, I was asleep when the game ended.

Mindy was thrilled to be able to watch TWO hockey games in one evening!

Anne-Julie, Ludevine, & Mindy eventually did what girls do while watching a hockey game; they ignore their surroundings and chat.

Regular Season Game #13

2009-01-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

This weekends game marked the beginning of the last third of the season for the team. We are in the streach run towards the playoffs and are battling for position heading into the post-season. We travelled to the south of Paris to face the Peaux-Rouges (Redskins) of Evry in an important game as Evry is one of the teams behind us that we would like to keep there.

The first period started off a little slow as we played a trapping system designed to limit the other team's scoring chances. We wanted to wait for the other team to make a mistake and our patience paid off as Andronik forced a turnover just inside the Evry zone. He grabbed the loose puck and went cross-ice to Olivier Ducam, who has been moved up to wing on the first line from defense, who put the puck into an open net. In typical New Jersey Devil/Minnesota Wild fashion, we relied heavily on our goalie to be better then the opposition goalie and Tommi was up for the challenge as he made several big saves for us in the period. After 20 minutes, Asnieres 1, Evry 0.

After the first period we changed our strategy and started to attack more aggresively. Unfortunatly we took a few penalties as a result which seemed to even out the momentum of the game. We did manage to notch a goal shorthanded however as Emelien Rouyer did a great job of finishing a nice counter-attack while Evry had the man advantage. If you take enough penalties however, you will eventually get burnt and we allowed Evry to notch a power-play marker mid-way through the period. The goal was a little suspicious however as their defenseman lofted a puck towards our net which was then re-directed into the net by their player's glove in front of Tommi. The referees missed it however and the period ended with the score 2-1.

In the third period we continued to quicken the pace and we started the period off with our captain, Sly Bourcet, getting on the scoresheet after a fantastic play by our young Finnish import, Paul Manushkin. Paul, with his linemates, had forced a turnover just inside the Evry zone which resulted in a short 2 on 1 situation in tight to the net. Sly tapped in an easy one and we were rolling. Evry were not going to go as quietly as ACBB did last weekend and scored another power-play goal on another suspect goal. This time the puck exited the zone and was brought back in off-side. Everyone in the rink saw it except for the guys that mattered (ie. the referees) and Evry put one into the back of our net as a result. The Asnieres Castors wanted the win however and we notched a power-play goal of our own a few minutes later when I moved a puck to Andro as we crossed the Evry blueline who then moved it Baptiste who ripped a twenty footer past the Evry goalie.

Evry continued to pour it on and tried to make a comeback as we took some more penalties and had to kill a 2 man advantage, but thanks to some great shot blocking, tough stick work, and a stellar goalie, we actually managed to spring our first man out of the box, Bruno Rivero, on a breakaway. Bruno made no mistake and sealed the win for us.

It was a great team effort as everyone bought into the system and played hard. Tommi was spectacular and probably played one of his most active games as he was really moving in the net. Next week we play Champigny at home in another big game as the road to the playoffs continues.

Sunday Brunch

2009-01-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Every season in France has a corresponding pastry and for January we have the Galette des Rois.

Sunday brunch in Canada usually means a late big breakfast enjoyed sometime in the late morning to early afternoon. In France, Sunday brunch as Mindy and I found out this past weekend is an all-day event where the goal is to make sure it is your only meal of the day. At least that was our interpretation after accepting an invitation by our friends, Robert and Corinne, to come over for "lunch" this past weekend. In addition to Mindy and I, Andronik & Anne-Julie, Tommi, and Paul also attended to round out the international contingent. Representing France were our loyal supporters Marc and Jocelyn, who had us over for dinner in the fall. It ended up being a fabulous day with great friends and fantastic food.

The meal started with appetizers of bread stuffed with goat cheese and ham, together with a hot cream cheese dish that Corinne whipped up. I would have been satisfied with this as the main meal, but being an experienced dinner in France, I have learnt about pacing yourself when eating. We then sat down for Beef Bourgeon with potatoes and once again Corinne proved her talent for cooking as the meat absolutely melted in your mouth. Robert was of course very helpful in choosing the appropriate wine for each course as a red was selected for the main course.

After eating a sizable serving of beef, it was time to move on to the cheese. Corinne produced a round bloc of cheese (unfortunately I can't remember the name) with a blade on a centre pole that produces rosettes of cheese. Of course a wine was required as you can see below.

The designated cheese cutter. The cheese wheel is little harder to use then it looks.

Robert, Corinne, Marc, & Jocelyn look amused by my efforts to work the cheese wheel and produce the perfect cheese rosette.

Mindy finally had to demonstrate the proper technique.

After we finished with the cheese, it was time for dessert, and we had the opportunity to try Galette des Rois, which is an almond flavoured pastry that is consumed in January in France to celebrate the coming of the Three Wise Men to visit the Baby Jesus. The tradition with the Galette des Rois is that each cake has a ceramic figure inside. The person who finds it is designated the King or Queen for the evening and must wear a crown. We dove into the cake, which proved to be delicious, and Anne-Julie was the lucky lady to find the ceramic princess.

Corinne cuts careful slices of the Galette des Rois.

Anne-Julie found the ceramic princess and chose Andro as her prince.

Rollin in the Alps

2009-01-13T01:19:00.000-08:00

We had planned to have this video ready last week, but there were production and editing delays. Such is show business.

Our time in the Alps was absolutely amazing as we partook in an amazing variety of activities including skiing, touring multiple towns (Annecy, Geneva, & Chamonix), eating, and flying. It was an amazing experience and we cannot thank Romain Sauvage and his family enough for their hospitality.

Enjoy the video!

Regular Season Game #12

2009-01-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to a hockey game where you watched for the first two periods and thought about leaving because the game was simply brutal? But you stayed anyway because with the game of hockey, you just never know how things will work out and the third period was worth the price of admission by itself. Well, the Asnieres Hockey Club treated their faithful fans to this exact game Saturday night as we hosted our Parisian rivals from Boulogne (ACBB). Thus the video is a little short this week as there were not a lot of choice highlights from the first two periods and the memory card was full by the time we reached the third period.

The first period just really seemed to lack any intensity as we just could not get our legs under us. Despite that, we managed to strike first as our third line managed to seek a shot past the opposition goalie. Even with the goal, we still could not get moving and ACBB tied the game up on the power-play mid-way through the period. It was a sloppy period with few highlights and finished with the score tied at 1-1.

In the second period we seemed to struggle even more. After an uneventful first ten minutes, ACBB scored on a bad turnover by us in the neutral zone followed by an even worse defensive play. We were down 2-1 and things were not looking great. The referee then made a few questionable calls and that took our focus away from the game. As a result we took even more penalties. Fortunately our penalty killing was working as we managed to keep things even. At the end of the period, ACBB still held their 2-1 advantage over us.

In between periods there was alot of frustration in our dressing room. However we settled down a little and the team re-focused to come in the third period and play our style of game and get both pucks and bodies to the net. We knew we were the better team and it was time to simplify our strategy and get the basics taken care of.

Three minutes into the third period and we got the break we were looking for as once again our third line provided a little offence. A loose puck thrown towards the net, a little deflection and the red lamp was on. The very next shift I picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and drove to the net. In the scramble that followed, where four Asnieres players could be found within five feet of the net, I found the loose puck at the side of the net, stepped behind and fed a pass out the other side to Olivier Ducam who tucked it neatly in the net. 3-2 for the good guys and we were not looking back. The very next shift, J.C. Fornero added a goal and we were really trucking. We had momentum going for us and were determined to make a statement with this period. Andronik added a goal on a penalty shot before Ducam scored his second on a pretty feed from Andronik, who had picked up a rebound from one of my point shots. A final goal by Andronik on the power-play with 30 seconds left in the game capped off a six goal period and sealed the win.

Hockey night in Asnieres is ready to face-off.

The ladies in the stands enjoy a chocolat chaud while cheering on the team.

Pictures from the Alps

2009-01-08T11:37:00.001-08:00

Just a few more pictures from our trip to the Alps. It was an amazing experience for us and we can't thank Romain and his family enough for their kindness and amazing hospitality.

We sure did enjoy our trip to the Alps.

The staircase in the chalet. We stayed in the loft at the top.

The huts discovered by Mindy and Anne-Julie after a two hour climb with snowshoes. No hot chocolate was served.

During our trip, Romain arranged for us to tour a farm where they made Thome cheese. Above is the cheese as it ages.

Mindy and David at the top of Annecy outside the chateau.

Flying in the Alps

2009-01-07T07:10:00.001-08:00

Mindy and Anne-Julie are strapped in and ready for take-off!

In the Happy New Year post, I added a picture with Mindy and I beside a Cesna plane. Well that plane wasn't just for posing beside. It actually belonged to two of Romain's friends from Paris who instead of making the six hour drive like everyone else, decided to fly down from Paris for a quick little visit. Farred and Kef make quite the duo and you have already seen them other pictures as they joined our group and partook in meals and skiing with the rest of us.

Being quite kind and generous, they offered to take all of up on a couple of sight seeing flights over Lac d'Annecy and the surrounding mountains. It was an incredible opportunity and of course we were all for it. And so Mindy and Anne-Julie jumped into the back of the little four-seater and away they went.

The flight was incredible as they had the chance to see the Alps from a new perspective and take some amazing aerial pictures. The pilots of course took the opportunity to joke around about running out of fuel and other inside jokes that don't seem that funny to the passengers, but the girls played along and had fun anyway.

When they returned, the guys decided that lunch was in order before they took Andronik and I up for a flight. Unfortunately when we returned and loaded up the plane, our pilots discovered that the radio was malfunctioning and as a result the plane had to be grounded. And so the girls were the only ones to truly enjoy the experience of flying above the Alps.

Watch out for that mountain ahead.

Overlooking Lac d'Annecy.

After a stomach churning flight, Mindy is glad to touchdown safely!

Eating in the Alps

2009-01-06T06:47:00.001-08:00

Romain prepares the Raclette for our opening meal in the Alps.

French food is widely considered to be some of the best in the world and during our recent trip to the Alps, we were prepared to take one for the team and really find out how good it can be. We were warned by Romain that we would be consuming several great meals consisting of regional specialties with names like Raclette, Tartiflette, and Fondue. We came prepared and of course, the food was amazing.

Upon our arrival in the Alps on the evening of the 27th, Romain quickly informed us that we had about 15 minutes to unpack our bags before we had to leave for his uncle's house for the first of many great meals. We arrived to find that the evenings speciality would be Raclette, which consists of a meal of French cheese melted over potatoes. Sounds pretty simply, and it was, but the quality of the cheese really defines the Raclette. I believe we had Thome that evening which is a cheese native to the Haute-Savoie region of France. Of course we also had meats, other cheeses, breads, wine, and dessert (like any proper French meal), but the Raclette was what really hit the spot.

The table is set for Raclette.

The Raclette was only the appetizer of our fabulous tour of food in the Alps as I am convinced Romain planned it that way to acclimatize our Canadian stomachs for the culinary delights that would follow. Next on the menu was Tartiflette and for this specialty, we would be making it ourselves as Romain was going to put on a cooking demonstration for us. With Romain leading the way, Mindy and I followed him around the grocery store as he selected only the finest ingredients for the cooking workshop that was to follow.

The Tartiflette is now ready to bake.

Tartiflette is a dish made with potatoes, bacon, cream, onions, and of course, a specialty cheese native to the region called Reblochon. Once again it is a fairly simply dish, however the taste of all the ingredients baked together simply overwhelm the taste buds. Mindy took careful notes and is planning on importing this dish to Canada upon our return.

The group is ready to dig into some Tartiflette.

New Year's Eve in France is celebrated in style with of course, a fantastic meal. We were invited once again to the house of Romain's uncle where the Sauvage family warmly welcomed us and made us a part of the family for the evening as we sat down with a group of 21 people for a fabulous home cooked gourmet meal. We started the evening off with some meats, light cheeses, and bread to warm up the taste buds before proceeding to the second course of oysters on the half shell.

Twenty-one for dinner on New Year's.

Mindy is ready to try her first oyster!

This was a first for Mindy and although nervous at first, she tried them out and found out that they are actually pretty good! Next came the foie gras and another first for both Mindy and myself. Leading up the Christmas holidays, our students had raved about how good foie gras tasted. Now was our chance to find out and let me tell you, it lived up to its billing.

Foie gras on baked baguette with a little fig jam = Delicious!!!

After the foie gras we then had sausage and small potatoes with a salad for the main course. This was followed by the cheese platter of a variety of regional cheeses especially selected for the occasion. Dessert was another traditional French dish as we had a Buche de Noel, which is a Christmas log cake. It finished off a fantastic meal that only took about three and half hours to consume.

The cheese platter.

For our final meal in the Alps on New Year's Day, Romain reserved a table for the group at a restaurant built on top of a barn. Yes, that's right, a barn. As in the kind that cows live in. Thankfully there was plexiglas between us and the cows although a certain farmyard smell was still evident throughout the meal. It didn't really matter however as we prepared to feast on more Raclette and experience authentic Fondue. I know you can get Fondue in Canada, but I'm telling you it is simply not the same as the quality of cheese used in France is no comparison to the Canadian counterparts. After another five course meal including meats, cheeses, potatoes, more cheeses, and fruits, we were down for the count and ready to close this chapter of our trip to the Alps.

The group had no trouble polishing off the fondue and raclette.

Bon appetite from the Alps!

Travelling in the Alps

2009-01-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Geneva was cold and wet as the rain pounded the tourists.

Although we spent most of our time in the Alps in the Lac d'Annecy valley, we did take a day to do a little roadtrip with Andronik and Anne-Julie to visit some of the more famous towns in the northern Alps. We immediately started north and crossed the Swiss border on our way to Geneva, home of fantastic chocolate and a huge waterjet that pushes water some 100 feet into the air.

Unfortunately for us, the rain came pouring down while we were in the city and provided a very dampered view of the city. We still managed to take in the part of the old town and viewed the rows of banks along the river. After a quick stop into a Swiss chocolate shop we decided to move on with the tour and headed back to France.

Mindy on the steps leading up to the old town.

In the old town. By this time, we were both frozen and drenched.

Our next destination was the fabled mountain town of Chamonix, home to the famous Mont Blanc. Chamonix is a now a resort village very much in the mold of Whistler or Banff however there is one major difference that you immediately notice when you arrive in town. The town is surrounded by mountain faces on three different sides and people are skiing on them. Talk about being right on site!

Mindy says "Welcome to Chamonix. I'm cold!!!"

The ski hill runs right into town.

While we were in Chamonix, there was a little bit of snow falling on the town, giving it a little bit of a Christmas card feel to the whole scene. We both agreed that this was one of the best little spots we had seen in France and were only disappointed by the fact that we had to leave so soon after arriving. It would have been fantastic to stay for a night or two and try out the hills, but sadly we had to return to Duingt for New Year's (which really was not that bad when you see tomorrow's post).

Au revoir from Chamonix!

Skiing in the Alps

2009-01-04T01:37:00.001-08:00

Skiing above the clouds at La Sambuy.

Of course, no vacation in the Alps is complete without a couple of days of skiing. And although it wasn't Chamonix/Mont Blanc, the station de ski de la Sambuy provided us with a more then an adequate mountain. Known more for its freeride skiing than groomed runs, Sambuy still offered excellent conditions for us to take a few days and hit the slopes. Conveniently it was also only located about 20 minutes away from our chalets and our host, Romain, had a few contacts the hill.

On our first day at Sambuy, the guys skied while the ladies decided to try out the snowshoeing trails around the mountains. Romain negotiated a discount rate for our lift tickets and then the three of us (Romain, Andronik, & I) had a fantastic day as the hill was not overly busy and the temperatures held at around the minus 1 mark. Mindy and Anne-Julie had an equally fun time on their snowshoeing adventure although a two hour climb was a maybe a little bit more then they bargained for.

Mindy and Anne-Julie celebrate the end of the snowshoeing marathon.

Our second day of skiing was actually New Year's Day and what a way to kick off 2009! We were joined by a few friends of Romain's as well as his girlfriend, Iris, and this time everyone skied. Anne-Julie's day was cut a little short as she was experiencing some soreness in her knees, but other then that little hick-up, the day was absolutely beautiful.

Mindy and I skied with the group for the most part as the levels ranged from novice skiers to more advanced skiers. It had snowed the previous day so the snow was fantastic with silky smooth powder on the freeride trails. On the last run of the day, Romain, Andronik, and I had the pleasure of skiing down with a member of the mountain's Ski Patrol who took us an excellent freeride run that we had previously not seen. It capped off a truly magnificent experience.

Mindy is geared up and ready to go.

I should also mention that as Mindy and I left our ski gear in Canada, Romain not only outfitted us, also five others for our New Year's Day ski. And of course, as Romain works for Nike, we were sporting the newest fashions from the Nike ACG line.

Group shot from the New Year's Day ski extravaganza.

Annecy in the Alps

2009-01-03T03:14:00.000-08:00

The happy couple take in the old part of Annecy.

As previously mentioned, we spent the last week in the Alps on the shores of Lac d'Annecy as guests of one of my teammates, Romain. Although the chalets we stayed in were actually located in the town of Duingt, the main town of the region is Annecy and it was during our first full day in the Alps where we took a tour of the city. Of course our tour guide was our excellent host, as his family has had property in the region for generations, and as a result Romain was able to answer all of Mindy's questions about the fascinating architecture and history of the town. The tour was an excellent way to ease us into our Alps vacation and certainly was a great appetizer of what was to come.

The princess stands in front of her castle. This castle was located across the bay from our chalets in Duingt.

Like most mountain lakes, Lac d'Annecy is long, narrow, and deep. As a result, it does not freeze in the winter even when the temperature in the valley drops below zero. For the most part during our stay, the temperature hovered between minus 3 and plus 3. It is also one of the cleanest lakes in France as it is glacier fed and the locals take great care not to pollute the water.

Andronik, Romain, and I on the shores of Lac d'Annecy.

After walking the shoreline in the town, we walked to the top of the old section of Annecy where the town castle was located. It was a bit of a hike, but the view from the top was fantastic. It also served a second purpose as this was where the tour of old town started.

Romain and Mindy lead the way to the top of Annecy.

After walking around the town for a few hours, we were starting to feel a little chilled as the temperature was around plus 1. To warm us up, Romain introduced us to one of the traditional drinks of the region, vin chaud (or in english, hot wine). This drink is not just red wine warmed in the microwave however as Romain explained it is red wine flavoured with oranges, lemons, cinnamon, sugar, and cloves. It was absolutely delicious.

A round of vin chaud helped to fortify us after our walk in Annecy.

What next from our trip? I guess we will find out tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned for the full story on our trip to the Alps.

After our trip to Barcelona, Mindy and I continued to vacation like no others as we headed out on the 27th of December to Annecy in the French Alps with our roommates, Andronik and Anne-Julie. We had previously been invited to spend a week exploring the Haute-Savoie region of France by one of our teammates, Romain Sauvage, and needless to say, he made us an offer we could not refuse. Unfortunately there was no internet service where we were staying for I am a little behind in the blog posts. Aside from no internet, the offer was still pretty remarkable.

So on the 27th, we made the 7 hour trip to Annecy from Paris by car. The following week was one for the ages as we experienced the Alps in a variety of unique and interesting ways. Our hosts were incredible, the accommodations spectacular, and the food indescribable. During the next week, I will be posting about all our adventures, so stay tuned and Happy New Year!