Roland Garros

Saturday is officially the longest I have ever spent watching tennis.

I got lucky and got tickets to Roland Garros, the French Open. Unless I wanted to pay over 40 euros, or around $65, I was "banished" to the annex courts. This may seem worse than it is, there are three main courts, those are the ones that you watch on TV. However, there are a total of 11 courts that have play on them and a total of 18 courts on the grounds.

I planned my day ahead of time so I could have an idea of who I wanted to see and where I would have to go. That plan changed the second I walked through the gates, realized that they oversell the annex and sometimes you have to wait to go into the stands to watch the annexes. The first match of the day was a mixed doubles. I planned my day so I could see a mixed doubles, mens singles, womens singles, mens doubles and womens doubles. That would be a lot of tennis in one day but I thought I could manage.

So after the 20 minute line just to get in the gates I found my way to court 6. There I watched my mixed doubles. The people and who won is sort of irrelevant throughout the day. I did not watch anyone of importance and I would put money that none of the people I watched will even come close to winning. However, the French team won the mixed doubles.

Next was the men's singles. This was the last set in a match they couldn't finish the night before. It was really exciting, the power and speed those guys have is unreal.

Then came the women's doubles. There was a czech team against a czech and a CANADIAN. This was a major draw for me, there were maybe 50 people in the stands compared to 200 during the previous mens match. Needless to say, the Canadian lost, she didn't play that well and was nothing exciting. If you want to look her up her name is Aleksandra Wozniak.

I then decided I would go and watch a men's singles match and then the match of the day for me, Venus and Serena Williams in doubles action against a Slovack and a Dane. I got into line to get into the stadium. There are two main annex courts (court 2 and court 3). They are the biggest of the annex and probably hold a couple hundred people each. I got into line at the start of the men's match and was told it may be 3 hours till we get in. I didn't believe this so I waited. and waited, and waited.

We got briefed periodically on the score, the good guy was winning, not that there is a good guy for me. People kept on leaving the line, we kept moving up, people left the stadium, we moved up.

A small aside. In line, I managed to find myself sandwiched between an middle age couple from Sausilito California (just outside San Francisco), two british guys and two girls from Texas. This allowed me to practice my english (the entire reason I am here). We discussed politics, education, tennis, line ups, line ups, line ups, how rude the french are, how good looking the news reporter was, how tall Lindsey Davenport is and line ups.
------> That is Lindsey Davenport
FAST FORWARD 3 HOURS

We got to the front of the line, the mens matched just ended and we see some people start to leave, this is good news for us! However than a lot of people start to leave, like 75! we are now worried why they are leaving.

VENUS AND SERENA DROPPED OUT OF THE DOUBLES CONTEST. Those were not words that crossed our mind during the three hours in line. We got this confirmed by three different sources, exchanged grimaces, a small American bashing (me and the brits) and moved on.

I managed to see two mixed doubles, a mens doubles and a womens singles match in the time that I would have been watching the Williams. I went back to court 2, where I spent three hours outside. I got in without a line this time and watched the last match of the day, the womens singles. It was an exiting match between an Aussie and a Russian, the aussie won.

All in all, I had a great time, 30 euro t-shirt, 3 hour line and a little rain aside. I had an awesome time!

The Great Canadian Pub

I set out today for one purpose only, to find "The Great Canadian Pub". I figured seeing as it is right in the center of Paris why not wonder around and see some sights before hand.

I thought I should find the pub, and then do wandering so I would have a "home base". It was not hard to find, it is right on the banks of the Seine in between two main bridges onto L'ile de Cite; the birthplace of Paris.

I proceeded to walk around the island in the middle of the Seine and its neighbouring island for the better part of three hours. I had a snack in the garden outside of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Then, around 4:30 I thought I should hit up the pub as it was happy hour! It is not normal for a one person to go into a restaurant and eat, let alone a pub. Normally I would have felt out of place but the team Canada Jersey, mountie, Canadian flag and the Molson Canadian made me feel rather reassured.

I was greeted by a French girl. Strike one. She did speak english but with a thick French accent.

Unfortunately due to the time difference the only sports on was the French Open. Federer was playing so that was good but it was soon interrupted due to rain. Strike Two.

They did not have any Canadian so i settled for the Great Canadian Lager. It was delightful.

Then, to add to my Canadianness, I ordered a poutine. I did not expect cheese curds but what I got could barely pass for poutine. It had a little bit of shredded cheese, salty gravy and burnt fries. STRIKE THREE.

All in all not a great trip but I would not hesitate to go back just because it is a Canadian bar in Paris. There is suppose to be another one in Paris so I think I will find that before I go back.

The things I do on my days off...

The "Manny"

The Louvre Part 2

I made it back for round two. So far the scorecard read Ryan 0-- Louvre 1. My attempt at mapless adventure had gotten the better of me. I ended up seeing the same things three times without seeing the stuff right next door that I actually wanted to see.

Day two started with a trip to the information desk for a map. I spent the better part of 20 minutes studying and realizing what I had seen; but more so on what I hadn't seen. Just to put it into perspective for those who have never been there: there are 4 floors and three wings. All but one of the wings have all four floors. In addition, the louvre was constructed over hundreds of years and so not all of the wings, floors, hallways match up; making for somewhat complicated navigation.

I had my plan and I was ready to start. I conquered the Asian and Middle East antiques, the decorative art including Napolean's Apartments, and then onto the French Paintings. I thought I would end the day with the Mona Lisa and the Medieval Louvre and the history of the louvre.

All things considered I enjoyed the Louvre. Some things were disapointing (the english paintings) others blew my mind (large form French Paintings). The mona lisa was not smaller than I expected (one of its biggest criticisms) although the wall that it is mounted on looks like it would stop a tank from going through it!

I left the special exhibit for another day. I had had enough museum and art for a weekend.

11 Hours later, I had seen every room in the Louvre. Those at which are open to the public at least. I made a point of setting foot into every room. Be it 10 seconds to realize I wasn't interested, or 10 minutes to absorb great works of art.

The got what I expected out of the louvre from the Large Scale french paintings. The halls were packed with hundreds of people. I never saw a guided tour in the ancient iranian pottery exhibit, but about 20 infront of Eugène Delacroix's, La liberté guidant le peuple. This was one of my favorite pieces.

This coming Saturday I bought a ticket to Roland Garros (French Open). My ticket is for the 10 outdoor courts, not in one of the three main stadiums. The stadium tickets are expensive and sold out, or at least for the ones i can afford.

I ended the day with a serenading from a 12 pieced string band playing in the courtyard just outside the Louvre.

Tomorrow I am going to walk around Les Invalides. If anything of note is there I will blog, otherwise I imagine the French Open will be a point of note.

The "Manny"

The Louvre Part 1

This weekend is devoted to one of, if not the, premier art galleries in the world. A destination for millions of visitors, Parisians and art lovers. I don't really fit into any of those categories, I suppose visitor but two months is an extended visit.

Seeing as I am here for two months I figured might as well get a year pass. General admission for me would be 9.5 Euros for one day or 15 Euros for an entire year. Hmmm, what should I do... A no brainer to me. It just took
half an hour in the admin office to get my card printed with my picture and fill out a form.

I wouldn't say I have been to a lot of museums in my life, nor am I a artsy person but I thoroughly enjoyed the Louvre. I was there from 12-5 today and I figured I saw about 2/3 of the entire museum. I will go back Sunday and finish seeing the exhibits, after all I have a year pass.

A brief assessment of my viewings so far are as follows. The French really like big paintings. The french artists did the biggest paintings of anyone. I enjoyed the early french work from Louis XIX era and the 17/18 century. The Dutch painters all use similar colors and they are too dreary; lots of deep browns, blues greens and blacks. I found the Russian portraits good but very repetitive.

The Italians definitely take the prize for sculptures. The greeks had some okay stuff but it was all about the gods. A close third were the Egyptians in my mind; at least of the collection at the Louvre.

I decided to pass on the Mona Lisa today. I don't know why but I never had the inclination to venture down that hallway. I know there will always be crowds but I enjoyed being alone in some rooms and being able to go at my own pace. I also had a really hard time with what to take pictures of. Who am I to decide what is picture worthy or not, realistically everything in that museum is picture worthy but that just ain't going to happen. I ended up snapping things I found interesting, intriguing and innovative. I also wish I had counted how many paintings of Jesus on a Cross there are in the Louvre. I realize the crucifixion is an important event in millions of peoples beliefs but apparently some artists were lacking inspiration in the last 400 years.

I am going to refrain from posting my pictures from today on Facebook, I figure they aren't really that "cool" and it is just art, maybe a few notables.

This is a picture of Ruben's Room.
He did all the paintings in it! So huge.
One of my favorite rooms in the entire Louvre so far. I spent about 20 minutes in there I think.












Tomorrow...The Mona Lisa

champs d'elysee

I have officially finished my first week of "work". I realize now that work is a very relative term. It consists of me being here at 4 when the kids get back from school, I grab them a package of cookies for their "gouter" (snack) and sit with them as they do their homework. I am lucky that grade 4/5 work isn't hard because trying to do it in French would be difficult otherwise. I do not have any complaints yet. There is another au pair that lives in Saint Leu (where I am), I met her this week so we might get together once in a while.

On Friday I got up early, at 7 am, to talk to my parents on skype so I decided to capitalize on the day. I was going to wander around Paris. I got off the metro at Les Halles, which is a giant shopping center. I have never been so confused in my life. It is worse than metrotown, West Edmonton Mall and any other horribly convoluted mall I can imagine. I had to ask someone just how to get to the street that is how lost I was. After 20 minutes of walking around I finally came across the Louvre.

The Champs D'Elysee is a huge road that runs from the Louvre to the Arc de Triumphe. So what better way to see Paris than to do that. Needless to say after 2 hours of walking in the hot sun i felt like I had seen Paris, or at least a portion. I passed so many designer shops I didn't know what to do with myself. I wanted to buy a shirt, because I always need more. But I soon realised I can't afford anything on champs d'elysee. Louis Vuitton, Versace, Dior, Dolce Gabbana, Benetton, Armani etc. I settled on a baguette sandwich between those shops and ate under the arc de triomphe.

I then strolled back down the other side after navigating a massive, what appeared to be about 10 lane round about, I made way for the Eiffel Tower. Might as well hit the big three in one day. En route I came across the Canadian Embassy. It was a pleasant surprise and made me feel happy and at home. I went into the door but the security guards and metal detectors were not that inviting. I didn't make it to the Eiffel Tower because I had to head back to start "work".

So 3km later I was a little tanned, tired and touristed out.

Tomorrow... The Louvre.

Me and Lisa

This was taken from Sacre Coeur with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Weekend in Paris

Wow... what a week it has been. After battling jet lag with 13 hours of sleep the first night I finally got my feet under me both with the time difference and the French. I got a hold of a good friend in Paris, Lisa Danielson. Lisa and I lived in the same building at UBC in first year and have been friends ever since. She has been going to school at Science Po in Paris for the last year so I couldn't have asked for a better guide around the city. One of her best friends from Vancouver, Sophia and her Sister Britta were also in Paris for a couple of days staying with Lisa so we had a little expedition to tour around Paris for the weekend.

I started the weekend with a couple of hours at the pool with the kids (the Aquaboulevard http://www.aquaboulevard.fr/aquaboulevard.html#/homePage ) . It is apparently the largest pool in France. Even as a 20 year old "kid at heart" I found it pretty sweet! I also found out as the security guard checked our bags that you are not allowed to have swim trunks like you normally would in North America. I was then ushered upstairs to the swim shop where I bought a very nice pair of "jammers" they are just like spandex shorts but a little shorter than I would normally wear. Fortunately there were no pictures of this event!

That afternoon I hoped on the train, alone, for the first time on my trip. I got into the neighbourhood where Lisa lives without any problems. We went to the grocery store and got some fresh veggies, meat and 1 Euro beers and a bottle of the cheapest white wine! I lucked out because it was May 15 which is a free night at museums, most are open till 12 or 1 so we planned where we wanted to go and set out after dinner. The History of Paris museum was very interesting. But the really interesting thing was the amount of Parisians at the museum. It was free for all and I think the locals like to take advantage of that.

The next day we walked up to Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Basillica, one of the best views of Paris! Then to the Gay/Jewish district of Paris for falafels. I was hesitant because to me, friend chick pea balls, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, humus and hot sauce in a pita does not sound good; it was good, it was great! We then made our way to the Modern Art museum (Centre Pompidou, built by former president George Pompidou). Much like a lot of modern art it was "interesting"

One of lisa's friends called and said she wanted to meet for a beer so we grabbed some chocolate and banana crepes, cold beers from the corner store, and found a spot along the seine beside Notre Dame and enjoyed the Parisian sun.

After all those escapades I traveled back to Saint Leu and dinner was ready!

Tomorrow I officially have my first day of work. I have to make dinner for the boys (the mom said they will eat pasta every night of the week). I am sure I will have an update after that one.

Bonne Nuit

Ryan "The Manny"

1st Day with the Family

After 15 hours of travel, I arrived in Paris. I touched down in Chicago 5 minutes after my connecting flight to Paris was suppose to start boarding. I rush off the plane and to the next concourse (O'hare is a massive airport), to see that the flight is delayed by an hour and a half.

Now that my stress levels are down, I take my mom's advise and find something that chicago is known for. Not their wind, baseball stadiums or deep dish pizzas. A HOT DOG!

Jump ahead 12 hours, the customs agent didn't even say hello, stamped my passport and continued on my way. The car ride to Saint Leu la foret, the village where the family is was a little awkward. It was a brutal test of my french skills. The family is often reluctant to speak english but i believe they can. I got a tour of their house, went to the supermarket, took the boys to soccer and archery and then had dinner.

All things considered it was a great day and will hopefully be the start of a good summer as an au pair!

My second day started with 13 hours of sleep!

Ryan

YVR

Due to my obsessive compulsive need to be early for everything, i arrived at the airport at 8 am this morning, My flight doesn't leave till 11:18. I figured it would be really bad if I was late for my plane because of customs/security/line-ups. That was clearly not the case. There were no line-ups at anything so I now have about three hours to sit and people watch in YVR.

You realize it is a small world when you are sitting at your gate at the end of the terminal and you see two people you know, on the same flight to Dallas. Who knew that Greg McKenzie and Katie Ward would be on the same flight at 830 in the morning to Dallas on the same day I fly to Paris?

My last comment of the day is on birds that live inside of buildings. You don't see it very often but when you do it is always kinda strange. Sometimes in Costco, stadiums and apparently airports you will find a few "inside" birds. I really wonder what they eat, do they get a chance to fly outside? That is my question of the day, Do birds that live indoors ever fly outside or do they live their entire life in YVR?

Pre-Departure for "Mannying"

I got accepted by a family on Wednesday the 5th and I am leaving on the 11th of May. I am going to be an au pair. I will also refer to this as a Manny. My job is basically look after the two boys once they get back from school, play games with them, cook a few meals and help with their homework.

I have never spent this much time away from my friends or family so this could be an interesting experience. I have also never written a blog and I doubt many people will read it but I think it will be a good opportunity for me to keep in contact and so I can share my experiences with others.

I am going to have mornings till 4:30 off as well as most Wednesdays and Weekends. I intend to spend a lot of time wandering and looking around Saint Leu La Foret, Paris, surrounding countries and continents. I have no official plans but I think I may go to Nice, Barcelona, London, Brussels and possibly somewhere in Scandanavia. Any suggestions are always welcome.

Until next time

Ryan