Chez Moi

I found a flat today!!!!

It is a really nice place, the best one I have seen so far. It is HUGE! It is fully furnished, it is bright and clean and has everything I need. And it is in a pretty nice area. It is not exactly a trendy area but it is nice and close to everything. It is in the 12th arrondissement near Daumesnil. I will be sharing with a french girl, but she probably wont be home much, which is a bit of a shame as I wanted to have someone to practice my French with. But I am really relieved!

The last week has been really exhausting. Looking for a flat has been hard work! My french is not as good as I had hoped. Everyone uses so much slang and run words together as well as using words and expressions that I just don't know, so I dont understand much of what is going on. It is even harder to understand on the phone, and trying to organise visits to flats in a totally unfamiliar city, in french, on the phone, has been very difficult and VERY tiring. I have seen so many tiny, dark little flats! And all the nice places have been given to other people - I guess most french people would prefer to live with someone who can actually speak french properly.

On top of all that the hostel that I was staying in was fully booked so I didn't have anywhere to stay. Every morning I had to pack my bags and leave them in lugguage storage and hope for a cancellation. The first few nights they did have cancellations but on wednesday night they didnt have a bed for me! I spent that night at Vanessa's house (who has been so good to me) and I have now found another hostel. It is in a nicer area and is much brighter and cheerier than the other one. And I am guarenteed a room!

So after a very tiring week I am feeling much happier now I have an appartment. I dont move in until next weekend but I am happy enough at this new hostel now.

So now I just have to find a job...

Ups and Downs

Bonjour!

Well the last few days have had some ups and downs. On thursday night after spending the day in Champagne I went to the Eiffel Tour again with the Aussie guy and some others from the hostel. We decided to have a picnic in the park near the tower and took heaps of bread, cheese, wine etc and we were having a great time until my camera was stolen! The guy must be a professional because as soon as he came over to us we knew he was probably going to steal something so all 5 of us were watching him carefully and none of us saw him take it.

Friday night I went to the movies with Vanessa, my French friend. We were supposed to go out with a group of her friends but that was cancelled. But anyway it was a good night and it was nice to just do something kind of normal.

On saturday I had one of the best nights I have had so far in Paris. I went to a Renaissance Party at a club in Paris and the main DJ was Hernan Cattaneo who I really like - I have one of his CD which is awesome, and he was excellent live. One of the best DJ's I think I have ever seen and the club was really cool. I went with the same group from the hostel as on thursday night.

Apart from that really all I have been doing is looking for a flat and hanging out with people from the hostel. I have been to see quite a few and have a few more to go. So far none have been that great, although there was one which was OK but I haven't heard back from the girl yet. Hopefully something will come up soon.

Champagne and The City of Lights

Things are still going really well over here. I have made my first french friend in Paris! I met up with a friend of a friend (Sue's friend) named Vanessa who is French and lives in Paris. She is really nice and we have been out a couple of times and on friday night I am going out with her and a group of her friends.

Yesterday I went to Epernay in the champagne region to visit the Moet and Chandon House with an aussie guy I met in the hostel who is totally crazy about champagne! We had a really great day. We got to taste sevral types of Moet including a premiere blend which can't be bough outside of France (It was VERY good) and we got to go down into the cellars where they make and age the wine. It was really cool - there were literally millions of bottles stacked up everywhere in all stages of production. We learnt all about how they make the champagne and saw the vintage library where they keep heaps of bottles from every year. Each year the wine experts open one bottle from every year to see how it is aging. They have bottles in the library from as far back as 1860! We also went to another wine house, Mercier, which I don't think you can even buy in Australia but is quite famous here in France. We tasted some of their vintage champagnes and looked around the cellars there too.

I also went to look at a flat last night. It was quite nice, although quite old and small but I think that has to be expected in Paris. It is quite central and in a nice area (near Port Royal) and the girl, who is also my age, seemed nice and can speak some english. I don't know if I will get it yet as she is interviewing several other people but it is a good start and now at least I have an idea of what to expect.

Apart from that I have been spending most mornings in internet cafes looking for flats and jobs and spending the afternoons wandering the streets and checking out different areas of Paris. It is all so gorgeous! Most evenings I have been going out with people from the hostel. A couple of times we have gone up to Sacré-Coeur and sat on the stairs overlooking Paris. It is gorgeous up there at night. The church is all lit up and you can see all the lights of Paris. There are always heaps of people up there drinking wine and playing music and just hanging out. I have also been to see The Eiffel Tower at night which is also pretty cool. It is all lit up and every hour they have a bit of a light show and the whole thing sparkles. It is kind of tacky but also kind of cool.

I hope you guys are all going well. Send me some emails and let me know what you are all doing. I miss you all heaps already!

Bonjour Paris

I can't believe I am actually here in Paris. It is so so beautiful, everything is amazing. I just LOVE it.

I was a bit overwhelmed when I first arrived. Everyone was speaking french and I could hardly understand a word! I got a bit lost on the metro while trying to get to my hostel. The hostel is in a terrible area - it is very ugly, dirty and poor. It is on boulevarde de Chapell near Gard du Nord for those that know Paris. So I was a bit freaked out by it all and feeling a bit nervous about being here on my own. I spent the rest of that day walking around Montmartre (which is gorgeous - like all of Paris except where my hostel is) and by the afternoon I was feeling much better about everything.

Since then I have just been wandering the streets of Paris and checking the place out and now I absolutely love it! Everything is so beautiful. Everywhere you look is an amazing old building, a beautiful park, a lovely little tree lined street filled with cafés and shops. I have already done a little shopping (which is even better than I imagined) but I am trying to hold off on buying too much stuff until I get a job.

The food here is amazing. I haven't eaten in a proper restaurant yet but I have found a boulangerie near my hostel which has the best bread I have ever tasted and amazing almond croissants. The cheese is fabulous (of course) and I am on a mission to try every single type while I am here. The patisseries have the most delicious little cakes and pastries and things. The coffee is great and the wine is good and cheap. I found a beautiful little market this morning full of all kinds of fabulous looking stuff and I can't wait to try everything!

So far everyone has been extremely nice and helpful and I haven't come across any rude, arrogant, parisiens yet. Most people switch to english as soon as they hear my accent and those that don't have been quite patient and I have found I can actually make myself understood quite well and can understand OK when they speak slowly.

My first priority is to find a flat so I can get out of my hostel. The hostel is actually quite nice, and I have met heaps of cool people but I am not really in the mood for the whole backpacker thing. I just want to settle in and try to live like a local!

Well that is enough for now, although I could write a book about all the cool things I have seen and done already!

Goodbye Sydney

Hi guys. I promised would set up a blog so you guys can stay up to date with what I am up to in Paris (or wherever I end up!) so here it is. I hope you will all post comments.

Well I am in Ulladulla now preparing to leave. I have packed up and moved out of my flat and said goodbye to everyone which was really sad - although I managed not to cry! So I guess I won't be back in Sydney again for a long while. It is all a bit strange. Driving down King Street last night was very strange thinking I won't be back there again for such along time! But I am really excited now! And nervous!

So goodbye everyone, have fun and styay in touch - I will post again once I get to Paris!