The Mouse Fairy in Southern France

Chanelle with her host mother Nadine

After Paris,  we headed down to southern France to visit the area Chanelle lived while apart of Rotary Club, a student exchange program, during her junior year of high school.  We were picked up from the train station by her host mother.  Nadine stands at 6 feet tall, and radiates happiness out of every inch of her.  She owns a large farm in the rural town of Orx, a city in the province of Aquitaine.  The landscape looked like an excerpt from the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale.

She has a dog named Milou but I gave him the nickname Mad Dog for that's exactly what he is: insane.  He spends 23 hours of the day attacking nearby corn stalks. He runs up to them, pounces, tears them up at the root, and shakes them vigorously in his mouth until he is certain that they wont come back to life. 

While we were there, her cousin popped by for a visit along with her 2 children.  One morning, the youngest Nicholas (4 years old), was playing with Mad Dog.  As he was throwing the ball, Mad Dog became so impatient that he jumped up and hit Nicholas in the face, knocking him to the ground and causing an already loose tooth to fall out.  Nicholas was screaming out of shock more than pain, and I tried to calm him down by reminding him that at least he will get a visit from the Tooth Fairy.
 
"Quoi?"  he asks.  


It turns out that they don't have a tooth fairy in France.  When you loose a tooth, you put it underneath a cup and a Petit Souris (little mouse) comes during the night and replaces it with money. 


Mad Dog

You learn something new everyday, or 200 new things a day seems more fitting for Europe.

The next morning I came downstairs to find little Nicholas trying to climb into Mad Dog's bed basket.  Mad Dog was not liking that and started growling.  

"Fait attention!  Quest ce que tu fais la?" (get away from there, what do you think you're doing?) I ask him. 

"Mais Lenai! Ca me rendre avec des sous!" (But Lenai, look at all the money I get this way!) he replies. 

Haha, kids!

One day we ventured into the coastal cities of Hossegor and Biarritz.  Hossegor is well known in Europe for it's surfing community, while Biarritz is simply stunning. I'll let you guys take a look for yourselves, but for now all I can say is that from day one I was in love with everything in southern France.  I hardly spoke a word of English, I was eating foods I didn't even know existed, and was meeting the most incredible animated people that just could not get enough of life.  One thing is unmistakably clear: they know how to live the good life in France.

 



Biarritz

 



Biarritz

Chanelle, Myself and Marie

Hang 10 in Hossegor



Hossegor Boardwalk

Paris Je T'aime:)

Paris je t'aime. 

In the battle of quality vs. quantity the French prove that quality trumps all, no questions asked.  From their architecture, to their food, to their conversation; attention to detail makes this country what it is: spectacular.

The Best Candy Shops in the World



 

The Opera House

We stayed in a small flat belonging to Antoine, a friend Catherine played waterpolo with in Vancouver.  Paris also marked the location I was to finally meet up with my sister Chanelle.

I've heard mixed reviews about travelling Paris as a tourist.  Luckily, Chanelle and I attended a French immersion elementary school growing up in Winnipeg, so we were both conversational in French and didn't have communication issues.  Catherine also knew French, and come to think of it, I'm not quite sure how as she attended an English speaking school in Winnipeg.  Upon further thought, this fact did not faze me in the slightest because Catherine is also the smartest person in the world. 

By fluke it happened to be Bastille Day (France's national holiday) the night we arrived.  What seemed like all of France had also journeyed to Paris that evening, so we crowded beneath the sparkling Eiffel tower alongside the half a million other people to watch the awe-striking fireworks display.  What an introduction to the city of love!

Getting onto the metro home was more like the 8 a.m. business rush in Tokyo.  We were crammed so tightly that there were a couple of times my feet weren't even touching the ground, and I think the doors closed on Catherine at one point (fortunately no serious injuries).



 

The Metro that Evening

 

Catherine, Chanelle, Tiffany and I with a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the background

The next morning we visited the park were Amelie was filmed, ate Nutella crepes, and visited Le Louvre! Mon Dieu, the museum was the best part of the entire Euro Trip.  You're blown off your feet from the get-go as the building itself is architectural genius.  Never mind day passes, they need to sell 2 week passes in order for you to get a true feel of all Le Louvre has to offer.



Tiff and I outside the Louvre



After we had our fill of history, Chanelle, Catherine, Tiffany and I bought a bottle of red wine, a baguette, and some incredibly delicious cheese for a picnic in the park.  It was a truly magical day.



Picnic in the Park



Love Paris

Wouldn't have travelled it any other way.  Love these ladies.

Running for the Hills

The most refreshing way to begin my day is with a morning jog.  One fine day in Scotland I decided to do just that.

I was running down a footpath towards the coast, getting lost in the beauty of my surroundings, when suddenly I looked up to realize I had no idea where I was.  Typical as I more often than not I get lost while running.  I'm going to pitch a tracking device idea to Nike, one you can put in your shoe and always be found when lost.

I vaguely remembered running beside a large green open area that had the potential to be a soccer field, so decided to ask the next person I saw if they knew in what direction it was. 

"Large green field?"  the next gentlemen I saw repeated to me with a confused expression on his face,  "Yea, ye'r just go down' de trail, take a left dhere, go up de hill, and you'll come righ' out on' it."

"Sweet, thank," I repled before bouncing down the trail.

Ten minutes later I was still running up the hill, which I'm realizing now is more of a mountain, and  something doesn't feel right.

Blonde moment of the day; all of Scotland is rolling green field! 

I have never seen this field in particular before, and I'm not even sure I'm still in Edinburgh, just lost near Arthur's Seat. 




Arthur's Seat

I use the rising sun as a bearing, and start heading in the direction I'd assume the city is in.  Unfortunately there is a gigantic mountain between us.
But Alas! A hiker coming over the mountain towards me!  I run up to him.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to the Edinburgh castle from here?"

This elderly man looks at me and starts laughing hysterically, "De Castle? From Here?!?"

Did I stutter?

"Yes the castle," I replied coolly.

"Oh well, its quite far. Are ya runnin' there?"

No, I left my horse at the bottom of the mountain.

"Yes I'm running there."

"Ha well alrighty then, it's just over this mountain and about 4 miles straight ahead! Oh wait- have ye'r got any money with ya?"

What's the deal! I'm not paying you to tell me to run over a mountain! 

"No I'm sorry I don't have any on me," I said sharply, my aggravation rising.

" Oh well that's a shame, you'll probably get mighty hungry on the way back! Ha ha ha!"

Thanks for nothing crazy old Scottish man, glad I could brighten your day.

I start down the trail, and I'm quite exhausted at this point as I've been running for 2 hours already and have yet to climb another mountain.   Not to mention, Catherine is probably worried sick because we were supposed to have left to tour Sterling Castle an hour ago.  I'm never running again.  Well probably tomorrow, but I'm definitely not running again tonight.

It turns out Catherine was only a little upset.  I think the sight of me about to pass our alleviated her anger to some extent.  Onwards then to Sterling Castle...