April Fool's

For all of you who don't have Facebook and missed out on my April fools joke I posted a photo of some Brown hair dye and lead people to believe that I was going to dye my hair. I think quite a few people fell for it judging from the reactions I received. So if you hear any rumors circulating that I am now a brunette you can disregard them. It was a poisson d'avril (april fish) as they say here in France.

A hodge-podge of info tidbits.

I have recently been asking myself where all my time goes. I don`t have a lot of commitments but I never seem to have time to write blogs. At least not this past week. This is also going to be a shorter post. On Friday it was one of my friends birthday`s today and we held a party for him in my residence. So I had about 50 balloons in my room at one point. Because I don`t have near the lung capacity to blow up 50 balloons I enlisted the help of my friends who distracting me from the blog post I meant to write..

On Friday I was also looking around Grenoble for streamers (called serpentins ie small snakes) I could not find any anywhere. I went to the 2 euro store, a grocery store and even checked out a specialty party store. They just don`t seem to have them. At least not in the 3 stores I went into, which granted is quite a small sample to generalize to an entire country. My guardian angel must have been watching over me though, because this afternoon while picking a parcel from the post office I forgot my wallet and helmet in the library. They are next door to one another so it wasn`t a huge distance to backtrack. However, the fact remains that I left my wallet unattended for about 10minutes. I returned and it was in exactly the same place, relief. I think it helped that it was inside my helmet and not immediately visible. People in France don`t seem to value helmets all that much. I would say less than 15% of people wear helmets. Of that 15% most of the people are older than 40. Apparently it takes a while for people to realize the value of helmets, it's a pretty frequent sight to see entire families with young children not wearing helmets. Quite shocking frankly.

Yesterday I went to Lyon for the day (100km's away) with the international student association. It was fun but not what I had expected. It was interesting and I saw lots of nice things but it somehow didn't live up to my expectation. I think it was the size of the city and all the people. Depending on who you ask, Lyon is the 2nd largest city in France and there were lots of people everywhere. It kind of detracted from some of the attractions if you ask me. It could have also been that I only had time for a surface visit. Since I was only there for the day I didn't have the chance to visit any of the museums which are apparently very nice. Lyon's claim to fame is apparently the textile industry. In the city there are a ton of passageways the run within the buildings so that the merchants could carry their cloth without getting it muddy (when streets were just dirt) and protect it from the rain. The textile museum also sounded amazing, they had a permanent display of cloths throughout history, even including samples of Egyptian dresses. I doubt that I will be returning though, there wasn't enough stuff to make me want to return when I still want to visit Geneva and Turin which are about the same price and distance away.

This morning I rode around Grenoble on my bike with a friend. We went to the market under the train tracks and generally explored Grenoble's streets. It was really calm on the streets (usually you have to weave between many slow moving pedestrian) and very enjoyable. Grenoble also has tonnes of flowering trees which are just starting to come out, so some of the once brown streets are starting to look like areas of oak bay (huge flowering trees that border the street for those of you not from Victoria).

That is however all the time I have for today. I am trying to get work done in anticipation of my 10 day easter trip. I  will try to get in a couple of updates in, and hopefully even some photos in before Friday but that might be a little too optimistic.

Its quite a tradeoff, the more awesome things I do, the less time I have to tell you all about them.

Boarder-cross

In chronological order here is what I have been up to since my last post.

I have decided that I will not be pursuing my potential modelling career. No matter how much research I would do, it still seems like I wouldn't have enough information. Also, I don't really want to go and get photographed for who knows how many hours, I would rather use my time for more useful things.

Skiing at 2 alps yesterday was fantastic. It was probably the best day I have skiing in my short skiing career. The weather was perfect, it was a little chilly in the chair lift but the perfect temperature while skiing down hill. The snow was excellent in most places and I even got to ski in powder. It was awesome. Furthermore, I am now confident enough on my skis to gain (some) speed while going downhill, so I was feeling pro. That is until someone who was actually good went zooming by me. I was also encouraged by my more fearless friend to try the boarder-cross initiation run, so I was also able to check that off my list. I didn't really like it because there were a lots of bumps so you could do jumps. I am still terrified of become airborne because I know I would not be able to land a jump, so I kept having to break which made it less fun. I found a video on youtube of the boarder-cross route at 2 alps, so if you are interested in see what boarder-cross is click here. Even if you're not interested in boarder-cross, it's pretty cool because you get to see the same scenery that I do for a few minutes. Here is another video of the same run, but I would advise against watching this one if you get motion sickness, the boarders are going alot faster. Just to clarify, this is not the run that I went on, I went on a less steep version but it runs parallel to the run shown in the above videos.

Look forward to photos of 2 alps and info about the st laurent archeological museum and grenoble fab lab because this is all the time I have today.

Up and up?

So, staying true to form I went skiing again this Thursday (yesterday), though it was the first time in two week. I am also going again tomorrow for a full but I think that my skiing season will soon be coming to an end as hiking seems very appealing at the moment. The snow was also disappearing quite rapidly from the lower altitudes at 7 Laux (its base is at 1350m, summit 2400m). The snow that I was skiing on was reminiscent of a slushee. That being said, there was an avalanche yesterday while I was skiing. It must have been pretty big as there were lots of helicopter flying back and forth. I heard that it even took out the skiiers who were on the route underneath. No need to worry about me though, I'm still not good enough to be on those types of routes. I think it was a black diamond route... but I could be wrong about that. Tomorrow I will be at 2 alps, it is a lot higher in elevation (base at 1650m, summit at 3200m) so I think that it will be much more enjoyable.

I also rented myself a bike today. I'm pretty excited about it. Its nothing special, just a standard city bike with 3 gears. This is not much of an issue because the entire city of Grenoble is flat, aside from the hill to my residence. I think what I will end up doing is locking my bike at the bottom of the hill and walking up. I don't think there is any way I would make it up the hill, the lowest gear is just not low enough. 6 switchbacks are just too many for me. Not to mention that my legs and heart are not strong enough.

My bike rental also includes 3 locks and I am supposed to leave on my bike at all times. Bike theft is quite an issue in Grenoble and I have seen many bikes with parts missing. Bike thieves even go as far as to steal your seat if you don't lock it to your bike frame. So I have that lock, a "U" lock to lock the bike frame to something sturdy and a lock that immobilizes the rear wheel. If that doesn't discourage thieves I don't know what will.

That however was not the most interesting portion of my day. As I was locking my bike up at the bottom of the stairs I was approached by a photographer. He told me that he was looking for a model for one of his clients, which is a jean company. He then went on to mention I have the profile (as in side of face) that this company is looking for. I was original quite skeptical because these types of things don't just happen in everyday life. However, he was not pushy at all and gave me his business card so I could check it out for myself. So upon returning to my room I looked him up, and everything seems to check out. What do you guys think? His website address is "levetchristope.fr" if you want to look at it for yourselves. The jean company is called April 77. In any case, it was quite flattering to be approached by someone and being told that they would be interested in having you model for them. It was even more flattering because I had some excellent helmet hair and a rather red face as I had just biked back from University in 20 degree weather.

Vizille

So, after a brief letting off of steam I return to the purpose of this blog. Keeping you all informed about what I am doing. After I let you all hanging about Vizille I am back to resume the tale.

First things first, I went for brunch at a restaurant called Pain et Cie. I am not usually someone who describes food and I am definitely not someone who is inclined to photography their food but I was sorely tempted. If only to document the sheer volume of food that was presented. As you are all aware, brunch is usually a mix of breakfast and lunch foods. The brunch here followed the same principle with one important deviation. Whereas at home, bunch is the size of regular meal, at this particular restaurant I felt like I was eating a full breakfast, and a full lunch in one sitting. The waitress brought everything out in stages, first was a bread basket with 4 different kinds of spread (one of which being white chocolate macadaemia, mmm) and a croissant each. The bread (and croissant) had been freshly made on location and they were delicious. This on its own would have sufficed for breakfast, but there was more to come. Next came yogurt and granola and a soft boiled egg with bread strips. I should also mention that during this phase of the meal there was also tea (or espresso, or coffee, or hot chocolate), freshly squeezed orange juice and water. I would easily have been full after all of this but just as I was finishing the waitress brought out the salad. Since there was no more room on our table, the waitress had to place the salad on the adjoining table, luckily it wasn't too busy.

Now, this was not just any salad, there were indeed lettuce and greens involved but there was also an incredible amount of meat and cheese. I had four different kinds of cheese on my plate, there was brie, fresh mozzarella and two others I don't know the names of. I should also mention that the amount of cheese per kind was greater than the sum of cheese you would expect to find in any salad at home. There were also deli meats (as if I wasn't already overwhelmed enough), proscuitto, salami and smoked ham for those wondering. Overall it was a delicious experience, though in the future I may try to order just breakfast or lunch so I can move after.

Now, getting on back on track to the original purpose of this entry after brunch we waddled to the tram stop so we could go to train station. We didn't actually catch the train but took a coach bus that operated in much the same way as a city bus, except the distance between the stops was much greater. It ended up costing 8€20 for the round trip which seemed a little expensive but it was about 20km's each way so I suppose it was fairly reasonable.

Here you have a pictorial representation (I have been told they are useful so I keep including them). I took us about 1hr to get there but mainly because the bus went in circles in Grenoble picking up people, and as we had jumped on at the first stop there were quite a few of them. Once we arrive in Vizille we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the entire park and museum were free. I was also some what mistaken as the castle in Vizille actually has two functions. It is as castle, but it houses the museum of the French revolution, so its kind of a two in one visit.

We went into the museum/castle first. Now, I am not really one for museums with audio guides but this one was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The museum consisted mainly of paintings done during/of the French Revolution displayed in various rooms of the castle. Some of the were massive with a person in the painting being the size of real life person.

A tapestry with "Freedom or death" written. I was originally annoyed with my reflection but I think it looks kind of cool

That piano is a grand piano, so you can imagine how huge the painting is.

Again, this people are only slightly smaller than real people. There was a ton of symbolism in this picture but I can't remember any specific example at the moment

This is one of the picture that the audio guide really brought alive. All of these people are rebels waiting for their names to be called by the executioner, in the background you can see a woman struggling who's name has just been called. The man in the center was an important figure, sadly I can't remember his name

The woman in white is Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XIV on the way to here execution. The audio guide commented on how here torso was elongated to make her seem more heavenly, which was common in many English paintings of the era (this was painted by and english painter)

the stone walls you could see at certain points inside the museum

the declaration of man's and the citizen's rights

Perhaps one of the best known painting of the revolution. This event actually took place in the castle in Vizille (July 21st 1788), but the room in the picture has since been destroyed. This is only a small portion of the photo as I couldn't get far enough away to get the whole thing in.

Me and the castle grounds, I figuered you all might like to see I actually go to these places and don't just steal the photos from Google.

The castle seen from the park which was 100 hectares if I'm not mistaken.

The castle in all it's glory. Not the best of shots but it's the best one I got.

Dear Canada Post

Dear Canada Post,

No one can deny that you have been instrumental in the foundation of our nation, for this I thank you. During a time when the only way to communicate was with letters, people depended on you to convey vital information. A job I am certain you performed admirably. While I concede that we have now moved into an era where we rely on the internet and the telephone for communication, this does not mean that Canadians no longer depend on your services. I have on many a occasion, depended on you. I will even go as far as to speak for my compatriots and say that we, as a nation, still depend on you.

On your website it is clearly stated that local lettermail can be expected to arrive within 2 business days, within a province 3 days and if you send mail nationally it will take 4 business days. I find these numbers completely reasonable, my problem is your flagrant disregard for these guidelines (created by you I might add). Since early February I have been expecting a letter, it is now nearly one and half months later and the letter is nowhere in sight. I understand that you deal with a large volume of mail on a daily basis. If you aren't able to stick to your posted guidelines I understand. Canada covers a huge area and 4 days is not very much time to get a letter across the country into the right person's mail box. That being said, at no time should the discrepancy between your guidelines and the actual mail delivery time put your competence into doubt. Sadly, you have done just that.

I believe that everyone (even crown corporations) deserve a second chance. Mistakes are human, and to expect perfection would be unreasonable. What I find regrettable that you have already exhausted all of your second chances from me. Do you remember last October when I was waiting for my drivers license to arrive from Victoria to my Ottawa apartment? It took 4 weeks, I repeat 4 weeks to arrive. Unacceptable. While I was in first year you did not deliver any of my three Easter gifts, zero out of three. When you eventually returned these items to their original senders, it was months later. Returning a parcel 5 months later to it's sender, after failing to deliver it to the intended recipient is unprofessional. Where was that parcel during those 5 months? Canada is big, but it is not that big.

All of these instances are reasons I have slowly but surely lost faith in your ability to effectively deliver mail. Actually, forget effectively deliver mail, I have lost faith in your ability to reliably deliver mail. I am no longer certain that when I send something it will arrive to the person to whom I sent it, and vice versa.

I would be tempted to write off your entire company, and lobby for the privatization of Canada Post just so that your monopoly on mail delivery would end, if not for one baffling exception: your surprising prowess in the international mail delivery category. As I am currently in France, I have sent multiple postcards to friends and family at home. Likewise, I have received letters from people at home. I have never had anything take longer than 2 weeks. I mean that literally, 2 weeks. Not 14 business days, two weeks pure and simple. I would say this is what infuriates me the most. How is it that you are able to get your act together and send a letter around the world in a timely fashion, yet remain unable to consistently deliver mail within Canadian borders?

I realize that every day you successfully deliver mail to millions of Canadians on time. This critique of your doings might seem a little too strongly worded to other people, after all you do successfully complete your duties the majority of the time. However, unless my name is on some type of blacklist (in which case I implore you, please remove my name) I am certain that I am not the only one that this has happened to. I can only imagine how frustrated people must get who live in rural areas. If I, who has only ever lived in major cities can't get my mail on time, how do you treat people living in Northern and remote communities?

I don't expect you to change overnight, I don't even expect you to change that much. I would just like to see a system implemented where you are able to track important mail without having to pay the extra $8 for a registered letter. If that is to much to ask, would you at least be able to deliver people their mail? Pretty please.

I would like to clarify that is is not an attack against Canada Post employees, who I believe do an excellent job. It is not even intended as an attack again Canada Post itself. It is simply a letter containing my frustrations as a customer. I would have sent it to you in the mail, but we all know how that would have turned out.

Sincerely,

A disgruntled customer.

I`m going to Morocco!

As one of my friends put it eloquently, yesterday I had a girly day. I looked at shoes, went to a material store and made myself a curtain. Though I already have a curtain in room its quite ugly and completly blocks the light. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but yesterday when I had my window open I felt like my arm was being burnt so I needed some kind of thin layer to protect myself from the sun. I still wanted to enjoy the sun and thus was born my conundrum. I also now have a kind of privacy screen from the people who are going up the bastille in the eggs. I know for a fact that they can see into my room, though I imagine that most of the time they are admiring the view and not the rooms in Rabot. I still feel a little uneasy changing though.

In terms of my trip over Easter break I now have a way to get back! Hourrah. I was a little worried before that we might end up paying huge sums of money to leave Morocco because all of the flight would be booked up. Luckily this was not the case and for the entire Morocco excursion flights have worked out to $250 CAD. The leg from Barcelona to Marrakech is about 2 hours and from Agadir to Lyon the flight is about 4 hours.If you follow the route illustrated by Google maps (which we won`t be) its 2,666 km.

Anyways, that's all for now. I am meeting a friend from brunch shortly and then we are going to visit Vizille, which is 17km's south of Grenoble. It has a castle which is the main reason we`re going. I`ll have more details later, probably even some photos!