From Paris with Difference

Paris. Over rated? Let's find out. An invitation from Emily and one hour later on the same Sunday morning I had the tickets in my hand heading towards Paris. Fascinating. A good two hours of train ride from Lyon to Paris and we're in the city of romance and expensive restaurants.

Let's see. We didn't visit the Eiffel tower, we didn't visit any museums, we didn't climb up to l'Arc de Triomphe, we didn't spend money on design artifacts, we didn't visit Moulin rouge, we didn't drink wine, we didn't eat French food and we didn't take lots of touristic pictures. What did we do then? Beware all of you skeptics, Paris lovers and American fast food joint haters, stop reading now!

We ordered a bucket of chicks from KFC and ate it in the woods (west of Paris), we slept in Little India (neighborhood next to la Chapelle metro stop), we had superb Indian food, we used the fantastic Veli'b city bike system to get around as well as the metro, we had ice cream, we ate incredible burgers at Hard Rock Cafe, we used the free toilets of McDonald's on Champs Elysees, we gave money to homeless guys, we visited the Ellen Von Unwerth photo exposition in the Bon Marché, we had coffees, we got lost in a fancy neighborhood. Oh and it rained the whole Monday.

Paris is not over rated, you just need to find a way how to enjoy it in another way. Swedish groups seen: 2, Americans: Eternal amount, Germans: 4 groups, British: at least 5, Finnish: 0. Where are you Finns?

In-joy ze pictures!

POV of Louvre

Street art

The normal every day taxi

Ellen von Unwerth photo exposition

Tent with electricity and a guarding bear outside

Yes, these pictures are taken in Paris

Cigar and a Jaguar XKR-S auspuff (normal stuff)

Seine

Weekend in Annecy

Last week Tijana asked me if I want to hang along to Annecy with Remo, Emily and Lewis so the little kid Fred got all excited once more during his 23 years of living "There's a lake! We can swim!" and he said "I'm IN!"

So the day finally sailed to the port last Saturday. What everyday-car was chosen for this little holiday trip then? According to Remo, the boring car, an Audi A4 3.2 liter V6 cabriolet (convertible). Definitely my thoughts too; the boring car. With a nice cruising speed of 'whatever' we got to Annecy in a flash, threw our bags in the hotel and went for a swim ...or a dip ..or a get-in-and-fly-out. It's epic to swim with snowy mountains in the background. And yes it was COLD and don't come whining that "you shouldn't care, you're Finnish". I did notice! You all know how you show to others the temperature with your thumb and index finger resembling ..well you know. In this case there's no space between those fingers. It sure was refreshing though.

Later on we had a hunt for THE restaurant and after settling down in one of the places with actual space I had a tartar steak. Yes, raw minced meat. Although it was good, you didn't really understand whether you were hungry later or not. Luckily the old part of Annecy is driven by ice cream factories. Which means after a full stomach of ice cream we went to bed quite early, had a good night sleep and took the car around the lake with the roof down the next day. This word came already once during this entry and it's coming again right here: EPIC! Driving with a convertible makes you hungry, for more sure, but I mean Food Hungry. So we had a bite at a local restaurant, and all of a sudden the master chef Marc Veyrat came and said "Bonjour!" For you who doesn't know, he's the first chef to have achieved full points (20/20) of the Gault-Millau guide (for both of his restaurants) and has achieved twice three Michelin stars. Impressive!

An Awesome Team on an Awesome Weekend in an Awesome Place. Can it get more Awesome? Emily, Tijana and Remo kept saying the place looks like Switzerland. So probably it will get more awesome, let's just head to Lugano! Dreams aside, we had to take the train back because Remo had to head back with the car to his office in Switzerland. Later on we had a  d e l i c i o u s  dinner, but that's another story! In-joy les photos!

Le Grand Parc

We are human beings. Most human beings prefer comfort and peace and if there's a trip to do most human beings choose a comfortable way to move around. Number one would be a car or a vehicle with an engine that you have full control over. Next ones are a bus or train or similar. Then comes the bikes that most people like to utilize in shorter trips. My solution, which isn't even a possibility in the eyes of the majority (simply because most people don't understand what it is) is a fixed gear bike! After something between 55 and 60 kilometers today on my beloved, simple and condition maintaining machine I partly understand the way of thinking of the majority. Partly. In the center of Lyon you overtake everybody with a bike and a competitive mind, so I'm going to prefer this racer of mine.

So how can you take on nearly 60km in one session? Easy! Go to Le Grand Parc with multiple 'getting lost' moments and enjoy the nature, water, peace, freedom and the activities. During summer you can sail, row and surf to name a few in the lake. If you're a golfer, pack your bag, call your caddy and go play with your friends. If you're a biker enthusiast or like to walk, there are five routes around the park of which the shortest is 5km and the longest is 31km. Just recharge your mp3 player or your singing skills, whichever you prefer and show yourself what you're able to do.


Human beings needs nutrition too. Here's an error Fred forgot in his eccentric ambitions on getting as fast as he could to his destination. I did the trip with the power of two eggs and a glass of water. Later I tumbled upon a banana, an apple and 2 liters of juice. 60km of constant pedaling and what is the reward? An apple ...and stiff, cramping thighs. Not regretting anything. Because now I'm going to enjoy a huge steak. In-joy some pics!

The freedom (Grand Parc) and The nutrition (Bellecour)

Let this stone begin its rolling journey

This text was supposed to be born for about seven or eight months ago when I started my exchange year in Lyon, France. Well, it didn't, did it? No. Life goes on and the miracle of creation descended from heaven and appeared in my head. Problem is I've only got 2 months to go in Lyon. I'm going to write a best-seller book of forgotten and unforgotten experiences before I tell you everything from those past months, meaning that it's TOO MUCH. Let's do this in a nutshell: I've been in school, met a shitload of nice people, met new friends for life, snowboarded almost a month on the French alps and learned French. Done, so let's focus on the time being and the future. You'll love it.

"What happened in his life this weekend?" I hear my imaginary friend George ask himself. Well, Fran (my Spanish flatmate, my brother from another mother) rushed in my room on Friday (Franday) and asked if I'm ready for The trip. I had been somewhere dreaming about knee-deep powder again because this was news to me. What, Where and when? "Marseilles, tomorrow." After a slight confusion and a hit in the face I coughed out an adventurous YES! "Start at 8.30am" the Spanish way which means in this case 11am. 311km later we shake hands with the owner of the Backpackers Hostel La Cigale et la FourmiAdresse :. A day at the beach and a random encounter with Johan, a very skilled photographer later we're in the hostel again. After a mediocre night sleep we went out playing tourists around town. It was intriguing and relaxing. Notre-Dame de la Garde, the old port, the sea, the people, the sights in general etc. Now I've been to Marseilles twice without seeing the bowls from THPS2, so I still have a reason to visit the city again. Why am I telling all this? I don't know. I guess George would like to know. Anyways, we enjoyed one superb weekend in Marseilles with Fran, Ana, MJ and Cristina. Sun was shining and the temperature went up to 26 degrees not Fahrenheit. Next weekend to the alps maybe?

In-joy some of the pictures of the trip, please. A+ tout le monde!