Berlin

Flag of Berlin

I headed to Berlin to meet up with one of my good friends Tyler who I met in Athens and later saw in Paris. This was his last stop and I really wanted to see him again before he headed back to good old Oregon.

I think everyone agrees when I say Berlin is the best city to just live, no need to make a check list of must sees, you just need to live day to day experiences. It has this vibe that's hard to explain but impossible to resist.

I got to experience the underground club scene as well as get a great history of the city and the country on a walking tour and just enjoy the great people and places of Berlin. One day I had the chance to visit Sachsenhausen concentration camp just outside of Berlin, which was not only used by the Nazis but also during the soviet union, I had a really great tour guide that made the experience very interesting.

Chocolate Brandenburg Gate!!

Me with part of the Berlin Wall in the background.

Oh and I met this interesting Australian fellow named Jason who decided to join me in Vienna...

BUDA pest

View of Pest from Buda

When I initially thought of places I wanted to visit while I was in Europe, Budapest had never come to mind but because I didn't have time to go to Russia and really wanted to see some of Eastern Europe, I made my way there. The hostel I stayed at was one of my favourite. It was owned by a young american who was on his way to Israel when he stopped in Budapest and ended falling in love with a local. He never made it to Israel but now he owns a pretty awesome hostel and got himself a lady friend.
Budapest is gorgeous, it was originally two cities divided by the river. On Buda you can find the palace and the castle hill and on Pest you find the parliament and many other monuments. I had the chance to rent a bike, it was the best way to tour the city. One day I went to these traditional outdoor thermal baths,  it felt pretty great swimming outside in the middle of December. On the last day I went to the House of Terror, which was the Nazi headquarters and then later during the Soviet Union the secret police headquarters.
I met some of the nicest people and had some of the most relaxing and freeing moments in this city, I love you Budapest :)

Thermal Baths

Me and my beautiful bike!

House of Terror 

Amsterdam

I know this will be hard to believe but the cheapest flight out of Athens was to Amsterdam. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about going there but I had a few days to visit one more place before going back to Paris and then Nice to meet my mom. Weekends are crazy packed so most hostels were booked, I ended up staying in a Christian hostel in the center of the Red Light District (oh the irony!).  Honestly I know this city has a reputation for a few things, but it is truly one of the most beautiful cities I've seen. It's clean, safe, and rich in history and culture. I got the chance to get a quick history lesson on the Deutsch at the Rijksmuseum and see paintings by one of their most famous painters- Rembrandt. I also checked out the van Gogh museum!

These past three weeks have been great, now I'm in Nice once again with my family where I met up with my mama :) Next up I'm trying to go to Vienna, Budapest and Slovenia, and I'd like to finish in London before heading back to Toronto!

-Clara

Greeece!!

After Rome I went to Athens. I had my first experience with the current situation in the country when parts of downtown were shut down due to protests and I had to take a detour to get to my hostel. It was interesting because when I asked the tourism office what was going on they claimed it was a national holiday and definitely not a riot or protest, but when I talked to my cab driver he confirmed that it was absolutely a protest. But overall my trip in Greece was very safe and not violent or scary like the media makes it out to be.  Protests go on only in specific sections of the city and the rest is normal and the day to day life continues.

The historic sites of Athens are so impressive! The Acropolis Museum was great and gave me a nice refresher on Ancient Greek history and then actually seeing the Acropolis was amazing, I loved it so much I went twice!

                                                 On the Acropolis infront of the Parthenon

After Athens I went to the greek island Santorini. It was beautiful!! Exactly what you picture when you think of Greece with the white houses and blue roofs. I was travelling with two Canadian guys from Calgary and we went on a boat tour of the Island. We got dared to go swimming because since we're Canadian apparently this temperature is normal for us haha the water was COLD, but soo worth it :)

                                  

                                                                 Sunset in Santorini

Roma

Heyhey,

It's been a while since I've updated my blog and I apologize!! I'm now back in Paris so let me take you through my past three weeks. It all started in Rome, Italy.

Rome was beautiful, this wasn't my first time there but I loved it just as much as the first time if not more.  As soon as I got to the airport I spotted two backpackers who had canadian flags (those canadians are everywhere!).  We quickly became friends, Bobbi and Leslie are cousins from BC.  I found my hostel no problem and was reassured by how clean and safe it was, since this was my first time staying in a hostel I didn't know what to expect. I then met another Canadian, this time from Calgary. Nicole and I ended up visiting a lot of Rome together. I saw the Vatican, the Colosseum, Trevi Foutain, the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese!

My last night there was one of the best! Nicole had read about this restaurant where you selected the 3 dish option on the menu and they brought you 3 random dishes, chef's choice. It was awesome! We got one ravioli dish, one rice and vegetable dish and lastly a penne and ham dish. It was delicious and so exciting not knowing what was coming next!

Roman soldiers infront of the Colosseum

Rome with the Vatican in the background!

Making a wish at the Trevi Fountain.

Here I goooo!!!!

And so it has begun, the next two months of my life filled with adventures and unexpected turns! I spent a fantastic last night in Paris with my friends and then boarded a train for Nice. Unfortunately, it looks like I brought Parisian weather to the south, as it's been raining non-stop and there's even been flooding in the region, but none of that matters because I am so happy to be surrounded by family and prepping for my european travels. This Saturday all my cousins and their families are getting together at my aunt's house and then Monday I'm off to Rome :)

Bisous,
Clara

Taking this experience to a whole new level

Hey,

I have officially become a cliche in Paris by becoming a waitress, however it's not in a cafe but in an Italian restaurant. I should probably back track to explain how I got to this point.  It all started when I got here, well really it started long before but I'll spare you the life story and skip to the recent events. This exchange has been brutal, Paris is like one of my friends called it "a cruel mistress".  So much goes wrong here, but you still love it because c'est Paris how could you not be in love. Many reasons added up to make me take one of the biggest decisions of my life, something I never thought I could be capable of. I decided to stop school and take the semester off. I was pleasantly surprised by people's reactions to this news. I thought for sure people would be dissapointed or not understand, but so far everyone has been extremely supportive.

I thought it would be easy to know what to do next, I stopped school, I'm free...right? But having so much freedom all of the sudden confused me, was I suppose to travel, where should I travel to, should I work, should I go home?

 What would you do if you suddenly had let's say 2 months to do whatever you want to?

In the end I quit my job as a waitress for several unpleasant reasons and I am looking for someone to replace me in my housing situation, then I'm off to see my aunt and cousins in Nice and from there I will travel Europe!

                                          Words I've been living by during this experience :)

Barcelonaaaaa!

Hello!

Back from Barcelona, and it was great!! I went with 4 other girls, two from UofT and two from Slovenia. We decided to get a hotel room just for two and all sleep in one bed, it was hilarious but I think we all need a serious massage for our sore backs. The weather was perfect, I can't believe I was able to wear a dress in mid-October and not be cold.The city was beautiful from the sites, to the beach, to the spanish men haha. It also felt unreal to be excited to go home, and for home to be Paris..that's a pretty sweet life.

Here we are at Sagrada Familia.  Gaudi's work was fascinating to look at, it just seems like he never held back on his vision, I really liked it!

Update

Hey everybody,

Things have been good here in Paris. I finished my antibiotic treatment yesterday, no more needles for a long time I hope! Today I am going to the hospital for a check up, fingers crossed that the treatment worked and I am hundred percent recovered. Tomorrow the girls and I are having a little house party, and then Saturday I go to BARCELONA!!! I am very excited, this will be my first trip out of France since I got here. It's also the first time I've been to Spain, well apparently I went when I was 6 months old but that doesn't count. I'll take lots of pictures and keep you updated...

Love,
Clara

My stay in God's Hotel

                                                                   Hopital Hotel Dieu

View of Notre-Dame from the hospital

This story begins when both my roommmates Emma and Laura got sick, being one to always catch the bug going around I knew my turn would come soon.  And it did on Sunday, I got the typical symptoms of a cold and then it turned into what seemed to be the stomach flu. I saw the same doctor twice, however he wasn't successful in prescribing the right drugs.  The most embarrasing part of this story happened when I picked up medicines from the pharmacy. I had ordered, paid and was two minutes from being able to leave when I passed out then got up and vomitted what was left in my stomach lol ( I have to laugh about it now).  The pharmacist was surprisingly nice and I asked him "are you from Paris?" and when he replied "no I'm from la provence" his kindness finally made sense.

That afternoon I skyped with my parents and they told me I should really call SOS Medecins, which is a service of doctors who make house calls. Dr. Lamour came an hour later and proceeded to inform that one of the painkillers the previous doctor had prescribed was dangerous to the kidneys. (I guess it would be important to note at this point that I only have one kidney). He did a urine test and a blood test and told me if the results came out positive for a urinary tract infection that I would have to immediately go to the hospital to be treated.

I was finally feeling better. Emma and I were picking out a movie to watch that night when I got the phone call..  Dr. Lamour told me I had perturbing results in my blood test and like he previously mentioned I now had to go to the hospital.  Emma and I were so use to things going wrong in Paris, from housing, to school, to any administrative task, that we learned to take things lightly. So we casually packed our bags,  and even brought cake and a camera.  On the way we kept joking about how we're the best exchange students because we're so dedicated to getting the full french experience including going to the hospital.

The closest Hospital to my house was Hopital Hotel Dieu, which is actually right beside Notre-Dame Cathedral and was also built in the middle ages (pretty cool!).  At the hospital I checked in, did a blood and urine test again and then sat with Emma in the waiting room.

Finally the doctor called me in to tell me about my results. She informed me that I had a "blood infection", my response "uhhhhh what?", "It's complicated to explain" said the doctor. Alright cool that's reassuring... I ended up having to stay the night and the next morning they did an ultra sound on my kidney to see if it was okay.  My kidney was in perfect condition. I got transferred to a room in the higher levels of the hospital and the doctor told me I had a urine infection. I asked him about this "too complicated to explain blood infection" and he looked confused and told me I never had a blood infection, instead I had a blood inflammation which occurs whenever the body is trying to fight off anything.  The strangest thing about all this information I was getting about what I have or don't have was that I've had urine infections before and I knew what they felt like, but since I started getting sick I never had any of the symptoms, the only thing that was causing me pain was my ear, throat and the fever. But I'm not a doctor so what do I know...

On the morning of the third day of my stay, the doctor informed me that I never had a urine infection, but I do have an infection they just couldn't identify where.  She promised me that they wouldn't let me leave until they'd figured it out! Fastforward a few hours later, she returned and told me they don't know, go home, take these antibiotics, and good luck. As frustrating as it was for them to just give up, I was pretty happy to get out of there and go home!

I'm alright now, the most painful part is that the antibiotics they've prescribed have to be given in the form of an injection in the lower back everyday for 7 days. But I'm in Paris, can't complain too much...right?

Evidence that this is indeed a true story

LOVE,
Clara
Ps. I have to thank Emma for being the best roommate in the world and my friend Anna for bringing me books and sneaking in food :)

Finally In Love Again

Hello Everybody,

Great news, I HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE!!!
It's a lovely appartment in the 4eme arrondisement of Paris which is also known as "Le Marais". I have great memories in this neighbourhood, especially from two years ago when my family did a house exchange and my best friend Spiros came to visit.  We spent most of our nights here causing trouble, discussing philosophy (especially works of descartes), and so on. Needless to say, I'm sure I will spend a fantastic year living here and creating new memories.
I have two roommates; Emma is from Spain and Laura is from Germany. They're awesome and we already get along really well! We're planning trips to go to different places in France and in Europe. I don't have a picture at the moment but I will post one of us in our new home soon :) Things finally feel like they're working out and I can now truly enjoy paris and fall in love with it all over again..

Love,
Clara

Normandie

Hello,

This past week has been crazy! I still had no housing but I needed to get out of Paris and breathe different air, so I headed up to Normandie. When I was a kid we use to always go up there, it was our version of 'going to the cottage'.  After seeing the beaches of my childhood, I decided to see mont st. Michel. I had never been but heard that it was a must see, and it did not dissapoint!
Afterwards I headed to Saint-Malo, which I had just learned is where the French left to go to Canada to form Quebec.. I didn't have many expectations for this stop, but it turned out to be one of the best of the weekend.  The ocean there is so dramatic as the huge waves crash agaisnt the fortified walls of old saint-malo.

Mont Saint-Michel.

Saint-Malo.

Update

Hey everybody,

It's now been a little more than a week that I've been Paris and if I may be honest, it hasn't been fantastic.  I understood before coming that the beginning is always hard, you have to start all over with the most basic things like getting housing or a bank account or a phone, but somehow the French system has managed to create a vicious cycle out of this. To get a bank account you must have a fixed address in France, to get housing you must have a bank account, to get a phone you need both...

My greatest victory this week was when after getting brutally rejected by the 'nice' lady at the medical insurance office, I returned determined to get free French health coverage and succeed with a bit of luck! I can now officially get hit by a car and receive treatment at any french hospital (success!)

To celebrate my small victories and my one week anniversary I was craving a piece of home.  That's when I came across a Greek take-out place.  The majority of the time I lived in Toronto was on the Danforth (Greek Town), so for me comfort food is a gyros. Let me tell you, that gyros was one of the best meals I've had in Paris!

         Getting medical insurance

                                                                           So delicious!

Homeless in Paris

Finally here!! Paris is such a beautiful city, it already feels like home as I walk the familiar streets of my childhood. Yesterday I had a steak frites and then an eclair au cafe, and it reminded me why I came back here- the food is simply divine!

In terms of school, French 'Frosh Week' starts Friday and I am excited to finally get to know the university I'm going to be spending the next school year at. As for housing, I am officially homeless in Paris :( This is one of the hardest city to find a place to live, as there is such high demand but so little availability. But I am staying positive and am determined to find a place!

Here I am at the American Church fighting other students to read the bulletin on housing:

Goodbye Toronto, Bonjour Paris!

Hey everybody,

So this is it, what I've been planning for a long time is finally here! My flight is tomorrow and I am super excited.  My bags are packed (sort of) and I've said goodbye to my friends and loved ones.  I'm not sure what to expect from this adventure, but no matter what happens I will embrace everything that comes my way with open arms!

Love,
Clara