Getting around in Paris

August 31, 2013

Paris is a large metropolis, divided into what they call, arrondissements. There are 20 to be exact. On my most recent trip there with my niece (see Her First Trip Abroad: A journey from Paris to Marrakesh), we stayed at the Pullman Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement near Gare Montparnasse. It turned out to be a good location as it was fairly easy to get back to. Getting around in Paris can be daunting at first glance, but we navigated the city like experts in a variety of ways – hop on/hop off bus with L’Open Tour, local bus, taxi and even by a classic Vespa.

This trip, (my 3rd time to Paris in 3 years) I tried new ways to get around. I find Paris to be a very walkable city for the most part, but getting from one arrondissement to the next can sometimes be a long distance.

We had finished some touring, shopping and dinner in the St. Germain area and wanted to go see the Eiffel tower for my niece’s 1st view of it at night. We decided to get there by metro, but the metro in that area was closed due to construction, so we took a surface bus near Notre Dame to Musée d’Orsay where the Metro was open again. The bus was free as it was a shuttle between stations.

If you aren’t familiar with Paris, both Notre Dame and Musée d’Orsay are by the Seine River. I noticed that there was a lot of activity by the river so I wanted to check it out instead of going into the Metro right away. Although it was 9:30pm, I felt that it would be quite safe to wander around as there were many people strolling, sitting and socializing on the river’s edge and it was well lit. Most groups were on blankets and accompanied by some sort of wine or champagne, baguettes, cheese and other picnic type fare. As we walked down the stairs from the street level to river level we noticed a Velib station.

View from Quai D'Orsay — View from Quai D’Orsay

In the last few years, many large cities have adopted a bicycle transportation system. The city stores a number of bikes at stations throughout the core of the city. You rent a bike from one location and can return it to the same location or drop it off at another. If you do so within 30 minutes, the ride is free and you pay just a few dollars for access
fees. In Paris, the system is called Velib.

Velib bikes in Paris — My niece on a Velib bike in Paris

We decided that we would take a Velib bike from Quai D’Orsay where we were to Quai Branly where the Eiffel Tower is located. I found the system simple to use as there were instructions in English and you only needed a credit card to use it. We had a few blips getting started, but we got it all sorted out fairly easily and were on our way. The terminals offered instructions in English and several other languages.

It was about a 20 minute bike ride as some areas we passed were congested with large amounts of people picnicking or sitting at the bars and restaurants.

Wednesday night by the Seine River in Paris

I highly recommend the Velib system in Paris as a way to get around. It was an enjoyable and easy ride along the river’s edge and I felt like a local. Although tourists use the Velib system, many locals use it too. After that first trip we were hooked, but it may or may not have something to do with competing against the clock for a free ride.

We lost to the clock due to some technical difficulties with the seat adjustment, but in the end, this moment and shot, priceless!

My niece + a Velib bike + her 1st view of the Eiffel Tower at night

We decided to rent the bikes once more for a ride to the Peace monument which is at the other end of Champs du Mars in front of the École Militaire. So glad we did.

Here’s my niece enjoying the view

My niece, enjoying her view from the Peace monument, Paris

Don’t Let Me Go Africa

June 11, 2013

I tried to stop the tears that welled in my eyes from flowing, but they escaped, and I could no longer control them. I didn’t want to look like a fool on that small passenger plane from Johannesburg. The African wilderness was somewhere I had always wanted to experience, but it seemed like somewhere that only existed in my dreams, in the pages of National Geographic and on television.

As we flew over the northeast area of South Africa, memories of Sunday evenings on the sofa with my dad and Gran came to mind. As a child, I watched the Wild Kingdom and the television shows that featured the wildlife of Africa.

I saw mountains and valleys below and imagined the people that lived there and the animals that roamed amongst it. As we approached the Hoedspruit airport and flew closer to the ground, I looked for elephants and giraffes amongst the trees I saw below, but couldn’t see anything but dark green patches that dotted the ground. As we descended into the vast expanse that is the greater Kruger National Park, a feeling washed over me like none other, and I started to cry.

I worried that my cry would quickly become audible, so I worked hard at keeping it silent. Had I been alone, it would have been one of those cries that feel like you had been cleansed inside and had no more tears to cry, devoid of further emotion. I never had, in all my travels, felt like that before.

I went to South Africa with the intention of learning more about it and its people, enjoying beautiful scenery, stalking wild animals and by stalking I mean going on a game drive to admire animals in their natural habitats and having new experiences. I came back having fulfilled all of those things, but what I didn’t expect was feeling like I was somehow home.

It’s been almost 6 months since I was there and I still feel like I am trying to process it all. I write, ponder, leave the blog, look at my photos and come back to this unfinished post many times over.

I wanted to so perfectly describe the feeling I had and to perhaps make sense of it but have resigned to the fact that I don’t think I really can. Nonetheless, I wanted to share my experience. I will chalk it up to one of those profound experiences in my life that can’t be fully explained.

Flying over the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa, approaching Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province.

The little plane that took me to where my dreams came true. — The little plane that took me to where my dreams came true

Update: In the last year (about 2 years since I first visited South Africa) learned that my paternal great-great-grandfather is buried in a cemetery near Johannesburg. I had no idea that any of my family had been to South Africa. I’ve since learned his history and that I have other relatives buried there as well and have relatives that are still in South Africa.

How To Transfer Your iPhone Images To Your iPad

May 28, 2013

You’re travelling and enjoying the views, clicking away and suddenly you get the dreaded “low memory” message on your iPhone. You look at your photos on your iPhone to try to decide which ones to delete so you have space to take more, BUT you don’t want to delete any of them. So what do you do?

A. you scream “whyyyyyyy”
B. you delete as many photos as you can anyway
C. you quickly start transferring images to your Dropbox account, but wait, you don’t have internet service and then you refer back to A & B

For a while, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my photos off my iPhone and on to another device such as my iPad/iPad mini while on the go.

Update:

iFlash Drive

I use a 16gb iFlashDrive from PhotoFast to transfer my favourite images until I can get a reliable

The Liebster Blog Award

May 15, 2013

Okay so I got an award, the Liebster Blog award. I had never heard of it before so I spent some time on google and what I can gather is that it is an award from your blogging peers. It’s recognition and a virtual high five that is given to support, promote and encourage up and coming bloggers or blogs you like that you might have just discovered. I got this award from Eartha back in March while I was on a trip to British Columbia, Canada. So thanks Eartha, I appreciate the recognition and the high five!

How it works is you post 11 random facts about yourself, you answer 11 questions from the blogger that gave you the award, you nominate 11 other bloggers and you ask 11 random questions of those nominated bloggers. Wow, that’s a lot of elevens.

So here goes…

Random Facts about ME:

In grade 6 I was allowed to skip afternoon classes on one day a week to take a photography class the school offered.
The first flight I ever remember taking was when I was 5. My grandmother took me to Los Angeles for a few weeks to visit her friends. I still can see the city of L.A. all lit up as we arrived at night.
When I was 11 and 12 years old I did a 25km walkathon and when I was 12 and 13 years old, I did a 32km bikeathon.
I once travelled somewhere every month for a year.
I love the Toronto Film Festival and went to 14 movies last year including 6 Foreign films. Love, love, love them.
My father and grandmother are from Burma (Myanmar). My mother is from Germany. I am a first generation Canadian.
When I was in grade 6 I was nominated to compete for the James Houston illustration award. It was a shock because I really have don’t have any illustration skills whatsoever, I can draw a mean stick person though.
When I was 12 years old I was asked to play on adult’s co-ed softball team and they nicknamed me “the kid with the golden glove”.
My baseball throw has been clocked at 63mph.

10 I learned how to eat with chopsticks when I was 10.

11 My first flight on my own was when I 16 years old and went to summer camp in Minnesota.

Questions from my nominator:

1. What’s your favorite travel memory?

Have to say it was going on safari in South Africa. I just love wildlife and couldn’t get enough of it.

2. Where is your favorite destination so far?

Africa. Loved South Africa and loved Senegal! Wait, that’s 2 destinations?! 😉

3. What is your favorite thing to photograph while abroad?

Trees. So many trees, so little time.

4. Who is your travel hero?

My Gran. She was a traveller and did a round the world
trip when she retired for 3 months and took me on my first trip.

5. Are you more practical or luxurious?

I think more practical, but can splurge from time to time especially for experiences, not so much for accommodations.

6. What are your best travel purchases?

My Djembe, a drum that originated in West Africa. I bought it in South Africa, but took lessons in Senegal just before my trip to South Africa.

7. When did you first get bitten by the travel bug?

Probably as a child, because of the many trips I did with my Gran and road trips I did with my family. As soon as I could afford to travel on my own, I did.

8. Share your most favorite travel photo ever!

I used to watch Wild Kingdom on Sunday nights and leafed through many a National Geographic magazines as a child so my ultimate dream was to see animals in the wild in Africa. In December 2012, that long time dream came true. I dreamed of photographing a giraffe against a sunset for a long time so when this giraffe appeared it was somewhat surreal. You can read about it here.

9 Have you ever met someone while traveling that you really connected with?

I’m not sure if it really counts as traveling although it was on my travels to British Columbia for summer camp. I met my best friend at that summer camp in British Columbia when I was a teenager, more than 20 years ago.

10. Are you still friends? Absolutely!

11 Would you rather fly, sail, drive or walk? Definitely fly though I have a love for sailing, driving and walking too.

My 11 nominated:

Vanessa @turnipseeds
Melissa Shearer @mellyboo
Christine Maxfield @compassmag
Penny Sadler @pennysadler
Merushka @mzansigirl
Susan @vibrantireland
Andrea @andreamueller10
Aleah @aleahphils
Debbie @travelingwellfl
Kasio Martin @kasixote
Sabina @sabinalohr

Questions for my 11:

Name 3 places on your travel list
What’s the 1 thing you cannot travel without?
Who is your travel hero?
What is your favourite travel book? Can be anything from a Lonely Planet Guide to a book like Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway or On The Road by Jack Kerouac
If you could time travel back in time, where would you go and why?
What is your favourite travel movie?
What camera do you use for your travel photos?
What’s the most adventurous or dangerous thing you’ve done on your travels.
What is your least favourite destination and why?

10. Do you try to speak the language of the country you’re visiting?

11. Do you prefer to travel solo or with family or friends?

Let me know when you have done your own list by commenting below with the link and/or tweeting me. I’ll link and retweet. Pass it on!

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

Adventures in Dakar, Senegal

May 11, 2013

Le Centre Culturel c’est là the taxi driver announced.

C’est le Centre Culturel Derkle? I ask.

Non, c’est le Centre Culturel Americain

Derkle? He sounded confused.

I think back to my conversation with Amina, the nanny at my friend’s house. She also thought I was going to the American cultural centre. Maybe it’s the one most visitors go to in Dakar. I remembered that I saw ‘liberté six’ on the map when I showed her the location.

Now in the taxi and somewhat lost, I pull the map out of my travel bag and show it to him while pointing to The Derkle Cultural Centre.

C’est là, en liberté six.

Ah, oui, je le sais maintenant.

Ndiaye smiles and turns the taxi around as he knows where to go now. Relief spreads over me. For a moment, I imagined myself lost in Dakar and not being able to explain where I wanted to go. Senegal is the first place I’ve ever been where English speakers were difficult to find, a new experience for me.

Dakar Street Life on route to the Derkle Cultural Centre

We pull up to a rose-colored building in the middle of a residential neighbourhood in Dakar. There isn’t a tourist in sight.

C’est ici says, Ndiaye. I look around and hesitantly step out of the familiarity of the taxi and Ndiaye.

Merci Ndiaye, je vais vous répondre ici à six heures

D’accord, à six heures

Thanking him as I get out of the taxi, we make plans to meet at 6 o’clock that evening. I know that it’s the correct place as I spotted a sign before leaving the car.

There is a gated entry way; I walk through. A circle of senior women are on my right. They gathered in the shade of a tree. I can hear them talking, but I don’t recognize the language. I wonder if it’s Wolof. I want to stop and interact with them, but I have a class to attend, and I’m not sure where I need to go.

I continue and am now in the courtyard of the building. There are many rooms; they appear to be classrooms. I wonder where everyone is. I try to look for a sign
that may point to where I’m supposed to go for my Djembe lessons, but there are none. I wander around and try and listen for the sound of a drum, but again, nothing.

I go back to the front of the building and search for someone that may know where I need to go. It looks like I’m at the front office, but I’m not certain. I step inside.

Bonjour? I call out. Suddenly a man appears from a back room. Bonjour.

Savez-vous Ibou? J’ai des cours de djembe avec lui.

Non, je suis désolé mais je ne le connais pas.

I’ve just asked if he knows Ibou, the man I’m supposed to meet. He tells me that he’s sorry but doesn’t know him. I thank him and say goodbye. The only person who seems to know anything about the place doesn’t know the person I’m supposed to meet.

I’m not even sure where I am in Dakar. I don’t know how far away my friend’s house is, and I wonder if there is a local bus nearby but then I don’t know how to get back to my friend’s house. I don’t have a transit map, and I don’t have a data connection as I couldn’t get my Senegal SIM card to work. I don’t even have Ndiaye, the taxi driver’s number, and I’m not sure I can speak French well enough to get me to where I need to go. Suddenly, I feel ill-prepared, and a bit of panic begins to set in.

I take a deep breath.

Okay Andrea, relax. Think. You are more prepared than this; you can handle this. In my excitement, I forgot that I was supposed to call the drumming instructor when I arrived. Good thing I added an Africa phone and text plan to my iPhone the night before since my local SIM didn’t work. I look on my phone, and there’s the information I need. I dial the number. A voice answers.

Salaam alaikum

Alaikum Salaam. Hello, is that Ibou?

Yes, this is Ibou

Great! It’s Andrea; I’m here at the front.

Okay, I’ll find you there

I exhale.

djembe dakar senegal — A group of drummers at a local cultural centre in Dakar, Senegal. The man in the blue shirt on the right is Ibou and was my djembe instructor.

Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa

February 22, 2013

Chapman’s Peak Drive is a 9km route between Noordhoek and Hout Bay in South Africa, about 15 km from Cape Town. There are 114 curves along this stretch of the Atlantic coast on the south-western tip of Africa. There are several stops along the way where you can pause and enjoy the scenery.

I have been on a some stunning drives such as the Sea to Sky highway from Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver
area) to Whistler in British Columbia, Canada and the Grand Pacific Drive from Sydney to Wollongong in Australia. I have to say that Chapman’s Peak Drive was the most spectacular thus far.

This photo was taken in panorama mode on my iPhone 4s. Click the photo below for a larger view.