Just so you know...

Just so you know...first sign of snowflakes today!!! Very excited, it's supposed to snow a bit most of the week :) Also, Australia won rugby!

Love from Alex xoxo

Hello!

Hi all!

Not much news. Saw the new Bond film on the weekend, very cool. Last night we celebrated "le Beaujolais nouveau" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaujolais_nouveau . There were fireworks but it sounded a lot more exciting than it actually was. It starts at midnight so we had a lovely walk home along the river to get back to INSA residence.

I met my coach for Jeunes Ambassadeurs last week. His name is Franck and he works in real estate as managing direct of a company, Diagonale http://www.diagonale.fr/. Really nice guy and very enthusiastic about the program. We're going to the Lyon flea market on Sunday before having lunch with his kids. I'm going on a 'cultural tour' of Lyon on Saturday and might head to the pub for some more culture and the all important "France VS Australia" rugby match (and no, I have never watched even 5 min of a game of rugby in my life, just getting into the spirit of things!). There's also a photo competition going on for JA <> is the theme, and over the year I have the opportunity to prepare a project, introducing my hometown to the "lyonnais" culture. I have a few ideas...

Hmmm...not much else to tell I think, am very tired from the long walk home at 2am last night and waterpolo this arvo. Going to bed.

Bonne nuit

Alex xoxo

Lara et Eva come to Lyon!

Just spent a wonderful few days with Lara and Eva. Will write a quick summary.

Thursday:- Eva and Lara arrived at Lyon in the evening (by car). Went out for dinner pretty much straight away with some friends. We went to a "bouchon" (very Lyonnais). Plenty of tasty food with some house wine (it's the 'Bordeaux' way). Ended the evening with a drink at K-Fet, the on-campus student bar.

Friday:- I had school so Lara and Eva spent the morning visiting Vieux Lyon and other parts. We met up at 'Le Parc de La Tete d'Or' for a picnic lunch. The sun was shining and I finally got to see all the animals in the zoology parc!!! Tigers, giraffes, elephants, monkeys!!! I think they spent the afternoon shopping (Lara and Eva, not the animals). Had a fun night out in town! We went up to Fourviere, which is very beautiful by night. The view is quite spectacular. We then had dinner at a 'Savoyard' restaurant near 'Place de Bellecour' called La Grange. It was absolutely delicious. Eva and I shared a fondue. I don't think I've ever eaten that much cheese. Finally ended up in a 'boat' club...as in, a night club decorated as a ship. Lots of dancing, the french have strange taste in music...like, my dad would have a ball..a bit of YMCA, some Grease, Ra-ra-rasputin and finally (quite appropriately) in the NAVY!!!

Saturday:- The three musketeers (Lara, Alex et Eva) drove to le Chateau de Vaugirard, where Lara's aunt and uncle own a farm...and live in a castle!!! Arrived just in time for lunch (roast chicken and quenelle!) and then went walking around the farm and visited the castle.

Sunday:- Went to Monbrison for a quick visit. It's a small town near the castle. We couldn't walk around the farm much because it was a hunting day. More food...Marie-Caroline made us a very 'Lyonnais' meal. Tripe!!! hmmm well I tried it, but I think once is enough! For those who don't know, I ate cow intestines and stomach...Took the train home, arrived back at INSA just a couple of hours ago. Lara and Eva are staying with her family until Tuesday before heading back to Bordeaux.

Ciao, 'til next time

Alex xoxo

Quick post

Hello,

Just quickly, have been sick this week but am on the mend with plenty of rest. I was ordered by Alice not to go to waterpolo today (I really was going to go).

Lara and Eva just couldn't get enough of me last week so they're coming today!!! Staying here until Saturday and then we head up together to the castle I keep hearing about (where La's family lives!).

Anything else?

Classes have been good. Getting a bit frustrated because there are plenty of lectures and not many TD (tutes). It's very theoretical.

Oh yeah, I got into a program, Jeunes Ambassadeurs (http://www.jeunes-ambassadeurs.com/) which I applied for a few weeks ago. Very exciting, basically a lot of networking and visiting/getting to know the Rhone-Alpes region. There are plenty of events and visits organised throughout the year. Next week I get paired up with a mentor, someone from industry, and my first industry visit is at the end of the month to SANOFI PASTEUR (http://en.sanofi-aventis.com/), a very big vaccine making company. Yay!

Two very exciting things happened on Tuesday...incase you haven't heard. Obama is US President but, more imporantly, 'Viewed' won the Melbourne Cup! Alex's blog: with the latest global news updates!

Miss you all

xoxo

October Holidays!

Hello again! Well, have only just started studying and already I had a week of holidays for All Saints. So, I'll start from the beginning...

Left Lyon Friday afternoon to head for Bordeaux to visit my best buddy Lara. Decided to take a TGV which may not be the most effective form of transport to that side of the country. It took 6 hours, passing through Montpelier and Toulouse. For those who don't know their French geography (I didn't) this is not the most direct route to get to Bordeaux! Anyway...Lara was waiting for me at the station and we headed straight to her grandpa's place. She's driving, by the way, and very well indeed (was quite impressed becauseI know I would never drive in France, I can barely cross the road without almost getting run over!) His house is massive, a few stories high, plenty of empty rooms and VERY french! Didn't get much sleep that night as we had sooooo much to catch up on, you can imagine!

The weather over the weekend was stunning! We went to La Rochelle, a two hour drive on the seaside, with Lara's friends, Eva (from Austria) and Rocio (from Spain). Strolled around, had a crepe and what not before heading back to Bordeaux. Rocio taught me how to roll my R's, the real spanish way with the tongue!!! Very happy because it's incredibly difficult but I think it was a loooooooooooooong drive home for Lara and Eva...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrr rrrr Got an extra hour of sleep with the end of daylight savings (Lara and I were very confused for a while but that might be another story).

Sunday was all about markets. They are a lot of fun and the food is so fresh and there is so much cheese...yum. Had lunch at the markets on the 'Quai de Bordeaux'. Choose from paela, couscous and everything else, never forgetting the bottle of wine! Spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Bordeaux, visiting a bit. It was such a gorgeous day and Bordeaux is very beautiful, quite different to Lyon. So lucky to be travelling around different parts of France!

Sunday night, we cooked. Lara invited her aunt and uncle over. Eva, Lara and I slaved away in the kitchen preparing a very 'french' meal from a very 'french' recipe book which, it turns out, was translated from english...hmmm?! Was lovely all the same, except for the onion soup...a bit of a blue string soup moment (for any Bridget Jones' fan)! Had Austrian apple strudel for dessert! Was also delish!

What else did we do in Bordeaux? Lara wasn't on holidays and I wasn't in a very 'cultured' mood so there were no museum visits but haircuts, shopping, studying, wine tasting and cheese eating....lots and lots of cheese (and wine). Left my lovely Lara just yesterday but will see each other next week when she passes through Lyon before we visit her family (just another weekend away!)!!!

From Bordeaux, took the train to Paris. Was snowing everywhere along the way!!! Had a few friends from Lyon who were also in Paris so I managed to catch up with Suresh. We visited Notre Dame de Paris, had lunch and...being a miserable, cold, grey, cloudy day decided to visit a cemetery. Don't worry, it's not so creepy. 'La cemtiere Pere Lachaise' has some of the most famous tomb stones like Jim Morrison, La Fontaine, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Chopin and many others. It's also absolutely massive! The others left Paris in the afternoon and I came home to the lovely, warm, cosy cooking of the one and only, Mamie. Here until Sunday before heading back to Lyon and getting into the studies again on Monday. Hoping to visit l'Orangerie this afternoon.

I'm beginning to notice some themes in my blog posts...lots about eating and little about studying!!!

Better be off

Love from Alex

Not much to say

Hello. All is well in Lyon, just wanted to share a few things...

• There's a 'green' movement happening in France which is quite impressive. Whole aisles in the massive supermarkets are dedicated to organic and fair trade products...that's great but try to recycle glass, paper or plastic! It's pracitcally impossible!

• I got told off at the cafeteria at breakfast for taking yoghurt and fruit. It turns out I have to choose between yoghurt, fruit or orange juice...help!

• To 'rock up' somewhere is apparently an australian saying (I got a quizzical look when I used it)
  

• Could somebody please send me a packet (or two) of timtams?

• Had an amazing brunch in Vieux Lyon the other day. It was absolutely delicious. Also, crepes with chestnut cream are now my favourite!

• Canadians really are the kindest, nicest, most polite people in the world!

• Frenchies are crazy at mathematics...it's another level!
  

• Holidays next week, going to see Lara in Bordeaux and then heading for Paris again
  

Bonne nuit xoxo

...

Hello again! Has been a family filled couple of weeks. After having dad at Lyon, Barbara and Mathew came to visit for a few days. Spent plenty of time together discovering Vieux Lyon and convinced me to try out the velo-v system. It's very good. Basically, there are stations every few hundred metres around Lyon where you can borrow a bike, ride to your destination and drop off at the next station. It works because you don't need to wear helmets here when riding (don't really know if that's a good thing!) but there aren't always bike paths around and the frenchies drive on the wrong side of the road (in fact they do everything on the wrong side, even laps in the pool!). Good fun all the same, I hope i'll use it more throughout the year...a little demonstration of my professional cycling:



1) relaxed riding




2) fast riding




3) Sunday riding





So, we then went back to Paris together. A bit of a family reunion for Mamie's 80th. Had a lovely lunch on Saturday to celebrate, visiting Versaille at night. Saturday night in Paris was 'La Nuit Blanche' where heaps of sight seeing places are open all night, lit up and all beautiful...pretty much the opposite of Earth Hour :-P . Came back to INSA with Anne, she stayed just 2 nights before meeting up with Barbara, Mathew, Roma and Bjorn in Rome. Took the velo-v again to Parc de la Tete d'Or, where I went running last week. Apparently I totally missed the fact that there's a free zoo in the centre off the park with lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes. I blame it on the fact that I don't wear glasses when I run...

This weekend, went to see the 'our bodies' exhibtion with Alice, Suresh and Tomas (2 australians, a candian and a swede walk into a museum...) Don't know if you've heard about it but it's an anatomy exhibition, going through all the systems of the body. Quite interesting. Came home and cooked quenelle with tomato sauce (quite proud as it tasted very good, if I may say so myself).

Otherwise, all is well. Joined the volleyball club. Just turned on the heating this week, leaves are beginning to fall off the trees. Looking forward to the ski season! Hope you're all well, miss you. Love from Alex

Love from Alex