Bonjour from Paris! Everything is going really well. The flight was on time which is a shocker. It was not all great, there were a few screaming babies, but you cannot really help that. The movies shown were the holiday and the Queen. I actually enjoyed the holiday more this time. The second time through and I absolutely loved the Queen. And since I have not seen the Queen before this brings my new movie total up to 54!!! So once we arrived we tool the RER to the hostel. Auberge Internationale des Jeunes and then took the metro to the Louvre. Now I know I make a fuss about how much I detest the Louvre. But I have to say it was not as bad as I remember. There were Greek, Roman, Mesopotamia, African and Aboriginal artwork, as well as classical, medieval, and Renaissance paintings. We spent about 3 hours in the museum because we kept getting lost. Afterwards we walked to the Eiffel Tower. There were some technical difficulties and we had to change elevators. Then on top Lori got lost and freaked out. poor Lori. But there was something very special: they were showing an exhibit on the tower and cinema, and they showed a clip of Funny Face!!!! Then we waited for night to see the tower all lit up. it was spectacular!!!
Today we went to Juno Beach which involved a train to Caen and a bus to Courseulle sur Mer and then a little walk to the beach. It was amazing to actually be on the beach where D-Day happened. Not to mention, the museum was incredibly informative! Our guide was from Quebec and the Boutique girl was from Toronto. Cool eh?
Tomorrow we are off to Versailles and probably back here to do a 3 hour-ish night tour...then 3 glorious days in the city.

Au Revoir!
Shanda

This just made me laugh

HAHAHA!

Does anyone have any idea whether or not Nathan Phillip's Square has become an ice rink yet? Kitchener City Hall is, and since I am going to be in Toronto on Thursday, Lori and I thought we might go skating, but there is no reason to lug skates if it is still water...so does anyone have a clue, or have an idea where I can find out?
*never mind I am not going coming to TO anymore :(

Some more about my trip...

Aug 16
¤So the airport in Goteborg is under construction, basically Ryanair has increased the number of passengers to that airport from 9000 in 2000 to 550 000 in 2006, as such they need major renovations. So we have to pick up our luggage, not from a conveyor do dad, but from the cart that takes the luggage to the plane. So if you will imagine a few hundred people all diving for a luggage cart, tossing bags and digging for your own....whatever image you have in your head is probably close to the right one....it was chaos!
¤So we arrived at the hostel in Goteborg in the afternoon and hit the town....basicially we do some shopping. We go to this departement store called NK, which is sorta like a smaller version of La Fayette (aka Le Printemps) in Paris....if you haven't been, well your loss! ¨Then we went to H&M, well one of the many H&Ms in the city, there is like one on every corner practically....think Timmy's. We have a good look around, a lot of the clothes are the same as back home, many are not. So I buy a shirt :)
¤We then go to Pizza Hut for dinner, which is rediculously expensive, but pretty good. I tried this weird pizza, which I couldn't even describe, basically because I have no idea what it was...the menu being in swedish....

Ok gotta go....ttyl

Here is a day by day of my trip so far(ish)

Aug 12
¤We arrive in Dublin at 11:30 am
¤Go on the city sightseeing tour, even though I know everything that is going on...I mean literally I will point something out and 5 seconds later the driver will mention this exact thing...Victoria found this very humorous.
¤The tour driver was hilarious, bizarre, and hard to understand...but he made us laugh
¤We went shopping on Grafton St
¤Then went shopping at Penny's....Victoria is in heaven....the prices are so cheap
¤We go and see Riverdance, which is in a word, spectacular! I loved and loved it before, though the violinist this time 'round was not as dynamic as the last, but still phenominal!
¤I miss Irish dance....definately going to one of those celis which are advertised on campus.
¤We head back to the hostel around 11, which is when Rob, the guy I worked with last year starts, so I am able to chat with him before I crash!

Aug 13
¤Wake up early for Belfast tour
¤I see Mike, who was my tour driver last year, his hhair is better
¤Connar is our driver, and there is only 6 people, so we are takinga green van, called Kermit
¤There is no mic in the van so it is difficult to hear what Connar is talking about
¤Our first stop is Drogheda, where we see St. Oliver Plunkett's head
¤Then we hit up Monasterboice and see the largest Celtic crosses in the world
¤Connar calls Vicoria an Eejit for packing only tank tops and assuming the weather would be nice and hot....The weather is actually cold..though sunny
¤We pass through Dundalk, and I strain to hear the praise for my favorite band in the world
¤The praise is shorter than last time, but goes something like this: 'This is ironically the hometown of the Corrs, or is apparently their hometown, though they are too beautiful and talented to actually be human' *Shanda grins like mad*
¤We get into Belfast and go on the black cab tour'
¤I have the same driver as last time (lol)
¤We do the samething as last time with one exception, it is the 25th anniversary of the hungar strikes and the Catholics are marching....so we go and watch for a bit....it is a little scary, there are members of the IRA around, dressed in black and wearing barrets, there are children chanting and waving flags, and there are people handing out Hammas paphlets (to let us know what they are really about!)
¤Once the tour is over we go and do some shopping and eating in the city
¤Then we head back to Dublin, trying to get back before the fans leave Croke park (its a double header)
¤unfortunately we don't and Connar is swearing up a storm
¤We then take a bus to Galway, which because of traffic takes 4.5 hours *groans*

Aug 14
¤Do city tour of Galway
¤We learn how to wear the claddagh, since I forgot and Victoria wants to know
¤We eat the most delicious soup and potato
¤We sit in Eyre square for a bit...yes it is fianally finished!
¤Then we catch a bus to Cork...another 4.5 hours
¤in Cork we hit up a couple of bars, though they are fairly dead.

Aug 15
¤The highlight of today is going to Blarney....it is raining, but it is something that Victoria needs to see
¤We walk around the grounds first and see all of the Druid ruins, then we line up to kiss the stone, this is time number 3, and the longest I have had to wait (40 mins)!
¤The rain stops when we get up to the top, so there is no awkward upside down, rain in the nose, spiderman kiss, it is normal.
¤Victoria agrees that it tastes like smooth stone
¤We eat soup and then head back to Cork to catch our bus to Dubin
¤Another 4.5 hour bus ride, yeah!
¤Once we check into the hostel, we head to temple bar, which I know, even though it is a Tuesday, will be packed...and I am right!
¤We go to The Temple Bar in Temple Bar and it is packed, there is a live band....we meet these brazilian and slovak guys who are in Ireland to learn English.
¤We then go to Porter House, because many good memories and tied up in their walls
¤Then to Brazen head, because it is the oldest pub in Ireland, est. 1196, and though it was only around the corner from my old flat, I have never been there.
¤The bars close at midnight, and we don't want to pay cover for the late bars so we head back to the hostel

Aug 16
¤We take an 11 am flight to Sweden....and because I am using the internet in Oslo, and it is feckin expensive I will tell you about sweden later!

Ok so I am in Ireland now, and all the stuff that happens here I will be posting in my Ireland Journal which is at www.livejournal.com/users/bug_in_Ireland

love ya