First Impressions of Paris

After so long waiting for this, here I am and it's not everything I thought it would be!
I've heard so many stories about being ripped off, robbed and lost that I am totally suspicious of everyone around me.
I am in a hostel quite a way out, in the 18th district, and I got here from Switzerland at about 8pm. The Metro rail system is super-easy to use, which was a relief.
I got here and suddenly felt very alone, so to quell my beating heart, I decided to get out amongst it!
I caught three trains to the Eiffel Tower and took lots of photos with a billion other tourists. I was tempted to buy waffles or crepes but the fear of not being able to speak decent French was too much.
The stereotypes surrounding Paris are actually quite true:
- One lady asked a man at the Metro ticket booth, "do you speak English?", to which he responded, "parlez vous en Francais?" and she stumbled her way through asking for her tickets in French.
- French men tend to make their opinion of women well known. It has been a very long time since a man on the street made a comment of the positive variety regarding my appearance... five minutes down the street from the hostel I had to employ that "don't fuck with me" stare that I haven't had to use for a long time.
- Tourists are targeted for everything... tacky Eiffel Tower souvenirs, caricature drawings, "mademoiselle, you are so beautiful, let me draw your face!"... er, no thank you...

On the last train back I experienced two very different things... 1. A man dropped his dacks and exposed himself to four teenage girls, who promptly ignored him, and I stared at him in that nasty way I have rediscovered... thank God he got off the train at the stop before me. 2. Two men got on the train and began playing an accordian and a violin... then swore at us when we didn't give them any money!!

So I have made it through one evening unscathed, except for an unpleasant lasting memory of the flasher... ho hum, such is life in Paris...

Oh, the fun!

Today I drove in Switzerland to a nearby town, where Jo lived with her first host family, and everything is opposite here on the road!! I freaked out a little but it was actually really fun after I got used to it.

We have spent lots of time together, more time than we have since I lived at home years ago, so it is intense and refreshing.

Yesterday we spent the day in Zurich and shopped, took lots of photos...
... went to the Frietag shop... a store full of bags and wallets made from recycled truck tarps, and the store itself is made from shipping containers stacked on top of one another...

... saw the most enormous churches...

... discovered gorgeous shops in back alleys (one that was a lot like Mikes, it's called Lilli Tulipan)Above The outside of Lilli Tulipan's... and below is the inside. We spent about an hour giggling and looking at all the pretty things...

And I bought one of the deer, below in the photo, left, under the chandelier... adorable!
We also ate (more) German food again (love it!) and walked for HOURS... We got home in the late evening after the rain washed us out of the city and onto a train.

Above: A paper goods shop we found in a back street of Zurich. We watched the lady cover some boxes and folders in old maps and pretty paper. She was very clever.

Today we went to Basel, where Jo goes to school, and I went to one of her English classes, which was such an eye-opener, seeing as I am an English teacher! After a quick tour of her school and meeting some of her friends, we battled the rain again and gave up, heading home to learn how to drive on the opposite side of the road... ah, 'twas fun!
This evening I need to do some washing and re-pack for Paris. I am catching the very fast train from Basel to Paris tomorrow afternoon and have just confirmed my accommodation in Paris, which was a HUGE relief... typically of me, I have been thinking the worst... "The hostel doesn't really exist! I will sleep on the street and be robbed!"... ha ha, but no, it would seem all is well.
At some point I will post photos but for now, I have wine to drink, cheese to eat and German to learn!! Adieu... (Photos posted on 12/10/07)

Switzerland part 2

Ah, here I am again...
My sister Jo and I have spent 2 days being tourists, and I have been trying very hard to learn some basic Swiss-German... I can say please, thankyou, sorry, "mineral water with bubbles" and have learnt to read some of the signs in train stations and in the cities!!

Yesterday (Monday) Jo's host mother Maggie took us to the Rheinfall, waterfalls on the Rhine, very close to the German border. (See photo above) It was pretty amazing, so loud and absolutely huge. The Rhine is the greenest water I have ever seen, it's like the ocean but clear. We took a boat ride out to a huge rock lookout in the middle of the falls and climbed the steepest stairs ever to the top with about 30 other people all speaking different languages.

We then went into Germany to one of the very old villages, Laufenburg (above), where it suddenly occurred to me that I was in fact on the other side of the world!! More dollhouse buildings, painted in different colours, each with coloured shutters and window boxes of geraniums. So many buildings in this area have that, even the most glamourous or most dilapidated buildings have geraniums growing in window boxes!... the village also had cobbled, narrow streets and flags everywhere... Swiss, German, French and Italian. People drive their little European cars up these tiny streets and everyone says "achtung!!" (careful/watch out) and jumps out of the way.
We ate at a swanky German restaurant, where everyone says "guten Targ" as you walk in, and we ate wurst and käsesalat (basically sausage meat, but we ate it cold and chopped up... tastes like stras from the Coles deli at home... and cheese salad). We ate this whilst overlooking the Rhine, and someone's yard which had four HUGE rabbits grazing on the grass (I miss my bunnies!!)
We then walked through the old village of Laufenburg and crossed the Rhine on a footbridge into Switzerland to the Swiss town of Laufenburg... much like the German one but with more Swiss flags! It was really warm yesterday, about 24 degrees again. I don't think the concept of being sunsmart exists here, and neither do smoking laws... everyone smokes everywhere.

Last night Maggie and Jörg invited Jo and I to their choir, and much to Jo's disgust I agreed and dragged her along. Despite the choir conductor giving all directions in German, I managed to figure out that he said I was an alto and l Iearnt some of the songs. After my jangled nerves settled, I sang along and really enjoyed it. Jo even sang and translated a few things for me. We walked home through Frick, the town where she lives, and crossed the autobahn (freeway) where the speed limit is 120km/hr!
I had been awake since 5am so by the time we ate rösti for dinner (my new favourite meal), I was sound asleep, fully clothed, at 10pm.

Jo and I got up early today and caught the train to Zürich (50 mins) then another train to Lucerne (another 50 minutes)... what a beautiful city! (Photo above is the chapel bridge in Lucerne) Built around Lake Lucerne, and surrounded by alps (not that we could really see them, it was 10 degrees, cloudy and raining), the city has some amazing buildings (yes, more shuttered windows and geraniums!), bridges, little paved squares behind main streets and various museums. When the rain came down we disappeared into the Picasso museum to see an exhibition of the photographs taken by Picasso's friend Duncan in the 60s and 70s. There were also three small rooms housing some of Picasso's original works.
No trip to Europe would be complete without venturing into H&Ms, where I bought a summer top, on sale for CHF8 (less than 8 Aussie dollars) and a black beanie for the wintery weather that has descended on Switzerland in the past 24 hours.

We caught a bus to the Lucerne Lion, a huge carving into a rock face of a wounded lion who is a symbol of protection and rememberance for the city. It was HUGE and set behind a large pond, surrounded by gardens- very picturesque.
One of the most random things to have happened so far was that we were asked to be interviewed about the musical "Hair" by some girls, after much confusing talk in German and English... something about a school project... not sure what kind of school studies the musical "Hair" but anyway, that was an interesting conversation.
Dinner tonight was more Swiss food, cheese and potatoes of course, and more wine... Maggie and Jörg are going to make me fat and an alcoholic in no time.
I had a funny moment in a shop where I went into French mode, saying "excuse moi" to a lady who responded with "pardon" in a thick accent, to which I replied "merci beaucoup" and then suddenly realised what I was doing.

These blog entries are partly for my own benefit, as I don't want to forget a single moment of this trip, it is truly mind blowing, despite shitty weather. Jo is incredibly fluent in Swiss-German, which I have been told is rare for an exchange student - mostly they speak "high German". She translates everything for me in shops and asks questions for me. I really do now understand what people mean when they say you can learn a language so much more when you are immersed in it overseas. I have picked up on so many little things, and I knew no German at all before I left, except for maybe Volkswagon...

I haven't had the chance to upload photos, and may not bother until I get home, so for now I hope my descriptions and ramblings will do to let some of you travel vicariously through me, as I have done through so many people before! (12/10/07 - am now uploading photos to complement the entries!)

Switzerland

I finally made it to Switzerland to see my sister... Leaving Melbourne at 11pm Friday, three blood noses and 2 hours sleep later I arrived in Hong Kong and stretched my legs and back on the plane for another 12 hours, another blood nose, more films and very little sleep... Needless to say by the time I got to Heathrow I was cranky, sweaty & tired. My first withdrawal of Euros was exciting, and when I bought a magazine and a Peter Rabbit toy for Jo from Harrods, I got my change in Pounds! Aargh, I was so confused!
The flight from London to Zurich was OK - nice and short, 1.5hrs, and full of Swiss students who had been to an English language camp in Turkey (go figure). They were loud and funny, I got talking to one of them and she was lovely.
There were no customs people at Zurich airport, I felt naughty walking straight through, and there was Jo, all smiles and long hair, and we were both in tears and hugging for ages. Probably tears of relief for me, and I suspect Jo was pretty overwhelmed.
I had torn my pants on the plane within the first few hours (I had a dodgy arm rest with a sharp bit on it, so I had a hole which showed my thigh for the flight - classy!) so I was desperate to change before meeting Jos host family. (Please note there is no apostrophe to be found on this keyboard & there are a few letters swapped around!)
I bought them some wine and managed to buy myself a ticket to Frick, where Jo lives, without much help from her.
The train took about 50 minutes... more sitting on my sore bum!... and then meeting Jörg and Maggie was lovely. I got a bit stressed about the whole driving on the "wrong" side of the road, I must admit!
Their house looks like it should be from a storybook, cream with blue shutters and a view of the church which chimes every fifteen minutes, and goes on forever on the hour, and some "hills", I have been told they dont qualify as mountains here!!
We at raclette for dinner - melted cheese and sausages, onions, potatoes and salad, and the wine got to me so I was in bed at 10.30pm Saturday night, which is 6.30am Melbourne time, and slept like the dead until 12pm Sunday... feeling SOOOO much better now.
Maggie made muesli (minus the sultanas, yay!) for breakfast and I had my first coffee in a few days. Jo and I took the dog Bipo for a walk up the hill and I saw some new, very modern houses being built, as well as some older houses with nice gardens. Lots of vineyards around here too, and roses, sunflowers & cows that look like they should be in an ad for chocolate. Speaking of chocolate, Maggie bought me a HUGE Toberlone with a Swiss flag, and a huge box of Lindt chocolates too!
Tonight we have 10 people to cook for - risotto and chocolate cake, my specialities, and probably more wine.
Its about 24 degrees here and I am in shorts and a tshirt, sweating after our walk.
So, thats about it for now... We are off to Basel tomorrow, Tuesday we may be going to Lucerne to see REAL mountains, Wednesday brunch with Rhea and Carmela who are coming back from Tanzania (Rhea is Jos host sister), then Zurich in the afternoon, Thursday we are going back to Basel to Jos school, some markets, and maybe Jörgs school. Friday I think we will relax and then I am going on a train to Paris at 3pm... How I will say goodbye to Jo, I do not know, but I am SO glad to be here with her. Its strange, it doesnt feel like the other side of the world but then again, it is rather amazing.

Researching Paris & other odds & ends...

Despite spending only 4 days in Paris, I am obsessively researching it! My Lonely Planet French Phrasebook and Paris Encounter Guide arrived in the post today, which was very exciting - like opening a present!
I've discovered Fodor's Travel Guides thanks to another traveller who blogs, and from this I have found this and many other delights.
Right, that's it. I'm going to pack now. (Even though I leave in 9 days!)

In other news, on a more bland, grown-up, less adventurous note - I bought a fridge today. It was kind of exciting but not really. Rather a grown up purchase, I must say. Something a little more exciting was the purchase of a 2GB memory card for my camera. Phew! That's a lotta pics!

And something that is far more exciting than a new fridge is the fact that my wonderful boyfriend, who has recently discovered ebay (welcome to the 21st century, honey!) has been secretly buying me collectable swap cards and playing cards! They were presented to me last night just before I fell asleep, still bundled in bubble-wrap (the cards, not me!)... Ah, boyfriends are great... 'specially mine!

Sunny Saturday

I am starting to realise the benefits of rabbit poo, which ordinarily is the bane of my life... I lazily sweep stray poos into the garden and recently realised I have now cultivated quite the worm farm!! So today I thought I would dig it over a little and see how the soil was... despite being quite dry, I think the quality has improved. Perhaps I can actually grow something in the GROUND instead of everything in pots!
Meanwhile, my two furry friends Milo & Cookie were rather curious about the whole fiasco in the front yard, (outside their palace) and I managed to snap a few very sweet shots of my favourite bunnies. (Yes, Cookie is poking her tongue out... or licking her "lips". And Milo is licking his foot in that other picture - a feat only animals can do, thankfully... oops, no pun intended)

My aunt & uncle & three year old cousin Tom are in Melbourne to visit this weekend. We had a lovely lunch at Red Lemon Cafe on Swan Street & wandered around Richmond. Tom and I went up and down the escalators in Dimmey's (just for fun) and looked inside the fridges at the second hand shop. Tom was quite taken by the fact that there were fridges "on the road!" I found a large piece of grey polar fleece fabric for $5 in Dimmey's which I thought would come in handy for... something... like a rabbit blanket... or eyes for my owl softie (which I am yet to finish)... or a scarf?... or even a blanket for the couch; something soft to curl up under. Mmm.

PS I don't know WHAT is going on with this post, the photos are all over the place!

I heart cards

These are the vintage swap cards and various finds I have accumulated over the past 2 weeks... very exciting!
Some are from the Wantirna Trash and Treasure Market, which was quite an experience, and I bartered the man down by a few dollars! Some are from my wonderful boyfriend Jag who came across a box of cards in a country antique shop for a bargain price. Many of the ones he found are actually old playing cards so I have lots of multiples which will be great for doubling up and giving more dimension to my bits and pieces that I make.
Seeing as I have little time to be making things at the moment (yet find time to blog late at night) I will have to just look fondly at all my lovely things and wait for a rainy day when I can sit down and cut, paste, hum to the radio and possibly even improve my sewing skills.
Leave a comment and let me know which cards you like - I love the big pineapple one, the Fiji one, the ballerina one.... and.... and.... OK, I like all of them. *sigh* I love finding stuff.

Procrastinating again...

I have my best ideas and inspiration to create lovely things when I am at my busiest.
This Friday we have a major school event being organised by the students and overseen by myself and a colleague, plus I have 24 essays on Macbeth to read and assess. Sometime tomorrow I have to buy giant pirate flags, find a replacement celebrity judge & make "backstage passes" for students.

Meanwhile, I found myself in class (supposedly teaching) doodling a design for a passport pouch and matching travel documents wallet. I even have the ideal fabric - pink cotton with big red cherries on it!
Plus my poor owl Paisley sits (well, flops) in a sad, forlorn way, on my desk at home, unstuffed, no eyes attached...

Why do all the good ideas come when I am so busy? Perhaps it's because my brain is so overactive and there are so many thoughts whizzing around that certain creative things explode from all the whizzing. Hmm.

I must not procrastinate further...

Jo & Steph

Jo & Steph
Originally uploaded by Spice & Violet

So this is my little sister, whom I am going overseas to see...
See any similarities?

Miss you Jo! 18 sleeps to go! xox

Creating my Owl Softie

This is from the pattern I pinched from Pip some weeks ago and have only just had access to a sewing machine today at my parents' place!

I haven't sewn anything this fiddly before and am eternally grateful to my step mum Rosemary for her patience and knowledge. The sewing machine did have a mind of its own at times and took off at great speeds, however for the most part the Owl is coming along well.

I got the fabric from a remnants bin in Spotlight for $1 and figured that if I mucked up the whole thing then I haven't lost much.

I am in the process of handsewing all the extra bits, and need to buy some stuffing to fill him up, and felt for his eyes.

So this is Paisley Owl, thus far...

Wondrous Blogging... thanks Suzanne!

The wonders of blogging never cease...
I received the email below in response to my last post... and I am totally chuffed! To think that someone on the other side of the world likes to spend a little time reading the crafty-vintagey blogs that we all like to dabble in (or make things of worth & write on a regular basis... I know I fall into the "dabble" category!).
Thank you Suzanne for writing to me... I am very pleased. You must set up a blog!!
Here is the email she sent me:


Hellooooo ....

I am a (sadly, 'mature') student studying a textiles and surface design degree in England (how lucky am I?!!) ........ and I must confess I am an avid reader of the blogs which centre in and around Meet Me at Mikes. (can't help it - love all the stitching, vintage and crafty stuff going on!) ..... and am plucking up the courage to start my own blog! (so could only contact you by email -sorry)...

Anyway, I noticed you are about to come over to europe - and were asking about places to go. So I thought i'd just let you know some of my fave places in London and Paris - cos they are a bit designy and a little bit textiley....

In Paris the Musee D'Orsay (eat cake in the cafe right at the top under the clock!!!) is full of lovely stuff (I like it better than The Louvre) - and so is the Museum of Decorative Arts - which is free (round this area a walk along the Tuileries from the pyramid of the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe is lovely) . There is also a little museum called the Cluny which has lovely bits in - and is worth a peek. But you MUST go for a wander round the little streets in the Latin Quarter cos its full of tiny lovely shops selling really lovely stuff. If you go here in the early evening the shops are open and the restaruants are just FAB! For real french vintage stuff The Saint-Ouen flea markets are a bit of a trail ..... but once there are amazing!!!!

In London (which bizarrely I have gone to less than Paris cos its cheaper to fly to Paris than to go down to London from up here in the north!) .... The Victoria and Albert Museum has just got the most gorgeous gorgeous stuff in it .......... (the cafe in the basement is nice!!) - and go to Liberty (just one of the best shops in London!) - all of their fabrics are based on their old old designs. And if you are in the Kings Road area - Designers Guild and Cath Kidston stores both sell the most gorgeous fabrics which are very vintagey and luvvllee and v v rouleaux in Sloane Square has ribbons to die for! The best bits and 'finds' are in the markets though - which no doubt your friends will take you to!

Anyway, I'll shutup (or I could bore you forever!)... Have a really lovely time..... (i'll keep my fingers crossed for the weather for you - it really has been quite tragic this year)!!!.

All the best!
Suzanne

Europe draws forever closer!

20 sleeps to go!
I have just booked my hostel in Paris and am hoping that I don't get ripped off!
We almost have the train from Switzerland to Paris worked out too - My sister is booking it for me over there, which means I can potentially save up to $120.
Now that I have everything booked, I need to work out what I am actually going to do when I am in each place.
ANY RECOMMENDATIONS? Please leave a comment!
I will be in Switzerland with my sister for 6 days, mainly in her area of Frick/Basel but we are not far from Zurich.
I'm in Paris from Friday-Tuesday... Lots to see but, a) maps are hard when in French, b) not sure what are THE BEST things to see? c) I don't want to spend heaps and heaps but certainly HAVE to see Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, etc. Any other highlights?
London - I'll (hopefully) be hanging out with friends and hope that they can show me around but any recommendations would be appreciated!

More updates as the day draws closer... I am beginning to get VERY excited!