Thursday, August 30, 2007

Since Paris

Where I Live
(Sort of. That's not actually my house)





In case you have not been informed: I happen to live in quite a rich neighbourhood in Bern among the foreign embassies. It's kind of a big deal. Just kidding. It is where the foreign embassies are though, and it is a rich neighbourhood. So actually I was being serious.


Cyril by his old school. Soon he will be a Uni boy.


Goodbye Fairbanks. Friends of Cyril's. They once opened for Fall Out Boy, which is pretty big.


Cyril works in this store.


My boiz!
Oliver and Robin
(In case you also didn't know: I am the au pair for these little rascals. It's really cute when they want to cuddle like that, but they usually end up fighting a few seconds later)


Robin likes to think he's a big boy. But really he's 2 years old and can't talk yet.


Sweet rocket.


Dad Sebastian, pet-dog-for-a-day Heidi and Oliver.


He's obsessed with cars, planes, motorbikes and machinery. It's a little hard to find things in common...


We went to Ikea to buy a mirror and plants. Ikea has a wonderful system of bottomless coffee, which unfortunately does not agree with my system. But is it any wonder after 4 cups in a row?


Julia and her boyfriend Matt from Canada waiting for some mini golf. (With her New Zealand accent, she calls it put-put. What kind of name is put-put?)


Julia, lady telling us the group behind thought we were taking too long even though we were only 6 and they were at least 8 and we had to split up for a while to go faster all because of whiny Swiss farmers, Michelle, Nicolas and Matt's arm.


Isabelle, Michelle (who, together with Nicolas and their brother Philippe, are quadruplets), Julia and Cyril


Bern Young Boys vs. Lance (possibly)


It wasn't a very exciting game, but it was a nice sunset.


Cyril gets very into football. It's probably more amusing to watch him than the match.

What else I have done since Paris:
- Started new job
(Am getting used to it. I admit, 2 young boys is more work than I bargained for and that is not making me the happiest of campers. I won't whine about it now. If you want to hear, ask)
- Tried to start German lessons
(But since I was lazy when I first arrived, no-can-do until November. So until then I will continue to stare blankly at cashiers when they ask me questions)
- Met more old and new people.
(Good, good, good)
- Bought a new mobile phone
(Even though you can still make calls and write texts, doesn't mean the phone is necissarily any good anymore. It needs to keep a charge for longer than 25 minutes. It was M-Budget anyway, so it's not like it was a big chunk out of my pocket)
- That's probably about it

I hope you're doing well and enjoying what you're doing.

Here's to waiting for the weekend and wishing everyday was a lie-in day!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Paris and a Small Update

Paris




Currently in Bern, Switzerland, listening to a musician who played in Paris a few weeks ago. Incidently, Cyril and I were also in Paris a few weeks ago.

Beginning of August I flew out to Paris to meet Cyril, whom I hadn't seen in over a month, spend a few days in a free apartment and relax before heading here where both of us are now working and living with his family.


Anyway.


After not seeing Cyril for so long, he is still the same.


Wonderful apartment we stayed in for free thanks to Jan.


First dinner in Paris. Wine is cheap in Europe.


It was really hot out.
Near the Louvre, which I didn't go in, again.


We went to Russia on the metro.


Very small chair - perfect size for me really.


Thanks for the sunglasses, Dad.
Some really weird park with weird people and weird things.


Cafe from Amelie!
We were walking around, had just seen the Moulin Rouge, and there it was.


She made me so angry.
"Ha ha, I'm so cool." If you ever see her, kick her in the shins for me.


Montmartre


Cyril!


Sacre Coeur
I didn't take too many touristy pictures, but it looked too epic not to.
We didn't even go to the Eiffel Tour at all.




Oh you Parisians.
Somewhere near Place des Abessess.


From Amelie as well. By Sacre Coeur and the guys who scam tourists with bracelets and won't let go until they give them stupid amounts of money.


Just outside the city is La Defence - the whole place is so neat.


Like I said.




Mmm, lolly




It's perfectly alligned with l'Arc de Triomphe (WAY) down the street and it's really huge.


You can go to the top!


It was really cold and windy at the top.


Recognize this, OSS students? The bad boy Mr Kelliher used was in an expo on the history of computers.


There was a really big thumb at La Defence.


Dessert wine Lily gave us. Mmm wine.


We went shopping. No doubt ended up at H&M. And there was only one pair of these ridiculously large sunglasses left, which means girls are actually wearing them around - they're like 5 times bigger than my head.


Then it was cold and rainy the rest of the time.


Somewhere near Place d'Italie.


I'm glad we discovered the Quartier Latin - the student quarter.




Delicious falafel. Not a delicious picture.


Somewhere.


The cemetery by the apartment is massive.
It's the one where Jim Morrison is burried. And Oscar Wilde. This is his grave, with lipstick marks all over it. Yum


It was pretty, as far as cemeteries go.


Some random dead guy.


The train to Bern. A woman had to go to the toilet, twice, so she gave me her baby to look after.

Not many photos from here yet. Cyril gets a bit embarassed when he's out in town and his girlfriend is acting like a tourist. Plus I usually just go to work and then I'm too tired (from trying to instill some discipline into the boys I look after) to act like a tourist anyway.
Good news is: I'm winning the discipline battle, though sometimes with difficulty, I'm starting to understand Swiss German (which wasn't even my intention; this language is insane - it's completely verbal and messed up) and I'm getting on great with Cyril's friends. Plus I'm in Europe and that's fantastic.

So that's that.