Going back to France... New blog!

I'm on my way back to France...
check me out at my new blog...

http://oneika-the-traveller.blogspot.com/

Changes...

As usual, long time no post (insert sheepish grin here)...

But just a quick update. I'm tired, but happy, as I just got back from a 15- day whirlwind tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco with my boyfriend Sab. Armed only with backpacks and high expectations, we made our way from the very south-eastern corner of France all the way to Madrid, Spain's capital. After a couple of days there, we descended to the Andalusian region and due to relatively shaky planning, spent a night stranded in Cordoba.

...And then onto Morocco for a weeks' stay, where we travelled high up into the Rif Mountains to Chefchaoen, then made our way southward to medina-filled Fez and the loud bazaars of Marrakech, Morocco's tourist capital. After the hustle and bustle (and stomach trouble) of Northern Africa, we made our way back up into the south of Spain, making a 2 day stopover in Sevilla, where we were mystified and captivated when we took in a live flamenco show.

Onward and eastward to southern Portugal, where a brief stopover in Lagos, tourist haven and surfers' paradise, allowed up to relax and recoup. The last stop of our journey found us in Portugal's capital, Lisbon, where we reveled in the beautiful sights and stunning architecture. A day and 22 hours of train later, we returned to French Riviera and familiarity, as Nice was just how we left it: sunny, hot, and beautiful!

Pics soon!

Get Ready to PPPPPPPParty!

So my new living situation is essentially a dream, especially compared to what I went through with my previous roomie of 7 months. Not to speak ill of the recently departed (she went back home to the U.S. last week) but our... er... different personnalities just didn't mesh and we were more of the "two strangers who co-exist in one very small apartment and hence are civil to each other" variety and not of the "bosom buddies" variety- if you get my drift. My new roomie situation is great, not surprising since me, Maria, Joy and Natalie have been friends since the start of the assistantship and for the most part, are on the same "longueur d'onde" (wave length).

The next coming days will see the birthdays of both Maria and Joy and to celebrate they've decided to throw a party at our (very disorganized and cluttered at the moment) apartment. From the sounds of it, it's shaping up to be quite a big "gala": it has already been decided that us 4 hostesses will all be decked out in dresses and last night's dinner table conversation centered around how many bottles of wine and vodka to buy (the latter of which will be bought in Italy- where cheap alcohol reigns).

And as for how many bodies will be crammed in our place, one can only guess: Maria was more than surprised when a guy we barely know turned to her last night in a bar and said ,"So you going to that party that that's happening on Saturday?"
Maria's reply: "Actually, it's my party".

D'oh!

This weekend shall be interesting...

Moving/ Le "Big Chill"

So the assistantship is over... my last day of work was the 14th of April and I'm here until June 29th... so with all this free time on my hands and no real plans to travel until June, what's a girl to do???

Chill out on the beach, of course, hence the title of this blog posting! In the span of a few weeks, Nice has become a summer paradise and many a day has been spent lounging on its rocky beaches as the turquoise waves of Mediterranean kiss the shore. The weather has been consistently in the mid-20's (degrees celcius) and the sun has repeatedly greeted us with its presence- much appreciated by all!
Life hasn't been just "play" however... This week saw a lot of departures as assistants leave Nice to go back home to their respective countries. This week also saw "le grand déménagement", as my roomie Ceala (who went back to the States yesterday) and I stuggled to pack everything up and move out of our apartment by April 30th (not an enviable task I admit). Of course, I left packing till the last possible minute but with Sab's help I was able to move the bulk of my shit...er... stuff over to my new "abode" chez my favourite Brit, Maria, where I'll be staying until my big trip in June.

Re: the trip, it's official, I got my ticket last Friday! So from June 9th to 24th me and Sab will be touring Spain, Portugal and Morocco. I'm super excited about the trip, I did the exact trip with my friend Jesse two years ago and it was awesome... I'm particularily excited about going back to explore Morocco a bit more as the last time I went we didn't get to go as far south (to the desert) as we would have liked. Hurrah for the Interrail pass and unlimited train/sea/international/intercontinental travel!!!!!!!!

Let the good times roll!

-Oneika

Almost forgot I had this thing....

Ok, I admit, I have been a terrible and neglectful blog mother... Does anybody read this thing anymore??? Holla!
But gimme a chance to redeem myself! Wow, it has surely been an interesting few months and random and unexpected changes in events have resulted in much fun and travel indeed! Each passing month has seen another mini-vacation, another change in scenery, and in some cases, another foreign language, so I have truly been blessed. A short recap of months past:

End of January:
-Trip to Paris with Sab, loads of fun despite blistering winds and grey skies
-resultant "gastro" due to too many roadside kebabs that had me in bed for 5 days straight... ugh

February:
-Trip to Rome with my fellow assistants "sisters": 6 girls going crazy in bella Italia's capital! One can only imagine all the drama that ensued!
-La suite: awesome trip to Barcelona with Sab, gorgeous scenery, weather, people...

March:
-Unexpected trip back home to Canada for a week for my grandfather's funeral...

April:
-Visit from MAMA! and...
-Subsequent trip to Athens, Greece!!!! Gyros and Kebabs rule!
-Acceptance to teacher's college! So it looks like it's back to school for me in September...

Tentative plans for May and June... Hopefully a tour of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco with Sab (the original Gupster)???? LOL

So now that I've managed to give my one or two readers up to speed on "mes aventures" I beseech you to take a peep at my photo website (which I'm a lot better at keeping up!). Besides, as they say, a picture's worth a thousand words!
www.flickr.com/photos/oneika

à bientôt!
-Oneika

A Day in St. Tropez

This past Sunday, me, Kirsten (German assistant), Natalie (English assistant), and Patrick (a Frenchie that we know) went to St. Tropez, refuge for the rich and famous. St. Tropez is a hop, skip, and a jump from Nice (an hour's drive away), but just far enough to forget the hustle, bustle, embouteillages and travaux taking place in Nice and bask in the tranquility and wealth of the city of the upper-crust, virtually a ghost-town in the winter.

My 20 hour trip to Milan, Italy

So 2 Saturday nights ago, at around 7:30, after a hearty dinner of no-name brand hot-dogs and frozen broccoli, I get a call on my cell phone. It turns out to be Joy, my friend and fellow English assistant. After getting the usual "How are you"'s and other niceties/small talk out of the way she asked me what my plans were for the evening. And that's when the unexpected proposition came: a road trip to Milan for a night/day, with departure of 9pm and a prospective return to Nice the next evening, Sunday. Never wanting to miss out on an adventure, I said yes and hurriedly packed and evening back with all the essentials: lipstick, mascara, eyeliner, and a semi-provocative "clubbing" top. After quickly running some necessary errands, I met Joy, her cousin (who was visiting from the US and was in fact the mastermind of the Milan trip), and Hector (our friend the spanish assistant) and we set out for an adventure abroad, moving onward toward the land of pizza, pasta and all kinds of tasty and fattening goodies. After a few directional mishaps (I was in charge of the map-reading after all *wink wink*) we made it to our final destination around 2 am (5 hours of travel when Milan is only about 3.5 hours away). Ever the adventurers (and party animals), me, Joy and Hector ventured out to a Milanese nightclub. The following day we took a good number of the sites that Milan had to offer, including the Duomo cathedral, the renowned La Scala theatre, and the original painting of the Last Supper (you know, the DaVinci masterpiece depicting Jesus, Judas and the other apostles at the moment that Jesus declares that he's been betrayed). All in all, good times!

I nearly forgot... Bonne Année!!!

Happy New Year to one and all, here's hoping that 2006 will be a good one!

I'm back!!!

So I figured that the beginning of 2006 was as good of a time as any to finally update this blog... Whew, it's been a long time since I've updated, unfortunately laziness ( and other sedentary type behaviour) has reared its ugly head (hence the dire lack of posts).... Where do I start??
No better place than where I left off I guess- the trip to Germany was pretty frickin' awesome... Me and Joy had a wonderful time, despite the sub-zero temperatures (it was below zero on most days... quite a switch from the mild weather in Nice), and language barriers (there's nothing worst than not speaking the language of a country you're visiting)! Berlin is a huge, bustling metropolis which is finally succeeding in overcoming its sordid past. We had the opportunity to discover the city's treasures and historical sites through the aid of our Australian tour guide, who took us and about 20 others on a (free!) 4-hour walking tour of Berlin. A visit to the remaining fragments of the Berlin wall was definitely a must, and we were not disappointed... Quite an unforgettable experience, when you recall just what that wall symbolized... Also not to be forgotten, the German nightlife... let's just say that these people know who to party, Berlin proved to be the best time I've have partying since I've gotten to Europe!
Since a picture's worth a thousand words... 1st pic: me partying it up at a nightclub in Berlin.. Why am I in a cage? Don't ask!! lol 2nd pic: me and Joy in aforementioned nightclub 3rd pic: me in front of one of the remaining parts of the Berlin wall.