Finally, A Normal Keyboard

So, when I wrote that I would finish the Paris post tomorrow I meant in three days. I'm falling behind in my posts, seeing that I'm in Amsterdam now and I'm still talking about Paris. I just had too much fun in Belgium that I had no time to finish the post. Well, and their keyboards were very annoying. And the amazing Belgium beers hindered my limited opportunities to write. There actually isn't much else to say about Paris except for the food.

One of the main things I wanted to do in Paris was sit and drink a coffee at a cafe on the side of a major boulevard. Perhaps the Champs Elysses (?). I didn't find one there but after ascending the Eiffel Tower I found a cafe at the side of a roundabout with an awesome view of a palace and the tower in the background. This was one of the best, if not the best, things I did in Paris. The waiters had suits and were exceptionally good at their job. I guess for the high price for a cup of coffee and a bowl of so_p (Mitch Hedberg fans will understand). Despite the cost, every minute of sitting at that small circular table was perfect.

After the best bowl of French onion soup - and the only bowl I've ever had - we just barely boarded the train in time at one of the six Paris train stations. The train weaved through the rolling hills of the French countryside and arrived in Normandy. We stayed in the small town of Bayeux in a small hotel above a bar. The next morning we called to join a Juno Baech tour but there were no spots left so we took a bus out to the Juno Beach Center on our own. It was extremely good and it was only 5 euros. I've never felt as patriotic for Canada as I did that day.

The next day, however, gave me a similar patriotic feeling. We visited the Vimy Ridge memorial. This place was very moving emotionally because you could see the trenches, tunnels, and craters in the ground. While there I had a strong realisation about how pointless war is. There are areas cordoned off with signs everywhere saying that there could be unexploded mines and shells in the ground. The whole Vimy Ridge site was given to Canada from France as a gesture of gratitude for winning that important battle. Canada sends students to this site to work for 4 months. It was nice to meet and talk to fellow Canadians.

Well, that's all for France. Once again I was unable to upload pictures but I will get them up eventually. Now I just need to write about Belgium and I'm caught up. Belgium fell into the 'B' category of places we visited. It was a relaxing place with copious amounts of delicious beer. I will never like any other beer from now on unless it's a Belgium beer. Belgians really know how to make their beer - especially Westvleteren, the voted best beer in the world on ratebeer.com. There is a great story to go along with that beer too. So, stay tuned for that adventure. Until then, cheers!