So, does Wayne Gretzky play hockey?

Does the above question sound a little obvious?
Maybe "lame" would be a better adjective.

This is an English equivalent to the phrase uttered by an older, intoxicated gentleman in a bar in Avignon to my mother and I. The exact phrase in French was "C'est quel coulour, l'équipe de Marseilles?" or "Which color is the Marseille team?" It was at this moment that alarm bells should have sounded. If you live in Europe, you know what color the Marseille jersey is.

So, for the next hour or so, my mother and I were held hostage to the drunken (he was a big fan of whiskey and coke) ramblings of Paco. Lovely.

After a nice long talk about how to avoid the creepy, drunken guys, I think the vacation can only get better in that regard. There are some situations that a girl has to know how to manoeuvre.

For the record, Marseilles is orange.

The Big Apple

Before heading off to Barcelona, I spent a few days with my best friend Claire in New York City. This is her final year at Pratt, a top art school in Brooklyn, and she is living it up in an apartment a few blocks away.

On a side note, Claire is a very clever designer and jewelry maker. If anyone is interested in checking out some of her stuff, here is her website:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5364183

***
The best part of the trip, besides seeing the best friend, was stepping off of American soil and visiting the United Nations. It's a dream right now, but at some point (not sure when it will happen) I want to work at there. As a translator, interpretor...or as part of the General Assembly. So, since I enjoyed the trip so much, here's a choice selection of photos from the tour.


Administrative building:

All the flags, starting with Afganistan and ending with Zimbabwe:

Security council. See those little windows in the left-hand corner? That's where the interpretors work...

Saying "cheese":

Economic and Social Council :


There are lots of other pictures, but since I've got to get ready for a cocktail party (sounds more glamourous than it really is) and I'm a little tired of posting, I'm calling it quits for today.

Take care all!

On the lookout for Merlin... (photos)

These pictures are from a hike that I took with my friend Megan, her host-sister Anne-Laure and Nou-nou, one of the sweetest dogs out there. Now, these are were taken in November. Only a few months behind schedule.

We packed a picnic and headed off to the Forêt de Paimpont, also known as Merlin's Forest. And to think that this forest, seeped in Arthurian legend, is only 40 minutes away.

We started off at l'Abbaye de Paimpont:

Getting a close-up of the abbey:

Checking out the grounds:

B-e-a-utiful:


About an hour and a half in and no Headless Horseman:


The wind started up and I realized that I should've worn another layer:


The last picture before the batteries died. Here we have Megan, Anne-Laure and Nou-nou:


Since the batteries kicked the bucket on me, I don't have any pictures of Merlin's Tomb, the Fountain of Youth or the Valley of No Return. But, seeing as it such a beautiful afternoon, I'll make the trip back again with some spare Energizers.