I arrived in Zürich at about 7pm, though everything was still light and most shops were open. I went to Zurich HB (train station I’d have to get to the next day) and found a hostel nearby, though not without the help of a local whose accent was the kind of thing you’d hear on Deutcsche-Welle. Perfect, but at the same time strange.
Anyway, after lugging my...luggage up about 8 flights of narrow stairs, I got to my room then went for an explore around downtown Zürich. Highlights included MILLIONS (literally) of restaurants and cafés buzzing with customers, a fast food store that seemed to serve only wurst und bier and the spectacular Grossmünster cathedral. Shortly after discovering that my phone seems to automatically have global roaming and sending a few texts, I retired to the hostel to sleep.
The next day I woke and walked back to Zürich HB to get my train to Lyon. Sitting next to me was a Canadian dude called Alex that was doing a uni exchange in Fribourg, Switzerland. We had a good conversation about our homelands, uni, travelling, etc., and he informed me that in Canada they don’t have pre-mixed drinks. WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! He informed me that he was gonna take the idea back to Canada with him to “make some bucks”. Alex, if you’re anything like me and you google your name and things you do to see if anyone mentions you in a travel blog, I wish you every success with it haha.
I arrived in Lyon that afternoon and it was HOT. The heat and humidity, combined with my total lack of any idea of what I should do made me a frustrated Joel. I checked into the Hotel Ibis (sorry mum, I’ll pay you back haha), dropped off all of my luggage and went for a walk around the shopping centre nearby. During this walk I had the first Orangina of my trip. My god I love that drink. It was soon time for zzzzzz.
The next morning I woke at the thoroughly ungodly hour of 4am. Jet lag is awful. I showered (much-needed, incidentally) and went exploring. On my travels I bought Orangina #2 and a sandwich multicéréales jardinière, which is French for “amazingly good sandwich”. I got some info re: hostels and took the bus to Vieux Lyon, which is as old and beautiful as it sounds. From there I got the funicular (cross between a cable car and a train, I guess you’d call it) to Minimes, where the hostel is located. A quick walk (again aided by the advice of a local) brought me to the youth hostel. As I write this I’m enjoying a cheap-as-chips Kronenbourg and looking over the entire city from the hostel’s terrace. The view is AMAZING, so I’ll just upload some photos when I get the chance.
Getting around France so far has proven daunting, but not so bad once you actually knuckle down and DO something. Additionally, my French has already been given a pretty good workout, so I predict that I will be speaking it like a pro within days/weeks. Yay!
Tl:dr? Zurich was rad, Lyon was hard at the beginning, now I’m at a fantastic hostel in Lyon and will be here until I can move into the student residence on the 31st of August. Linguistically, I am going well . Missing Australia and the people I love a whole lot, though.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
KOREA
The first leg of my flight was fine – the plane was half empty, so I didn’t have to sit next to anyone, there were no crying babies, the food was a-ok. The lack of individual screens meant boredom was a big threat, which was taken care of by a marathon listening session of The God Delusion audio book and a lovely nap :) .
Got off the plane and walked around to find the desk that was to give me the hotel vouchers I’d need. I teamed up with a nice middle-aged Australian women and a young German traveller and before too long we found it and got the necessary documentation.
The hotel (Hyatt Regency) is a really quick drive from the airport (which incidentally is 75km outside of Seoul). The first thing I saw upon entering the lobby was a group of SUMO WRESTLERS. They had the “bunned” hair and crazy dressing gowns and everything! I truly am/was in Asia.
Dinner was at the restaurant downstairs, and it was FABULOUS. Lots of radical Asian (and Western - pumpkin soup reppin’) food and amazing (ie. Finish a glass of water and it’ll be refilled in your next breath) service.
Korea rules.
Got off the plane and walked around to find the desk that was to give me the hotel vouchers I’d need. I teamed up with a nice middle-aged Australian women and a young German traveller and before too long we found it and got the necessary documentation.
The hotel (Hyatt Regency) is a really quick drive from the airport (which incidentally is 75km outside of Seoul). The first thing I saw upon entering the lobby was a group of SUMO WRESTLERS. They had the “bunned” hair and crazy dressing gowns and everything! I truly am/was in Asia.
Dinner was at the restaurant downstairs, and it was FABULOUS. Lots of radical Asian (and Western - pumpkin soup reppin’) food and amazing (ie. Finish a glass of water and it’ll be refilled in your next breath) service.
Korea rules.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
In Full Effect
Dear readers,
Just started a blog to chronicle my upcoming exchange semester at the Université Lumière Lyon 2 and all the crazy hi-jinx up to which I hope to get while I'm over in Europe. To start with I'll give some basic details to answer the myriad questions which you all doubtless have.
My Korean Air flight leaves Brisbane in August 25. I'll arrive in Seoul a couple of hours later, where I'll spend the night absorbing Korean culture/hiding in my hotel room lol'ing at their TV. The next day I get on a flight to Zurich. A co-worker who's previously flown with Korean Air assures me that although the plane from Australia to Seoul may be a touch on the ghetto side, the planes that take people from Seoul to Zurich/Europe/anywhere else are top notch. Bitchin'.
From Zurich I'll be hitting up some sweet train action to get me to Lyon. I'll then have to present myself to a whole bunch of offices and banks and such to prove that I am who I am and that I'm doing what I'm doing, etc. Gotta love bureaucracy. I imagine I'll then spend a night or two in a youth hostel, and then on August 31 I'll move into my room at the student residences at 2 rue Soeur Bouvier (I just got an email confirming that I have a place there).
On September 1 my études/studies commence. From September 1 to the 14th I'll be doing PRUNE (Pre-rentrée universitaire something something, basically a language course to make sure I rock at French before the semester fully kicks in). From the 14th, I'll be doing the following courses -
SLM (Styles Linguistiques et Méthodologiques - basically to do with proper French writing style and that kind of thing (might sound weird, but it's important - the English/Australian style of essay writing is useless to the French, for example)).
Littérature et Culture Française Contemporaines Pour Les Étudiants Étrangers - contemporary French literature and culture, specifically for foreign/exchange students
Études des médias de masse - pretty obvious haha.
And another one that I will add when I remember what it is.
That'll do for now. Here are some photos of the uni that I found courtesy of Google. Hopefully they actually are of the uni...
Just started a blog to chronicle my upcoming exchange semester at the Université Lumière Lyon 2 and all the crazy hi-jinx up to which I hope to get while I'm over in Europe. To start with I'll give some basic details to answer the myriad questions which you all doubtless have.
My Korean Air flight leaves Brisbane in August 25. I'll arrive in Seoul a couple of hours later, where I'll spend the night absorbing Korean culture/hiding in my hotel room lol'ing at their TV. The next day I get on a flight to Zurich. A co-worker who's previously flown with Korean Air assures me that although the plane from Australia to Seoul may be a touch on the ghetto side, the planes that take people from Seoul to Zurich/Europe/anywhere else are top notch. Bitchin'.
From Zurich I'll be hitting up some sweet train action to get me to Lyon. I'll then have to present myself to a whole bunch of offices and banks and such to prove that I am who I am and that I'm doing what I'm doing, etc. Gotta love bureaucracy. I imagine I'll then spend a night or two in a youth hostel, and then on August 31 I'll move into my room at the student residences at 2 rue Soeur Bouvier (I just got an email confirming that I have a place there).
On September 1 my études/studies commence. From September 1 to the 14th I'll be doing PRUNE (Pre-rentrée universitaire something something, basically a language course to make sure I rock at French before the semester fully kicks in). From the 14th, I'll be doing the following courses -
SLM (Styles Linguistiques et Méthodologiques - basically to do with proper French writing style and that kind of thing (might sound weird, but it's important - the English/Australian style of essay writing is useless to the French, for example)).
Littérature et Culture Française Contemporaines Pour Les Étudiants Étrangers - contemporary French literature and culture, specifically for foreign/exchange students
Études des médias de masse - pretty obvious haha.
And another one that I will add when I remember what it is.
That'll do for now. Here are some photos of the uni that I found courtesy of Google. Hopefully they actually are of the uni...
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