La Nébuleuse Vie de José Miranda @ Theatre Aleph - Ivry-sur-Seine

In the mighty city of Ivry-sur-seine, a stone throw from the small village of Paris, is the event of 2011 - before some of you get excited, it is not the royal wedding between William & Kate - but the return at the Théâtre Aleph of The Nébuleuse Vie de José Miranda. The play is in French - I say this but i do not think any play I have seen at the Aleph has been soley in French. A lot of the time it is a fusion of French and Spanish, with English sometime thrown in.

Why I am advertising this play. Have I taking sponsorship? a commission? Advertising? Well No.

Simply. A friend is in it...

Well not just for that reason. A lot of you will know who Anai is. And for the 8 years I lived in the mighty city of Bagnolet - a pebble throw away from the small village of Paris - I have been to many plays at the theatre - they have always been chaotic, from the Marx Brother school of comedy - always fun. And there is a bar.

So come over to Ivry-sur-seine - not suprisingly by the Seine - for a night at the opera...

If you would further information visit Theatre Aleph website

The Return!!!! Or how I have taken so long to post again since the last post

Uhmm it has been a while since I last posted. I think I left you all in Singapore in May!!!!!!

Obviously I am no longer in Singapore. Well I have been back in Europe Since he beginning of May.

What have done since then? Does it matter? Does anybody want to read about it?

Who cares!!! I will be writing - still with a lot of spelling mistakes - about the time from Singapore to now. Obviously I am in Paris enjoying yet again those fine pain aux raisins and great coffee at Le Starbucks. I now job hunting in this fair city of a thousand boulangeries.

What I am planning to bore you with? well WWOOFing in Italy, house sitting in Guildford, a rollerblade marathon in Goodwood. Snow in Edinburgh and cooking and eating in Stockport.

Well those are the promises I will try not break - uhmm, I hear the single reader doubting tone. Deserved I know but second or third or is it fourth chance must be given.

To the lone reader, I shall return...

Metro, Train & Buses - I am on the Road!

It has begun. I am on the road.and the first destination is Stockport (Greater Manchester) via a quick stop over on the way in Oxford. Heading to Ma&Pa for a few bowls of chicken soup, a ciao to Aunty then back south.

It was a tough start to the day as I had to drag myself out of bed at 5am and then drag my bags to the Gare du Nord. I think I underestimated the weight of my ruck sack. I had the image in my mind of being found spread eagled cartoon like on the pavement, being crushed by my gigantic ruck sack. This did not occur - which is a shame as I think it would have been a great photo opportunity (for someone else!). After the fire a couple of weeks ago in the chunnel, I was expecting a difficult journey to London but I was mistaken. At the Eurostar terminal, I was given a new booking for the next available train - the train I was originaly booked on was the following one.- checked in and boarded immedialtey the train. I think it was probably the quickest Paris-London.journey I have done. It was great to arrive in the rejuvenated St Pancras Station. The Grand Old Lady is looking good. The Eurostar travellers are just discovering this forgotten main line station - except to the few of us who used it in the past to come down from Leicester (my city), Notingham, Derby and Shefield. One of the great Cathedrals to the age of Rail. I may be sounding to much like a trainspotter, but it is magnificant example of gothic architecture, constructed with red brick. i would recomend a visit to the new home of the British Library, next door to St Pancras as a contrast. I digress a little. On leaving the Eurostar terminal I headed to the underground - passing on the way a bank to take out a loan to purchase my Underground ticket. After living in Paris, the cost of travel in London does come as a shock - for a short trip and then the coach to Oxford. A pit stop for coffee & noodles, and then heading up North.

Day 1 - Metro, Train & Buses but as yet no planes...

More to come...

Salut Paris or So long and thanks for all the pain aux raisins

After 8 years I am leaving the great City of Paris. So I thought how better to say goodbye to the City than to eat my last pain aux raisins and pain au chocolate in front of a great Paris icon. And I have certainly eaten a large quantity of pain aux raisins, pain au chocolate, croissants, chausson aux pommes, oranais and the list goes on and on. I think I averaged one of these a day Monday to Friday. So, if I ate 5 a week, for 52 weeks a year and for 8 years, then I ate at least 2080 Viennoiserie (666 432 calories). That is a lot of calories! Some at least burnt off running after a Metro. So, I leave Paris a bit wider than I arrived.

Off course my 8 years in Paris was more than just 2080 vienoiserie. So much more, but this is a blog about things to come and not what has passed. I am sad to leave friends behind from Fusac, CPI, Qualibris and more friends besides, but I know it is time to move on.

So, à bientôt Paris and thanks for all the pain aux raisins.

The Prologue part 2 or A Visa to far

Surprisingly, I do not require a Visa for the UK - sometime it feels like I do. Last time I headed to the UK, they looked at my passport and seem to have doubts if I was who I was. Maybe I cannot blame them, I would question my Passport photo. I could be mistaken for a convict - but I do need one for India. For some apparent reason, I thought you did not need an advance Visa for India. However, whilst talking to Monica she asked me if I got my Indian (Visa). After I looked blankly at her, I meekly replied that I thought I do not need one. I was SO wrong. We have to apply a Visa prior to arriving in India. The Indian Embassy in Paris (and London) subcontracts the admin to an UK company. On their website, they say that it take 3 days. So I thought I had plenty of time. This was mid August. Unfortunately I did not read the whole website and that for non French citizens it takes a minimum of 10 working days.- once at school, they gave us an exercise to fill in a application form, they kept telling us that we should always read fully the instructions. I like most people just started to fill in the application form. Afterwards they told us that the last line of the instruction it said not to fill in the application form and just wait to the end of the exercise. A lesson not learnt it seems - So on reading this. I bounced out of my chair and I legged it to the Visa centre. After queueing for 2hrs, I handed in my application and was told again that it will take an minimum of 10 working days as I was not French.

My visa was ready in 4 days! I bloody panicked for nothing.

For practical reason, I decided to get my Nepalese Visa in advance (you can get the Visa at immigration on arrival in Nepal). I was told it takes 4-5 days. I made sure to get to the Embassy early to avoid any queue. I did, there was no queue. The place was empty. There was nobody. I got the Passport back within 4-5 days. With the low number of Visa demands, I believe that my application was processed on the same day.

So, now I am ready for the first leg of my trip!

Next Time : Salut Paris or So long and thanks for all the Pain aux Raisins

The Prologue part 1 or Jabs, jabs and more jabs

Before I can head off on my travels, there is the preparation. Or in my case the lack of preparation. it seems that to travel it is best to get a few vaccinations. Some are obligatory and some are advised. I though to myself no problem. A few jabs and it will be fine. As I unfortunately discovered, it was not a few jabs. I was recommended to go to the Institute Pasteur here in Paris. They have a service for travel vaccination. I was told this at the beginning of July, to get there early as there is a huge queue and they shut at 11. I made it there at the beginning of August - eh it is hard to get up first thing on a Saturday morning - and queued for 2 hrs to see the doctor. Based on my itinerary they advise me on what vaccines I needed to have. And it was a few. They are Rabies, Hepatitis A and B, Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Diptheria Tetanus Poliomyelitis (DTP) and Pertussis. Unfortunately it not just one Jab for each of them. This was the following course

Rabies x 3
Hep B x 3
Yellow Fever x 1
Thyphoid+Hep A x1
DTP x 2
Pertussis x 1

At one point, my left elbow grew a extra muscle. While watching TV one night, I notice out the corner of my left eye how muscular my left arm has become. I thought wow all that sitting around does make you fit. Then I realised that it did not match my right arm. Uhmm, me thinks a bit swollen.

Its does not end there! Lets talk Malaria (Paludism)! I had to make an appoint to discuss the risk of catching malaria with the consultant at the centre. Lets put it this way, after the meeting, I just wanted to go and hide in my flat. The problem is not that they scared me with the risk that I will get malaria, more that they scared me with the lack of a clear advise. They sat on the fence! They left it up to me if I wanted to take the anti malaria tablets or not. They just informed me what the regions are at risk, what protection to take against mosquitoes bite and then said it is up to you. I was no more clear after the meeting than before.

Never the less I decided that I would not lock myself in my flat and would indeed head towards London next week...

Ciao for now. Later today, the Doctors for my last jab (DTP n°2).