Technical Difficulties

There's a bug in Blogspot. It won't let me upload photos. We all know that pictures are integral to the survival of this baby. So I'll sit with the computer/Blogspot and we'll go manno-a-manno until one of us comes out on top. Propbably Blogspot. But I'll be back up and running when I can.

A Transit City for My City

Rarely do I step back from my own adventures and talk about stuff that’s going on in Canada. But this issue is something quite close to my heart. When I was at home during Christmas I kept seeing signs for the TTC’s Transit City plan. And I have to say that I am ecstatic about it. The plans look amazing: 120 km of LRT spread out over seven lines, 175 million new riders a year, 92% less emissions. Transit City aims to finally link Toronto’s suburbs (Scarborough, Etobicoke and parts of North York) to the core. As someone who has taken the Scarborough RT for years and suffered through the nails-on-a-chalkboard-magnified-a-million-times squealing of the tracks, I eagerly await a newer, modern LRT system.

LRT in Brussels that goes above and below ground

I know they’re at the planning stages still and that transit projects usually proceed with prehistoric-age speed, but I will not be discouraged. According to this, the Mayor Miller plans to have financing early in 2009 and break ground by the end of the year.

"If we have [federal] funding commitments in January, we can do a lot to get shovels in the ground by the end of 2009," Mr. Miller promises.

The first visible project of Transit City is a new light-rail line on Sheppard Avenue (from Don Mills Station to Morningside Avenue), with construction set for September, 2009. But the mayor says federal dollars could speed up plans for the next two projects in the lineup: the Eglinton Crosstown (from Kennedy Station to Pearson Airport) and a new Etobicoke-Finch West line (from Yonge Street to Highway 27).

That's all well and good, but don’t let the exclamation points and italics fool you. There are issues and problems with the plan (financing it not to mention that it probably won’t shorten the commute downtown by that much), but it’s a start and an effort at tackling a huge problem in this city.

Inside the LRT in Brussels

All the articles about the plan always mention the “European-style light rail” which is funny but completely true. Light rail in some form has been in most of the cities I’ve been to (with London a notable exception). I have to admit, when I first heard about the plan a year or two ago, I was very skeptical. Streetcars in Scarborough sounded like the worst idea I’d ever heard. But then I went to Europe. It works. The Dutch rely on nothing else in Amsterdam and streetcars cross major streets with no problem. It works for them, let’s see how it’ll work for us.

Picture of the Day

Graffiti near Borough Market
Originally uploaded by dan taylor

So maybe it's becoming a bit of a tradition.

Here's another fun sign. This one's a bit closer to home. It's graffiti near Borough Market

Fun Fact

In many "romance" languages (ie. French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian) the word for subway is "metro." I always wondered where that came from. It's not even close to "train" in any of the aforementioned languages, which only fits considering that's what a subway is. Well, I learned in Paris that the French "metro" stands for "Métropolitain." Doesn't really help crack the code, but at least I have an answer.

One More Reason to Master the Art of Packing Light

ryanair invasion
Originally uploaded by paolo màrgari » www.paolomargari.tk

When I flew to Dublin on Ryanair I took one small carry-on suitcase. I was only going from Friday to Sunday but I wanted to be well prepared: two pairs of shoes, a few change of clothes, make-up bag and a hair straightener. All together that’s 11kg. I know this because it was weighed and stamped with a bright orange ‘overweight’ sticker.

This meant that I was over the 10kg limit allotted to me by Ryanair. I thought they’d make me check it (for €10) or worse, not let me take it on to the plane. But they didn’t do any of that. I walked into the cabin, threw it up in the overheard compartment and was on my way.

Now they want to charge me for that.

Checking a bag will cost between 10 and 20 Euros, but anyone caught trying to sneak too much into the cabin can pay the 30 Euro fine, or stay home, because not paying the fine = no travel for you.

The system appears to be pretty well planned, as it does not seem like you are able to check the excess cabin baggage once on board - which should force people to just pay the checked bag fee instead of trying to take a chance the flight attendant won't notice your massive bags. [Source]

I understand the need for it. On that one flight I saw more flagrant violations of requirements. But on the other hand, I’m a little angry. The list of additional fees for Ryanair is substantial—if you’re not a European citizen, checking a bag, airport check-in, etc and so forth—now they want to charge me to bring anything. Sometimes hair straighteners and shoes weigh more than they should, but should we really be punished for that?

Cyclist Insanity

In light of what I posted a few weeks ago, last week, this is a bit sad.

The Velib bike rental system has been hailed by Parisians and tourists alike for its convenience, as well as being a “green” alternative to getting around the French capital via taxicab, bus or metro. But the high cost of fixing, maintaining and, in many cases, replacing the fleet of about 20,000 bikes is proving too much for JCDecaux, the company that runs the program.

Of the 15,000 bicycles originally disbursed for the program, more than half have disappeared, reports the BBC, presumed to be stolen.

Though I'm not at all surprised. Put something worth even a little bit of money and it's a just a matter of time until they're either defaced, stolen or broken. But someone think of the cyclists.

Long live angry, rude cyclists.

Picture of the Day

I don't usually do this--put up pictures of the day--but this was too good to resist. This is another side value of travelling, aside from the enjoyment, cultural education and adventure.

Here's the article that went along with it.

City of Music

It happened on my second day. We were on a train back from Versailles. A man walked onto the train we were on caring a speaker. He turned it on, put the microphone to his lips and started singing. Among the classics he belted out was an off tune Sinatra rendition. It wasn't done particularly well but it set the mood.

It's events like these that make Paris so charming. Because it wasn't just on that train. In my four days, there was music everywhere we went. On the trains, on the subways, in the stations, in the restaurants.

What I liked the most was that it was all different kinds of music. American classics like Sinatra and singer songwriters. Spanish ballads and French accordion. It was nice to hear. Nicole rolled her eyes when we got on the subway late and night and were subjected to an accordion player directly in front of us asking us for money, but I thought it was Parisian. At least we got a nice show beforehand.

The band in the subway

Smile, You're On CCTV

One Nation Under CCTV - Banksy
Originally uploaded by unusualimage

You know that feeling you get when you're being watched? Well, I get it a lot here. But that probably has to do with the fact that, in England, you're practically always on TV. And by TV I mean CCTV--closed circuit televisions.

It all started when the Bulger case, a story of the murder of a little boy by two 10-year-olds caught on CCTV. The footage helped lead to a quick arrest After that, the British Home Office made grants available to any local council that wanted to install cameras. Four years later, the numbers have swelled and London is the biggest customer. After the IRA detonated a bomb that killed one person and did an estimated £1 billion worth of damage, after which the police put a "ring of steel" around Bishopsgate to prevent any more attacks, including hundreds of CCTV cameras.

Now, years later, CCTV is everywhere. The numbers are actually staggering. One fifth of the world's CCTV cameras are in the British Isles, which represent less than one five hundredth of the world's habitable land mass. No one knows exactly how many there are, because so many different agencies, private and public, have installed them. Here's one estimation:

"Clive Norris, Professor of Sociology at Sheffield University, calculated four years ago that there were "at least" 4,285,000 – one for every 14 citizens. Norris claimed in his 1999 book that a person could be caught on CCTV cameras 300 times in a day. This figure is on the high side; Prof Norris has described it as "a piece of rhetoric" intended to "make a point" – but a few hours' spent travelling around central London could take you past 300 cameras."

You see them walking down the street or waiting for the bus. Near shopping areas, tube stations and even around school. And I'm not sure how much safer I feel or am. There's a lot of debate about that too. While they may may sound like a great idea, but at what cost? Just consider this.

"A website run by the charity Privacy International publishes a world map, updated annually, in which countries are colour coded according to the level of surveillance to which their citizens are subjected – white for the countries where there is the greatest respect for individual privacy, black for the countries such as Russia, China and various Middle Eastern states, where surveillance is "endemic". Most years, there is only one European country coloured black – the UK. This is because the UK could be almost be called the home of the CCTV camera." [Source]

And now comes another development. There's a rumour that the Met (London police) want to install CCTV in pubs around London. Just imagine what will happen then.

Guess the Passfield Alum: Round 2

Every day I find out more and more cool people who've walked the hallowed halls of Passfield. Here's another one. See if you can guess. This one's easy.

1. It's a man.
2. He was here in the 50s.
3. He studied for a degree in accounting and finance,
4. He had a minor in physical education, though you'd never know considering he's still so skinny.
5. He couldn't get any satisfaction. He left after one year and didn't graduate.

Give up? Check it out.

"Yummy British Food" is Not an Oxymoron

When I came home for Christmas my family and friends all commented on the fact that I didn’t have a British accent. Undeterred, they remained on the lookout for subtle signs—words, expressions, interests or opinions—that would reveal my increasing Britishness. Aside from the occasional use of Tube,” “splendid,” and “pence” I think for now I’ve resisted the assimilation and managed to stay Canadian, eh?

But there are a few ways that I’ll admit to forsaking my country: my diet. I’ve never heard of British food being particularly good (haggis, though Scottish, springs alarmingly to my mind). But I’ve got to say, as a result of my residence cafeteria, I’ve developed a love of certain foods. Here are some:

1. Yorkshire pudding. In the British tradition of naming meals after deserts, comes Yorkshire pudding a food that is not pudding in fact but bread and quite lovely indeed! It’s shaped like a butter tart but hollow. What makes it amazing is the sweet sauce, topping or spread that they coat it with. It is divine. I raved about it for a week straight before my British friends knew what I was talking about.


2. Banoffee pie is unlike Yorkshire pudding, actually a pie and actually a desert. It’s made of pie crust with, bear with me here, bananas and toffee. And it’s exquisite. Originally, bananas and toffee were along the lines of peanut butter and oranges, and I wasn’t wild about the idea of mixing the two. But by God it’s not half bad. In fact it’s quite delicious. And for all you Love Actually buffs, it’s banoffee pie that Keira Knightley’s character offers to Mark when she comes to see the wedding video in his apartment.


3. Tea. This is not a secret nor really a new development as I've been drinking tea as an alternative to coffee since university. But here, no surprise, my intake and appreciation of tea has doubled or even tripled. I have at least one cup a day, usually two. And that's just at dinner. On particularly cold days I brew my own before school and maybe at night to keep me up and focusing on that next chapter. So far I've only had Earl Grey and English Breakfast Tea but I see myself venturing into more adventurous territory soon. Note to readers, Orange Pekoe, the variety that is common in North America is unknown here in Britain. I think it exists, just not under the same name.

4. Rice pudding. I tried to find the most appealing picture I could find. Not an easy task for this particularly dish. Those of you sensitive to texture, may need to take a pass on this one. They serve it in our canteen (what the Brit's call a cafeteria) but I'd never tried it. My friend once got a bowl full and by the end of the meal, his spoon was trapped had to be levered out. It was not appealing imagining that in my stomach. But last week, picking up a lunch I'd ordered after a late class, I was given rice pudding in a yogurt style container. And I was converted. It is amazing. It's made out of rice kernels and is a sort of paste-like dessert. It's sweet and the little rice kernels are a little surprise that I quite enjoy. I had the vanilla flavour but apparently there's others like strawberry and blueberry. I'll let you know if they're as good. It may look like something a baby eats, but trust me.

Image: The World Wide Gourmet and Dessert Comes First

Watch your step

A fun thing about living in Bloomsbury is that even the sidewalk isn’t boring. It’s splattered with famous faces.

Apparently they’re were part of a welcome event for the nearby University College London. In case, walking around is a lot more interesting you’re worried about stepping on Darwin, Ghandi or Charles Dickens.

Image: Londonist

This Can’t Be Good for Your Reputation

In my months in Europe, I’ve heard a lot of smack talking about the EU. It wasn’t so bad in Brussels. But now that I live in London, it has quadrupled. When one of my friends said, “Yeah, I think Europe is a great idea. I’d love to be European” I almost fell down and died from shock. The EU gets such a bad rap in Britain, especially, as a wasteful and bureaucratic organization.

But stories like this aren’t going to help rehabilitate that image. Calabria, a province in Italy’s poorer southern region, is looking to use EU development funds to help promote its soccer team citing, “it can help raise the profile of their area, both within Italy and overseas.” According to one website promoting Italian tourism, Calabria is currently "little-respected by other Italians and little-known to tourists." They expect it’ll cost €1.8 million over three years. I’ve heard of soccer doing a lot of things, but developing a nation isn’t one of them.

Oh and by the way, Calarbia just happens to be home to “the N'Drangheta, one of Italy's most powerful and violent mafia organizations.” Coincidence?

London Fashion Week 2009

London Fashion Week S/S 2009
Originally uploaded by K Gillett

Happy London Fashion Week!! Don't panic, this hasn't transformed into a fashion and beauty blog, though I've read enough of those I could probably be pretty good at it.

As this blog keeps those of you who can't be here updated on the goings on in London and my life, you might be interested in this. Last week was the New York Spring/Summer 2009 shows, where designers show off their upcoming collections, thereby setting the trends for the next few seasons. This week (actually it started Friday) is the beginning of what promises to be a quirky week. Though this year's shows are smaller, yet another effect of the stellar economy we're currently experiencing.

In any case, I'll let you know of any sightings of hungry models or bored British celebrities. I doubt they'll journey over to my end of the city. We all know models won't read unless they're paid to.

What the World Thinks of Canada

Being a Canadian in Britain is, for the most part, awesome. You’re not European so the Brits don’t dismiss you as lazy and wasteful (like the French) or drunk (Irish) or corrupt (Italians). But there is the odd time where I’m mistaken for an American. The conversation usually goes like this:

Them: Where in America are you from?

Me: Actually, I’m Canadian. (sympathetic smile)

Them: Oh! (look of horror). I’m so sorry, I know that’s a huge insult.

Me: No, that’s OK, don’t worry. It happens a lot.

With Obama in the White House, I anticipate there will be less apologies, more “Do you guys really have polar bears?” questions (I’ve gotten a few of those). But I genuinely imagined the perception of Canadians by Brits was pretty favourable.

This article was a rude awakening. It's about Obama’s visit to Canada yesterday.

Canada is an interesting testing ground for the theory.

On the one hand, Canadians appear to like Mr Obama rather more than they like their own politicians - he has scored approval ratings here of nearly 90%.

On the other, reasonable, multilateralist, compromise-loving Canada doesn't really seem to do mania. You imagine the arrival of the Beatles here would have provoked civilised curiosity, and performances by the early Elvis might have prompted polite applause.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is a Conservative who leads a minority government, and it would be fair to say that he has avoided the temptations of charisma in doing so.

Now, I’ll forgive the Harper comment because God knows he’s not the most awe-inspiring figure to ever grace Canadian politics, but really? Canada “doesn’t really seem to do mania.” Ever heard of a little thing called Trudeau-mania? The word is built in the title!

Boring, they think we're boring. They may not have said it in so many words. But that first sentence is the journalistic equivalent of "You're a big fat fuddy duddy!" This is the only time that I’ve ever actually wanted to comment on a news story. Wisely, the BBC doesn’t have that feature available. Otherwise I would have made severe use of it!


DISCLAIMER: No offense is meant by the cultural references above.

Quiz time

I've told you about my neighborhood being home to some famous faces (Darwin, John Maynard Keynes, etc). Well, I forgot to mention a more contemporary famous face who lived in my residence. Here are some hints about their identity:

1. She is American.
   
2. She was a student at LSE in 2006 quite a bit of time after the scandal that made her infamous
   
3. Her received an MA in Social Psychology.
   
4. Her thesis was entitled "In Search of the Impartial Juror: An Exploration of the Third Person Effect and Pre-Trial Publicity."
5. She had a pretty famous face--and dress--in 1998.
   

Click here, to see her identity.

Sweet Primark

There are things that I have had to do without while in London that have hurt me. Bagels is a big one. Another is new clothes. It is brutal living in one of the capitals of fashion and being unable to partake in the fun. Markets and shops abound adorned with gorgeously dressed mannequins, and fabulously dressed women walk down the London streets while I watch in envy.

This fashion fast is partly self-imposed. I don’t have room in my suitcases or my tiny room for my entire wardrobe. But part of it is a result of consequences. The British pound is worth twice as much as the Canadian dollar. Let that sink in a bit. Every price you see must be doubled. That hurts a bit. If I were making pounds it wouldn’t be so bad, as if you compare one to one, things aren’t that more expensive than Toronto. But adding the exchange makes you want to kill yourself. It really puts a downer on going to the Gap, Selfridges, Topshop or any other store here and seeing a shirt for £25, taking a moment, doing the math to realize that’s $50 for a top. Not worth it. Then there’s Primark.

Primark on Oxford Street

What is Primark you ask? A godsend, heaven, incredible, frustrating, unbelievable. All these words are applicable and none are exaggerated. Primark is similar to Forever 21 and H&M, a discount retailer that takes trends from the runways, shifts them slightly and then sells them for cheap. What’s special about Primark is that it sells it cheaper than I’ve ever seen—even with the exchange! Here are some of the stuff I’ve bought at Primark in the last four months.

All this glory doesn’t come for free. There are two problems with Primark. The first is obvious: quality. My friend Nicole once said it’s cheaper to wear Primark stuff once and throw it out than wash it and have it tear, rip, or deteriorate before your eyes. While not fully true, it’s close. Because you get sweaters for £4, they won’t be the best quality. I have a grey sweater (not pictured) that is 32% cotton, 30% nylon, 26% viscose and 8% wool, which isn’t bad, but it’s not going to last years. That’s why you have to be strategic about it. If you’re looking for a foundation item such as a white button shirt, you’re better off getting it at the Gap where it’ll last longer. But if you’re looking for a party dress, the trend of the moment for £8 is good enough. There are some exceptions. My red patent high heels are leather interiors which was a surprise.

Just one of many stalls'o'fun at Primark

The other downside is the crowds. I have never seen mobs like the ones constantly in Primark. Even on a Wednesday at noon, the line up for the dressing room is a few meters long. I once went on a Sunday afternoon, which was a huge mistake. But if you’re brave enough to navigate the crowds, and know how to work the trends, Primark can be your best friend.

Bikes: the European Transit System

A friend of mine posted a photo summarizing his two years in Europe. In it was a wall covered in graffiti and a bike lying against the wall. I don’t know about the graffiti, but I can tell you bikes are big here. And it doesn’t matter what country you’re in. I thought it was a Dutch thing in Amsterdam, until I started to get almost-run-over by bicycles in Brussels on a regular basis. They get special sections of the pavement to stick to. And woe is to the sorry soul who tramples on this sacred Earth. Many a time I was faced with the annoyed staccato “Brrring! Bring!” of a bike bell when I stepped onto the dark red brick that was “pour bicyclettes.”

Even here in London, they’re passionate about their bikes. A few days ago I stepped onto the street and was almost run over by one. I think he yelled, "Moron!" after our near fatal collision, but I can't be sure.

Aside from the rudeness of the cyclers themselves, I think bikes are a great part of Europe. They’re quick, fast, cheap, good for you and don’t emit pesky fossil fuels. And they’ve got it down to a science. In both Brussels and Lille there were Velo stations or Velib (pioneered in Paris) where you go to rent bikes. It works like renting a car but on a shorter term.

“To access the bikes, riders can select a one-day card for 1 euro, a weekly card for 5 euros or an annual card for 29 euros. After the purchase of an access card, riding for the first half-hour is free and a supplement of 1 euro will be charged for an additional half-hour, 2 euros for another 30-minutes and 4 euros for every addition half-hour after that. Example: a 25 minute trip = 0 euros, a 50 minute trip = 1 euro, an hour and 15-minute ride = 3 euros.” (source)

And it’s not just the French speakers. Barcelona and Rome have them and now London is thinking of tossing its hat in the ring. A big push for the bikes are that they reduce traffic jams in Europe’s massively congested city centres. Every time I see these stations I think what a great idea they are and that Canada should definitely do that. Well, it turns out we are.

In September, Montreal started a pilot program similar to the Velib program, called the BIXI, part bike, part taxi. It costs $28 a month and the city hopes to have 2,400 BIXIs by next spring. Stationnement de Montreal, the company that manages the city's on-street parking is picking up the $15 million tab and expects to recoup costs through membership fees (read here for more).

I’m game to see how the experiment goes, especially in the frigid Montreal winters. That’s a problem Paris never really had to deal with.

This Is Me...Now.

I got my hair cut in a sweet little place in Covenant Garden last week. These are the results. The grainy quality of the pictures are a result of my webcam.

Paris...At Night

They don’t call Paris the "City of Light" for nothing. It is absolutely gorgeous at night. That’s the unfortunate thing about visiting the city. You see interesting and amazing sites during the day but most of them are lit up at night and look even better. So you almost want to re-visit the sites you visited during the day at night to see how they look. I didn’t do that, but I was very tempted.

Remember when I got this for Christmas? Well I wanted it specifically for Paris. And the results turned out quite nicely if I do say so myself. Here are a selection of them

Arc de Triomphe

The Bastille monument

Sacre Coeur Basillica

The view from Sacre Coeur

The Moulin Rouge, where dinner and a show will set you back €170

The famous tower

The Louvre and the famous 'Da Vinci Code' pyramid

More from the Louvre

Funky perspective of the Louvre

For the Da Vinci Coders

Before we started our tour of the Louvre I engaged in a little photo shot. I couldn't resist. Enjoy.

Look how strong I am

Napoleon Dynamite

For three days, it seemed like I couldn’t step four feet without stumbling over something Napoleon oriented. It started at the Palace of Versailles, the absolute last place in the world I expected to find him. Turns out he has a whole wing for him. After the absolute splendour of the palace there’s a room dedicated to what happened after Marie Antoinette lost her head. That means Napoleon. There’s a whole room dedicated to Napoleon, filled with a giant statue, and multiple paintings, one being a reproduction of his coronation.

Napoleon's coronation painting at Versailles

Napoleon at Versailles

There are several paintings of the man as well. Later on in the palace there is a room that commemorates France’s victory throughout time. Surprisingly, Napoleon features quite heavily here with three or four paintings of his battles. He also gets a statue in a hall of warriors and famous French men.

His image also turns up in the Louvre, where the original painting of the Coronation appears.

Look familiar?

Next, there’s Les Invalides, a military museum, which also includes Napoleon’s final resting place. This isn’t a grave. No, this is too simple for France’s only emperor. Napoleon gets a sarcophagus wrapped in tin, two layers of lead, ebony and encased in granite. It’s really quite impressive. His son, rests across from him—oddly under a statue of his father—and his brother to the side. The grave is the biggest attraction in an otherwise impressive church, that had it not housed arguably France’s greatest general, which be a nice attraction. Along with the tomb there are objects from Napoleon’s life including his notes on the Wealth of Nations, his love letters to first wife Josephine and a pocket watch that originally belonged to Louis XIV.

Napoleon's tomb

"Napoleon, Emperor of the French"

The Church at Invalides

Tales from a Crypt Walker

There’s a first time for everything and the weekend I went to Paris was full of them. It was my first time in Paris. Nicole’s first ride on the Eurostar. My first ride on a funicular. And my first time playing tourist in a cemetery. The Père Lachaise Cemetery is a located on the outskirts of Paris. It’s in a rather non-descript area of the city and looks kind of run down.

The Père Lachaise Cemetery

We don’t usually hang out in cemeteries, so you’re probably wondering why we did, especially in Paris. But it’s packed with celebrities. Literally. We were doing some star gazing, or at least gazing at their graves. Even in the middle of the day, with people all around, cemeteries are still creepy.

Jim Morrison's grave

Edith Piaf, pride of France

Irish author Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde, I don't understand the kisses

Surrounded by celebrities,
here is one of many memorials to the Holocaust

Composer Chopin

Coincidentally, it seems being around dead people was a theme in Paris. Aside from Napoleon and those in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, we visited the Panthéon which holds some of France’s most celebrated thinkers, politicians and scientists.


They say Americans are the most gratuitous flag waivers and blatant nationalists, but I think the French could give those Yanks a run for their money. The Panthéon used to be a church, which is a good indication of the reverence this country shows these men and women.

Inside the Panthéon,

That circular thing in the middle proves the Earth's rotation

While it was really cool seeing "the places they were interned," it was also incredibly creepy. For one thing, the entry to the crypt contains an urn with the heart of a former PM of France. That sets the stage for what is to come. That is, several large halls full of empty rooms in the crypts just waiting for the next great Frenchmen to die. Let me tell you, I don't envy them. These are some pretty big shoes to fill.

The graves of Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Both famous French philosophers of the Enlightenment era . Rivals in real life, their final resting places are facing each other. I don't know if that's ironic, funny or respectful or insensitive.

Victor Hugo, author of "the Hunchback of Notre Dame"

Alexandre Dumas, author of the "Three Musketeers"

The crypt that contains Hugo and Dumas

The Curies.
Marie Curie, the chemist, is the only woman buried in the Panthéon.