Thanksgiving in Paris - literally

As all the Canadians know, Monday was Thanksgiving. As any North American expat in Paris knows, it is a store in the 5th that sells goodies from home (even Clamato juice!).

But back to the real Thanksgiving - I, of course, did not have the day off . . .but I did have a tasty meal. One of the Canadian pubs here, the Moose, offered a turkey dinner with all the fixings and pumpkin pie! Needles to say, the place was packed :)

Nuit Blanche

For those not familiar with the concept, Nuit Blanche is an all night art festival. Installations are set up across the city and, in theory, are open all night. I say in theory because we hit a few that closed around midnight - they totally didn't get the memo! 

So on October 3rd, I headed out with a couple of others (and a bazillion other Parisians) to see how much art we could take in and how late we could stay up! The theme this year was climate change as part of the lead up to the COP 21. This translated into lots of ice, mostly because it melts. And not going to lie, there were a number of things we saw, I didn't get.

Some of the ice

The ice close up

There were a number of video installations. We saw cute short films on family and one at the National Archives that was shots of Fukushima. 

National Archives

There were also a number of exhibits in or outside churches. This first one was a bit haunting. It was mirrors with images of kids behind them that represented those that were deported during the war. They looked that they were there, and not.

This singer was supported by changing colourful lights.

This is one of the ones I didn't get. The light projected the words and numbers and they kept adding smoke to see the rays.

St. Paul Church

This one was supposed to include dancers but it was one of the ones that didn't get the memo. 

And this one, I really didn't get. It was a large slab with gradations in it which were covered in cheese that people were invited to eat. After watching a bunch of people shove their hands in it, I did not sample the cheese!

Jardin des Rosiers

And it wouldn't be a night out without, a beverage!

Despite my confusion throughout the evening, I'm glad I went. And for those that want to know, I made it to 2am!

The Highlands

Even though I was only Edinburgh a short time, I took a trip to the highlands. It was a really long day on a bus but the scenery was stunning. I also lucked out weather wise, despite everything I heard, it was sunny and blue skies! 

The tour went through a number of places including Glen Coe, Ben Nevis, Loch Ness and Inverness. Because it was a bus tour, I don't have pictures of all of it but I did capture some beautiful landscapes.

The first stop on the way was, well I have no idea where, but we met Hamish and saw some land that was bought buy a lottery winner - so I guess worth it?

Hamish

One guy owns this land including the mountains!

Glen Coe

Our bus driver was a hysterical Scottish lady who claims she walked across this land and it is the most beautiful in all of Scotland. Not sure I believed her about the walking (though there were lots of hikers out) but it definitely was beautiful.

A place to stay if you are ever wandering through the area.

Yay - outside the bus!

Loch Ness

The tour included a boat ride on the lake though not enough time to visit the castle.

I saw Nessie :-P

I ended to day checking out one of my colleagues' fav places in Edinburgh the Whiski and it met expectations!

Edinburgh Castle

Next tour of the day was the Edinburgh Castle. The rock the castle is built on has been settled since the Iron age and there has been a royal castle since at least the 12th century. It was originally a residence until the union of Scotland, England and Ireland in 1603. After this time it became a military base and jail for prisoners of war. It is still used as a working military establishment where the Scottish Division headquarters are based.

During its time as a residence, the castle has sheltered many Scottish monarchs including Mary Queen of Scots who gave birth to James VI of Scotland in the Royal Palace in 1566. James VI later became James I of England. You can visit the royal apartments and the Scottish crown jewels (but no pictures!).

Robert the Bruce and William Wallace

A few of the highlights . . .

Hospital

Governor's House

Dog cemetary

The oldest surviving part of the castle is a tiny Norman chapel built in the 12th century. St. Margaret's chapel is a very small plain chapel that the Queen still attends masses in when she finds herself in Edinburgh. 

Crown Square, developed in the 15th century, is where you will find the apartments and the crown jewels.

The Great Hall was built by James IV in 1510.

And lastly, the views from the castle.

After 7 hours of walking, it was time for a rest.