I will continue to use twitter during the stopovers but I think it's time for me to assess this trip !

It's the end. The end of an adventure. The end of chapter. The end of a life in a life... But life goes on. Blank pages are available to me, ready to welcome new expeditions on our little planet!

So many new adventures are on the horizon...

After exactly 37 days of  an extraordinary adventure, a trip to the end of the world, a few steps around the world, I will be back home...

No doubt: a journey certainly experiencing with its stages or moments to overcome, but a magnificent and magical journey at the same time.

For this, I would like to thank my family and all the people I met during this trip.

To be continued...

Ottawa is a city that I always wanted to discover and I am so happy because I really enjoyed this city.  The only negative aspect is that the temperature was  -1°C in the morning and -6°C in the afternoon, I was lucky to have thought to bring a woolen coat ! I am not used to this temperature that’s why it was difficult to face this weather, so I chose indoor activities. During my breakfast I discovered an other gastronomy like bacon and fried eggs, which is very good, consistent and disorientating ! The Canadian Aviation and Space Museum is really interesting. Indeed, in this museum I have discovered the evolution of aviation in Canada from 1909 until today, through all the wars, and this exhibition is impressive. I also appreciated the Bytown Museum because this museum relates the story of a city in rapid expansion. The Canadian War Museum was my favorite because it was about the military past of Canada and the different wars. I did a virtual tour which was very original. I also saw exhibitons with the memories of the first World War. In the evening, my walk along the canal was very nice! I had an incredible view. I would have loved to visit the ice rink on the canal yet the site was not open. Ottawa is a city with a large heritage so do not hesitate to visit it, you will not be disappointed !

Canada here I am ! So glad and so tired of this great day !
I took the plane last night from New-York at 6:20 pm and arrived at 8:10 pm at Toronto ; took a shuttle to  city center and finally arrived at my hotel : Royal Oak Inn where I will sleep 2 nights. When I arrived I just threw my bag and took a long sleep to be ready for my 4 days stay in Canada.

First I wanted to visit Toronto, I heard so much about it from an elder classmate who is actually studying in Canada right now; he helped me a lot by giving me some must-do in Toronto !

So after  my American breakfast at the Royal Oak Inn, I decided to go out and  was shocked.
It was snowing. Sounds kind of foolish but it does not snow a lot in Rennes (France) so it was really impressive for me to see snow covering the streets :) It felt like Christmas was coming and I couldn't let the chance to buy some Christmas gifts pass me by.
So I aimed to Eaten Center, it is the 2nd Greatest Commercial Center of Canada; there you can find as many clothes stores as well as parfumes, toys, restaurants and souvenirs shops. I bought a photo scrapbook to make a full album of my trip in order to make my family and friends discover it :)

Hungry as I was, I wanted to eat a Canadian burger. Pierre (my elder classmate) told me I should try the "Big Smoke Burger" at the Eaten Center, it was nice I assume but I felt it a bit too greasy !

Then I really wanted to do something exceptionnal, "I am in Toronto for 1 single day, what should I do ?" I asked Pierre. He said "
Go and discover Niagara Falls ! You get there on a cruise if you feel tired, I guess there's some illuminations in this period."
He was right and it gave me one of the best memory I will keep from my first day in Canada, when I saw the Falls illuminated by tons of colors glowing on water it was just breathtaking. I took some pictures that I will develop at the end of the trip to create my World Tour Album. 

Amazing first day, can't wait to see more of this country ! Ottawa here I come !

The Big Apple !

Hello guys ! I'm in NY ! It's a waking dream ! I arrived last night by bus from Boston. The bus dropped me at the bus station at 9.50pm just next to the Empire State Bulding. But I had to find my hotel and rest to go there today! I admit that all these jet lags begin to be tiring.

I took the subway next to the bus stop. Perfect ! My hotel is in the Upper West Side beside Central Park ! On the way I found a small and very nice restaurant "Hot & Crusty" where I ate a good salad! It's good for my weight !

Today I was so excited to discover all these places. So I woke up at 8am and I went to a good restaurant/bakery "Le pain quotidien" to take a breakfast (rather a brunch : with toast and ham) to spend all the day.

I love this city already! :)  But one day is too short, there are too many things to do and see. It's incredible !

PS : you must take warm clothes because it's very cold in New York in December :p

This evening I am heading to Canada! See you later my friends! If you have any question don’t hesitate. J!

I arrived at the capital of Massachusetts at 6 a.m. I was very tired and to be honest very excited too. To discover Boston  was  one of my dreams because I heard lots of good things about this town and Boston seems very attractive. To begin with,  I wanted to take some rest and fortunately, one of my classmate has her cousine in Boston, so I took this opportunity to bring my luggages at her home and have a rest. Maya was very cool to pick me up at airport. I must confess that without her I would have been lost. I stayed at her home for 3 or 4 hours and talked a lot with her, also she brought me breakfast ! She lives  downtown so she advised me somes places. 

I chose to start my trip in the USA with San Francisco because I just wanted to see an old friend of mine – Anthony. I met him years ago when he was visiting France so when I told him I was moving to the USA he directly invited me to discover his city. And, to be honest, it’s been a long time that I wanted to see the famous Golden Gate Bridge! Moreover S.F  has this reputation to be a very open-minded city so I shouldn’t have miss it!

I started my day in the heart of S.F in the Union Square. I was totally surrounded by skyscrapers.

Then I went to the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), the architecture of the building is very impressive! But unfortunately, I discovered that the museum was closed each Wednesdays…

So, with Anthony we chose to go to Haight Ashbury but before he made a little detour with his car to make me see the cable cars!

About Haight Ashbury : It is a neighbourhood in S.F very famous because it was the place of birth of the “Summer of love” during the 70’s.  When you go there, you really can feel this hippie atmosphere. I really loved its Victorian houses which are full of colours!

After a lunch in a Starbuck (I already miss Mexican food…) with Anthony we went to the Golden Gate bridge! It is the symbol of the city. It connects San Francisco to the little city of Sausalito.

The Golden Gate bridge is huge. Really. And definitively it is better to see it for real than in pictures! We made a walk across the gate to enjoy the incredible view on the Pacific.

And finally, we made a little cruise to see the gate from the ocean… It was really amazing!

One day  is not enough to visit San Francisco but I don’t have the time to stay longer. I hope I will be back soon to visit the rest of the city.

I loved the “soul” of San Francisco and I really advise you to go there, you will not regret!

Tonight I’m taking my flight to reach Los Angeles! I hope I’ll see some celebrities!

Ps: Did you know that the Silicon Valley is located just to the south of San Francisco?

Hi everybody,

Today I woke up in Mexico in Omar's house. We took our typical breakfast with his family. Then, as we decided yesterday, we went to Acapulco by car.

Of course, this city it is far away from Mexico: 4 hours by car! But during the ride, I could discover a lot of lanscapes and sleep a little because with all the jet lags I am very tired.

We arrived around 12:00 in Acapulco, so we decided to walk along the beautiful Hornos Beach. On the beach, a lot of young people were playing soccer and volley-ball. It is a famous meeting place to relax or to take advantage of the sea.

Just next to Hornos Beach, Omar showed me La Avenida Costera Miguel Alemán, which is the principal business area with a lot of restaurants, hotels, and shops.

At 2:00 pm, we wanted to eat. We found a typical restaurant call Restaurante El Fogón (it is a taquería, a place where people can eat tacos). So, we ate two tacos and we drunk piña colada just for 60 pesos per person (it is around 3 euros in France).

During the evening, we visited El Acantilado de la Quebrada, that is a natural wonder with a cliff, which is a famous tourist attraction. All the days, professional divers jump into the sea by 45 meters high. It was incredible and it is a crazy sport. I never saw that before !

At 5:00 pm, I will take the car with Omar, and we will come back to his house because tomorrow it is my last day in Mexico.

Tonight, we will have dinner in his house with his family again, his mother will prepare Chiles en nogada for us. They are really kind and friendly people.

See you tomorrow for my next adventures !

I woke up early this day at the youth hostel and I decided to take a New-

Zealander breakfast.

Considering that New-Zealand is part of the Commonwealth, the usual Breakfast is

quite similar to the English one. There was a kind of «Marmite» called «Vegemite». If you

don't know this, it's a spread like «Nutella» but the taste is different. It can be

surprising !

 I began my day taking a walk on the harbour to see why Auckland is nicknamed the «city of sails». Indeed, the docks were full of boats ! I always wanted to navigate on Hauraki Gulf Marine Park where we can see a lot of local marine mammals (dolphins,whalesand killer whales!) And how lucky I was! I found an eco-cruise called Safari Whale and Dolphin. So I decided to buy a ticket for a cruise. The start of this cruise was at 1:30 pm so I continued to explore the city and tried to meet some Auckland citizens. A few minutes later I found the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki It was a great art exhibition and moreover it was free entry. I hadn't prepared anything to eat before I left the youth hostel so I ordered a fish and chips !

It was 1:30 pm. The cruise started and I just got on board. A

wonderful experience began!

We navigated until 4:30 pm and we saw many dolphins and some

whales and killer whales. It was incredible to see them swim in

group. Fortunately the crew ship lent me a waterproof coat and

field glasses.

 Then I continued my exploration of the city. I went to places that inhabitants recommanded me like the Albert Park (a great site to have a rest) and Ponsonby ( it's considered as the hype square of Auckland and indeed it's quite

artistic).

Tonight  I wandered in Wynyard quarter to drink a glasse of wine with New-Zealander people. I prefered to go to bed early because tomorrow I am to take the plane at 6:00am to go to Australia !!!

After spending 12 hours in the plane where I had time to rest, I finally set foot on the Kiwi’s country: New Zealand! What a wonderful country!!

Today, I was really lucky! First of all: my meeting with Grear, the woman I met in the plane. She was sitting next to me, and we sympathized. It was when we arrived at  Rotorua airport that she offered me dinner and sleep, because I had told her my plan to travel around the word. By chance she lived in Rotorua and was caming back from a stay in Beijing.

I had already eaten in the plane, so I went directly to the site of Wai o tapu, twenty minutes drive from Rotorua, and guess how? Hitch-hiking! I was not very reassured at the start because we dont know what kind of person we can meet. But I followed my instinct and it worked rather well! A young couple gave me a lift me and I had nothing to pay. Perfect no?!

My afternoon in the Wai o Tapu Thermal Wonderland went better than I had imagined! (Besides the nauseating odor of sulfur which emanated from everywhere… Aha). For more than two hours I strolled between the ponds of mud, volcanic craters and lakes, all breathtaking with their multiple colors orange, blue, green and pink...

This is definitely a place not to be missed if, one day, you go to New Zealand! I took many photos and believe me or not, but I did not put any filter. And if one day you visit the place, I advise you to get there early in the morning to witness the daily eruption of the geyser Lady Knox at 10:15 a.m. I missed it but you may be lucky to witness this wonderful natural spectacle.

I stayed until the closing, and I left as I came, hitch-hiking!

Hi everybody! How was your day?

I am sorry, I didn’t take the time yesterday to post my daily article, I was so exhausted.

However, I didn’t walk that much. I think that my tiredness was due to the crowd, the noise and the pollution. People are used to talk very loud, and because Beijing is densely populated (21 240 000 inhabitants!!!), the noise becomes quickly disturbing.

Yesterday, my day began in the airplane, when the sun was already high in the sky. The cabin crew, lovely and attentive, was starting the distribution of the breakfast. It was 08:00 AM.

I arrived at the airport at 09:55 AM, but it took me more than one hour to finally get my luggage. Then I walked straight to the Terminal n°3 where the train was waiting to go. It took me to the Dongzhimen station and in less than 20 minutes I was in Downtown.

Then I went to the youth hostel I found on internet when I was in Moscow. It is really a nice place to go with a warn atmosphere. The clientele is pretty young and cosmopolitan, and you know me, I love that! I would like to talk with some other globetrotters to share some advice, but I haven't had the time yet.

Then I went to Downtown to meet my friend Wang Hong in the Tiananmen Square. There is plenty of things to see like historical monuments, modern architecture and green parks. However, I noticed two mains styles of architecture: the traditional temples, built following the rules of FengShui, and the Communist architecture, sober, cold and made to be convenient. The term FengShui, 风水, is literally to be translated as “wind and water” in English. It is a symbol of the Chinese culture and I have an impression that it represents pretty well the subtle balance between tradition and modernity in China. Indeed, they give spaces to their believes and it can be quite difficult sometimes to catch their way of thinking. But the few days I am staying in Beijing really help me to comprehend the characteristics of this unrivalled culture.

As a traveller, I know that this is part of the culture. The smells, the sounds, the faces are all contributing to the identity of the region and the believes are the cultural background.

Talking about the Chinese architecture, I will have plenty of things to tell you because as I told you this morning on Twitter, I will go to the Great Wall of China.

If you want to know more, read on!

Good Evening everybody !

"добрый вечер" (It means "good evening" in Russian)

Yesterday, I took the train from Saint Petersburg to Moscow at 23.30 PM. During the trip, I was tired but so excited to discover a new city. I did some research about Moscow : the famous places, photos......

At 01:00 AM, I slept and I did a lot of dreams about my "world tour".

At 08:30 AM, I arrived in the station of Belarus. And I walked 5-6 min to the Cafe of Pushkin. It was a very good place with an immense Library with 15.000 old books. I was hungry, so I had  breakfast in this place. I had a tea and pastries.....

Then, I read the newspaper and I saw the success of François Fillon is seen as a sensational event in Russia. I was surprised !

After reading, I visited Lenin's Mausoleum, It is about the first leader of the Soviet Union. It is located on the Red Square in the center of Moscow. Next to the Kremlin walls, this monument homes the body of Vladimir IIitch Lenin. His body has been there since 1973 in a glass coffin. It was an interesting visit and no one spoke !! A great silence.....

For the lunch, I eat in "Stolovaya 57" on the Red Square too, which proposes Russian food. The dishes offered were varied, so I didn't kown what to choose..... When I was decided, I chose the dish "Plov", It is a dish based on rice with vegetable and meat with spices. It was not famous..... But I was happy to discover the Russian gastronomy.

In the afternoon, I stayed around the Red Square because this place is so beautiful !!!!

I visited the State Historical Museum, It was about the History of Russia. I learned more about this country, This museum houses millions of objects from the prehistory to the Dynasty of the Romanov.

After this visit, I saw some of metro stations, because a friend had told me they are amazing. And that's right !

I found this incredible to make beautiful places that are often not beautiful in other cities .....

To finish this afternoon, I went in the cathedral "Basilic-le-Bienheureux", which is an Orthodox church. This building represents the symbol of the Russian architecture. It was so different from other churches !!

Afterwards, I took the train to reach the airport of Moscow..... I am writting this article, waiting for the plane. I will go to Beijing, and the departure is at 09.15 PM.

 I was so sad, because I didn't have enough time !

But Moscow, I'll be back !

Good evening friends!

After a long flight last night and not much sleep, I spent a great day in Saint Petersburg.

It’s very a lovely city, I recommend it!

So this morning, I arrived at 9 am at the airport, (with the delay), I ate in the plane. I took the bus “Airport express” to go to the center.

Then I met a fantastic greeter: Miroslav, a young man of 24 years old. I was  to only spend the morning with him but we sympathized and he stayed with me all day.

He showed me the city center of Saint Petersburg:  Anichkov Bridge, the Bronze Horsman statue, Piskaryovskoye memorial cemetery, the impressive Hermitage museum,  Saint Isaac’s Cathedral… It was fast but very beautiful… and touristic!

Then I ate in a delicious restaurant (Yat) and I took a Goloubsty (stuffed cabbage), Miroslav suggested it to me and it was… so… taaaasty!!!

At 2:30 pm, we went to Peter and Paul fortress; it was built in 1740, at the foundation of the city. At the top of the ramparts, there is a splendid view of the city and the river!

After that, Miroslav took me to Eliseyev Emporium Coffeeshop where we ate some Russian Cakes and drunk a coffee… Cakes were excellent but filling… That Coffee shop is famous in Saint Petersburg with the foreigners because there are many Russian specialities, so if you want to go to Saint Petersburg, don’t forget to go to Eliseyev Emporium Coffeeshop! But you will wait a little to get a seat… There are so many people!

At the end of the day, still with my friend, we went to the Russian Vodka museum. No, I’m not an alcoholic, but it’s very interesting and unusual to visit a museum about alcohol! In that museum, at the end of the visit, it’s possible to taste 3 kinds of vodka and 3 Russian specialities! After that I felt dizzy… but it’s not important :’)

Now, I’m at Miroslav… I don’t know which speciality he will cook …

I will leave you because my Russian adventure is not ended; tomorrow I will go to Moscow (and I will take my train at 10:30 pm)!

So see you soon for the rest of my adventures!!!  

A FEW MILES AWAY AND AGAIN ANOTHER ATMOSPHERE : HELLO BUCHAREST

This morning I took the plane at 9.00 A.M at Istanbul Airport and arrived at 9.30 P.M in Bucharest.  You going to tell me that 30 minutes to go there, this is impossible! Well, you’re right but you must have forgotten about the jet lag - as I do sometimes -  that’s why I am tired at the moment but still, I am eager to discover new cultures.

After I arrived at the airport, I took the bus to Herastrau Park, the biggest park in Budapest. There is a lot to do: cruises, activities, sports or visit of the Romanian Village Museum. I decided to take a breath and have a walk. The weather was good enough to discover the park and the lake so I bought a ticket for a little cruise of 25 minutes, the season made the landscape just beautiful with all those orangies colors. 

At noon, I took another bus on my way to Bucharest center. A friend of mine named Alex advised me to eat at Caru’ cu Bere, a famous and historical restaurant. Indeed, the atmosphere of this restaurant made me travel through time because of the worns tables and stained glasses. However,  it was an amazing place with convivial people. I ate a typical plate of Romania named Tochitura with sausages, pork, cheese and polenta, I think Romanians are fond of meat ! Do you know "Garguanta" by Rabelais? Well I was thinking of the meal scene when I was there ! The only inconvenient, because French people are not used to it anymore, were the people smoking inside the restaurant but even so, I enjoyed this legendary place.

At 2 p.m I went to the most important place of Bucharest, the Parliament also named “Casa Poporului” in other words the House of People. This is the second biggest monument in the world after the Pentagone in the United States of America, just incredible! These two hours of visit were full of information, I had never seen such a big monument : 1100 rooms, 12 floors, 40 elevators and countless  material. The guide who was a funny one, told us that the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu ordered to rebuild 7 times one of the staircase of this monument because he wasn’t satisfied with it, what a to-do !

At 4 p.m I met my friend Alex, a student in Bucharest that I met in France. We went at Obor Market, a mystery place and also an attractive one thanks to numerous products : candies, cabbages, fruits, traditional products…

This night I had the chance to sleep in Alex’s apartment,so we came back to his place. He cooked for me a soup named Ciorba. It had really a surprising taste but was really good; and he gave me his recipe, lucky me! 

I am really happy to have made this decision to leave and discover the entire world, this is such an amazing experience, I am grateful to all those people I met that far and what I have learned from them. I hope this will continue… Next step… You are going to see it soon !

Thank you for following me !

Tochitura recipe : http://gustolandia.ro/fr/tochitura-moldoveneasca/

Hello everybody !

I arrived last night in Istanbul, the Ottoman capital. My plane landed at 10:30 pm and after that, I was really happy to find my bed. My room is located in Sultanahmet district, so it is perfect to discover Istanbul.

This morning, after my breakfast, I went in the Topkapi palace and it is really large and beautiful. I saw the blue mosque beside Saint Sophia.

I could taste the famous turkish kebab in district of the bazaars and, of course......Loukoums ! It is a typical turkish candy.

Istanbul is city with 1001 colours. In its bazaars, I could saw spices, clothing, loukoums, jewerly and again so much things magnificent with a real know-how.

This afternoon, I did a walk on the banks of the Bosphore and Galata.

So a full day in this city !

Istanbul, I'm leaving you tomorrow but see you soon !

Good evening everybody!!

Yesterday, I took a plane at the international airport « Leonard de Vinci » in Roma at 10:00PM. I was so exited to take off to my next destination. My plane flew during 1h26. So at 11:30PM I was in my new country: MALTA!

In 2009, I was in Paris and I met Michelle, a Maltese girl which whom I kept in touch. I sent her a message three days ago and that’s why she came to pick up me at Malta airport. A real pleasure to see Michelle after 7 years! Malta is a very small island (a length of only 18,6 miles) and she has a car, so it was not a problem for her to come to the airport at night.

She lives in San Gwann,  the East of Malta and the airport it’s at Luqa, in the south, so the ride lasted twenty minutes. I dropped off my luggage in her apartment and we went out. We did a little walk on the coast till Paceville, a neighborhood of San Gwann. This part of the city is the most important place for the night-life. There is a lot of restaurants, pubs or night clubs and to go to a night club for example, it’s free! So, we danced and had a drink with Michelle and her friends. It’s always interesting to discover the night-life; it’s never the same atmosphere in different countries. I liked the atmosphere in Paceville. The music was good (a mix of Italian, French and American music), the neighborhood was decorated, people were very welcoming. The official language is English so I spoke with a lot of people, it was crazy!

We went back to Michelle’s apartment at 2:00AM, I was very tired.

in the morning, to thank Michelle for sharing her apartment with me, I did French sweet crepes. She was impressed because she had never tasted this food.

The weather wasn't very good, only 18° and there were clouds but wasn't raining. I was lucky; we were Saturday so Michelle didn't work today. We decided to go out together.  

In the morning, we went with  bus “15” to Valletta. In Malta, there is a lot of bus trips organized by the “Tallinja Organisation”, very convenient.

Valletta is the Maltese capital, it is labelled UNESCO and there are ramparts around the city. There are a lot of old buildings, that’s why it’s interesting to just wander in the different streets; it’s like a beautiful labyrinth. Moreover, I visited  San John Cathedral built in the sixteenth century. It was great; there is a decoration that I had never see before, with a lot of colors!

For the lunch, we ate  the typical Maltese dish at the “Rampila Restaurant”: rabbit. In fact, in Malta rabbit is like a tradition, all people have a different way to cook this meat but it is always home-made.

After this great lunch, we decided to take another bus (the “53”). to go to visit the antique Maltese capital: Mdina. It was the capital till 1566 and now this city is named “The silent City” because there aren't  so many inhabitants. We went there because I wanted to see the landscapes where the series named “Game of Thrones” was filmed!

At 4:00 PM, we came back at San Gwann city and I took my luggage at Michelle’s apartment... Time to go back to the airport where Michelle left me… I was so sad, but it was crazy to discover Malta with her!!! Maybe one day I will come back in this country, landscapes are so beautiful, people are friendly and I have some stories of the Maltese past that I need to learn.  

BUONA SERA A TUTTI!

As I said  yesterday, today I’m in Italy “IL BEL PAESE- the beautiful country”.

The last night, having dinner, I met an Italian boy who had a car and today was going to Trieste so I decided to take advantage of it, we did car-sharing.

This morning we left at 6 am from Zadar to reach Trieste Central station at 11 am.

I ate a sandwich waiting for my train to Rome.

 At 11:54 am I left from Trieste to Rome. At 4:10 pm I finally arrived in Rome, the unique city. The Italians are right to call it the Eternal City...

In the afternoon I did a walking tour among other monuments in Rome, I saw Piazza Navona, the Colosseum, the forum ... and walking through the beautiful streets of Rome I ate the best ice cream in my life… ah yes because in Italy you can eat an ice cream even in winter!

 I came walking in the best district of Rome TRASTEVERE, many bars, entertainment in the streets, shops, people smiling, and this city really put me in a good mood!

At about 19h00 I made the famous Italian aperitif, a real treat to drink a spritz and to eat the Italian food for just 20 € .... I love this country, really la dolce vita!

 Now, I’m at the  airport again because I'm leaving to Malta this time!

I'll be back dear Italy!

Hi, everyone. I am at the moment in Vienna. Let me  tell you about my amazing day. I arrived in Vienna around 10:30am this morning. I began with a traditional Austrian breakfast at the  Christmas market: croissant, fruit juice and coffee. I bought Christmas presents for my family (plush for my little sister and some cake for my parents) and sent them to France (of course they can't open them now). Christmas atmosphere here is just amazing: music, all the people seem happy, there is an ice rink where the couple dance (sooo romantic!!!!).

I met a family who invited me to thave  a lunch with them at their home. They promised me to cook traditional meal and they did! The meal's name was knödel. That was potatoas, semolina and beef.  Simple but really delicious!

After lunch, I was in Vienna Prater, one of the oldest amusement park in Europe. I went the famous big wheel of the park to have a panoramic view on Vienna. I stayed approximately 3 or maybe 4 hours in the park. I didn't want to leave this place.

I continued with Schönbrunn garden visit, the gigantic garden of Schönbrunn castle. They was a lot of people; it's one of most touristic place in Austria.

To finish the day, I went back to the  Christmas market, to be a last time in this magic atmosphere of Christmas, totally different from the one in France. I listened to Christmas music group. I was lucky because that it had opened  only 4 days ago.

If one day you want to visit Vienna, I advise you to go there during Christmas period to discover this special atmosphere.

Good evening my dear readers :)

After one very early awakening this morning, I went to the airport of Stockholm with the same express train as the day before. I was very excited to discover Finland. I had breakfast at the airport. Hmm A good coffee and  bread with some jam. My plane took off at 7 am. It was nice because I was next to a young American :p It kept me busy me during the two hour flight.

Just to inform you, Helsinki is the capital of Finland in the North of Europe !

Arrived on the spot, I went directly to Kallio place. (It's the second photo) Kallio is a "hipster" area. Before this place was not populated. But it developed and today it is the place where many young people meet. There are a lot of restaurants, bars,cafes, shops ... I met plenty of Finnish and foreign students ! One hour later I was hungry.

So, I returned to the city center to eat in the restaurant which the tourist office advised me . The choice was difficult, then I took the soup. 

After a good lunch, I went to another place : Ullanlinna (Third photo). It is an inescapable district in the South of Helsinki. This word means fortress (Linna) of Ulla who was the queen of Sweden and Finland. I wanted to visit this district because its architecture is very interesting : the new constructions sound of the style "Art Nouveau". Moreover Tähtitorninpuisto is the BIGGEST park of Ullanlinna. It is very very very beautiful. Till 4 pm I enormously walked. So, the tourist office had advised to me to test a sauna. Near Ullanlinna, there was a Löyly sauna. I stayed two hours inside. It was a real happiness :) But all good things come to an end ...

I returned by bus  to the district where was my apartment hotel, near the airport. I went shopping for my dinner and my breakfast because I have a kitchen in my hotel room. After I returned to the hotel to relax .

An ended day and an unforgettable experience in Helsinki !!! Very kind Finns and idyllic landscapes :D

See you soon for new adventures !!

"Mamma Mia", I love Stockholm !

I arrived this noon in Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden, and directly I went to eat. The only coffee I took on this morning as a breakfast wasn’t enough, I know I should have bought something to eat… Unfortunately we were Sunday and there wasn’t a lot of open restaurants… So, I had an idea: Why not try a Swedish fast food? I thought about “MAX”, the king of burgers of the Nordic countries. And sincerely… It was very good! I was not disappointed, and believe me, Mc Donald’s can be worrying!

The belly filled, I decided to discover the city by an original way… by boat. I will book the sightseeing bus when I will return in London! ;)
The visit (“Royal Canal Tour”), which highlights the most beautiful and famous places of the city, lasted fifty minutes for 190 SEK (19€). I advise you to do it! It is a really good price/performance ratio!

And I know what you will tell me: “You go to Stockholm and you don’t think about ABBA?”. I am not crazy… but I am sorry IKEA, I can’t do it all…
The ABBA Museum is for me an unmissable visit. As IKEA, the music group ABBA is a mythic icon of Sweden. Impossible not to know their music! So if you are like me, you like to sing the ABBA’s songs, this Museum is made for you! For 195 SEK (20€) you can discover their career, from the  beginning to the end. The visit lasted two hours approximately.

The song “Mamma Mia” in my head, I decided to rest in the nearest park of the Museum: The Royal Djurgarden. A real heaven of peace.

After a pleasant rest in this natural place and a walk in the streets of the city, I came across a restaurant, which is called “Chutney”. Not a typical Swedish food but an authentic Indian Vegetarian cooking. Not really Swedish, I KNOW. Trip Advisor reviews have convinced me, and honestly, I was really really really really hungry. And I was not disappointed! For only 95 SEK (10€) you have a very hearty meal and you are certain to stand out from there with a full belly (again).

Now I am in my bed, in the 2konor Hostel Vasastan… Sincerely I could not spend my life in this dorm room but for one night at 158 SEK (16€) this is not negligible!

I am really happy with this day in Stockholm. I strongly advise you to visit this city! You will not regret, I promise.

And tomorrow, next step: HELSINKI !

It is time to discover Oslo, the capital of Norway !

After 45 minutes by train, I  met Daisy the owner of the Airbnb that I booked yesterday in the evening. She lives in Grünerløkka district in the center of Oslo and has 5 beds for students who  travel to Norway. Today, another person was in Daisy's house. It was Laure, a French girl  in Oslo for 3 days. For the occasion, Daisy prepared a "kjøttkaker" (I can't correctly prononce this word...). It was typical meatballs that we ate with vegetables.

In the afternoon, Daisy went back to work and Laure suggested me a visit of Damstredet and Telthusbakken. These two streets were colorful with a lot wooden houses (Look at  the picture at the top of the article !).

During our walking, we are arrived on the Valkyrie plass where we  found the farmer's market "Majorstua". Inside this market we can buy local products  from farms near Oslo. It was an incredible mix of smells, colors and tastes. I ate a bit of cheese, fruits and meat.

To finish our tour, we  decided to go near the fjord. It was beautiful ! But the wind was so cold; well I took some pictures and we  came back to the city center.

I finally made it to Berlin this morning!

How exciting it is to travel this way, I love it so far! I wanted to go to Berlin to see my German penpal from high school;  her name is Joy and she offered me to sleep in her flat during my stay. We kept in touch thanks to social media and it was a pleasure to spend time with her.

She waited for me at the aeroport of Berlin and we had lunch in the city center. I tried "currywurst" for the first time : it is basically a sausage with curry and fries but it is delicious and I was so hungry!

Then we went to the "Reichtag", which is the parliament of Germany to have a great view of the city thanks to its roof terrace. After that we walked along the Spree River and stopped at the Memorial to Freedom to see the statues.

Street art is really something in Berlin, so many colours and details on the walls. Some of them were huge, I appreciate this kind of art.

I wanted to go to Germany’s central memorial to the victims of the Berlin Wall.  It is 1.4km along Bernauer street, along the actual course of the Wall. I would recommend this place to people who visit Berlin because it made me realise the impact of people's life on both side even if it seems unreal.

After all this walking we took the bus and had dinner at Joy's, she is a wonderful cook and a true friend. I brought her some biscuits  and salted caramel from Brittany to thank her for her hospitality.

All the activities that we did today were free, I keep an eye on my budget!

Hi Marjorie! It is a graffiti and as you can see it represents animals.

HELLO AMSTERDAM !

After London, I arrived in the Netherlands.

Today I explored the beautiful city of AMSTERDAM, the city of canals, bikes, tulips…. I know what you are thinking… the city of drug !!!
Yes, BUT there are so many other things that you have to discover if you go to Amsterdam. I did not have the time to go in museums but I walked a lot across the different districts.  To be as informed as possible, first, I went to the tourist office (next to the railway station) to obtain essential information, the guys were really friendly and they gave me loads of advice ! 
Obviously, I did the old district with the red light district because if you don’t see that you can't say that you have visited Amsterdam !!! 
It’s strange because for the Amstellodamois, it’s regular to see that, and you can meet lot of tourists in this area. It’s not the place I prefered !!
Not far away from it, stil in the historic center, I found the Dam,really famous ! This large square has in the centre a big national monument (for the victims of Second World War), after I went down the Rokin street to the tulips Market along the canal, it’s magic because it’s full of colors and there are tulips for every taste. Moreover it’s not expensive at all: 4 bulbs for 10€ !! 
To continue my discovery, I walked along the canals : FABULOUS !!!!! Every canal seems like the previous one but they all are different, it’s very easy to get lost !  At this period, all along the canals you can see the Christmas decorations on the street lamps, I love this atmosphere !

For midday, I absolutely wanted to try specialities so I did a break in a FEBO, I tasted the croquette called dagelijks vers o chicken kebabs and for dessert I tried the stroopwafel with caramel and chocolate !  It was already 2pm, I crossed several canals and of course, I went to take a famous picture in front of the symbol “I amsterdam” in museums district, I looked at this big square just a few minutes: it’s unbelievable because it’s always bustling with people !  I walked in front of the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh,Stedelijk Museum…

Then, I was lucky because the weather was great, I finished my day in The Vondelpark, the most famous and biggest park of Amsterdam ! I strolled for a long time watching bird singing, people playing music. By the way I met a group of young people like me and sang sings with them: it was really funny and enjoyable !
I started to be tired so around 7pm I decided to look for a restaurant. I looked at the flyers that the Tourist office had given me: inside the park there was a very good restaurant where I decide to go!  I ordered a simple meal : a slice of bread with tomatoes, cheese, onion… After I had a hot chocolate, reminding me my wonderful day At 8.30pm, I took bus number 172 to go to Amstelveen, where my bed was waiting for me in the Airbnb I booked before to start my trip ! I was impatient to meet Alex, the owner of the house!
When I arrived, it was late (around 9pm) however Alex welcomed me with smile and kindness ! The bedroom and bathroom were perfect. After relating quickly my day to Alex, I had a shower and now, I will go to bed, I am shattered ! 💤
In any case, Amsterdam is a beautiful city. I look forward to discovering the next place which will be …? 😜

"The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends." - Shirley MacLaine, actress

It was one of the first thing I read when I passed the main entrance of ExCeL London at 10 am. I did some exhibitions before in Rennes, but this was another dimension. 

I planned to see only 2 meetings during the day : 

10 :15 – 11 :15 Creative Tourism new market since the 2000’s

14 :00 – 15:15 Tourism and the sustainable development goals  

I cannot hide you that I missed the first. But, as we say, we learn from our mistakes and when I think about my day now I have no regrets. 

As I will probably do in my trip around the world, I also planned to visit the North Hall including, Europe, Middle East, Americas & The Caribbean, Africa and also Asia (particulary Taïwan and Indian's stands). 

I finally found myself in front of a huge sign "Essential Costa Rica" . This country has always fascinated me, and I immediately met two charming women who explained me what can I find inside. Let me tell you that I didn't expect spending more than 3 hours discussing with Ignacio, Felipe, Dani and Natalia. I have now so many wonders of nature to see with my own eyes !

There's no need to plan everything when you see what unpredictable meetings can bring you, nothing beats the unexpected ! 

Tomorrow I will be in the Netherlands meanwhile I will sleep as much as I can

I wish you all a good night ! 

Jules

Good evening everybody ! It seems that the adventure has begun… I feel quite excited but I’m a bit stressed out. I’m currently in London, where I arrived during the afternoon.

My train  left Rennes  at 9 am and  it felt strange to think I wouldn’t come back before a long time. I arrived in Paris at 11 am and I took the « métro ligne 4 » to go to Paris Gare du Nord. There I took the Eurostar until London.

When I arrived in London I went to my youth hostel named Smart Hyde Park Inn to leave my stuff there. It’s a pretty place right behind Hyde Park. Did you know that Hyde Park is actually the biggest park in London ? I used to ignore it ! I took the tube, went to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and walked in Hyde Park. I felt free to do whatever I wanted and it was great. I discovered the English culture : here people drive on the left of the street and red British buses are so funny ! 

In a  few hours I will go to Magic Wok, a cheap restaurant on Queensway where you can eat Chinese meals for only 6£ !

Have you already heard about this restaurant ?

I’m looking forward to tell you about the next episode ! By the way, don’t hesitate to suggest me specific places for the rest of my trip around the world ! If you have tips, I really look forward to them!

Thank you!

Thanks to crowdfunding, I have been able to collect the required amount of money to start my journey aroud the world. (Thanks also  to the 2 friends who draw that poster for me - it really helped!)

My fundraising campaign, thanks to you, was a success! 👏👏👏

Yet, I will keep in mind the fact that I have chosen to spend as little as possible on that trip - this is also part of my challenge!

What I need now is another type of support: it is going to be a great adventure, but probably not an easy one. Your comments, notes, etc... will show me I am not alone in this adventure. I realy look forward to them!

I am finishing packing at the moment.

It is not easy to identify what will be really useful!

Difficult choices are already to be made even before departure! 😉