Heading for Toulouse

As I write these words, I am zooming down the railroad on board of a high-speed train (TGV) between Paris and Toulouse, first stopping in Bordeaux. The speed at which this train is going is quite amazing, as we can easily see with the landscape zipping by.

I was not able to post regularly as I was hoping while in Paris since I did not have the right connector to hook my modem to a phone line. Come Friday, I did go in to the office which is when I posted my first blog entry.

The first part of my trip in Paris went very smoothly, with the customer being extremely happy of the results by the end of the three-day course. I was also able to hook up with my friend Jord who lives in Paris and was one of my co-workers.

In terms of visiting the town, I was the Grande Arche de la Défense, Arc de Triomphe, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, Musée de l’homme, Tuileries, Halles and of course the Eiffel Tower.

On Friday night, as I was walking around town waiting to meet my friend, it was really nice to see tons of people having pic-nics on the sides of the Seine river, with a bottle of wine, bread and cheese or other things. There were a lot of young students but also older couples out for a small romantic escapade.

On Saturday, I visited a few of the historic monuments listed above and also went shopping to buy a few gifts. At Jord’s recommendation, I went to the Printemps and Lafayette stores. These are gigantic! Think about 7 to 10 times the size of a Sears or The Bay store in Canada.

All in all, a very full week but very successful. The only downside is being away from home and my family for so long. As well, I learned mid-week that I will only be back home for a week before leaving for the US for another class. So I will only have been home for a bit more than a week in June. Oh well, at least the vacation period is right around the corner so things should calm down and other people will soon be ready to give courses on the road. I guess we’ll just have to see people every week-end in July and August to catch up!