Fabrice Grover's Blog

Chuandixia

Our driver braved icy roads and treacherous mountain passages to take us to a countryside village called Chuandixia today.

Panjiayuan and The Forbidden City

I took the metro to Panjiayuan market yesterday morning with Caroline.

Great Wall daytrip

We hired a taxi driver to take us to Jinshanling, a part of the Great Wall about 3 hours from Beijing.  We left at 8am this morning.  It was snowing and our driver had never made the trek -- we stopped for directions more than once!  Our driver told us he came from a village not far from there so, on our way back, we asked him if he'd like to stop by his town.  He showed us the house he used to live in before he moved to Beijing.

Near Tiananmen Square

I walked over to the old district near Tiananmen Square this morning.   The streets are packed in Beijing!  It's loud and crowded and the city is teeming with life in every direction.

First Day in China

Caroline met me at the airport last night.  We had Chuan (meat on a stick) with Chiba (her Japanese friend) at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a tiny alleyway.  This morning, after buying a scarf, a hat, gloves and long underwear (I am an XXL in China), I went for a walk in the Back Lakes district, not far from my room at Beijing Normal University.

In the heart of the city, many people still look as though they are living in the countryside.

Merry Christmas

After spending a wonderfully simple Christmas with my family in Vancouver (thank you, Adele, for the delicious turkey dinner tonight), I'm heading to Beijing in the morning.

I've never been to Asia.  I'm looking forward to seeing my sister and being in a place where I have no familiar point of reference.  I'll be in and around Beijing until Jan 3rd and then I'm going to Korea.  I come home Jan 11th.  Stay tuned for more photo-journal entries from the road!

Au Revoir!

I'm going home to Vancouver tomorrow morning.  I feel sad to be leaving my grandmother and the theatre of the 72 Rue de Seine.  It's been a wonderful trip.  Merci to my family for their kindness and hospitality...  I hope to come back soon!  This was the view in front of the Hôtel de Ville last night.

Fête de Noël

Last night, everyone came over to my cousin Nathalie's apartment to celebrate Christmas.  We exchanged presents, sang traditional French carols, and had a delicious meal with smoked salmon, salads, champagne, wine, and a fantastic assortment of deserts (chocolate truffles, christmas logs, cakes, pastries, fruits de la passion!!!).  The tree was decorated with real burning candles.

      

Soirée chez Ninon et Georges

Yesterday evening I had dinner with my cousin Ninon and her husband Georges at their house across town.  Ninon took me there on the back of her scooter.  Ninon drives like a true Parisian; weaving her way through rush hour traffic, she confided that riding her scooter is "tres therapeutic."  Dinner was great.  Bettina and Valentine charmed me with their usual skill.

Balade à Versailles

I got up early and caught the RER train to the Château de Versailles.  After an audio tour of the palace where I daydreamed about what life must have been like for the kings and queens of France and the members of their court, I had lunch and wandered out into the gardens.  Most of the statues were covered in tarps for the winter, but the air was crisp and I enjoyed the 3KM walk to the other end of the grounds.