Sunday, 18.03
16.20: Take off of Flight DY1494 from Oslo Gardermoen
18.45: Landing in Paris Orly
21.00: Check-in to hotel.
Hotel: Kyriad Paris La Villette Hotel
Address: 147-151 Avenue De Flandres 75019 Paris
Location: Within city
Area: North Of Paris
[Comments]
I came to the airport roughly 6 hours before the flight. Why? I don't know. I've got nothing to do at home anyway. So, I sat there and read for about 3 hours before I saw any sign of the other students / teachers. I even managed to come in time for those going to Iceland. haha! The hotel room was quite small but it sufficed. After we checked in, we went out to grab a bite and we ended up about 700 meters away from the hotel, in an Italian restaurant where Eirik and I shared a meal (since we're both in a tight budget, or at least, I was.)
[Memories]
3 hour wait, Egg on Pizza, Biscuits in hotel room, 100 Euros budget
Monday, 19.03
08.00: Breakfast and freetime
14.30: Curie Amphitheater
15.00: Curie Museum
15.30: Lacassagne Amphitheater
16.00: Laboratories
23.00: Hotel check-in time for the night
Madam Curie Institute
Address: 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris
Troulliet-Rossignol Building
Address: 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris
[Comments]
The breakfast wasn't really bad. We get to eat as much as we want as long as we don't take things along as baon. On the morning, we went up the Eiffel Tower. 668 stair steps all the way to the 2nd level and from there we needed to take the elevator. It was really something. After that, we needed to meet in front of Notre Dame and from there, we're going to walk to the Curie Institute. After the whole program, Eirik and I went back to the hotel and checked-in early. We bought baguettes and salami for dinner. We got a knock at around 21.00 from Charlotte and the others asking if we're going out to eat. Passed the offer.
[Memories]
Eiffel Tower, snow on top and rain on the bottom, continental breakfast: croissants and cereals
Tuesday, 20.03
08.00: Breakfast
09.30: Jacques Monod Amphitheater
10.30: Coffee
10.45: Laboratories
13.00: Crypt
13.15: Lunch
14.15: Epigenetics
16.00: Visit end
23.00: Hotel check-in time for the day
Jacquis Pasteur Institute
[Comments]
Early breakfast, as usual. The rest of the day, nothing really special. Just some laboratories and stuff. We got free lunch though and I learned french dining in the process. Everyone was trying it anyway. hehe. We walked around after that. We literally walked around the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel trying to find the Avenue des Champs Elysées for the girl's shopping. And then a long wandering, going in and out of boutiques. Then planned on seeing the Louvre but didn't do it due to lack of time and weariness. We bought baguettes for dinner again but we went out with Charlotte, Heidi and Solveig for dinner, too. I ordered a half a melon for dessert. I just ate dessert in the restaurant. We were actually scammed because the 3 girls was planning on buying just 1 portion for the 3 of them but instead, they got a helping each. grr.
[Memories]
Scamming french restaurant, zebrafish, horseflies, mouse embryo, free mouse pads and ID straps, Eirik and melon, round and round the arc
Wednesday, 21.03
07.00: Breakfast and freetime
12.00: Hotel check-out
14.30: Train from Paris to Genève
[Comments]
We took breakfast as always and we set out for a short tour of the rest of Paris. This time, Marianne came with us. We went to Sacré Coeur but we took a rather long way. So when we arrived, we stayed for not more than 15 minutes. Took a couple of pictures and that's it. We also went to Moulin Rouge but it wasn't really so special. Then went back to check out and took the long train trip to Genève. I was kind of nervous in Genève due to some doubts with my passport and visa. Luckily, it went well. And then we took the bus from the station to the hotel. The hotel lies in the middle of nowhere and we haven't gotten dinner. We set out to find a bar or a pizza restaurant in the proximity (according to the desk lady) but to no avail. Dinner became a shared piece of baguette and lots of candies. It's better than nothing.
[Memories]
Marianne, Charlotte, Eirik and I on the quest for a place to eat, dark in switzerland, burning chewing gums on the street, hotel in the middle of nowhere
Thursday, 22.03
07.00: Breakfast
08.50: CERN reception
09.00: Opening presentation
09.30: Film "The Story of CERN"
10.00: LHCb
12.00: Lunch
13.00: Microcosm
15.00: City tour with Guri
21.00: Train to hotel
[Comments]
Breakfast sucked! We got a piece of croissant and a piece of another type of bread and that's it. It didn't take me more than 15 minutes to eat it all up. They had a cool room where the opening presentation was held. It was like a UN room where they get translators in a line and we could wear headphones if we choose to. LHCb wasn't really as interesting as I expected. Microcosm was quite great though. The city tour with Guri was okay too. We get to look around Genève and what is there to see though her feminist comments kinda annoyed me. After that, we went around, in and out of boutiques and buying things. Dinner was at McDonald's. It was really unexpected that we needed to pay for our own train ticket because we did pay quite a sum for the transportation, as the teachers put it. At that time, I was running quite low on cash since we needed to deposit 20 Euros as a kind of "insurance." A lot of people were starting to get pissed. At the hotel, we didn't really do anything but talk. I visited Charlotte and Marianne's room just for company.
[Memories]
Sucky breakfast, lots of tired faces, Coop City, Marianne, Charlotte, Heidi, Eirik and me running around, train ticket paid with own money, pissed students
Friday, 23.03
07.00 Breakfast
09.00 ATLAS visit with Norwegian researchers
10.30 Lecture with the Librarian. hehe.
11.45 Lunch
13.00 Magnet Test Lab Visit
15.00 Back to hotel
[Comments]
When the Norwegian researchers came, that's when I started dosing off in the lectures. It's hard when the brain needs to translate the data first before taking it in. I'd rather sleep (and I did.) The last night of the field trip and as expected, hell got loose. Hopefully, we weren't hell. hehe. All we did was talk and probably, with my entire year here in Norway, this was the first occasion where I tried contributing to the conversation. I really did. I guess probably because there's someone to listen now. =)
[Memories]
Sleepyhead, Walkie Talkie
Saturday, 24.03
16.20: Flight DY1605 to Oslo from Genève
[Comments]
Okay, we got a complain from the hotel that the night before, there were a lot of noise and restlessness from the rest of the group. I could understand that because I saw a lot of tired faces that morning. hehe. I got a present from the teachers too for being so good. hehe.
[Memories]
Contented and Happy. =)
So, that's about all of it.
I would say that I'm quite happy with the trip and I'm glad I came with them. I made new friends too. I guess that's what really matters for me. Friends. :D
Note: Pictures would be added later.
