It's Cold

I am abroad again and this means that this blog will come alive again.



I have been back on Reunion Island for almost 2 weeks now and I can say one thing for sure: it is cold here. Of course being cold is relative to each of us, the temperature can go up to a maximum of 25°C and gets as low as 10°C as soon as the sun sets. At this time of the year in Paris the warm weather stays as long as possible in the streets of the city. Things are completely different here, as soon as the sun has set the warmth is gone and the cold wind rules as king. One has to make a quick stop at home to get a sweater when going for drinks or diner if one doesn’t want to end up with a sore throat later in the evening.



The great thing in this season is that the whales are coming back to Reunion Island to give birth. Everyday it is possible to witness a mother whale and her newborn swimming quite close to the shore. There is no need for a boat, the road that are along the coast offer great viewpoints to witness their amazing ballet. There is one simple rule: if you see more than 3 cars parked here and there along the road you know that a whale is around. There are of course places where you will be sure to see whales all the time: Cap La Houssaye (where I saw my first whales of the year) and Cap Mechant. I will try to take a boat ride to be able to take closer pictures of the whales and maybe if I am lucky I may get a few underwater shots...


La suite!

Brussels Under The Snow

This week-end I had decided to stay in Brussels to take a few pictures of the city. When I woke up I saw that it had snowed during the night and I had the motivation to go walk in the cold but around the beginning of the afternoon it was still snowing outside. I decided to head outside because I didn’t feel like staying in all day long.



Here I am outside taking pictures. I first started taking them with my gloves but it was more trouble to power the camera on and off. As soon as I was in a large street and I would want to take a picture, I would have to use a building to cover me from the cold wind and take my picture properly. In all I got my fingers frozen for just a few shots. I ended up taking a break from the cold in a bar called La Gueuze in the city centre, in there I had a tough decision to make: have a hot chocolate or a nice Belgium beer. I chose both of them to give me strength to get back in the cold. I walked outside for a while for a bit and as I passed a movie theatre by I took the opportunity to go see a movie in its warm interior.



I just learned that this Friday will be my last day in Belgium as I stop working on this project: I am being replaced by a colleague coming from Egypt. I used to think that I would still have the opportunity to travel in Europe with my work even though colleagues from countries where the salaries are much lower would cover the other continents but I was wrong. The higher ups in my company decided that French employees are far too expensive and employees from “low cost” countries would be used as often as possible. My job will now be of starting a project but never seeing it to its completion because of the money I cost. It is a pity for me but my company has to save money. In any case don’t feel sorry for me because next week my work sends me somewhere very far where it is hot and sunny, I am not sure they have internet over there so don't be surprised if I don’t post as much.




La suite!