Ok, this is a travel blog, and while the conference is interesting, I'm not going to blog about it.

So, I got a bus to Ottawa airport with one of the other people from the conference, and we had to wait a long time, while all of the other possible bus numbers turned up, and even variants of the 97 that we wanted that didn't go to the airport. Eventually, about 5 mins away from getting in a taxi, it turned up, in the 30 degree C heat, and we got there.

The line through security was really slow (it is a ridiculous process, much moreso than in NZ), and fortunately I got picked to be screened for explosives, as that meant I got to skip a large part of the queue.

The flight to Toronto was short (<1 hour), and oddly once there I didn't have to go through more security, in contrast to say Sydney. In fact, very odd to a kiwi, I didn't have to show my passport to anyone, except when checking in in Ottawa and boarding each flight. No customs or immigration (leaving) there. I do remember a lot of walking, though, to get to the international departures area. 10-15 minutes.

Once again, was very near the back of the (long) plane to Paris, row 57 of 63 (I think). But, not so bumpy as the one to Vancouver. And much shorter flight, about 6-7 hours.

Arriving in Paris, the landing was the worst I have had for a long time, as the plane jerked sideways upon the rear wheels touching down.

Paris airport was easy, except the luggage seemed to take a while (a big, full plane), and the queue for the immigration was slow (only for the man to simply stamp my passport, not even say anything to me).

Then a long (10 minute) walk within the terminal to get to the train station, buy a ticket, and head to Denfert-Rochereau, on the RER B. Arrived at Antoine's (I even remebered the way) at just after 12, and my plane landed at ~10, so two hours. That was from out of Schengen though.

It was nice seeing Antoine, and we went for a crêpe for lunch, then bought a SIM card (lebara.fr), and caught the RER to Saint-Michel Notre Dame, and went for a walk along the Seine. Then, another (sweet) crêpe, and back to his place, before catching a couple of Metros to Gare de Lyon, where I caught the TGV to Dijon. Currently we're rocketing through the french countryside, and I get off at the first stop. Camille's parents should be meeting me, so that will be nice. I'm looking forward to staying in Dijon for an extended period.

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