Le Noel a Grenoble

This afternoon I am catching the train to Paris then flying out to Dubai. I am still in my PJs, but I must quickly jot down some stuff about Christmas. It was just great. No problems with the train to Paris Montparnasse, bus to Gare de Lyon, then train to Grenoble where Ruth, Jennifer and Andrew were waiting for me. It was so good to see them. The McCarthys live in St Egreve which is sort of like an outer suburb I guess. We didn't try and do touristy stuff while I was there - that wasn't the idea. It was about having a family christmas and it was so good doing just that. Jennifer and Andrew's son Aidan had his 5th birthday on Christmas Eve so that added a bit of extra excitement. Over the 4 days I was there we did walks, went to a very large supermarket, got the bus into town and strolled round a bit, went to Ikea, and generally sat around the table talking. Nice. Grenoble reminded me of Queenstown. It has quite a dramatic landscape with rugged, rocky hills and mountains encircling the whole city. There was no lake, but there was a river!
We were going to go up in the gondola, but the queue was snaking outside the building, down the steps and then some, so we left that for another time! :-) Despite the cold we didn't have a white Christmas, although the snow came down quite low, so it was a close thing. My contribution to Christmas Dinner was to have another go at a pavlova. Jennifer had some stuff you put in the cream to make it whip. So.... Actually, the pavlova itself was rather nice, despite it being cooked in a gas oven - I'm a bit inexperienced there! But the cream still didn't whip!! When I plopped it on to the pavlova it blobbed and slurpled over the pav and on to the plate. With the berries it was agreed that it looked a little bit like a Pizza! Never mind. It was very edible.
So that was Christmas. I really had a good time. I have repacked my little suitcase and this afternoon I will once again get the bus to the station and sally forth.
Have a great new year's eve and all the best for 2009.

Chateaux of the Loire Valley.

First of all, I went to school this afternoon, despite being quite tired and it being the last day. Trudge trudge.... off I went. And when I got there I found out that most of the students were on strike, and Claudine and I had one student between us! Oh well, he got some fairly intensive tuition I guess you could say. :-)
But back to yesterday. As I had my last exam on Wednesday, and my services weren't required at school yesterday, I booked for Barbara and me to go on a chateau trip. She needed to do something touristy while she was here. There is a limit to how French you can feel whilst sitting in a very small room! We were lucky to get a booking as they close for the season on Saturday.
Louise had found a company called Acco-Dispo in the Lonely Planet, and I would endorse that recommendation. It's a pretty competitive market, so I said to the chap who was our guide - Pascal - that I would put the website address on my blog. Just in case you are planning a trip to France. And I'm sure that some of you must be! Anyway, it's www.accodispo-tours.com Have a look anyway!
We got up early and were on the train to Tours just after 7.30am. It was my first time in Tours, and I was quite impressed. Anyway, we got picked up at the Tourism Centre by Pascal, and there was a young Japanese couple in the van too. Incidentally, the weather gods were favouring us. Obviously we were dressed warmly, but it wasn't too cold at all - probably a tropical 7 or 8 I would think. Which was a huge improvement on the 0 - 2 we have been enduring. Anyway, our first visit was to the gardens at the Chateau de Villandry. Well, of course it's out of season, and nothing is flowering, but I still thought it was stunningly beautiful. I especially loved the ornamental gardens made from box hedging. (Barbara and I both got quite carried away and took zillions of photos there, so by the time we got to the last place my battery had done its dash!) It set things up nicely - we thought the trip was worth it just seeing the first place!


Next was a visit to Azay-le-Rideau. You can probably google all these places to get more info, so I'll just say a few bits. The state took over the ownership of this castle in 1905, after an interesting history of ownership, including Gilles Berthelot who became the Lord of Azay and acquired the chateau in that way in the early 1500s. He then became the general tax collector and Treasurer of France. It would seem that he collected the taxes in order to line his own pockets. Certainly his career and the redecoration of the castle flourished. I thought it was lovely, sitting on the Indre River as it does, but then again, I do tend to like chateaux regardless. Easily impressed. But it was nice. In hindsight I think I should have taken notes, becasue the pictures I have in my mind are merging with those of the next chateau. Suffering a little from the ABCs, but it was all good!

We then went back to Tours, had a quick bite to eat and a brief look round the shops. Back to the van and we had more patrons for the afternoon. In fact the van was full, which is unusual for this time of the year. Our first port of call was Chenonceau, the most frequently visited chateau in the Loire Valley. It really is quite magnificent, and a real bonus was being there in December - the Christmas decorations were absolutely fantastic! Someone is employed year round and fulltime to do the flowers and special arrangements, such as for Noel. Stunning. It is the only castle anywhere I believe that actually spans a river - the Cher. I'll let you look up all the stuff about Henry II, his wife Catherine and his mistress Diane de Poitiers. Suffice to say, it really is a wonderful castle, my favourite parts being the gallery and the kitchen. (I re-read that and found I had used magnificent 3 times so had to think of some other superlatives!) Owned by a very rich family who made their fortune in chocolate I believe. What a life! Anyway, well worth a visit.



The next visit was to Amboise Chateau. It has a rich history too, as of course they all do. It sits on top of a hill and has wonderful views of the Loire Valley, including the Loire River. There is a little chapel in the grounds, and this has gained renown due to the presence there of Leonardo da Vinci's grave. Whether he actually is buried there is a bit of a grey area, as there are other claimants. But until it's proved otherwise, I'm happy to believe he is at Amboise! As are the locals I'm sure. The photo of the view is from the top of the Amboise Chateau - the others are of Chenonceau; the gallery, the kitchen and a bit of detail in the design.

The reason that old Leo is buried there is that he spent the last three years of his life in Amboise, and the final place we visted was the Chateau du Clos Luce, his home. It was certainly interesting in itself, but I think I mostly enjoyed the rooms given over to a display of his models. I saw the Da Vinci exhibition at Auckland Museum and was amazed at his genius then, and continue to be. Really, I think he invented just about everything!
My camera had run out of puff by then, as had the day and the weather. It was quite dark by the finish and had started to drizzle lightly. But what a day! It was really worthwhile. We had a meal at a Chinese place then got the train back to Poitiers, another 'tired but happy' ending!
Barbara flew out just after lunch today, so it will take a bit of getting used to the quiet again. But I've got a few things to do, and then I'm off to Grenoble on Tuesday. And I need to rehearse saying to the hairdresser on Monday, "Please don't blow wave it into an old lady style like last time!"

Les pompiers

A little bit of excitement tonight - my doorbell rang! I rushed down the stairs and it was a fireman selling calendars. A very boring calendar but a very nice fireman so I bought one - for the cause. (I bought a calendar, not a fireman.)

A bit of a do.

I now know something about the night bus, called Noctambus. I will be able to go out to the movies and things. It wends its way round an assortment of routes and I did wonder if I was on the right bus, but yes I was and I got home! That in fact should be we - did I mention that Barbara is here? She arrived last Monday and goes back to London on Friday 19th. We have done a little bit of touristy and shopping stuff, but I am still busy at uni and school so she has been entertaining herself too. She said she was very happy to catch up on work, so that's good.
Anyway, last night we got the bus into Centre Ville and went to Wenbo's apartment, just by the Palais de Justice. A fantastic spot really, right in the heart of things. Wenbo, Gi, Sung Ae, Barbara and I decorated the flat and it looked quite festive. The rest of the class - well, most of them - arrived and we had a potluck meal. And a party. It was good really, but wound up reasonably early, which suited me being in my dotage and all. A couple of the young girls walked Barbara and me to the bus stop to show us where it was. It was lovely walking through the cobbled streets in the crispness of the frosty night, with all the beautiful Christmas lights around. A good night.
After a couple of beautiful Nelson winter days, today is horrible. Freezing cold and blustery. We may have to rethink our walking into town plans.
The photos are of the uni group, with about 4 missing I think. Sophie, our Prof, is on my left. The other picture is of Sung Ae, Sung Eun and Barbara on our walk to the bus stop.

Le Lycee and today a la fac.

This a a photo of the students that I have the most to do with at the Lycee. (That should read - with whom I have the most to do.... but it doesn't quite work!)The boys in the front are as hard case as they look! The boy in the front row on the left chats to me about his rugby. The teacher is Claudine who was the first teacher I met there and who has been really supportive.
Today was the last day of this part of the uni course, although of course we have exams next week. But it was quite sad, as a couple of people aren't coming back after the break. We played French word games for some of the morning and then each person or group (there are 7 from South Korea for example) sang something from their country. I gave a stirring rendition of the National Anthem in Maori. They actually wanted the haka, but I just don't know it well enough, and still feel some sort of unease about being a female doing it. I'm not sure what the rules are, really. I might add that today was the first time I have heard Jingle Bells in Arabic.
Anyway, it was a good morning. Tonight we are having a bit of a do at Wenbo's appartement in Centre Ville. Very exciting because I don't usually go out at night! Wooo! The year is winding down.....

Guess what?

Today it snowed! Only for about 3 minutes, but it snowed nonetheless.

Volleyball

Last night I went to the Volleyball with Xavier, M-H and C's son. Who himself is revovering from a badly broken elbow - a volleyball injury. My viewing experience of volleyball has been limited to watching it at the Olympics. Whenever I turned on the TV it seemed to be women's volleyball, which consisted of one, or if we were very lucky 2 pieces of play, then a point would be scored, then they would hug for 5 minutes. A little bit tedious. However, I am pleased to report that Stade Poitevin v Beauvais was very exciting indeed! Volleyball is pretty big in France, and these players are all professionals. Poitiers (Stade Poitevin) were lying third on the table before last night. The stadium itself wasn't huge, but full, and boy, what a racket! It reminded me of the days when my kids used to go to the Trafalgar Centre to watch the Nelson basketball team. Lots of crowd involvement! Drums, hooters, sirens, chants, an MC egging people on.... it was very festive! I learned when to stand up - when Poiters were sitting on set point - when to respond to the MC, how to clap.... Lots of fun. The game was good to watch although neither team played well consistently. But I was impressed their athleticism and some of the plays were quite spectacular. It went to 5 sets and although Poitiers had two match points they eneded up losing. Oh well..... I was going to take my camera but thought that you wouldn't be allowed to have flashes, but in fact people were flashing madly all the time!
Another really good French experience.
The photo was taken from my 'kitchen' window at 9.15 this morning. Frosty and cold, but suns on the weather forecast for this afternoon.

Poitiers

http://www.mairie-poitiers.fr/
If you feel so inclined, have a look at that website. It should pop up in English but if it doesn't you'll see where to click on the flag. It's got some interesting stuff about Poitiers. Certainly a lot of it was news to me when I looked at it today.

Wheel of Fortune

I am still trying to work out if the 'assistant' in this is a spoof or not. Talk about a time warp stereotype! Her boobs are like basketballs, her lips are XL, and she simpers and flaunts her body in a terribly dumb blonde style. The camera work focuses on her boobs as it does when women lean over to spin the wheel. I am transfixed! Can this be for real?
I might add, Nadean, that I am just as annoying watching this here - I sometimes guess the phrase before the contestants! But not very often. And I'm not quite up to texting my answer. :-)

Just a quickie....

I forgot to say, on our way into Centre Ville yesterday we queued for a long time at a Post Office to get some stamps. Louise recounted her Post Office queuing experience, which is hilarious!
"Normally you take a ticket with a number on it and a electronic sign flashes so that you know when it's your turn. So I went into the post office, saw that no-one was there, so went straight up to the counter. Wrong move. The teller made me go back, take a ticket, wait for the sign - and THEN he served me!!"
So it's not too different in Belgium, it would seem. Lol. (That's for you, Lois! :-))

The weekend

Time for another entry. I'm just back from seeing Louise off at the station. She arrived from Brussels on Friday night, and we've been very busy! As The Two Ronnies used to say.... 'And in a packed programme tonight...' Indeed.
I had a meal with Therese and Jean on Friday before Therese kindly took me to the station to collect Louise who arrived just before 9.30pm. Louise was able to stay next door, thanks to the kind invitation of M-H & C, who are away. Which saved us topping and tailing! It's sort of next door, but really more like the same house, just another wing.
On Saturday morning after doing some supermarket shopping we went into Centre Ville and basically just wandered round. We were looking forward to seeing the Christmas Markets which had been well advertised. What a disappointment. They weren't markets full of Christmas stuff, but just endless stalls full of, well, the same sorts of things you would see at home and think, 'Oh yes, ho hum. Pashminas. Mosaic mirrors. Giraffes. Hmmm....' You know the sort of thing. (I actually like giraffes so perhaps that wasn't the best example!) But I had expected Christmas crafts! Outside the Town Hall there was an outdoor skating rink, and I was tempted to have a go, but I didn't have a change of clothes, and getting wet was not a viable option, as it was Very Cold. We did most of our shopping in a warm mall, and Louise & I both bought a hat and a scarf, and Louise also bought a beautiful checked jacket. Very smart indeed. We came home and had tea, then Therese picked us up and we went to a concert. It was put on a by a local choir, and was a musical commentary on the Paris Commune unrest of about 1870. Some of the singing was quite good and quite moving. Some of it, I have to say, was not. In general the production needed tightening up, but overall I enjoyed it, and was thrilled to bits to have the opportunity to go to a local theatre production.
Sunday was The Big Day Out. Jean came and picked us up at 9.30am, and we also went and collected Gi, a friend from uni. And off we went. First of all we visted the Chateau d'Oiron near the town of Thouars.It was built in the 16th century and now houses a collection of contemporary art works. I wasn't entirely comfortable with the juxtaposition, but perhaps it was just that the art works were pretty weird. In my 'umble opinion! I guess a girl who loves Monet most of all isn't going to be too excited about garden forks sticking out of a wall, or dead birds with nails stuck through them, or perspex jellyfish. Well, actually, I quite liked the jellyfish. But you get the picture. It was an interesting place, but unheated, and not the highlight of the day. We then went to see the chateau in the town of Saumur. It looked terrific from the outside, and had a moat to beat all moats. But it was closed for the season. Well, it wasn't a day to be out anyway, unless you were really keen. (Which we were!) I thought my face was going to drop off with the cold! But we did love that castle, and the views were fantastic.
Next we had lunch - at the Buffalo Grill! We drove round a bit and were quite taken with the whole area. I was really chuffed that we were looking at the Loire River. I hadn't realised that we were in that area. It was one of those defining moments, like seeing the Leaning Tower, when you think "Oh my goodness!" (Or something similar.) We then went to The Abbaye (abbey) Royale de Fontevraud. It is where Richard the Lionheart and his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine are buried. As you know, I work a bit at the Alienor d'Aquitaine Lycee, so I felt a very strong connection! In fact I bought a book to read more about Eleanor, as she appears to have been quite someone, in a time when women never were!!
The abbey was just great. It was built in 1101, and in fact was a state prison from 1804 until 1963. That included wartime when the Nazis interred French Resistance prisoners. It has been beautifully restored and in particular I loved the Chapter House with paintings/frescos dating from 1563 on the walls. The kitchen was also fantastic. It is a separate building and is circular, with 8 niches, each one for a cooking fire. High up are the little chimney holes. I loved it!
And that was pretty much the day. I bought a few resources and we walked round a bit, but the places mentioned made up the basis of our day out. We were about an hour and a half from Poitiers, and Gi and I both nodded off on the way home.
Today Louise and I walked into Centre Ville and looked at several eglises (churches)-we have a few of them! And very nice they are too. We had lunch in town, pottered round a bit, and then got the bus home. After a very quick cup of tea we then got the bus again, this time to the station for Louise. And for me - I had to pick up the tickets for my trip to Grenoble which I had booked on line. I also had to book train travel to fit in with my trip to Al Ain over the new year. Thank goodness I got a very nice English speaking man called Alain, as it became a little bit complicated, especially when it was discovered that there were no trains back to Poitiers on the night of my return, and I have to stay overnight in a hotel. God, knowing what Charles de Gaulle Airport is like I could spend the whole night just trying to find my way to the hotel. But never mind! I just hope I still have some money by then. Could someone in the world please do something about the exchange rate for me??!!
And Louise got her train to Brussels and I got the No 8 St Eloi bus back home. Back to uni and usual routines tomorrow. :-)
Photos: The exterior of the Abbey kitchen; Gi taking a photo in the Chapter House at the Abbey; me in a little village, the name of which escapes me, with the Loire in the background; a view of Saumur taken from the chateau; and a sign on the wall at the Abbey.

Soooo cold.....

Yes, I may have mentioned the cold. I'm sure it feels worse because I'm not used to being out in it. The photo is one I took with the self timer. I'm not sure if you can see how well rugged up I am. I actually need a hat as well. I bought a beanie before I came over, but for some weird reason I didn't bring it. Perhaps it was a fear of helmet hair. It's the extremities that I need to protect - my feet, hands, nose and ears. Brrr!! But I prefer the cold to endless rain, so I mustn't grumble. And it is winter after all! :-)
My friend Louise is coming from Brussels to stay this weekend. Did I mention that? It will be great to see her, and be the host, showing her around Poitiers. We will go into Centre Ville tomorrow, and I'm sure the shops will be heated. And there are Christmas markets as well so it should be a good day. I think we are going to a concert tomorrow night.
Ian texted me this aternoon from Genoa to say that rugby practice had been called off because it was snowing. So it's around. The big question is - will I have a white Christmas? Wouldn't that be magic? Bing and I could probably sing about that....
PS Oooh, I just had a closer look at that photo, and I see that I have multiple chins. You must understand that it's because I am sitting in a scrunched up manner, and it has nothing to do with the tartelets du chocolat from the local boulangerie.

You won't believe this....

Well, I was going to give you a breather for a few days. But I had to tell you about my latest brush with bureaucracy! This morning I took my money to an office at uni - La Maison Des Langues - literally, the house of languages. I had to pay for the translation of my bank attestation which had been faxed from my bank in Nelson. I was in luck! I glanced down, and on the woman's desk was the original fax, and the translation. Wonderful. So I paid my money, which she carefully put into an envelope and then smiled at me. So I waited. She said, in French, "I will email you when the translation is ready." "But there it is!" I cried. "I will email you when you can pick it up. Friday, or next week." "But... but..." I stammered, pointing. She just smiled. Oh my goodness! What next?? Tres bizarre, that's all I can say.
It's very cold again today, but at least the heaters were working at uni. And are here too.
Tomorrow I am helping to mark an English speaking test at the Lycee.
Hilary asked me to take a photo of the frost from out of my window. Well, you can't see much, but for what it's worth, this was taken this morning. I don't even know who owns the car. Marie-Helene and Christian left this morning for a 10 day holiday in Senegal. Not that that has anything to do with the car, but I just thought I'd mention it! :-)
Au revoir. x

Cold weather and bus travel

Today's little story was going to be about the buses, but I must first mention the weather. Today was COLD! Brrr! I feel that I have never been so cold, but of course that can't be true. After all, I can remember spending the May holidays with Grandma in Alexandra when the water pipes froze. And I grew up in Dunedin for goodness sake. But I guess I have been outside in it today, and to really make things awful, the building we were in at uni this morning had a problem with the heating and it wasn't working!! With the temperature sitting at about 2.... It was miserable, I can tell you. I sensed snow in the air. We will see!
Anyway, buses. I am a daily bus traveller through the week, and I have a bus pass! How cool is that? In general the service is pretty good on weekdays, fairly good on Saturdays and almost non-existent on Sundays. Not too unlike NZ. Unfortunately, there is very little service at night for the area in which I live, which makes going out to things rather difficult.
When I get on to Bus #10 in the mornings, it is quite interesting. No-one queues at the bus stop or respects age or disability or any other prority. It's everyone for himself. I mean, at home no-one actually queues, but usually there is a bit of an unspoken agreement that the people who got to the bus stop first get on first, and there's a bit of allowance for this. Nah, that's for wimps. You push and make sure you are first on if at all possible. When I get on, the bus is usually fairly full. And you would be amazed at how many people put their bags on the seat beside them and ignore your obvious need to sit down. This morning I said, "Pardon," and waited for a young student to move her bag so that I could sit down. She moved it with a very audible French equivalent of "Hrrrmph!" She then spent the rest of the journey rolling a cigarette. People also sit on the aisle seat and make it extremely difficult for you to push past to get to the free seat by the window. The drivers are usually pretty good, and wait for people they see running to catch the bus. Although the other day we had a driver who must have had an argument with this wife or something, because he drove like a bat out of hell and actually missed one stop even though the button had been pushed. People yelled out at him and he just yelled back! But really that was unusual. There are always young mothers with pushchairs on the bus - I wonder where they are all going. So things can get quite squashed. Most people seem to have passes which certainly saves time. If you have a ticket you have to 'compost' it - put it into a little machine when you get on. On the way to uni I usually just watch and listen to people. On the way home I usually spend the time having conversations in my head about whether or not I will buy some bread when I get off. Lol! Important stuff!
Well, I just had a read of that and I agree that it won't go down as the most riveting stuff you have ever read, but never mind. Have a good day and appreciate the fact that it is almost summer in New Zealand!

24.11.08

Another little hurdle overcome today. I had my chest x-ray! In fact it all went quite smoothly, but I had got myself into a bit of an anxious state beforehand, picturing grumpy non-comprehending people, and them saying that I hadn't filled out the proper forms..... In fact that didn't happen, but I did get lost getting there. Sophie, my prof, told me that it took 20 minutes to walk to the Hopital de la Miletrie. Being me, I allowed 40 minutes. Which was just as well, as it was quite a long way away and took me exactly 40 minutes and a bit of panic when the centre de prevention des maladies respiratoires, Rene Beauchant batiment, didn't seem to be appearing. The grounds were a bit of a mystery as was the building I was in. But never mind. I eventually got to where I needed to be after asking a few people. I was actually on the computer and there were no administrative hiccups. (I assume nothing!!) A nice young radiographer took a photo and that was that. I then managed to get totally lost again on my way back out to the main road. I realised when I got back to where a helicopter was parked that I had done a grand loop. But I didn't mind as I didn't have a deadline to meet at that end. I then got a bus into town as I needed to go to the bank. My bank is right opposite the Notre Dame Cathedral (pictured) and something was going on there. There were heaps of people watching in total silence, and outside in lines were uniformed people just standing there - I assume to be a guard of honour. It looked like the police, but I couldn't be sure. Certainly there were lots of firemen - pompiers - there. And people with either rugby or soccer shirts draped round their shoulders. So I am assuming it was a funeral for a fireman who was good at sport. But I don't know. I will try to find out. I could have stayed but it seemed a bit intrusive.
Nothing much else to report today.

23.11.08

Yes yes, I will get back to studying about la cause, la quantite et le subjonctif! (We have a test tomorrow.) But I just thought you might like to see this little snap of my shopping bag after my grocery shopping this morning. Very French, eh? In fact there was no bread at the supermarket but fortunately la boulangerie was open so I was able to get my baguette there. There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of rhyme or reason with opening hours, although I'm sure there is. I just can't seem to figure it out! In the same way that I can't figure out why the bakery would be closed over the lunch hour each weekday. Apart from Mondays when it's closed all day. But there you go!
I was also going to mention the driving. Actually pedestrian crossings. The French see them as little white lines someone has painted on the road for decorative effect. (Horizontal graffiti, says Stephen Clarke in "A Year in the Merde.") You would NEVER step out on to a crossing assuming that a car is going to stop. Becase they just don't! And yet, you might be standing waiting to cross nowhere near a crossing, and a car will stop to let you cross. There may be several cars behind, but no-one seems to mind waiting. I think it's the French way of saying, "Actually, I make the rules here!" Kinda sweet. But scary on crossings!
Yesterday was quite exciting because a)I tidied up and rearranged my furniture and made a little space and b) M-H took me to second-hand place and I bought an armchair. I am in seventh heaven! and c) Therese and Jean invited me for tea, and they just happen to have cable TV, and so I got to see the All Blacks play. Yay!
Today was great too. I slept in a bit, fiddled on the computer and talked on Skype - (I am alison.kroon if you want to call) and I washed my floor as I didn't quite get that done yesterday! Then Roselyne came and picked me up and I went to her place for lunch. It was a rotten day weather-wise, but it was a lovely outing. Roselyne's neighbour, who lectures in English at the university, was there too with her very new little baby. It was a lovely meal and a very pleasant day. People are very kind.
A bientot.

samedi 22 novembre

Just a couple (three actually) of photos so you can see some of my French friends! I went to Viviane and Jean-Michel's last night for dinner which was very pleasant indeed. J-M speaks English, but for all that no English was spoken. They are determined to have me speaking French! I am still incredibly ordinary at it, but I was able to tell them a funny story about an adventure I had, and they all laughed, so they must have understood! (The Toilet Adventure, for those in the know!)
Jean-Michel is in the light coloured shirt and Viviane is the darker woman - the one not wearing a scarf. The other two people are Marie-Helene and Christian, my landlords, and also kind friends.
I took my camera to school yesterday and was going to take a photo of some of the kids. But then I felt a bit uneasy about that. What sort of privacy things should I be considering? Even if I ask them, is it still OK to publish their photos on my blog?
Today I am having a big clean up chez moi, and you would be amazed at how much rubbish I need to sort out!
I am using avoidance tactics here - I need to wash my floor!
Just a reminder of my address. Not that I'm begging for mail - although it can be interpreted that way! :-) - but just so as things don't go to my original host family. (Although all things related to my carte de sejour still go there. I can't even begin to think of the new dramas which could unfold if I told the good folk at the Prefecture that I had changed my address! Lol.) Anyway. 106 Route de Bonneuil Matours, Poitiers, 86000, France.
Go the ABs!

A few more photos.

A bleak sort of day here today. But there are still many leaves on the trees so it can't be winter quite yet!
I have booked to go to Al Ain (UAE)over the new year. Talk about Nigel No-Mates! I am fortunate enough to be going to Grenoble for Christmas, (thank you Jennifer, Andrew, Ruth and Murray) but was at a bit of a loss for new year. I think when one is away from home like this it's important to be proactive about going places. There's no point in sitting and waiting to be asked. So I have invited myself to go and stay with my friend Hilary's friend Sheryl, who lives there! Actually, I have met Sheryl, and we are friends on Facebook! So we are quite close really. Lol. I was a bit startled about how much the fares were, but as I think I have said, you either pay for travel or stay home, and this is my big chance! So it will be really good to see Sheryl and hang out with her, and to be warm as well. J'aime beaucoup being warm.
Oh, popping in that bit of French reminds me.... when we were in Italy, Louise made a pretty good fist of being understood in Italian. I don't know any Italian at all, and one night when asking someone on the train where we should get off, I found that I was asking in French!
I thought I would pop in a few more photos. The one of Louise and me at the Bogliasco Railway Station is one from Ian's collection. The two with me in them were taken on the Cinque Terre walk, and the other one is Ian and Louise in the main square in Bogliasco.
And looking at the photos makes me think - you know how people nick garden gnomes then take them round the world and send back postcards from the gnome to the owner? Well, I think that my Papatoetoe Intermediate jacket could have a blog of its own. It has appeared in just about all the photos I think! Travels of a School Jacket.
Anyway! Thanks for the Listener Les, and the papers Dorothy. Much appreciated.
Amities. xxx

Italy #6

Friday. The week was drawing to an end. As they do. Ian, Louise and I went to Portofino, playground of the rich and famous. We could have caught the train to Santa Margherita and then a bus to Portofino, but Ian had been there before and decided that he was confident about driving. So that was good. Louise and I were a tad anxious, as The Lonely Planet talked about the death-defyingly narrow road and we both had visions of plummeting down a cliff face. However, it really wasn't too bad at all. In the summer no doubt it is incredibly crowded which I'm sure makes driving tricky, but we weren't very high up and it was fine.
Portofino, as I said, is a very popular holiday destination. It really is a very pretty little village although it's quite small. I suppose most visitors sleep on their luxury yachts. As it's a hangout for famous people I searched for a glimpse of Paul McCartney but sadly didn't spot him. No, I don't know if he has ever been there, but he just happens to be a rich and famous person I would quite like to run into. In order to sing a duet, you understand. Actually, he wasn't the only missing person. There was no-one there at all! Well, the three of us and a very light sprinkling of other people. About 6. That's all.
We wandered round and went for a walk up to the castle which Ian says has really panoramic views. Sadly, it was closed. We then walked round to the lighthouse and marveled that OSH hadn't been there to put up some protective barriers! A big plunge to the rocks a long way below. I certainly wouldn't want to take kids there on a school trip! We then fossicked in the tourist shops and bought a few postcards and odds and ends. Louise and I also bought a nice poster each and mine is now on the wall just above me as I type. We went into a shop full of original paintings and I totally fell in love with a very large painting by an artist called Antonio Cargnel. The woman started showing a bit of interest when I asked questions about it. I doubt that it had been her busiest day ever up to that point. Well, it still wasn't, because of course I couldn't afford 5000 euros. But never mind! Portofino is full of designer boutiques - Armani, Gucci, etc etc. But understandably they were all closed for the season. Still, there is something very pleasant about going somewhere out of season. We had lunch in Santa Margherita, a nice town of about 10000 people and a favoured retirement spot I believe. It being lunchtime, and the off season to boot, there were no shops open. Foiled!
So that was our day in Portofino. Ian had rugby training in the evening, and Louise and I walked along to a local restaurant. I am always wary of saying things that are less than glowing, as it sounds a bit like a moan - 'Oh, it's not like New Zealand! And where are the chips?' But to be honest, it was just an average meal. With chips, in fact! But that's OK.
On Saturday morning we basically just pottered and packed, and then Ramiro and Maria, who were using Ian's car to drive to Turin to watch Argentina play Italy, took us to the airport. It was a glorious day - far and away the sunniest day we had had in Italy. When we flew out of Genoa (checking for bowls of spaghetti) and over the Alps, it was really quite spectacular. The connections were good and we didn't have to wait too long for our trains. And that was that. A wonderful week in Italy. Brian D tells me I am starting to enjoy myself too much and it has to stop. Lol!

Italy #5

........And on Thursday we caught the train to Milan. Tres elegante. We would have preferred not to have been accosted by gypsies when we arrived at the Railway Station, but there you go. We all make our living in different ways I guess. It was actually quite disconcerting - Louise and I were using the machine to get Metro tickets, and we were managing perfectly well. However a young man and young woman smothered us and attempted to 'help' and of course demanded money. I have no doubt also that they would have pocked our pickets too, given half a chance. But we managed to get ourselves out of that one. Thankfully.
Anyway, we got into Centre Ville and wandered round the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping centre. Which is a very grand arcade. Just looking thanks. Do you know that tucked away in there is a 7 star hotel?? I had no idea that such places existed. I wonder what you get for the money? We then 'did' the cathedral which was lovely as they all are really. AND - we went up on to the roof! If you have the latest Lonely Planet - Italy, (or perhaps you could peek at a copy in Whitcoulls), you will see that the cover picture is of people strolling on the very same roof. Now I am no great shakes on heights, and it was raining, but it was OK! Great in fact. I just didn't look down. There was a little set of stairs which went even slightly higher but I didn't quite make that. However, I was pretty chuffed about it all. I was helped by the fact that you could go up in a lift and didn't have to climb rickety staircases.
In the afternoon we went on a bus tour which was great despite the rain. We retraced our steps a bit, returning to the shopping area and the cathedral but that was fine. Having a guide this time meant we found out lots of information. For example, there is a mosaic of a bull in the arcade. If you grind your foot into a part of him where it must hurt, you get good luck. Great! We also saw the La Scala opera house and went into one of
the boxes. People were reharsing on stage and I ached to go into the audience and watch. It wasn't quite like Nelson's Theatre Royal, but there were definite similarities! It must be fabulous to see a performance there. After that,
we visited the Castello Sforzesco, a big red brick fortress in the centre of town.
And so to our main reason for doing the tour. (Which was very expensive!) We went to see Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'. According to our sources, mainly The Lonely Planet, you have to book about 2 weeks in advance, or join a tour, all of which seemed to be at 9.30 am. We happened to find an Information Centre and by absolute chance discovered a company which did tours at 2.30pm. So that's how we came to be there. The painting is in an old refectory, and just getting admitted to the room it's in was an experience in itself. Into one holding pen, doors shut, wait a bit, move into the next area.... and so on. Anyway, we finally got in and I wasn't sure what to expect. I remember being decidedly underwhelmed when I saw the Mona Lisa, but seeing The Last Supper was fairly emotional for me. Just amazing. I have to confess that I didn't know that it had been painted directly on to a wall. So it is much larger that I had realised also. It is in a very fragile state due to old Leonardo having used the wrong sorts of paints, and poor care over the years, and I guess just plain old age. It also came close to being bombed in WWII. The colours are pretty faded as you would expect, but I thought it had a kind of radiance. Gosh, it sounds like I had some sort of Road to Damascus experience, doesn't it? Nah, but I'm so glad I saw it. We also talked to some New Zealanders there, who spotted the 'Papatoetoe Intermediate' on my jacket. It's always exciting to meet fellow countrymen I have to say. Oh, and I discovered a wonderful book on children's art at the shop nearby so am very keen to use it when I get back to school. (Quite a way off yet!)Well, I have always been keen on art but this had some new ideas.
So back to the station, and some relief at the absence of gypsies. However, what we did find was a group of students
protesting. The station was crawling with riot police and soldiers -
very unnerving, but we got away OK, although late enough to make us
miss our connecting train. We had to lurk around the Genoa station
with the homeless people for a while! Railway stations are not the gretest places at night I have to say.
So that was our day in Milan. Umbrella Sellers lurking everywhere, gypsies at the ticket vending machine, protestors demanding smaller class sizes - well, fair enough!- armed police; but we still got a great impression of the place. I could happily go again. Next time I would like to shop and stay in the 7 star hotel! Lol.
The photos pretty much speak for themselves. Two taken on the cathedral roof, one taken out of the tour bus window, and one of me getting some good luck. Of course you couldn't take photos of The Last Supper, but naturally one chap did. The guard happened to be reading her newspaper at the time. Oh well..... Oh, if you are interested, you could google The Last Supper. It's interesting to read all the theories about the painting. I didn't know all that stuff before.
Au revoir.

Italy #4

Well, I was going to write a chapter a day, but I have done my homework, I don't have a TV, I have checked my bank statements, so what the heck. Here goes with the next episode. Wednesday, and Genoa. Genoa, according to the Lonely Planet, has a population of 604,800 and I have no reason to doubt that. It also says that when people first see Genoa they are reminded of bowls of spaghetti piled high. Well..... I'm sure there is a vantage point somewhere where one can verify that. I looked hard when I flew out but still didn't quite spot it, but never mind!
Anyway. Genoa was founded in the 4th century BC and was an important Roman port. It still looks to be an extremely busy port, actually. Genoa was the first northern city to rise against Nazi occupation and the Italian fascists during World War 2, liberating itself before the arrival of the allied troops. I didn't know that and I think it's really interesting. Genoa's most famous son was Christopher Colombus. There is some debate about whether he really was from Genoa, but regardless, his old childhood home is there, and we looked through it!
So back a bit. We decided to have a 'local' day on Wednesday, and as Ian wasn't so busy with rugby stuff that day he came with us on the train into the centre of the city. Basically we just mooched around walking round the streets - some very narrow indeed. We looked through the cathedral, which is rather lopsided, as they ran out of money and couldn't afford to build the second tower. It's quite an interesting looking place in black and white checks. Or is it stripes? I can't remember. We saw Chris's house, as I said, and as it rained for much of the time we also played, "Let's fend off the Umbrella Sellers" again. We saw Genoa's Arc de Triomphe, which is probably spelt differently. And we saw the gardens which show Colombus's 3 ships. Kind of a floral tribute.
I was quite taken with the woman singing (in the photo) and it just seemed to me to be a very Italian thing. It may not be, but she was singing an Italian song and playing the accordion and I thought she was just great. The graffiti that you can see was not so great and I'm sorry to say that it was everywhere in Italy. Really disappointing and somehow surprising.
Also you can see me outside the black and white cathedral, and Colombus's three ships. Wasn't it brave to go exploring in those little ships, with no fresh food after a while, and the ever-present risk of falling off the edge of the world?! My intrepid high seas adventures have been limited to the ferries and the Earnslaw, really. Anyway, back home on the train again and that was Wednesday. Another goodie. Stay tuned.

Italy #3

And so to Tuesday..... Louise and I decided to take the train to Pisa, which involved a bit of doubling back as Bogliasco isn't big enough for all the trains to stop there. But that was OK and off we went. On the way we met a lovely young couple from Hawaii who were in Italy on their honeymoon, and who said they would be very happy to feature in my blog, and were keen to see it. So hi there, Laurie and Jeff! Here you are!
Pisa was great. Seeing THAT tower was a bit like seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. It fair takes your breath away really. Hard to believe it was real. We decided not to climb up it but enjoyed just wandering round the area and checking out the kazillions of street stalls. And when it started raining, fending off the hordes of Umbrella Sellers. Where do they come from? They just appear as if by magic. Anyway, we managed to squeeze in a little bit of shopping too, oddly enough, and in fact ran out of time so had to buy McDonalds to take on the train. Which I might add I nearly had all to myself, as Louise hopped on a train to see if it was ours and the doors started to close and she got off just in time! I had the food but she had the tickets! Lots of things to laugh about afterwards. It was a good day. The photos are of the wonderful Leaning Tower of Pisa, including one of me trying to straighten it up. There is also a picture of Louise at the railway station and one of Laurie and Jeff. You know, I'm surprised that more things don't lean. When you consider all the magnificent buildings that were erected way back in history without the advantage of modern technology; well, they did a brilliant job every time! Apart from once in Pisa of course. Lol.
A bientot.