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.