A taster.....

I will write about my holiday during the week, but in the meantime, here it is! A French Frog!

I wasn't ready for this.....

No, I hadn't really thought about the goodbyes, which are now starting. Today I caught up with my friend Yun, who has pretty much left Poitiers now as he is doing a round of universities or design schools, doing his presentation and hoping to get accepted. I'm sure he'll have no trouble. He is such a nice young man. And talented! It probably seems quite odd to become such good friends with a young Korean man in his late 20s. But I think we must have been horses together in another life or something. It is if we have known and understood each other for years. Anyway, he brought along his girlfriend today and we had a coffee in front of the Hotel de Ville in the glorious sunshine and sat and chatted for quite a while. It was just lovely. Apart from the sadness I felt at saying goodbye. As I said, I don't think I had thought about the end of my time here and what it was going to be like. It isn't the end yet of course, but quite a few friends are heading away now. Crumbs! I am going to be a blubbering wreck when I finally leave.
And speaking of leaving.... Tomorrow I head off to Menton with Christian, Marie-Helene and their 10 year old grand daughter Lucie. I am looking forward to that, but at the moment I am still feeling a bit churned up about today. But it will be great. The south of France! Wahoo! Anyway, I may not be near a computer until I get to London the following week. But never fear, I will return! Do not forsake me oh my darlin's!

Last Day

Indeed, the last day of regular classes at the fac. The two level 3 classes (although we had 7 people away!!)combined this morning to watch a French film. The profs in their wisdom chose La Vie en Rose! (Which has a different name over here.) Why not show a singlarly black and depressing movie just to cheer everyone up? It is kind of interesting - I had seen it before - but it is unrelenting in its gloom and story of yet another celebrity gone to the pack with addictive substances! So that was the morning gone. :-) But it was OK. Then lunch together at the cafeteria and a bit of a photo session afterwards. This afternoon our class had a quiz. A 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' quiz. We had to make the questions up for the other team and they had to have a French theme. You will be surprised and delighted I'm sure to know that our team won. 10/10! Woohoo! Then Li gave us a Kung Fu demonstration. He is Chinese and from what he was telling us and what he showed us he is a bit of a star I think.
And then we had a little party. And that was that. All over bar the shouting. It's been an absolute pleasure knowing these people.

Easter

It's Easter Monday today, interestingly the only holiday here as part of Easter. Good Friday is a working day as usual. I don't think I am going to do much today so will write about the weekend now. I am actually feeling a trifle unwell and have for a couple of days so it's good to have a blobby day today. I am still in my very attractive apricot nylon dressing gown which I bought at a second hand clothes market when I first got here. I can see why it had been discarded! Lol.
On Friday night we had a party for our uni class. Once again one of the guys,Wenbo, offered his place as the venue, which was great. It's not huge, but in a great location right beside the Palais de Justice, and certainly bigger then anything else the rest of us live in.
It was a good night and I got home about midnight. I have really got these night buses sussed now!
On Saturday I didn't do much in the morning, then Annick came and picked me up and we drove out to Guy and Christianne's place, and went for a walk with Christianne in the countryside there. Unfortunately it started to rain and although it wasn't heavy it was very wetting! Annick had bought a change of clothes but that hadn't occurred to me so I ended up changing into something Christianne found for me. We had a cuppa and a chat which was very pleasant. As I have said before I think, as much as anything I enjoy just hanging out with people. And Guy and Christianne always make sure I understand what is going on.
Yesterday I woke feeling pretty yuk and was tempted to cancel my planned outing, but I am most reluctant to ever do that here. I need to grab every chance I get. I so much want to see as much as I can of the local area, and I have to depend on other people for that. Anyway, Annick came and picked me up and we set off on our Big Day Out. First of all we went to Chauvigny, 23 kilometres east of Poitiers, which like Poitiers itself is in the Vienne department of Poitou-Charentes. On the banks of the Vienne River, Chauvigny originally derived its wealth from the porcelain industry, which continued until recently, but Annick tells me that this has now all but disappeared.

The town is overlooked by a hill with a few ruined castles along its ridge - the 'Château des Eveques (‘baronial chateau'), the 'Chateau d'Harcourt', the 'donjon de gouzon', and the chateau de Montleon. There is also the church of St Pierre.
Chauvigny is known as the Medieval Town, and is really fascinating to wander around. A few places were open and you could see how bustly and appealing the place would be 'in the season'. Well, not necessarily appealing to have zillions of people around, but I could sense the buzz and atmosphere.
We did go to see a glassblower who was open, but it was another one of my "In New Zealand..." moments, so I just kept quiet. It was pretty clunky stuff really.
Anyway, from there we drove on to Saint Savin which is famous for its abbey, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. First of all we looked for a restaurant, and chose one. We felt somewhat uneasy from the start. There were a few people there, but you could have heard a pin drop. No atmosphere at all. The guy in charge was there on his own, and may well have been the chef too as he kept disappearing for long periods. It could have just been that he was hiding, as he seemed very timid. The table cloth had stains on it and was unironed. But in the end we decided to leave because after 20 minutes we still hadn't had any service! We just stood up and left. We found another place nearby which was more like a brasserie as it had a bar, but it was really buzzy, full of people, and as it turned out produced beautiful food. It was really great. The owner spoke to me when we left and I got the usual - "New Zealand??!! Rugby! The All Blacks!" His eyes positively lit up and he was genuinely excited to talk about New Zealand. That happens time and time again.
So we went and visited the Abbey. The monastry part has been done up pretty well, but didn't do much for me really. The church was much more more interesting. It has very famous frescoes which are currently being restored. They are amazing really, as are the decorations in general. It is amazing how bright the paint job was back in the Middle Ages.

Our final stop was the town of Montmorillon. It is known as the Book Lovers' town and is full of shops devoted to second hand, old and sometimes rare books. It also has shops full of writing things, like paper and pens. (Obviously!) Yesterday was also a Book Market day, so there were some great displays and workshops. People into second hand books could probably happily spend a week there! It is quite a beautiful little town. We had a cup of tea afterwards and gazed back up the hill to the church and medieval streets - magic.
Before we left Montmorillon we went to an art exhibition which was quite good. Like all art it was pretty subjective and some I thought was very ordinary, but some I liked a lot.
And that was our day. We drove home as the light began to fade and I got home at 8.00pm. I really enjoyed it, and although I wasn't feeling 100% I was OK. I feel as if I'm getting a bit of local knowledge now.
And as I said, today I plan to do very little. I have done the dishes for Africa which were lying around, and need to sweep, put away clothes, collect my washing.... And I would like to read. I really hope I feel better tomorrow. Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday at uni, Friday at the Lycee, then on Sunday we - Christian, Marie-Helene, their 10 year old grand daughter Lucie and I - drive to Menton. Which is a long way away! Louise is currently in Italy and will meet us in Menton. After a week there Louise flies back to Brussels, M-H and co drive back to Poitiers, and I fly from Nice to London. Nice!

Paris and you can sit up or lie down as you wish.

I just must start with something entirely unrelated. One of my 'friends' on Facebook, a young man who went right through school with Sophie, has a little humorous saying on his profile every day. I don't know where he gets them all from - he may have a book, or they may be original. Whatever, this one just really got me cackling. 'Mike wonders.... what if the Hokey Tokey is not what it's all about?' I laughed and laughed!
Anyway, back to Paris, France, as they say. Monday, Day 3, dawned bright and clear. We had breakfast, packed up our stuff and stored it, paid the bill and set off. We got the metro to the Bastille. It was really interesting to walk around there as it was new territory for me. We even went into FNAC and I bought a DVD - Les Choristes. The previous day I had bought Walk the Line. It will be interesting to hear that in French! However, as Spongebob and Homer Simpson are both fluent in French - and Italian, Ian tells me - I have no reason to doubt Johnny Cash's linguistic abilities either. So anyway, we got ourselves into the Marais district, and to the Place Des Vosges.
It's Paris's oldest square and is surrounded by grand houses and covered arcades. There are Royal associations and in fact Henry II was killed here in 1559, while jousting. Sport isn't always good for your health! It's a lovely place to visit - surprisingly calm and restful. We wandered down an adjacent little street and found a very nice clothing shop! I tried on just about everything, and no doubt heartily pissed the woman off as I didn't buy anything. I would have, but nothing was quite right! Louise bought a lovely top.
Our next stop was for lunch in the Jardin des Tuileries. It was quite wonderful sitting there on a warm spring day eating crepes..... To mention the utterly ridiculous price would just spoil the lovely ambience so I won't. (But aaaagh!) We walked on through the gardens to the Musee de l'Orangerie, which I had been really keen to see. More Monet! Well, what a treat. His Waterlilies are just stunning. I don't know quite what else to say.
I have loved his paintings for ever I think, but have been less keen on the Nympheas. Up till now! I had no idea that a)they are so big, and b)they were painted especially for this gallery. They are just magnificent. They are in two oval rooms lit by natural light from overhead. I will have to visit Paris another time just to go back here and also to the Musee d'Orsay again! There are also more paintings on another level in the building - Argenteuil by Monet,
and works by Cezanne, Picasso, Utrillo, Derain, Matisse and others. It was a lovely way to wind up this vist. We went back outside and looked out over the Place de la Concorde and rejoiced in the 21 degree temperatures and the wonderful atmosphere. Not even a gyspy doing the ring scam to be seen.

Back to the hotel and time to go. Well, I was probably just a shade too early for my train, but I had to get the metro first, then do my long walk in reverse! And I would sooner be early than late. :-) It was a really quick trip home - Poitiers was the first stop after leaving Montparnasse Station. I hadn't struck that before. Very good indeed. It was a great weekend. Paris just does it for me.

Paris and now you can sit up straight again.

So where were we? Ah yes, just recovering from the Great Coke Spillage Disaster of '09. (It was still a wee bit damp on Saurday morning but I mopped a bit more and now I'm sure you just could never tell! The towels may not recover so easily however.) We partook of the hotel breakfast, which usually costs 12 euros but for us it was free as part of our quote for the original hotel. (I do get excited easily! Lol.) Our plan for Saturday was to visit Versailles Palace, built by Louis XIV in a fit of jealousy. Nicholas Fouquet, The French Minister of Finance, invited Louis XIV to a lavish party at his magnificent residence,the Vaux-le-Vicomte mansion. Big mistake! Louis was furious. He decided that Fouquet must be embezzling money and tossed him in prison, confiscating his mansion at the same time. He then set out to build a residence to out-do any other. Which indeed it did. It cost a fortune to build, over a period of 40 years, and took about 1/4 of the revenue from all of France to maintain. So anyway! We thought it was a good idea to spend Saturday checking out Versailles, but so did many thousands of other people! It was very crowded indeed! What were they all doing there?? We struck another spot of luck however. As we were walking from the station we came across some people promoting their tour company and telling us that by buying from them we could avoid the queues. Well, you don't ever know for sure, do you? But we decided that we would go with them and we booked a guided tour. Just as well! When we arrived at the palace there were zillions of people and the queues were REALLY long! There was one queue to buy tickets and then when you finally made it you had to join another equally long queue just to get admittance. I hate to think how long it all took.

We just met our guide at the appointed time and toddled in. Well, more or less. It was good having a guide, aside from the benefits of getting a fast admission, as she was really knowledgeable. And kept us together too. It wasn't all that pleasant at the start as there were just so many people in the rooms and it was a bit clausrophobic. But it got better and we were able to admire the opulence. Wonderful, over the top, splendid, grotesque, beautiful...... all those things. I really liked the Hall of Mirrors.

Afterwards we went into the Gardens, which also had queues which we were able to bypass. We didn't wander too far afield, as one was pretty much like another and there wasn't much in flower. And also we could see the lower gardens from the top level. We were lucky in that it was the first weekend in which the fountains were turned on for the season, so we got to see a little musical fountain performance.
What I was wondering is, in the days before pumps and electricity, how did fountains work? Especially very grand ones with different bits going at different times?
And so we went back to the station and back to Paris. A really good trip, especially as Versailles is such a significant part of history. I guess in some ways it was a tick it off the list kind of visit, as it's just something that you do, but it was well worth it.
We ate that night at a restaurant not far from the hotel, and I had warm goats' cheese salad, which was really nice! So that was Saturday. And if you've been worrying all this time about what happened to Nicholas Fouquet, well he languished in prison for 20 years where he died of natural causes. Charming! Louis XIV most certainly believed that he was the sun and that the world revolved around him.

Paris and why you need to lie on your side to read this.

Part 1. Friday and Saturday.
I videoed the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower - just a little clip, and I was so pleased with it. Then I found out that because I had turned the camera longways, the video would be on its side as it can't be rotated. I am deeply disappointed as I thought I had a bit of a masterpiece there. So anyway, please lie sideways whilst viewing! Merci beaucoup!

So back a bit. Last Friday night I went out for a meal with the English teachers from the Lycee. It was for the two young English assistants from the UK, Sarah and Thomas, and me. And a very nice meal it was too. I had thought that there was going to be an Irish band playing at the restaurant but as often happens over here, I misunderstood, and in fact they were playing somewhere else afterwards. As I had expressed an interest, and as I really do like Irish music I agreed to walk there with a handful of others. Well, we walked a long way, almost all of it downhill. And it did occur to me that the return journey was going to be uphill. Hmmm... And where was the cafe this far out of the city centre? Well, it wasn't a cafe. It was in fact a kind of community centre, and some friends of Rose's were playing in a concert! We arrived at halftime, and as it was 10 past 10, and I had a very early start the following morning I said that I would head back up the hill and get the bus home. However, Rose offered to drive me home and said we would stay for about an hour. OK then. Half time continued. And continued.... until 11.00pm! I was getting a bit twitchy by then! Anyway, two guys started the second half, one playing the violin and the other the flute and occasionally a tin whistle. They were ok but it all started to sound the same after a while. And they carried on, and carried on.... I whispered to Sarah, 'What about Rose's friends?" Oh no! We had missed them - they were only on in the first half! Anyway, we finally left just after midnight - the concert was still going - and retraced our steps back up the hill. It had been a lovely night really, but I was somewhat concerned as my alarm was set for 5.30am. I got to bed at 1.15!
However, I was Ok in the morning you will be pleased to know. I got the night bus to the station and off I went to Paris in the TGV. When I arrived at Montparnasse Station I had to get the Line 4 metro to Gare du Nord. Following the directions to get there was no problem, but it was a long walk! I could hardly believe how far away it was. Fortunately there was a travelator for some of the way.
Anyway, I found my way to the hotel we were booked into, to be told that they had overbooked and we had been changed to another hotel down the road. Well, it was a bit like an upgrade to business class really. From a 2 star to a 3 star anyway! And all at the original quoted price. A bit of a win there! Very nice. Louise arrived soon after, and we set off on our day. First stop, Montmartre. All very touristy I know, but I just love it there. I could walk round and round looking at the art over and over again. We went through the cathedral first.
There was actually a service in progress. And Louise had a "Yes, yes I'm on the train" moment. Her phone rang, and she had to say, "Yes, yes I'm in Sacre Coeur Cathedral!" Tres amusant. Then on to hang out with the artists and we both bought a couple of little bits and pieces. And we had lunch right there too. Then off we went to the Pompidou Centre.
I have never been there before, and we had intentions of going inside. However, people seemed to have tickets for some sort of event and we couldn't find the entry for just looking through the building, so in the end we gave it a miss. We continued on our merry way, and decided to go on a Seine River cruise - another first for me, and something I have wanted to do. It was lovely. It's always good with a commentary too, as you pick up quite a bit of information.
Then we headed off to the Eiffel Tower. Louise assured me it wouldn't take too long - 20 minutes was definitely mentioned!!










About 2 hours later.... truly!....we got there. In fact, although I got bit tired with all the walking I actually really enjoyed it. I don't think I would ever get sick of walking round Paris. We had decided that we would grit our teeth and accept the queueing as we had decided to make the Big Ascent! I had been up once before - almost 12 years ago. Heights do awful things to me, but I wanted to do it again anyway. So we joined a queue and really, it didn't take too long at all. About an hour I think. The top viewing platform was closed, so we went to the level below that. I really enjoyed at and didn't feel queasy at all.
It had been a bit hazy during the day and now it was dusk, so it was hard to see very far afield. Although I think I did catch a glimpse of Hilary at Denise and Crispin's place in the Motueka Valley.
Just as we descended the lights came on, and it's hard to describe how beautiful that big iron thing can be. I just love it!
Then as we were walking back to the Metro Station the twinkling lights came on, which they apparently do on the hour. Well, I just love fairy lights anyway, so I was quite smitten. It was a beautiful sight. Which may be viewed whilst reclining sideways, you may recall!
It was about 9.30 by the time we got back to the hotel, and we decided just to grab some takeaways from the little Scottish restaurant. Well, I think it's the first time I have ever had a stale bun and dead lettuce from McDs. It was shocking. And to add to the fun, just as we got to our hotel room door, the carry bag collapsed and the two drinks of coke crashed on to the floor!! Aaagh! We dabbed with tissues and mopped with towels and gave thanks for brown carpet!
So that was Saturday. A lovely day. To be continued.