Kingi was looking a bit worse for wear (as you can see above), so he had to get a nose job. Pleased to report that it was a very quick recovery!
Here he is just after the 'operation.'
Showing posts with label kingi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kingi. Show all posts
Friday, April 1, 2011
Kingi Gets A Nose Job
Kingi was looking a bit worse for wear (as you can see above), so he had to get a nose job. Pleased to report that it was a very quick recovery!
Here he is just after the 'operation.'
Friday, March 11, 2011
Kingi's Mediterranean Adventure (4)
Relaxing by the tourist office in Perpignan.
Enjoying the atmosphere in Perpignan.
Enjoying the atmosphere in Perpignan.
Hanging out by a canal in Perpignan...
In a street... in Perpignan.
Kingi's Mediterranean Adventure (3)
Kingi fast asleep in his little home.
Kingi getting into the biscuits.
Kingi breakfasting.
Hanging out by the canal in Narbonne.
Kingi's Mediterranean Adventure (2)
Stubborn little thing... insisted on having his own bike.
Posing at the Monastery in Nice.
Hiding from wild beasts in Narbonne.
By the Theatre of the Sea in Sète.
Kingi's Mediterranean Adventure
Let us try to remember where all of these were taken...
Chillin' with the boats near the train station in Sète.
What happens when someone is naughty on the train.
Looking over Marseille at dusk.
In a kinda cool park in Marseille.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Playing the Tourguide in Saint Gaudens: Day 4
Day 4
Good weather... huzzah! Tessa braved it in a t-shirt (and so did I, at some points). We felt likepeople were looking at us like we were a little bit crazy.
Re-did the mountain walk so that she could actuallysee the mountains. I was determined to have her see them from Saint Go! Lol.
Then, I thought we should have a nosey inside the Collégiale church, since it's the symbol of the
town. Here's me in the cloister...
Once again, went wandering to make the most of the good weather. From then on, it was all go. Off to music again (orchestra this time) and then out to dinner with some teachers from the lycée.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Fridge Magnet Fun (Thanks, Mum)
Woohoo for Kiwi words! Mum sent me over here with the magnet set, so I finally decided to have a go on our fridge.
Kingi was very pleased to see his native language again.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The 'Bonus' Day!: Day 4
Was quite stoked that I was gonna have friends for this day, instead of being a loner (as I'd anticipated, lol).
Nicole was determined to check out Galeries Lafayette, so this was the first stop. Very flash, lots of nice Xmas decos, and a cool deck with views over Paris.
Had to do the clichéd thing and get right up to the Eiffel Tower. Had thought about climbing up, but there were huge queues (there had been strikes the previous few days, so I think EVERYONE was there the moment they stopped) so gave up that idea and just did a photo mission, while trying to avoid the trinket-sellers, petition-peddlers and bracelet-sellers.
Another Xmas market mission for lunch, where we discovered the Aveyronnais specialities: aligot and farçou. As they'd say here, 'c'était trop bon' (it was too tasty!). It's like cheesy mashed potato and some yummy pork-ish patty (but it somehow doesn't taste particularly meaty). Definitely worth a try if you get the chance!
Nicole and Agnes then had to head off for their plane, so I decided to go on a wee trip to Montmartre. I think everyone who has seen Amélie wants to go to Montmartre... Was determined just to have a look at the place, especially the Sacré Coeur. Bit of a hike to get up to it from the métro, but I probably needed it after all the tempting food about. Had trouble motivating Kingi, though. As they say, "les escaliers de la Butte sont dures aux miséreux" (the stairs up to the Butte- ie Sacré Coeur -are hard for the destitute... I fear that's a bad translation, but just listen to 'Complainte de la Butte' from Moulin Rouge. Had it in my head the whole time!)
As you'll see from the below photo, it wasn't the best day for me to go and get a panoramic view of Paris, but still cool. Some pretty blimmin impressive paintings and stained-glass windows in this place.
Decided to wander down a street packed with tacky tourist shops and, sure enough, got sucked in by something. What I wasn't counting on was the shopkeeper, who began by asking where I was from (his first guess was Spain), going on to ask what my name was, and to tell me that I was very charming and beautiful, especially when I smiled.
Anywho, back onto the métro and back to the hostel so I could check out the Canal St Martin right beside it... another recommendation from a friend in Saint Gaudens. It was weird, though, how time had suddenly started going really slowly. Anyway, I was quite glad, and set off down the canal, making the most of some photo-taking.
Was getting really suspicious though as, although it gets dark early here in winter, it seemed way too dark to be 4.40pm. Grabbed my phone and, sure enough, my watch had stopped. Eeek! Momentary panic, until I realised I'd only lost 40 minutes, and I still had plenty of time to get to the station for my train to Montpellier.
I was a little bit confused on the train, about how they kept apologising for the delay when, as far as I was concerned, there wasn't one. And they'd double-booked my seat. So, I kinda think that I may have somehow got on an earlier, delayed train to Montpellier that ended up leaving about the time mine was supposed to. Still not entirely sure, and who cares, 'cos it was easy enough to find another seat, and I got to Montpellier.
Met up with Sabrina... then pretty much straight to bed, as she was already sick, and it was about 10.40pm when I arrived!
Nicole was determined to check out Galeries Lafayette, so this was the first stop. Very flash, lots of nice Xmas decos, and a cool deck with views over Paris.
Had to do the clichéd thing and get right up to the Eiffel Tower. Had thought about climbing up, but there were huge queues (there had been strikes the previous few days, so I think EVERYONE was there the moment they stopped) so gave up that idea and just did a photo mission, while trying to avoid the trinket-sellers, petition-peddlers and bracelet-sellers.
Another Xmas market mission for lunch, where we discovered the Aveyronnais specialities: aligot and farçou. As they'd say here, 'c'était trop bon' (it was too tasty!). It's like cheesy mashed potato and some yummy pork-ish patty (but it somehow doesn't taste particularly meaty). Definitely worth a try if you get the chance!
Nicole and Agnes then had to head off for their plane, so I decided to go on a wee trip to Montmartre. I think everyone who has seen Amélie wants to go to Montmartre... Was determined just to have a look at the place, especially the Sacré Coeur. Bit of a hike to get up to it from the métro, but I probably needed it after all the tempting food about. Had trouble motivating Kingi, though. As they say, "les escaliers de la Butte sont dures aux miséreux" (the stairs up to the Butte- ie Sacré Coeur -are hard for the destitute... I fear that's a bad translation, but just listen to 'Complainte de la Butte' from Moulin Rouge. Had it in my head the whole time!)
As you'll see from the below photo, it wasn't the best day for me to go and get a panoramic view of Paris, but still cool. Some pretty blimmin impressive paintings and stained-glass windows in this place.
Decided to wander down a street packed with tacky tourist shops and, sure enough, got sucked in by something. What I wasn't counting on was the shopkeeper, who began by asking where I was from (his first guess was Spain), going on to ask what my name was, and to tell me that I was very charming and beautiful, especially when I smiled.
Anywho, back onto the métro and back to the hostel so I could check out the Canal St Martin right beside it... another recommendation from a friend in Saint Gaudens. It was weird, though, how time had suddenly started going really slowly. Anyway, I was quite glad, and set off down the canal, making the most of some photo-taking.
Was getting really suspicious though as, although it gets dark early here in winter, it seemed way too dark to be 4.40pm. Grabbed my phone and, sure enough, my watch had stopped. Eeek! Momentary panic, until I realised I'd only lost 40 minutes, and I still had plenty of time to get to the station for my train to Montpellier.
I was a little bit confused on the train, about how they kept apologising for the delay when, as far as I was concerned, there wasn't one. And they'd double-booked my seat. So, I kinda think that I may have somehow got on an earlier, delayed train to Montpellier that ended up leaving about the time mine was supposed to. Still not entirely sure, and who cares, 'cos it was easy enough to find another seat, and I got to Montpellier.
Met up with Sabrina... then pretty much straight to bed, as she was already sick, and it was about 10.40pm when I arrived!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Legal Formalities and Pink Brick
... aka A Day In Toulouse.
After an epic fail in which I missed my first appointment to get my visa validated (because I got the mail telling me about it after the appointment), I was determined to get there this time. Sadly, I had a 9am appointment so had to catch a 7.05am train. Yep, I've got soft since leaving AXA.
Had been a tad worried about finding the place, but it turned out to be a case of a metro ride and a short walk. Still, am pretty glad I left myself an hour to get from the Toulouse station to the office, because I needed most of the time!
Arrived, and was directed to a waiting room... waited... got asked a few questions by a nurse... back to waiting room... chest x-ray... back to waiting room... doctor looks at chest xray and asks me a couple more questions... back to waiting room... lady puts 'viginette' (ie extra stickery thing confirming that I've completed the formalities) in my passport. Done. I swear that the Army wants to know more about you than France does. Although Mum did remind me that I had a semi-medical before leaving home. Anyhow, in sum, I think I probably spent more time waiting than actually with a medical professional. But I don't care, cos now I'm fully legally in France AND to come and go as I want (while my visa is valid!).
That done, my day in Toulouse commenced. Train ticket costs equivalent of about NZ$20 and I had no classes on Weds, so I was determined to spend the day in Toulouse and make the most of being there! Il faut en profiter! Lol, I like this phrase more in French... Also, it was a freakishly warm day (for winter): 19C. So it felt like summer. I was clearly meant to enjoy this day.
Profit, I did. Including in terms of my metro day pass. Why walk when you can metro? Well, actually it's way better to walk, because you see what you're passing AND you're not limited to going where the metro lines go, but I was still trying to get rid of a cold so therefore was avoiding long walks.
Went for a random walk in the direction of a church spire that I'd seen from the visa place, just because I could. Was trying not to make too many turns though, as my map of Toulouse didn't extend to this area, and didn't want to get hopelessly lost. Glad I did walk to it though, 'cos it had this awesome sculpturey thing on the side.
On the metro again, and went to the Canal du Midi and walked along the banks. Rather nice.
Walked right into town, and wandered a bit, looking for somewhere to sit and eat some lunch. Clearly was looking in all the wrong places, as I couldn't find any parks (and later, there seemed to be heaps around). I suppose the smart person would have looked at their map but, well, I wasn't the smart person that day.
Did see this awesome Basilisque though (Saint-Sernin). Love the way it's just kinda at the end of a street... Nothing major.
Eventually decided that there must be somewhere in the main square. Glad I headed there, as the Christmas market was in full swing. The whole place was filled with little chalets with all kinds of food (tartiflette, hot chocolate, mulled wine, savoury dishes, cheese, pastries, almond paste decorationy things...) and all kinds of goods (funny t-shirts, hanging decorations, saints etc for nativity scenes, clothes, violet products...). So, after my brief lunch, I had a wander.
Also found an advent display, where there were present-shaped boxes for each day of the advent, so checked out the ones which were open.
Next stop was the tourist office, of which the gift shop was very tempting. Bought a reduction card for Toulouse (some shops, hotels, tourist attractions) and found a brochure for a Resistance walking trail.
While I fully intended to do the Resistance trail, I was distracted after about 2 stops... by a Quick. Which seems to be the French version of McDonalds (even though they have McDonalds). It wasn't so much the food as the free wifi that I wanted, though. So, one strawberry lolly milkshake and 3 'extra cheesy' (yes, that is what they are called in French - they're bite-sized fried cheese thingees) later, I was settled in with my laptop and had a reasonably lengthy internet session. Which was nice.
By the time I finished, I had lost all motivation for the Resistance trail... however, I do intend to do this properly on a future trip, when I'm not carting my laptop and a heavy document holder in my backpack!
So, instead, I decided to go on the Metro again, and find this bridge which appears in all the photos of Toulouse. Very glad that I did this, and am sure you will understand why after seeing the following pix.
Back on the Metro and into central Toulouse to have a quick squiz in the shops. Kinda a nice change to have so many people around, and things going on in the streets (random fire-stick-twirler dude in a park, for example, or the following...).
By this stage, the thought of tomorrow's 8am class, and a good sleep to get rid of this cold, were starting to play on my mind, so it was time for a final metro trip to the station. While I was waiting for the platform number for my train to come up, a couple of policemen leading 4 or 5 armed, camo-clad soldiers came past. Just casually. Also ran into an assistante who works with Kate, the other Kiwi, so was nice to actually see someone I knew!
Oh yeah... got to love the way rugby is so engrained in the consciousness that it's used to show people how to behave on the metro.
Then had a chat with a nice girl on the train home. Happy times... even though my French is far from perfect, it is getting easier and less worrisome to talk to people. :) I'm more likely these days to just talk than to spend time before thinking about what I need to say and how to say it!
After an epic fail in which I missed my first appointment to get my visa validated (because I got the mail telling me about it after the appointment), I was determined to get there this time. Sadly, I had a 9am appointment so had to catch a 7.05am train. Yep, I've got soft since leaving AXA.
Had been a tad worried about finding the place, but it turned out to be a case of a metro ride and a short walk. Still, am pretty glad I left myself an hour to get from the Toulouse station to the office, because I needed most of the time!
Arrived, and was directed to a waiting room... waited... got asked a few questions by a nurse... back to waiting room... chest x-ray... back to waiting room... doctor looks at chest xray and asks me a couple more questions... back to waiting room... lady puts 'viginette' (ie extra stickery thing confirming that I've completed the formalities) in my passport. Done. I swear that the Army wants to know more about you than France does. Although Mum did remind me that I had a semi-medical before leaving home. Anyhow, in sum, I think I probably spent more time waiting than actually with a medical professional. But I don't care, cos now I'm fully legally in France AND to come and go as I want (while my visa is valid!).
That done, my day in Toulouse commenced. Train ticket costs equivalent of about NZ$20 and I had no classes on Weds, so I was determined to spend the day in Toulouse and make the most of being there! Il faut en profiter! Lol, I like this phrase more in French... Also, it was a freakishly warm day (for winter): 19C. So it felt like summer. I was clearly meant to enjoy this day.
Profit, I did. Including in terms of my metro day pass. Why walk when you can metro? Well, actually it's way better to walk, because you see what you're passing AND you're not limited to going where the metro lines go, but I was still trying to get rid of a cold so therefore was avoiding long walks.
Went for a random walk in the direction of a church spire that I'd seen from the visa place, just because I could. Was trying not to make too many turns though, as my map of Toulouse didn't extend to this area, and didn't want to get hopelessly lost. Glad I did walk to it though, 'cos it had this awesome sculpturey thing on the side.
On the metro again, and went to the Canal du Midi and walked along the banks. Rather nice.
Walked right into town, and wandered a bit, looking for somewhere to sit and eat some lunch. Clearly was looking in all the wrong places, as I couldn't find any parks (and later, there seemed to be heaps around). I suppose the smart person would have looked at their map but, well, I wasn't the smart person that day.
Did see this awesome Basilisque though (Saint-Sernin). Love the way it's just kinda at the end of a street... Nothing major.
Eventually decided that there must be somewhere in the main square. Glad I headed there, as the Christmas market was in full swing. The whole place was filled with little chalets with all kinds of food (tartiflette, hot chocolate, mulled wine, savoury dishes, cheese, pastries, almond paste decorationy things...) and all kinds of goods (funny t-shirts, hanging decorations, saints etc for nativity scenes, clothes, violet products...). So, after my brief lunch, I had a wander.
Also found an advent display, where there were present-shaped boxes for each day of the advent, so checked out the ones which were open.
Next stop was the tourist office, of which the gift shop was very tempting. Bought a reduction card for Toulouse (some shops, hotels, tourist attractions) and found a brochure for a Resistance walking trail.
While I fully intended to do the Resistance trail, I was distracted after about 2 stops... by a Quick. Which seems to be the French version of McDonalds (even though they have McDonalds). It wasn't so much the food as the free wifi that I wanted, though. So, one strawberry lolly milkshake and 3 'extra cheesy' (yes, that is what they are called in French - they're bite-sized fried cheese thingees) later, I was settled in with my laptop and had a reasonably lengthy internet session. Which was nice.
By the time I finished, I had lost all motivation for the Resistance trail... however, I do intend to do this properly on a future trip, when I'm not carting my laptop and a heavy document holder in my backpack!
So, instead, I decided to go on the Metro again, and find this bridge which appears in all the photos of Toulouse. Very glad that I did this, and am sure you will understand why after seeing the following pix.
Back on the Metro and into central Toulouse to have a quick squiz in the shops. Kinda a nice change to have so many people around, and things going on in the streets (random fire-stick-twirler dude in a park, for example, or the following...).
By this stage, the thought of tomorrow's 8am class, and a good sleep to get rid of this cold, were starting to play on my mind, so it was time for a final metro trip to the station. While I was waiting for the platform number for my train to come up, a couple of policemen leading 4 or 5 armed, camo-clad soldiers came past. Just casually. Also ran into an assistante who works with Kate, the other Kiwi, so was nice to actually see someone I knew!
Oh yeah... got to love the way rugby is so engrained in the consciousness that it's used to show people how to behave on the metro.
Then had a chat with a nice girl on the train home. Happy times... even though my French is far from perfect, it is getting easier and less worrisome to talk to people. :) I'm more likely these days to just talk than to spend time before thinking about what I need to say and how to say it!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Luchon: Départ, Bien Fatiguées!
Would have been lazier if I hadn't known that brekky started at 8am, but headed down near 9. Started the day with juice, a croissant, bread, butter, jam, and a hot chocolate, so that was pretty positive in my opinion!
Went off for a wee mission up a walking track we'd spied the previous day. We were up in the snow (even though it was a fairly light coating) and there were some icy patches...
Had some great views over the town, even though we had to sneak over/under/around some fallen trees.
Went back to the hotel to check out, but still had about an hour before our train, so set off in another direction to get maximal exploration. Felt quite at home when we discovered the local rugby stadium... but imagine heading out to play in your stubbies (rugby shorts) during winter when you're that close to the mountains! Brr!
You can't really see, but Kingi is on the scrum machine here. Think he was keen for a game.
Found out that our train was, in fact, a bus. This turned out to be kinda good, because we went through some little towns and got some sweet mountain views. And it was so warm... Kate and I were both getting really sleepy!
Bus reached terminus in Montréjeau, where we had two hours wait before our connecting train back to our respective towns. We hadn't eaten, and had the smart idea that we could use that time for eating. Not a smart idea. Montréjeau was tiny (or, the part of it near the train station was) and the few shops near it were shut. I guess it was Sunday, and a small place, so what can you expect. But still. We were reduced to hanging out at the train station, making the most of the vending machines there, and watching a movie on Kate's laptop.
Saint Gaudens is the next stop after Montréjeau so, had I been keen enough to try, I could probably have walked home in that 2 hours. But, anyway. As I was walking back home, feeling very cold, some random dude stopped an offered me a lift, which I accepted gratefully. Turns out he spoke pretty decent English (as he was a geologist and had worked on an oil rig).
May be hard to go back to speaking French after a very English-speaking weekend...
Went off for a wee mission up a walking track we'd spied the previous day. We were up in the snow (even though it was a fairly light coating) and there were some icy patches...
Had some great views over the town, even though we had to sneak over/under/around some fallen trees.
Went back to the hotel to check out, but still had about an hour before our train, so set off in another direction to get maximal exploration. Felt quite at home when we discovered the local rugby stadium... but imagine heading out to play in your stubbies (rugby shorts) during winter when you're that close to the mountains! Brr!
You can't really see, but Kingi is on the scrum machine here. Think he was keen for a game.
Found out that our train was, in fact, a bus. This turned out to be kinda good, because we went through some little towns and got some sweet mountain views. And it was so warm... Kate and I were both getting really sleepy!
Bus reached terminus in Montréjeau, where we had two hours wait before our connecting train back to our respective towns. We hadn't eaten, and had the smart idea that we could use that time for eating. Not a smart idea. Montréjeau was tiny (or, the part of it near the train station was) and the few shops near it were shut. I guess it was Sunday, and a small place, so what can you expect. But still. We were reduced to hanging out at the train station, making the most of the vending machines there, and watching a movie on Kate's laptop.
Saint Gaudens is the next stop after Montréjeau so, had I been keen enough to try, I could probably have walked home in that 2 hours. But, anyway. As I was walking back home, feeling very cold, some random dude stopped an offered me a lift, which I accepted gratefully. Turns out he spoke pretty decent English (as he was a geologist and had worked on an oil rig).
May be hard to go back to speaking French after a very English-speaking weekend...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)