If only I had been allowed to go in and buy things!!!
Love
Est xxx
Monday, December 5, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Venice 101
We put the pedal to the floor and drove our longest drive, 5/6 hours from Nice to Venice in one day. Wow, it was all worth it. We had a view of Venice (aka Venetia to the locals, funny that we call it something different isn't it really?) from our campsite. We just jumped on the ferry and sailed across.
Here is a little boy was bumped into (well, we didn't actually bump into him, just spotted him along the waterfront, with his security guard - not kidding), he has just caught a frog!
Then a quick church stop. This one happened to be circular, which is a bit different - loved the floor.
Then, of course, we cruised down the Grand Canal in our gondola (I knew you were waiting for it) - you know it had to be done.
Then we spent the afternoon getting lost in Venice. We bumped into a couple from America at a pizza, well, I can only call it a 'window', down a small alleyway drinking beer at 11.45am, and they said that their guidebook said, they had to just get lost in Venice, so that's what they were doing - perfect!
One thing that did surprise me about Venice, was the amount of actual land there was! It is not a small place. There are so many little bridges and twists and turns, getting lost is very easy to do. It's pretty safe though, at least you don't have to worry about getting knocked over!
More Venetian delights tomorrow.
Love
Est xxx
Here is a little boy was bumped into (well, we didn't actually bump into him, just spotted him along the waterfront, with his security guard - not kidding), he has just caught a frog!
Then a quick church stop. This one happened to be circular, which is a bit different - loved the floor.
Then, of course, we cruised down the Grand Canal in our gondola (I knew you were waiting for it) - you know it had to be done.
Then we spent the afternoon getting lost in Venice. We bumped into a couple from America at a pizza, well, I can only call it a 'window', down a small alleyway drinking beer at 11.45am, and they said that their guidebook said, they had to just get lost in Venice, so that's what they were doing - perfect!
One thing that did surprise me about Venice, was the amount of actual land there was! It is not a small place. There are so many little bridges and twists and turns, getting lost is very easy to do. It's pretty safe though, at least you don't have to worry about getting knocked over!
More Venetian delights tomorrow.
Love
Est xxx
Au Revoir France!!!
Last baguette stop before Italy. Goodbye France, we will miss you, it has been tres magnifique!
Love
Est xxx
Love
Est xxx
Saturday, December 3, 2011
French Foibles
After our five and a half weeks touring France, we have noticed a few things about the French way of life. Here are my observations.
1. The French people love their...
Every day, the first thing French people think when they get out of bed, is, 'oh, I must go to the boulangerie and buy my baguette', and that is what we did whilst we were there. You have to buy a baguette, or two, every single day, it is obligatory, and walk home with it in your hand, no bag needed, a little square of paper around the middle is suffice. And you have to eat it all in one day, and woe betide you leave it until the next day, as it will be too hard to eat, so you will have to go out and buy another one.
2. French people love their...
I think every French person has a dog. Dogs are a constant companion to the French person. They join them everywhere, almost without exception. We have seen dogs in handbags, in prams, on scooters, in cars, in restaurants, at the table in McDonalds, and in shops, even the most high class boutiques. It would obviously be rude to leave a French dog at home, as they would be too lonely without their owners. And the French doggy must be kept warm at all times, preferably in an 'oh la la' stylish diamond encrusted jacket and matching booties. And, heaven forbid you must be so rude to your precious pooch as to clean up their doggy mess, that would be a grave insult, best to just leave it there, for the New Zealanders to step in.
3. French people love their...
The French people must be a nation of very ill people, or maybe very healthy people (?) I have not worked out which yet. On every corner in France you will find a pharmacy. There are signs for phamacies, but we never once did we spot a sign for a doctor's surgery. We have seen so many pharmacies this holiday, sometimes up to three on the same road, that we invented the 'Spot the pharmacy' game which we play, which involves, a. spotting a pharmacy (not hard to do) then, b. shouting out in your loudest voice, 'pharmacy'. To be honest, you don't even have to spot one, you can pretty much shout out pharmacy anytime, and there would be one there.
4. French people love their...
Everybody smokes in France. The shop assistants walk outside and have a smoke in between customers and then stub it out and come back in when you walk in the shop, which makes you feel kind of bad for interrupting their break. And it would be nice to sit outside a restaurant, and enjoy the fresh air, but there isn't any.
Did nobody tell them?
Did their pharmacist not tell them?
Love
Est xxx
PS. I wanted to post to post a photograph to accompany this blog, of a typical French person holding a baguette, whilst smoking a cigarette and walking their dog in a pharmacy......but I didn't know which one to choose from.
1. The French people love their...
Every day, the first thing French people think when they get out of bed, is, 'oh, I must go to the boulangerie and buy my baguette', and that is what we did whilst we were there. You have to buy a baguette, or two, every single day, it is obligatory, and walk home with it in your hand, no bag needed, a little square of paper around the middle is suffice. And you have to eat it all in one day, and woe betide you leave it until the next day, as it will be too hard to eat, so you will have to go out and buy another one.
2. French people love their...
I think every French person has a dog. Dogs are a constant companion to the French person. They join them everywhere, almost without exception. We have seen dogs in handbags, in prams, on scooters, in cars, in restaurants, at the table in McDonalds, and in shops, even the most high class boutiques. It would obviously be rude to leave a French dog at home, as they would be too lonely without their owners. And the French doggy must be kept warm at all times, preferably in an 'oh la la' stylish diamond encrusted jacket and matching booties. And, heaven forbid you must be so rude to your precious pooch as to clean up their doggy mess, that would be a grave insult, best to just leave it there, for the New Zealanders to step in.
3. French people love their...
The French people must be a nation of very ill people, or maybe very healthy people (?) I have not worked out which yet. On every corner in France you will find a pharmacy. There are signs for phamacies, but we never once did we spot a sign for a doctor's surgery. We have seen so many pharmacies this holiday, sometimes up to three on the same road, that we invented the 'Spot the pharmacy' game which we play, which involves, a. spotting a pharmacy (not hard to do) then, b. shouting out in your loudest voice, 'pharmacy'. To be honest, you don't even have to spot one, you can pretty much shout out pharmacy anytime, and there would be one there.
4. French people love their...
Everybody smokes in France. The shop assistants walk outside and have a smoke in between customers and then stub it out and come back in when you walk in the shop, which makes you feel kind of bad for interrupting their break. And it would be nice to sit outside a restaurant, and enjoy the fresh air, but there isn't any.
Did nobody tell them?
Did their pharmacist not tell them?
Love
Est xxx
PS. I wanted to post to post a photograph to accompany this blog, of a typical French person holding a baguette, whilst smoking a cigarette and walking their dog in a pharmacy......but I didn't know which one to choose from.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Eskimo shoes?
Esther, 'I love those shoes! And there's a bag to match. Gorgeous!'
Ben, 'Mum, you can't get them, they are too fluffy!!!'
Ok Benny, I won't get them;)
Love
Est xxx
PS. Finally back online after a few days of trying to get an Italian sim card. Yes, we are here and loving it! Will update more tomorrow;)
Ben, 'Mum, you can't get them, they are too fluffy!!!'
Ok Benny, I won't get them;)
Love
Est xxx
PS. Finally back online after a few days of trying to get an Italian sim card. Yes, we are here and loving it! Will update more tomorrow;)
Antibes
A beautiful little walled town with a marina for mooring millionaires - a gentle way to spend the Sunday afternoon for our last day in France.
Beautiful artwork (which we let the children climb on, until we saw the sign, oops;)
Naomi, proving once again that she may have a talent for photography.
Me: 'Wow, how much do you think that boat would cost?'
Naomi: 'er.....
...twenty two dollars?'
Aw, bless!
Love
Est xxx
Beautiful artwork (which we let the children climb on, until we saw the sign, oops;)
Naomi, proving once again that she may have a talent for photography.
Me: 'Wow, how much do you think that boat would cost?'
Naomi: 'er.....
...twenty two dollars?'
Aw, bless!
Love
Est xxx
Nice......nice!
We strolled around the book markets and the flowers markets.
I bought 12 lamps, which is a bit of a record, even for me, but it's ok, it was a nice old picture of twelve old lamps, more acceptable to Alex and easier to carry home than the many other lamps I have purchased around the world;)
And another stroll along the 'om prom prom' Promenade Anglais, where we finally felt that we were on the French Riveria - apart from we were fully dressed, unlike some of the more, shall we say, mature, 'sun kissed' inhabitants of Nice taking in the rays that day.
We found a new meaning to the phrase, 'I'm double parked'...!!!
We enjoyed the atmosphere of the square, where there was a band playing, (on wheels!) in a four days of free classical music event around the city.
And check out the beautiful architecture of the buildings - no, look a bit closer, the window and shutters are the only part that is real, the rest is all painted on, around the whole square - incredible!
And we enjoyed the early evening Christmas lights.
And I enjoyed the beautiful shops, just from afar...
Nice - sophisticated, cosmopolitan, buzzing - nice!
Love
Est xxx
I bought 12 lamps, which is a bit of a record, even for me, but it's ok, it was a nice old picture of twelve old lamps, more acceptable to Alex and easier to carry home than the many other lamps I have purchased around the world;)
And another stroll along the 'om prom prom' Promenade Anglais, where we finally felt that we were on the French Riveria - apart from we were fully dressed, unlike some of the more, shall we say, mature, 'sun kissed' inhabitants of Nice taking in the rays that day.
We found a new meaning to the phrase, 'I'm double parked'...!!!
We enjoyed the atmosphere of the square, where there was a band playing, (on wheels!) in a four days of free classical music event around the city.
And check out the beautiful architecture of the buildings - no, look a bit closer, the window and shutters are the only part that is real, the rest is all painted on, around the whole square - incredible!
And we enjoyed the early evening Christmas lights.
And I enjoyed the beautiful shops, just from afar...
Nice - sophisticated, cosmopolitan, buzzing - nice!
Love
Est xxx
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