creme de la cremeFor anyone interested in visiting Paris, I have put together a simple set of operating instructions. The first comes courtesy of Aase’s mother in Denmark who says: “There is no bad weather. Just wrong clothing.” This is especially true during the off-season, when fashion takes a back seat to comfort, especially if [...]

Flower-covered building in Colmar Day 27 (Wednesday, September 23, 2009) We left sunny Beaune, and began the two and a half hour drive towards Alsace, where we would stay for two nights in the town of Colmar. I slept for most of the journey, but did wake up at one point to see that the [...]

Mairie 15eQuiet pedestrian only squareToday – The town hall of the 15th stands on the edge of a large pedestrianised square and offers a peaceful respite to the very busy thoroughfares that act as conduits to the outer ring road of Paris, only about 1km away. Adjacent is the pretty secluded park called – square [...]

View from Villeneuve lez AvignonThe only reason I went to Avignon was because mum had taught me the song all about it as I was growing up. I can’t speak french but I can sing it! So I was thrilled to finally get onto the bridge. What I found suprising was that it didn’t actually [...]

Sunrise over breakfastNot a bad view to enjoy an early morning Nutrigain!We had originally been hoping to do the three peaks challenge for Mandi’s birthday, but when we realised we didn’t have any friends stupid enough to volunteer to do the massive amounts of driving involved we decided on a cut down version, with a [...]

Vineyards in Burgundy Day 25 (Monday, September 21, 2009) I woke up this morning feeling much better than I had the day prior. After waking up, Mike informed me with a smile that I should take a look outside. As requested, I looked out the window and noticed that we had blue skies with very [...]

Arraswe have photo contests whenever we go on outings, and this photo won for the Arras trip! I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and ate lots of turkey and sweet potatoes for me. There wasn’t even a hint of the holiday here, so it was a bit sad. Life here in Douai is far [...]

Gretchen,principal driver on the BBA Before we give you a bit of a summary of today we would like to share some facts with you of the BBA which started on April19th 2009. First though we would most sincerely like to thank all those people who helped make this adventure one we will never forget. [...]

My dear colleague is certainly the most dedicated, experienced and trained person I have ever worked with. I know how much he/she is devoted to our “guests” and our duties. I wrote a letter to him/her asking for his/her expertise, knowing how hard it was for him/her to find even a few seconds of his/her [...]

Back in Kathmandu, after a long and steamy hot shower. This buddhist temple, if very similar to Buddhanath in appearance, differs in far much more ways from others. It is not related to the temple being on top of a hill. It is in the decorum that completely surrounds the area. Gold painted statues, plainty [...]

My 1st pie! With a little help from Em, I successively baked my first pie! This is before baking… Thanksgiving…minus the mac-and-cheese and football Last night was the first of two Thankgivings I’ll be having here in France. The other English assistant at my school is actually from England, but has a roommate from Charlottesville [...]

I’ve threatened it before, but this time it’s true. I’ve got fond of this TravelBlog site, but it no longer really reflects what I do…. journeys all the way to the veg. patch or Lavelanet market don’t really count as Travel with a big T, I don’t think. So I’ve started a blog in WordPress, [...]

Does. Not. Get. Old.In the late 19th century, France claimed the territory of Vietnam a part of French Indochina. Thus began the tumultuous relationship between the two countries. It remained a French colony until Vietnam won its independence in 1954. The war was as bloody and unpopular as our own war was there a few [...]

North Paris from Sacre CoeurWe have come to the final day of what will have been 223 days on the road by the time we get back to New Zealand on Saturday.And we are getting to spend it in Paris!! The day has dawned with high cloud and even a hint of watery sunshine although [...]

I have been in Florence for 3 months studying abroad and I am learning a lot about myself. I cannot believe this experience is coming to a close. School is keeping me busy as well as trying to figure out how to get everything home. Projects for school are this week and next week and [...]