An Awfully Big Advenure

Photos: مرحبا بكم في المغرب - Welcome to Morocco

marciekiwi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 23:29:00 GMT

Dar Zerhoune

marciekiwi — Mon, 3 Aug 2015 04:21:00 GMT

Off to Rose's place! We took the long way to Moulay Idriss courtesy of Rose's regular driver, Hammad. What beautiful countryside! It was a very wet winter in those parts so everything was so green and lush; the views were stunning. We finally got to Rose's guesthouse, Dar Zerhoune - what a beautiful place! Four floors, two terraces, lounge area and stunning views! It's just so peaceful relaxing on the rooftop terrace enjoying mint tea and divine cookies and taking in the scenery. If you ever head to Morocco, you must stay here - http://www.darzerhoune.com/

After settling in and enjoying some downtime, we headed off to Rose's friend's place for dinner. More wonderful views, delicious dinner and fabulous company. I could get used to this!

Now there is quite a lot to see in Moulay Idriss but fatigue kicked in so I took advantage of the incredible terrace at Rose's place and chilled out for the day. One of the best events of the day was having henna done on my hand and leg. The lady that did it was so talented and fast! There were two lovely spanish guests at the house so they had it done too. It felt quite glamourous actually :-)

That evening was couscous night and boy was there a lot! Friday is couscous day (Muslim holy day) so traditionally that is the only day it is made - apart from special ocsasions - and they certainly make the most of it! So.Much.Food! Delicious!

Saturday saw us wandering up to the terrace in the morning, being served breakfast and marvelling at the Moroccan countryside. This is relaxing! One of the services available at Dar Zerhoune is a bake your own afternoon tea session so of course we had to do that! With Koutar (one of the Moroccan ladies who works at the guesthouse), we made cookies, bread and this delicious scroll-type bread, Malawi I think it was called. Now most places don't have their own oven so there are community ovens everyone takes their baking to. What an great system. It's basically a huge pizza oven with coal and wood. No idea how they control temperature they just seem to know how long to put each thing in for. We dropped everything in and picked it all up a while later. Pretty damn good if I do say so myself! The theme over here seems to be SO MUCH FOOD! We had to share it and still had enough to take with us on our train journey the next day.

What a fantastic few days, thank you Rose xx

Photos: Paaaaaris!

marciekiwi — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 02:49:00 GMT

Au revoir Paris...hello Fes

marciekiwi — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 01:55:00 GMT

Last day in Paris. Made the most of the time before catching our flight and headed out to find the Shakespeare and Co bookshop in the Latin Quarter. Along the way we found more beautiful cobbled streets, little shops, had lunch and finally got to our destination. All the books were in English in this lovely store set out a bit like the old Smiths Bookshop in Christchurch. Just gorgeous.

We made it out to Beauvais airport, checked in (thank you so much check-in lady for allowing my bag to be 2kgs over without charging me!) and had our last French pastries before flying away to Fes. We were picked up by the driver from the riad (guesthouse) we were staying at and arrived at Riad Ibn Battouta. By goodness it was lovely! Big bed in a separate room, lounge area with another bed, beautifully decorated, huge bath; it all felt a bit royal actually. A fabulous sleep followed.

Moroccan breakfasts are yummy, oh yes they are. The fresh strawberry and orange juice is delicious! What a super start to the day those brekkies are and what a day we had. Fes is unlike anywhere I have been. It's a bit like going back in time but still with modern technology. Our guide took us on a walking tour around the labyrinth of the medina where we were treated to multitudes of colours and smells and sounds. A couple of things you notice pretty much immediately is the absense of motorised transport (cars wouldn't fit but no motorbikes are allowed) and the hundreds of stray cats! It seems quite miserable at first until you hear that although the cats are homeless, the people do feed them and treat them quite well. Dogs aren't as liked (something to do with they way they are depicted in the Qur'an) so we didn't see any of them around, just cats, loads and loads of cats!

Our guide then took us to the tannery (bound to be a commission thing) and we were shown around. It seems like extraordinary hard work and I imagine many of the workers never get the dye out of their skin. The colours were beautiful and all natural as we kept being told. The smell wasn't exactly pleasant but manageable - we were given mint to keep under our noses to help with that issue! Of course we were encouraged to buy some things and I didn't exactly resist. I am now the owner of a rather lovely leather handbag. Not cheap but pretty damn lovely. Next up was the carpet shop - you can't go to Morocco and not be offered carpets! We were even given mint tea as a refreshment - not to add any pressure to purchase of course :-) Neither of us had any desire to leave with any carpets so left, full of mint tea and after a very interesting chat with the owner. And then on to the argan oil place. Yes ok, I bought some rose oil there. It smelled so good, how could I not? After many more winding 'streets' and copious stalls, we thanked our guide and returned to our lovely accommodation for some downtime.

The best bit came soon after. Rose arrived! Now Rose is a good friend from New Zealand who has made her home in Morocco. She bought a large house in Moulay Idriss (a town just out of Fes) and turned it into a guesthouse. She is an inspiring entrepreneur who has worked extremely hard to make her dream a reality. I haven't seen her in a few years so it was super exciting to finally catch up. She took Vanessa and I up to an incredible look out where you can see all of Fes. What a spectacular view!

While we were there an interesting thing happened: the police called over and reprimanded a young man who had been sitting with his arm around a young lady. They weren't married so as far as the culture is concerned, it is unacceptable and very disrespectful to the woman. He was warned (I can't remember if he was given a fine or not) and returned to sit next to the young woman although not nearly as close as before. Being a westener, public displays of affection are nothing new to me and totally expected when a couple is in a relationship so I found it a little odd that it was so frowned upon here. Rose explained that women are very highly regarded in Moroccan culture and that their virtue should be protected at all times so it is seen as extremely discourteous to do anything that might tarnish a woman's reputation. Some say that woman are oppressed and that it is a misogynistic culture but Rose sees it differently. She says that men want to look after the women in their lives; they want to provide and care for them. They work hard to make sure their wives don't have to work, that there is no pressure for her to have to earn money to keep the home going. Men want their wives to be able to stay home and enjoy their children. Rose never feels oppressed or disrespected. She always feels safe and highly appreciated. Interesting.

Dinner that night was quite a treat. We went to a restaurant called the Ruined Garden run by Rose's friend Robert. What a beautiful place! The meal was fantastic as was the service. It was so peaceful sitting outside under the Moroccan stars enjoying great company and food. Every now and then I get a surge of happiness and wonder when I realise where I am and what I'm doing. I'm so glad this Kiwi decided to fly.

Wanderings and Museums

marciekiwi — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 21:00:00 GMT

Paris is just so stunning. Practically everywhere you go there is something breathtaking to marvel at. The cobbled streets automatically make a simple walk a pleasure. As we were wandering, we came across the Carnavalet Museum which is basically two mansions in the centre of Paris put together to form a museum dedicated to the history of Paris. The earliest pieces date back to 52AD. What a great find that was. As we were leaving in search of food, we were entertained by some street musicians playing old, well known tunes. Seriously cool.

Now it's no secret the crepes here have become quite a favourite of mine so when we found a lunch place and had demolished the first course, it was essential to try the crepes they had on offer. Caramel and praline. Heaven. After that totally satisfying sugar fix we headed off to see the Bastille. Being completely ignorant, i thought we were actually going to see a fortress of some kind but as you, dear intelligent reader, will know, there is just a monument there so I was a little perplexed until Vanessa explained it had actually been razed to the ground during the French Revolution. Oops.

As it had started to pour down, we headed back to the hotel and spent the remainder of the day relaxing in the hotel. Even holidaymakers need a rest sometimes!

Because of the quiet evening the night before, we were full of energy the next day and ready to tackle the Louvre. We decided to split up as we both wanted to see different things. I of course, headed straight for the Greek, Roman and Egyptian exhibitions. This place is so huge that just one section here would be size of an entire museum back home! Needless to say I was completely overwhelmed by everything I saw. One particularly exciting item was the Niobid Painter's Calyx Krater (a very famous Greek vase) which I have taught many students about. Seeing it for real was a particular kind of special. I know this vase; it's composition, the techniques used to paint it, the characters on it, the clever use of drapery and incision. Standing right in front of it made me feel like I was finally meeting someone I knew so well but had never seen in person. It made me smile, a lot.

After indulging in my share of Greek vases, I went off in search of the 'famous' pieces. The sculpture of Cupid and Psyche was up first. It's so beautiful and real - apart from the fact that Cupid has wings of course! Next up was the Venus de Milo. No one seems to know what happened to her arms but she looks so good without them it doesn't seem to matter. She is said to be Aphrodite. The statue was found in the ancient city of Milo on the island of Milos, hence the name. It always astounds me how artists from thousands of years ago could produce such incredible art, buildings etc with the rudimentary tools they had then. I know I've said that before but it's so true!

The next stop was seeking out the smiling Mona Lisa. I expected the painting to be smaller than it was as I'd heard lots of reports of disappointed people saying it was really little but I was pleasantly surprised. She was behind a barrier of course, surrounded by throngs of tourists but being slightly taller than a lot of them, I was able to get a couple of good photos of Leonardo's lady.

I have said before that I would love to live in the British Museum but I'm going to amend that. I think I shall spend the summers there and the winters in the Louvre. It is all so extraordinary. To think that many of these piece were ordinary items that people just like me (well, perhaps a little different) used in their day to day lives. What is that we are going to leave behind for future generations to look at and sigh in wonder over?

After finding Vanessa and having (an expensive) lunch, we visited more of the Egyptian section then decided it was time to leave. 5 hours seemed like enough for one day! On the way back we made a stop to check out the Arc de Triomphe. Holy cow it's busy on that roundabout. We figured it was safer to stay on the other side of the road and take pics from there. The details on the arc are quite stunning (thanks camera zoom for letting me see it all). We wandered down some of the Champs Elysees before heading home and congratulatings ourselves on another excellent tourist day.

The story (finally) continues

marciekiwi — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 20:08:00 GMT

Yes, I know, I'm a terrible blogger. Imagine leaving over 2 months between entries! Scandalous! Anyhow, I will attempt to make up for it all with numerous entries of the past couple of months of adventure. Now, where was I? Ah yes, Paris.

So the next day was Versilles day. What an amazing place; tapastries, paintings, sculptures, gold, as far as the eye could see and further. The rooms upstairs were as about as opulent as it gets. Of course one of the highlights was the Hall of Mirrors. It's as beautiful as all the pictures you've seen and slightly disconcerting considering you can see yourself EVERYWHERE. Still, it was super amazing to be able to walk through it and marvel at the wealth and beauty. The King's and Queen's bedrooms weren't that huge but were, of course furnished like they didn't know what else to spend the money on. It was a bit sad to hear how public the royals' lives were. Nothing was private, not even childbirth - it was kind of an event that anyone in the palace could attend. The King and Queen would often even dine with an audience. What a tiring existence.

Right, done with the palace, time for the gardens. Wow, just wow! They cover about 800 hectares of land and every inch is manicured perfectly. Even though there were quite a few people there, it still felt peaceful. You could easily get lost without a map (those who know me will know I have no sense of direction so a map was essential!) it's so big. We grabbed some lunch and hung out by a statue of Hercules as you do. We had a random cat for company who seemed to very much enjoy some of the pizza toppings. What an amazing home you have kitty. Luckily the fountain display was on that day so we watched as the water danced in time to the music, it was memorising. At that point the heavens opened up so we took our leave after many hours of wandering.

As luck would have it, the train we needed to catch to get back to the hotel stopped at the Eiffel Tower metro so we did our tourist duty and visited the tower. It is quite an amazing structure. Way bigger than you imagine. As I'm not exactly a fan of being up high voluntarily and neither is Vanessa, we stayed on the ground and basically just looked up. Some brave/crazy souls were taking the stairs up to the first landing. I imagine the view from there and the higher landing is spectacular - I'm happy just imagining. After some essential photo ops, we headed back and met some gorgeous little ducklings and their mama along the way. Nothing quite like happy little animals to make your day.

Pariiiiis!

marciekiwi — Fri, 1 May 2015 23:15:00 GMT

Ahhhhhhh Pari, the city of lights and monuments and pastries. What an amazing place! So much history and things to see that there just wasn't enough time ... good excuse to go back I guess :-)

it really is the coolest thing to get on a train in one country, fall asleep and wake up in another. Probabaly not such a phenomenal things for those who live on continents but for a Kiwi it was quite awesome. The Eurostar is so convenient and comfortable and far less hassle than getting on a plane, highly recommended.

Staying at a hotel (Ibis) so close to a major train station was extremely handy as we could walk or catch a train everywhere. We started our grand sightseeing trip with a visit to the cathedral Sacre Coeur. Apparently they call it the wedding cathedral as it looks like a wedding cake. It is set on the top of a high hill so the view of Paris is outstanding. There is a lot of lawn around the steps which is great for picnicing and generally hanging out to enjoy the day. It is so high on Montmartre Hill that the top of the basilica is higher than the Eiffel Tower! The inside was so beautiful with all the paintings and candles. As it is a house of prayer it is very quiet and you're not allowed to take photos; my camera however may have accidently gone off a few times, naughty camera! Outside the cathedral we had our first French treat, crepes with nutella and banana. Très Bon!

Next up, the Moulin Rouge. Now that is right In the heart of the red light district so it was an interesting stroll! No holds barred around here, hmm. Anyhow, we finally got to the famous spot. It was much smaller than I expected and right in the middle of other standard buildings but still, it was pretty cool to see it. A little tacky but a must-see. Day one concluded with a picnic in our hotel room consisting of bread, Camembert cheese, coleslaw, hummos and raspberries. Nom nom nom!

Day two and we were off to Notre Dame! Disney flashbacks! I'm running out of superlatives to describes these amazing buildings so I'm just going to go with incredible again. It is quite gothic in its architecture with its spires and gargoyles. It really is huge with a tower-like frontage. There was a long line to get in but it was totally worth the wait. It had the same elcoves as Sacre Coeur, each one dedicated to a different saint that worshippers could light a candle for and pray to. A mass was conducted while we were there which was actually really beautiful. Photos were allowed so I took lots! We came out and walked around the entire building to see all the fantastic architecture. It blows me away to think this artistry was achieved so many years ago when they didn't have half the tools and technology that we do now. I'm totally in awe of this talent!

Lunch time. It's so lovely just wandering the streets in search of a little restaurant to have some food. The back streets are narrow and cobbled and just beautiful. The apartments have these gorgeous shutters and iron balconies that epitomise France. We passed these lovely little stores; the chocolate and pastry ones were, unsurprisingly, my favourite :-) We found a Lebanese restaurant and enjoyed the French version of mezze plates. Yum! Past the flower markets and the prison where Marie Antoinette was kept and on to the recommended gothic chapel, St Chapelle. Wow, wow, wow! Two levels of total beauty. The ground level was stunning with lovely colours and carved columns but upstairs was absolutely breathtaking! 15 stained glass windows like you've never seen before, all depicting stories from the bible. I just didn't know where to look first, there was so much to take in; you could sit there for hours and still not see every detail. The colours from the windows in the light reflected across the room and made beautiful patterns on the floor. Totally loved it. If you to Paris go to this chapel. It's completely worth the €8 to get in.

After wandering to the Pont de Neuf (the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine) and chilling out for a bit in the gardens we went to see Sant Sulpice, a church that features in the Da Vinci Code then through the Jardin du Luxembourg which is an huge park. We watched people playing chess, saw kiddies taking pony rides and walked by a little pond/lake that had small boats racing around in the wind. All quite exquisite really. There were loads of people just relaxing by the water, eating and chatting. So very peaceful. By now we were getting pretty tired but we had to go and see the Pantheon of course. It was shut but we walked around. All these buildings are so dizzyingly massive!

We caught the metro to our stop and took the exit we thought would get us back to our hotel, hmm, maybe not. We somehow ended up on the other side of the station and got quite lost. We had to ask for directions as we really had no idea where we'd ended up. Finally after chatting to a coach driver we headed in the right direction but along the way we passed a homeless community that lived under the bridge. It was kind of like a tent village. Felt quite sad after being around all this incredible opulence just half an hour before. We made it back to our hotel safe and sound making sure we would check which exit to use next time.

What a day! Paris, I love you!

A Day at the Museum

marciekiwi — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 02:42:00 GMT

Last day in London, for now anyway. This damned cold is determined to stick with me and this morning it decided to make its presence known. I considered missing the museum and trudging back to Vanessa's place in Kent but curiosity and a love of all things ancient got me packed up and wandering down the street to the great British Museum. Best Decision Ever!!

I want to live there in the museum, I want to be there every day to see all the things all the time! This place is beyond big, there is far too much to see in one day so I restricted myself to the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman sections. I'm sure other patrons could hear me gasp as I took my first few steps into the Egyptian exhibit. Wow, just wow! Huge pieces from pyramids, entire walls of hieroglyphics, sarcophagi, mummies(!!), statues and - this just blew my mind - THE Rosetta Stone, the actual stone that was used to decider hieroglyphs, right there in front of me! Realising that all these pieces were around at the time of Tutankhamen and many before and after him, and now I was looking at them was almost too hard to get my head around. This is the best place in the world! All this and still the Greek and Roman areas to see as well, yep, this is heaven.

Pieces from the Parthanon, burial stones, columns, busts, coins, sculptures, voting 'tickets', masks, instruments, mosaics and vases...oh so many vases. Year 13 Classical Studies often do Greek Vase Painting as one of their topics, mine did, and here, in rooms dedicated to ceramics were more vases than I could have dreamed of. Black, red and white figure vases, amphorae, kraters, lekythos, cups and more. Then I saw it; one of the actual vases I taught my students about, the Berlin Painter Volute Krater! It was actually there, in a case less than half a metre from me. The real thing! I was already quite overwhelmed but this was almost unfathomable to me and all of a sudden there were tears in my eyes. Luckily I managed to get myself under control before they fell all over my cheeks but still, I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat and couldn't stop walking around looking at every inch of it. I'm pretty sure the staff person in that room must have thought I'd lost my mind so I tried to contain my excitement so she didn't think I was a complete looney and kick me out.

By now I'd already been there for about 3 hours and still had about a two hour journey home ahead of me so I reluctantly left this magnificent place. I'll be back museum, I'll be back.

The sights of London

marciekiwi — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 07:26:00 GMT

Tour day! Up and out of the hotel at 6:45am (urrgghh!) and off to meet the coach that was taking me to meet the tour bus. As usual I got chatting to the driver who gave me tips on what other things to check out in London. There is just so much to see and do in this city - so very excting. He made sure to tell the tour guide to look after the Kiwi when we were leaving, naaaw. Anyway, onto the bus I got with about 40 other people and off we headed to stop #1 - Westminster Abbey.

What a building! So very beautiful. We didn't go inside as time didn't allow it but we had a good look at it as we walked around to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben! Every now and I then I get hit with the realisation that I'm really in London - this was one of those times. Looking up at that immense clock gave me goosebumps. Big Ben is actually the nickname of the Great Bell that chimes in the clock, how it got it's name is not entirely known but could have been after the man who was in charge of the installation of the bell - apparently he was quite large! More stories from the tour guide about famous people in history (more interesting than I've made it sound) then we were on our way to the river Thames for a boat ride.

Filthy river but with more history than I could wrap my head around. Under bridges that were all significant for something amazing, past the reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, past the building that reflected the sun so brightly it melted tar on the street below, and on to the Tower of London. I think this was probably my favourite part of the tour. A real honest-to-goodness Yeoman Warder AKA Beefeater, gave us a short tour of some of the towers and gates (traitor's gate and the bloody tower were particularly interesting and gruesome!). Kapai tried to get a picture with our Beefeater but he wasn't allowed to hold anything representing any other country so I stepped in to make sure Kapai got his photo.

Next up, jewels, lots of jewels! The Crown Jewels to be precise. An absolutely stunning display of sceptres, swords, crowns, maces, spoons, and more. The amount of gems and gold in that display could feed a small (or not so small) nation. A lot of it is used for baptisms, weddings and other official events so doesn't stay locked up permanently. The crowns were the most impressive for me; very very sparkly. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds galore. I may have drooled a little. The whole Tower of London complex is actually a palace and quite spacious. Many royals were imprisoned there awaiting their eventual beheading. The two princes, around the time of Richard III were kept in the tower in 1487 supposedly in preparation for the coronation of Edward, the eldest little prince, but they 'disappeared' and Richard III became king. Our beefeater said it wasn't known what really happened to them but their best guess is that the boys were smothered in their rooms and buried under the stairs in one of the towers. In 1674 workmen dug up a wooden box with two small skeletons in it, presumably the princes. It's history like that that makes this place so fascinating. I'm totally loving it!

Did you know there are 6 (plus one spare) Ravens that live at the Tower and there is one Yeoman whose job it is to look after them? He's known as the Raven Master - cool name - and his role is to make sure they are healthy and happy. They are fed meat, special biscuits that are soaked in blood and sometimes whole rabbits. Each raven has a name. The eldest is 24 Years old which is way older than the live in the wild. They are kept in the Tower because of a legend that says the Tower and London will fall if there are less than six Ravens there at all times. Their wings are clipped so they can't fly too far. One raven was dismissed from duty some years ago because he became fond of chewing on rather essential telephone wiring so was sent off to a zoo in Wales - even birds need to behave if they want to keep their job!

I could have stayed at the Tower much longer but it was time to move on to the next bit: St James Park (gorgeous!) and seeing the Royal Guard make their way back to their barracks. The music they played was awesome. They were stoic and formal, a bit stuffy and feaking awesome. Back onto our bus and off to St Paul's Cathedral. I had mixed feelings as we were taken on our tour of this incredible place, not because I didn't like the building (it really is spectacular) but because I got a bit sad. As we heard about the incredible feats and achievements of these men buried at the Cathedral, I suddenly felt so very insignificant. A bit silly really as life isn't about status but it was more that these people had done phenomenal things but still, they are dead and gone and now millions of us just walk past their tombs, stop, say "oh wow" then move on. It seemed that it doesn't matter what we do as it will end anyway. I suppose we all feel like that at some stage but I guess all we can do is focus on the life we have as we don't know what, if anything, comes next. i made myself stop thinking so deeply as it was just a bit depressing, and concentrated on what I was doing right there and then and truly enjoying it as right now is all we really have isn't it?

Enjoying the moment was helped immensely by chatting to a lady I met on the tour, Danielle. She and her husband are Canadian and just spent three weeks in India with her husband's work (civil engineering). She had such a great view of travel, had had such great experiences and really made the most of wherever she went. She was so excited for me and my trip it made me even more excited. We laughed, shared stories and basically agreed that seeing new places and meeting new people was the best thing ever!

The tour ended at the London Eye (nope, I didn't go on it, I'd have kittens going that high!) and I trotted off (via black cab with another very cool cab driver) back to Drury Lane. Oh look, it's time for another show ... this time it's Charlie and the Chocoalte Factory. Thanks to my awesome friend Pam and her equally awesome friend Nicky who works on the show in costume design, I got my very own golden ticket to the Royal Circle in the Theatre Royal. What a show! It was visually beautiful and colourful and clever and funny and professional and entertaining and slick and just wonderful! Willy Wonka was really very excellent. Wouldn't be surprised to see him recieving a Tony this year. The special effects were quite outstanding too. The way they made Violet grow, the glass elevator, the Oompa Loopas, Mike Teevee, the squirrels...it was all so well done. What a musical. I love the West End!

Right, that's quite enough for one day don't you think. Good night xx

Photos: London Baby!

marciekiwi — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 04:48:00 GMT

The London/England leg of the Adventure

Off to the Big Smoke

marciekiwi — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 04:42:00 GMT

So I may have been a bit over confident when I said jet lag schmet lag - although my sleeping has been pretty good, I managed to get a rather icky cold which had me pretty much stuck in bed for a couple of days but it didn't stop me from heading into London for my 3 day explore. I was a bit nervous about trying to negotiate the trip in and find my way to the hotel by myself but, as you would expect, it was all very straightforward, exciting in fact. First trip on a double decker bus - yes, of course I sat up the top - then the train into London and first ride in a black cab (the taxi driver was lovely too. Gave me a commentary on the sights on the way to the hotel and wished NZ good luck for the World Cup - "but not too much". Heh). I knew I had picked the right accommodation as soon as I walked in, as Lorde's Royals was playing. Now another very cool thing about the hotel is where is was - the same street as the Muffin Man - yep, I stayed on Drury Lane! Was somewhat disappointed not to see a bakery named The Muffin Man anywhere down the road. Too obvious perhaps?

I stayed in Covent Garden which, for those who don't know, is in the West End near the theatres and fairly central so pretty perfect actually. It was a Sunday but everything was open so off Kapai and I went. Such a lovely area - cobbled streets, great vibe, music, buskers, different accents every few steps, awesome shops. Managed to only spend on food from Marks and Spencers; very restrained I thought.

That evening was a total hightlight for me; my first West End show - Stomp! Those performers are incredible! They created fantastic rhythms and beats with all sorts of household items; everything from brooms to basketballs, sinks to lighters and so much more. The way they worked together was quite amazing, watching and listening to each other so all the beats were perfectly timed. And it was visually so brilliant and funny and interactive too! I wanted it to start all over again when it was finished. I would see it again in a heartbeat. For those of you who are drummers or any sort of musician, I think you would really love it. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ7aYQtIldg and you'll see what I mean. The video (and subsequent ones) are of the show I saw with some of the same performers. I was totally blown away. I was a very happy Kiwi wandering back to my hotel that night. There is nothing like live theatre *sigh*

London Baby!

marciekiwi — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 08:00:00 GMT

Made it! I'm in London, England, on the other side of the planet. My dream trip has begun!

The flight was, well, long and that's all I have to say about that. Ok, maybe one more thing - flying long distance causes swollen ankles. Where there used to be a definite juncture between my legs and feet there is now just a long connection of blubber. Most unattractive. I certainly hope they go down or I'll be stuck in long pants for the rest of my life!

Currently I am happily ensconced in the spare room at Chez Vanessa and Rick in Faversham, Kent. I am tucked up in bed with a cup of tea and a kitty, which is about as ideal as it gets. I managed to stay awake the whole day after arriving in the morning yesterday and have had about 10 hours sleep overnight - jet lag schmet lag! My furry companion is a gorgeous little ginger 1 year old kitty named Persephone - Persey for short. She is one of three feline inhabitants of this lovely little English home and the most accepting. Polonios (tabby boy) seems to view me as a newcomer who is good for occassional cuddles whereas Tiggy (Antigone) looks at me with complete disdain - she is my new project - you will love me kitteh!

Travelling from the airport to Faversham meant going through King Cross station (yes Monopoly lovers, THAT King's Cross station). One could easily get lost and resign themselves to living in this labyrinth. What a crazy place. Luckily Vanessa knew where she was going or my story would end there. The countryside is so pretty with quaint little houses everywhere, totally goregous. Faversham is a really sweet town. Most of the houses I've seen so far are squished side by side with doors practically on the footpath and really little - you wouldn't want to be tall! Vanessa's house is opposite a beautiful park. It is long and narrow - the house not the park, that would be a rather useless park if that were the case - with a small area out the back. It is two storey with stairs so steep that they had to cover them in carpet and put in a banister on the wall so as not to be mistaken for a ladder! It is cozy and comfortable and already feels like home. Now for those of you who don't know, Vanessa and I used to flat together in ChCh when she lived there. We've been friends since 2003 but I haven't seen her in person for about 7 years so this has been the most wonderful reunion :-)

Today's mission is to plan my three days in London. There is so much to see! First priority is to see a Westend show which I am doing on Monday night - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! I hope to do a bus tour, go to Warner Brother's Harry Potter studio (I'm going to Hogwarts!) and tick off as many Monopoly sites as I can find. Oh it's tough being me ;-)

Right, time for another cup of tea.

Adventure Eve

marciekiwi — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 22:25:00 GMT

Well here I am, on the cusp of this big trip I have been dreaming of for so long. One short night and the journey begins. Europe, a continent of culture, history, language, and I actually get to see all the things! Excitement has been somewhat superseded by a bit of anxiety if truth be told. I'm not entirely sure what I have to be worried about but I am nonetheless. I guess there is a little bit of fear but as I tell others 'the greatest adventures being outside of your comfort zone' so it is beyond the comfort zone I go.