A frosty silence

I guess it is just as well that none of us are in the medical profession because alistairs hand isn't sprained, it's actually broken. He's handling it really well and has the tiniest of casts on that just immobilises the actual thumb while preserving wrist and finger mobility.

Nobody did any skiing this morning but for different reasons. Kirsten and Carl because of taking alistair to the clinic and myself, caron and kim because we decided to take the morning off to do shopping and generally laze about before collecting the remaining kids from ski school at 12:30.

I have been wanting to get caron up into the val thorens valley to do a run called gentiane which I thought, and still think that she would love. So while carl and alistair took the afternoon off, kirsten, sage, megan and the two of us set off. Unfortunately the only way to get there was to go up mont de la chambre and then down pluviometre which turned out to be a huge mistake. Caron took one look at the steeper sections and refused to do them but there really is no other way to get down other than going down the piste so she took off her ski's which I skied down with and then walked all the way down muttering about how horrible I am no doubt. Kirsten, Sage and Megan got tired of waiting and went on ahead while I nursed caron down the piste.

She skied all the flatter sections but the whole run took so long that we arrived at the run I really wanted her to try about a minute after it closed so I think that the closest she is going to get to doing the run is the picture below. I can't see her putting herself through that again even though the snow higher up is far nicer and easier to ski in that lower down nearer the villages. We saw Kirsten, Sage and Megan briefly at the Caron ski lift, they had already done the run twice by the time we arrived and then bolted for home.

We followed on a bit more slowly and barely made it to the last lift before it closed and finally made it home in frosty silence. As a counter point to the silence, the sunset was really amazing.

Kisten had made a big bowl of bolonnaise the previous evening and we had a great meal followed by some chocolate or coffee flavoured creme caramel which went down rather well. So at least the day ended well even though the rest of it was pretty abysmal.

Of Reds 'n Accidents

An eventful day!

The intention was to drop the kids at ski school and then Caron, Kim and I to go skiing but it had rained overnight so the slopes were all really icy which made Caron very uneasy, so much so that she refused to go up to do the slope (vallons) we had chosen to do. As it turned out, this was a really good decision because the slope turned out to be almost completely iced up and I didn't enjoy the run at all. Kirsten didn't either but Carl thought it was the best run he had done which I really don't understand. On the way down we saw a small boy who had fallen taking an awfully long time to get up and later saw an ambulance toboggan so we think that it was the small boy in sage's class that broke his leg today. According to Sage, he was one of the 'hot boys' which just set off the warning bells in Kim's head. Sage is only six after all!

Kirsten, Carl and I went up again to do les enverse hoping it would be better than vallons but it was even worse, most of the slope was either grass or just plain ice, not even ice with a dusting of snow. There was a narrow strip of about 2m that was mogul-led but ski-iable. If moguls are the preferred option, that means that the rest of the slope was pretty bad.

I then met up with Caron and Kim and the three of us went off to do La Violette and took in a cup of coffee, chocolat chaud or, in my case, vin chaud. We headed home for another scrumptious lunch before I joined the van der riets for the afternoon.

Kirsten and Carl had done the cretes and longet routes while I was out with Kim and Caron and, since the kids had done them in ski school as well, they were keen to do them again because the runs were so nice.

The van der riet family at the ibex at the top of the run which was an absolutely fantastic run, we enjoyed it so much that we did it three times in a row. A minor mishap occurred on the horrible blue run that we had to take to get back down, alistair made an impressive face plant into the ice and in doing do, sprained his thumb quite badly. When I picked him up off the snow the gap between his goggles and his helmet was completely filled with ice and he was feeling quite sorry for himself but he recovered quite well after some hot chocolate.

Kim and my cunning plan to play a trick on Carl finally came to fruition. Carl had been making odd references to the speed with which the whisky was going down so we drained most of the last bottle into another bottle and hid it and waited for him to notice. It took a couple of days but finally we got our reward, carl's face when he took the bottle out spoke volumes and I couldn't keep up the joke any longer, much to carl's great relief. Anyway, kim and I enjoyed the joke.

For supper we decided that we would eat out in the local restaurant to try out raclette which is a local dish which carl, in particular, has been very keen to try out. Raclette consists of a 1/4 wedge of an entire block of cheese which goes onto sort of a roaster which then melts the cheese. One scrapes the melted cheese off and then wraps it with various cold meats or vegetables. Carl seemed to really enjoy it, I thought it was nice but nothing special. I definitely preferred the three cheeses fondue that Caron and Kirsten shared.
Note the matching Sani2C shirts!

The Great Trek

We are based at Les Menuires which is in the one valley (along with Val Thorens) of the three valleys ski area, the other two valleys have the towns of Meribel and Courcheval in them respectively. Getting to Courcheval is more than a mornings skiing away so Caron kindly offered to collect the kids from ski school and to babysit them until we returned in the afternoon thus giving us enough time to get there and back.

We dropped the kids off at ski school, I skied down following Sage and Kim who are both doing well, and then set off. We had a few navigation mishaps which weren't so much from miss reading the map as not following the pistes correctly. It is not always such a clear cut thing here exactly which way a piste goes, they seem to diverge and join up or join up on another piste, it's all very confusing. We found ourselves at the top of 3 marches Saulire which only had a red run (alouette) going down from it into the Meribel valley so it was time to negotiate our first red which we accomplished with a reasonable degree of elegance. Fortunately, it wasn't so long before we joined up with a very long and boring blue (ours) all the way down to Meribel from where we caught the lift up to Sauire where our only choices of route were red or black - again. So red it was, we're starting to get the hang of them now. We finally got to Loze and could drop down into the Courcheval valley where we spent a couple of great hours repeatedly doing the pralong, biollay and petit lac runs. They were great fun and the pistes at courcheval are enormously wide and it is really difficult knowing where one piste ends and another starts with the result that I lost Kirsten and Carl temporarily. I caught sight of someone with a very similar jacket to Kisten whom I started following which just made matters worse. Somehow we managed to find each other and decided to start heading back. There are so many english people here that it sounds like London closed down and relocated to Courcheval.

We had lunch at the top of Coqs which is quite close to Loze and is the location of the great soup bomb. I don't quite know what happened but I ended up spilling soup all over myself, the tray and worst of all, the herring salad. In spite of the herring swimming in a sea of vegetable soup, it actually tasted fantastic. The soup wasn't bad either, at least what was left of it. Spent some time trying to desoup myself, I had to clean my salopettes, my jacket and my boots but in spite of this, this lunch will be remembered for the herring salad, and the soup bomb I guess.

The weather was turning miserable so we just headed home from then on and arrived home just after Caron, Kim and the kids returned home. The had spent the afternoon having a huge amount of fun building snow men and women.


We had just finished having a great meal of baked potato and beans and roast courgette with pesto and gruyere lovingly prepared by Kim when we heard a loud bang so we all rushed outside to see a fireworks display just over the roofs of the apartments next to us.

Somewhere, in the house there is another popping sound somewhere which I have barely to notice but is busy driving Kirsten demented. It's very funny but she doesn't find it anywhere near as humorous as I am. I think it may even become her enduring memory of Les Menuires.

Oh, no! Not another day of Skiing!

We are starting to settle into a routine now. We drop the kids off at Ski School in the morning and then Carl, Kirsten and I go exploring new areas and then in the afternoon the whole van der Riet family and I go exploring yet more areas.

This morning we took the mont de la chambre and then used pluviometre to descend into Val Thorens from where we took peclets up to to top to have a look at Galcier de Peclet which we didn't really notice for some reason. We should really have a good look at them because they ain't going to be around for much longer. The tete ronde back into Val Thorens was great and we stopped at a restaurant half way down for our morning 'chocolat chaud' and 'pain au chocolat' which was fantastic, easily the best 'chocolat chaud' that we've had thus far. At 18.50 euro it had better be! I think Val Thorens is a bit more upmarket than Les Menuires. Carl borrowed an allen key from the restaurant and managed to adjust Kirstens boots which were proving to be very painful. I made a joke which I can't repeat in the blog but Carl will remember it!

We skied down to the bottom of Caron, not to be confused with Caron's bottom, and took the lift up and then skied down gentiane which was so nice we did it all again. There exists a Mount Caron here so the lift's name is also called Caron which is going to cause some confusion at some time. Obvious double entendre's come to mind ...

Back at the apartment, I had the most fantastic lunch, it was the same as yesterday with the addition of fresh tomato and lettuce which just created perfection. Sometimes it is the little additions that make all the difference.

The afternoon was spent going over into Meribel using faon and lievre which, although listed as a blue, are actually borderline reds. Even so, I quite enjoyed them; I am finding that I am enjoying the lumpy bumpy stuff much more nowadays. We had some 'chocolat chaud' on the way down at a very noisy cafe before I got some great video footage of Kirsten wiggling her derriere to the music as we skied away.

Before we knew it, it was time to return via gros tougne which was uneventful but I think I might have got some good photographs. The sky was dark and heavy but the sun was shining in underneath so maybe ...


Supper consisted several very yummy pizzas before bed. After a glass of wine and whisky of course.

A full day's skiing at last ...

This day could be summarised in a single word - "skiing". The more detailed description follows ...

I took Sage down to the ski school while Kim got herself ready for her own ski school lesson. Going down the hill took a while but she is getting it into her head that, if you fall over backwards, it is because you are leaning backwards so i am having a slight influence on her. Unfortunately, it's only a slight influence.

The sun was paying us a visit which, after the gloom of Paris, was very welcome. We are all rapidly finding out that we are all, even me, sun babies so at least a little bit of Africa has crept into our psyche.

During the morning Kirsten, Carl and I did mont de la chambre which we coped with fine but I feel that it will be a couple more days before we are really comfortable on any of the blue runs. We stopped at the top of the lift and had some hot chocolate to fortify us for the run because it was really, really cold.

The morning was soon over and we fetched the kids and went home for lunch which, in my case, was cheese on a roll which was okay but it would have been much better with some fresh vegetable like tomatoes and lettuce on it. Can't believe I am missing lettuce, I normally dislike lettuce.

After lunch the Van der Riets, myself and the video camera went skiing which was pretty interesting and very enlightening just how much my head moves around when I'm skiing. It shouldn't but it certainly does. We did this enormous run down firstly Grand Lac followed by Pelozet and rounded off by Biolley which was a very pleasant run despite the large ice field which was quite disconcerting because it was about 30m of no control. I'm going to blame the ice field on the snow boards although I don't really have a strong case for doing so, I just like blaming things on them.

When we got back we transferred the video to Caron's laptop and was busy watching it when Sage walked through the power cable almost dragging the laptop onto the floor. It was a close thing and I was quite stern without actually shouting at her but she dissolved into tears in any case which meant that Kim spent the next 30 minutes calming her down and comforting her. Just what I imagine Kim could really have done with but Sage really does need to become more spatially aware of her environment.

After supper we spent the evening watching movies or, in Carl's case, the "Big Bang Theory" or reading or generally being quiet before going to sleep quite early.

The first day of skiing, my aching legs said to me ...

"What the dickens are you trying to do to me?"

The pandemonium of last night continued this morning. Getting our ski passes, finding and enrolling children in ski schools and finally getting rid of them. Kim managed to get Sage to the school in time but Kirsten and Carl weren't so lucky and handed Megan and Alistair over to a ski instructor to pass the children over to the correct class. Needless to say that this didn't happen and Megan and Alistair spent the morning being passed from one instructor to the next, even between ski schools which resulted in much unhappiness and comments about how the kids did not enjoy the ski schools here.

During the morning I went with Kim and Caron to do some green slopes so that both of them could remember what they have previously learnt at Afri-ski. We had only just finished "La Violette" and it was after 12:00 already so we headed down to fetch the children and go for lunch.

I was feeling really under the weather so I missed most of lunch, i.e. I was there and present, I just can't remember anything and it was a touch and go as to whether I went skiing in the afternoon or not. I think I was not entirely over the fever of a couple of days ago and I was quite worried that this may be a sign of what the rest of the holiday might be like which wasn't greatly encouraging.

I decided to go out skiing because I really didn't feel like spending it in bed which is where Caron would have ensured that I ended up if I had stayed at home. Happily this turned out to be a good decision and I had a great afternoon skiing with the van der Riets, starting to explore the three valleys ski domain. It is quite different to Avoriaz in that the runs are generally longer and wider and I think the runs here are a bit more severe for the same grade but that is a really subjective assessment of the grading system. By the time we finally headed back to the apartment I was finished and could barely keep my eyes open through supper. My heart sank when, at the end of supper, I realised that it was only 18:30. I had to stay awake for at least another 3 hours and all my body and eyes wanted to do was shut down for the night. Fortunately I had some episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" to help and then I started reading a Vince Flynn book even though it really annoys me the way that he writes about american extrajudicial murders as acceptable because, well, they're american therefore that have to be justifiable. I shouldn't get annoyed because it is just a novel after all but I have a sneaking suspicion that the truth is quite close to fiction in this case. I think the annoyance worked and before I knew it, it was 21:30, time for beddie byes.

I forgot to mention my spectacular wipe-out on a green slope, the shame, where I had enough time in the air to finish the thought "This is really going to hurt!" before I became a snow plough for about 30m. There is now a roland's nose shaped furrow down a section of "La Violette" so I resolved there and then to take it much easier for a few days so I could get my skiing legs back and prevent the early onset of concussion.

Carl came up with the chirp of the day which, I think, is going to stick to Sage. he described her as a "woodchipper" because whatever she has to eat in her hands gets spread out in her general vicinity.

Oh Travelling Day, how I detest thee!

Travelling days form a significant part of one's experience when travelling both from a time and an experiential perspective but that doesn't mean that one has to like them. Today we caught two metro's, the TGV and then two buses and between each of these there was the inevitable travelling bugbears. The dragging of suit cases that one can barely lift up and down stairs, wondering where to catch the next transport. Are we going the right way? where do we buy/collect/validate tickets? All, of course, in a foreign language. Nonetheless we made it with everyone intact although we came close to sacrificing Caron to the travelling gods.

But before I get into that I have recount the tale of Kim and the turnstile. Getting baggage through a turnstile is not that easy, one has to do some fancy manipulation of the handle so it doesn't wind up on the other side of the turnstile from oneself. Due to some mishap, Kim ended up between the turnstile and the doors which isn't a very big space and if one is wearing thick jackets and handbags and a backpack it is positively cramped; anyway, there she was, stuck, with no way out and unable to turn around, bend down or even climb up. Very frustrating for her, we eventually took all her bags from her and she quite inelegantly shoehorned her way under the turnstile door. Her beautiful new Zara jacket meeting the cold hard reality of the metro floor.

Once we got to the TGV station we had to convert our Internet bookings into actual tickets, easy, peasy one would think. The first two ticket offices we went to AND queued for were the wrong ones and we found ourselves outside yet two more without any inkling which was the one to use. We solved this by despatching Carl into one and Caron into the other while I acted as the runner. Besides the ticket offices there were automated ticket vending machines which should have worked. After several wrong avenues in the menu structure I hit on the correct one and printed one set of tickets, unfortunately, it refused to print the second ticket so we were left standing in the double queue in any case. Sometimes technology really just doesn't work when one needs it. Tickets done we boarded the train only to find people in our seats but Caron soon dispatched then like a good Charon should.

The trip itself was very peaceful and pretty, we watched the country side go by and Kirsten, Carl and myself took it in turns to chortle at some episodes of "The Big Bang Theory". Things got a little more interesting when we arrived in Moitiers because we had been planning on taking the bus or a taxi but the taxi office was closed and the location of the bus station was less than obvious. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing I stumbled on the bus station and there was a bus about to leave at 16:45, it was 16:40 at the time so it was a run to get everyone on the bus and while they were putting their bags on, I went to purchase tickets. I got back, climbed on board and was just about to relax when I realised that Caron was nowhere to be seen. Climbed back off to find her standing patiently at the luggage bay which was open but the bus driver had told her not to put her luggage on for some reason so she was just standing there, at the front of the queue, ok, maybe not so patiently, waiting. As she turned around to talk to me, the bus driver closed the luggage doors which came down on top of Caron and hooked between her head and her backpack, forcing her down. We were shouting at the bus driver who took way too long to respond before another guy and myself shoved the door back up. I chucked Caron's luggage on and accompanied my little dark cloud up and onto the bus. She was fine but a little shaken by the accident and thinking that we might be leaving her behind so I left her to stew for a while and by the time we arrived in Les Menuires, she was fine again.

Finally, the last bus trip. Same routine again, find out where to catch it, check it really is going to the place we need it to, wait for the next us in the -7C temperature before squeezing like sardines onto the bus. The bus dropped us off at the right place and a short walk later we had finally arrived but our day was not yet done.

Once we had checked in Carl and I went hunting for takeaways and groceries respectively while the ladies took all the kids down to get skis and boots. By the time I arrived back, everyone had their skis and boots organised and we just had to collect the chicken and chips which turned out to be probably the best value for money we will ever find in France.

Some wine, supper and then it was time to turn in. The only outstanding thing that still needs to be done is buy the ski passes and pay for internet access which we'll do tomorrow morning at 08:30.

Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

I stayed in bed all morning because my better half said that I had to. This was made significantly easier by the fact that I was still having feverish periods so I didn't really want to get up in any case but by lunch time I had had enough and felt well enough to get up. I could feel that I wasn't quite right but well enough to get up and out.

The only thing I still wanted to do, other than go to Versailles, was to go and walk around Montmartre, see Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge which we did manage with everyone in tow.
Montmartre was a very pleasant walk although there were quit a number of people so one had to walk with purpose through the crowds rather than do the polite thing and walk around people. I wasn't sure how much of this Caron would be able to handle but she seems to be getting better at handling these situations. We were accosted by a pesky hawker who, judging from his english, his attitude and height, must be from Nigeria. Just like in Pisa, they just won't leave one alone and, like sage, 'No' gets translated into 'Yes'. Unlike sage, when they stand in your space, it's very annoying.
Quite near the top of Monmartre, we stopped at what is obviously a tourist cafe so I wasn't expecting much in the way of culinary delights. It was a pleasant surprise that the coffee and the nutella crepe were both very good. Carl was very put out that the cafe noir was 2.50 and the cafe au lait was 4.50 which means that it was 2 euro for a dash of lait.
I just had to take of photograph of the moulin rouge, Carl wanted to know if I wanted to go which I politely declined. Not sure the rest of the party would have appreciated the show as much as Carl and I would have!

I could feel that I was starting to fade because I could feel the cold starting to seep through. I wasn't the only one though, Sage was walking with her eyes closed which was very funny at the start of end of steps where her legs did this sort of cycling motion in the air or she lurched off the edge and sort of dangled in the air from Kims arm.

Hennie and Diedre came over and we had a very pleasant evening although I was in trouble from the the women for suggesting that French Designer apparel was the same as Woolies apparel which wasn't really my point but it took a while to clear that up; perhaps I should have elucidated it more clearly but between whisky, wine and being a bit sick, my head was feeling a bit fuzzy. I even told hennie that 7+5 was 13 so I definitely couldn't have been thinking too clearly.

New Years Eve at la Tour Eiffel

We had quite a relaxed morning, I only went out briefly to walk down Boulevard Temple and find a photographic shop to buy a replacement protective case for Caron's camera. While I was there I couldn't resist a lightweight mono-pod which came in very handy later on in the day. Unlike the tripod, it is much easier to transport and I find it easier to use as well.

Kirsten and Carl were off somewhere so we had lunch with just the four of us before we headed out afterwards. Kim, Caron and Sage to go on the big wheel which is at the one end of the Champs Elysee while I went to Musee D'Orsay. When I arrived at the Musee D'Orsay the queue was enormous but I thought I would give it 30 minutes and by the time 30 minutes was up I was already inside. Thoroughly enjoyed the gallery especially the impressionist painters. I was surprised at some of the Degas, Sisley and Manet's which I liked when I wasn't really expecting to. Not as impressed with the Rodin sculptures as I was expecting to be although there were some other outstanding sculptures whose artists I can't remember. There were definitely no photographs allowed in Musee D'Orsay, the gallery guards making frequent use of Frances favourite expressing, 'Non!' and don't miss the gallic '!'. The gallery didn't only contain paintings and sculpture but had exhibitions of furniture which were really beautifully made and highlighted the distinction between France (Developed) and South Africa (Developing) where a table, for instance, would be of purely of utilitarian value in South Africa whereas in France it is of both utilitarian and aesthetic value. The graceful curves of the legs and table tops add nothing to the utility of the piece but everything to the aesthetics.

I met up with Caron, Kim and Sage in the shadow of the Eiffel tower looking forward to the trip to the top. As it turned out, the top was closed due to ice so I still have not made it to the top of the eiffel tower. Although this was quite disappointing the views from the second deck were still quite amazing.

Looking up to the top of the eiffel from the second deck.

And of course we had to have some happy family snaps for posterity.


We had made arrangements to meet Hennie and Dierdre for the evening but Sage was having tantrums and I wasn't feeling that great so we decided to slit from Kirsten and Carl who went on to have what sounds like a great evening while we went home and had pizza and some wine for supper. I really would have liked to have been with Carl and Hennie wandering around the Latin Quarter puffing on cigars and enjoying the ambiance but it was not to be. I spent the evening in a semi delirious state while a fever raged, dropping in and out of consciousness. Not the best manner in which to spend new years evening, particularly given the location and the alternative but I would rather be sick now and well for the skiing, all things be told.

Having taken our leave we walked across the bridge towards the Tracadero metro past stacks of police having their supper inside their vans, I don't quite know what they were there for but there were stacks of them. I shot this from near trocadero looking back towards la tour eiffel and while I was shooting this sage ran off in a huff and sat down about 10m away and before we knew it two policwomen were talking to her and admonishing us for letting her get so far away. 'They take them very quickly here' was what they said so maybe the film 'Taken' is not so far from what actually and currently happens. Pretty scary.

This was taken just before we got off the metro, Sage was trying her very best drop dead look which she is learning quite quickly from her cousin Megan.

Disneyland with Caron and Sage

So while Kim and Roland went gallery and art hunting, Sage and I and the van der Riets ambled out to EuroDisney on the train. Mostly according to plan but the train/entry ticket that we wanted to get was unavailable so we had to buy the entry pass once we got to Disneyland .....The van der Merwe's were to join us at the station but were running a couple of minutes late so......





Once at the Park, we separated - Sage and I off to FantasyLand and the others to higher level stuff .... On the way to FantasyLand, we met up with one of Ratatoiulle's mates -



We then did the Mad Hatters teacups, the Carousel







before spending a large amount of time standing in the queue for Peter Pan's flight which Sage seems to enjoy and wanted to do again but for the queue .... I spent most of that ride holding onto a piece of clothing as Sage was leaning so far out of the car that I was sure that she would either fall out or bang her head on something.

We then went to have lunch in Toad Hall ... very crowded as it was rather cold and nasty breeze blowing. After lunch it was off the Curiosity Labyrinth and into and around and into the castle...





We then wandered around the Sleeping Beauty Castle ... Sage wanted to get to the top of the caste but we couldn't find a way up.



Then we went to to AdventureLand.... pirates etc... We wandered through caves and rocks





and Robinson Crusoe tree house before heading off to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which was supposed to scary for the youngsters but not for Sage - she loved it so we did it again. After which I insisted on coffee which was accepted by Sage as long as she could have hot chocolate.. She wanted to carry on but it was getting dark and I wanted to go home ... the queues were still rather long, to say the least, so we started home to be caught up in the Parade ....



then we headed home ... a long day for me but Sage was still going strong. Tomorrow is my day off....

L'Orangerie and EuroDisney

We're doing something different today and sending Kirsten, Carl and Caron with all the children off to Disneyland while Kim and I visit a gallery or two. As it turned out we only got to one gallery but it as really good.

My holiday routine is to wake up early before anyone else so that I can blog but today, the moment my foot stepped outside the bedroom I could hear the minions getting up. As soon as the first adult gets up then that is the signal that they are also allowed to get up so I get to make the three little ones some hot chocolate every morning. Because Disneyland is a long day everyone was up early so my morning period of peace and quiet was not to be.

After the hordes departed Kim and I left for L'Orangerie which was blissfully free of crowds so early in the morning and we, I think, both really enjoyed the Waterlilly Series by Monet. There were a number of other paintings but the star attraction was definitely the Monet's.


Kim wanted to have the authentic Paris experience and go shopping at Galleries Lafayette which is a huge department store but, unlike Johannesburg, where designer kit is in specialist boutique shops, Lafayette is full of the stuff. What is considered Designer in Johannesburg is simply another brand in the department store. Caron, not being the shopping type, this was a new experience for me, traipsing after Kim while she tried to find some things to spend money on. She eventually settled on a new knee-length jacket which makes her look like a real Parisian; who, by the way, dress in a pretty uniform black, dark brown or grey so the odd visitor like myself, wandering around in bright red, really stands out as a non-Parisian.

On the way to the Galleries we stopped in at what we would call a delicatessen and had a bite to eat and some coffee while we watched the world walk past which is where we came to the conclusion that the Parisian's favour the 'dull' colours. Walking into Galleries there is lots of colour on display and for sale but not much in the way of people actually wearing it.

From there Kim and split up, she went on the city bus guided tour while I came home to have a quiet afternoon reading and writing which I really enjoyed. Just around the corner is this house that, if my interpretation is correct, is condemned but at the moment is being held together/up by the scafolding in the photograph.


Kim eventually arrived home at about 17:30 and we organised cheese, wine and supper for the disneyland voyagers who arrived at 18:30 (Caron and Sage) and about 19:30 (Kirsten and Carl) carrying mementoes of their visit. Caron had a near thing, she put the cover for the camera in one zip up pocket and the camera in the other for some reason and in one of the lines, the camera bag disappeared so we had to come all the way to Paris to get pick pocketed! As it turns out I just need to buy another bag which is a great deal less annoying than having to buy another camera.

While we were having supper, Megan was munching on a 500mm marshmallow so I picked up the other end which she obviously took great exception to because she let me have it with a right hook, much to my and everyone else's surprise. So I now have a black eye compliments of Megan, one of those little incidents which happen in the blink of an eye and is going to follow Megan for decades.

I'm going to let Caron write up the experiences of the Day at Disneyland.

Saint Chapelle and the Latin Quarter

Phew, what a busy day this was. We're going to have to calm down otherwise it isn't going to feel like we have had a holiday by the time we get back.

First up was Saint Chapelle which is quite near Notre Dame and the queues are not quite as long, hard to believe given the size of the queues at Saint Chapelle but true none-the-less. While the Mack's waited patiently, I walked Caron and Kim over to Notre Dame but the queues were a total put off so I left them to wander around Isle de la Cite and we would meet up later at a cafe.

Saint Chapelle was quite an eye opener both in terms of the beauty of the stained glass windows and the architecture but also in terms of how cold it was inside - it was absolutely freezing. I have been in many churches and chapels across europe and this has got to be the best one I have seen so far.

Each window has a separate story which it tells which I couldn't really follow but from far it looks quite uniform and ordered but as one gets closer one realises that there are many variations within the overall theme and I think that it is this that captivates people.


We met up with Kim, Caron and Sage in the cafe where they had already ordered and almost finished eating lunch. Caron's bill for Onion soup, coffee and odds and sods came to 30 euro which was pretty steep. We abandoned the cafe before were were forced to pay by dish washing and made our way up to the Latin Quarter stopping at an amazing cheese shop on the way. For some inexplicable reason, Caron will stand still for photographs in cheese shops.

The famdamily with Notre Dame in the background.


The Van der Merwes met us in the Latin quarter and we meandered through it without any real direction or purpose, stopping for lunch at another cafe. I had the onion soup which was exceptional so this meal is going to go down as one of my most expensive and most memorable ever! - in total 60 euro for two onion soups, some crepe's and beers and coffees. It's outrageous but damn it was good, I thought I was the only one finding the prices a bit steep but afterwards it came out that both Carl and Hennie thought likewise - as Hennie said, "That's a whole weeks worth of groceries in one lunch!"

Saw this stilt monster wandering around begging so, after a photo, I kind of had to make a donation.

The Ski boot shop which I visited on the first day is also in the Latin Quarter to next stop, after saying farewell to the Van's, was some serious shopping. Kirsten and I both tried on several boots while the children whined about how long it was taking which we just ignored. Kirsten found her boots quite quickly while I vacillated between two, one was more plush while the other was slightly more performance orientated. Eventually went for the performance option because the tongue that goes against your shin was more comfortable so I hope that I made the right choice. Only time will tell and the dice have been cast, there is no way I will be able to return them.

The night life in the Latin Quarter is great and makes for great photography although one really needs to have a tripod of sorts for the low-light stuff.



Final stop before we got home to a really amazing meal of chicken and roast vegetables prepared by our resident cordon-bleu chef, Kim, was shopping for two new suitcases to avoid the R1200 penalty on the way home. Ended up with two very nice delsey semi-rigid wheelie bags which I hope will do the trick.

Gotta slow down tomorrow!

The Family Arrive

Woke up early-ish and sent an SMS off to Carl and Kirsten who should be getting off the plane and dragging their luggage through the subway and trains. Get a call from Kirsten to say that they're downstairs. After a long night without sleep and having dragged some huge suitcases up and down stairs and on and off trains and metro their arms were a bit longer and mood a bit shorter. On top of this Carl's phone decided to go on the blink which was really just the icing on the cake as far as Carl was concerned. While K&C settled in and had a bit of a nap to restore some sanity we went out shopping. Shopping is a big deal in Paris because the homes are so small that you actually can't do 'the months' shopping because there is nowhere to store the stuff. On top of this you have to carry the groceries from the store so you are limited by the strength of the tendons in you fingers.

Hennie and Diedre arrived for a lunch of soup and bread with a spot of cheese before we all ventured forth following our intrepid leaders (Caron and Carl) to see the Arch de Triomphe and the Champs de Elysee. The weather wasn't that great but at least it wasn't pouring with rain.

The view from the top of the Arch de Triomphe looking over towards the eiffel tower. The experience was nice but not great, we also had a look at the eternal flame at the tomb of the unknown soldier. Did I mention the 284 steps up to the top? Several people were a little out of breath by the time they arrived at the top. Caron decided to stay at the bottom and we tried to see her on the video screen that shows the view but we could only see dark shapes huddled up in their rain coats and big jackets.
From the Arche we strolled down the Champs barging our way through the crowds which are pretty thick and having some roast chestnuts along the way. We stopped at a cafe for some coffee and a rest and when we emerged it was dark. It feels like it goes from day to night to very quickly here. The christmas decorations are very attractive ....

... as was the carousel with the horses to sage who couldn't resist.
After that it was back in the metro, home, supper and bed. Everyone quite tired but looking forward to tomorrow which should include some shopping for new luggage and ski boots!

Paris, mid winter

Had a so, so night. The drugs really help so I at least got some sleep unlike Caron who refuses to take them or Kim who took them but had a wriggly worm next to her called Sage which no amount of drugs can compensate for.

Long queues in the airport but it all moved quite quickly, I have to admit that there is something about France which I like. It's a bit like when you meet someone for the first time and you take an instant liking to him or her. There isn't any reason for it, it's just a gut feeling.


Kim and Sage on the Train into the city. The book didn't help, it's even out of focus!

Took the train and then the metro in to Place de Republique and then walked the rest of the way to the flat which we found quite easily. We arrived at about 09:00 but the flat was only available from 14:00 which meant that we had a lot of time to kill and we still had all our luggage with us. We retired to a bar across the street to kill some time and drank lots of coffee and hot chocolate while the resident dog barked furiously at other dogs passing by. Something one has to be subconsciously aware of in paris is dog poop all over the place because dogs here live in apartments and there is a spectacular lack of green grass for their toilette.

Eventually got hold of the keys person who let us dump our bags at 11:00 but then shoed us out again until 14:00. Can't work out why because there wasn't anyone else in the flat and there also wasn't any sign of cleaners. Caron reckons that it is the french love for bureaucracy which, I'm sure they deny.

With the bags gone we went out for lunch which is expensive but not nearly as expensive as it used to be. Kim and I also went food shopping and according to her, if we had bought the same back at home it would have been pretty much the same price, maybe even more expensive at home. My how things change in just few short years.

I left everyone after lunch to go and find some ski boots while everyone else retired to the now, at last, available flat. I had a great time wandering around paris feeling a little lost but found the store I was looking for. In Johannesburg, it is just plain not possible to purchase ski boots. All the ski shops in Johannesburg combined had only one pair of boots for sale and the sales people had not a clue as to how to fit and size them. The one shop here had probably 50 different brands/models and all the sizes one could think of not to mention the expertise to fit them. It's wonderful! So mission accomplished, I now know where Kirsten who arrives tomorrow and myself are going to go shopping!

Made my way back to the flat where Sage was still going. I really thought she would have crashed by now but that was not to be. She has an unusual amount of stamina for a body that small.

The flat is quite something but, I think, quite typical of Parisian apartments. the floor are uneven and the cupboards are skew and while some parts of it have been renovated nicely, other parts are just terrible. Anyway, it's home for the week whether we like it or not although it would be really nice if we could figure out how to turn the heaters on permanently. In case anyone doesn't know, it's freezing in Paris. Caron and I feel right at home in the flat, there are books everywhere but the topics are mostly philosophy, art and music so whoever owns the flat is really pretty widely read. I recognise most of the names of the philosophers but I have read, oh, maybe one ... book!

The pictures below are of the entrance to the apartment building and the flat itself. Can't imagine have the main entrance to an apartment block going past a pile of rubbish bins back home. It is so very different here.

These are the steps up to the apartment and they are uneven in tread not to mention not being level. My father-in-law would have heart palpitations at the workmanship, at least the lack of it.


Having said all that, the flat is dry and warmer than outside as long as one keeps on turning the heaters on. Made some supper which we enjoyed with some wine and some cheese before retiring. Busy reading my first ebook on the galaxy. eBooks are definitely the way to go.

Gone Skiing

Following numerous complaints from a small minority of the family my blog lives again .... rising like the phoenix from the ashes. Again and again!

This time we're off to france for a spot of sightseeing and some skiing. Uncharacteristically, the day before the flight was not spent rushing around like a madman. We basically did nothing, I even managed to finish reading my christmas present from laurel which was a book about black and white photography. I'm not sure if it going to help but it sure is inspirational. The 'j' on the keyboard is hypersensitive so if there is the occasional 'j' that creeps into a word, it is the keyboard not my spelling.

Caron gets very tense when travelling. Kim says that she is so like her father so now I know what she is going to be like when she gets old-er. Instead of doing the time honoured trek out the airport inconveniencing family and friends we picked Kim and Sage up, dropped them at the sandton gautrain, left my car at work and then walked back to the gautrain and then took the train out to the airport.

We weren't sure which platform to use so we asked one of the security guards who said that we were on the right one which was technically correct but he failed to mention the train on the other platform waiting to leave in 10 minutes time. Oh, well! at least we were really early so it didn't really make any difference.

Coming off the gautrain caron was about to go through a turnstile when this kid tried to sneak in. Caron was already in the turnstile so it was more of an arm around her trying to tap the card. She should have let him tap it and then just walked through rather than scolding him. That would have taught him, he, or rather his mother, would have had to pay for two trips instead of one. The mother was indignant, imagine someone scolding *her* child for doing something that was essentially wrong. Okay, caron could have done it in a nicer manner such as a belt alongside the ear, but these moments come and go so quickly.

Made it to the airport where the check-in people strictly enforce the one item of luggage rule on air france unlike with other airlines where, so long as you're underweight and not unreasonable they happily accommodate you. Had to pay R400 for an extra bag. Luckily we could give one bag to kim but when we're coming back it's going to cost an extra R1200.00 for our bags. I'll have to think up a solution to this somehow in the next two weeks. Caron very unimpressed!

The rest of the day as uneventful, I was really looking forward to the flight in the A380 but it was just like being in any other plane although it took longer to take-off and didn't climb so steeply. The tail camera looking forwards over was pretty cool though.

Took my drugs along with supper, either my standards are slipping or airline food is getting better.

Nighty, night!