John Denver song - L O A J P

Hello faithfuls

Sorry about the lack of photos but I am on a different computer and small changes throw me. I went to Oman in the weekend and cruised out among a geologist's dream of fiords - like the Marlborough Sounds but naked, ie completely bald and showing all their layers. Beautiful in a minimalist way. Snorkelled round an island and thoroughly enjoyed the dhow ride with the dishdash wearers. Good choice, Jo!

Dubai has the tallest manmade thing in the world, an ice-skating rink in the middle of their biggest mall as well as a shark-infested aquarium and insane drivers, mostly cos the ameliorating influence of women is missing on their roads I think. There will be pictures, promise!

Okay dears, I need to make some porridge now and get to the airport to follow the birds south!
XX

The city scene is actually completely manmade, including the ground on which we drive. These are apartment blocks for the wealthy, so not typical of Dubai housing.

Price list of last weekend in Europe:

Flight to Oporto, PORTUGAL: 30 Euros
Hostel/hostel: 15 Euros a night
Breakfast: 1 to 3 Euros
Lunch: less than 5
Dinner: 10 to 25 depending on class of establishment
Snacks: less than 2
Bottle of red wine at supermarket: 74 cents for a litre in a box to 4 Euros for their best bottle
Views: unique
Company: Priceless
Weather: between snow (yes, really) and brilliant sunshine
Experience: unforgettable

Fact: This will go down as one of the best long weekends in history.

Photo notes: Joan at the beach (Foz), the railway station at Oporto (they covered buildings inside and out with blue painted tiles), view of waterfront and housing, not your typical fast food outlet!
Other notes: Am off to Dubai tomorrow then back to NZ 20th Jan. Respect and mucho obrigado is due to Joan who has fed me and housed me and kept me grounded for most of these three months. She is the best!

In my holidays I...

On Sunday me and my friend Joan went to the sirkiss... sircus... circus. We sore clowns but they didnt have red noses and there was lots of people climbing on top of each other. There was even a smiley skinny man who juggled with his feet. It was grate, and I want to join but I'm too fat and wear too many clothes.

NederNederLand

This week I went to Amsterdam
Where there's lots of stuff to like
Canals and boats and wet stuff
And the occasional old bike

But the city was depressing,
Cold and sad and dark
So I left my dingy hostel
And went to Den Haag for a lark

There I found more water
More people and more light
A much more classy hostel
Where I spent a comfy night

The countryside is gorgeous
All flat, and decked with snow
An occasional grand windmill
But no sign of any cow

This week you get extra points for telling me the name of the cow I didn't see, and playing 'Spot the technology difference' in two of the photos.

To the tune of...

I sure had a Merry Christmas
A true Broughty Ferry Christmas
A white snowy merry Christmas
Like I've not had before

The Leipers are all so lovely
They smile as with food they stuff me
Generosity is way above me
I could ask for no more

They even were Scottishly canny
By arranging a Kiwi Annie
Whose wit surpasses many
And who likes to keep score...

Naturally I missed my family but learned that in Scotland Father Christmas is no respecter of age, they know the same carols, and it is the same Jesus whose birthday split history in two. Hope you all had the same amount of fun and food and joy :-)

Oh, btw the first photo is of us getting on the plane in Edinburgh to go back to Belgium. We were delayed over an hour while they scraped the ice off the wings. The second is Batman's wee mate, in St Andrews the home of golf. The last is Scott (I know, don't laugh), the Leiper's dog on the Broughty Ferry beach. Spot the high tide mark...

Il neige! It snows!

It snowed last Thursday, 4 inches, and again last night and today on and off (another 4 or more I guess. I made and sold Christmas mince pies, sold fudge, flapjacks and Scottish tablet with Joan and others at a market yesterday and am going to a carol service tonight in the neighbouring village.

Been for a few walks, and a RUN in the snow (be impressed, be very impressed - the photo is of Penny in running gear). The bottom two are a similar spot, the first with snow, the second with frost the day before.

Life is very different and very cold. It made me laugh to see the street cleaner vacuuming the streets unpertubed at the snow falling, people walking their dogs (with little doggy jackets on), going to the shops, as if it's not -8 degrees and snowing. Cool.

Luxembourg und Deutschland!

Guten Tag meinen Damen und Herren! Ich bin am Montag aus meine Reise zuruckgekommt. Sie war ein schone Zeit, und mein unfliessig Deutsch war gut genug fur meistens meinen Sprachung. Ich habe hoflich Leute getreffen, viele alten Gebaude photographierten, zwei Weinachtsmarkts gebesuchen, und zu viele schmeckliche Essen gegessen! Die zwei Jugendherbergen waren nicht teuer und sehr gut. Sie haben grossen Fruhstucken und Abendessen gehabt...

Hello ladies and gents! I came back from my trip on Monday. It was a great time, and my less than perfect German proved fluent enough for most of my conversations. I met polite, friendly people, took lots of photos of old buildings, visited two Christmas markets and ate too much tasty food! The two youth hostels were not expensive and very good. They had big breakfasts and dinners...

In Luxembourg I got an all day pass on the buses and trains for €4, got snowed on, visited two castles, a monastery, an phenomenal photo exhibition and was treated to a hot chocolate by a Luxembourg gentleman. Caught the train to Trier (the oldest city in Europe, has an amphitheatre that was last used in 2 AD and a Roman bridge that has tarmac and traffic). I woke up on my last day in Germany and decided it would be rather cool to walk back to Luxembourg so I strolled 17km down a cycleway beside the Mosel river (yes, that's like Moselle where the wine comes from) and had some interesting chats to locals I met. How often do you get to walk to another country?

Am back in Belgium now, singing in a choir this weekend for 1000 people, helping Joan mark Geography exams, going out for dinner, shopping, went to Belgium's Museum of Things Stolen from the Congo with Joan yesterday and am generally having a delightful time. I am not missing the sunshine at all as it manages to appear once every few days - temperatures are round 2 or 3 degrees but I have lots of good warm clothes and houses and transport are warm.

Right, enough talk. The photos are of the amphitheatre and the Youth Hostel in Trier, Germany (by the Mosel), and the castle in Vianden, Luxembourg.