The Last Post

Well, my journey is almost done. I guess you have seen the news reports about the explosions in Brussels.

This is Kathrin and Andres. We stayed with them in Brussels, where they are living now. We met them when they were travelling in New Zealand.  

They are safe, but we are very worried and sad for them, their friends and family. 

Over the last five weeks I have learnt and used some basic phrases in Malay, French, Dutch and Icelandic; hello, thank you and goodbye at least.I would practice each word repeatedly. Then, I would nervously try it out, in a store perhaps, or on a bus. It felt good to get a smile and praise for my efforts, then I would accept correction, and try it again. I got better and more confident each time; I guess that is called learning.

On another trip,  I tried out my Chinese Mandarin in a shop. The storekeeper congratulated me on my pronunciation, but I apologised, explaining that hello (Nī hāo), thank you (xiè xie) and good bye (zài jiàn) was all I knew. She smiled and said, "That's all you need".

Thank you for reading this blog. I sure have enjoyed writing it. So, until next time, terima kasih, dank u wel, au revoir and bless bless.

When in Rome...

No, I am not actually in Rome. There is a saying which goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'. It means that when you find yourself in a different place, try to do things the way the locals do. If you want to do as the locals do in Eindhoven, then you should ride a bicycle.

The bicycle is the primary form of transport here; they outnumber cars by far. Everybody rides a bike. There seems to be no age limit. We saw young children, people in their 60 s and 70s - maybe even older, because they look very fit and healthy. No special clothing is required and helmets are not compulsory. People ride in high heels, dressed for work or for a fancy dinner...no lycra here.

Even the friendly police officers are on bikes.

There is a whole network of bike paths, well more like bike roads, with their own traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and stop signs. If you are at a pedestrian crossing, you need to check for cars  AND for bikes. There is a much higher chance that you will be run over by a
bicycle than by a car.




So, just to fit in, we hired some bikes (fietsen). It took a little while to get used to using the roads and cycle ways, but it was a lot of fun, and the best way to get around in Eindhoven.

Then, if you are feeling hungry while you are out and about, you can purchase a snack from a self service shop window.

 

Gent, Ghent or Gand

Greer, Jay and I travelled to Ghent on the train today.

It is a little confusing because it is written as Ghent, Gent or sometimes Gand (in French, Dutch or Flemish) so we weren't sure if we were on the right train. To say the 'gh' in Ghent, start by making a 'g' as in goat, then imagine you have a fur ball in the back of your throat, and cough it out. Try it...Ghent!

We had Belgian fries for lunch.

While British and American soldiers were stationed in Belgium during World War One, they enjoyed a local food of deep fried, hot potato chips. The soldiers thought they were in France and called them 'french fries'. They were actually in Belgium, but the name has stuck.

Gent is an old medieval town with buildings dating back to the 12th century. Some buildings have been destroyed, but it was decided that construction should be kept in the style of the old buildings. So some buildings look very old, but they were built less than 100 years ago.

It is difficult to describe the old town, so I will do it with pictures. As you look through the photographs, can you find:

1. Pikachu.  2. A wheelbarrow.  3. Belgian chocolate. 

 4. A rat on the bus.  5. The Belgian flag.  6. A giant candlestick

How many bikes do you think are parked at the station?

Can you find Greer?

Family Reunion

Jay and I arrived in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. We are staying with some friends who we met when they spent a year travelling in New Zealand. About an hour after we arrived, my eldest daughter, Greer arrived, with her partner, Ben. They arrived from Eindhoven in the Netherlands, where Ben has just got a job as a concept artist for a video game company. It was lovely to all be together again.

Our friend Andres took us on a walking tour around Brussels. 

The first stop was this shop. It sold an amazing collection of graphic novels and comic books.

Most of the books are in Dutch and French. These are the two main official languages in Belgium. 

This is part of the old city wall. We are on the inside.

Where Jay is sitting, an archer would have stood with a bow and arrow to fire out towards approaching enemies.

We had Belgian Waffles...yum!

It was very interesting to discover Brussels and great fun to be together.

Stories from Edinburgh

I used to love the story of Greyfriars Bobby...still do love it. Bobby was a Skye terrier. His master died and was buried in the kirkyard* at Greyfriars. Bobby sat on his masters grave for 14 years. He is buried at the gate of the graveyard. There is a statue to recognise Bobby and his loyalty. 

Bobby sat on his master's grave for 14 years.

Not far from Greyfriars Bobby is a café called The Elephant House. JK Rowling used to come to the café to write her book about a boy named Harry Potter, because it was warm. She had very little money at the time, and could not afford heating in her own flat.

If you look out the window you can see the graveyard at Greyfriars, and the castle up on the hill. It looks so much like Hogwarts to me. 

* a kirk is a church

Auld Lang Syne

The words 'auld lang syne' mean remembering the past and old friends, to make sure they are not forgotten. They are very appropriate for this post. The words were written by Robert Burns, the Scottish poet.

Today Jay and I travelled to a beautiful place in Scotland: St Andrews.

St Andrews University

The old cathedral ruins

East Sands Beach

St Andrews is famous for it's university, golf course, beaches, old cathedral and, more recently, where Prince William met Kate Middleton.

On the way back to Edinburgh, we stopped off to visit an old friend.

This photograph is of my mum and dad's wedding in 1958.

That's Mum and Dad, the bride and groom in the front. Behind Mum is her best friend and bridesmaid, June. They met when they were twelve. They have been life long friends through all these years and across the miles between New Zealand and Scotland.

This photo is of June and Jay,

We have done some sightseeing on our trip, but it has also been about connecting with friends and family; for auld lang syne.

Where in the world am I!

Where are we?

We are at latitude  55° 57' N , longitude 3° 11' W. 

Post a comment with our location.

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St Pauls Cathedral

After  singing the praises of humble structures in my last blog,  this post pays homage to a building which was designed and built specifically to impress; St Pauls Cathedral.

 

As I look at the London skyline, my eye is always drawn to the magnificent dome of St Pauls. From a distance, or close up, it is a beautiful building. The word 'awesome' is used a lot today, but it was originally intended to describe sights like this.

There are 526 steps to climb if you want to get to the 'Golden Gallery', which is up above the dome. I have been here before. I was 12 years old, and I climbed all the way up with my mum. It is very special for me to return now, and share this place with my daughter. Maybe one day, some of you will stand here too.

The earthquakes in Christchurch have damaged the cathedral there beyond repair.

This is a model of the original
St Pauls Cathedral. It was destroyed in the
Great Fire of London.

But look what stands there now.

Man Made

Something that always interests and amazes me in Britain is the incredible array of engineering that you see everywhere. Sure, there are castles and stately homes, but I am fascinated by structures like bridges, embankments, walls, tunnels, aquaducts and canals. In New Zealand our surrounding environment tends to be predominantly natural. Here in the UK, every inch of the environment seems to be man made.

The canals are one of these incredible man made structures. Before trains, cars and trucks, goods were transported around the country via the canals. Now, they are maintained more for leisure, and for their historical significance.
Each section of canal is level, and so to get up and down across the country, there are locks.

A boat enters the lock; the water fills up or empties out in the lock, depending on whether you are travelling uphill or down; the lock opens and the boat carries on along the next section of canal.

Many people live on canal boats, or narrowboats as they are called. Some don't look like they travel far any more. Living on a canal boat is inexpensive accommodation in England.

More about canals.

Squirrel!!!

As I was walking to the station, I spotted a squirrel.

New Zealand is a land of birds; we only have one native land mammal (Do you know what species it is?) I thought the students at TAI would probably be interested to see a squirrel, as we don't have them in New Zealand. I decided to video, and was delighted to watch him actually bury an acorn. 

In the forests of Europe, animals like the squirrel forget where they have stashed acorns, nuts and seeds. Consequently, these buried treasures sprout and become big trees. 

Undergound

Jay and I were out and about in London today, doing some shopping in Stratford,  then meeting my nephew for dinner at his flat in West Hampstead.

Finding your way around London on 'the tube' is an exercise in problem solving, and it is quite fun

For example, to get from Stratford to West Hampstead you could travel westbound on the Central Line change to the Jubilee Line at Bond Street, travel northbound 5 stops to West Hampstead. Could we have gone a different way?

Clicking on this link will take you to a PDF map of the London Underground

content.tfl.gov.uk › standard-tube-map 

Navigate your way around these journeys:

1. Jay lives close to Hackney Downs station. She travels to work, near Blackfriars. What route should she take?

2. Jay's friend Haily lives in East Putney. They decide to meet at Green Park tube station and do some sightseeing at Buckingham Palace. How could Haily get to Green Park?

3. How would Jay get to Green Park from home?

4. How would Jay get to Green Park from work?

Being Icelandic

 

1. Icelandic children firstly speak, read and write in Icelandic. At about 5 or 6 years of age, they will begin to learn their second language; English. At around 10 years of age they will start to learn Danish. At secondary school they will begin to study a 4th language, usually either French or German.
   
2. It is compulsory in Iceland to learn to swim and it is  a curriculum requirement in schools. Every village or town has at least one thermally heated swimming pool. This facility will include hot tubs, and many houses have a hot tub in their yard. Swimming for Icelandic people is a social activity. Most people will swim at least once or twice a week. People gather with friends and family at a pool or hot tub in the same way that other cultures go  to the pub or meet for a drink.
   
   
   
   
   
   3. 'Freedom to Roam', is a customary right in Iceland. This means that anybody can walk over any piece of land without needing to gain permission. The only exception is crossing cultivated land, for example across a crop or ploughed field, but you can still walk around that.