tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79947785021690041282024-02-20T22:15:35.191-08:00snapdragonMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-88655457162194298172011-02-25T01:26:00.000-08:002011-02-25T22:21:52.620-08:0023 days until spring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW2uG3MIMYYDglFldzN3Yzb1B7GG_iPUluTIdSkvqIX-Rc_5fYQscqr6nx9X-f_iX-skl9nKRDTZRD0rocwKmY7lA2lAKpsr-nDI3CjMrr31kJ7Ldk78VQZ9AFSnhXTemIYof3Jba2mg/s1600/IMG_8069.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW2uG3MIMYYDglFldzN3Yzb1B7GG_iPUluTIdSkvqIX-Rc_5fYQscqr6nx9X-f_iX-skl9nKRDTZRD0rocwKmY7lA2lAKpsr-nDI3CjMrr31kJ7Ldk78VQZ9AFSnhXTemIYof3Jba2mg/s400/IMG_8069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577837909515336242" border="0" /></a><br />Well and truly into 2011, I am reflecting on the past few months and I realise just how far I have come. Last night a friend from my course had drinks at her apartment and after spending a really fun time with her and her friends, I realised just how much French I have learnt. I was able to contribute to and understand the majority of conversation - with the exception of some very French slang jokes which were later explained to me in simple broken down French. It was a really rewarding feeling.<br /><br />This morning I spoke to my dearest Elly D'Melly, my greatest and longest friend at home. She reminded me just how important it is to keep writing about my experiences. Life is short and if not recalled now, they never will be and not only will I forget what I have done but my friends and family may forget about me and that I would hate!<br /><br />It is Friday night, and I am home with a red wine on my last few days of holidays before I go back to the madness. I have spent the entire day shopping in Montmartre under the famous Sacre Coeur for fabric for the collection that I will begin to design and make. It's pacing through the streets in a rush and taking the shortcut alley ways to avoid the tourists and crowds that that remind me that I have taken more than a couple of baby steps forward. I almost start to feel like an overused rag around this area as I am there so often picking up bits and pieces for college and recognizing the same people. Familiarity is a good thing in Paris. It's almost special if someone remembers your face. You know you have done something right!<br /><br />I have been on holidays for the last two weeks (winter break). Like most students, I took one week off and during the other I worked on progressing my collection a little - highly recommended by the teachers. For the first five days of my holidays I went to Milano to visit my two girlfriends now living, working and becoming very bellissimo (I think I should stick to French). It was a great feeling, leaving Paris on my last day and arriving in Milan 1h and 15mins later. I arrived and the girls took me straight out for some solid pizza boy food. We ate countless pizzas, caught up on a whole year of stories, and during the weekend we went to their fresh food markets, had a picnic lunch in the SUN, saw The Last Supper and by the last day, I felt very spoilt. I returned to Paris and after a minute I left again! This time it was to Normandy to spend the last four days of my first week of holidays with Franny - a dear friend of mine who has recently returned to her home town Caen after five years of living in Brisbane, Australia. We walked along the beach (in our jackets and scarves), making the most of the temperamental weather (with which I still have trouble). We cooked, drank, and exchanged many stories. Both trips were mini holidays - just perfect. They were just what I needed to rejuvenate me for the next four intensive months of our final collections and presentations.<br /><br />I leave you with this photo I took from our balcony in Paris as the sun was setting. I just think how lucky I am every time I look at this photo, or better still, when I stand on our balcony!<br /><br />Reporting shortly with a few special photos over my Christmas and New Year festivities - celebrated with an army of friends and family travellers !<br /><br />Je vous embrasse très fort,<br />Maria xxMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-58533189477304627992010-12-23T17:46:00.000-08:002010-12-26T01:42:42.607-08:00Chez GeorgeIt's 3am Christmas eve and I just arrived home from another surprising night at Chez George - a top notch, quintessentially French wine bar in the 6th arrondissement with a crowd mixture (tonight) of Australians, Americans and of course French. Suddenly this week I discovered that my good friends from the States who I met in Greece over the summer, just arrived in Paris along with my grade 9/10 drama teacher and daughter and as planned, my uncle, cousin and friend are all here for Christmas and a holiday. We all gathered tonight at Chez George along with some friends and locals and by 11pm the underground level was packed full and extremely jolly. The crowd danced on bench-tops holding their glasses of wine and moving to old, originals and French classics such as Eidith Piaf to Little Richard. A great night to share a bottle of their top house red with friends and release some of the lead up pre-Christmas preparation stress.<br /><br />No pictures to attach except a YouTube link of the beautiful Edith Piaf singing 'Non, je ne regrette rien'. Try best to imagine an underground cave, crowded with people and chanting the lyrics with such dignity and joy one day before Christmas. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFRuLFR91e4">www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFRuLFR91e4</a><br />Not only did I manage to extend my friendship list tonight but I experienced a very enjoyable night before Christmas that I will remember when I'm old and wrinkly, I'm sure.<br />French table tops, friends - new and old, wine - red and white, Dec 23rd - Paris 2010.Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-10751463369031144722010-12-12T09:41:00.000-08:002010-12-14T09:02:50.284-08:00Je m'appelle Maria<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4keQ9vHFbFs3wtEi7GlnASlPxwf7H578TMfqhQpHB_69wmCMGgPR92wgQ39en8jzn5BJpbZ3g6Zq0d2kpZhYuMqvYzr0aBDjorM-9Gua5Uuf7stk0PObr0R3qFp5J3kVCtYQEfG3Fddo/s1600/IMG_5881.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4keQ9vHFbFs3wtEi7GlnASlPxwf7H578TMfqhQpHB_69wmCMGgPR92wgQ39en8jzn5BJpbZ3g6Zq0d2kpZhYuMqvYzr0aBDjorM-9Gua5Uuf7stk0PObr0R3qFp5J3kVCtYQEfG3Fddo/s400/IMG_5881.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549899352719263010" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;">Ready for take off out of Saint Hilaire. A goodbye tour gift through the mountains</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">by my aupair family dad whom I only found out, started flying planes in the July before I left!<br /><br /></span></div><br />I have started and stopped writing this long awaited blog post too many times and after six months of discovering, travelling, learning more about myself than I ever have in my life, and blindlessly searching for multiple answers, I decided it was time to share a few things with those at the other end.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInBqeeLM9hyphenhyphenUzd_kVbEPX8TK_bXv50bdVVsSn1kaOW8bUeBZth349srIr01UDcu4910keb1ttjoUvK9DBhSRrVhGzVXarhb_h-DliuOoIobsbW61qOf51JTgHy6aZ7yRHyXmsc1ag7-Q/s1600/IMG_6313.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInBqeeLM9hyphenhyphenUzd_kVbEPX8TK_bXv50bdVVsSn1kaOW8bUeBZth349srIr01UDcu4910keb1ttjoUvK9DBhSRrVhGzVXarhb_h-DliuOoIobsbW61qOf51JTgHy6aZ7yRHyXmsc1ag7-Q/s320/IMG_6313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549901841336929170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The plat form I jumped from when hang-gliding</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">on my last week before leaving Saint-Hilaire. </span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Mum was informed after I glided!</span><br /><br /><br />Un petite survol (a little overview):<br /><br />I look back to early July and it seems such a long time ago that I left Saint Hilaire. An experience, well worth it and only know after just passing a weekend back in Saint Hilaire, (surprising the kids for their birthday and catching up with my neighbours and some very special friends), I can see now how much I have made a difference in their family and how much I have grown in those six months. The people I met, places I went to, and experiences I shared in Saint Hilaire were truly rewarding and taught me so many wonderful things about life that only now I can really see and appreciate.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmQyaBA_Z_iCeE7y0kNL6SxQxW5Gp-vX1fCP1Aqf-Vt7-JSmG16qVYggqhRVg_vSQuZNPRUbxmYAOK8XFbxGLxCFKMcTocIm_gOGpRbZebjb6nqyhcjt_KAhpPQXrYqn-8tUy6dv4zhk/s1600/IMG_7189.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmQyaBA_Z_iCeE7y0kNL6SxQxW5Gp-vX1fCP1Aqf-Vt7-JSmG16qVYggqhRVg_vSQuZNPRUbxmYAOK8XFbxGLxCFKMcTocIm_gOGpRbZebjb6nqyhcjt_KAhpPQXrYqn-8tUy6dv4zhk/s400/IMG_7189.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549918178863538610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The dress I made for Amandine, (the little girl I use to nanny for),<br />for a wedding the family were invited to in Portugal in August.</span><br /><br /><br /></div>I took a three week holiday to Athens and the Greek Islands after aupairing in early July. In Greece I was able to surround myself with familiar faces, family and places - such a satisfying holiday of sun, water, sleep, fat Greek kebabs and no children. It was perfect in every way. Cruising around the island of Syros on the back of my cousin's scooter and watching the sun set over the Mediterranean sea was magic. I can really understand why the Europeans are so proud and love their island life so much.<br /><br /><br />Maria’s daily activities in Syros:<br /><br />Waking without an alarm, breakfast bare-foot at the fig tree in the backyard, meeting locals and friends for taverna lunch and dinners, going for runs along the edge of the island to watch the sunset daily and gin and tonic cocktails served to us whilst busily focusing on building a deep tan on the water's edge. After a strong hit of all things beginning with 'f' - family, familiarity, food and frappes, I was ready for Paris ... well, I thought so!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">A collection of my favourite photos that hold</span><span style="font-size:78%;"> really<br />strong memories of my holiday in Greece</span><br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf819DySL3YpQuNAsVv7GSEYr2owIYfXsSj7OLT1yMf7Am3YZY69LPTFe04QCnRUMCNtiBs3XSZBmLYOZol0ZN6I_P62SUjG0Pur3bPN7kM55w3Dzsb010sL2HiJh9Oyxdkmj_BBPGsA/s1600/IMG_6819.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf819DySL3YpQuNAsVv7GSEYr2owIYfXsSj7OLT1yMf7Am3YZY69LPTFe04QCnRUMCNtiBs3XSZBmLYOZol0ZN6I_P62SUjG0Pur3bPN7kM55w3Dzsb010sL2HiJh9Oyxdkmj_BBPGsA/s320/IMG_6819.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549907964812422130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUIbbMn-L5PcRCh69bQ_hVWWwZM-2CEAcr1rK2Stgr5ZogAjLQNkQI_a_jFsrwhvIE_ULp4FhcaCj8ncTMzqK-vU3t5qpfP1FB1Eo1GkAAVwmDGAxFrXbiAe4A9nYarxhKxv8XbW2Gr4/s1600/IMG_6471.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUIbbMn-L5PcRCh69bQ_hVWWwZM-2CEAcr1rK2Stgr5ZogAjLQNkQI_a_jFsrwhvIE_ULp4FhcaCj8ncTMzqK-vU3t5qpfP1FB1Eo1GkAAVwmDGAxFrXbiAe4A9nYarxhKxv8XbW2Gr4/s400/IMG_6471.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549909136663476866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lzZLFTWZIqA630FIaHnsu2ifxisMyAfjfcsulcbTCqNlNlpVVqYpkyGkN-4HptbjKos5mxXQU-8sgkl6W7UTXcq2Grf6TbzkFsX4tXjmhkUXZ6Rnp94UCcM-Djm4_8QrulpDWAigmZM/s1600/IMG_7073.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lzZLFTWZIqA630FIaHnsu2ifxisMyAfjfcsulcbTCqNlNlpVVqYpkyGkN-4HptbjKos5mxXQU-8sgkl6W7UTXcq2Grf6TbzkFsX4tXjmhkUXZ6Rnp94UCcM-Djm4_8QrulpDWAigmZM/s400/IMG_7073.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549912238455951154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmLXGV25ihMpGR9HIOSbOgff83pKR6N7R7DD4LF53mjdw9u8vbcnVUYv6d6NpNB8nBOu6KIOCaeE406MuGadPXCththyIBvzLlDL5SMFOEIWbyev3tqVFYF7dMfleu2ZVE3As4OJODm4/s1600/IMG_6782.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmLXGV25ihMpGR9HIOSbOgff83pKR6N7R7DD4LF53mjdw9u8vbcnVUYv6d6NpNB8nBOu6KIOCaeE406MuGadPXCththyIBvzLlDL5SMFOEIWbyev3tqVFYF7dMfleu2ZVE3As4OJODm4/s400/IMG_6782.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549907499099388466" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROa94Du9Ig5jL32GBx8U_QgPpjIOz0d47OmTfYEeAaMmqlfWcPzT4CpNENtTeMKqkrzi8u4fpWcueFPiYIOztOGUX90Pz88sAZBcWbtIIddGq7UIyxm6Qi7_nb6hcKZ4PlG4HU-fS-7g/s1600/IMG_6735.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROa94Du9Ig5jL32GBx8U_QgPpjIOz0d47OmTfYEeAaMmqlfWcPzT4CpNENtTeMKqkrzi8u4fpWcueFPiYIOztOGUX90Pz88sAZBcWbtIIddGq7UIyxm6Qi7_nb6hcKZ4PlG4HU-fS-7g/s400/IMG_6735.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549904045339531954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIODPRjJpHYsZ9H_ErVvT5zJ-PmB7cgkEbR-F0YMzqgf0nbffaJ7scj_jxF77MQGc6zpT2daJ48DhwpzF_HcqFhVPMNg6FAI7LP9oCLalWROk5XLlJzYE8HBoUb1cXJzgOob_Ra4vZvk/s1600/IMG_7005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIODPRjJpHYsZ9H_ErVvT5zJ-PmB7cgkEbR-F0YMzqgf0nbffaJ7scj_jxF77MQGc6zpT2daJ48DhwpzF_HcqFhVPMNg6FAI7LP9oCLalWROk5XLlJzYE8HBoUb1cXJzgOob_Ra4vZvk/s400/IMG_7005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549908353098323762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegEV2BA_LW7jVpM7JqVGmb_rpH_1KS57XV5oC_sEzJ3x4vDKf0MdVjoa-K2kwr8ZvtKJHvIVm49vJUfoOyfwFfCggRHfKbNEB_wEKchLhNfjs1Hd62exJNLWNQ5PbjJE4Kmae-Aw9ug4/s1600/IMG_6873.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegEV2BA_LW7jVpM7JqVGmb_rpH_1KS57XV5oC_sEzJ3x4vDKf0MdVjoa-K2kwr8ZvtKJHvIVm49vJUfoOyfwFfCggRHfKbNEB_wEKchLhNfjs1Hd62exJNLWNQ5PbjJE4Kmae-Aw9ug4/s400/IMG_6873.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549906796355822210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnAJvpepkicRnmgl_6bps1oGX7bHkbeHaH5YTpZCqijxyMX-xa0nJecLNp5vY0dWq5x79z-O3HJmkOQVQsCAo1OTgfVuHlQupZjgGbaBUSxRYdxfP2yBvh6NXH9vWFfovZrdWsPjkHhI/s1600/IMG_6777.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnAJvpepkicRnmgl_6bps1oGX7bHkbeHaH5YTpZCqijxyMX-xa0nJecLNp5vY0dWq5x79z-O3HJmkOQVQsCAo1OTgfVuHlQupZjgGbaBUSxRYdxfP2yBvh6NXH9vWFfovZrdWsPjkHhI/s400/IMG_6777.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549905579988710866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Df_B36TDEQhygNWoO4yjJjohy3GAiHnk9Oswdt11hc9NKEWijkZoKN3M90JfnEoLnn2Op9FGUZd6GlcR9b3-LzkmFMGOZbfV1nk7S7BQPvfjJ4WMPjFKLo6i94KDdtrUsLrC7xjFsz4/s1600/IMG_6860.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Df_B36TDEQhygNWoO4yjJjohy3GAiHnk9Oswdt11hc9NKEWijkZoKN3M90JfnEoLnn2Op9FGUZd6GlcR9b3-LzkmFMGOZbfV1nk7S7BQPvfjJ4WMPjFKLo6i94KDdtrUsLrC7xjFsz4/s200/IMG_6860.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549906512419273570" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmyO2XSRqagtZ428VU9vjBiMqe456aPhsrG-RdLQaAD8Bs0XM0vwtTORPOVDKHo5l3-Nngm7WbEK4m7uV5jVs_qiKuk9iuKDnJLXkc92tS7pPQCrcttX_L7OAUVBi8cmJoritHD9dlwA/s1600/IMG_6418.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; 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float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBGe95LGJbMm1FhYETsilP9mY35uAJSXLJUleZY10Du56V19OGKTRiyhj00VkdDatfvGDei5Rkcue84W7e0dSWLJ3_N1deMyMwXFeLRklR9OFodS_2MKsDdL1-xZ-vtgYsNBaMYL6OK4/s200/IMG_7069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549912535593428402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQtKXzEoKUcdB53xQVtvqKdB01sfEqpx1r-xLKJvNqn6dEGa5ew_W0LYjGsIZ-_XoyiHfrDOdongIdyJgsQq2JwaK66cAca8_Iidnbud7HB-XXYGmCEmgNIL1FnqtB0SJ2MA5jP5aei4/s1600/IMG_6724.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQtKXzEoKUcdB53xQVtvqKdB01sfEqpx1r-xLKJvNqn6dEGa5ew_W0LYjGsIZ-_XoyiHfrDOdongIdyJgsQq2JwaK66cAca8_Iidnbud7HB-XXYGmCEmgNIL1FnqtB0SJ2MA5jP5aei4/s400/IMG_6724.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549906156517340098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLTc6t4aa0gD7alzkE6FTcBLKoDKFJsmhZqjlWLXCCWEmUmR5De_eJqOUHSp-hTjBweCTqUg5pXnr3uUNfa3jtsvdFGF1HYnFNI10LU7TseFp6houw27W7DGGAiYa78dtvRBhx0I_4Es/s1600/IMG_7040.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLTc6t4aa0gD7alzkE6FTcBLKoDKFJsmhZqjlWLXCCWEmUmR5De_eJqOUHSp-hTjBweCTqUg5pXnr3uUNfa3jtsvdFGF1HYnFNI10LU7TseFp6houw27W7DGGAiYa78dtvRBhx0I_4Es/s200/IMG_7040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549912019512214338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDjT581VlgaxldBcx_ve682gBllJNkO06sp851y7-QUEQCITqZoBL6cbRzgPAQupAf-CiC4rxyedWPISXYbRrj_wNCG_FSDS5yz6bYn2UaabslGEvoGwz5HjROb6pRLXzXlz1xq7Qxg8/s1600/IMG_6884.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDjT581VlgaxldBcx_ve682gBllJNkO06sp851y7-QUEQCITqZoBL6cbRzgPAQupAf-CiC4rxyedWPISXYbRrj_wNCG_FSDS5yz6bYn2UaabslGEvoGwz5HjROb6pRLXzXlz1xq7Qxg8/s320/IMG_6884.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549907323610150514" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpp2WBeT9NJ0L9YyS4gI14AHTsDqwS1jvSqB4TYUPbf6WVjh0sSVbtBoILijgaoG8wXYxUiMnfTrWruUfD-e1aQSViIU7YZ1g4uLVU9cOE_figKK5IPSxAhyphenhypheniGXDHxg0A64ume84uiWk/s1600/IMG_6518.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpp2WBeT9NJ0L9YyS4gI14AHTsDqwS1jvSqB4TYUPbf6WVjh0sSVbtBoILijgaoG8wXYxUiMnfTrWruUfD-e1aQSViIU7YZ1g4uLVU9cOE_figKK5IPSxAhyphenhypheniGXDHxg0A64ume84uiWk/s320/IMG_6518.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549904778811210450" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Paris, early August:<br /><br />I watched the leaves dance from their branches, eager to drop as each day grew further away from summer. I walked just about everywhere - went often to ‘Paris plage’ (Paris’s fake beach along the Seine over the summer period, for those not able to make it to the beach!), met with friends of friends, continued with another short French course and tried my best to understand and get my head around my new and overwhelming city.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jCJEPuoBsGElpCaKi0mO8190j7-X5r8OKpA77Ia77H16Rv6oTD-rJIMXi0Q-PO9GzFoImfyM_NbZ7NjaepBr8CeTJEPVbzizlSLkPhLf-oPcR-EOO5-7CJ1iKL9i3a47sU_CnJk5sNc/s1600/IMG_4760.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jCJEPuoBsGElpCaKi0mO8190j7-X5r8OKpA77Ia77H16Rv6oTD-rJIMXi0Q-PO9GzFoImfyM_NbZ7NjaepBr8CeTJEPVbzizlSLkPhLf-oPcR-EOO5-7CJ1iKL9i3a47sU_CnJk5sNc/s400/IMG_4760.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549914306126337234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Lou. A pique-nique in jardin du Luxembourg</span><br /><br /></div><br />Without Lou (my dear Parisian pineapple friend) Paris would have not been the same for me. I lived above her family's apartment in a chambre de bonne with a view of the Eiffel Tower from my pillow for the months of August until October. Never once have I felt left out of Lou's family. From wine lessons and scooter rides with Bruno (Lou's dad) to dinner parties and dance-offs with Lou, her sister and friends, to numerous French lessons with everyone, to weekends at their family and friends' country houses, and to emotional support when everything seemed too much. I enjoy so much being with Lou's family as they remind me so much of mine!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8ufh2LWBwTURUNicsSIthsItp7027_u6Bk3IrL3B071nIzGyj2Dm_vXVrPnBuJZ-GTPOsYyJlSTkZapIu0x-m1xESRymtXnJNvwquh6quw1pEZ7M0E-GgNKxEDzchxRJqmoxl1PJYoU/s1600/IMG_7131.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8ufh2LWBwTURUNicsSIthsItp7027_u6Bk3IrL3B071nIzGyj2Dm_vXVrPnBuJZ-GTPOsYyJlSTkZapIu0x-m1xESRymtXnJNvwquh6quw1pEZ7M0E-GgNKxEDzchxRJqmoxl1PJYoU/s400/IMG_7131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549918286434757346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SAdCwkzJP7RnJp9pVBsDXdb6ns27JwBTOgltzTCjBP2IKJzXbxRsDKZeM6Wl3AlJcvDoCgqu2EwTuPqH10rcTQX_BV38cGsa0YeRGoFpnvuQ5Ir7_F2AUxmK3xuCbxpZsE_ZreskkSU/s1600/IMG_7126.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SAdCwkzJP7RnJp9pVBsDXdb6ns27JwBTOgltzTCjBP2IKJzXbxRsDKZeM6Wl3AlJcvDoCgqu2EwTuPqH10rcTQX_BV38cGsa0YeRGoFpnvuQ5Ir7_F2AUxmK3xuCbxpZsE_ZreskkSU/s400/IMG_7126.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549918656249684466" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrV0EEq77ClBtMrImom312kbjslIG2VymKq6ckMMciJvprLxi4CERQGq_6mtxDAormb968Mdc8psbZR_upcEVfS8GNO8oGaHB1JEJ2QbL5yzo8WrCBbIsrG08UeuWl5r3TCVHEtYY1Z4/s1600/IMG_7125.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrV0EEq77ClBtMrImom312kbjslIG2VymKq6ckMMciJvprLxi4CERQGq_6mtxDAormb968Mdc8psbZR_upcEVfS8GNO8oGaHB1JEJ2QbL5yzo8WrCBbIsrG08UeuWl5r3TCVHEtYY1Z4/s400/IMG_7125.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549918523833494386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">September, at Lou's family coutry house one weekend 45 minutes from Paris</span><br /></div><br /><br />Finally, early October came and as planned, I began Mod'Art International, Creation de Mode. Beginning school was exciting but scary at the same time, mostly not knowing what to expect of the level and the language. I was under the impression that half of the lessons would be taught in French but in fact they informed me that this would not be so. From the day we began it has been non-stop - 9am till 8pm Monday-Wednesday, Thursday I have just picked up more French and Friday I have French again and computers from 1-8pm. The level of work is higher, the teachers have no sympathy if you haven't reached the deadline, or simply if you're late due to a Metro problem - everyone is far more opinionated and the competition is mind blowing! From Brisbane to Paris, there was always going to be a big difference but I wasn't sure how great. I am like a tiny fish again in a gigantic bowl. <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;">I found it very difficult the first two months, trying firstly to understand the task and then achieving it to a satisfactory level. Entering into third year has been hard as all the students know the system, familiar with the machines, printers and project expectations, and they were ready to work hard. I had to translate, learn all these skills, school's ways, and make friends at the same time. It was a real challenge and many times I have felt incapable. I am still not completely comfortable but I am learning a lot, have submitted some assignmetns, had some feedback and made some friends who have given me a lot of insight to it all. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;">During the first month of beginning my course, Lou and I found an apartment to move into in that was just perfect. Close to Belleville (Asian quarter) and between Montemarte and my college, the apartment is above many bars, restaurants and has a balcony with a view of all of Paris and a lot of light. Level five is not easy - especially when moving and elevators weren't designed at the time our block was built! Nevertheless, the space is everything I could wish for and more! We are very lucky and are now just personalising it to make it ours!</span><div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1crNxWv0Yq4KIEKSz3jTUH-UoXHRkBTWCDOfOazRy4OpJqVZaNOyb2AoCIJv3UE3Xb8mOdpbi9i6I4y0Xb5DyHl_rJgSD6FrHNlOGdkKToAxZEshZxPxmt-5m0XcfYZNjoXS3PClDYyU/s1600/IMG_8003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1crNxWv0Yq4KIEKSz3jTUH-UoXHRkBTWCDOfOazRy4OpJqVZaNOyb2AoCIJv3UE3Xb8mOdpbi9i6I4y0Xb5DyHl_rJgSD6FrHNlOGdkKToAxZEshZxPxmt-5m0XcfYZNjoXS3PClDYyU/s400/IMG_8003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549915898327477026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The view of Paris from our balcony. The tiny vertical triangle towards the back is Le Tour Eiffel!</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioAomqs524wfyHbkirgXqrZq1sG3OtPDmdsoIRxOmnMpfllW09auAvY8RfEZaauQwj9L2GmAn47pcmUbupVH0vQf4uu3XoDGHB9tmcg7iba-XozKFsqgI_HsI5v9Qu0Q7H-j2fJVr5nc/s1600/IMG_8025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioAomqs524wfyHbkirgXqrZq1sG3OtPDmdsoIRxOmnMpfllW09auAvY8RfEZaauQwj9L2GmAn47pcmUbupVH0vQf4uu3XoDGHB9tmcg7iba-XozKFsqgI_HsI5v9Qu0Q7H-j2fJVr5nc/s400/IMG_8025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549916859760378050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">For my first assignment we focused on the little black dress.<br />We had to be inspired by the original and then create a modern version</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDJb8dA3ihgDalGpJMISqOtjKXrk0aveFKT3-WIBDtGBYdee2j4b3SMBtr5OYc_ScPZADypdrSI_oxAM00PJNhzUqWisDQAHCpBU7sRMdHjDwh9C2Xd4rouFVOX0GuSueTrXWyRawDhw/s1600/IMG_8010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDJb8dA3ihgDalGpJMISqOtjKXrk0aveFKT3-WIBDtGBYdee2j4b3SMBtr5OYc_ScPZADypdrSI_oxAM00PJNhzUqWisDQAHCpBU7sRMdHjDwh9C2Xd4rouFVOX0GuSueTrXWyRawDhw/s400/IMG_8010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549916593283682722" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;">The little black chemise. Lou wears a Maria LBD</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-JY6P2G8zwgCv_U6QTPoy0yuO6RZu4vMMrKe86lk7fOm_-zQg_ozW1kqVWTpLNsBYxC6SiiG4bg9u2kOCnhCy6Akbn8wlcNL9Ji8ydZijldS8VsIc1uVI9SEL82Bqu-gFobl8viFB9c/s1600/IMG_8111.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-JY6P2G8zwgCv_U6QTPoy0yuO6RZu4vMMrKe86lk7fOm_-zQg_ozW1kqVWTpLNsBYxC6SiiG4bg9u2kOCnhCy6Akbn8wlcNL9Ji8ydZijldS8VsIc1uVI9SEL82Bqu-gFobl8viFB9c/s400/IMG_8111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549917149554092082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">An example of an image we are given in class and in one day<br />are expected to make the perfect toile ready to sew it<br />up in wool; the day after we are given it we have it for patternmaking.<br />Without books - just an image !</span><br /></div><br />After more than one year of not having seen my parents, they arrived yesterday in Paris. Besides my arriving late to meet them, because of a Metro hiccup, and perhaps a tad of my super time management skills, we finally found each other in Gare de Nord and it was better than anything I could have imagined! Just seeing their faces and sharing long lasting hugs and multiple kisses was so overwhelming. I felt so reassured, so content, so happy and so understood all at the same time. I think I had cried too much over the last difficult months that I had no more tears left. I just couldn’t stop smiling. We were like big kids with too many stories and not knowing where to begin!<br /><br />With two weeks of holidays approaching, and my family, friends, uncle and cousin arriving this week, I am more then certain I am going to have a very, very special Christmas.<br />After a long, colourful year, I couldn't ask for anything more than my special people here with me celebrating Christmas. I just wish my big, hairy brother could join too... but with Skype anything is possible.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNdIk3q-MsQqNOlu_EL3CPIwwqgzslveYmGbZtlzcyLec_2R3Ergx7EIIBhfxqw01sU7V5COAqst8h-XsWmZy1jem_MrsPfJRrUnkhs0JB4_vBtrd-qfI_F38tMpbrZnTW6h88plUVpc/s1600/IMG_0356.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNdIk3q-MsQqNOlu_EL3CPIwwqgzslveYmGbZtlzcyLec_2R3Ergx7EIIBhfxqw01sU7V5COAqst8h-XsWmZy1jem_MrsPfJRrUnkhs0JB4_vBtrd-qfI_F38tMpbrZnTW6h88plUVpc/s400/IMG_0356.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549923379672632146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">My favourite flame-tree photo from home that I took just before leaving last November.</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">This is a real Christmas tree</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">To all my family and friends at home,<br />Joyeux Noel!<br />Sending all my love from Paris always,<br /><br />Maria<br />x<br /></div></div></div>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-80395313095086823952010-06-18T15:19:00.000-07:002010-06-18T23:33:10.233-07:00picabooI sit in the same position and at the same table as I did when I wrote my first blog post on my arrival to Saint Hilaire du Touvet. The table hasn’t changed… (maybe a little grubbier since I’ve been here), but as I look through the glass doors ahead of me, everything I see has changed. The dark, heavy clouds and constant drizzle of rain block my vision a little bit. I can faintly see the mountains in the distance – they are no longer white. I can finally see our neighbour's roof and the colour of the tiles on our back terrace. Our grass is green and overgrown, but the red tulips that are unevenly spread throughout the grass make up for it. Nearly five months have passed and much like my experience here, every day's outlook changes; not one day is the same as the last.<br /><br />Not only is spring really here, but une fête de la musique begins this weekend in celebration of the first day of summer. I am imagining a large gathering of mountain people dancing naked around a giant, communal stone BBQ grasping their trumpets in one hand and a gypsy child in the other. As the crowd chants songs of rejoice, free daisy chains are being passed around.<br /><br />I will go with my harmonica in one pocket and my pocketknife in the other.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XavzwZ-fuZNXeB3R04wCQvoYIkX7_1Zwfleud9RVM89pxfW0Gpw4z1vx2Z3h6SQlR_WelgnAIeBVAdsa_GyrZG8Zmma8WBDMjRUvP4E6kFIKibBG1P3R5H-5IxmEM_YZRYTL2XBjs3I/s1600/IMG_4506.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XavzwZ-fuZNXeB3R04wCQvoYIkX7_1Zwfleud9RVM89pxfW0Gpw4z1vx2Z3h6SQlR_WelgnAIeBVAdsa_GyrZG8Zmma8WBDMjRUvP4E6kFIKibBG1P3R5H-5IxmEM_YZRYTL2XBjs3I/s400/IMG_4506.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484242808696993394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1uJYwSaSOGxEWFyBQ5rVAh8oKFTqYuFIgqIeNc7H5twjg_qpu4Mk_iTqCLsUsw69oMXItSPYeUIQiTZbILyHeo7yLgGUsZTSsGEG3BEVXOUwdm5lc_7b05hUGi3uVaGHHvYyeCNVVMc/s1600/IMG_4507.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1uJYwSaSOGxEWFyBQ5rVAh8oKFTqYuFIgqIeNc7H5twjg_qpu4Mk_iTqCLsUsw69oMXItSPYeUIQiTZbILyHeo7yLgGUsZTSsGEG3BEVXOUwdm5lc_7b05hUGi3uVaGHHvYyeCNVVMc/s400/IMG_4507.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484244612551061202" border="0" /></a> Noe under the summer sun learning how to 'picaboo!'Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-53075012155610562582010-06-12T13:58:00.000-07:002010-06-18T23:39:46.120-07:00EXCUSEZ-MOI!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lqeuDZ0WbHttPhHooPoBhhlLv0bMpncr_0KX_eXSJMYz6OPl1b_8Al6YSpz9YNlDW1mgF-zjBrTtvX4zkm290B1XqeU4-O8DVa5ha-HjBI_mkOmGEnztpoOWsmDWzx3Rc_bnDBDmqgw/s1600/IMG_4315.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lqeuDZ0WbHttPhHooPoBhhlLv0bMpncr_0KX_eXSJMYz6OPl1b_8Al6YSpz9YNlDW1mgF-zjBrTtvX4zkm290B1XqeU4-O8DVa5ha-HjBI_mkOmGEnztpoOWsmDWzx3Rc_bnDBDmqgw/s400/IMG_4315.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482000249376881042" border="0" /></a>L'image has no purpose other than to distract you from concentrating on the message below which details my absence for the last few months ! Just focus on the macaroon and everything will be OK.<br /><br />Je pense qu'il est une bonne heure à actualiser mon blog et expliquer à mes amies et ma famille quoi j’ai fait sur ce montagne pour les derniere mois…<br />C'est pas bien que j’ai mis rien pour tel un longtemps!<br />En fait, je n'excuse pas!<br />Je continue mes jours à Saint Hilaire du Touvet avec les enfants mais je suis presque finis.<br />Je dit au revoir en quatre semaines. C'est incroyable !<br />Donc, on y va avec mes découvertes et vecus!<br /><br />All you need to think about is missing out on a bite of this delicious, mouth frothing macaroon.Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-32805786024484951792010-03-22T02:50:00.000-07:002010-03-26T13:55:06.493-07:00cou-cou!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pvF4x9WCfFZ2GoaknWaCZxifnq8i7AVnwcoTlFCzoato7L1NrER5J-IAZXH1RBjONLg6Zl72WrSc5Y4bDE5qsNyTeea23NfRuOvJEx29vhlptZmw1tzLPbCazzu9EQRqFnlyXc6ovc8/s1600-h/IMG_4168.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pvF4x9WCfFZ2GoaknWaCZxifnq8i7AVnwcoTlFCzoato7L1NrER5J-IAZXH1RBjONLg6Zl72WrSc5Y4bDE5qsNyTeea23NfRuOvJEx29vhlptZmw1tzLPbCazzu9EQRqFnlyXc6ovc8/s400/IMG_4168.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451598071240609682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjO62EZGSlo3Am5G5zU9wzNoVJHEnHhsRtWUeBcjJu4LqExMPEMNIh2-0kcqwCm95CUM259FRiTC-sZ9yITZ_j8txia6GPc8AUtLQLFo2s-HGOe-a8ZSqz6eTTaL9VQTFOvnEP7I0X60/s1600-h/IMG_4165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjO62EZGSlo3Am5G5zU9wzNoVJHEnHhsRtWUeBcjJu4LqExMPEMNIh2-0kcqwCm95CUM259FRiTC-sZ9yITZ_j8txia6GPc8AUtLQLFo2s-HGOe-a8ZSqz6eTTaL9VQTFOvnEP7I0X60/s320/IMG_4165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451595347707059810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aZBiis6s5NblqGoMwPO1cVh6-yZ71ETMn41iQJ-oyRnRBbvaeUk5zGxL3mYpSxqEzK5lNZE_8BLIYoUi6w6xowUbXYZ0gmNqIONyR_CPdhd5rYcG5tWA-o2YuXjkwe3ayy4A8p96dIQ/s1600-h/IMG_4161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aZBiis6s5NblqGoMwPO1cVh6-yZ71ETMn41iQJ-oyRnRBbvaeUk5zGxL3mYpSxqEzK5lNZE_8BLIYoUi6w6xowUbXYZ0gmNqIONyR_CPdhd5rYcG5tWA-o2YuXjkwe3ayy4A8p96dIQ/s200/IMG_4161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451595826638905010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQFi1ogEzeX8i0RxS34bTDQ22LJyFDNqwHiHeWrVhhfACDIdH259bynzh6PeglpMhj5D3dExx8bZO5giBcQg8SdiQY1MrbuNmwVS-Sx8VUWQUsEfSIHDhICnn0IcULXZ4FJOG2QmesPo/s1600-h/IMG_4152.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQFi1ogEzeX8i0RxS34bTDQ22LJyFDNqwHiHeWrVhhfACDIdH259bynzh6PeglpMhj5D3dExx8bZO5giBcQg8SdiQY1MrbuNmwVS-Sx8VUWQUsEfSIHDhICnn0IcULXZ4FJOG2QmesPo/s200/IMG_4152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451593856535327490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcRjuS4Jbo6amGCY-GzMsz4Z16MLowDlTBlNOjKUJYe3ty5K0WPCOxoE9_OYc2T-bpAfCBrHur1ZM7MlbnL10kVKU2Wbr4t76VXzOYoAIgr_l5KrCgaRmG-0HKuSLYXcJMEzb8lDrwF0/s1600-h/IMG_4151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcRjuS4Jbo6amGCY-GzMsz4Z16MLowDlTBlNOjKUJYe3ty5K0WPCOxoE9_OYc2T-bpAfCBrHur1ZM7MlbnL10kVKU2Wbr4t76VXzOYoAIgr_l5KrCgaRmG-0HKuSLYXcJMEzb8lDrwF0/s400/IMG_4151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451593598878360674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWWTc4tJvrgUfsBoDoVZY5bcb1c_BUymIPtUGDbwHijJPoHH1oY7YknqSwPNFgBLqeVl-uZPlh9qSY9lPtfxmUFJE6Zw6OnlLtnM0Pn3JQnXMKxfp86sA-Af_jEw9pkn64nR1ouCylyE/s1600-h/IMG_4153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; 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float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA_7dImGW-9t2PjVuMZy3EYXDoFkzAMLBie6wU-hebNTYDlS5z4KpEGyBTUsgmd00_l9cCinWCduutyXqZ7cVYx2VzqUItPU2s4jKlZyrszik_k4iiqcWinuo1NHuCsIR-nVbsfKnB78/s400/IMG_4049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451582808610958946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBh0ggj_TAhG2aKVIgZ7lQZlxPSlEOqfxeXcLoCRStVQao0shsQHz9TWSBr6j_OajQfgPNf4ysHsYOVMUEM9im4ce-TkcG34grW856-Wh95VBKSfMtCdQJePj0f032Tb-min50_coMeNk/s1600-h/IMG_4035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBh0ggj_TAhG2aKVIgZ7lQZlxPSlEOqfxeXcLoCRStVQao0shsQHz9TWSBr6j_OajQfgPNf4ysHsYOVMUEM9im4ce-TkcG34grW856-Wh95VBKSfMtCdQJePj0f032Tb-min50_coMeNk/s200/IMG_4035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451580556330603650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFympwwmUSab-1gxwwhzWZI0eT82cOQXFFKYuAbVUS5yBNGALiBG6GwkG-yzhYmGLcKApO24py8bEPJTKVHbkXor-K56GFpq8JYdXQu1vDJ-ZwUruNQMDlfOKQX5lkyxPrdSIUVYGLCA/s1600-h/IMG_4034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; 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float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9k-JGJ4xtQQFkhjFBfXRvr0TRyuFjLdoVVeIDjoS8L4CWi2x5YhIjgFn4RvaXWMsCb56BlS8e_3ZcE_-Qm0e9oBcmmG3o7Ca8nItbALjddBtE4yvmg9MNbZGNHmMPaa_ONaq16oh9fE/s200/IMG_3989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451438917452942626" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxpFcfmeFUUX2oXFK2g0IuiWqNn6taoYQO76XJMv1jDXQWWAl9ApFBbXbWjcapcv1e_wo3RsmejddRMmX0WZbtgyalwCD9u6WC9WwSL_dBHJkU-XSm_LBPineV7UEw2ZspSjYBL5fpMI/s1600-h/IMG_3999.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxpFcfmeFUUX2oXFK2g0IuiWqNn6taoYQO76XJMv1jDXQWWAl9ApFBbXbWjcapcv1e_wo3RsmejddRMmX0WZbtgyalwCD9u6WC9WwSL_dBHJkU-XSm_LBPineV7UEw2ZspSjYBL5fpMI/s200/IMG_3999.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451439852126470434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />“Un ananas s’il vous plaît”.<br /><br />Il a commencé comme ça!<br /><br />Last weekend - Paris (a treat gift from the parents of my crazy Parisian friend, Lou Lou). Lou of course had no idea about our cheeky plan to surprise her with my visit ! I travelled to Paris by TGV - taking exactly 3 hours and 10 minutes from Grenoble. On arrival, I took the metro direct to Lou's work where I had arranged to surprise her. I was close to reaching her work when I suddenly realized I was empty handed! I could not possibly surprise her without jumping from behind something, so I desperately searched for a florist hoping to find a large colourful bunch of flowers. I found no florist. Isn't it always the way? When you are looking for something you can never bloody find it. Instead I crossed the path of a little man outside the metro station selling a selection of no more then four fruits on a petite, rustic table. He looked so hopeful as I stared at his pineapple for a very long time. I pictured my appearance for a moment – me holding the pineapple in replacement of the flowers. I liked this idea and so I bought the pineapple and thought it would be way cooler anyway to be sprung from a pineapple then a bunch of inedible flowers. The little man was overly thankful - so thankful that it made me think he found the pineapple! You can imagine how the surprise unfolded. A knock, an answer, a pineapple, some hideous sunglasses I found in my bag, a thousand laughs and very few words. We headed straight for the café below Lou's work and in total excitement we shared our many stories, ideas and plans over a delicious cold beer.<br /><br />The initial feeling of excitement didn’t fade all weekend. It felt unreal to be visiting such a beautiful city for the weekend and being welcomed by Lou’s beautiful family made me feel so far from feeling like a tourist! A dinner party for Bruno (Lou’s father) was planned for Friday night. The fact that Bruno is the father of three daughters means that the company of women always tends to outweigh that of men. You could tell Bruno doesn’t complain about this, particularly when it comes to present opening on his birthday. He received fragile, sentimental gifts such as pots of flowers, soaps, books, his very own teapot for one and a weekend away of pampering. He was in heaven! We ate delicious food prepared by Aude (Lou’s mum), drank beaucoup de vin rouge and I don’t think I paused from smiling all night.<br /><br />Samedi et dimanche événements:<br /><br />Jumping from fabric market to fabric market under Sacre Coeur, Montmartre.<br /><br />Strong morning coffees and surprise mouthfuls of freshly cut pineapple.<br /><br />A picnic in Luxembourg gardens featuring a lot of exciting people watching.<br /><br />Cutting each other’s hair in Lou’s apartment with domestic scissors she had found that struggled to cut sticky tape.<br /><br />Passionate singing into baguettes along to old French classic songs I mumbled the words to.<br /><br />A walking English-to-French vocabulary list following me.<br /><br />Walking the streets, following our noses into teashops, boulangeries, soap boutiques and antique shops.<br /><br />A long description of each building, street and shop from my personal tour guide and know-it-all - Lou Lou.<br /><br />Running in the rain, laughing from bar to bar along St Germain des Pres.<br /><br />Afternoon cups of teas on Lou’s friends house boat that happens to be situated on the Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower (I don’t think I could close my jaw the entire time).<br /><br />Cheese platters and fruit salads in Le Marais.<br /><br />I couldn’t have imagined a more inspirational weekend away. It felt great to be around familiar faces in a busy city and it gave me a stronger sense of direction. Being in Paris again also made me a lot more excited for my return in a few weeks to meet my brother and his girlfriend and for my move there mid year, but for a bit longer than a weekend. Time flies by so I have to make the most of where I am and right now, I haven’t quite finished yet with the mountains!Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-36176486138758002642010-03-09T13:22:00.000-08:002010-03-09T14:25:53.730-08:00jellyfish<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYhiK0es5UBzi1XXqj1IS0ghbEImNacjW-2Qy0Xq4N6sRk8dFz7tAcO5_xdAHZ4U7Cm1ZEQk7tpSzu3RTnnxQQXf8v3jBTqo9oaVVf20XCs5N0rL2jTzcCZ7LeP7CGC8kU_A4JDsQCco/s1600-h/IMG_3697.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYhiK0es5UBzi1XXqj1IS0ghbEImNacjW-2Qy0Xq4N6sRk8dFz7tAcO5_xdAHZ4U7Cm1ZEQk7tpSzu3RTnnxQQXf8v3jBTqo9oaVVf20XCs5N0rL2jTzcCZ7LeP7CGC8kU_A4JDsQCco/s400/IMG_3697.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446753569407525954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9jgFZiw4QZN64K65gxs25QvTyMXXoYZJnew84cgMedEzKxfECKGNRax9iGUPANrmS4dCl3ZvWW8fw8Zs6t39U5RQsw58YJhHRETSA3CdtRY8m45z1ptFbDKqI-GkCzn1ZdJmbuhJ6FM/s1600-h/IMG_3708.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9jgFZiw4QZN64K65gxs25QvTyMXXoYZJnew84cgMedEzKxfECKGNRax9iGUPANrmS4dCl3ZvWW8fw8Zs6t39U5RQsw58YJhHRETSA3CdtRY8m45z1ptFbDKqI-GkCzn1ZdJmbuhJ6FM/s400/IMG_3708.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446753823389858370" border="0" /></a><br />I could make many excuses for not writing but that would just be silly. Instead I will tell the truth. I have been busy creating an igloo to keep from the cold until spring, cracking noix collected during autumn, and on my days off, watching the mountains all around me like a film that never ends.<br /><br />My time in Saint Hilaire du Tuvet continues. Already I feel a very special relationship with my family here. Besides the most common factor - living together, I have found what brings us closer, particularly when speaking is not always the easiest form of communication, are the practical things that are often far more descriptive and meaningful. By that I mean sharing recipes and tasting new flavours, mixing colours and painting memories.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz2Vi2mogZkJtqT8_UrxgRrjAwXuFXFM5HcSvDW7ZrYJ08x5cAyLjq2S0vfOU2ukbn1piZipoV_NIn0K8JTReUnl6uAdbM6Q6a8X45oZ5EHszvmgEof6aZ2pAH9IZOWTUgcGEAGO5p2o/s1600-h/IMG_3593.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz2Vi2mogZkJtqT8_UrxgRrjAwXuFXFM5HcSvDW7ZrYJ08x5cAyLjq2S0vfOU2ukbn1piZipoV_NIn0K8JTReUnl6uAdbM6Q6a8X45oZ5EHszvmgEof6aZ2pAH9IZOWTUgcGEAGO5p2o/s400/IMG_3593.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446750650760149250" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjCdBztFh6i_2xdhM3W1Wu8FnebFH18yqtTaH0OYGgeZEqrJHNSj1AG4u3GhZ0AnACm48hBNVHTenEINLTkf9Do2OluKutVgoUv9ktSRqGiqu1AaSSrVU_D0tVYuXK6ZhJYuYZKPQU9U/s1600-h/IMG_3597.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjCdBztFh6i_2xdhM3W1Wu8FnebFH18yqtTaH0OYGgeZEqrJHNSj1AG4u3GhZ0AnACm48hBNVHTenEINLTkf9Do2OluKutVgoUv9ktSRqGiqu1AaSSrVU_D0tVYuXK6ZhJYuYZKPQU9U/s400/IMG_3597.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446751196757762770" border="0" /></a>La fête d'anniversaire de neige de Thomas<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thomas' snow birthday party</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I am so past feeling humiliated and caring that I ask the most stupid questions over and over. I have accepted that this is the way it is and millions of people have felt the way I do, learning a language in a foreign country. I am not the only one. After this realisation, I have begun to open my eyes a little more, focus on the positive in each day and take advantage of this incredible experience that still feels a bit strange and untrue.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RgErhnL233uSOnrlkvpE0Z9DjSi18xvuXlxyGu8drznNQ3sr-EzW8zKk2gkR_96qBluG0DyHRZ-JTHW5mQPqo2H_ZPOl-J2OOz14DXpL5ZRTWYC5aHYrtA_ZqQijiV3LSwEYIdgLxZE/s1600-h/IMG_3692.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RgErhnL233uSOnrlkvpE0Z9DjSi18xvuXlxyGu8drznNQ3sr-EzW8zKk2gkR_96qBluG0DyHRZ-JTHW5mQPqo2H_ZPOl-J2OOz14DXpL5ZRTWYC5aHYrtA_ZqQijiV3LSwEYIdgLxZE/s400/IMG_3692.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446754722750788482" border="0" /></a><br /></div>As I continue to struggle with my severely unwell French, I triumph in delivering my message accurately via a combination of colourful sign language, baby French vocab and beaucoup hideous facial expressions. I am no longer surprised by the obscure looks that return my way.<br /><br />Some of the most memorable blank and confused faces I have received were during the five days I undertook a beginners ski course at our local ski resort (five minutes from our house).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY86Lix7Xf11UKiagQLkJ35M_VEBacUv2rNcsFZ1MXDWyBbXeOZfq7H-NOBA5g_88RwjldhYihvQbAHXGtA28j7FkN5nUAUtrP5dhyphenhyphen3yGWfZcleK-DO6g0v5IdxeeNhJ-iS_jkkeI9-no/s1600-h/skis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY86Lix7Xf11UKiagQLkJ35M_VEBacUv2rNcsFZ1MXDWyBbXeOZfq7H-NOBA5g_88RwjldhYihvQbAHXGtA28j7FkN5nUAUtrP5dhyphenhyphen3yGWfZcleK-DO6g0v5IdxeeNhJ-iS_jkkeI9-no/s400/skis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446761591157394594" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">‘Told a tiny lie about being an extremely experienced skier but honestly, how hard can it be’. Bridget Jones.<br /></div><br /><br />I found out quickly that skiing is actually a lot harder than what Bridget quotes. I was grouped with all the beginners in our local area for the week – five children aged five and six. All children stared at me like a big jellyfish you find on the beach… minus the excitement. I could easily read the questions in their minds: “Why is she so big and can’t ski?, Why can’t she talk properly? Why does she keep falling over if she is so big?’ What is wrong with her?”. It would have been helpful if they could have equally read my mind: ‘Look kids - there is more than one language in this freaking wide world and yeah I’m big and I can see that this ski school bib only reaches just past my chest whereas yours all fit down past your hips, and I am big because I am not five. I am 22 years old and I am good at other things other than skiing. Ok?’ All week I remained an alien to them and I am sure they talked about me to their parents because even they began giving me strange looks like I was brainwashing their children on the slopes. In fact all I was doing was learning to ski.<br /><br />After the learn-to-ski week I jumped the in-between years of practice in one day as my French family insisted I experience the many international ski resorts in the area. The father kindly left me with the kids to do the red and black runs while he headed off-track to meet us later at the bottom. I reached a speed I never thought I could do alone, not because I wanted to, but because I could not stop! Even after being in a similar situation and feeling, I have to say it, like the biggest dick, I don’t think I will laugh any less watching Bridget Jones in the scene where she attempts to ski. It is too funny – but I must admit, a lot funnier to watch than to actually do!<br /></div></div>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-12724366217838150362010-02-03T08:11:00.000-08:002010-02-03T15:34:08.815-08:00JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE MAMAN!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvE2p3f5Onx35JyVWpAiakKLS6ZUT5tk36e4PvHd0RtNmF44tqA9yH36mXL1msxi-UZhRTqxkJllP08maPLRJMWZEuQcLiT70RF7fylIZIsL_83bkjHw6xCEPI7WjMhQK7XYfwtU009eU/s1600-h/_MG_2564.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvE2p3f5Onx35JyVWpAiakKLS6ZUT5tk36e4PvHd0RtNmF44tqA9yH36mXL1msxi-UZhRTqxkJllP08maPLRJMWZEuQcLiT70RF7fylIZIsL_83bkjHw6xCEPI7WjMhQK7XYfwtU009eU/s400/_MG_2564.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434056236900496898" border="0" /></a><br />To my darling mother,<br /><br />You have the heart of an angel and the smile of a Saint!<br />You mean the world to me and my list of things to thank<br />you for in my life has no end.<br /><br />I love you so much. I know you know this already<br />because I tell you every time we talk but I don't<br />believe you should ever stop telling someone how much<br />you love them and how much they mean to you.<br />Life is too short.<br /><br />You are everything to me and I am nothing without you.<br /><br />I love you from the bottom of this mountain to the very very top!Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-90203218015647884962010-02-01T05:58:00.000-08:002010-02-01T13:38:25.233-08:00Saint Hilaire du TouvetBefore I continue with Christmas festivities I must give you a peak out my window!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCYVBEOPrffSv8jgoWiAVor3tWWoNWy_9l8mVt7nI5WYk1ctGGqsVMK_W8oeftdYaTGs8O0UbyPcLk1m2B_rS3vh06GFS4IM1tI9jb0XL_wLKKwrKR5eVbLab5RJSdFvgdMo4QsaJz5U/s1600-h/IMG_3501.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433275662909819394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCYVBEOPrffSv8jgoWiAVor3tWWoNWy_9l8mVt7nI5WYk1ctGGqsVMK_W8oeftdYaTGs8O0UbyPcLk1m2B_rS3vh06GFS4IM1tI9jb0XL_wLKKwrKR5eVbLab5RJSdFvgdMo4QsaJz5U/s400/IMG_3501.JPG" /></a><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br />La Maison<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6Z6u2WW7Vg3ppRwCh_wFablzUt1P51j0aki9duK_WBeqPvyhcduDx8A6xc7Z7OrCUuUwf85qC00IrnBMGSkWNhXu0CxfHgjolk8164N9F5nVMR1_mRvL-ABk-26cLt3-bvhKzVKsLL4/s1600-h/IMG_3453.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433377005325067842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6Z6u2WW7Vg3ppRwCh_wFablzUt1P51j0aki9duK_WBeqPvyhcduDx8A6xc7Z7OrCUuUwf85qC00IrnBMGSkWNhXu0CxfHgjolk8164N9F5nVMR1_mRvL-ABk-26cLt3-bvhKzVKsLL4/s400/IMG_3453.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaKjPQ1v8ZXMl1_1LLDyIMDFjA1PYEQNu3U8Uo9EraW8DHuDDh2WANf10yfsyG_OH-PLDjXnMu5Betq6jQPA9SvkPT0qbqEYEWlqqekdEu8T0BisvYezwT-ISIeYCBS-_LRS57njAcNY/s1600-h/IMG_3455.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433377455694244882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaKjPQ1v8ZXMl1_1LLDyIMDFjA1PYEQNu3U8Uo9EraW8DHuDDh2WANf10yfsyG_OH-PLDjXnMu5Betq6jQPA9SvkPT0qbqEYEWlqqekdEu8T0BisvYezwT-ISIeYCBS-_LRS57njAcNY/s400/IMG_3455.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDQXSbJpYgh9c24Um3vmfk3Ep9dlTqocek00xmkiIczOs5uF2OS6nbbUGlEO8jAkS34kuAc9OQyZBF1j2UtNwZbcJtQHkK9fcdrDROD1atZLPiuhCl7s3vfaPpvGxkVS7_NzqZNhZDS8/s1600-h/IMG_3456.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433377905176852786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDQXSbJpYgh9c24Um3vmfk3Ep9dlTqocek00xmkiIczOs5uF2OS6nbbUGlEO8jAkS34kuAc9OQyZBF1j2UtNwZbcJtQHkK9fcdrDROD1atZLPiuhCl7s3vfaPpvGxkVS7_NzqZNhZDS8/s400/IMG_3456.JPG" /></a><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">After travelling for two months, discovering what this wonderful world has to offer, I have arrived in Saint Hilaire du Touvet, a tiny village on a mountain above the city of Grenoble in the French Alps. Strangely enough it was in Ireland on the internet that I found the opportunity to live here with this lovely family as an aupair girl for their children. After one skype date, many hand gestures and several incorrectly translated emails back and forth, together the family and I decided it would work. I took a train from Paris to Grenoble, the closest city to my new home for six months. I live in an attic, in a house surrounded by snow and alps. On the weekends we ski and by day, during the week, I practise my French. At night I play with the children and help with homework, baths and dinner. The first week has been hard. I found it hard emotionally, being so far away from everything so familiar to me - people, language and my surroundings. However after a beautiful weekend with the family who have been so welcoming to me, I begin to acclimatise to this amazing part of the world and the incredible lifestyle they live.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">My bus stop<br /></div></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKiq3iHfEWt6gyBGFRk30hH1GScFS5TH2w57iI61Qu3crl9gAks9DTqs8vkNI3YsZanSM5VgPWJb3B6AywBubaREr7g5oiIOM11bo7hgCaTjHQrF_iKc-2f_9yCS0fTXqN57aXteip-s/s1600-h/IMG_3502.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433379209265122034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKiq3iHfEWt6gyBGFRk30hH1GScFS5TH2w57iI61Qu3crl9gAks9DTqs8vkNI3YsZanSM5VgPWJb3B6AywBubaREr7g5oiIOM11bo7hgCaTjHQrF_iKc-2f_9yCS0fTXqN57aXteip-s/s400/IMG_3502.JPG" /></a><br />There are three shops found in Saint Hilaire du Touvet: a Pharmacie, a Boulangerie and a Tabac.<br /><br />There is a bus that travels down the mountain twice daily. I take this on a Friday to go to the university I study French at once a week. Being late for the bus at home and being late for the bus in Saint Hilaire du Touvet is very different. At home I can catch the next one that will usually take 15 or 20 minutes to come. In Saint Hilaire du Touvet I could pop across the road to the tabac, buy a packet of cigarettes and smoke the lot before the bus arrives.<br />I am always on time.Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-34088818064938034372010-01-23T13:35:00.000-08:002010-01-23T14:10:50.426-08:00Spot the turkey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDY3-wkaweSsyjMvL4Tn5UnoGcf10NZerBWQxTsrDuMCooC_sdI2U_RV1_BjbAG1z3uqzssQRDx4cHIqr0Z8rDa4uHkBdq_RemLxKU6SbFQSIDjQYDC0RJFSOZ8EhSEcLnOiwdXe_XBk/s1600-h/IMG_1673.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDY3-wkaweSsyjMvL4Tn5UnoGcf10NZerBWQxTsrDuMCooC_sdI2U_RV1_BjbAG1z3uqzssQRDx4cHIqr0Z8rDa4uHkBdq_RemLxKU6SbFQSIDjQYDC0RJFSOZ8EhSEcLnOiwdXe_XBk/s400/IMG_1673.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430058547416976946" border="0" /></a>Days before Christmas.<br /><br />Colder outside then inside our refrigerator; it made more sense to leave Charles (our 17 pound Tesco supermarket turkey) in the 'back-yard' of our Cotswold cottage before we were ready to cook.<span style="font-family:webdings;"> </span>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-60541896686022645072010-01-22T00:46:00.000-08:002010-01-22T20:25:29.205-08:00Bonjour!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipettnrAc3DklyI5Dyq0JHr6X-D6DLLn7MAAEfhp7mKFx3FqWc0kaegpdd0GV-FYxVCtlLxiJntBoC65htWFDBgLtTE230lhzsPoHIkTIVL0_hPro1hjCVqVolGo0jD7P0CqdW76j6cXU/s1600-h/IMG_2345.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429483137055743682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipettnrAc3DklyI5Dyq0JHr6X-D6DLLn7MAAEfhp7mKFx3FqWc0kaegpdd0GV-FYxVCtlLxiJntBoC65htWFDBgLtTE230lhzsPoHIkTIVL0_hPro1hjCVqVolGo0jD7P0CqdW76j6cXU/s400/IMG_2345.JPG" /></a><br />After disappearing for one month and yes... now strapped for cash!! I think it is time to continue my story telling and share my unplanned discoveries with you.<br /><br />Destinations travelled to (post Christmas):<br /><br />London<br />Amsterdam<br />St Goar, Germany<br />Lucerne, Switzerland<br />Innsbruck, Austria<br />Venice<br />Rome<br />Florence<br />Nice<br />Lyon<br />Paris<br /><br />Bullet points are rather simple and easy to understand, nevertheless they are incredibly boring so I will begin to upload some of my favourite photos and linked stories that I hope you enjoy.<br /><br />PS. Right now I am looking out into the courtyard of our Paris apartment in Le Marais. Our street (that we are live in) is lined with eclectic clothing boutiques, cafes and patisseries. It is magical. I love Paris.Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-64568260196047264802009-12-24T01:37:00.000-08:002009-12-24T03:40:46.418-08:00Christmas eve<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo61FrFytSq2AIi04k2lbQSb76d9KcwH4ukG4xFTg6HPU2yQ901Z7G3uvCZWm1QJu49jtcU1bragbe0Yov8KiDxREEbX9-lR8KkRzaYLLg3pf9Yg_v5sEczGhFRswmRj2k3K8r03Ryb-4/s1600-h/DSC00445.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo61FrFytSq2AIi04k2lbQSb76d9KcwH4ukG4xFTg6HPU2yQ901Z7G3uvCZWm1QJu49jtcU1bragbe0Yov8KiDxREEbX9-lR8KkRzaYLLg3pf9Yg_v5sEczGhFRswmRj2k3K8r03Ryb-4/s400/DSC00445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418746105754933266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lF5WQ2w6YsbMJ5BMl8g5EXwUwJI5JeJ3L0FTVy_NrfD8fe6mzyfhN2ZHfWdyxCUlnzS3GIytuX-n924mzag8LFKGl7tEEj2KUiln1chD35JJS3bIpaoPAB2lIRDN_OBP3fob2Q1DMWU/s1600-h/DSC00430.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lF5WQ2w6YsbMJ5BMl8g5EXwUwJI5JeJ3L0FTVy_NrfD8fe6mzyfhN2ZHfWdyxCUlnzS3GIytuX-n924mzag8LFKGl7tEEj2KUiln1chD35JJS3bIpaoPAB2lIRDN_OBP3fob2Q1DMWU/s400/DSC00430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418745296739116130" border="0" /></a><br />Jump forward a few weeks.<br /><br /><br />It is Christmas eve in the Cotswolds.<br />It snows.<br />I woke early and left our cottage.<br />I made my way through the snow to the main strip of shops.<br />The shops were closed.<br />I waited until the butcher's shop opened.<br />I bought the first local pheasant for the day.<br />The butcher told me how to cook it.<br />I waited until the New England Coffee shop opened.<br />I got a coffee.<br />I sit in the coffee shop waiting for my family to pick up my call on Skype.<br />It's ten to eight at night at home.<br />They must be sitting around the Christmas tree.<br />Eating, drinking, cooking, singing.<br />I miss them.<br /><br />There is a real buzz in the air.<br />Children dance in the street.<br />I dance in the street.<br />It's my first white Christmas.<br />I am so lucky.<br />Lucky to have my friends and my family at home.<br />Lucky to be here.<br />There is nothing else I want for Christmas.<br />I have everything.<br /><br /><br />Below is a collection of photos of some of my special people at home (besides Elly, she's with me, she's the one drinking on her hostel bed).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrryT87Xwnj-PcjcKbU7wbW6Td_uFG5oAJZddBoRIPrHcQPIpEVn6HEAoWhsZ-xePJpORsX2wf9egTsin4V8bZhOuy1C2n5QqnRsZd9lCM55VHuXefvqgC0-5dNL4dZMP7q_2ijp1Fc4M/s1600-h/IMG_0433.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrryT87Xwnj-PcjcKbU7wbW6Td_uFG5oAJZddBoRIPrHcQPIpEVn6HEAoWhsZ-xePJpORsX2wf9egTsin4V8bZhOuy1C2n5QqnRsZd9lCM55VHuXefvqgC0-5dNL4dZMP7q_2ijp1Fc4M/s400/IMG_0433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418751292249210930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7r8ir_cV8uSOskUeUeQwCQmklzjrrXXlw40HvMRmoX6iD2Q3ZKvB0oYreUKUNKRTj7OVhU1Vk-JZ-3wv2nMJlsyGBHHOBNl-AQ6_iRAYFgOyqNNMRiVjus6vR1bnyEKuctr48EG5AnY/s1600-h/IMG_0334.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7r8ir_cV8uSOskUeUeQwCQmklzjrrXXlw40HvMRmoX6iD2Q3ZKvB0oYreUKUNKRTj7OVhU1Vk-JZ-3wv2nMJlsyGBHHOBNl-AQ6_iRAYFgOyqNNMRiVjus6vR1bnyEKuctr48EG5AnY/s400/IMG_0334.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418759485012135650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxU7ewGKQPBdOPHsiZdouN-ZApM1j7itKFkV590XzHJJ5HJYjzHQ_vV39W4fsuQB1ENqYQRvWRvblyEciTxmtd-FMV6jlJhicWLOs3-xUvOCg_4c988gBxjA-da1s2VQAPH0iiyvzu6k/s1600-h/IMG_0082.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxU7ewGKQPBdOPHsiZdouN-ZApM1j7itKFkV590XzHJJ5HJYjzHQ_vV39W4fsuQB1ENqYQRvWRvblyEciTxmtd-FMV6jlJhicWLOs3-xUvOCg_4c988gBxjA-da1s2VQAPH0iiyvzu6k/s400/IMG_0082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418761670282827122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSv5JjbfywcLvRSozvHlswoIDcUzprm4PPS6yhi_rQ3idnZrjvLOkKRo-MyyIocu1v7CxDUfxLv4Ab13jt9Nw79oWFVOOaoZWRB37ddsfqTOz9dKzoJxGdNHDyt5YVelfvTOJoeBWKft0/s1600-h/IMG_0523.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSv5JjbfywcLvRSozvHlswoIDcUzprm4PPS6yhi_rQ3idnZrjvLOkKRo-MyyIocu1v7CxDUfxLv4Ab13jt9Nw79oWFVOOaoZWRB37ddsfqTOz9dKzoJxGdNHDyt5YVelfvTOJoeBWKft0/s400/IMG_0523.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418762977219984738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6fi3lcdwLDcV_sls2Y5iYetE2lF7NI3_FQAY2eNo0e-pud3tESYk6woybsVw78N0cwO0Vg8uob-zo4LuFTVitFDyEM47U973MARYi210iRuAj_RLNS0HxlqkwyV6qfYhD8GKCWDJetY/s1600-h/IMG_0405.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6fi3lcdwLDcV_sls2Y5iYetE2lF7NI3_FQAY2eNo0e-pud3tESYk6woybsVw78N0cwO0Vg8uob-zo4LuFTVitFDyEM47U973MARYi210iRuAj_RLNS0HxlqkwyV6qfYhD8GKCWDJetY/s400/IMG_0405.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418752673732713058" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwANlDnxLXkQqCpc3oGho4EfCgwz-8tmje7-n8iOJoDrT8stQGtdsljgzYMJVrwxLJUqeY5RsCIq3vwm9S8g_l1eS1Z33Ibf67XuvW0EBSyzlcncoBduSXW10zF6jx_SksxWIff6VkznI/s1600-h/_MG_3989.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwANlDnxLXkQqCpc3oGho4EfCgwz-8tmje7-n8iOJoDrT8stQGtdsljgzYMJVrwxLJUqeY5RsCIq3vwm9S8g_l1eS1Z33Ibf67XuvW0EBSyzlcncoBduSXW10zF6jx_SksxWIff6VkznI/s400/_MG_3989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418754586672110818" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykDUOqj1pKbqpmRWobJm8sKkQ8BzGJlyVmp9RSZhlLqJwzCIFl4Njj1nyJ8UZ-IXTR6vBM-N-0RqrVd1PZXTjbJ46pFAfn__9PTe1_zvZenB-SQv7SgwKgaLgswRokqS8_riXQ7xH4Zo/s1600-h/IMG_1367.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykDUOqj1pKbqpmRWobJm8sKkQ8BzGJlyVmp9RSZhlLqJwzCIFl4Njj1nyJ8UZ-IXTR6vBM-N-0RqrVd1PZXTjbJ46pFAfn__9PTe1_zvZenB-SQv7SgwKgaLgswRokqS8_riXQ7xH4Zo/s400/IMG_1367.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418757834761564962" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnf97k-J4hTqK1o4rPpDAMyrZZ0pWEdt8k_bJFzAH_cvquQbWaC5aWex9PxRmUtlBsNuBLwYY4iZopyG1cEPp7quoH_MXuNSiXWXcgel8gHDPiPOTogK-cuzVRVngSpQdVOfq6WqnewY/s1600-h/_MG_2508.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnf97k-J4hTqK1o4rPpDAMyrZZ0pWEdt8k_bJFzAH_cvquQbWaC5aWex9PxRmUtlBsNuBLwYY4iZopyG1cEPp7quoH_MXuNSiXWXcgel8gHDPiPOTogK-cuzVRVngSpQdVOfq6WqnewY/s400/_MG_2508.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418756033513569442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgO8jWh-XXCOYFVsG1mAe-qMjw6ZAQxbspar0uEzJoXq3EfizCDHS4OVTuDuCXYTeXi79LpHH_XZMXtta8H7nECQaBBUIKBOyrcz68G7JABmLXKUxTkb6YT3CHrWlPPmlqVBaGCrwzGMU/s1600-h/IMG_0400.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgO8jWh-XXCOYFVsG1mAe-qMjw6ZAQxbspar0uEzJoXq3EfizCDHS4OVTuDuCXYTeXi79LpHH_XZMXtta8H7nECQaBBUIKBOyrcz68G7JABmLXKUxTkb6YT3CHrWlPPmlqVBaGCrwzGMU/s400/IMG_0400.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418764057369771186" border="0" /></a>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-56460471001677113802009-12-23T09:35:00.001-08:002009-12-24T14:31:00.052-08:00The Cliffs of Moher<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjo9hLOtSGxTklbEAse7FkmhoScprxei2QZ61tdRu-p7SFBPg0lzm-WxQurmMfq2ke2QprUKgSm-uo30nfBQ3DHnHQK1U5IwYcYQLIc8MoRCPJNa8ZBk54prvF1HSyxoajv7-ArFXAO3o/s1600-h/IMG_1320.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418551868740337730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjo9hLOtSGxTklbEAse7FkmhoScprxei2QZ61tdRu-p7SFBPg0lzm-WxQurmMfq2ke2QprUKgSm-uo30nfBQ3DHnHQK1U5IwYcYQLIc8MoRCPJNa8ZBk54prvF1HSyxoajv7-ArFXAO3o/s400/IMG_1320.JPG" /></a><br />In my opinion the most beautiful times of the day are sunrise and sunset. We set off on a race to make the Cliffs of Moher before sunset. Taking twice as long as expected we thankfully arrived just in time.<br /><br />The day was blessed with perfection. All but my toes were merry. I stupidly left the hostel wearing only two pairs of socks, instead of the usual five pairs. We were standing 214 meters higher than the Atlantic ocean on the west coast of Ireland. I was quite concerned when a severe pain replaced all movement and feeling in my toes. On our way home I pondered that even if I lost one or a couple of toes on our race to the Cliffs of Moher at least their absence would trigger a beautiful day and a thrilling journey: 'toe/s lost winning a race to make the Cliffs of Moher before sunset'.<br /><br />Luckily after close examination they were just stunned, numb... completely stagnate -<br />not by the view but by the chill.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlEiCG6M7cVB9sxkD146BMDAFYsY_8utY-88Nz3_7N2AdhZksfFAsUOBGpQhY9z-Xu5MmXPBbWh275B2GJ7qgRj16jECtd5pnIt4Xezl_xqFrqJbmdW7sBp3U7ElXZ6UwwHfUS1EwKKg/s1600-h/IMG_1311.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418551557284082498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlEiCG6M7cVB9sxkD146BMDAFYsY_8utY-88Nz3_7N2AdhZksfFAsUOBGpQhY9z-Xu5MmXPBbWh275B2GJ7qgRj16jECtd5pnIt4Xezl_xqFrqJbmdW7sBp3U7ElXZ6UwwHfUS1EwKKg/s400/IMG_1311.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9QoTZy1h4oj0aAj0lquvSc4J_tuNGbgt005RURIgVmc7sQin-iEHcfJV12UHcD9sq2tMWNBh5_HU_B5H4Cez2lWmfKvSCLdNuiKKTGKIppPXm0JrorCy8-Xg8NtbH3Um0reIHxcmeQY/s1600-h/IMG_1321.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418552481929880050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9QoTZy1h4oj0aAj0lquvSc4J_tuNGbgt005RURIgVmc7sQin-iEHcfJV12UHcD9sq2tMWNBh5_HU_B5H4Cez2lWmfKvSCLdNuiKKTGKIppPXm0JrorCy8-Xg8NtbH3Um0reIHxcmeQY/s400/IMG_1321.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGhz0edI5xIzs3uaJJfbfD6ik1gG-gb5adkgzCuxpvYhr8Dap6KPcytDymkozkZeCzPx9LlnZPt9Zr_2TgJim7eDbjSDz9odlDAUmRCNJMQAenryETiTjHyTd5iapZjgkOYxSyl_Rblg/s1600-h/IMG_1330.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418553559646537058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGhz0edI5xIzs3uaJJfbfD6ik1gG-gb5adkgzCuxpvYhr8Dap6KPcytDymkozkZeCzPx9LlnZPt9Zr_2TgJim7eDbjSDz9odlDAUmRCNJMQAenryETiTjHyTd5iapZjgkOYxSyl_Rblg/s400/IMG_1330.JPG" /></a>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-26302186529661681332009-12-23T00:16:00.000-08:002009-12-23T13:53:01.888-08:00for mr. old roads<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyiEow6qPQvm4-WKoZxyERw6A0kFNWrfMFchXN9bo9vEuNtD2L2f_kwvNG8L78ZPly5aC6VgNk-7LYjTHCJcA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />Galway to the Cliffs of Moher.<br />A long windy road.Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-76223299518914743112009-12-22T16:06:00.000-08:002009-12-23T03:27:01.533-08:00back seat view<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgxAPuATeX1x70v2VAHFUqDXiTSvWyGTWt0E120RgCRDV9F20F4tuNZeNk3Vbwvursir2AiOkf5DqX4VfmEnGAp4vPiQAtmEPJ6W8GYvjcrAnTGgT0p6lnDs_VmSRuevzhFmqOZN7NFQ/s1600-h/IMG_1352.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418217498563528530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgxAPuATeX1x70v2VAHFUqDXiTSvWyGTWt0E120RgCRDV9F20F4tuNZeNk3Vbwvursir2AiOkf5DqX4VfmEnGAp4vPiQAtmEPJ6W8GYvjcrAnTGgT0p6lnDs_VmSRuevzhFmqOZN7NFQ/s400/IMG_1352.JPG" /></a>Squeeze and go.<br /><br />Besides being responsible for preparing lunch for the front seat passengers, travelling in the back seat of the car means I have more time to ponder and play with my camera. Here are a series of photos I took on our bumpy road trip to the Cliffs of Moher.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpiArQSq4jMnKGqOY8WtnS-_N1Obk_UOu0GEyAqhEr7dXRHjch1FwvGJLxLNPzyu_0vWi4OOxSj61iPznqYRPYQBAoxW2ggMc8IkCXzhrZ_aNTukkpkowJksvD6sdcsk8w1s7j6GFbe8/s1600-h/IMG_1289.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418218402121548546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpiArQSq4jMnKGqOY8WtnS-_N1Obk_UOu0GEyAqhEr7dXRHjch1FwvGJLxLNPzyu_0vWi4OOxSj61iPznqYRPYQBAoxW2ggMc8IkCXzhrZ_aNTukkpkowJksvD6sdcsk8w1s7j6GFbe8/s400/IMG_1289.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9ll00slgUtIrxgj_P8KgxkWWYZuP69YP8jQwxRMffW2lx_-GASDcn6EuiEVkdlsdpsE_9qlp1PnGnPQjUbDKYmfsVqtC0A-ljoiDv4mYmbkOFYGoEv7_EZpQkDXWn2F7TAEwXITBSdk/s1600-h/IMG_1293.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418220245113197234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9ll00slgUtIrxgj_P8KgxkWWYZuP69YP8jQwxRMffW2lx_-GASDcn6EuiEVkdlsdpsE_9qlp1PnGnPQjUbDKYmfsVqtC0A-ljoiDv4mYmbkOFYGoEv7_EZpQkDXWn2F7TAEwXITBSdk/s400/IMG_1293.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLji1J-GM_zdgJzClV-MsYFFmhGAjogZeYa9xMVAOouE96nUVw3zWZVRuhfExaK7ncEOd3rtBZsDzpc3lKtkpyrN-Dpmav148dQ2STfO1i4kw1DI0xBc-tFfK9dQLa0G7sjlZCgmKVNw/s1600-h/IMG_1299.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418222234070487794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLji1J-GM_zdgJzClV-MsYFFmhGAjogZeYa9xMVAOouE96nUVw3zWZVRuhfExaK7ncEOd3rtBZsDzpc3lKtkpyrN-Dpmav148dQ2STfO1i4kw1DI0xBc-tFfK9dQLa0G7sjlZCgmKVNw/s400/IMG_1299.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMabNXSxdJP1u2z1kiTJWdsw2Vafiq0Y5r01x7ngYhGf3EfaZc-3MqvhFIKgBbFlnObod-OiHrbnNO5ecWX5Pxl2xORSq43ebZrxx78YEF45Xs5hid-xBQJkzD-8sBmDSNODPsdcKbBQ/s1600-h/IMG_1295.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418221510044518306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMabNXSxdJP1u2z1kiTJWdsw2Vafiq0Y5r01x7ngYhGf3EfaZc-3MqvhFIKgBbFlnObod-OiHrbnNO5ecWX5Pxl2xORSq43ebZrxx78YEF45Xs5hid-xBQJkzD-8sBmDSNODPsdcKbBQ/s400/IMG_1295.JPG" /></a>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-75208484773652537232009-12-22T14:49:00.000-08:002009-12-23T03:26:13.766-08:00onion memories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0n4xh9t7up-5F9BsWFU93wb1tiU8M68yNwQrif0dN326tm-TZdEIOfR-_Iq5P3Ux1RjW03RWQ3e0UZlGsHYJV8LK4eUGq59VtmBkWZvSAAhGgKWueTfZTrMG2PCQ8O3vqUnl_4DrycUs/s1600-h/DSC00410.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418210285002715730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0n4xh9t7up-5F9BsWFU93wb1tiU8M68yNwQrif0dN326tm-TZdEIOfR-_Iq5P3Ux1RjW03RWQ3e0UZlGsHYJV8LK4eUGq59VtmBkWZvSAAhGgKWueTfZTrMG2PCQ8O3vqUnl_4DrycUs/s400/DSC00410.JPG" /></a>View from the top of Blarney Castle<br /><br />Despite being ill for most of our stay in Cork – I managed to (all on the same day) break my umbrella after impatiently trying to put it up, forget my camera battery at our hostel and spread my germs to a stone famously known as ‘Blarney’.<br /><br />The stone of course belongs to Blarney Castle, situated 7km from Cork City. The Castle is mainly famous for its stone, which has the power of conferring eloquence on all who kiss it. To kiss it, one has to lean backwards (grasping an iron railing) from the parapet walk. To ensure our safety there were two men sitting by the edge to assist in lowering us to kiss the Stone. They had to hold our bodies as we leant backwards over the edge of the Castle - sounds slightly romantic; sadly it <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">so</span> wasn’t. Unfortunately (even with a congested nasal passage) I could smell the onion lunch leftovers on the bloke's breath - the one who was responsible for lowering me to the stone. In fact, I can still smell his reeking onion breath when I reminisce on my experience of kissing Blarney Stone.<br />Aside from that unpleasant encounter, it was such a lovely Castle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHfZTyCCk_FyWrcO_g8ENZtyKBd6ovfjwvy2lLJp3uF5n52Kk7sNpBHpwjBse0_yhf-RdhIQTuLWx3p4uexMFq6m1deIcEP1kVygqJV08oBQkz8EoJMRszURPQ8IYDg4PKzvfcpnSY4I/s1600-h/DSC00403.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418202846834946818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHfZTyCCk_FyWrcO_g8ENZtyKBd6ovfjwvy2lLJp3uF5n52Kk7sNpBHpwjBse0_yhf-RdhIQTuLWx3p4uexMFq6m1deIcEP1kVygqJV08oBQkz8EoJMRszURPQ8IYDg4PKzvfcpnSY4I/s400/DSC00403.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4EH07yKfOzWJGcXGHwcfXf4c5Ots18t4GQFKopAYTNK1BOp8VjnyCu2Ozh0J9AGItMcTK99SHNmbQSXXdYCvQeui4cq_9nDdwMcJud4i3t2GyfB8ScEVSZRSQPKlW7xcy1hmu8kpOxQ/s1600-h/DSC00411.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418200832749638930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4EH07yKfOzWJGcXGHwcfXf4c5Ots18t4GQFKopAYTNK1BOp8VjnyCu2Ozh0J9AGItMcTK99SHNmbQSXXdYCvQeui4cq_9nDdwMcJud4i3t2GyfB8ScEVSZRSQPKlW7xcy1hmu8kpOxQ/s400/DSC00411.JPG" /></a>Inside Blarney CastleMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-70836829503768980692009-12-14T11:00:00.000-08:002009-12-22T14:40:14.378-08:00hostel happinessYou know you need to re-think your hygiene routine when… you find a hairball stuck inside your shirt. There is something more alarming when on closer inspection your little hairball surprise doesn’t match your own hair colour. I have red hair and the hair that I found was blonde.<br /><br />Oh, The joy of hostels…<br /><br />PS. I kindly navigated away from the ‘attach image’ option on this post.Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-45301665685376582002009-12-12T01:30:00.000-08:002009-12-12T14:47:27.318-08:00simply sepiaUn petit collection of photographs taken on an occasion out in Cambridge with friends. We sat, we laughed, we drank and then we left - we had had enough.<br /><br />To me, sepia setting captures and holds a feeling of warmth that the intrusive flash doesn't even notice.<br /><br />My philosophy in searching for the simplicity continues.<br /><br />'Truth is ever to be found in <em>simplicity</em>, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things'.<br />- Sir Isaac Newton.<br /><br />Like the satisfaction of making a cake from scratch, taking a photograph on film and riding a bicycle... there are no lies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEtXk-7M4RaBEByTJ_W0q7ez1ow4AZTPeNSaIxXUG0kDLQf81T2LarPCff6ZvekrTBMXexnKZpTZvpSHItsa-AORk9by1pK2_4-QbSwhNqiJyZok2OgCLQFBlasaP71wodUWD2cAG5jg/s1600-h/IMG_0845.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414291606620907266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEtXk-7M4RaBEByTJ_W0q7ez1ow4AZTPeNSaIxXUG0kDLQf81T2LarPCff6ZvekrTBMXexnKZpTZvpSHItsa-AORk9by1pK2_4-QbSwhNqiJyZok2OgCLQFBlasaP71wodUWD2cAG5jg/s400/IMG_0845.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMlCA3EPiBAgWJt_kVoNKgT9-SvLpB5GZ-wArtxDtb-5YF9-VbW4qNpemxr9MNvM9UHB-gngbwZ0YbhC9cKrViFwA9Fi9RnUKukKU7MSszH4Vu9UA8tLP53ISV2yKyZvgONUsuyjLATc/s1600-h/IMG_0847.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414291973034812498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMlCA3EPiBAgWJt_kVoNKgT9-SvLpB5GZ-wArtxDtb-5YF9-VbW4qNpemxr9MNvM9UHB-gngbwZ0YbhC9cKrViFwA9Fi9RnUKukKU7MSszH4Vu9UA8tLP53ISV2yKyZvgONUsuyjLATc/s400/IMG_0847.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtkW0nZ8HHrisY57rujise3UuKXmkfMCemHt6IdGrsgIwNC38jEh4u38mdbqv3wEPdHEAgQiakE7pacXEZYWv4w3MwvXh9Zq2MAU2704gzx12gmn4mishpo0BLE0d07M-MDW4yLPJRDE/s1600-h/IMG_0851.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414292271219583810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtkW0nZ8HHrisY57rujise3UuKXmkfMCemHt6IdGrsgIwNC38jEh4u38mdbqv3wEPdHEAgQiakE7pacXEZYWv4w3MwvXh9Zq2MAU2704gzx12gmn4mishpo0BLE0d07M-MDW4yLPJRDE/s400/IMG_0851.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkB1qIWBYIb3uEY6S4z6mSN1jLFBC3jFaKPSaQkFl7Rvc2dL1P6SPRsCm3uoOSwVbmo8L9HMlwoaBXlN7VRdi11zL9YAGU820Y3xWsbEZIwL3p7Gf_5_Rd4tLhJY2z_3YEXtz43WBKynw/s1600-h/IMG_0852.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414293546141484402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkB1qIWBYIb3uEY6S4z6mSN1jLFBC3jFaKPSaQkFl7Rvc2dL1P6SPRsCm3uoOSwVbmo8L9HMlwoaBXlN7VRdi11zL9YAGU820Y3xWsbEZIwL3p7Gf_5_Rd4tLhJY2z_3YEXtz43WBKynw/s400/IMG_0852.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0brgYj9OGsDfeYqqdmONzbAPdxJUtMNg2D8tvcAABHn5Nl6sTsjsJEi3g580K4HobeqGbGYj4j9iZHuyVNH6QCbNXJEO20JJ76lO53yGRxQtTcIrTKq7tlnG7QKznCinZp23Mzsbak3U/s1600-h/IMG_0855.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414301447897169858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0brgYj9OGsDfeYqqdmONzbAPdxJUtMNg2D8tvcAABHn5Nl6sTsjsJEi3g580K4HobeqGbGYj4j9iZHuyVNH6QCbNXJEO20JJ76lO53yGRxQtTcIrTKq7tlnG7QKznCinZp23Mzsbak3U/s400/IMG_0855.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMG7gcCK2sf53j-j-RFnaBbqMu9Eadpd8SeF3iSdMIlHFULODtzFWNJ3bcJXlrBBsz15Muta2kkr3nBygVmIUncMM6adUK0TWEfwtxl8I1T-HH0HsRO2nJH1XaLHjMT7v33hOpEwiyPs/s1600-h/IMG_0857.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414301959802895602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMG7gcCK2sf53j-j-RFnaBbqMu9Eadpd8SeF3iSdMIlHFULODtzFWNJ3bcJXlrBBsz15Muta2kkr3nBygVmIUncMM6adUK0TWEfwtxl8I1T-HH0HsRO2nJH1XaLHjMT7v33hOpEwiyPs/s400/IMG_0857.JPG" border="0" /></a>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-3156380393083336532009-12-09T16:41:00.000-08:002009-12-10T02:28:19.707-08:00Kilkenny to CorkHidden amongst our luggage in the back seat while Elly drives and Krissy helps 'Shaz' our sat nav, I decide to crack my moleskin sketch book. I find a lively photo I took of a strip of pubs in Kilkenny and try to illustrate it along our way to Cork. The roads were bumpy but I think if they were straight it wouldn't quite be an honest translation of Kilkenny. The town was full of suprises and unexpected sites full of colour and character.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oBzuclbA8_ii2tTwtXXqyJe1CrmdeydPrFWBdzEmLGz3bqAxe2LYYCttERovb14c3is6UJn3wlJ1pUptXodYOCEo0SCidWdEwtbFa91OvHFt7gYG4Kv-Zt1S2fOE4cRP1yFg_5HHCBw/s1600-h/IMG_1212.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413407282586453682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oBzuclbA8_ii2tTwtXXqyJe1CrmdeydPrFWBdzEmLGz3bqAxe2LYYCttERovb14c3is6UJn3wlJ1pUptXodYOCEo0SCidWdEwtbFa91OvHFt7gYG4Kv-Zt1S2fOE4cRP1yFg_5HHCBw/s400/IMG_1212.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kaRXdGkA76i3th8I-3-PjKaXEUTZ-nIEJMTmgEU40vxgpOLYk4hzguUortcqhc_3jtY5duU08wsVO5sDzAg7AaI9SS2KcyRRhfXYodSBa7mLnOR5KGKynjeKWQbngq54QdpWV4zqGmk/s1600-h/IMG_1243.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413409447859402226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kaRXdGkA76i3th8I-3-PjKaXEUTZ-nIEJMTmgEU40vxgpOLYk4hzguUortcqhc_3jtY5duU08wsVO5sDzAg7AaI9SS2KcyRRhfXYodSBa7mLnOR5KGKynjeKWQbngq54QdpWV4zqGmk/s400/IMG_1243.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89f7fuaSO4h8mHXGd32kelx0gY9BmhgkS3RosT4MsAlVP-7gVbUEnR_IVyp5kAb_yNPzGqtujGtgOhd1yGDO-e9lju4q_73yNEa-Crhsn_lJCgzSGCsYD0wI-63ipXcwhyphenhyphenFYHQJEQCjo/s1600-h/IMG_1239.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413409047728439058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89f7fuaSO4h8mHXGd32kelx0gY9BmhgkS3RosT4MsAlVP-7gVbUEnR_IVyp5kAb_yNPzGqtujGtgOhd1yGDO-e9lju4q_73yNEa-Crhsn_lJCgzSGCsYD0wI-63ipXcwhyphenhyphenFYHQJEQCjo/s400/IMG_1239.JPG" /></a>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-62843072552705813962009-12-09T15:37:00.000-08:002009-12-09T20:48:55.876-08:00Kilkenny Castle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwf7jXbBJydPJ-VC61RXutG9VR5lTWyAy4Kw-hQHkwVdIPMfvbj3VPnHpgt_Xpe45Bfc7IU2s1cs_8pIYny8hdH_54PlNgJ8cm24pyZL2jztOrubUs39mGLqaWZL4yE7PbJKM7QnvEUf4/s1600-h/IMG_1199.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413397436218435714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwf7jXbBJydPJ-VC61RXutG9VR5lTWyAy4Kw-hQHkwVdIPMfvbj3VPnHpgt_Xpe45Bfc7IU2s1cs_8pIYny8hdH_54PlNgJ8cm24pyZL2jztOrubUs39mGLqaWZL4yE7PbJKM7QnvEUf4/s400/IMG_1199.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg873UtmEFpqBnGAV_L-Ac6Ij0wOy-NUsBOpGEwKsIHg-jrJ-c4os0W23mVwmzAqcScrxYlG7sDmbc6DmuseX64TgbV_9nUICFe1BAxexkdLy2hEgR_aiOpCO7cjlfxz7I3lBorqoM_-_Q/s1600-h/IMG_1194.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413397914747048482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg873UtmEFpqBnGAV_L-Ac6Ij0wOy-NUsBOpGEwKsIHg-jrJ-c4os0W23mVwmzAqcScrxYlG7sDmbc6DmuseX64TgbV_9nUICFe1BAxexkdLy2hEgR_aiOpCO7cjlfxz7I3lBorqoM_-_Q/s400/IMG_1194.JPG" /></a><br />Kilkenny Castle would have to be one of my favourite attractions so far. It is situated on River Nore and dominates the 'High Town' of Kilkenny City. The Castle has existed for over eight centuries and has had numerous add-ons and restorations over the years. I totally wasn't supposed to take any photos inside, however I couldn't resist just one. Each room has been restored to mimic its original state and purpose. The furnishing and interior replicas were so impressive. Chartreuse linen and silk wallpaper, gold leaf skirting boards, love sofas and intricate tapestries that were framed and designed to protect the women's/mistress' made-up faces from melting away when they were sitting by the fire. The Castle was particularly beautiful when I visited as the entire interior was decorated with Christmas in mind.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUluldi4cAWRcN5Ya0J2AuUHlCLkEsiy9nq-c2oUqdEY2qWcNaTqB1-0H_WR1kwH2TUFard5kYTXFUkwjVPLbEEBFbR01vGVYAuRysrXWq130TGkg9li-INWfIZBMofWA2Cegig5S1Gg/s1600-h/IMG_1207.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413398414685692658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUluldi4cAWRcN5Ya0J2AuUHlCLkEsiy9nq-c2oUqdEY2qWcNaTqB1-0H_WR1kwH2TUFard5kYTXFUkwjVPLbEEBFbR01vGVYAuRysrXWq130TGkg9li-INWfIZBMofWA2Cegig5S1Gg/s400/IMG_1207.JPG" /></a>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-81330809123460279892009-12-09T15:14:00.000-08:002009-12-09T21:56:06.937-08:00Dublin: inside and outside<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdz6F8VZpkFQ80gJRf9T1h1-FiGoUax_EJAgnaC2oyFgj8MHv7hyIYN7ftnNLozM3BzYjCPXva-2S2jnfoIlG8gA66QM5ir7cBcpjKdUNkxt1MQN-8tg_d0FUTBgLlRuyaC3CpeEnRSU/s1600-h/IMG_1111.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413382968885924210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdz6F8VZpkFQ80gJRf9T1h1-FiGoUax_EJAgnaC2oyFgj8MHv7hyIYN7ftnNLozM3BzYjCPXva-2S2jnfoIlG8gA66QM5ir7cBcpjKdUNkxt1MQN-8tg_d0FUTBgLlRuyaC3CpeEnRSU/s400/IMG_1111.JPG" /></a>Inside:<br />View from my window sill. An attempt to keep my space homey as I travel.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4q6cqEdDH3M_RQJSj2OyF_Z74KHGUp_NK8gjhc8iuHytKnicv0TthYDcTy45KL3CV1WgnaZwm_p3cL6nxyJFM2jNTsDpOxMdBLrK6fK-FOLDMqkxBPkotdZn2jmVBzP66TVRqPam3E4/s1600-h/IMG_1119.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413383363476798450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4q6cqEdDH3M_RQJSj2OyF_Z74KHGUp_NK8gjhc8iuHytKnicv0TthYDcTy45KL3CV1WgnaZwm_p3cL6nxyJFM2jNTsDpOxMdBLrK6fK-FOLDMqkxBPkotdZn2jmVBzP66TVRqPam3E4/s400/IMG_1119.JPG" /></a>Outside:<br />The street stops as a baby is lifted by the sound of music and the joy of touchMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-43131722611209589832009-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:002009-12-09T09:46:42.801-08:00oh elly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxefZQ1dMAx2UKtRCMfjBI9Mea3SNfrW-vL9UO1j3rb8gPIZS-ba8XrDmnfDEnmkXvaYcZ1C8I2MdKs9tmXLCwcuiLXI0iV-Cf1r7TBj2mlZu3KX6XT-ZKYEP-mSr0cG3BOzYn4N5pLY/s1600-h/IMG_1033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxefZQ1dMAx2UKtRCMfjBI9Mea3SNfrW-vL9UO1j3rb8gPIZS-ba8XrDmnfDEnmkXvaYcZ1C8I2MdKs9tmXLCwcuiLXI0iV-Cf1r7TBj2mlZu3KX6XT-ZKYEP-mSr0cG3BOzYn4N5pLY/s400/IMG_1033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413293563323086562" border="0" /></a>I love this photo. Elly looks so worried. All I had was a common cold but Elly wasn’t going to take any risks. She whips out her surgical mask to avoid catching any germs.Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-54160662928435347582009-12-08T08:33:00.000-08:002009-12-09T21:57:05.113-08:00A walking tour<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09RC4zEzgFmL5ZUG42nRnA5dM8gkKjSscFJS7I5PEvEFfJIoGQwMuqPU4iKggDYQwUWnHJa7VfvHwBgIjGMtZ2oz2CjhT3y8IZCY3gQKTPWBNLY5EBJid2i-sCTa3m34ualcLio0iVlA/s1600-h/IMG_1131.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412914305242903490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09RC4zEzgFmL5ZUG42nRnA5dM8gkKjSscFJS7I5PEvEFfJIoGQwMuqPU4iKggDYQwUWnHJa7VfvHwBgIjGMtZ2oz2CjhT3y8IZCY3gQKTPWBNLY5EBJid2i-sCTa3m34ualcLio0iVlA/s400/IMG_1131.JPG" /></a><br />Day two of our stay in Dublin, Krissy and I decided to join a free walking tour. A young Irish boy and recent literature and history major graduate from Trinity University took us on a tour to visit Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, Temple Bar, Trinity University and numerous bridges. He was a very funny guy, extremely knowledgeable and he combined his knowledge and Irish jokes marvellously. We were in fits most of time as he continued to mock the landmarks and give the Irish a lot of flak for their inability to fight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnB0du2azPjorSUgzomllqqrhafwF6e995jKwd4O_06zJ347h5t6aU-OUvjjkPmvVBH6VCuILamrKJA1DkZEmxuBcVgIXGWwAQp2MtvPXhyphenhyphenidMGqyrY2V2Ao_l81JYX1YXfEi_Yn_3hIM/s1600-h/IMG_1164.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412913765641147426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnB0du2azPjorSUgzomllqqrhafwF6e995jKwd4O_06zJ347h5t6aU-OUvjjkPmvVBH6VCuILamrKJA1DkZEmxuBcVgIXGWwAQp2MtvPXhyphenhyphenidMGqyrY2V2Ao_l81JYX1YXfEi_Yn_3hIM/s400/IMG_1164.JPG" /></a>Trinity University<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1N67qqg2kirOPDaCWC-H4zqubGMlqWsfNKFAtVssdSg7XCwTLPo6fxygCeOSGCYO7KRYXKx5qfO88UOwANs90JFdfSsY4FT0RE8l4GBawuxa5U45DheaI_y_4Oj5WaWqQgjkiFBr2P-o/s1600-h/DSC01117.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412916022240801714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1N67qqg2kirOPDaCWC-H4zqubGMlqWsfNKFAtVssdSg7XCwTLPo6fxygCeOSGCYO7KRYXKx5qfO88UOwANs90JFdfSsY4FT0RE8l4GBawuxa5U45DheaI_y_4Oj5WaWqQgjkiFBr2P-o/s400/DSC01117.JPG" /></a>Elly and me, Grafton Street, DublinMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-60554489806418153462009-12-08T07:40:00.000-08:002009-12-09T04:49:25.940-08:00Dublin delightIt cost us 2 euros to use the shopping mall bathroom in Dublin. You would expect at least a free cake of soap for this cost or someone to personally dry your hands but you get nothing. My experience however was a delight. On the back of my cubicle door I found these words: 'Don't give up' written inside a heart - I had to take a photo. No matter how overused these words are I don't think they can ever get old and wrinkly. It is and will always be one of my favourite phrases. My experience seemed a worthwhile expense.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSSvYR1RnwfHhwWMBnQZDxts6RlmZuiR3kNcBLMungtAqQmc-K6gIKv1pvY4myiU8jVhwbBIw5on-hmExaa9_pKZKDwj7X8mDt5rl09MmzleM1BlQsD8H0z45iSzcDACs1vTbj2HBULk/s1600-h/IMG_1043.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412901794425112546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSSvYR1RnwfHhwWMBnQZDxts6RlmZuiR3kNcBLMungtAqQmc-K6gIKv1pvY4myiU8jVhwbBIw5on-hmExaa9_pKZKDwj7X8mDt5rl09MmzleM1BlQsD8H0z45iSzcDACs1vTbj2HBULk/s400/IMG_1043.JPG" /></a>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7994778502169004128.post-30829181734001756232009-12-07T16:48:00.000-08:002009-12-09T17:23:59.844-08:00Hello Dublin<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxkK5Du_pLJdP_tXKQvliTaUNneihJjwxkCQ7q9kXc6TjoluaYV5VgdUhtnNxTNrvVAa6-WlqvgNTkkBRopjg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Elly and I hung out in the bathroom on the ferry ride from Holyhead over to Dublin. Dublin was a scream! The first Irish man we met was walking past us as we were attempting to reverse park into an awkward spot and offered to park it for us! Of course we said yes - it seemed almost impossible to refuse - his honesty and smile won us over. Naive travellers maybe, but he was a pure reflection of what the Irish are like in character. I was sure I had no family in Ireland but it almost felt like I did. Our local butcher gave us a free bottle of balsamic vinegar (which was a display product only) to marinate our chicken breast that we had bought from him on special! It was just story after story in Dublin.<br /><br />The musicians in the group above were busking through Grafton Street (main shopping strip). We managed to understand where they were playing the next night and so on day two we went to this fantastic pub where 'Mutefish' were playing. They were amazing - everything I imagined to hear and see in Ireland. I danced as Irish as I could and drank Guinness until the morning. I woke up thinking I might pick up the flute. What fun we had in Dublin.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEh_hjvdI2qsrOXG1JNvn1IWKVN_kOBmhTfu4DrEUujpA15yHNGAitrSve6UIct-ucxUVONdb23oC_nasB7CAJtZFh0CI6aRVmEk-hZiLsYgiV0fJDKgQTtEAxddQWJRlJQpW5xsj2xE/s1600-h/IMG_1098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px; display: block; height: 300px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412690572424884386" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEh_hjvdI2qsrOXG1JNvn1IWKVN_kOBmhTfu4DrEUujpA15yHNGAitrSve6UIct-ucxUVONdb23oC_nasB7CAJtZFh0CI6aRVmEk-hZiLsYgiV0fJDKgQTtEAxddQWJRlJQpW5xsj2xE/s400/IMG_1098.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.myspace.com/nonstopmutefishdance"> www.myspace.com/nonstopmutefishdance</a>Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07658057948987625728noreply@blogger.com0