hi

Good evening



http://pure-lips.com/muscle.php?ride=c194hyfxms1uc0



sheryl

Chunnel

How was your crossing? How was Paris & how is London? Berthine

Rugby Masters

on the topic of Masters & Rugby, (not sure what MVP means though :)
but glad that Keith Simento takes it out every time :) ) Tim was it a
bit like this?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehudFbI7NvM
:)
Berthine

jean -Luc

hello Warren - I sent you an email yesterday to the other email address you gave us - No response so I am not sure if you have managed to read it or not but it relates to tomorrow and Jean - Luc
Regards
Howard
Sent from my iPad

Rome

It was surprising how much better Rome was than Athens. At the time I thought that Athens was an amazing city because it was so different to Auckland, but Rome was just so much cleaner and the buildings were still intact. All the buildings were made of a cream brownish brick which looked so awesome if your looking down a street. The roads in Rome are different to Auckland's - they are made of small square cobblestones rather than asphalt. There are also a lot of one way streets so a lot of the time you don't even have to remember that the cars drive on the other side of the road.

On the first night in Rome we went to see the colosseum, Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps. It was amazing to actually see them in person after seeing so many photos of them before the trip. The Trevi fountain was definitely one of my favourite things we've seen in Rome. Over the next few days we saw a lot of churches which were all similar in some ways but each one was unique. My favorites were probably St. Peter's basilica, the Sistine chapel and St. John Lateran. They were all really impressive as a lot of them had magnificent gold decorations all over the ceilings and some had huge paintings and sculptures everywhere. 

Seeing the Roman Forum was definitely a highlight. I got to see the arch I built in third form for my Latin project which was really cool. Like some of the places we visited in Athens, the forum was a place where it was easy to really appreciate the history of it. That afternoon, I finally dragged Mr Buckingham out on a run which was actually a really cool experience even though we were both a bit tired. We ran past the colosseum and the Circus Maximus and then back along the Tiber. It was amazing to see everything again a second time - I've found that running is a great way to see a city.

The food in Rome has been really good. Besides breakfast, most of what I had to eat has been pizza and nectarines. The pizza is fantastic here, there is no way to describe it other than the best pizza I've  ever eaten. I have also tried lasagne and some spaghetti carbonara which were amazing as well.

We went to two ancient cities during our time based in Rome which were both better than the ones we saw in Greece. In Ostia, everything was made of brick and broken down quite a lot so it was mostly just the thick brick walls of old houses that were still standing. It was a really cool place to just run around and climb or jump over walls. Pompeii was by far the most amazing ancient city we've been to. It was surprising how well preserved everything was, it was possibly in the best condition out of all the other ancient cities. It was a bit sad to think of the people who died there, especially because it was so easy to visualise it as an actual populated city. 

Our time in Rome has been absolutely incredible, but now we have said goodbye and are on the train to Florence.

Andy Stewart 

We are currently on the train to Venice, so I suppose this is pretty much goodbye to Italy for now. It's been awesome here and I will miss it. First we stopped in Rome, which has some of the greatest aspects of human history but more importantly marked the start of my gelato experience. Much time has been spent in both Rome and Florence finding the place which has the biggest scoops for the lowest price and there has not been a day without it.

On a more serious note, the sights we've seen since I last posted have been spectacular, in particular the four major basilicas, and especially St. Peter's, if only because of its sheer size and magnificence. Pompeii, Pisa, and Portica Ostia were all awesome locations as well (I found my 3rd form mosaic) and it is great to see all the places I only half-remember from when I was five. After Rome and the sheer density of monuments and galleries and churches, Florence, despite having no small number of sights itself, was almost a bit of a respite. Looking forward to Venice and then Beaucaire, but I'm sure that I will remember Italy the best.

A topic that hasn't been mentioned as much as it should have, is how great Mr Simento is. Sorry, I mean Sir Simento. Wait, no, I of  course mean Saint Simento. He has been an inspiration to the whole group with his life skills and demeanour. This has of course lead to Saint Simento winning the teacher's MVP competition everyday. He has showed his MVP-ness throughout the whole tour so far. (Paid for by the 'Ben Skeen for Kieth Simento as MVP' foundation)

 

George (with the appraisal by Tim)

Thoughts from places

Venice was definitely the place I had been looking forward to the most as the trip has been going along and it both exceeded my expectations and didn't live up to them in different parts. The first thing that took me by surprise was how filthy the water was, and I realised how silly my  hope to jump in a canal to escape from the heat was. The second was the size and frequency of the canals, of which I had thought would be as numerous as our roads and much bigger, but I really liked the flow of the city nonetheless, with canals combining with little paths through the layers built upon layers of housing, to create a sprawling maze that was lovely to wander through. 

I've decided if I ever become a rich multimillionaire Venice is the place I'm going to go, buy myself one of the mansions across the grand canal and host masquerade parties all night long. And a super yacht. Can't forget that. But seriously, the opulence of some people in Venice was jaw dropping, and it was mirrored in the prices in the shops. Highest price for an individual item was a $100000 gold necklace, but I thought it was a bit outside my price range sorry mum. Even their church screamed wealth, with almost the entire roof covered in gold mosaic because the architects had too much that they didn't know what to do with it.

Atm we are enjoying the lovely weather of beaucaire while swimming as much as we can and are leaving for Paris tomorrow. 

-Hamish 

Florence and Venice 

Florence was a really cool city. It was sort of like Rome, but felt a lot smaller and a newer. All the buildings are in the same medieval style which looked amazing from the viewpoint we went to in fiesole. One of the highlights of Florence is definitely il duomo because it is such an impressive building and Brunelleschi's dome is absolutely incredible. I also really liked seeing the leaning tower of Pisa, and doing that silly pose in front of it. The gelato in Pisa was probably the best I've had so far, so a few of us ended up getting a second cone.

There were a lot of stalls selling things made out of leather along some of the streets where we could exercise our amazing bartering skills. I got €3 off a wallet, but the best deal was when four of us bought bags and the guy eventually gave up and went down to our price. Another fantastic bartering win was in Venice were Tim and I both bought something for €2.99 and I was really stubborn about getting my 1 cent change. The lady at the stall gave us 5 cents change, and told us she hated New Zealanders. The problem on how to split the 5 cents between the two of us.

Venice was definitely one of my favourite places on the trip so far. I really liked that there were no cars at all and all the canals looked so cool. The best part was probably the view from the Rialto bridge down the main canal or the "bus" ride through the main canal back to the ferrovia. Venice was just as I expected it to be, lots of canals everywhere with buildings right on the water's edge.

Beaucaire as been like a holiday in a holiday. We've had late starts to the day and are always back at the hotel by 5 for a swim (or run). We hardly have to do any walking at all anymore because we drive everywhere in the vans. By the way, Mr Skeen is the most responsible driver I've ever seen.  The dinners have been really cool so far. We've had snails on two occasions: the first in garlic butter and the second in a stew. 

-Andy

Delicate delicacies

The food on this trip has never really driven us out of our comfort zone, until now. 

In Greece the food consisted mostly of breads and salads, with the odd kebab; not really much different from home, although the variety of breads available is certainly a lot larger than Baker's Delight's. In Rome, it's not really hard to guess that it was the classic pizza and pasta, with many of us having pizza at least once a day. Florence was surprising in that it wasn't so typically Italian, many of us had kebabs or salads. Venice was much the same.

And then we hit France. The first night was fairly mediocre, with steak and salad, but that was all to change on the following nights. The next night the cutlery laid out consisted of a weird contraption, which we thought could only be for snails, to which John firmly stated, "If they serve snail, I'm getting up and walking out of the country." Clearly, he was not exactly in his comfort zone. The inevitable dish was brought out, and after some psyching up, we actually found it to be quite tasty. 

The following night we had snail again (following the thunderstorm, I'm sure no one has mentioned it yet!). This time they were significantly larger, but although flavoured differently, were still amazing. For the penultimate dinner, we were met with a supposedly exquisite selection of seafood which was certainly unexpected for many. As a leaving treat, they baked us a sort of pavlova log, which had cream on the outside, and icecream in the middle.

It certainly has been adventure!

Fred

So Far So Good

After coming from my two favourite places so far, Florence and Venice , we head our way to southern France, Beaucaire.

On the first night in Beaucaire we see the running of the bulls at the annual festival. It was a mind blowing experience. A few of us were up and close to the bulls whilst they ran full speed right next to us. On the second morning of Beaucaire, we head to the famous bridge, the Pont du Gard. After looking at the famous bridge from a series of angles we finally get to swim in the river. On the second to last night, we go back into town to experience the end of the festival. It is tradition to hold an annual fireworks show. To be honest, I was not looking forward to it, but my opinions changed halfway through. They were the best fireworks I have seen. 

We have experienced new cultural delicacies, such as snails and hare. Each night we have had a different assortment of foods; such as, bull, snails, a weird seafood platter and the occasional quail. 

Beaucaire definitely trumps Rome and Greece, and is also up there on my top 3 list. 

See you soon, 

Darcy

Appreciate It

Beaucaire has by far been my highlight of the trip. It was much more than I saw it to be. On the first night we saw the running of the bulls through the streets of Beaucaire, and then ate Bull for dinner.

The second day of Beaucaire bought the elaborate Pont du Gard to our attention where we went swimming in the river and jumped off rock faces before the Police told us very kindly to get down. 

Dinners each night have been an excitement. We have had snails twice now, one being garlicky the other being tomatoey, and an assortment of of meats, fish and poultry. Including quail, 2 year old bull and squid. 

I have used the pool at every opportunity given and worked up a nice tan, apart from the large areas of my body which is burnt. Some of my fellow tourers have got a nice burn, including Hamish, who's whole body seems burnt, however burn and tan are the same thing. 

Daniel

A Story About Fish

The rooms at Beaucaire are a nice change to those on the train, the weather has been delightful, apart from the huge thunderstorm on Sunday. 

The running of the bulls on Friday was awesome and a bit of an adrenaline rush.

Although Beaucaire is small, it certainly has some serious landmarks, the Pont du Gard on Saturday was incredible, and the water was amazing. Popped some fat mangeres until the popo arrived.

It will be a sad sight to see Beaucaire go, it is definitely my favourite alongside Florence.

Goodbye for now,

Mitchell.

Merci

As expected the south of France is quite stunning, after hearing many a story and seeing many a picture of vast countryside the real thing does not disappoint. Rather similar to New Zealand really with the long country roads and the green environment. Tucked away here are places like the Pont Du Gard, an early Roman aqueduct asserting it's magnificence across the river Gard with huge columns curving to support the weight of the water way atop it. No doubt it is the second most brilliant part of this tour so far. First goes to St. Peter's basilica and the five euros well spent to climb the five hundred odd stairs to get to the top of the dome and gaze out in every direction from the Vatican all across Italy. 

But back to France.. We leave for Paris which will be amazing but this well needed relaxation time in Beaucaire will certainly be missed. For those who might understand our frustrations otherwise, many frisbees have been thrown, as in, free time is equivalent to a mixture of lay out practice into the pool, sky box and throws. We are warming up to once again take the title in the current indoor league. The fête of Beaucaire has also been taking place during our stay including a bull run and an immense firework display. We may or may not have almost been trampled by the hundred bulls. 

Moving back into a hostel is going to be hard after living in the luxury of 3/4 to a room with your on toilet which is separate to the shower/sink. Also to miss will be the huge and reliable not super, but hypermarket and of course the dinner. Digesting at the moment in my stomach is ice cream and meringue cake. It is currently eleven thirteen and I should probably start packing...

Au Revoir

Tristan.

Goodbye to Beaucaire

This morning we end our relaxing stay in southern France and head for the French capital. Days here have been rather empty compared to the packed days in Greece and Italy. Since breakfast has been at 8:30, we can enjoy relative sleep-ins. Getting back to the hotel around 5:00, many jump into the pool to cool off after a hot day.

Something which has been quite interesting here is the three course restaurant dinners. On our first night dessert was simply a packaged ice cream cone. We have had snails twice. The plate of seafood on Monday night we had was disappointing due to the lack of flavours. Tuesday's dinner was much better with pasta and dessert, a Norwegian omelette, being very tasty. One of the best things for me about dinners has been having fresh greens for the first time since leaving New Zealand.

I am looking forward greatly to Paris. Days will become busier which may be a good thing as I miss these sorts of days and Paris is a whole new city to experience.

Dillan

The story so far

So we're hitting the road to Paris, and we've done and seen some awesome stuff. We saw lots of churches in Rome, some of us bought blades in Florence, climbed a building to find a shortcut in Venice and ate a lot of snails in Beaucaire. With 9 nights left to go, and the tour winding to a close, it weird to think how long we've been on this thing, and how much stuff we've done. Two and a half weeks ago we were being ordered to hate and ignore gypsies, and watching a junkie spas out in Athens. London and Paris to go, bring on the berets and skinheads. 

Haven't blogged in awhile but we are off to Paris tomorrow from Avignon via a four hour train ride. Beaucaire has been the most relaxed place we've stayed in, especially because the masters hired vans to drive us around in. The temperatures here are similar to previous places but there is noticeably more wind which is pleasant. The largest, loudest and brightest thunder storm I have ever seen occurred last night. It was totally awesome. The pool is super awesome here as well.

Luke

Venice and our Epic Adventures across Southern France

Last day in Beaucaire and we're all forced to blog so here's mine.
Venice was a spectacular place; so many canals and on a lovely day, it makes the experience a lot better. We were split up in groups and told to find the Rialto Bridge. Some of us got sidetracked and went to buy souvenirs instead.
The 'Most Expensive Item in the Square' game was pretty fun. Luke eventually won that with a 100.000,00€ gold necklace. On the way off the boat we managed to lose the nut of the wheelchair again, but some Good Samaritan found one in a construction site nearby which was the exactly perfect size for the chair. Bless his Soul.
The train to Dijon wasn't as cramped as I thought it would be. We ended up playing Shnaps (a game where you guess which famous person is stuck to your forehead). Apparently we transited through Schweiz which was nice.
We had a lovely morning walk in Dijon (because we can) and finally got a French pain au chocolat.
The town of Beaucaire seemed to be really clean, in stark contrast to Naples.
Our hotel is even better, since they actually served us snails (which didn't taste bad at all).
The dinner, in the past few days, were really awesome and they served up a few specialities from the region.
We found out that there was a fair in Beaucaire so later the first evening we walked along the French roads to Champs des Foires and checked out the fair. It involved many people trying to grab onto the tails of bulls which were running past. Yesterday, we went to see the fireworks after dinner and they were much better than anything I've seen in NZ (and it was difficult trying to hold up an iPod for 13 minutes…)
A couple of highlights on the minivan trips was the tale of Tim's chair, the fact that we got lost in Avignon, the wait in Arles we endured before everyone else miraculously found us at the amphitheatre jumping up and down between a few cars. Others include Mr Skeen's and Mr Simento's vans blasting music, and pretty much everyone was sleeping on the way back from a certain place.
One day we had a massive thunderstorm and everyone was talking about it. That was probably the first time the Weather Channel was ever correct up to 1 hour.
We went to the Pont du Gard and had a great swim in the river. Some of us got told off for jumping from the cliff face into the river. Others were trowing stones and seeing how far it would bounce. Others didn't participate in any of the festivities of the river.
Nîmes was a pretty nice town, much like Beaucaire.
I especially liked the castles of Beaucaire and Tarascon. It seemed weird that the two towns both had mythical monsters from the same river. Maybe they're friends I don't know. The two towns are just 1km away from each other, this denoted on road signs 'Beaucaire - Tarascon'.
Carrefour was absolutely brilliant. So many bargains; I could literally spend the whole day trying to find and get the best deal. I mean, how could you turn down a Smart Cover for 10€?!
Today's excursion to Orange (no not the fruit there are too many) involved Henry and Mr B singing down near the orchestra pit and people clapping for them (because we wanted to observe the 'acoustics' of a Roman theatre).
Free time was from 2:45pm onwards, the earliest so far in the trip. Leisure activities included spectating table tennis matches, playing table tennis, cannonballing into the pool, amongst other more sophisticated activities such as diary writing and reading The Great Gatsby in French.

A bientôt

Jason Xu

Photos #2

P.S. Irish hops are awesome.

Clickity Clack, Clackity Click

After a very fast-paced Rome, Florence and Venice, and an interesting train ride, here we are in Beaucaire. Spending three hours in the cool pool in the 33 degree heat is very nice indeed, although I miss the action-packed days of Rome and Florence.

Rather than fill this space with text, how about I fill it with things that tell 1000 words?

(This could be a dud post, as the photos may not upload, but fingers crossed!)

Fred

Matt Wylie update

Matt

I know you are extremely busy. Perhaps you could just fill out this quick survey. Please tick where appropriate

1.       I am alive……..(go to Question2)      I am Dead…….(end of survey)

2.       I am washing ………                                 I am not washing………

3.       I am eating heaps…….                          I am not eating ………..

4.       I am having a great time…….              I am bored……….

5.       I am missing home………                      I have a home??..........

6.       I have enough money…….                   Send more money ………

 

Thank you for your time.

 

Blogging at Gunpoint

So we finally made it to the south of France. It's hot here. It's hot everywhere, but that's okay, the masses of sun burn have made some pretty masterpiece-esque singlet tans, cough cough Lewis. We've basically spent the entire time screeching through France in minivans driven by a crazy person, an MVP/saint and a Latin Teacher. Needless to say we've only mounted the kerb about 3 or 4 times. Karate-oke should be an Olympic sport, we'd get gold every time. 

Italy etc was cool. Aside from watching the hilarity that is the rowers buying weapon after weapon following their Arabic gown purchases, the whole place is just really really cool. Lots of great food, even though we hear a "I got ripped" story almost every day. 

Life is pretty good here, it's almost a shame we only have another two weeks or so here. I could do with a few more garlic snails and more sun time I think. 

Henry, Chris, Lewis and John

Money makes the world go round

During the course of our travels we have been entertained by the many different attempts used by people to get money.

Some have played music, sung or danced in order that they may earn some dough. Others have dressed up in funny costumes or done weird things to attract tourists' money. One guy was dresses in a full gold-coloured sheet thingy with an Egyptian mask. Another was somehow levitating in the air, sitting with legs crossed, holding only onto a pole. These are the more interesting types.

Another group is the people walking around without a true stall trying to sell junk. Rose sellers try to earn sympathy by claiming the money is for their baby and point to the lump around their stomach which is probably just some form of padding (Bucko said that they are professionals and would do this) In our first night in Rome, wherever we went, we were met by people shining green lasers on the ground and on faraway buildings. These are interesting the first few times but become extremely annoying. Cold water and postcards are also sold by people. On one occasion, in the Vatican queue, some of us made fun of these people. Hamish pointed out that the guy only showed 15 postcards when he was selling 20. To the guy saying "water for one euro" Chris said "I give you water, you give me euro." Those things which you throw against the groud and they reform again (such as that thrown by Finn Lloyd on the first tour onto the roof of the hostel in Rome (and is still there)) are also sold by people looking depressed as they constantly throw them down repeatedly.

The last group is the people just plain begging. These were more common in Rome. Some have disabilities or deformities and try to earn sympathy for this.  Others wait outside main tourist sites, like some of the churches, or train stations and hold their hat or cup up.

In New Zealand I have seen buskers but none of the other types mentioned above. I know beggars are present due to the discussion about them in the media before we left. I do feel sorry for some of them and it is sad to see the extreme opulence in churches and then someone outside begging. 

Enough of depressing talk, now we are in Beaucaire enjoying the sun and the pool and plenty of relaxation time.

Dillan

Thunder and Lightning very, very Frightening

Some people might be saying where are Tim’s blogs? Why is he not communicating with us? Well I’ll tell you why, this administration is corrupt beyond measure. The pompous bureaucrats sitting at the back of the train, playing meaningless games, are unwilling to step up to their duty and admit to their faults. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though, it was probably just an accident with no malicious intent and my previous entries may surface eventually.

Anyway Rome was hard to describe; stunning is too easy, ancient is too meaningless, pensive is too Lewis. I believe the best way to describe Rome is through its drain covers which have the letters SPQR meaning in Latin, the Roman Senate and People. It can be hard to comprehend for some people just what that means, especially what it means to me. To have a city integrated with buildings of ancient legends is just the greatest thing I would want. Rome is magical in most ways and has charmed me like most other cities have not.

If I had just one opportunity to see something again in Rome, I would go see the Sistine Chapel again. Words can’t explain what I felt when I entered and saw the unbelievable art covering the wall and roof. In a way it was like having a Baroque style church except instead of statues there is just masterpieces of art everywhere I looked. It was the single greatest piece of art I have ever seen.

Just to finish I’ll tell you about a more surreal moment that happened to me yesterday. So we were at Pompeii and in an attempt to save time, Mr Skeen and I left early to try get to the train on time. Unfortunately there were no signs pointing the way to the train station so we took a wrong turn. Thence the surreal moment ensued where I had Mr Ben Skeen, International Rugby Referee and teacher, pushing me at full speed through an Italian town, in a wheelchair, on the opposite side of the world from my home, people looking at us and going along the side of the road as if we were a car, but all I know is that I appreciate it.

Tim Meyer-Smith

p.s. There was thunder while we were at the Vatican

These are my top 10 favourite places so far:

1.       Sistine Chapel

2.       Trevi Fountain

3.       Delphi

4.       Santa Maria della Vittoria

4.       St John Lateran

6.       Pantheon

7.       Saint Paul’s without Walls

8.       St Peter’s Basilica

9.       Raphael Rooms

10.   Forum Romanum

 

Afterthoughts, before thoughts, and inbetweenthoughts

Your brilliant blogs have me really reminiscing of that time long ago when I, as a young boy, went on a Western Heritage Tour.

I do wonder how you managed to survive the heinous heat which would have evilly encapsulated you along the stop-start train that is Mr Buckinghams Roman Church Tour.
Our tour surely struggled to commendably cope, our barraged brains eventually gave up even consciously complaining about the tyrannical temperature.

I'm not sure if any of you made the (brilliant) decision of climbing up Il Duomo (Tim I do understand if your participation is lacking in this particular activity), but if you did, I would like to express that I successfully took photos for EIGHT random different persons/parties (and might I add, with their cameras as well as their consent) ((the latter is debatable)) once at the top.

Ok well continue to have a brilliant time. Or begin to, if you haven't been already. Breaking out the old 175g might help with this.

P.S.
Tim and Tristan, if you somehow neglect so see the Lion King show in London while having the opportunity, DO NOT BOTHER COMING HOME.

P.P.S.
If you are on the Tour, reading this blog and know that Tim and Tristan have not seen this message, please tell them to.

P.P.P.S
Dftba


Regards,
Loosh

J. Chaffey Blog 3

Today we leave Rome and head to Florence and as soon as we arrive we get straight to it and jump on a train to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and pose like every other tourist. We spent a long time Rome compared to the other cities we will see. However, Rome definitely deserved all the time we spent in it and there was never a dull moment from walking around the Colosseum to gazing upwards at the work of Michelangelo in St Peter’s Basilica. Thankfully Rome is in much better condition than Greece and there are fewer stray dogs and not as much rubbish or graffiti and the trains are so much better than anything like home. Yesterday we saw Pompeii and that was mind blowing because I had read and heard so much about it that it was fascinating to see it for once in real life, even if the plaster casts of the dead bodies were rather depressing. A similar place to Pompeii was Ostia which was an old town that was situated on the mouth of the Tiber and we ended up playing “accumulative” tiggy which made the ruins that much more fun to explore as you were frantically searching for a spot to hide or trying to evade our fellow players.  On Friday we walked to the Vatican and spent the day exploring the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica, what made the day that much more interesting is that we were free to explore by ourselves by about 2 30 which meant we got to explore St Peter’s in our own time. Because  of this luxury a few of us decided to pay the 5 euros to walk to the top of the dome and look down upon the people within and then look out over the whole of Rome. The night was topped off by finding a cheap and tasty restaurant whose chef looked like he could have been from the mob and so we nick-named him Fat Tony, his pasta was simply to die for. Just like Greece I don’t think I could ever live here but I would like to return to see it all again but I certainty would not be able to do it at the pace we have, to do what we have done in a mere 6 days is nothing short of a miracle with a few close calls on timing. Just before I go I must admit being able to use a washing machine to do all my washing at once was so good and for only 2 euros to wash and dry (we split it between 4 of us) it made everything smell nice and meant I had more time to explore Rome and so was 2 euros well spent!