Roma

A day as a Roman, no one waving palm fronds, but with the good food and killer granita life is quite decadent.

oeufs au chocolat

I still haven't worked out why bunnies have chocolate eggs... the good thing is that I no longer have to worry, because in France it isn't the bunny that brings them, it's the bell. Go figure, so much simpler...

Either way, unleash the kids! There's chocolate to be eaten.  There are also goodies for the more observant, we had our own hunting to do. Morilles, the easter egg hunt, Jura style ;) yummy.

Spot the movie scene?

la plage

One forgets that there is a beach not so far from the sandstone jungle that is Paris. If one believes in evolution, then it must be a very young beach, the sand is still forming, right now the grains are still 5 centimetres. I guess it eliminates the problem of getting sand in your jocks.

The cliffs around Etretat are pretty cool though, looks like a fun place to go kayaking.

Strolling on top made me think about the Cliffs of Moher, although nothing really similar not even a puffin. Cool place to be a gull though.

The only problem about living in Paris and going to the beach, is getting back to Paris. Here's a plan for the highway authorities (SAPN), open a few more lanes so it doesn't take so bloody long to pay your toll!

sprung

Aaahhh Giulietta

Last time I said mostly right. I'm upgrading it. About the only thing to get used to in the Giulietta is the big B column, but then most new cars need to hide their airbags somewhere, as if one no longer needs to check one's blind spot in this modern age of safety.

Then there's Blue&Me. Its voice recognition has dialed Brazil, Chile, Singapore and the UK, all in an effort to dial down the road. Somehow I don't think I can blame Alfa though. I suspect that my pronunciation, and its phonetical interpretation, of French names may have something to do with it. Thank god I didn't get the GPS, imagine trying to pilot that around France by voice.

Alfa's ad campaign uses a quote from Act IV of Shakespear's Tempest, ironically the car is rather zen inside (albeit one could imagine some upheaval in the cylinders). So much so, I can see myself getting zapped by a radar one of these days. I can see the conversation, "but officer, we are such stuff as dreams are made on...". 

"Name?"

"Prospero", and so yet another dime is raised in the name of road safety, and Prospero loses two points.

What the the ad doesn't say is that driving the Giulietta makes you feel like following another of Prospero's quotes:

"Hey, mountain, hey!". 

Paris needs a good mountain road, bring on Camps Bay road, De Waal drive and ooooh, Rhodes drive. Ok, so I'm not taking on Africa to get there... I think the Alps need visiting.

OOOooooohhhh

She came into our world on Friday 25 March at 18h35, weighing 1320 kg and is 4,35 m tall. We're already quite fond of little Giulietta.

Up until now, there are quite a few rants about Paris traffic and drivers in this blog. I suspect nothing will change in Paris, but at least I will be happier to just sit there. The new Alfa Giulietta achieves, what I think is the essence of Alfas; it is just such a nice place to be.

Alfa have gotten it mostly right with this completely new Giulietta, which incidentally is also the model released to celebrate the centenary year of Alfa Romeo. I'm not the only one to think so, The Car of the Year jury also agreed, awarding the Giulietta the 2011 laurels. In addition to making cars that one wants to make detours in, Alfa have also managed to top Euro NCAP's safety rating with the Giulietta coming out tops in its category.

I said 'mostly right', there are some things that aren't perfect, but that's what makes it an Alfa, a car with soul.

An azalea

Just because it is feeling springish.

What's it come to?

Just been to London. Isn't it amazing what we take for granted. Amazing what man has done. We can travel at 300 km/h, through a tunnel, under the ocean. All whilst being in touch with friends, family and colleagues with a little gadget in the palm of our hand (well not in the tunnel, but you get the idea). Amazing!

The, you get to England, and one sees this:




Isn't it amazing what man has done...

Meeting of the Jedi clan

I was in Morocco last weekend, and witnessed something big. There was a gathering, something is going  down. To the casual eye they blended in quite well, but it can't be coincidence.

Then it came to me... Ouarzazate - film studios - desert... I think they're doing Star Wars VII. Either that, or Luke Skywalker is really Moroccan, and I discovered the real home of the Jedi.

I kept my eyes open for corroborating evidence, but alas no Wookiee, R2-D2 or C-3PO.

Then there it was, a whisper from behind the black cloth... Sorry, don't mean to spoil the surprise of the first movie in the postquel, but yes, it seems Darth has a soft spot for ample chicks with MBK scooters...

May the schwartz be with you.

Marrakech

The delightful chaos that is Marrakech.

Newsflash! Jedi spotted in Morroco

The rare Atlas Jedi was spotted looking for his Wookie on the dry side of the atlas mountains...




I now understand where they bought their costumes. Stacks of Jedii lurking in Morocco.

Long day: Marrakech to Ouarzazate... and back!

Question of the day; if a revolution can be organized with the help of twitter, can't it be used at 5 am instead of the loudspeaker on the minaret???






















Beautiful scenery on the way to Morocco's little Hollywood, where parts of Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and prince of Persia were filmed. On the way back we were even 'treated' to snow crossing over the Atlas mountains. Talk about four seasons in one day.

Wishing you an Argan oil massage and no sand in your jocks.

dog eat dog

Last weekend I went to France, and then returned to Lagos. I say Lagos, but it could be Mombassa, even Lima, throw in Delhi. Pick any spot where traffic is chaos and it is a general uncivilised free-for-all, the kind of mess you associate with developing infrastructure and general lawlessness on the road, throw in some overpopulation for good measure and a couple of broken down trucks... well that is where it feels like I came back to; Paris. In fact, it couldn't be any of those places, because despite the traffic being chaotic and the drive leaving you with a this-is-a-dog-show feeling, the people are lovely and kind, some even smile. The same can't be said for Paris!

Why is it that the French in Paris have to trample each other for nothing? If there were something to gain, I could manage to understand it, but when the gain is to avoid someone else making a gain, that's just stupid. What inconsiderate childishness.

Some tips for integration on your next visit. When in Paris make sure you block intersections, use highway on-ramps to steal three places in the traffic, squeeze people out when merging lanes and push into queues. In fact do your best to screw over your fellow countrymen... Oui, fraternité! It's not on the town halls as a motto, but a despairing reminder.

That said I did visit the charming, beautiful France on the weekend, this region seems to coincide with everything outside the radius of about 50 km from Paris. The people are kind a welcoming, they even talk to strangers, the food is good, the pace is peaceful and the air is fresh. 

Ah, how Paris could be a such great city.

2010

Lovely to take in some sunshine, and of course family at the end of the year.

Some lovely nectar in the making... Shiraz apparently.

Dornier wines nestled in the Hottentots Holland mountain - it was hot!

Yum!

All the best for 2011!

holidaying is for the birds...

Hluhluwe reserve was amazing, and the birds were a treat; owls, bee-eaters, eagles, rollers and many a Hoopoe.

Spare a thought for the Turkey at this time of year...

Hluhluwe is great, not only for the little things, but even if elephants are you favourites...

The Berg

A night out, out of town, down in the Drakensburg.

Ah the fresh air.

Johies

A night out on the town...

brrr

Not much fun when in the city, but out in the hills, it's another story.

there is an upside

So, we officially entered depression last weekend with the shift in the clocks. No more afternoon, straight into the night. At least with all the trees around we have an upside.

Crazy horse

The weekend is normally time for the menage... for a change it's been turned upside down, this one has seen some manège.