One last thing...

This is the last of 4 new blogs, so have a read below...

Just wanted to let you all know that we managed to get tickets to the All Whites v Brazil in Geneva on 4 June! This will probably be our first off-shore adventure, and we can't wait! Sounds like a few others are coming with us too, so it'll be a great trip. Seeing the mighty Brazil at their peak! Yahoooooo! Lets just hope NZ don't get too much of a thrashing!

"London. Here we are!"

In the imporal words of John Schuster, "London. Here we are!" Well, not quite. Fiona and I have spent the last couple of days getting over tiredness and hanging out with Mark, Gillee and the boys. Mark very kindly picked us up at the airport, so we didn't have to deal with London madness just yet. We didn't get a wink of sleep on the flight, and I wouldn't recommend United to anyone...But we had a 1 &1/2 hour power nap, stayed awake until 11pm night and slept until 11am the next day! (sorry about not helping in the garden mark ;-)

Today Fi and I ventured into London. Was really great to see Fiona C., whom we are staying with for the next while. Her and Adarsh have a great place, so that will make things a little more comfortable for us. Had one or two minor issues with the bank, like not getting what a cheque book etc (and the hour-long wait) but we got there in the end.

London seems like a pretty mad place, not dissimiliar to NYC in some regards, but no doubt we'll get use to it. It's been great staying with Mark and Gille and the boys. They've looked after us superbly well, and I've really enjoyed our time with the boys. Will be really nice to be so close for the next few years to watch them grow - although their non-commital support for the All Blacks will be something I WILL fix in the next few years...

So, that's it. Really only boring stuff for a while now. We're moving into London tomorrow. Our hosts (like most of London) is away this weekend because Monday is a bank holiday. But it will be nice for Fi and I to just get ourselves settled and hit the job market in a srious way. I have a few positions I'm going to apply for, and will let you all know in good time how it all goes. Hopefully we'll both have some good news in the coming weeks.

Home of Admiral Nelson

Well, it had to happen. After more than two weeks of superb weather, our first day and a half in DC poured with rain. Wasn't too bad though, as we just did indoor stuff. Thanks to Ruth and Phil, who kindly looked after us (Soooooo well ;) while we were there, we went to the National Gallery of Art to see a very cool Cezanne exhibition our first day. We had some really nice Mexican food the night we arrive (very famous as George W visited there) and the next day tried Lebanese for the first time, both of which were very, very nice. Unfortunately, however, our baseball game was washed out that night...

The next day dawned wet, but fined up brilliantly. We did a walking tour of Mt Pleasant (a very historic neighbourhood in DC), went to the Zoo and saw Giant Pandas and a baby Panda, and visited Georgetown and the NZ Embassy. And we also got to see the Nationals play the Braves, which unfortunately the Braves won 3-1. But, for those kiwi sports fans, it was played at RFK stadium, where Ryan Nelson (now of Blackburn) use to captain DC United. I still enjoyed the game and am very thankful to Phil and Ruth for their efforts to get us there...lets hope they now have a "wash-out" policy.

Our second to last day, was a stunning day in beautiful sunshine and about 25-26 degree heat. Fiona and I did a fantastic hop on-and-off bus tour of all the monuments and buildings in DC. We saw the Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Korean War and Vietnam war memorials, and visited the Whitehouse, Supreme Court, and Capitol building. Had a nice lunch with Dorothy and Aaron at Bullfeathers (was great to see you guys, hope to do it again soon). We also went and saw the original the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights in the National Archives - (yes, just like in National Treasure!) We got some fantastic photos of the buildings, which no doubt you'll all see on an office wall of mine at some stage. Our last day Ruth and Phil got us an "insiders" tour of the Capitol, where we watched the Senate and had a fantastic tour around by one of Ted Kennedy's interns. We didn't get to meet Kennedy, but that was mainly due to his tv appearance later that day, which we saw at the airport. But it was a very cool thing to do, which we just loved.

A HUGE thank you to Phil and Ruth for having us stay and looking after us so well. I think we have a natural affection for Capital City's because of the politics, but we had a fantastic time especially because of you guys. THANK YOU! :-)

And that was that! Then end of our lovely long holiday, before life begins again in London.

Flyin' through Philly...

Hey everyone,

Had a great quick stop in Philly. Was very, very humid when we arrived, felt like Whangamata in the middle of summer it was so nice! Anyway, we began by trying the famous Philly cheese steak -which really isn't much to write about. Really just a glorified steak sandwhich! After that, we visited the famous Liberty Bell and took some cool photos. No many people realise that people like Mandela have visited and spoke about it as a powerful symbol...We also visited the very cool National Constitution Centre. A little bit "ra-ra-USA" but an excellent place to take kids. lots of very cool things to see and play with, and very informative too. The ultimate irony was dinner - we went to a Cuban restaurant in the shadow of Independence Hall...A superb meal, and the Majoito's rivalled those at Jet.

Our B&B was pretty cool, a strole from all the attractions. Next day we lined up and got tickets to visit Independence Hall, Old City Hall which housed the US Supreme Court until 1800 and Jerrferson House, where the man himself drafted the declaration of independence. Independence hall was fantastic, and all of the Rangers everywhere were just so helpful and informative. So we did what we wanted to do, and were very happy about it. Next stop, D.C.

Big Apple update

Hey everyone,

We've arrived safe and sound in NYC and still having a great time. Weather is great, nice and sunny - so I was even in shorts yesterday . After we arrived, who strolled into our hostel but my Brother Brent, and his wife Heather! Was great to see them and a big surprise. We went out to a movie together and met up for dinner the next night at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Fi and I had a great day yesterday. We went to Ellis Island, where the US use to process the migrants who arrived from other countries. Quite a staggering place, and a very important place to a lot of Americans. After lunch, we went and visited the site of the World Trade Centre. A very moving place...just trying to imagine what it was like on the day was quite staggering. We've also been to Time Square and checked out Maddison Square Garden. The Rangers Ice Hockey game tomorrow night is sold out, but will try and get tickets the old fashioned way tomorrow... Going to Time Square at night was an event in itself. Was great to see Brent and begin to take in the Bahemoth that is NYC...

We Love Boston! "Go Red Sox!"

Our flight to Boston was on a brand new Air Canada plane, complete with touch-screen tv and entertainment. Getting into Boston was also really easy, and needless to say our accommodation at the Hyatt is well worth the extra effort to get (plus only a few $$ more).

The day we arrived we headed up to Harvard, which isn't far from where we are staying. What a brilliant place - oh to have the $$ to study here! A Harvard PhD in my dreams...Anyway, back to reality. Heaps of fantasic old building to admire and soak up the atmosphere. We went to the coolest place for lunch called "Bartleys," which for anyone who has lived in Wellington, I can only describe as a more relaxed, laid-back "Democrat Back-Bencher." It was a neat place: I had the "Ted Kennedy" and Fiona had the "Hillary Clinton."

Next day we really got into boston itself, starting with a guided walking tour of the "Freedom Trail," which walks around many of the historic places and buildings in Boston. To see some of the greatest sights in US History was great, and the guide gave us some great stories about Paul Revere, Sam Adams etc which were great. Lunch was fantastic too - we went to a place called the "Barking Crab." For those that don't know, Boston is famous for its seafood, so Fiona had Clams and I has an Oyster sandwhich; mmmmmmm ;-) After that we walked around historic Beacon Hill, and the beautiful open spaces of Boston Common and the Public Garden. After checking out Newbery St, where all the big fashion name shops are, and Trinity Church is, we headed back to Beacon Hill and had a drink at "Cheers," yes, like the old tv series. Got a great photo of Fiona and I drinking at bar. But, funnily enough, they "Didn't know our name"...

Today started with a tour of Fenway park, the home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. This city is obsessed with the Sox, and I've been converted. Bought a Red Sox cap my first day :-) The park itself is crammed in between some small city streets, and is the oldest and second-smallest stadium in Baseball. But it's got heaps of character, and I definately want to go to a game next time we're in town. Sat at the top of "The Green Monster" and in some other great seats too. Btw, having nice sunny and hot weather here, which I'm sure helps. After that, we went to see a few other historic sights like the Old North Church (where Paul Revere hung a lantern to warn that the British were coming) and Paul Revere House. Walked around a bit more of North End Boston, the italian area, and had some nice Italian for lunch.

And that's about it for now. Off to watch the famous Boston Celtics play tonight, which should be great. We love EVERYTHING about Boston, and can't wait to come back. Such an interesting, lively and happening place, you really need to get here and see it for yourselves. Go Red Sox!

Habs in da House!

Hey everyone, sorry it's been a little while but accessing the internet from where we've been hasn't been that easy. Montreal was nice, because it was warmer that Ottawa and was really easy to get around. Old Montreal is still a really nice part of town, but starting to get quite touristy and a bit tacky. Still love the cobble-stone streets all the same. Only two other real highlights to speak about: Notre Dame is a stunning, stunning church in the heart of Old Montreal - got some great pics and just really enjoyed being in a Catholic Church. The other highlight was of course the Habs (Canadiens ice hockey for those who think I'm mad) against Ottawa. An awesome stadium, really, really easy to go by the subway etc. And a fantastic game! Habs won 3-2, the crowd was screaming and chanting, Abeischere the goalie was amazing, making 35 saves - just brilliant. But that's about All I want to say really, 'cos Boston is Brilliant!

Ottawa part II

Friday morning, after checking our emails and doing a bit of blogging, we visited the National Art Gallery in Ottawa. We were really impressed by some Canadian artists, who are part of the "Group of 7." They do some quite stunning fall and landscape pictures, particularly maple tress in the fall etc. All very impressive. But even more so were the Van Gough's and Monet's they had on display. I'm not much of an art expert (ok, stop laughing everyone, I can hear you in Montreal!) but you sure can see the quality in the work by the true greats. I was particulary impressed by the Monet - you really could just stare at it for ages.

After the gallery we dropped by the Foreign Affairs building to have quick coffee with former colleague, Alexandre, before my friend Jamie picked us up and took her back to he place for dinner. We were again spoiled by another great home-cooked dinner, which we greatly appreciated - Yum! They're also got a cute Beagle "Chase" who just loves being the centre of attention. Naturally we had our usual "discussion" about Fiona wanting a Beagle and me wanting a Husky...Anyway, we had a really nice time Jamie and Craig, and even though it was just a few hours, it was reall nice. I'm hoping they may come and visit us in NZ or in Europe, so I'll keep my fingers crossed ;-)

Saturday Jen and Chris picked us up and took us to a "Sugar Shack," where sap is taken from trees and boiled into Maple Syrup. It's really interesting to watch, and you can really see why it's so expensive. But th ereal high-light is the food. They do a buffet, and everything is cooked in Mapple syrup. As well as the standard breakfast stuff, like pancakes, sausages, eggs etc, you have have ham, pork, chicken etc which is all cooked in maple syrup! mmmmm (i can hear the tummy's rumbling in NZ :-) You also get taken down the shack by horse and cart, which was pretty cool. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Jen and Chris then, who I know I'll really miss until we see them again...

In the afternoon, Graham kindly took us on a drive up into Quebec to a place called Wakefield. Wakefield is a stunning little town (a little bit like a Waiararapa town) but the whole thing is build river-side. It really was quite stunning, especially the old mill/hotel, which was built in the 1800's. And you won't believe it, but as we were driving along, but who do I see but Anne-Marie, who I worked with at the High Commission in Wellington! Needless to say I gave her quite a shock when we went and said hello, but it was really neat.

So that was Ottawa: Very much a really nice capital city, which isn't too big, is well laid-out and has a lot of feeling and character. If I wasn't such a Leafs fan, I might even support the Senators! ;-) But seriously, Ottawa is a really great town and we'd love to come back.

Home of the Sens

Wedesday we took the train from Belleville to Ottawa, and were met by Graham K. We then checked out the NZ High Commission (which is very well presented) and walked around the city for a while. There were a group of farmers protesting at Parliament about not getting a big enough subsidy...I won't say what I wanted to say to them, but lets just say as a born and bread NZder, I'm not a big fan of that "S" word...

So we're in Ottawa, staying at the High Commissioner's residence, which is amazing! Yesterday we went out for lunch with a friend of mine from High School in Belleville, Jen, and her cutie little daughter Emma, which was really nice. While they went home for a nap, Fiona and I checked out the Bywater market, Parliament buildings, the Chateau Laurier, Terry Fox memorial, Rudeau Centre and the Museum of Civilisation. Both the museum and Laurier have exquisite indigenous art and sculpture show pieces, which are amazing! We really enojyed the First Nations exhibition, and learnt a lot. Once we figured out the buses, we ended the day with a curry and Jen and Chris's, whilst going through old photos and year books, and talking abot yester-year.

So we're still having a great time, and being well looked after. The weather is up and down, really nice day yesterday, and not too cool, but raining again today - still, can never have too much shopping eh! :-) Brent, Mike, you'd love the sports stores in Canada, although there's far too much yankee stuff for my liking! Another two days in Ottawa to look forward to...

Big town Belleville

After TO, it was off to Belleville where I lived for a year on AFS student exchange. Frank (my host father from 10 years ago) met us at the train and took us to lunch. Thanks again Frank, it was really great of you to do that. We then got our rental car (basically a brand new chevy! ;-) and headed for Grammy's place (a good friend of mine's grandmother, who we stayed with). Was great to get off the tourist path for a while and have some nice home-cooked food. Steve actually did a bbq for dinner, despite being very wintery-conditions! But we were very, very lucky to be looked after so well by Grammy, Steve and Glenda. Thanks again to you guys for "Kiwi-sitting," we had a great time and it was nice to see you all again.

Tuesday we had lunch with Wayne and Sylvia Chadwick on the farm, where I lived for 6 months of my exchange. They clearly remembered how much I "use" to eat, as I think they were feeding the 5'000! But we had a a really nice time, catching with up what the girls are now up to, and Wayne telling a few horror stories about my hollow legs for eating! which Fiona really enjoyed. Made a quick stop at my old school to talk with Mr Dickson. We then had a dinner at my old history teacher's house, Ken Manderville. Ken was the best teacher I ever had, and was a great motivator for me to do History and Politics at University. So we had a great night, talking lots with he and his two daughters (which are two of the most beautifully stunning girls I've ever seen). Again we had BBQ and salad, which we really appreciated after french-fry-ville San Fran. These Canadians sure are tough, bbq in any weather! But it was great to see Ken again, and he hasn't changed a bit.

It was pretty cold that night, and what did we wake up to on Wednesday but a dumping of snow! It was acually pretty neat, because it was a clear, blue sky day, and everything was white. Was really great to be back in Belleville, which for me will always feel like a slice of home. Everyone was so nice, and looked after us - we can't say thanks enough.

TO

Hey boys and girls! Sorry for being a bit slack the past few days, but I'm back blogging and have lots to tell (I can hear the yawns from here!)

We flew from San Fran to Toronto (TO) on Friday. Cheap-ass Air Canada don't provide a meal for even a 5-hour flight, but we had some nice (expensive) lunch at the airport and the flight was fine. Now, if SF was the airport of "mis-information" TO is "no-info." The signage is appauling, and there's no infomration desk! Every company has their own, and of course wants you to travel with them, but no one was generally helpful. But thanks to our lonely planet (and especially the stuff Lauren had sent us - thank you so much!) we got to our hostel via bus, subway and taxi, for about $15 all up for both of us.

We stayed in an area called Kensington Market, which was a little grungy at night, but really cool duing the day, when it became a couple of blocks of st markets, selling everything from closthes, suitcases, to fantastic fruit and cheeses. So Saturday we cruised around the market for a while. We bought some Ontario Brie ( a huge half wheel for $5!) and some rolls, which we had for dinner that night and lunch the next day. It really was fantastic cheese, so hats off to Canada on their cheese making! The rest of Saturday we went to Niagra Falls. We stopped by two wineries on the way, Magnotta and Inniskillin. Cannot believe the restrictions on exporting and selling that they face in Canada. Had a couple of great wines at Magnotta, but Inniskilin (asde from their well-known ice wine) was a little disapointing). After checking out the wineries, the Niagara River, the Whirlpool, we finally headed for the magnificent falls, which didn't disappoint. We even stayed to see them lit up at night, which was quite spectacular. After that, it was the bus ride home and brie and lovely fresh bread for dinner.

Sunday dawned a spectacular crisp, cool and sunny day in TO. First stop was the CN tower, the tallest free stanstructure in the world. The stunning day meant we could see for miles, and it was very, very impressive. We then checked out the Eaton Centre, before heading to the shoe museum. Now, as you know I wasn't so keen on this, but it wasn't too bad. Seeing Picaso's and Treudeau's shoes was a bit of fun. We then met my friend Lauren for dinner at "The Pickle Barrell." We had a really nice time, and it was great for Fiona to meet one of my close friends. She had driven for 2 hours just to see us, so Lauren - thanks again for coming to see us. Hope you like the pressies, which will no doubt help in the cooler weather!

The hostel we stayed at in TO was great, a huge room, with nice duvet, and a spare single bed. It was also really relaxed, and a bit friendlier than SF. It no doubt helped being run by an Aussie and a Scot (Andy, you would have loved his accent!) so it was a great place to stay and I would thoroughly recommend it. Monday it was back on the train (dodging the rain) to Belleville...