Paris!

Since I have come to stay with Donna I have been to Paris three times - but finally she remembered to bring me and a camera and take a photo.

I went to Paris for meetings with Donna. The meetings were in La Defense, the business district in Paris.

La Defense is interesting because from one side you can look and see the Arc de Triomphe in central Paris.

And when you turn around 180 degrees you can see the Grande Arche in La Defense, which is a modern arch and is inspired by the older Arc in central Paris.

It was an amazing sunny day and I am glad I got to see a little bit of Paris this trip!

I waited for Godot!

Tonight I went to see Waiting for Godot. It is a play by Samuel Beckett, who was from Ireland, and it was showing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. We couldn't take pictures inside, otherwise I would have asked the stars for a photo with me.

I was really excited as the main actors were Ian McKellan, who also starred in the Harry Potter movies, as well as Patrick Stewart, who starred in Star Trek on TV. They are both really great stage actors, and is was amazing to see them perform.

My time in London!

Today I had the opportunity to go on the London Eye. The London Eye is located right on the River Thames in London, and is a big giant ferris wheel. It is 135 metres high, and the largest wheel in Europe, and was built to celebrate the year 2000. From it you can see all of London. The weather was not so great, but the views were still good.

You can see the London Eye in the background on the left side. Just behind my head is Big Ben. Big Ben is the clock at Westminster, it is famous. It has been around for 150 years.

Even though the day was not so good, I was happy to get to see London from the sky!

Greetings from Delray Beach, Florida!

I have been really lucky! I got to spend Easter vacation in Florida with Donna and her family.

Here is a photo of me on the Atlantic Beach! So far on my time away from Hamish, I have seen the Gulf of Aden / Indian Ocean, the North Sea, and now the Atlantic Ocean. Since Hamish lives by the sea too, I guess liking water must run in the family!

Here are some fun small facts about Florida:

• Florida is the 27th state (out of 50) in the United States. It became a state on March 3rd, 1845.


• In its history Florida has been settled by Native Americans, Spanish conquistadors, and the French!


• It borders the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean


• It is nicknamed "The Sunshine State" as it is located in a semi-tropic climate


• There are about 18.5 million residents in the state


• Delray Beach is close to Miami, the largest city in Florida and also a melting pot for the South American community as there are so many flights going through Miami

I went to Algeria...

Even though I went to Algeria, I didn't see much.

I went to Algeria with Donna's colleague John. I wish I had a passport - then I would have had it stamped! But instead, John left home at 4 in the morning, brought me with him to the airport to catch our flight to Algiers, we went to a few meetings, and then came home. It was a long day - the flight there is about 3 hours, and there and back all in one day is hard.

A lot of people say that Algeria is a scary place and dangerous.

I didn't think so. Donna has also been to Algiers - she liked it a lot there.

Algeria is located in the northern part of Africa. They speak French and Arabic in Algeria. My French is getting better, after going to lessons with Donna, but I don't speak Arabic! I wish I did! The sounds are very interesting.

People have lived in Algeria since 10,000 BC, when the Berbers inhabited the region. Berbers still live in Algeria even today. The French colonised Algeria in about 1830, and then Algeria became independent in 1958. That means that there is a bit of a love hate relationship with France. Algeria had a civil war from 1992 until 2002, since then it has been relatively peaceful, but there is a big conflict there still between the people who want to have Islamic political rule, and the people who do not think government should be ruled by religion.

Even though there is a bit of danger there, Algeria is a really beautiful country. It is the northern part of the Sahara, and it has mountains, sea, and desert. Over 33 million people live in Algeria. Energy (oil and gas) are a major part of the economy.

My trip to Aldeburgh

At the end of March I got to go to Aldeburgh, which is in Suffolk County on the East Coast of England. It is on the map with the red dot.

The great thing about going to Aldeburgh is that it means you can walk along the sea. The seaside in England is pretty, but cold. And the beach at Aldeburgh does not have sand - it has stones, or shingles. It also has lots of flowers, grass and birds. In the 1500s Aldeburgh was one of the main ports in the UK, but now it is just a nice seaside town to visit.

Here is a picture of me walking along the beach. In the background is a sculpture of a scallop. This was sculpted by Maggi Hambling, who is a famous British artist. It has been on the beach since 2003, and is dedicated to Benjamin Britten, one of the most famous composers from the UK, who lived in Aldeburgh.

Behind me in this picture is the Moot Hall, in Aldeburgh. It was built in 1650, and has been used for town meetings ever since. It is built from timber, so it is amazing that it is still standing!



A trip to Aldeburgh is not complete without a stop by the Cross Keys, one of Donna's husband's favourite pubs. His grandfather used to come here too! I am picture with an old-fashioned cask of gin. But I did not drink any alcohol. I just enjoyed the atmosphere!

I met Richard Corrigan!

This evening I went out with Donna and her work colleagues in central London. We met up with the guys who I met in Yemen - Jean-Pierre and Olivier! The world is really a small place!

Here is a photo of me at Piccadilly Circus. You can see the famous lights and the underground sign in the background.

We went to dinner at Bentley's, which is a very traditional British seafood restaurant. Jean-Pierre said he has been going to Bentley's for over 20 years now!

http://www.bentleys.org/

Bentley's is now run by Richard Corrigan. He is a famous chef in the UK, who is originally from Ireland. He is often on TV, and his restaurants are very well known. He is especially well known for his fresh food from the British islands, and good quality ingredients. The oysters at Bentley's are particularly famous. So is the fish pie.

Here is a picture of me with Richard Corrigan! I was so excited as this is the first famous person who I have been able to take a photo with! He won the London Chef of the Year award in 2006, and has even cooked for the Queen (Queen Elizabeth II that is)! He was a very nice person and was delighted to help out with Hamish's school project!