January Books

I got through 8 books in January and I enjoyed them all. I started a new series and got some books from the library that I have been wanting to read for ages.

In The Month of Midnight Sun by Cecilia Ekback

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Melmoth by Sarah Perry

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

The Water Cure by Sophie Macintosh

Tangerine by Christine Mangan

The Bookseller by Cynthnia Swanson

Witness The Dead by Craig Robertson

I think my favourite book was The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai and my least was Melmoth by Sarah Perry

The new series I started is The Invisible Library, it has 5 books in the series and I have read the second installment already.

I also read my first Jodi Picoult book which was on the subject of abortions, set in the US and I liked this book too.

February is coming to an end and this week too, only tomorrow to go. Enjoy the rest of the week.

A Trek Around Bali, Indonesia

During the Christmas holidays I went to Bali, Indonesia for 6 days with my friend Arlene and her daughter India. During this time we did two day trips around the island. We had a guide/driver called Eddie and he was really good and funny.

Our first stop was the Tegallalang rice fields they were quite beautiful. You can walk around the fields but I had heard that there are poisonous snakes so that put me off walking there. I enjoyed looking at the views instead. There are numerous places where you can sit and take photos in a special areas, (posing nests) this of course costs money. Also there are many places that have the Bali swing, it is very popular.

Afterwards we carried on to a coffee plantation, there we saw how they make the famous Bali "poo" coffee. Kopi Luwak is the name in Indonesian, is basically a animal called Asian Palm Civet, that eats the coffee cherries, they get fermented and then they pass out through their poo. It is one of the most expensive coffee in the world and I can attest to that as I bought some.

Our next stop was the Tirta Empul Water Temple, as with many temples you have to where a sarong. There are usually ones at each temple which you can use and give a small donation. It was quite busy as many people were doing the water purification ritual.

Our last stop was the Tegenungan waterfall, it is quite a trek down to the bottom, but it is well worth it. Of course when we were going back up I was not quite so sure. There were many people bathing, others just sitting around and enjoying the rest before the hike back up.

The whole day was really great and we saw lots of wonderful sights. I would recommend our driver/guide, so if you want his details I can pass them on.

Have a good start to the week, everyone

Barcelona Light Festival

Another weekend is over and this one was spent in Barcelona, on the Friday evening we went to the Llum BCN in Poblenou. The area of Poublenou was full of very interesting light shows, installations  and large scale projections some which included a musical accompaniment.

We arrived shortly because 7pm when the whole festival kicked off and we managed to see most of the participants. Some were really great and some were not so interesting, but on the whole it was really cool to see them all. It was also good to check this area out as I didn't`t know it so well from my previous visits to the city.

This week is a short working one for me, as Alessio is still off school. Tomorrow Wednesday is a half day and I took the whole Thursday off too. On Friday we plan a day trip to Vevey and we will definitely go to the cinema too at some point.

Wishing you all a great week

Akaroa, South Island, NZ

Akaroa is a small town on the Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the South Island, NZ. While we were staying in Christchurch we took a tour to this pretty town. It is around 84km from Christchurch. This town is the only French settlement in the whole of New Zealand and the French influence is still seen in the town and in the place names.

While we were there we did a dolphin boat trip, the tour was extremely good and we found out lots of information about the town and surrounding area. The landscape was quite amazing and we saw lots of birds and seals too. Although the main draw of the tour was to see Hector´s dolphins, as with any type of tour like this you cannot be guaranteed to see any wildlife. So everyone was really hoping these small dolphins would come up to say hello.

Well we need not have worried as they were feeling rather playful and were swimming in the front of the boat for at least 5 mins if not longer. Also we saw maybe 7 or 8 of them too. These dolphins are one of the smallest kinds and are endemic to some costal areas in New Zealand.

Once back to the town we wondered around, stopped for a drink and looked in the shops and got some touristy things.

It is a pleasant day trip from Christchurch and as we were there during winter it was not that busy. In the summer months it is stop for cruise ships so the town will get very busy.

Last weekend turned into a non existent one as Alessio was ill from Thursday evening and still is a little. He had fever and breathing problems which warranted a trip to the hospital for a check. He is much better but sadly could not go on this school ski camp.

This weekend I am going to Barcelona, not with Alessio this time but with a friend and my father. And of course we will be going to see FC Barcelona play, this goes without saying with my trips to the city.

Hope you all have a great weekend