Queenstown get-away

We recently spent a very relaxing long weekend in Queenstown - had a great view from our hotel room looking out over the lake and on to the Remarkables. The flight down was spectacular - looking out over the mountains and lakes of the central South Island and certainly a lot quicker than the 7 hour drive! We managed to spend a lot of time doing not very much, apart from eating at regular intervals throughout the day and enjoying the stunning scenery.

It was still very cold in Queenstown, so we were delighted to return to spring in full bloom in Christchurch - truly the Garden City at this time of year...

30 weeks photo

30 weeks pregnant today! Here's a photo of the ever-expanding bump for those who are interested... we're slowly collecting everything for the 'nursery' and have survived our first antenatal class (but have THE video next week to look forward to!). It feels like this baby has been coming for a while now, but still 10 more weeks or so to go.

Bebe bump

We recently went to a charity ball (through Reuben's work)... Thought some of you might like to see the bebe bump! And what a handsome father-to-be! :)

Bun in the Oven

Hi everyone, just in case Katie's rapidly expanding belly hasn't already given it away, we are very excited to announce that we are having a baby! Baby Bouman is due in early November, and is already making it's presence known with boisterous kicking and elbowing-action...

Below is the most recent pictorial evidence of our wee one (for those who are scan-novices, baby is lying on its back - look for the (oh-so-cute) button nose on the right for a 'landmark'!). Feet and other crucial bits and pieces are not in the picture - despite some suggestions otherwise - and we're resisting the urge to find out if baby is a boy or girl, so will wait patiently (or otherwise) for all to be revealed in November :)

Weekend in Akaroa with homegroup

We spent a great weekend recently with homegroup in Akaroa.
Lots of relaxing and eating done!


Us with Anne, Matt, Drew, Vania, Rose, and Blase.

And for the record: Vegemite wins over marmite every time... :)

Easter at the Sounds

We joined Reuben's parents for a very relaxing sun-soaked Easter break at Duncan Bay, Tennyson Inlet in the Marlborough Sounds. We sense this was our last fling with summer before the cold sets in... Plenty of bush walks and compulsory holiday-feasting (including a celebratory gorge of chocolate easter eggs for Reuben after giving up chocolate for lent this year).

Reuben's dragonboating

Reuben enjoyed a dragonboating season this year, with the Beca "Crew-saders" team impressing the regulars with their beginners skill...

Akaroa

With Marisa and Nick over from England for Mike and Carley's Wedding, we decided to enjoy a long weekend together in lovely Akaroa.

A good time was had by all with some of the highlights being:
-The beauty of the Eastern Bays with seals and all (Hickory Bay below)
-Swiming with the Dolphins
-General relaxing

Michael and Carley's Wedding

Reuben's Brother (Michael) married Carley on Waitangi Day (6th of Feb).
We didn't get many photo's but here's before and after shots:





Congratulations Mr and Mrs Bouman the 4th!

Christmas break

We had the Wilson family all together for Christmas. Unfortunately it was not the greatest weather, but we still had fun relaxing in Akaroa.

Here is a family photo outside the French Farm winery:



Zara found many willing admirers and friends to play with...

A two-year-old's birthday party

Back in NZ and travelling again already!
We spent the weekend in Auckland celebrating Zara's 2nd birthday with family...


The Birthday girl with Aunty Lizzy.


With cousin Claudia gorging on birthday cupcakes. The family at North Head.


The latest addition to the Wilson household (Monty).

We have been settling in to our new flat in Christchurch and getting used to working again.

Portugal

We are currently recovering from the 'traumas of travel' with Janet in Lisbon, enjoying homely comforts such as home-cooked meals, lots of fruit and vegetables, freshly laundered clothes, and luxurious sleeping and bathroom arrangements!

We were very excited to have Cherry join us in Lisbon for a long weekend, and enjoyed having someone else sight-seeing with us after being on our own for so long. One day we went to Sintra - a lovely town with a Moorish castle crowning the hillside and several royal palaces. This is apparently where the royalty took their vacations and is particularly pleasant because of the lush foliage. We also went on a day trip to Óbidos - a walled village with charming white-washed walls accented with azure blue and golden yellow. After exploring the streets we sampled a local cherry flavoured liquor presented in a chocolate 'cup'.

In Lisbon itself we have explored the Castelo de São Jorge on the hill, the monastery and Torre (tower) of Belém, and the Commerce Square where royalty and ambassadors used to arrive at the city from the river. Reuben and Cherry also sampled a Portugese meal called a Francesinha. This, as Janet accurately described it, is a 'heartattack on a plate': steak, ham, and sausage sandwiched in a big bun with melted cheese poured over the top and topped by a fried egg. mm mmmmm.

It is a strange feeling to be nearing the end of our trip: we are both so looking forward to returning home, but feel sad that our much anticipated travels have nearly come to an end. Travelling is so exciting and gains you access to the most amazing places and experiences, but also comes at a cost to your personal comfort which can become quite hard after weeks on end. It will be with mixed emotions therefore that we start our journey homeward soon.


View of one of the royal palaces at Sintra - note the cool oversized chimneys for the kitchens!


Óbidos.

Southern Spain

Getting out of Barcelona proved harder than expected, and we ended up staying one night (two days) longer than intended, and taking the night train to Seville. This was an experience - one tiny cabin for two (cigarette smoke filtering through the air-conditioning all night) with skinny bunk beds and the rhythm of the train through the night to put you to sleep / keep you awake (depending on if you are Reuben or Katie). It did get us to Seville however, meant our gear was safe, and allowed us to spend the day at the beach in Barcelona instead of on a train for 8 hours. We managed to book in to a reasonably fancy hotel for a cheap rate, which was very soothing to the senses - we have realised how much we rely on creature comforts to keep our spirits up!

Unfortunately we hit rainy weather in Seville, and didn´t see much sunshine at all. This felt slightly ironic, since everything seemed to suggest that this is normally a very sunny city! We battled through though (at the expense of our highlighter green umbrella from a hocker in Rome) and managed to see quite a bit of Seville: the Cathedral (apparently the largest in Europe), the famous Seville bull-ring, the Torre del Oro, the University, and Plaza España. Some strong impressions of Seville are: orange trees, whitewashed buildings, colourful tiles, and lots of tapas bars with huge quantities of cured legs of ham hanging behind the bar.

The train ride from Seville to Granada consisted of three hours of olive trees, literally. We visited Granada chiefly to see the Alhambra, but were also pleasantly surprised by an impromptu visit inside the Granada Cathedral - one of the most aesthetically pleasing we have seen in our travels. The Alhambra also proved to be as impressive as claimed. A complex of elaborate Moorish palaces, fortresses and private villas, you gain a strong impression of the power and prestige the Moors once held in this area. Surfaces (walls, columns, ceilings) are covered in exquisite carvings and tiles, and water features and gardens are thoughtfully created to impress upon your senses: the play of light and reflection on the water, the gurgle of water cascading down channels, the smell of roses, and the cool shade of trees and colonades.

We intend to spend tomorrow afternoon in Córdoba, where the Mezquita is reported to be worth visiting (might update this blog with details/photos later). We will then catch the train to Madrid and then another night train (yippee!!!) to Lisbon, Portugal. We are excited that Cherry (Katie´s sister) is joining us for the weekend, and then not long till we start our journey homeward (which we are also excited about!).


View of the Seville Cathedral from La Giralda. One of the tiled bays in the Plaza España (green umbrella featured). Also note the wet pants.


Rows of olives on train trip from Seville to Granada.


Alhambra water feature (Generalife). An example of the carving in the Casas Reales.

Inside the Mezquita in Córdoba

Bar·th·elona

Barcelona is a vibrant city with lots of appeal. The spanish seem to have quite a sense of style, and everything is presented with thought for the aesthetic, so that restaurants and cafes are often quite ´funky´ and have great atmosphere. The food is also fabulous, and we have been really enjoying eating out here. The spanish also have a much healthier appreciation for chocolate than some other countries we have visited, and we have been enjoying chocolate cake, chocolate muffins, chocolate donuts and... you get the idea.

We had a slightly unnerving experience arriving in Spain: as the train progressed from Avignon, our carriage gradually emptied of people till we were the only ones left. The train kept stopping at ever more remote villages as the day began to draw to a close (helped along by a 1 hour delay from an ´accident´ further up the track) and we were very aware that we no-speeka-da-lingo. You can imagine the potential dire situations we invented during our 8 hours of travel, but our fears were allayed when we arrived in Barcelona, and we realised we would not die on the side of a lonely spanish road...

We have really enjoyed the Gaudi everywhere: the (incomplete) Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, La Pedrara, and Casa Batlló, for example. We have also visted the Picasso museum (featuring a lot of his early works), Villa Olympica (down by the waterfront), the Parc Montjuïc (lots of lovely gardens with great views of the city), and various churches (Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona Cathedral and others), and have walked the Rambla. We even purchased ingredients at the ´Mercat de la Boqueria´ for a good old kiwi roast back at the hostel - our first real home-cooked dinner in about a month!


A Barcelonian drink that tastes like fruity punch (but with a kick). Presentation typical!


At the Market - everything arranged beautifully.


At the Park Güell.

Time Out

We were feeling a little exhausted of sight-seeing and in need of a break so decided to chill out a bit in the Cinque Terre. We really enjoyed the natural beauty of the area and spent quite a bit of time soaking up the sun on the beach. We also spent a day walking the Cinque Terre walk (between the 5 villages) although piked on the last leg and had a swim at the beach instead!

Making our way towards Spain proved a little trickier than we had anticipated with the train system, so we ended up changing our plans slightly - stopping in Nice for a night (South France) and then a night in Avignon. After a month of pasta, pizza, and panini we were quite excited by the wider (and fresher) variety of food available in France.

With these days of 'time out' and travel we now feel refreshed and excited to be exploring Barcelona!


Riomaggiore - the town that we stayed in (Cinque Terre)


Reuben jumping from a rock at Monterosso beach


View on the walk