Bon noël, joyeuse année!

Tokius palinkejimus ateinanciom sventem siuo metu galima pamatyti kiekvienam Rivieros miestely. Kas keisciausia del sios frazes, jog ji skamba atvirksciai nei angliskai: geru kaledu ir linksmu naujuju!

O paciuose miesteliuose eglaites ne per daug populiarios, gal ir gerai, maziau ju nukirs :) Uztad turi kita sprendima, Christmass palms :)


O eglaiciu atmaina yra baltos sakos, matyt cia del sniego trukumo jie bando save taip apgaut :)

Gourdon, Côtes de Provence, France

Aerouostas pvz. savo stulpus padare sventiniais papuosalais :) Bet is tikro Nicos aerouoste yra vienas ziedas, kuris yra papuostas tiesiog pasakiskai... Aisku visko nufotkint nespeji.

Nice Airport, Nice


Nice Airport, Nice

O parduotuvytes irgi savotiskai dziaugiasi svente bei dziugina klientus :) Cia beje fontanas, norejau isbandyt Rootos technika, bet nespejau - uzgeso...

"Intermarché", Grasse

Ir pabaigai, linksmiausia Rivieros (ar Prancuzijos, ar tai gal Pietu Europos) dalis, susijusi su pasiruosimu Kaledom. Pavadinau sita epizoda "Santa Claus is coming" pagal jo vaizduojama veiksma :) Kas linksmiausia, siandien bevaziuodama keliu, pastebejau ant blokinio namo balkono viena is Santa Clausu irgi bandanti uzlipti i balkona :)) Labai jau linksmai ir sventiskai tai atrodo!

Santa Claus is coming, Gourdon

Ir paciai paciai pabaigai :) Kai lankiau Gourdona, maciau ten keista vyriski, toki paslanpinga... pliusiniu meskiuku pardaveja... Padariau kadra ir namie pasiziurejus pamasciau: o gal cia koks Santa Claus'as pasislepes laukia sventes?! Labai jau itartinai jis atrodo, raudoni batukai, toks paslaptingas...
Manau mane jau sventinis marazmas apeme :))

Mysterious stranger, Gourdon

Ka gi, jau uz 3 val sedesiu masinoj i vaziuosiu vienu is graziausiu keliu: Nice - Genova, kur pilna senoviniu tiltu ir tuneliu...

Linksmu jum!!!

First ice

Finally we've got ice! After 3 or so days with temperature about 0. Something really exciting here ;)

First ice, Parking area, Sophia Antipolis

Early morning

Early morning, Zurich, Switzerland

French lifestyle

Recently I finished reading "A year in the Merde", which reveals some tricky and funny moments of the life in France. However, it's not really too much applicable to the Southern part of the country where I am recentrly dislocated. Maybe because of the tourists, but let's say that still 2/3 or 1/2 is true in any case. The coolest part was sarcastic style of the author :) After such inspiration the real interest to the history is wakening up. Strange enough, while living here you want to know more about the history of the country, Europe, it may explain some facts.

One more similar thing: as an author of another blog on topic of Southern France mentions the strange habit of sending a number of letters (not e-mails!) from most of the companies or instritutions you are dealing with - it's a waste of money - still for most of the new countries that joined EU is much more easier to build new and better infrastructure then for old ones to change their old and together change people. I believe this is a real advantage of young countries, however still having a good list of 'other side' :)

Senieji Trakai

Kazkaip jauciu, kad Traku labiausiai pasiilgau... ypac pasakisku saulelydziu. Ka gi, liko 8,5 dienos iki isvykimo ir apie 11 iki parvykimo. O kol kas pasidziaugim senais vaizdais :)


Senieji Trakai, Lithuania

Updated: Ties taskiukai ant foto - ne jusu purvinas monitorius, o odai! Kadangi cia geguzes menuo, kai formuojasi didziuliai odu klanai...

Mano pirmas Webinar'as

Stai cia jis guli. Pries kazkiek laiko teko susipazinti su webinar'o terminu pas kolega J. Salna puslapyje. Pamastai, kad funny toks terminas ir pamirsti. Na bet gavau gi pries pora savaiciu pakvietima ir paciai sudalyvauti, ir dar mane dominancia tema! Kur gi geriau sumastysi :) Jamam!

Siaip Webinar'o esme, kad per ineta ziuri i vaizda, dazniausiai slaidai, kartais ir ka idomesnio parodo, o per telefona gauni garsa ir gali taip dalyvaut. Simple! Smaigiausia dalis, jog pilnas pavadinimas Web seminaras. Naujoviskai skamba, kaip koks Web 2.0 buzzword'as :)

Taigi, ivyko jis 18val mano laiku, o jau po pietu pradejau jaudintis. Sedziu ir mastau: aha, reikes skambinti i USA numeri... kaip ateis saskaita uz telefona, tai ir gausiu malku darbe. Tai nuejau aiskintis kaip cia dabar, manes aisku nesuprato ka as veiksiu :) Na bet pamaste matyt, kad kazka svarbaus veiksiu, tai sake OK, skambink i USA be problemu. Tik pora emailu parasyk valdziai - no problem :) Atejo ilgai lauktos 6ios valandos, jungiuosi per browseriu prie seminaro, o ten man sako: "suvesk numeri - paskambinsim tau!" O cia tai as apsidziaugiau chaliava :) Na bet chaliava yra chaliava, po 10min nutruko rysys webinaro snekovui. Tada jau teko skambint, ir net dar 2 kartus, nes rysys luzinejo. Galiausiai pakeite webinaro numerius ir tada jau skandziai pratese monologa :) Bet kaip visgi cool! Kaip pagalvoji kokie privalumai vaziuot niekur nereikia ir moket nereikia, skaityt irgi nereikia :) Ir nauda aisku tokia, kad tie Open Source softo kurejai, jie dokumentacijos ne visalaik daug pateikia, tipo pats issiaiskink daugiau. Tai aisku irgi pliusas iskarto webinarui, gauni info is paciu kureju. Jo, cool viskas! :)

Parfumerie Fragonard

This weekend I made an exploration of the famous parfumerie industry in Grasse. There are I think 3 well known names and one of the most famous and old is Fragonard (you will find this name in many guidebooks). The building looks like one of the shops in Cannes:

Fragonard, Grasse

But inside the building there is a hidden laboratory! You walk through the long corridor and can see the process of a new scent creation.

Fragonard laboratory

Fragonard laboratory

Fragonard laboratory

As the result, you can get a well wrapped product :)

Fragonard perfumes

The ground floor of the building is a shop of various Fragonard products: from perfumes to soap. The whole atmosphere is full of different scents, however it is still possible to choose the one you like.

Fragonard shop

Fragonard bath accessories

Scientific structure

Scientific structure, CICA area, Sophia Antipolis

Wine tasting party

Taigi, per sias iseigines pagaliau padariau tai, ka seniai norejau padaryt perskaicius ivadinius strapsnius vynogide. Todel kai tik pamaciau naujai atrastoj pardoj teisinga vyno pasirinkima (teisingas man siuo atveju nemaisytu vynuogiu vynai ir pigiai, ale ~2eu), tai ir griebiau atskiru vynuogiu rusiu vynus. Stai cia yra tie vynai, kuriuos teko paragaut:

Sauvignon Blanc, Carbernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Gamay

Trumpai uzfiksuosiu ispudzius apie kiekviena (is kaires i desine):

1. Sauvignon Blanc. Baltas. Tikejausi sauso, bet is tikro jis rugstus ir maziausias sausas is vysu situ vynu. Su zuvim turetu but super.
2. Cabernet Sauvignon. Raudonas, maisytos 2 vynuoges. Sausiausias is visu, bet sodrus skonis.
3. Merlot. Raudonas. Labai sodrus skonis, bet jo sausumas mane visgi atstumia. Su mesa turetu but pats tas.
4. Syrah. Raudonas. Sodrus ir praktiskai nesausas, lengvai geriasi su ivairiais produktais.
5. Gamay. Raudonas. Gaivus, panasus i stalo vyna.

Sia degustacija verta apturet geriant prancuziskus vynus, kadangi jie labai daznai gaminami maisant skirtingas vynuogiu rusis ir aisku tai apsunkina vyno issirinkimo procesa vien pagal jo kilme. Beje, italiskam vynui galioja visiskai priesinga taisykle: vynuoges dazniausiai nemaisomos, o ir vynus jie labiau megsta saldzius.

Pastabele: Vynai rusuojami ne tik pagal vynuogiu rusys, bet ir pagal kilmes krasta, pvz. Côtes du Rhône, Côte de Provence ir t.t..

Nice - Dublin - Nice

Baigesi kreizova kelione i lietuviu antrus namus :) Turejau kelis tuos 'pirmuosius' kartus, kuriu vienas ryskiausiu tai pavelavimas i lektuva! (nesamoningas, niekas nesiteike informuot, jog check-in'as baigiasi valanda iki skrydzio) Na o kitas nemazai ryskus - Algirdo Karaliaus seminaras, tik tais su pratesimu pube ;)

Be to, cia mano akim amazing kadrai is lektuvo. Kiti amazing deja liko neuzfiksuoti...

Nice Airport, Nice


Carpet from clouds


Sunset in Dublin, Ireland

Double fiesta

1. Today a monthly rain has began :) By meteo people predictions it will last for 2 days, yahoo!
2. Yesterdays photo-theory course has ended today with positive practical results :) Hyperfocal focusing test I think that was passed.

CICA area, Sophia Antipolis

Here I used telephoto lens with 50mm, too lazy to change for more appropriate wide angle. However, with f11 aperture I achieved not bad focus of the whole picture. Lens focus distance in this case is from 4 to infinity meters. So, I was too lazy to make foreground completely focused :) Any technical comments would be highly appreciated, there is still lots of space to enhance.

First steps in dslr education

Here I would like to put some short notes about my educational process in (d)slr world, which has recently began and gains the speed.

After some point and shot camera expirience, which ended in my subjective opinion quite well, I made a next step. The question that appeared at the first day with (d)slr - why the background of most photos is so blured? With PaS I had another experience, so I started from this point. A very valuable answers were found here:

• Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera by Bryan Peterson

Many examples with grouped pictures and explanations, also small exercises and not too much of text :)

Todays investigation comparing with exposure is huge! At the very first day I got my new camera, I spotted that the focus range became very limited. Exposure tips can help you in that, however how can you achive the same effect as with PaS to make a normal landscape photo with for example a rock in foreground and the background focused at the same time... A new definitions have appeared:

• Hyperfocal focusing, hyperfocal distance
• Neutral density filters
• F-stop - lastly demystified :)

The last two mostly explain the secrets of sunset/sunrise photography :)

Wish you good shots ;)

Night photo tests

Today I've made first shots of night photos with Pentax. The tunnel I'm passing everyday:

"Capitale de parfume", Grasse


High-way, Grasse

Monte Carlo fountains at night

Monte Carlo fountain A, Monaco


Monte Carlo fountain B, Monaco

Testing new equipment

I am happy to announce that an upgrade from Olympus to Pentax was made. Currently I am migrating from point and shot type to DSLR type camera and here are the results of first experiments.

Outside and inside:



Macro:






Wide angle:


Lastly, I was searching for the answer why the background gets so blury. The answer - playing games with exposure. The key for this trick is that you need a camera and manual setup for aperture and shutter.

Tetanus - WTH?

Ar girdeje? Prancuzai man rodos pamise del sitos vakcinos... Siandien antra karta apsilankiau pas gydytoja (emigrantu med. apziura - ieskojo tuberkuliozes :D ) ir vel man knisa prota apie Tetanus. Su pirma tai buvo taip:

- Kada paskutini karta skiepyta?
- Nzn...
- O Tetanus vakcina kada gavai?
- Ka?
- Tetanus (ir rodo ant ranku kazka...)
- Nzn tokios.
Tada ji atsirte didziule knyga ir kazka ilgai ieskojo. Surado ir rodo man: "Skiepyti vaikam kas kazkiek menesiu, ..., suaugusius kas 10 metu".
- Aha, supratau. Bet nzn kada mane paskutini karta skiepyjo, seniai, mokykloj...
- *&$*^&(#^*&$ (prancuziskai, visiskai neaisku kas...)
- O tai ka man reikia padaryt? Ateit pas jus veliau, pasiskiepyjus?
- Paskambini tevam paklausti del vakcinos. (Angliskai!)
- O poto pas jus ateit?
- Nee, cia tau paciai!!!

Prisipazinsiu, sunku buvo nenusikeikti... Bet ispradziau sypsena. Ir tada pagaliau istrukau is jos. Pamirsau apie sita reikala. Bet siandien buvo kitas vizitas pas daktara, kaip man sake - svies plaucius, ieskos tuberkuliozes :D Ateinu 8:45 (reikejo 8:30, kamsciai... 24km visgi) su lapeliu. Sedi kruva zmoniu. Viena kiniete, "sportsmenka", 4 rusai (is kuriu tik viena mergina kalba prancuziskai ir su visais ejo pas daktarus kartu - verteja), arabas kazkoks, o kiti neidentifikuoti taip ir liko. O procedura tokia, kad pakviecia pagal sarasa. Sarasas sudaromas pagal numeri, kuriuo tu pas juos atejai. As pavelavau - buvau 7-a. Pradzioj kviecia pas sesele. Darbuotojai cia jau pasiruose: uzejus pirmas klausimas "Vous parle francais?". Istreniruoti zuikiai :) Tikrina rega, ugi ir svori. Iseini ir vel sedi. Visi eina pas sesele... kitas srautas pradeda judet i rentgena. Tas pats klausimas ir visi eina kaip per konvejeri, iseina ir toliau laukia. Beuzmigdama kolidoriui, paziurejau kas ant lapo parasyta, o gi reikejo atsinesti visa sarasa daiktu... Pasa, skiepu kortele ir... toliau as nesupratau. Prisiminiau Tetanusa... "nu gal kaip nors".

Sekantis zingsnis - atsiranda daktare, tokia rimta ir baisi, nes su juodais plaukais ir drabuziais, bet su baltu chalatu ir baltu veidu. Ji neklausia ar tu kalbi prancuziskai, ji klausia prancuziskai kiek tau metu, kuom dirbi. Cia kaip per prancuzu kalbos testa. Si karta as jo nepraejau, strigau ties antru klausimu. Tada ji pradejo kalbet angliskai ir paklause apie skiepus:
- Ar turi skiepu kortele?
- Ne
- Kada buvai skiepyta paskutini karta?
- Nzn
- O kada nuo Tetanuso skiepyjo?
- Nzn
- Pries kiek metu?
- Nzn
Tada ji perbrauke visa lentele savo lapuose ir jau greit uzpilde viska. "Mission complete", - pasakiau Nathalie is administracijus parvykus darban. Ji uzsiima cia popierizmu ir taip palengvina mum gyvenima bei taupo nervus. Ji apsidziauge (nes tas buvo TRèS svarbu!) ir nubego pas bosa. Jos bosas - kanadietis. Labai juokingas vyrukas, turiu itarima, kad gejus, you never know :) Siaip stakliskiu butelaitis su medum jam praejo gerai ;) Taigis, uzeinu ir as pas ji ir sakau:
- Bonjour! ça va? Merci, bien.
- Jelena, you learned French?
- Oui, but it's "difficile"...
- Ce difficile :)

Tokie tie prancuziski nuotykiai... rytas sugadintas, bet pataisytas laiminga administracija, kadangi si karta as nepamirsau apie vizita pas gydytojus :)

DUK:
1. Kodel reikia lankytis tokiose keistose apziuruose?
- Reikia gauti leidima gyventi Prancuzijoje metams, mano atveju - iki 2008 Rugsejo pabaigos :)

2. Kodel jie taip nerimaja del Tetanus vakcinos?
- Prancuzijoje privaloma vakcinuotis, ir suaugusiems prancuzams tai daroma kas 10 metu. Be to, daktarai jaucia pareiga atlikti savo paskirti visuomeneje ir padeti zmonem gyventi kuo ilgiau, o sirgti kuo maziau => maziau lankytis pas gydytojus.

3. Kas tas Tetanus?
- Stabligė. Lietuvius irgi vakcinuoja. Tik as tikrai nepamenu jokiu skiepu, darytu man bunant 15-16 metu... Kas nors pamena?

French vacations

The time I was going to come here, I heard that french people have really many vacation days. It was like 35 vacation days, whereas in my country we got used to having 28, which means roughly a month with all weekends.

Another thing that I have heard, that french thought of a diffirent system for unemployer - to redure the amount of hours that full time employed people can work per week from 40 to 35 hours. Nice, yeah? :)

However, when I started to work here fulltime, not as an stagerie, the administration has given me a !booklet! to read about the rules and all that stuff. You may think - what the hell? You can tell it. But this booklet is about 20 pages and it is worth of reading. The best part of course was vacations :) So, I explain the system as it is:
- 30 vacation days per year to every employee in France (about 2.5 days per month)
- 1 day per month for something, don't remember now, maybe it's called RRT
- 0.5 day per month for that we work normaly 40 hours a week and they are sumed up

As the result we can count:
30 + 12 + 6 = 48 days

Can you believe it?! Can you imagine that most of the french companies in August close for vacations massively? For them it's not enough that they subsidise their French pea*Z*ants from the EU money, they have probably the biggest number of free days per year in EU! And keep in mind, that French are not so much of workaholicks, as we got used in our '3rd world country'!

This number basically explains why I get only 17 lunch coupons per month instead of 20-21, couse I work only half of the month per year :D

Have a nice Monday at your work ;)

Uz ka as moku?!

Man daug kas sako, kad daug uz nuoma moku. Bet cia, French Rivieroj, daug kas sako, kad labai mazai moku. Kur tiesa? Na bet neseniai teko uzbludyti i www.expensr.com ir pasitestuot saita finansams sekti. Kas idomu, yra defaultiniai mokejimai, tipo nuomos, kuriuo suvedus gali palyginti su bendru vidurkiu zmoniu, besinaudojanciu situo saitu. Ir ka jus manot?? as moku apie 1.5 karto daugiau negu vidutinis amerekonas! Cia turint omeny, kad as nekonvertavau savo nuomos mokescio i baksus :)

Paziurejau i ta nuoma is kitos puses, palyginus su maisto ir transportavimo kainom, tai per menesi ju suma prilygsta vieno menesio nuomos kainai. Sakyciau tada pakankamai iseina, ane?

Ir galu gale, pamasciud dar karta - uz ka gi as cia moku?! O gi uz tai, kad beveik kiekviena miela diena dangus yra melynas (arba israizytas lektuvu takais) ir saule sildo mane, ir dar uz tai, kad net lapkricio pradzioje labai norint as turiu galimybe issimaudyt 19C laipsniu juroje... Noriu pabrezt, kad i sita sarasa as visai nenoriu itraukti Nicos, Monako, Alpiu, sakykim cia tik bonusai. Reziumuojant moki is siluma saules pavidale ir tame tarpe uz gera nuotaika ;)

Gera nuotaika savaime veda prie didesnio ikvepimo, todel cia gyvena ne mazai meninku, na ir siaip visas prancuziskas Silicon Valley cia bazuojasi :)

Bet ir siaip neimanoma nepastebeti kiekviena miela darbo dienos ryta mane bedziuginanciais vaizdais keliaujant darban:

Grasse from the lower part, November 2007


View of the mountains, November 2007


A tunel of highway Grasse-Cannes, November 2007

P.S. Tiems, kas dar nezino, as gyvenu Grasse'o priemestyje vadinamu Saint Jacque

Sestadienis Rivieroje

Prancuzai nenustoja stebinti manes, nei kiek! Suprantamas dalykas, kad siandien yra sestadienis ir zmonem reikia kazkur islist, ir vaikus kazkur nutempti. Is kitos puses visiems pasaulyje yra puikiai zinoma kokie prancuzai yra gurmanai, kaip jie rupinasi del savo maisto ir tas yra tiesa, galiu jus patikinti. Bet siandien as buvau issigandus kai McDonalds'e pamaciau didziule eile... tiek prancuzu mac'e - neitiketina! Ir kur gi dingsta tas gurmanu potraukis kokybiskam maistui? Velnias ji zino... Sumasciau tokius Mac'o pliusus:
- jei jami Meniu, tai vietoj bulviu gali ir salotas issirinkti
- jei jami Meniu, kaip gerima gali issirinkti is 8 skirtingu gal, tame tarpe normaliausias prancuziskas alus 1664 :)
- Mac'o kainos yra patraukalios, kadangi net uz 5.7eu gali gaut visa komplekta ir pavalgyt, kas sitoj vietoj yra arti nerealiai kainai.

Seasonal contrasts

It's autumn outside already, it's November. However, the nature here looks quite the same as 3 months ago. If you go to the mountains about 2km hight, during September you may see such picture:

Col d'Allos, Mercantoure, 2007 September

The interesting thing is that if you go to the same place in a month, you get next picture:

Col d'Allos, Mercantoure, 2007 October

As for me, a girl from quite rainy and cold country Lithuania, this kind of picture is normal at the end of October. The difference is that you go up to the mountains about 2km higher then you live and when you come back, you can just go the Nice, Promenade des Anglais, and have your time like this:

Promenade des Anglais, Nice, 2007 November

Another contrast is that even if it's so green around like in the summer time, it's enough to go 15km from the cost about 800m higher to change the picture from summer one...

Cap Ferrat, Nice, 2007 November

...to golden autumn:

Bank of Lac de Sainte Croix, 2007 November

Taks... Renkames vyna!

O jus nesusimastet, kodel as begyvendama Prancuzijoje tiek laiko apie vyna net neuzsiminu? :) As pati tik dabar ta suvokiau. O paskutine para pagrinde buvo skirti apsivietimui vyno srityje! Ne tai kad as labai noreciau, ne tai kad man tai labai idomu, bet o ka daryt kai nuejes i parduotuve alaus vietinio jau nebenoris, eini i 6gubai didesni vynu skyriu ir... bandai pasikliaut savo instuicija?!

Ne, tai bloga praktika. Bandai daryt stai ka (dziaugiuos, kad jau bent skaityt +/- ismokau prancuziskai):

• identifikuoti regiona, is kurio kiles vynas. Probelma - juk nzn jokiu regionu, nuo ko pradet?
• ziurineji pagaminimo metus. Turint omeny, kad vynas cia kainuoja nuo 1.5e ir kainomis iki 3-4e - didelis pasitinkimas, tai pamacius 2002m vyna uz 3e pradedi abejot situom kriterijum
  
• pasirenki vynuogiu rusi. Deja, tik vakar parduotuvej sugalvojau sita kriteriju. Bet praktiskai man tas nepasiteisino kol kas. Gal del to, kad pasirinkau misinius
• apsiziuri prie ko tinka vynas - paskutinis kriterijus, kuri buvo imanoma sumastyti is vyno etikeciu :)

Taigi, eilini karta nusivylus ir uztaikius ant labai jau sausu vynu, nusprendziau edukuotis sitoje srityje, nes kitaip tektu mest gert! :D (na ok, radau is saldu balta vyna cia, bet ji kazkaip retai surandu, be to jo daznai neiseina gert).

Ko as griebiausi tai google ir mano nuostabai atradau vynogidas.info svetaine! Po keliu valandu praleistu ten pasijautau padariusi dideli zingsi i prieki vyno issirenkimo klausimu :) Nors dabar gal vistiek nieko gero neissirinkciau, bet bent zinociau kaip pradet degustacija ir atrasti Prancuzisko vyno skonius, kurie man butu prie sirdies. Vienas idomus dalykas apie vyna, kuris man iki siol lieka nezinomas tai kaip issirinkti bent jau ne sausa vyna, kurie sudaro dydziausia vynu dali. Deja, i sita klausima as dar nezinau atsakymo. O begyvenant Lietuvoje as atsakyciau paprastai - perskaityt etikete ar kazkas pan. Paprasta, ane? Galit pamanyt, kad prancuzu k. taip ir nepramokau :) Bet kad jie cia nieko panasaus neraso, nera tokio kriterijaus ant vyno etikeciu! Todel reikes degustuoti, bet bent jau dabar vynuogiu rusyse pradesiu gaudytis ir zinosiu ko galima butu ir vengti, o ka geriau rinktis. Besidalijant cia su jumis patirtimi, prisimenu kaip ne uz ilgo pries man isvaziuojant is Lietuvos, dovanu buvo gautos didziules vyno taures is Marciaus&Agnes, kurie tada man buvo sioks toks sokas. Bet dabar as galiu prisipazint, kad galiu pilnai ivertinti tos dovanos verte ir tauriu prasme :) Manau Agne dabar tures proga gerai pasijuokti is manes cia pasimetusios tarp vynu ir vos vos besigraibancios lentynose, bebandancios issirinkti ka nors saldesnio, kaip esu pripratus... Ech, na bet vynogidas mane gal isgelbes :) Jis tikrai gerai pritaikytas lietuviams, kurie naturalu, jog nieko nezino apie vyna :)

"Explorer"

Capoeira

After some time of coming to Sophia Antipolis, you may know, that in Garbejaire (a 'village' in Sophia Antipolis :) ) these is an MJC (Maison Jeunes Culture - Дом Культуры Молодёжы) where you can find a big variety of courses like language courses, sports, arts and etc. I personally was interested in French language courses, but accidentally I spotted Capoeira. I googled it in youtube and found some interesting clips, which drives me crazy recently:

• introduction
• tournament
• brazilians

Basically, it's about martial arts combined with dancing elements. And even when they are fighting, it looks awesome...

Bulviu sezono atidarymas

Jo, pagaliau ir cia bulviu kainos krito iki sezoniniu kainu, tai uzsitarinau bulvem. O kadangi esu atvykus is bulvininku salies, tai be abejo keptos bulves - pirmu numeriu!

Gaila, kad jos nesuteike tiek dziaugsmo, kiek gimtojoje Lietuvoje... nera to keptu bulviu aromato, kazkoks jis visai vos jauciamas. Bet vistiek skanu ;) O dabar nusprendziau ir bulviu kose paragaut - deja cia visai teko nusivilti. Jokio skonio, o tik jauciasi burnoje, kad bulves. O dar prisimeni, jog prancuzai yra juk uzkieteje ukininkai. Jie uz maisto kokybe ir pan. subsiduojami valstybes (ar EU?). Bet ne, bulves cia ne tos... Uztad tartar'as pas juos parduotuveje net yra :)

Trip to Barcelona, part 2

The Jardins de la Fontaine in Nîmes.

Pont du Gard

Some crazy french dog... But it makes me laugh :D

Cap d'Agde - a small town near Mediterranean sea. It's famous of nudist beach, which probably you can find during summer, but not during stormy weather. Still, it's not usual touristic place, it's houses are different from Cote d'Azur. You may think why not simply Agde and it's reasonable - it is located in ~5km from Cap. Agde - a small town, not very impresive and it has no smell of the sea :)

Yachts in Cap d'Agde.


Funny houses with the same colour all over the town.


Sea smells like Baltic sea and makes me feel like at home...




Béziers - here we made a stop to have some warm food after several sandwiches. There is a nice view of the Cathedral from a bridge with a way thin road and path for pedestrians - funny one :) This photo from was made on that bridge.




And the last townwe managed to visit that day Narbonne. I dont't why we were visiting it, propably it was on the way to Spain, however, it was a big surprise to found in the old town a big Castle-palace. It looked really amazing and the biggest surprise what the look of it from the yard. But I run out of the batteries for camera, so there is no picture. But still, it looked like an enterence to the castle from a fairy tale, like Alice in Wonderland or smth similar. That was WoW!

Palais des Archevêques




Looks bloody like Dracula's... Joking :)

To be continued...