Day 12 - Birthday/Trip To Italy
Well, as you all know today is my birthday. I had a few presents and cards, including The Simpsons season 11, which I already have, but this is in French lol. Anyway this morning Dave said he was taking me out on a trip in the car, just me and him, we were heading East towards Monaco. Anyway I had no idea where we were going but we went into Italy, over the border. We visited a small town called Ventimiligia near the border, so I got to DX in Italy and visit this country which I have never been to. Two new countries in one year - Bulgaria and Italy, not bad, eh? Once we crossed the border into Italy we came to a toll but we had to take a ticket, Dave was panicking because he didn't know what to do. Well we came to another toll about 2 minutes later and they stamped the ticket or something, not sure what they did, can't remember. We parked in a car park but didn't know how to pay so we went up to this bus driver and asked him, well we couldn't communicate but he was either saying we didn't need to pay as it was free or you couldn't park here, at the end Dave said "merci" then realised we weren't in France he said "thank you" but that's still wrong he said "gracias" (Spanish, similar to saying thank you in Italian), I then had to point out that the correct word was "Grazie" lol, quite funny really - Merci, Thank You, Gracais, Grazie. Dave referred to himself as a "man of International tounge" haha. We went to a cafe, had lunch, had a Coke and went back to the car and drove back to France. Dave was a bit worried because if you park and don't buy a ticket your car can get towed. It was a good day out anyway, you can't really get many French stations over the Italian border for some reason, must be something to do with the hills. So I really enjoyed the day and I got to visit a new country. Best birthday ever. (oh also Birthday Sex came on Skyrock last night at 11:30 PM UK time).
Now then, I can't say I am too happy about the lack of E-Cards I have received today, in fact no one has even left any comments on the front page to wish me a happy birthday, disgraceful, on the other hand I have had a load of messages on Facebook who wished me a happy birthday, so I will list these people now. Before I do I will mention that Ceejay (Chris) sent me an E-Card, I appreciate that. These are the people I'd like to thank (for wishing me a happy birthday on either Facebook or somewhere else):
Gracie
Gabi
Ryan
Tina
Alex
Ceejay
Ben
Drew
Charlotte
Hannah
Sara
Thanks guys, I love most of you. I will of course edit this list should I get anyone else wishing me a happy birthday. I must say I am surprised TMC and Calvin aren't on this list.
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Tuesday 27 July 2010
France Trip - Day 11 - 16th Birthday Tomorrow!
Day 11 - 16th Birthday Tomorrow
Hey guys, sorry about not blogging but I have been going out with Ian and some new friends we have made (16 year old girls). Anyway, I went to Monaco a few days ago and I also went to the Aquapark in Frejus yesterday. Well I am just blogging quickly now to say it is my birthday tomorrow (28th) and it would be very appriciated if you would send me an E-Card (Not yet though, tomorrow), if you do, you will be credited on this blog tomorrow. Of course those who have my address please feel free to send me a real card, then again I am not sure if it's a good idea, although I don't return until the 31st I don't think it would arrive even for then. I will not be returning until quite late on the 31st, I land back in Newcastle around 11-11:30 pm. I have asked my Dad to buy me the video game ' Red Dead Redemption ' on XBOX 360 so I look forward to playing that (in HD on my big TV :)). Anyway today we are just hanging around the pool, I will probably be meeting my new (girl) friends tonight, but the thing is I never arrive back until very late (up to 2AM), well anyway that's my blog post done.
Hey guys, sorry about not blogging but I have been going out with Ian and some new friends we have made (16 year old girls). Anyway, I went to Monaco a few days ago and I also went to the Aquapark in Frejus yesterday. Well I am just blogging quickly now to say it is my birthday tomorrow (28th) and it would be very appriciated if you would send me an E-Card (Not yet though, tomorrow), if you do, you will be credited on this blog tomorrow. Of course those who have my address please feel free to send me a real card, then again I am not sure if it's a good idea, although I don't return until the 31st I don't think it would arrive even for then. I will not be returning until quite late on the 31st, I land back in Newcastle around 11-11:30 pm. I have asked my Dad to buy me the video game ' Red Dead Redemption ' on XBOX 360 so I look forward to playing that (in HD on my big TV :)). Anyway today we are just hanging around the pool, I will probably be meeting my new (girl) friends tonight, but the thing is I never arrive back until very late (up to 2AM), well anyway that's my blog post done.
Wednesday 21 July 2010
France Trip - Day 5 - Barbecue (7/21)
Day 5 - Barbecue
I woke up this morning sometime between 5-6 AM, I heard someone moving around outside, I think it was Dave getting a drink so I waited until he went back to bed before I got up, went to pee then went back to bed and back to sleep. Then I woke again at about 10:30 AM. I heard Dave and Dawn outside talking, I continued lying in bed and I heard Dave say he was going to wake me up, he was unaware that I was already awake. He came in my room at 11 AM, found out I was awake and said he and Dawn were going to the pool and I could join them when I was ready. After they left I got up and got straight into the shower for about 30 seconds. Got out, got dressed, brushed my teeth and left. I couldn't find the bread so had nothing to eat. I walked over to the swimming pool and seen the whole family there. I went straight in the pool and spent most of the day there. I did come out sometime during the day and went back to grab something to eat, there was alot of good songs on Skyrock and so I came back to the pool late. I spent another couple of hours in the pool before going back up, getting another quick shower, getting dressed and walking over to D&L's caravan. I trimmed their hedges because they were too long. Dave and Dawn came about an hour later. Dave and Lesley went to the supermarket to get some stuff for the barbecue which we started when they came back. We had pork, rabbit legs and beef, I enjoyed it. After that we just hung out for the rest of the night. I need to be up early tomorrow because we are going out to a market to get the 'French experience'. Well I will blog all about that tomorrow night.
I woke up this morning sometime between 5-6 AM, I heard someone moving around outside, I think it was Dave getting a drink so I waited until he went back to bed before I got up, went to pee then went back to bed and back to sleep. Then I woke again at about 10:30 AM. I heard Dave and Dawn outside talking, I continued lying in bed and I heard Dave say he was going to wake me up, he was unaware that I was already awake. He came in my room at 11 AM, found out I was awake and said he and Dawn were going to the pool and I could join them when I was ready. After they left I got up and got straight into the shower for about 30 seconds. Got out, got dressed, brushed my teeth and left. I couldn't find the bread so had nothing to eat. I walked over to the swimming pool and seen the whole family there. I went straight in the pool and spent most of the day there. I did come out sometime during the day and went back to grab something to eat, there was alot of good songs on Skyrock and so I came back to the pool late. I spent another couple of hours in the pool before going back up, getting another quick shower, getting dressed and walking over to D&L's caravan. I trimmed their hedges because they were too long. Dave and Dawn came about an hour later. Dave and Lesley went to the supermarket to get some stuff for the barbecue which we started when they came back. We had pork, rabbit legs and beef, I enjoyed it. After that we just hung out for the rest of the night. I need to be up early tomorrow because we are going out to a market to get the 'French experience'. Well I will blog all about that tomorrow night.
Tuesday 20 July 2010
France Trip - Day 4 - More Arrivals (7/20)
Day 4 - More Arrivals
Today I woke up listening to Alors on Danse by Stromae on 105 FM, an Italian radio station. I like that song. I switched over to Skyrock eventually, I switched my laptop on, replied to an email from Ceejay and read some very old emails. Eventually I got up, got in the shower and then had breakfast, I had bread and butter, but it wasn't just any bread, it was one of those long French sticks. After breakfast we went out to the supermarket across the street and got some supplies in, then after that we went to another store down the road. We came back then dropped some things off at Debbie and Lesley's caravan then went to the pool. I spent a few hours there, but I did at some point go back to our caravan for some food. I then looked online while eating and noticed D&L's flight had taken off from Newcastle. I went back to the pool but left early while Dave and Dawn continued to relax by the pool. So I came back by myself, had a shower, got dressed, grabbed a bottle of Coke and my laptop and went over to D&L's caravan to get ready for their arrivals. I went online and listened to Skyrock while waiting for them. About an hour later Dave and Dawn turned up and a few minutes later D and L (and the kids) arrived. Maybe half an hour to an hour later Dave and Les went to the pizza shop over the road and ordered a pizza but it was taking ages to get here so Dawn sent me over to see what was taking so long, I ran over to the pizza shop and found nobody there, running back I noticed Dave and Les having a drink in the bar, so I asked where the pizza was and they said it was late and wouldn't be available until 9:15 PM. I ran back to their caravan and eventually they came with the pizza. I enjoyed it but it burned the hell out of my mouth, it was very spicy, the same problem I had with a different pizza the previous night, it was then that we worked out it was the ketchup we were using and not the pizzas. I had never had such a bad experience with ketchup before and hope to never again - why do they allow these things to happen? But I did enjoy the pizza. At about 10 PM I went off the computer and joined the group and we all had a good laugh. D&L and the kids were tired because of the long journey so we left just after 11 PM. Since then I have just been hanging around online. That's todays update, I also heard Dr Dre (Still Dre) on Skyrock last night.
Today I woke up listening to Alors on Danse by Stromae on 105 FM, an Italian radio station. I like that song. I switched over to Skyrock eventually, I switched my laptop on, replied to an email from Ceejay and read some very old emails. Eventually I got up, got in the shower and then had breakfast, I had bread and butter, but it wasn't just any bread, it was one of those long French sticks. After breakfast we went out to the supermarket across the street and got some supplies in, then after that we went to another store down the road. We came back then dropped some things off at Debbie and Lesley's caravan then went to the pool. I spent a few hours there, but I did at some point go back to our caravan for some food. I then looked online while eating and noticed D&L's flight had taken off from Newcastle. I went back to the pool but left early while Dave and Dawn continued to relax by the pool. So I came back by myself, had a shower, got dressed, grabbed a bottle of Coke and my laptop and went over to D&L's caravan to get ready for their arrivals. I went online and listened to Skyrock while waiting for them. About an hour later Dave and Dawn turned up and a few minutes later D and L (and the kids) arrived. Maybe half an hour to an hour later Dave and Les went to the pizza shop over the road and ordered a pizza but it was taking ages to get here so Dawn sent me over to see what was taking so long, I ran over to the pizza shop and found nobody there, running back I noticed Dave and Les having a drink in the bar, so I asked where the pizza was and they said it was late and wouldn't be available until 9:15 PM. I ran back to their caravan and eventually they came with the pizza. I enjoyed it but it burned the hell out of my mouth, it was very spicy, the same problem I had with a different pizza the previous night, it was then that we worked out it was the ketchup we were using and not the pizzas. I had never had such a bad experience with ketchup before and hope to never again - why do they allow these things to happen? But I did enjoy the pizza. At about 10 PM I went off the computer and joined the group and we all had a good laugh. D&L and the kids were tired because of the long journey so we left just after 11 PM. Since then I have just been hanging around online. That's todays update, I also heard Dr Dre (Still Dre) on Skyrock last night.
Monday 19 July 2010
France Trip - Day 1 - Arriving (7/17) and Day 3 - Trip to St Tropez (7/19)
DAY 1 - Arriving at Nice Airport and driving to Frejus
We took off from Newcastle airport at around 5 PM, when taking off I remember seeing the Pontop Pike radio/TV mast and it was quite low compared to how high we were, makes me wonder why TV masts like Pontop and Bilsdale need the aircraft warning lights. My Dad had his cell phone (HTC Desire) with FM radio so into the flight I managed to do some DXing and heard France INFO on 105.2 from Lille at 400KW when flying over the Channel. This is a very strong signal and can be first picked up around Maidstone, Kent. I expect to receive it in Dover in January. I also flew over Paris but couldn't see the Eiffel Tower. We arrived at Nice (Cote D'Azur) Airport just after 8 PM, collected our bags and headed over to the rental office to pick up our car which is a Ford Focus. Dawn then drove from the airport over to Le Dattier camping over in Frejus. About an hour drive. I enjoyed listening to French radio such as Skyrock. When we arrived at Le Dattier we got to our caravan to discover there was no electricity as it had been switched off and Dave was hunting around for the electric box to switch it on but we couldn't find it. We even rang the caravan owners in Liverpool but they weren't much help. A Dutchh man in the caravan opposite helped my Dad try to find the electric box but had no luck. We eventually just had to go to sleep in the dark.
DAY 3 - Trip to St Tropez
Today we went to St Tropez, which is a small town at the end of the Cote D'Azur. Me, Dave and Dawn left in the car at exactly 12 PM (Dawn driving). It took over an hour to drive to St Tropez, but I enjoyed listening to Skyrock, my favourite French radio station. I heard songs from the French artists Canardo (Je ne perds pas le nord), Sexion D'Assaut (Desole/Wati By Night) and Nessbeal (A Chaque Jour Suffit Sa Peine) and American/English speaking artists Rihanna (Te Amo/Love The Way You Lie (ft Eminem)) and Sean Paul (Hold My Hand) - Love that song :) oh and Usher (OMG), and not forgetting B.O.B and Bruno Mars (Nothin' On You). When we got to St Tropez the first thing we did was walk along the front and saw some boats leave the port. Dave and Dawn got a squishy type refreshment, after that I got a can of Coke. We then walked along the beach and up to the castle, but when we got all the way up I didn't want to go any further so my Dad (Dave) gave me 5 Euros for another can of Coke and I went back down, I got a bit lost but I managed to get back on track. I went to the shop we went earlier and bought another can of Coke, I also spoke in French, the conversation went something like this:
Cashier: Bonjour
Jack: Bonjour, deux Cola s'il-vous plais
Cashier: deux Cola?
Jack: Oui
***Jack hands money and gets Coke***
Jack: Merci
I went back to the beach because that was the meeting point for Dave and Dawn, I drank my Coke then went back. I sat down but wasn't sitting too long as Dave and Dawn came back about 10-15 mins later. We went back to the car and surprisingly, Dave drove all the way back! When we got back I went in the shower and then had tea, I had pizza and fries (Nothing new there then lol), me and Dave also watched a game show called 'Mots de Passe' on the TV channel France 2. 'Mots' means 'Words'. I enjoyed that. We have been Debbie and Lesley's caravan at night just to check on it, then have a drink there. Debbie is Dawn's sister and Lesley is Debbie's husband, they are coming over tomorrow with some kids from the family. Anyway that's all for now, please comment, I do read all comments, Merci et Au Revoir.
Note - Any times mentioned here are in French time (CEST +0200).
We took off from Newcastle airport at around 5 PM, when taking off I remember seeing the Pontop Pike radio/TV mast and it was quite low compared to how high we were, makes me wonder why TV masts like Pontop and Bilsdale need the aircraft warning lights. My Dad had his cell phone (HTC Desire) with FM radio so into the flight I managed to do some DXing and heard France INFO on 105.2 from Lille at 400KW when flying over the Channel. This is a very strong signal and can be first picked up around Maidstone, Kent. I expect to receive it in Dover in January. I also flew over Paris but couldn't see the Eiffel Tower. We arrived at Nice (Cote D'Azur) Airport just after 8 PM, collected our bags and headed over to the rental office to pick up our car which is a Ford Focus. Dawn then drove from the airport over to Le Dattier camping over in Frejus. About an hour drive. I enjoyed listening to French radio such as Skyrock. When we arrived at Le Dattier we got to our caravan to discover there was no electricity as it had been switched off and Dave was hunting around for the electric box to switch it on but we couldn't find it. We even rang the caravan owners in Liverpool but they weren't much help. A Dutchh man in the caravan opposite helped my Dad try to find the electric box but had no luck. We eventually just had to go to sleep in the dark.
DAY 3 - Trip to St Tropez
Today we went to St Tropez, which is a small town at the end of the Cote D'Azur. Me, Dave and Dawn left in the car at exactly 12 PM (Dawn driving). It took over an hour to drive to St Tropez, but I enjoyed listening to Skyrock, my favourite French radio station. I heard songs from the French artists Canardo (Je ne perds pas le nord), Sexion D'Assaut (Desole/Wati By Night) and Nessbeal (A Chaque Jour Suffit Sa Peine) and American/English speaking artists Rihanna (Te Amo/Love The Way You Lie (ft Eminem)) and Sean Paul (Hold My Hand) - Love that song :) oh and Usher (OMG), and not forgetting B.O.B and Bruno Mars (Nothin' On You). When we got to St Tropez the first thing we did was walk along the front and saw some boats leave the port. Dave and Dawn got a squishy type refreshment, after that I got a can of Coke. We then walked along the beach and up to the castle, but when we got all the way up I didn't want to go any further so my Dad (Dave) gave me 5 Euros for another can of Coke and I went back down, I got a bit lost but I managed to get back on track. I went to the shop we went earlier and bought another can of Coke, I also spoke in French, the conversation went something like this:
Cashier: Bonjour
Jack: Bonjour, deux Cola s'il-vous plais
Cashier: deux Cola?
Jack: Oui
***Jack hands money and gets Coke***
Jack: Merci
I went back to the beach because that was the meeting point for Dave and Dawn, I drank my Coke then went back. I sat down but wasn't sitting too long as Dave and Dawn came back about 10-15 mins later. We went back to the car and surprisingly, Dave drove all the way back! When we got back I went in the shower and then had tea, I had pizza and fries (Nothing new there then lol), me and Dave also watched a game show called 'Mots de Passe' on the TV channel France 2. 'Mots' means 'Words'. I enjoyed that. We have been Debbie and Lesley's caravan at night just to check on it, then have a drink there. Debbie is Dawn's sister and Lesley is Debbie's husband, they are coming over tomorrow with some kids from the family. Anyway that's all for now, please comment, I do read all comments, Merci et Au Revoir.
Note - Any times mentioned here are in French time (CEST +0200).
Saturday 17 July 2010
Going to France today/New Website
Hi guys, well I had a great time in Bulgaria, I am now going on holiday AGAIN, this time I am going to Frejus, the south of France with Dave and Dawn. Then on Tuesday Debbie (Dawn's sister) and Lesley (Debbie's husband) and some of the kids from Dawn's family are coming. Then on Thursday Ian and Katie (Dawn's nephew/niece) are coming. It will be fun anyway. Ian is actually driving us up to Newcastle airport at 2 PM and our flight takes off at 17:25, although I am not sure what time the gates open. We will probably arrive in France at around 9 PM but we have a rental car so I can DX, like I did in France last year and listen to Skyrock. Oh btw Alors on Danse by Stomae was quite popular in Bulgaria. Anyway, enough about my holiday I would like to share something else with you. I have created a brand new website, www.livefromchicago2.com, check it out and let me know what you think. I want it to be a sucess. I actually think it's quite good considering I am crap at web design. I created it in Fireworks and Dreamweaver. Just one last thing, I am sure all of you have heard of the Raoul Moat incident 2 weeks ago in Gateshead, Newcastle and Rothbury, well personally I think this country is getting worse, this is the second gun incident in the UK this year! Why do they allow these things to happen?
Friday 2 July 2010
Final blog post before I go to Bulgaria
Hey guys! Okay, most of you know that tomorrow I am leaving with my mum for a one week holiday to Bulgaria. I am really looking forward to it as this is a new country which I have not visited before. My mum's cousins (Susan and Janice) live there. Just so you know, the area I am going to is called Sunny Beach which is near the town of Nessebar in Eastern Bulgaria, it is a coastal town. My flight is from Newcastle Airport (EGNT) to Bourgas Airport (LBBG). Departure is at 6:40 PM (UK time) and arrival is at 11:59 PM (Bulgarian time, 2 hours ahead of UK). My mum wants to get to Newcastle airport early. After we have checked in I'll probably be getting a Burger King. Oh, and the airline is Balkan Holidays, I have never flown with this airline before. Most of my holidays I have flown with Thomson Airlines or EasyJet (I will be flying with this airline when I go to France, 1 week after I have returned from Bulgaria). Anyway, guys, I guess I will see you all in a week. My return flight is the following Saturday, I will probably blog about everything I did when I get back. Still, I think there is a good chance I will be able to get a connection at Susan and Janice's house. I think they have the Internet. Anyway, remember to leave comments both here and on the website, I enjoy reading them. Oh and I am going to Dover on January 29th 2011 with my Dad and I am really looking forward to it, most of you know I enjoy DXing and Dover is a great place to receive lots of French radio. Okay, bye guys, love you all, see you in a week!
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