Around a quarter of the population of Wales speak Welsh as naturally as they do English - and there are a few thousand people who speak Welsh only. The basic vocabulary of present-day Welsh is Celtic, but it includes a sprinkling of Latin and English. It is a lyrical-sounding language, but very tongue-twisting for outsiders. The Welsh alphabet omits the consonants j, k, q, v, x, and z. It has the one 'f' (pronounced 'v') and adds a double 'ff' (pronounced as the ordinary English 'f'); a double 'dd' (pronounced as 'th' in 'then'); a double 'll' (almost impossible for an outsider pronounce correctly; to get near to the sound, put the tongue at the back of the roof of the mouth and say 'hl'). Here's some words for you to try and pronounce! *Cymru is ... read more

I had lots of fun at the St Jerome's Laneway Festival in Auckland on Monday 31st January. The 31st of January is 'Auckland Anniversary Day' so the council holds a fireworks display and people can take a day off work. The Laneway Festival is an outdoor festival that is held in Aotea Square which is the main meeting point in Auckland's Central Business District. We thought it was going to rain, but luckily for my papery self it was sunny and warm for most of the day. Many of the bands performing at the festival had traveled long distances, from the United States, Canada, England and many more places. The festival attracts thousands of people each year. Most of the bands play alternative rock music, which consists mainly of guitarists, a drummer and a keyboard player ... read more

The next day after going to the Tower of London we went and visited Buckingham Palace which is the official residence of the Queen. We didn't have time to go inside but the palace is really big and quite imposing, this is where the royal wedding reception will be held at the end of April for Prince William and his bride Kate. The palace has guards with bearskin hats and red coats, we arrived on time to see the daily changing of the guard ceremony which was quite fun. You mustn't approach or annoy the guards though as they will shout at you if you if you do that! Their hats are made out of bear fur which isn't to the liking of some people who would rather they could have them made out of something ... read more

After dashing around London we all decided it would be a great idea to jump onto the Eurostar and take a quick trip to Paris. The Eurostar is a high speed train which can travel between London and Paris. It goes underneath the sea through the 'Channel Tunnel'. It is 50km long and it is possible to travel between England and France within just a few hours. This is an interesting youtube video on how the tunnel was constructed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgwG4VWSkKA It was very cold and we wanted to see all the top tourist attractions in Paris. Our first stop was the Arc De Triomphe (Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile) which is one of the most famous landmarks in France. It is built on the 'Historic Axis' which is a line of important historical buildings and monuments ... read more

Last day here in South Africa! We stayed the night in a rest camp called Crocodile Bridge since it's on the Crocodile river and the last camp in the park before you leave. I'm now off to New Zealand for more adventures! Long journey to Auckland but I'll post more news and send you a post card as soon as I can! Take care Lots of love Flat Stanley... read more