Christchurch

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Quick flight of 1 hour and 10 minutes and I am in a city that is about the size of Halifax.
HOURS LATER....chic hotel with great design. I had a 'turkish hamburger' for supper. For all you cooks out there, get your tastebuds wrapped around the idea of a 4 cm hamburger with mint/sourcream on one side and red beetroot on the other side of the burger....some potato fries and a pile of red cabage. I think the chef went north when he was thinking about Turkey. He landed somewheres east of the Ukraine where lots of cabbage and beets fill the menus.
Christchurch....a N.Z. type of Halifax. Its easy to manouever in this small city. There are delightful twists that fit in beside urban global yawns. I haven't had the time to find the meaning of the giant silver and blue napkin holder in the city centre. The cathedral is old by simply built, perhaps a true representation of life in the colonies way back when.
This hotel is a weird surprise or experiment. Very compact rooms in futuristic style, a 'virtual conceirge' that responds to your touch on the screen, washing machines with soap already in the water, mood lighing that I have yet to experience.....as soon as I leave this bay of high tech computers saddled up to experienced travelers....or should I say mature travelers saddled up to these Apples. What I like about this hotel is that surprisingly everything works well.
The photos are from an afternoon of doing the typical things...finding food, orientating myself to the town centre, climbing those damn steps of the highest building that beccons to eager tourist trying to get good pictures. I did pop into a 1-2-3 store to buy socks and mittons. I feel winter approaching. The clouds in the sky kept the air warm like October in Nova Scotia. When the wind changes, it might bring snow.
Tomorrow I catch the mountain train to the west, supposedly one of the best train journeys in the world. Stay tuned.... photos should support or deny that claim.

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Photos

Modern
Centre-piece of main square. Don't know what it means and haven't had the time to ask.

Street Performers
Maori singers. Nice tatoos

Market and Cathedral
The two ingredients for medieval towns.

Figures
Beside the cathedral

Cathedral
I guess I should have turned the camera the other way to get the tower. I paid $5 to climb the 134 steps.

Tower top
There are four doors at the top of cathedral tower, each with a small balcony outside

Mountains
Outside Christchurch are snowcovered mountains

Inside cathedral
Its quite plain inside, but I like this kids display.

Prayer
Translated

Jade
crafts for sale in market

Countdown
Good Rugby will happen here next year

Culture
The play (top poster) sounds great but it was last week

Lunch
Potato and something (think it was type of sweet potato) soup and small bagal.

School Holidays
This is last day of school holidays. Yippeee! No more teens hanging out downtown

My Hotel Room
Tres chic, Tres Petite

Mood lights
Hotel So has tiny, ultra modern rooms with mood lighting. Apparently the wake-up call is pre-programmed lights and music. I'll let you know if I get it to work

Bathroom
It reminds me of an airplane bathroom, but its so chic that it seems tolerable.

Performance
Somewheres in this city there are haka performances several times a day.

Looking down
I like the blue colour of inside