  The circumgalactic medium (CGM) of typical galaxies is crucial to our
understanding of the cycling of gas into, through and out of galaxies. One way
to probe the CGM is to study gas around galaxies detected via the absorption
lines they produce in the spectra of background quasars. Here, we present
medium resolution and new ~0.4-arcsec resolution (~3 kpc at z~1) 3D
observations with VLT/SINFONI of galaxies responsible for high-N(HI) quasar
absorbers. These data allow to determine in details the kinematics of the
objects: the four z~1 objects are found to be rotation-supported as expected
from inclined discs, while the fifth z~2 system is dispersion-dominated. Two of
the systems show sign of interactions and merging. In addition, we use several
indicators (star formation per unit area, a comparison of emission and
absorption kinematics, arguments based on the inclination and the orientation
of the absorber to the quasar line-of-sight and the distribution of metals) to
determine the direction of the gas flows in and out of these galaxies. In some
cases, our observations are consistent with the gas seen in absorption being
due to material co-rotating with their halos. In the case of absorbing-galaxies
towards Q1009-0026 and Q2222-0946, these indicators point toward the presence
of an outflow traced in absorption.
