Europe 2009 Day 12 and 13 in Barcelona

 Day 12, Saturday, 26 September 2009 – Today is Gaudi day, book six!  We visit two of his places, the apartment block Palau Guell (Guell was one of his patrons) and tour one of the apartments.  We loved this for the way he brought in light in the optimal way.  We also go to the La Padrera which is a museum about his works and explains in detail how he tried to build in harmony with nature.  He always thought about nature first and built stuff according to leaves, fish skeletons, nuts, etc.  The most amazing thing about Gaudi is that he never made plans for his projects, only models.  Makes you wonder how he got approval to build anything. 

                                                                             

                                                                                                                 Palau Guell

                                                            

                                                                                                         He designed the tiles!

Casa Batillo was another of his houses that he designed that had a central lightwell.  We did not however see the Familia Sagrada, his church masterpiece. Considering it won’t be finished for another 25 years it can wait!

                                                        

                                                                                                           Casa Batillo

                                                 

                                                                                                     Rooftop of Casa Batillo

After these sights we had lunch at a bar in the Leixample district, main, dessert and a beer for €7.  We then decide to visit the Musee of Ceramic or the ceramics museum which is quite beautiful and shows a timeline of Spanish mosaics.  It is housed in the old Royal Palace, exquisite building once again with its pots of geraniums planted around the fountain at the front.  So simple but yet so beautiful.  We tour the palace and some of the rooms are lined with leather walls which have been painted like wallpaper, beautiful!!  We get in with a discount because of the Barcelona Card. 

                                                              

                                                                                        Former Royal Palace, now Musee Ceramic

      

                                             

                                                   Grounds of the Palace                                          Not able to make it look even better!

From there we decide that we will take up the free 1½  hour tour of the harbour offered by the Barcelona Card.  This is conveniently right by the food and wine festival so we go back to our favourite stall and ask if we can buy two cold bottles of our favourite blanc de blanc.  The woman says no, but she will agree to one, see what happens when you ask with a smile??  We board the boat and get the last two seats on the outside deck.  The weather is superb and we settle in with our wine and a hot dog that we bought just outside the entry. Great tour of the harbour and we get out to the ocean which is very breezy!  Go up the coast to where the beaches are and we see the modern day Barcelona, not like where we are staying or visiting.                                                 

Upon returning to the harbour, we depart the boat and walk across the street to the Christopher Columbus monument which has a lift which takes us to the top and to the viewing platform.  Free entry courtesy of the Barcelona Card.  I have calculated that just doing the things that we have done we have paid for the card plus had all out use of the metro for three days!  The night was starting to get dark and it was magical to see the lights of the city from above! 

                                                        

 Area in the harbour where the Columbus Monument is.  We didn’t get a picture of it in light as it was dark when we came down. 

Once again we go to the light show and meet a really nice couple and their friend.  The male speaks pretty good English so Mr Have a Chat (Howard) has a great time conversing with him and his girlfriend and their other female friend.  Howard tells them that they should get married and it is pretty evident that they will, they seem very much in love having been together for 7 years.  My notes indicate that we have seen a lot of dogs in Barcelona and we are grateful to be able to pet them as we are missing our girls, Bella and Millie, very much! 

We head off to a bar and meet a cute lawyer from Madrid whose English is pretty good.  Howard tells him we will be driving the rest of our trip to which he replies “you’re game”!  (We wonder what he means by that but soon forget the comment, only to be reminded of it once we hit the road!!)

Day 13, Sunday, 27 September – On this day we decide we are going to go to Sitges the beach resort outside of Barcelona.  It’s only a 30 minute trip by train and going there we have a couple playing pan flute and guitar in the train car, just magical really!  We both remark how on the outskirts of Barcelona it looks as if people are living next to the train tracks and tending vegetable gardens.  The city is very dirty as you approach and leave it.  We both agree that laundry hanging from balconies in the old city has a certain charm but hanging from modern day apartments it just looks tacky. 

Sitges is a very nice resort town and has houses on proper blocks of land.  There is an old section and a new section and both are stunning!  I would imagine that this is where rich Barcelonians have their beach houses.  We saw the funniest sight, two gay guys walking a black pig on a lead!  Howard ran back to them and found out that it is their pet and her name is Lola!  Of course it would, wouldn’t it??!! 

                                                      

 We have lunch at a restaurant on the beach called Kansas and order the seafood paella (mine waiter assures me it is a good choice).  It arrives and it is absolutely fantastic!!  Still cooking in the pan and steaming hot, full of seafood and assorted vegetables, the smell wafting over the table.  Howard eventually asks me if I want a paella pan – obviously he wants me to have one so that I can cook this for him!!  The restaurant has china specially made for them but the name of the restaurant on the plate is Hansas.  Wonder if this is a different interpretation of the name or a complete balls up??? 

                                                                                      

                                                                             Our first dish of paella!  God it was good!!  And yes, I did buy a pan on coming home!!

We wander the shops and streets and take the train back to Barca.  Once back in the city we notice the large number of police near Plaza Espanya, surely tonight, the biggest night of the festival, is going to be huge (it is)!!  We take the metro to wander thru Parc Guell.  This is a housing estate that was designed by Gaudi and was to eventually have up to 60 houses.  Only three were built here though and the remaining estate was never sold.  It is quite magical but very hilly and it would have been a real feat to have even brought the building materials for the first three houses up here.  It is a folly in the complete sense of the word for the 1920’s but would be very magical in today’s time. 

                 

                                                                                                                   Parc Guell

 We visit the house where Gaudi lived – incredibly he didn’t design it!!  We depart the parc via a side entrance and come across a group of five men, this is the only time that we have felt not safe.  However we walk past them and back into a residential area.  Parking is very tight in this area and we see a woman who has found a spot that is just smaller than her car. However, that is no deterrent as she backs in and gently moves back and forth nudging the cars in front and behind her so that they move out of the way and she can park!  It was quite hilarious, Howard commented that there would be no way he would ever buy a new car in this city! 

We go back to the hotel for a siesta (we are getting into this siesta thing!)  and get up to have dinner at the local bar where we had dinner a few nights earlier.  It is packed and I have to wait in line for about 15 mins just to get a sausage and a beer for each of us!  No fries tonight, just too many people. 

We head off to Parc Montjuic for one last night, tonight is the fireworks display.  There must be about 10,000 people, maybe more, lining the streets (a guy on tripadvisor tells me that it was more like 200,000)!  We push our way forward until we can’t get any further and hear the Freddie Mercury song “Barcelona” coming thru the sound system.  PERFECT!!  We open our last bottle of wine in Barca and feel the festivities of the people with the fireworks!  At one point many people bring out sparklers and light them in unison, what a sight it was to see them all held up in the air!!  The fireworks last about one hour, just incredible!!  Happy crowd of people, no violence, respectful – a lovely atmosphere.  A great night for our last one in Barca!

Europe Days 10 & 11 in Barcelona

Day 10, Thursday, 24 September 2009 – We have an ungodly hour-of-the-morning flight to Barcelona, check in closes at 7 am so the taxi picks us up at 5:30.  It’s a €53 fare but unavoidable.  I forgot to pack my wine opener into my checked luggage and the security guard goes into a mild panic when she sees it come up on her xray screen.  She is talking rapidly and gesticulating wildly to one of her fellow workers who then proceeds to take it out, open up the knife part, measure it and then throw it back into my bag!  Go figure!   

 We arrive at 9:25 and I pick up our Barcelona Cards.  This one gives us free transport for three days and some discounts and free things as well.  We take the RENFE train into the city but in my excitement we get out at the wrong stop so we have to wait around 45 mins to get to the next stop to Sants which is one of the most central stations of the met.  From there we take a metro train to Espanya Station and walk to our hotel the Vincci Arena.  We check in and have a fantastic room!  Normal sized bathroom and a bidet, how good is that?   

 Because today is the biggest day of the La Merce Festival we want to get out and explore the city.  We take the metro to La Ramblas and walk towards the harbour.  We have lunch at a tapas place overlooking the water, the weather is stunning and I am wondering if I am going to burn!  We have 5 different tapas each with some wine.   

 

Lunch at the harbour

From there we proceed to the food and wine festival next door.  For €7 each we purchase 10 tickets for wine, get given two wine glasses and go to taste, all of the wines that we tasted were only 2 tickets.  We also pay €5 each for 4 food tickets.  We get our first glass of wine and decide that we want some more food so we get a plate of meats and then a plate of cheeses.  The food vendors give you a little ceramic bowl which you get to keep (as well as the wine glasses).  The glasses are used a lot during the rest of our trip and we actually get them and the ceramic dishes back to Australia in one piece! 

        

We have a great time at the festival and feeling very merry by the wine, decide to buy two bottles of our favourite since our room has a bar fridge.  We go back to the stall and ask for two bottles, I see a sign indicating €3 but think that is for a glass.  But no, it is for a bottle – what a bargain!   

Back at the hotel it is now time to go to Park Montjuic, site of the 1992 Olympics.  We want to hear and see the fabulous light and water show.  It is, in one word, MAGNIFICENT!  It plays on the half hour for about 15 minutes and we literally are sitting on steps or whatever that will give us a good view of the fountain!  Music, lights and the whole show is just fantastic.  Hundreds of people are here and not just tourists.  We are also able to buy more food, wine or champagne and I decide that we need to experience cava, or Spanish champagne.  We buy a bottle and get a couple of plastic glasses.  We end up with four of these so maybe we bought another bottle??  We enjoy the show so much that we end up going back to it every night.  Perfect start to our Spain portion of the holiday!  We do notice, however, that Barcelona is dirtier compared to London or Paris and for me I saw much more dog “stuff” than what you would have expected (or hear about) in Paris.  

                                                                                                        

Day 11, Friday, 25 September 2009 – After breakfast at the local bakery (2 café con leche with a croissant for Howard, panini for me) and with no set plans in place we decide to go to La Ramblas and the old quarter of the city.  We wander thru the Jewish Quarter and its small laneways with beautiful shops and cafes and bars.  We see some ceramic shops that have house number tiles and wrought iron frames to house them but think we will be able to buy these anywhere in Spain.  Unfortunately we never see them again during the rest of our stay in Spain.  

                                                        Laneways along Las Ramblas            

We visit the Cathedral which does not charge admission and we are gobsmacked once again.  Each Cathedral that we have been to is just so gorgeous and over the top! This one is different though, in that they don’t have wax votive candles – they have electronic ones which takes a bit of the romance out of the whole thing of seeing the candles flickering in the near dark.  Pay €2 to go up to the roof of the building to take photos of the city.  Well worth it! 

                                                                      

                                                                         

Decide that we are ready to have lunch and want to go to Boqueria Market to get some foodstuffs for a picnic.  I ask directions from a policeman who is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAN IN THE WORLD!!  Howard and I both agree!  He was in his 30’s, with premature grey hair and in uniform.  Howard wanted to take his picture but was afraid to ask!!  Did I say he was gorgeous??  We walk away commenting on his looks and blindly search for the market as even though he gave us directions in English neither of us has any idea of what he said!!   

We finally find it and it is jam packed, both with patrons as well as food stalls!  I want to get some prawns to start with and the first seafood stand I get to seems to be quite reasonable.  I touch one to ensure that they are cooked and the girl behind the counter gives me the most evil eye, evidently I shouldn’t have done that.  She refuses to serve me!  We walk around some more before we finally find a place that sells salads so we get two containers with six different salads and get out of there.  With so many people it was getting quite crowded.  We decide that we will go to Parc Ciuttadella and on our way get some wine.  Howard packs his backpack every day with a blanket and the wine glasses or the plastic glasses.  I, of course, have my wineopener in my man bag at all times!!  (Okay, okay, there may be a recurrent theme with the wine but we are on holiday!!)  

Did I mention the policeman??  Get to the park, find a nice spot near the fountain, there are separate groups of cute young lovers lying on the grass enjoying the moment in the sun, with the sound of both music and water fountains to be heard.  We watch an act for the arts and music festival practice for their show that night.    An American lady now living in Barcelona rides a bike with a tiny Chihuahua following.  The festival act -there are about 20 people, all standing in buckets that are atop 3 or 4 meter poles that swerve backwards, forwards and to the side in tune with pre recorded music.  Actually quite beautiful and balletic like and I got most of it on video.  Turns out that it is an American troupe.   

                                            F ountain at the Parc                        

We finish up our lunch and tour more of La Ramblas.  Finding our way back to the hotel we stop at a local bar and have local sausages and falafels with French fries.  Howard conversing with his newest friend the bartender but I doubt that either of them really knows what the other is saying!!  From there we head to the light show again.

Europe 2009 Day 8 & 9

Day 8, Tuesday, 22 September – Today is the tour of the Loire Valley and the tour company picks us up at 6:15.  In the morning!  Do you know what time we had to get up???  We head downtown and then board the bus around 7, our guide is French but speaks good English and Italian.  It takes about 1.5 hours to get to the Valley.   

   

From the night before  

Our first chateau is Chateau Chombard.  It is finished but the king who built it only lived there for about 2 weeks out of the time that he was king because it was so hard to heat. It is on a grand scale and it has been said that he only built it to show off his wealth.  The chateau only has remnants of it left.  

     

Next on the agenda is Chateau Chenoceaux.  This was a real chateau and was at one time possessed by Diane Poitier, mistress of King Francis 1.  She had some amazing gardens planted.  When he died his wife Catherine de Medici demanded that Diane give it back and exchange it for another chateau.  Catherine promptly planted a different garden on the other side.  This is the chateau that is built in the middle of the river.  It is quite fabulous and flowers from the gardens decorate the chateau.  

Flowers from the Chateau's gardens

In its own chapel

Dianne Poitier's gardens

Built right in the river

In the kitchen

 We stop off for lunch at the town of Chenoceaux and head for the local restaurant.  Service very slow (Howard says non-existent) and although a pretty spot not a great lunch.  The waiter spoke hardly any English or didn’t want to even though I started off in French and brought out the wrong wine even though Howard had specifically pointed out which one we wanted.  The first wine was really expensive and we noticed after half a glass each that it was a rose.  So, we eventually got the right wine and had to pay for 2 glasses of the rose. Anyway, Howard swiped one of the napkins (in error) and left very bad comments on the comments sheet which, when I come to think of it, I bet they can’t read English! 

In the town of Chenoceaux

 

Next stop is Chateau Cheverney which is lived in and has been opened up to the public since 1962.  It has only been closed three times, once when the Queen Mother visited, once for the funeral of one of the previous owners and once for the wedding of the current residents.  It is absolutely stunning and I take a lot of pictures of the interior.  One of the rooms has walls that are lined in leather which have been painted.  The guide tells us that in the olden days, the king and his court would pack everything up including furniture, paintings tapestries, cups, plates, etc., and move from place to place, not leaving anything behind.  It must have been very difficult for the staff who had to order food, etc.  In this last chateau many of the tapestries have been made by an artist who either weaves his name into it or depicts a male peeing in the picture.  What would make someone think to do that?? 

Beautiful!

  

 

We get back to Paris and board a mini bus to get back to the hotel.  Our driver is quite young and works a couple of jobs, he was in Australia a few years ago and drove from Sydney to Alice Springs.   

We stop at the local store to get a bottle of wine and then it’s off to the Eiffel Tower.  As is typical of Paris there is a beautiful stretch of landscaped parklands at the base of this architectural wonder.  There are lots of young Parisians eating and drinking and just having a good time.  We sit on the grass and watch as the tower lights up with hundreds of lights, which it does for 10 minutes every hour.  It is just magic to see! 

How magic is this??

 We decide we will go up to the second floor viewing platform but even that is really high.  Obviously we have Dutch courage after having drunk the wine!  We explore all four corners and look at the beautiful views over the city of Paris.  We decide NOT to go all the way up the tower.  Our second last night in Paris, the world’s most romantic city!  A stunning night!  

Day 9, Wednesday,23 September  2009 – Today is Versailles Day and I want to get up early.  Howard however, wants a lie in but I win out and he finally gets up but is really sh*tty with me.  We take the train out to Versailles, about a 30 minute trip and have breakfast at McDonalds because there is nothing else open at 8:00 am.   

It is quite foggy and almost cold when we get to the estate and I am hoping that the day will turn out okay weather wise, which of course, it does.  Absolutely stunning day we have yet to see one, tiny, teensie drop of rain!  We wander around the gardens, they are just magnificent!  The fountains, the gardens, the statues, it is just so $%@#% divine!  We go into the palace itself and we are amazed at what we see.  It is just so beautiful and big, everything is huge and on a grand scale.  Another place that is just so fantastic!  I especially love the mirror room but really, at the end of the day, you have to say the whole thing was just spectacular.  I am wanting to start reading up on French history. 

In the gardens at Versailles

I think this is the most beautiful photo that I have taken on this trip!

Look at the ceiling!!

Hall of Mirrors

Hall of Mirrors We venture down to the Petit Trianon which was given to Marie Antoinette by Louis XVII. This was a beautiful place (house) where she went to escape the rigors of court. Court etiquette in those days was quite complex and she was from Austria not France. I buy books four and five– one on Versailles and one on Marie A’s Estate. Howard loved this place, even more so than the palace at Versailles. Marie AntoinetteKing Louis XIV's bed in the Petite Trianon

Beautiful wrought ironIs this beautiful or what?

We don’t see the other buildings being the Grand Trianon and the village that Marie A had created.  We are just amazed at what we see but want to get back to the city to see Place des Vosges.   

This is a beautiful square with grass!!  We got a bottle of wine and sat on the grass, a perfect sunny day!  What struck me about this is that alot of European squares are only cobble tiled without grass so this was quite nice.  We hear a tour guide explain to a group that the real estate around the square is the most expensive in Paris around $20,000 a square meter.   

We get back to our hotel to get ready for our last dinner in Paris at Le Timbre, another restaurant that I got off tripadvisor.  We get seated at a banquette and as the place only holds 22 people you can imagine that you are quite intimate with your neighbours!  We have some Americans on our left, who now live in Bellevue, Wash (I used to live in Wash) and they lived for three years in Melbourne.  How small is this world??  On the other side we have a girl from Hong Kong.  Once seated our waitress (there is only one) asks if we would like to start with a glass of champagne, which of course, that is what one does in Paris!  We order, Howard has the duck followed by the pork and I have the special mushrooms followed by Black Pudding Sausages.   

Again the food was terrific!  I had perused the wine menu but there was no sauvignon blanc on it so I asked if there was one available which there was.  I was expecting the bill to be around €80 and gagged when it read €117!  The champagne was €8 each and wasn’t even in proper champagne glasses!  The wine was €49.  Still it was a great night and since we had to get up early ie 4:30 am we head off to bed.  We had previously booked a taxi to take us to the airport as the metro will not get us there in time for our flight.   

Many of you may recall that I quit smoking on 10 July this year by way of Champix, a nicotine inhibitor that I am supposed to take for 3 months.  It is on this day that I realize that I have stopped taking it ever since our arrival so have stopped smoking and only took the medication for 1 ½ months.  Have not smoked since!  

Summary:  Paris is a beautiful city with a very certain style!  We didn’t have enough time to see it all and just relax as well so we will be going back on one of our future trips.  Unfortunately I tried to pack in too much.  Still, our focus really was on Spain and we knew we were only going to Paris for 5 nights.  The history of it is just as great as London.  Language was not a problem as long as you started off with French and then asked if they spoke English.  We got by with a few hiccups but I am very keen to learn French and want to enroll in some classes for future trips.

Europe 2009 Day 7

Day 7, Monday, 21 September –  The day starts out with a visit to La Orangerie, an art gallery in a fabulous building in the Jardins Des Tuleries.  Saw a series of Monet’s water lilly paintings, 4 each in 2 rooms.   There were also other artists and I believe that the majority of the gallery was given as bequest of a local Parisian.  During our visit there were some school kids aged 7 or 8 and they were trying to draw some of the paintings while the curator told the history of them, it was quite cute!! 

The jardins have outdoor chairs which are just left out overnight.  If that was in Melbourne they would have been nicked!!

 

Next on the agenda is the Louvre.  Bypass the line as we have the Museum Pass.  The pass probably doesn’t save us a lot of money but what it does do is save us time.  With the pass you get special access.

 Well, what can I say about the Louvre?  It is MASSIVE!  It would take days to see everything.  It is one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen and just takes your breath away.  Just seeing this one place could have made my whole trip!  The artwork on display is rivaled by the building itself.

Ceilings with elaborate paintwork and carvings, the floors of various inlaid marbles and woods. 

Get a load of this ceiling!!

 

Not wanting to just ramble around aimlessly we select the areas that we really want to see the most and start off.  It really is the most amazing museum!  I would return to Paris just to go another day. 

 

Out of all the visitors to the Louvre I am sure that Howard and I are the only ones NOT to take a picture of the Mona Lisa.  I do however, take a picture of the Venus de Milo. 

I am amazed at the number of visitors who walk up to a picture, statue, whatever, take a picture and then walk off to the next one.  They don’t even really look at it and get a feel for its beauty……

We have lunch in one of the cafeterias and then feeling refreshed continue on.  The book that I want to buy on the Louvre only comes in hard back (ie heavy) so I only buy a softback (book number three) on the Napoleon Apartments, intending to buy a book on the Louvre when back in Melbourne. 

The only room that is furnished is the Napoleon Apartments which I definitely want to see.  However, the escalator going up is broken and there is a long queue of people at the elevator which meant that we would be waiting in line.  I suggest to Howard that we run “up” the down escalator.  We do which is relatively easy at first but after awhile I was near the top and could barely run, my legs were feeling like lead and I could barely breathe.  I finally do make it, just, and have to sit down to recover.  At this stage, Howard is thinking that I am going to have a heart attack!   Ten minutes later we are right to see the apartments and they are just stunning. 

After we finish and we go down to the next floor we notice that the down escalator (the one we ran up) is no longer working.  OMG, I think we broke an escalator at the Louvre!!

We did tour the section of the museum that gives the history of the building but unfortunately, all the information is in French so I am extremely disappointed as I loved this building.  When I say this to Howard I am reminded of the two American women who said they hated Paris.  When asked why, they stated “Because they only speak French!”  (No offense to my American friends but having been out of the country for 25 years, I have noticed that Americans can be a bit USA centric at times).

After about 4 hours in total we are starting to feel a bit fatigued so decide to call it a day there.   Head off to Ile de La Cite, the little island in the middle of the Seine River.  A gypsy woman almost tries to do the gold ring scam ie she  will walk towards me, bend down and pick up a gold ring saying that I have dropped it.  She would give it to me and then walk away but then walk back and say since I gave it to you maybe you will give me some money??  But, I fob her off before she can start.  The beauty of www.tripadvisor.com  is that you can read the forums and get a feel for what is happening in the city you are visiting.  I booked all our accommodation this way based on reviews of members (apart from our Paris hotel which was recommended by Ves at work). 

Anyway, we sit at a café just before going onto the island and have a café au lait and a wine.  We see 2 motorcyclists collide, they were friends going in the same direction, one appears to be badly hurt.  Walk across the bridge and here we go first to the Concergerie, a former royal palace which was converted into a prison in the 1300’s when the King moved his palace to the Louvre.  It is where Marie Antoinette was jailed for a year before she was beheaded.  Saw the cell where she was kept. 

Howard not liking this torture stuff so after I have my fill we then walk to St Chappell and its famous leadlight windows.  We have to queue but only for about 45 minutes.  Only some of them have been cleaned but they are certainly stunning.

Off to Notre Dame where a gypsy girl asks if I speak English, it is another scam so I say non.  She goes off to an American tourist who says yes and I watch as the girl gives her a piece of paper and start to cry for some money.  Another church which is quite beautiful and obviously very wealthy but still smacking of capitalism, being able to buy a Notre Dame medallion in a coin operated machine within the church itself. 

Yes, today we have been very cultural and at around 5 in the afternoon could use a drink.  We eventually end up at a little bistro on the Seine and have a couple of glasses of wine.  We pass thru the Place Dauphine, a charming little square and decide we like the look of one of the restaurants opening onto it, Ma Salle A Manger.  There I have cream of celery soup followed by confit of Duck while Howard has a goats cheese salad followed by beef bourginone.  Both are beautiful as we each taste each others!  The meal however is almost as expensive as Ala Petite Chaise!  The waitress spoke really good English and from memory believe that she was from South America. 

Beautiful weather once again and we make our way back to the hotel.  We cross the bridge and see the most romantic thing – the bridge has seats built into its sides and a guy and a girl, in their late 20’s, have ridden their bikes, he carrying a folding table, food, wine and a vase for some flowers and they are sitting there having dinner!  I ask if I can take their picture and they look at me as if I am some alien.  But they agree – it’s as if this is something they do every day!!  Ah those romantic French!! We get to the hotel for our early day tomorrow. 

Europe 2009 Paris Days 5 and 6

Day 5, Saturday, 19 September – We woke up and packed in anticipation of our trip on the Eurostar train to Paris.  Met a delightful couple from Leicester, Steve and Abbey.  Both in their mid 40’s, they met at a vegetarian club and have been together for 5 years.  She was of Indian descent and her first marriage was an arranged marriage, her husband was very controlling and she finally divorced him after 20 some years.  She has a daughter and a son.  Steve is a grandfather.  Unfortunately for them, someone stole their luggage from the train car either during the trip or when the train arrived in Paris.  Because of this we didn’t exchange numbers or email addresses but we do know where she works so hopefully will get on to them later.  Steve confided to Howard that he was going to propose to Abbey the next day, luckily the ring wasn’t in the luggage.  They weren’t the only ones to have had their luggage stolen, an Australian couple also had one of their bags taken as well.  Of course, this now makes Howard paranoid about our luggage wherever we go!

We stowed our luggage at the station (the luggage storage area was very smelly) and started to make our way to Montmarte.  Unfortunately I got our bearings incorrect (this is to be a recurring theme for me and I realize at long last that I cannot read a map)! 

We stopped for a few drinks at a bar near the station, glorious weather and then headed down the street to stop for some lunch.  Paid €9 for a beer!  Good God – got a picture of the menu to prove it!! 

After lunch we walked in the correct direction and visited Sacre Couer.  Is there any Catholic property that is not worth its weight in gold??  $$ are pouring in here as well although they don’t charge for admission but there is a gift shop and souvenir stalls.  Believe Sacre Couer to be on the highest part of Paris.  Montmarte is just a glorious section of Paris, high up on the hill and glorious views over the city.  Although tripadvisor warns of your security there, we felt very safe and didn’t see any scammers at all. 

View of Paris from Sacre Couer

Get a load of the face!! Sign in Montmarte, I took alot of BW photos for our study

Courtyard in Montmarte

We left the town and stopped at a local for a glass of wine, felt very glamorous sitting outside in a French bistro and of course those sexy French accents!  Took the metro back to the station to get our luggage.  The metro is so easy to use, it makes Melbourne’s trains stupid in comparison.  Trains come every three or four minutes and they connect to different train lines. 

Anyway, checked in to our hotel in the 7^th district, Hotel de Turenne, around 7:30.  Cute room and bathroom is bigger than London bathroom but no shower screen so water, water everywhere after a shower.  Had a juliette balcony overlooking the street and plane trees. 

Had previously booked dinner at the oldest restaurant in Paris, Ala Petite Chaise, for 9 pm but called to say that we would be a bit late.  It was only a 15 min walk away from us, passed the Invalides and the Army Museum which was lit up and absolutely beautiful.  Got there about 9:15 and still had to wait 30 mins for our table.  Arrogant maitre de but the food was fantastic!  I had the escargot followed by rabbit in a white sauce with fettucine.  Howard had the French onion soup followed by two types of fish with steamed julienne vegetables.  Every dish fantastic, bottle and two glasses of sauvignon blanc totaled €81.  Walk back to hotel on a fabulous, glorious first night in Paris!

Musee de Armee

Day 6, Sunday, 20 September – Well, it had to happen sooner or later and it did – Howard’s obsession with laundry got the better of him and he had to do a load at the launderette near the hotel.  So, our 9 am start was delayed and even more so by the fact that he couldn’t operate the soap dispenser.  After getting me to help him figure out how to use it we are finally advised by a Yank that the central pay machine operates both the machines and the soap dispenser. 

I go explore the area while he does the laundry and am impressed by it, so cute and the metro is just around the corner from the hotel.  Rue Cler is also around the corner but our time in Paris is pretty jam packed so doubt that we will have time for a picnic.  Had a panini and a latte for breakfast and we were off around 11. 

We picked up the Paris 2 day Museum Pass and our first stop was the Decorative Arts Museum located in the Louvre.  Very beautiful pieces of furniture, glassware, sculptures and paintings dating back to Medieval times.  This was located at the area known as the Concorde which is at the end of the Champs Elysees, a wide boulevard with an obelisk at the end as well as gardens, mazes, lakes, fountains and the Louvre itself.  Very stylish and historical and at this stage we haven’t seen any modern buildings.  It is all so very BEAUTIFUL!  Paris itself has around 2 million people with a further 9 million living in the suburbs. 

Fountain in the Concorde

Obelisk in the Concorde

After the Decoritive Arts we walked back to the 7^th and visited Musee Rodin, beautiful gardens with a large number of his sculptures laid in and around the grounds.  Many of the streets in the area have high walls abutting the footpaths and high gates as well.  We saw some gates being opened and behind was a huge house and court yard.  This was the same with Rodin’s house so the district we were in was very, very nice and expensive one imagines. 

Musee Rodin gardens

The Thinker

 From there we went for lunch at a local café where we had a few language problems at the café but the table next to us helped out.  Then it was off to the Musee d’Orsay, a fabulous art gallery located in a converted railway station.  Loved the Cezannes, Pissaros, Van Goghs.  Able to take pictures of the paintings as well.

 That night we had dinner at Jim Haynes house with about 50 other people.  Three course meal with cardboard wine for €25 each.  Met a lot of Americans and some ex pat Aussies.  He has been hosting dinner parties every Sunday night for the last 30 years.  You have to book these days, I did it via the internet at www.jim-haynes.com  It was great to talk to fellow travelers about their journeys.  The Americans couldn’t believe that I was American and thought I was either Irish or Scottish (!)  To the Australians there I was definitely American.  We go to Marais district afterwards and have a few more drinks at one of the gay bars.  Oddly enough the super efficient metro closes at 1:00 am – just missed the train so took a taxi home.

Europe 2009 London Day 3 & 4

Day 3, Thursday, 17 September – Feeling very refreshed we woke just after 6 am.  Had breakfast in the hotel which was included in the rate.

Today we took the tube to Tower Hill to see the Tower of London. The Tower was used primarily as a fortress against invaders but was also used as a prison at various times.  The rail passes gave us 2 for 1 entry saving us $34.  Got there just before opening and we were first in line to see the Crown jewels.  HELLO?  Simply magnificent and did the travelator thing twice, once to see them from the front and another to see them from the back.  All the pomp and ceremony of the monarchy requires mace, scepters, etc., all in gold.  There was a gold urn that held 114 bottles of wine, used at banquets.  I thought that would be useful at our house!!  So many crowns, you have to wonder why they can’t just use the same one as before?  Same is true for maces, etc. 

Howard started to feel a bit jaded about all this wealth being held in one family.  I ask the guide about insurance for the jewels and stuff and he tells us they AREN’T insured!!  Either they can’t get insurance or can’t afford the premiums!!  The whole complex is fantastic, Howard was appalled at the executions that took place here, I just admired it for its history.  I did not know that Sir Walter Raleigh was held prisoner here for 13 years and his family lived with him in their own compound in the complex.  There is incredible workmanship and this is also the site of Roman ruins.  While we were there an exhibition of Henry VIII armour was on display.  Got a guide book, the first of many on this trip. 

Tower of London precint.  Look at the stone work.

awesome ceiling!

 

 

Green where all the executions and hangings took place.

Tudor section of London Tower

Howard

Traitor’s Gate which was the entrance for prisoners being brought to the Tower.

Left the Tower for a coffee at Starbucks opposite then off to St Paul’s Cathedral.    Tried to get in with a 2 for 1 offer but evidently I downloaded a ticket for 2 weeks in the future and they wouldn’t honour it.  Read on for my future comments in relation to the amount of money being received. 

 Anyway, it’s an incredible building with its mosaic ceilings and statues honouring various people (in the main military people who have defended England at one time or another).  The immense wealth of the church is so hypocritical, much like the Catholics.  Even Howard carried on about his feelings about the immense wealth.  People are buried in the crypt and God only knows what the criteria is – one woman who died in the 1700’s was between 97 and 100 – no other reason given for having been buried there.  The most famous sarcophagi, of course, are Christopher Wren and Horatio Nelson.  Yes, it is beautiful and yes, it is historical but a place of worship that has 4 admission counters in the main body of the cathedral plus a café in the basement (as well as a gift shop) – smacks to me as being hedonistic and capitalistic.  It even had donation boxes (and yes, people actually put money in them!) 

 I estimated easily over 200 people entered the two hours that we there.  At £11 pound per person that’s over £2,200 per day (conservatively speaking of course since I only estimated the number of people over two hours).  Multiply that by 365 and that’s over £803,000 or AUS$1,600,000 per annum just for that one hour. Say it’s over 7 hours and the figure becomes £5,621,000!!   And to think that the church is poor!!  And they wouldn’t let me use a future 2 for 1 ticket!!  Is it any wonder that I am so cynical about the church? 

 From there we went to Fleet Street for a good old fashioned  pub lunch, Howard had steak and ale pie with mash, vegies and gravy and I had fish and chips with minted mush peas.  Not bad!!  Wanted to eat outside but it was the only place smokers could smoke and just literally stank so we settled for inside.  At this point I tell Howard that with all the planning that I did for this trip I was hoping that actually doing it was not going to be a let down.  Far from it! 

From Fleet Street we intended to go to the National Photo Gallery but we passed a plaque to “Samuel Johnson’s House” which I believed to be an 18^th century house.  We went there and of course, it was the house (rented) of the author who produced (amongst many other works) the English Dictionary.  By this time we were starting to flag so we went back to the room and a kip for Howard who is suffering from jet lag. 

We got ready and trained it to West End to Queens Theatre for Les Miserables.  My favourite musical, it was a FANTASTIC show!!  Voices divine, acting superb, and a standing ovation at the end.  We were in row B (second row) and seats in the middle.  Booked the show in May so was able to select good seats.  I had purchased a show/dinner package and so it was off to Chez Gerard around the corner for a 2 course meal.  We both had goats cheese lightly grilled on sourdough on a bed of mesculin lettuce.  For main Howard had the haddock fishcakes while I had the citrus chicken.  The show/dinner package was £55 each, excellent value given the quality of both the show and the meal.  It was time to go to bed but good luck was not on our side as we caught the wrong train (yes, it can be confusing) so we ended up having to double back and got home after 1 am.  Yes, a long day!

Day 4, Friday, 18 September 2009 – Had set the alarm for 7 am but Howard actually woke up prior to that – I know, I couldn’t believe it either!!  Got ready to go to Buckingham Palace, we arrived at 9:15 am for the first opening at 9:45 but had to get tickets 2 blocks away.  Got in line and guide tells us the first opening is in 10 min, that it’s roughly a 1 hour to 1:30 hour walking tour with NO facilities so if need be use the public ones.  At this stage Howard panics and has to go.  Gets back just in time as we go in!!  God forbid the peasants using the palace loos – even if there are 478 of them!!  There are more loos than bedrooms.   In practice, when ‘one’ is hosting a dinner party for 300 or a function for 1,000, ‘one’ can never have enough loos! 

The tour is only on over July and August when the queen goes to Balmoral for her holidays (I would have thought that every day was a holiday for her).  The tour is a recent event, meant to raise funds for the restoration for Windsor Castle after it had a fire.  At £16.50, a head it it’s a real money maker.  Groups go in every 15 mins, and I am sure our group had at least 200.  Extend that out for the day and assume 27 starting times.  That means 5,400 people a day.  Times £16.50 that is £86,670 per day.  Times 60 days over summer that is £5,200,000 per year.  It’s been going for about 7 years so how much are the renos to Windsor going to cost??  Methinks a moneymaker is happening at the palace!!  (Readers may start to realize a thread here!) 

Anyway, the palace was just beautiful although Howard did remark that the rooms that we saw did not have any windows and most had bar electric radiators in the fireplaces.  The audio tour was good and at your own pace, we saw 19 of the State Rooms, words cannot describe the beauty, the design, the furnishings of each.  The silk paper on the walls, and the gilded panels as well, each having a pattern similar or a decoration shared.  The Sevres porcelain, the rugs, the silks, the lamps, the fireplaces – just magnificent. 

I was writing this while sitting on the step leading to a fire exit on the 4^th floor of our hotel.  To my left I see (looking down) people having drinks at 5 on the footpath and to my right see rooftops and fireplace chimneys of other converted Victorian homes.  Anyway, back to the tour.  It was stunning!  No one can compare this to Versailles as this is a living castle.  I must admit that I do admire Liz in her position and that she gives it 110%.  I am convinced that her goal is to become the longest reigning monarch (I think that Victoria reigned for 63 years).  Given that Liz ascended the throne at 21 that means she will be have to be at least 90 years old.  In technical terms that means Charles will be a pensioner when he takes over!! 

The decoration of all the rooms is what we liked.  We got to the end of the tour to find gift shop, café, etc, and of course I bought my second official souvenir book.  The palace’s private gardens are basically a pebble front garden and no flowers at the front or back.  We did ask about the lack of flower beds and were told that there are some, planted outside the Queens personal apartments. 

One last observation – although Liz is very pedantic about roles, rules, pomp and ceremony, the standard of her employees shoes is disgusting.  The uniforms are quite nice but evidently the shoes are a personal choice – and that includes whether you polish them or not!  I noticed this at the beginning of the tour and made a remark to Howard at the end – he immediately looked at every employee’s shoes and agreed with me.  It was actually quite embarrassing because he focused on their shoes once they came into sight. 

After the tour we found a Marks and Spencer store food store so got some supplies for a picnic:  lemon and pepper prawns, smoked tuna, breakfast ham slices, bread, cheddar and brie cheeses and a bottle of Spanish wine – all for £16.  Yes, in actual terms it was an expensive picnic!!  Still how good was it to be able to say we sat in St James Park in London on our blanket (courtesy of Qantas) and use our collapsible glasses (which didn’t really work as they kept leaking)? 

London Bridge

Sites around Fleet Street.  Howard and our friend Julian from Adelaide used to drink here when they lived in London.

After lunch we walked past Clarence House (above) where Charles, Camilla (hisssssss!), William and Harry live but didn’t see anyone so we were pretty upset.  Just joking!  Continued walking and went thru the National Gallery and all its great artworks.  Magnificent!! Although I wanted to see Westminster Abbey for the third site of the day Howard told me he was tired.  Which was good really, he didn’t just agree to what I was suggesting which then might not occur and then I would be mad.  He went back to hotel and I stayed in the city visiting a few shops and seeing the sights. 

Got back and he was still in bed, a painter was painting the hallway and as a result the door to the fire escape was open and so I sat out there having a few drinks, enjoying the sun and writing in the journal.  A few hours later Howard decided he was never going to wake up, he’s obviously jetlagged so I went out on my own and had dinner at Hungry Jacks with a few drinks at the local pub.  Got home about 1 am. 

The red buses are still operating, they remind me of ants – there are so many going here and there, overtaking each other!  They take off quite quickly and unless you are hanging on to something your body gets shunted side to side.  On our first day Howard almost fell down the stairs from the upper deck.  What a great start to the trip that would have been!

Summary:  Great city, very historical, expensive, would like to go back and see more of England countryside.

Europe Trip 2009 – Day 1 and London

London

 Day 1, Tuesday, 15 September – We woke up at 6:30 which was a bit of a shame really because we have such a long flight ahead of us.  Finished packing and other odd jobs and around 10:30 we opened a bottle of French champers in celebration of our upcoming trip.  I think Howard is taking too much and he will be over the luggage allowance so he takes some stuff out and we weigh both bags and it appears that both are under 15 kgs, the max luggage for Ryanair. 

Anyway Michael took us to the airport and I had the top down as the weather was quite good!  I had previously checked us in on-line and picked out a couple of seats that are both aisle seats and which have a free seat next to them.  This will give us some extra room on this long flight.  All was smooth sailing so far! 

We took a domestic flight to Sydney and checked in at the international terminal where our hand luggage was subject to screening.  Forgot to remember that hand luggage can’t have more than 100 ml of liquid in any containers and so the toothpaste, hair gel, deodorant and shaving cream are confiscated.  Brand new too!  So, we will have to replace them in London.

The terminal we are in is having work done to the food court.  We ask at one of the money exchange kiosks if there is a bar in this section and the lady nods in a direction straight ahead and says “It was there yesterday”.  Evidently between yesterday and today the bar has gone missing so we aren’t able to get a drink – this at an international airport!! 

After a two hour layover we board the plane feeling slightly parched.  Flight uneventful, the entertainment system on the new Qantas jets is great, so many movies and TV shows to watch on your individual TV screen, you can even play games!  We both got a bit of sleep.

Day 2, Wednesday, 16 September – We arrive in London at 7:00 am after a 27 hour flight.  We take the tube to Paddington Station which is close to our hotel, the Hotel Castleton.  Weather a glorious 22 degrees and sunny outside – who says London is constantly gloomy??  

  

Hotel Castleton in Paddington

 The room is not ready but we are able to drop our bags in it so we do and have an English breakfast at one of the local cafes.  This cafe served the best coffee in the world according to Howard but I think in his tired state his tastes may have been slightly exaggerating. 

 We search out for a train agency to buy a 3 day pass from National Rail as this will give us 2 for 1 specials at some of the sights we want to see.  We eventually find one and we board a bus for downtown London touring Soho, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.  Find a beautiful park behind the Ritz Hotel.

                     

Came back to the room to find it made up and I went to the local Tesco to purchase our bathroom stuff that had been confiscated.  We have a few scotches and then a quick 2 hour nap.  Upon waking we have a nice long shower in our teensy, tiny bathroom.  The hotel was previously a bank in a Victorian Terrace and was converted to a hotel in the 60’s.  The shower is so small that I cannot even extend my elbows out all the way without hitting the side of it! 

 

Trafalgar Square

We got dressed and had our first ale at a pub around the corner.  We head back to Soho and stumble upon Casa Espana, a Spanish restaurant.  We have dinner there, fantastic!!  We order just 5 tapas dishes:  grilled baby squid, garlic prawns, jamon serano, fried potatoes in a tomato sauce and garlic spinach.  All just fantastic, especially the ham.  (This ham was even better than all the hams we had in Spain).  The cost was £37 which included a bottle of wine.  We went to the Village bar afterwards for a few drinks but we were really feeling flat so we went back to the hotel to fall asleep about 10 pm.

 

Nelson's Column

Picadilly Circus

Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens

Who’s that good lookin guy??

 

Marble Arch

“Go lil fella!” – Squirrel in Kensington Gardens

Introduction to my blog!

This blog is the first one with a small selection of photos of our babies.  (It’s also a test blog for publishing).

Millie (top) and Bella in the car

Bella used to demand to sit on her other daddy’s lap and where one goes the other follows!!  Nowadays they are in the back of Howard’s 4WD or the back seat of my car.

 

 

What dog doesn’t see the need to jump into your suitcase while you are packing it??

Seriously daddy, it is so tiring being so cute!!  I needs lots of zzzzzzzzzz’s

 I hear you sister!  (Bella has a bad overbite and sometimes can’t get her tongue all the way into her mouth!  We did not notice this for a few days, after which time of course, we were head over heals in love with her!!)

Some days everyone is tired!!