A random list of european thoughts.
1. 7000 photos taken on Peet's camera
2. We didn't take a walk in the black forest.
3. Pistachio is the best gelato flavour.
4. A cafe creme in Paris is almost like a flat white in Sydney. A cafe creme in Amsterdam is like a long black in Sydney. A macchiato is a macchiato. A latte means milky. A cafe Americain should be avoided at all costs. Speaking of costs, Venice came in first with cappucinos at 8 euros(almost $15) in St Marks Square.
5. Supermarkets are cool.
6. When driving a camper always be ready to wave to other campers. Timing is everything. Wave too early and you look amateurish and over eager. Too late and you might be missed and considered rude. If you have a passenger they should try to synchronise their wave with the driver's so that both raise their arms at the same time. This produces a pleasing, friendly and somewhat robotic greeting, which is popular with older Germans.
7. Supermarket beer and wine is cheap and of a high quality.
8. You can never eat too much bread and cheese.
9. Or chocolate
10. Always look up and then look down for the best views. Drains, cobblestones and ceilings are more interesting than they sound.
11. is louder than 10.
12. Do it again.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Last night in Amsterdam
We're back in Oz now and everyone is back into the same old routine - kids at school, Jood at work, Peet... well going back to work soon. The trip back was fairly tiring as we left on a Saturday morning from Amsterdam and arrived in Sydney on Sunday night (a 24 hr trip that used up the whole weekend). It was a bit weird, and we've all been getting up at 6.00am each morning unable to sleep any longer.
Our last days in Amsterdam were relaxing. We stayed in the same houseboat and it was comfortably familiar, naturally, which made it easy to locate and quick to settle in. We just wandered around the Jordaan, along some of the pretty canals- Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and Herengracht. A true mouthful of gutteral Dutch. We enjoyed the designer shops displaying great innovative lighting, interesting books, unusual clothes and shoes, and variations on antiques and junk. The Waterloo Plein market was still happening in the late afternoon, so we were able to buy that ceramic clog that we so craved. At least Anika was happy. We've been quite selective about purchases, aiming for 'tasteful and functional', but sometimes lapsing into 'kitsch'.
Nearly bought some 2nd hand 80's cycling tops but they were all double extra large - a good look in pinks, yellows, blues and vomity swirls etc. Pity, they would have made great souvenirs.
We enjoyed a nice dinner out at a cafe "Spanjer and Van Twist", accompanied by the cafe cat "Timba", and served by friendly androgenous waitresses.
Early Saturday morning we could be heard rolling our luggage over the cobblestoned streets all the way to Centraal Station. The wheels were impossibly loud, and the streets were so peaceful too. The train trip to Schiphol was typically efficient and we were ready to fly.
Our last days in Amsterdam were relaxing. We stayed in the same houseboat and it was comfortably familiar, naturally, which made it easy to locate and quick to settle in. We just wandered around the Jordaan, along some of the pretty canals- Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and Herengracht. A true mouthful of gutteral Dutch. We enjoyed the designer shops displaying great innovative lighting, interesting books, unusual clothes and shoes, and variations on antiques and junk. The Waterloo Plein market was still happening in the late afternoon, so we were able to buy that ceramic clog that we so craved. At least Anika was happy. We've been quite selective about purchases, aiming for 'tasteful and functional', but sometimes lapsing into 'kitsch'.
Nearly bought some 2nd hand 80's cycling tops but they were all double extra large - a good look in pinks, yellows, blues and vomity swirls etc. Pity, they would have made great souvenirs.
We enjoyed a nice dinner out at a cafe "Spanjer and Van Twist", accompanied by the cafe cat "Timba", and served by friendly androgenous waitresses.
Early Saturday morning we could be heard rolling our luggage over the cobblestoned streets all the way to Centraal Station. The wheels were impossibly loud, and the streets were so peaceful too. The train trip to Schiphol was typically efficient and we were ready to fly.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Lunteren
Lunteren is the town where my mum grew up and spent the main part of her childhood. She used to play in the beautiful forest ("bos" in Dutch) and the town is still very cute and very Dutch. The main street ("Dorpstraat") has little shops and is crowded with bikes, mums with prams and lots of children. The forest areas are still in tact and have long lanes and tall trees. On the corner of "Boslaan" and "van den Hamlaan" my mum used to play on a set of rocks and stones- this was her own little area. It's still there and the whole area is quite peaceful. The two storey semi-detached cottage where mum used to live has been tastefully renovated and looks in fine condition. The little Weaver's house across the road has become a little run-down - it's thatched roof and hedged garden are looking a bit neglected. Annerose and I played in that garden when we were kids on a family holiday in 1973, so there is obviously some nostalgia attached to today's visit.
The outskirts of the village have been extended with some new housing and there is a modern freeway about 3km from town, however the green belt surrounds and preserves Lunteren and is has kept it's charm. Of course the beautiful forest is still the highlight of this area.
The outskirts of the village have been extended with some new housing and there is a modern freeway about 3km from town, however the green belt surrounds and preserves Lunteren and is has kept it's charm. Of course the beautiful forest is still the highlight of this area.
Brugge
Belgium was just a country to drive through in order to get where you want to go. However... Brugge is a gem amongst the otherwise uninteresting scenery. Apologies to Belgians - we actually did have some fantastic views near Oostende where we could see right across to England's "white cliffs of Dover". Brugge is picturesque and ancient- lots of tiny canals and large ponds, three dominating churches with towers fit for action/suspense movies. Cobblestoned streets and lanes lead to an endless supply of Belgian chocolate shops. Leonidas is the most famous but there are countless others offering a huge selection of chocolate bonbons in many flavours. The Christmas and Sinterkaas season is also happening so lots of Christmas figures, gnomes, Saint Nicks, Zwarte Piets, squirrels, entire forest scenes, elves, rabbits and more - all made out of chocolate. Can't bring any home, but it was very impressive and delicious!
There were also quite a few lace shops selling traditional pieces, which Brugge is also famous for. Delicate scenes tatted meticulously (that's the correct term for hand-made lace) and presented beautifully in cute little tatted shops.
For us of course the best part was consuming giant hot waffles with chocolate sauce. Crisp and sweet on the outside, soft and light inside, extremely scrumptious and satisfying - just watch the waistline grow as you eat.
The cloistered parks, old leaning trees, courtyards, tiny bridges, ducks, geese and swans all contributed to a lovely morning wandering around. The skies were also a pleasant clear blue and the sun was shining warmly for the first time in at least a week. We gave the horse and cart rides a miss but they made a pleasant sound on the cobblestones and warned the tourists to jump out of the way lest ye be flattened (old Belgian saying). There were still some tour groups cluttering up the place but they were mostly harmless - the main season is definitely almost finished, so it's probably a good time to head home.
Drove back into the Netherlands in a couple of hours and hit rain, sun, clouds and drizzle on high rotation. Last few days in Amsterdam after returning the camper to the owners. Guess what? It's raining as we sit in our houseboat and watch swans and ducks bob around the windows waiting for handouts. See you in sunny Oz.
There were also quite a few lace shops selling traditional pieces, which Brugge is also famous for. Delicate scenes tatted meticulously (that's the correct term for hand-made lace) and presented beautifully in cute little tatted shops.
For us of course the best part was consuming giant hot waffles with chocolate sauce. Crisp and sweet on the outside, soft and light inside, extremely scrumptious and satisfying - just watch the waistline grow as you eat.
The cloistered parks, old leaning trees, courtyards, tiny bridges, ducks, geese and swans all contributed to a lovely morning wandering around. The skies were also a pleasant clear blue and the sun was shining warmly for the first time in at least a week. We gave the horse and cart rides a miss but they made a pleasant sound on the cobblestones and warned the tourists to jump out of the way lest ye be flattened (old Belgian saying). There were still some tour groups cluttering up the place but they were mostly harmless - the main season is definitely almost finished, so it's probably a good time to head home.
Drove back into the Netherlands in a couple of hours and hit rain, sun, clouds and drizzle on high rotation. Last few days in Amsterdam after returning the camper to the owners. Guess what? It's raining as we sit in our houseboat and watch swans and ducks bob around the windows waiting for handouts. See you in sunny Oz.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Paris Métro (Arkady)
Hi there, this is Arkady posting this. Some of you may know that I have an aversion to trains; I don't feel safe in them and generally just prefer not to catch them. However, the Métropolitan in Paris has now become an exception. Catching the Metro during our five days was definitely something that I looked forward to, and some regularity in our routine. And because of our unlimited travel passes for the period it was very easy to use as well. I will warn you now: this post may very well be quite boring and way too long.
First some facts about the system:
1. It is the second biggest urban rail network in Europe (after Moscow) and fifth in the world
2. It is the third oldest in the world, after London and New York
3. The central station, Châtelet Les Halles, is the busiest underground station in the world, connecting 8 lines
4. The urban RER Line A is the busiest train line in the world
5. It carries over 1.68 billion people a year (4.5 million a day) on 16 lines through over 300 stations
6. It has the most closely spaced stations in the world, averaging 490 metres
And our personal statistics, we caught 9 lines, took 25 trips and went through 79 stations.
Our journeys started on Monday, as we had to catch it into the city from where our camping ground shuttle bus dropped us off at the oldest station, Porte Maillot, on Line 1 (yellow). This was the first line built and opened in 1900 for the inner parts of the city. The trains run on the right, unlike regional trains, because the Parisians didn't want it to connect to the outer suburbs. And now the line that we had to catch every morning and evening was the busiest, carrying 500 000 people every day.
Luckily, then, that Paris has one of the most efficient systems in the world, taking less than a minute to travel from station to station, stopping for only around 15 seconds, and coming as often as every 2 minutes during the day. We could use them to link up all of the major attractions and lesser-known ones, easily aiding our visit. And there wasn't even that much overcrowding (or saturation as it is called here) that we experienced, or lateness, and on the two occasions when we did it was nowhere near as unbearable as when we visited Rome.
Now, and I promise I won't write too much more, to the station architecture and design. Due to the extremely bad lighting on the platforms in 1900, the station walls were tiled in white to reflect any light, and the station name was often white tiles on blue. The lines generally followed the direction of streets, leading to weird connections at many stations, and were shallow. During the 1960s revitalisation led to what many stations have now, bright orange and green lighting and fluorescent shell seats that are very cool.
Many stations have also accumulated other works of art over the years:
-Abbesses, the deepest at 36 metres, has one of two original fancy entrances with a glass canopy and green yellow sign supported by two lampposts; and a spiral staircase with a mural of Paris on the sides.
-Concorde, with some 1977 Constitution or important bill written out on all the tiles.
-Louvre-Rivoli, which has copies of all of its famous artworks down below.
-Gare de Lyon, which has an exotic rainforest garden on the sides of the line.
-Many others have statues representing Parisian monuments.
One important part of the Metro that I feel that I should mention is the mussy (musical) accompaniment (busking) that takes place on so many trains and at stations. They ranged from a lone violinist, who got on one train for a few stations but played almost solely in front of a young lady who was listening to her own music; to a 10-piece orchestra at Châtelet played in one of the big corridors, receiving a lot of attention from tourists, selling their CDs and even talking to members of the public. In between there were the lonely accordionists and keyboardists on the stations who weren't quite in time or tune with the train; and a jazz duo who hopped on one morning, announced that they were just going to play a few tunes, started a backing track and played a few recognisable songs. It was occasionally a little awkward but obviously you would get used to it.
Finally, I will write about the very new Line 14, which uses fully automated (driverless) trains where you can see and walk through from one end to the other inside the train (which is very cool). It was built right through all of the central stations to ease congestion, goes extremely fast and has glass doors on the platform that line up with the train to prevent accidents and suicides. And, again, it is very efficient, unlike Sydney's.
If you have read right to this point: sorry for boring you so much and I promise that I will not blog again. We are just driving back into the Netherlands as I write this, so even if any other bloggers post anything new before we arrive back in a week it will be of a higher standard. And enjoy the "metro-politician" (as Anika calls them) photos.
First some facts about the system:
1. It is the second biggest urban rail network in Europe (after Moscow) and fifth in the world
2. It is the third oldest in the world, after London and New York
3. The central station, Châtelet Les Halles, is the busiest underground station in the world, connecting 8 lines
4. The urban RER Line A is the busiest train line in the world
5. It carries over 1.68 billion people a year (4.5 million a day) on 16 lines through over 300 stations
6. It has the most closely spaced stations in the world, averaging 490 metres
And our personal statistics, we caught 9 lines, took 25 trips and went through 79 stations.
Our journeys started on Monday, as we had to catch it into the city from where our camping ground shuttle bus dropped us off at the oldest station, Porte Maillot, on Line 1 (yellow). This was the first line built and opened in 1900 for the inner parts of the city. The trains run on the right, unlike regional trains, because the Parisians didn't want it to connect to the outer suburbs. And now the line that we had to catch every morning and evening was the busiest, carrying 500 000 people every day.
Luckily, then, that Paris has one of the most efficient systems in the world, taking less than a minute to travel from station to station, stopping for only around 15 seconds, and coming as often as every 2 minutes during the day. We could use them to link up all of the major attractions and lesser-known ones, easily aiding our visit. And there wasn't even that much overcrowding (or saturation as it is called here) that we experienced, or lateness, and on the two occasions when we did it was nowhere near as unbearable as when we visited Rome.
Now, and I promise I won't write too much more, to the station architecture and design. Due to the extremely bad lighting on the platforms in 1900, the station walls were tiled in white to reflect any light, and the station name was often white tiles on blue. The lines generally followed the direction of streets, leading to weird connections at many stations, and were shallow. During the 1960s revitalisation led to what many stations have now, bright orange and green lighting and fluorescent shell seats that are very cool.
Many stations have also accumulated other works of art over the years:
-Abbesses, the deepest at 36 metres, has one of two original fancy entrances with a glass canopy and green yellow sign supported by two lampposts; and a spiral staircase with a mural of Paris on the sides.
-Concorde, with some 1977 Constitution or important bill written out on all the tiles.
-Louvre-Rivoli, which has copies of all of its famous artworks down below.
-Gare de Lyon, which has an exotic rainforest garden on the sides of the line.
-Many others have statues representing Parisian monuments.
One important part of the Metro that I feel that I should mention is the mussy (musical) accompaniment (busking) that takes place on so many trains and at stations. They ranged from a lone violinist, who got on one train for a few stations but played almost solely in front of a young lady who was listening to her own music; to a 10-piece orchestra at Châtelet played in one of the big corridors, receiving a lot of attention from tourists, selling their CDs and even talking to members of the public. In between there were the lonely accordionists and keyboardists on the stations who weren't quite in time or tune with the train; and a jazz duo who hopped on one morning, announced that they were just going to play a few tunes, started a backing track and played a few recognisable songs. It was occasionally a little awkward but obviously you would get used to it.
Finally, I will write about the very new Line 14, which uses fully automated (driverless) trains where you can see and walk through from one end to the other inside the train (which is very cool). It was built right through all of the central stations to ease congestion, goes extremely fast and has glass doors on the platform that line up with the train to prevent accidents and suicides. And, again, it is very efficient, unlike Sydney's.
If you have read right to this point: sorry for boring you so much and I promise that I will not blog again. We are just driving back into the Netherlands as I write this, so even if any other bloggers post anything new before we arrive back in a week it will be of a higher standard. And enjoy the "metro-politician" (as Anika calls them) photos.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Mont St Michel
Today we visited Mont St Michel on the Normandy coast. It was a bit of a detour but we tied it in with a trip to visit the Bayeax tapestry about 1 hours drive north, so it was well worth the extra driving. We were extremely lucky with the weather as it had absolutely poured all night and everywhere you could see evidence of it having rained a lot
Although the sky was incredibly stormy the rain held off and we managed to explore the narrow streets and wandered around the ramparts of the town as we made our way up to the abbey.
Mont St Michel is such an atmospheric place and you can see the massive abbey dominating the landscape from quite a distance. The town is really just the abbey (and lots of tourist shops) perched up high on a huge rocky outcrop. Anika really enjoyed her visit to Mont St Michel from the drawbridge and portcullis, the old wooden gates with the little grille you could open to see whether it was friend or foe at the gate, wandering along the ramparts, and winding up through the little alleyways to looking out over the town walls to the wild coast around the island. It was everything she'd ever read about in all her books.
We went through a tour of the abbey and it was great as there was so much of the place that we could wander through. You could look up at the fancy gargoyles way up high on the spires of the abbey, see the huge statue at the top of archangel Michael, wander through crypt after crypt, and the cloister section of the abbey was absolutely beautiful - double arched ornate columns around a quadrangle of grass and fantastic views out to sea and the wild water. There was also a huge wooden wheel that they used to hoist provisions up to the prisoners, lots of stained glass and in the main chapel section there was even a religious service underway. It all reminded me a bit of "The Name of the Rose". Anika also had a great time peering through keyholes and trying to open up doors in the hope of discovering hidden passages or secret staircases. The imagination could run wild in a place like this, and in stormy wild weather with the quicksand areas around the island and the fast tides you could easily imagine a great dramatic/heroic rescue scene featuring in a movie or book.
The tides were turning as we walked around the Mont and the ripples and small waves created long geometric patterns over the mudflats and estuaries. There were quite a few God moments with bursts of sunshine lighting up sections of the cathedral against a blue black sky.
The rain finally came down again but by this time we were safely back in our camper, noses to the windows watching wet sheep escaping wet paddocks and searching for grass snacks in the car park. The mists and rains continued and we headed north to picturesque Honfleur, a seaside harbour near Le Havre.
Although the sky was incredibly stormy the rain held off and we managed to explore the narrow streets and wandered around the ramparts of the town as we made our way up to the abbey.
Mont St Michel is such an atmospheric place and you can see the massive abbey dominating the landscape from quite a distance. The town is really just the abbey (and lots of tourist shops) perched up high on a huge rocky outcrop. Anika really enjoyed her visit to Mont St Michel from the drawbridge and portcullis, the old wooden gates with the little grille you could open to see whether it was friend or foe at the gate, wandering along the ramparts, and winding up through the little alleyways to looking out over the town walls to the wild coast around the island. It was everything she'd ever read about in all her books.
We went through a tour of the abbey and it was great as there was so much of the place that we could wander through. You could look up at the fancy gargoyles way up high on the spires of the abbey, see the huge statue at the top of archangel Michael, wander through crypt after crypt, and the cloister section of the abbey was absolutely beautiful - double arched ornate columns around a quadrangle of grass and fantastic views out to sea and the wild water. There was also a huge wooden wheel that they used to hoist provisions up to the prisoners, lots of stained glass and in the main chapel section there was even a religious service underway. It all reminded me a bit of "The Name of the Rose". Anika also had a great time peering through keyholes and trying to open up doors in the hope of discovering hidden passages or secret staircases. The imagination could run wild in a place like this, and in stormy wild weather with the quicksand areas around the island and the fast tides you could easily imagine a great dramatic/heroic rescue scene featuring in a movie or book.
The tides were turning as we walked around the Mont and the ripples and small waves created long geometric patterns over the mudflats and estuaries. There were quite a few God moments with bursts of sunshine lighting up sections of the cathedral against a blue black sky.
The rain finally came down again but by this time we were safely back in our camper, noses to the windows watching wet sheep escaping wet paddocks and searching for grass snacks in the car park. The mists and rains continued and we headed north to picturesque Honfleur, a seaside harbour near Le Havre.
Anika's viewpoint
I have always wanted to go overseas since I was a very little girl. Dad used to tell stories about the four of us on a worldwide trip visiting many exotic places. After that I could not wait. Then was the possibility we were going that very year! It was confirmed, and our flights and passports were organised. The 22nd September came all in a rush and before I knew it we were boarding a plane to Singapore.
I have really enjoyed our trip overseas. We have left Italy and we crossed into France. We spent one night in France and drove back out to Switzerland [which we have already visited] to see a museum for an assignment of Arkady's. Then we drove back into France and tried to find a campground which, however, was proved somehow difficult because most were [and still are] closed at this time of year. Eventually we found one though [yay!].
About a week ago, when we were still in Italy, we did a 10km scenic walk along the coast going through 5 villages. It was very fun, but at times it could be very tiring. There were lots of stairs and the whole walk took at least 5 hours. We didn't start from the start though, so we weren't as tired as we could be. The funny order that we did it in was to start from the second village, walk to the fifth village, catch a train to the first village, walk to the second village then catch a train home. But we still did the whole walk. The best thing about it though was probably the cats. In, near and above every village we saw lots and lots of pussy cats. When we went down to the harbour village, I saw a cat sitting in the doorway of the fish shop. Sure enough, when we returned past it, the cat was nibbling on a little fishie.
At Venice we stayed across the water in a campground called Fusina. There lived two cats whom I called Pussya and Bobcat. Pussya was a tortiseshell and Bobcat was grey and white. Near the toilets there were about 8 tiny, toilet sized buildings. Pussya was found sitting there and under the ''house'' was a container of milk and some scraps on a plate. We had arrived at Fusina very late at night the first night and I hadn't seen the cats yet. Whereabouts on the second night when we came home from Venice on the way back from cleaning my teeth at the bathrooms I looked under to check how Pussya was going and I could have screamed with delight!!! Then I ran as fast as I could to our motorhome and arrived breathless, but still with the energy to say, ''Pussya's had six kittens!''
I ran back and discovered I had left my towel folded up next to the building. Pussya had taken possesion of it and was sitting on it like a proud mother, watching her kittens venturing out of the low hole and falling over their feet. It was about 9:15 when I started watching them but it was at least 10:00 when I left. Mum and Dad stayed and watched, taking photos and movies of them. Two other girls from the campground around my age also watched the kittens. Soon mum and dad left and 20 mins later so did I. Then I realised I had forgotten something [only when mum suggested it]. I had forgotten my towel. Me and Arkady headed out and passed the two german girls on our way. It was quite funny really... We arrived and Pussya had left my towel and was sitting at the corner. When she saw us coming, though, she went and parked herself on it again. Me and Arkady giggled and tried to convince her to move. She wouldn't budge. Luckily one of her kittens [chocolate I think] meowed and she got off. I would have willingly stayed there all night but Pussya and her six pussies [as me and mum called them] were bedding down for the night.
The kittens were really cute. Their fur was short, soft and silky, ranging from a variety of colours; brown, white, tabby, white-grey... There were two white kittens, one with a streak of grey on it's leg. I named the pure white one Snowy and the other Greta. There was a lovely dark chocolate brown cat which I called Chocolate. It was the most adventurous pussy. The two tabbies were the most shy. They came out only as far as the edge of the building, and even then not that often. They were almost identical, though it was hard to tell. There names were Tabitha and Stripe. The last cat only came out once. It was black, with a white nose and white paws.
We're heading ouit of France today and into Belgium , then to Holland and home to Australia on Sunday. Byeeee Anika
I have really enjoyed our trip overseas. We have left Italy and we crossed into France. We spent one night in France and drove back out to Switzerland [which we have already visited] to see a museum for an assignment of Arkady's. Then we drove back into France and tried to find a campground which, however, was proved somehow difficult because most were [and still are] closed at this time of year. Eventually we found one though [yay!].
About a week ago, when we were still in Italy, we did a 10km scenic walk along the coast going through 5 villages. It was very fun, but at times it could be very tiring. There were lots of stairs and the whole walk took at least 5 hours. We didn't start from the start though, so we weren't as tired as we could be. The funny order that we did it in was to start from the second village, walk to the fifth village, catch a train to the first village, walk to the second village then catch a train home. But we still did the whole walk. The best thing about it though was probably the cats. In, near and above every village we saw lots and lots of pussy cats. When we went down to the harbour village, I saw a cat sitting in the doorway of the fish shop. Sure enough, when we returned past it, the cat was nibbling on a little fishie.
At Venice we stayed across the water in a campground called Fusina. There lived two cats whom I called Pussya and Bobcat. Pussya was a tortiseshell and Bobcat was grey and white. Near the toilets there were about 8 tiny, toilet sized buildings. Pussya was found sitting there and under the ''house'' was a container of milk and some scraps on a plate. We had arrived at Fusina very late at night the first night and I hadn't seen the cats yet. Whereabouts on the second night when we came home from Venice on the way back from cleaning my teeth at the bathrooms I looked under to check how Pussya was going and I could have screamed with delight!!! Then I ran as fast as I could to our motorhome and arrived breathless, but still with the energy to say, ''Pussya's had six kittens!''
I ran back and discovered I had left my towel folded up next to the building. Pussya had taken possesion of it and was sitting on it like a proud mother, watching her kittens venturing out of the low hole and falling over their feet. It was about 9:15 when I started watching them but it was at least 10:00 when I left. Mum and Dad stayed and watched, taking photos and movies of them. Two other girls from the campground around my age also watched the kittens. Soon mum and dad left and 20 mins later so did I. Then I realised I had forgotten something [only when mum suggested it]. I had forgotten my towel. Me and Arkady headed out and passed the two german girls on our way. It was quite funny really... We arrived and Pussya had left my towel and was sitting at the corner. When she saw us coming, though, she went and parked herself on it again. Me and Arkady giggled and tried to convince her to move. She wouldn't budge. Luckily one of her kittens [chocolate I think] meowed and she got off. I would have willingly stayed there all night but Pussya and her six pussies [as me and mum called them] were bedding down for the night.
The kittens were really cute. Their fur was short, soft and silky, ranging from a variety of colours; brown, white, tabby, white-grey... There were two white kittens, one with a streak of grey on it's leg. I named the pure white one Snowy and the other Greta. There was a lovely dark chocolate brown cat which I called Chocolate. It was the most adventurous pussy. The two tabbies were the most shy. They came out only as far as the edge of the building, and even then not that often. They were almost identical, though it was hard to tell. There names were Tabitha and Stripe. The last cat only came out once. It was black, with a white nose and white paws.
We're heading ouit of France today and into Belgium , then to Holland and home to Australia on Sunday. Byeeee Anika
Friday, November 6, 2009
Paris a few days later
Friday morning at the Rue Mouffetard, the oldest street in Paris. Sunny clear weather today -it was raining here a few days ago and the atmosphere has improved, obviously. We found a nice little creperie/cafe with a warm generous owner, so returned there today and of course he remembered us. We had a a nice exchange of information about Australian weather and how hot it can get.
Musee d'Orsay was fantastic- a beautiful old train station transformed into a modern space with a wealth of art- paintings and sculpture. The impressionist collection was impressive,although we suspect some of it is probably in Australia right now, or at least being shipped there for an exhibition. Musee Picasso was closed for renovation until 2012 - disappointed!
Our all day metro tickets have been a huge success with both kids enjoying the many rides and the entertainment that sometimes accompanies it - we've seen violinists with no teeth, clarinet and sax duets, 10 piece orchestras playing classical pieces. All this for the price of your ticket and maybe a euro thrown into a paper cup. Formidable!
Off tomorrow to Mont St Michel. Climbing the Eiffel Tower this afternoon. Hope to see the lights at dusk.
Musee d'Orsay was fantastic- a beautiful old train station transformed into a modern space with a wealth of art- paintings and sculpture. The impressionist collection was impressive,although we suspect some of it is probably in Australia right now, or at least being shipped there for an exhibition. Musee Picasso was closed for renovation until 2012 - disappointed!
Our all day metro tickets have been a huge success with both kids enjoying the many rides and the entertainment that sometimes accompanies it - we've seen violinists with no teeth, clarinet and sax duets, 10 piece orchestras playing classical pieces. All this for the price of your ticket and maybe a euro thrown into a paper cup. Formidable!
Off tomorrow to Mont St Michel. Climbing the Eiffel Tower this afternoon. Hope to see the lights at dusk.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Paris
Sunday night : rain
Monday morning clear blue skies, sunshine.
Walking, happy snapping – Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees – all iconic, busy and in full tourist mode. That’s the sights not us. Interesting photographic exhibition on the freezing banks of the Seine. Quite political and global –horrible pollution photos of industrial China, characteristic apartment living in poor areas in urban Brazil and fantasy Japanese shots of a schoolgirl being attacked by a green tentacled refrigerator monster and another being chased by a pink fairy floss tornado. It’s photography month in Paris… so lots of exhibitions around town.
Monday afternoon: chilly, overcast. Glad to get back to the warm camper. Camp ground just a metro and a shuttle bus (15 mins) from Eiffel Tower.
Tuesday: light rain all day
Catacombs closed because of vandalism- pity as we thought 1.7 km of underground tunnels filled with stacks of bones was a perfect dry antidote to rainy weather. Instead we wandered an ancient Roman road, Rue Mouffetard in the rain –some food stalls, designer shops and cafes. Coffees, chocolats chaudes (hot) and crepes and then we hit the Lafayette Galleries (an enormous department store with stunning glass dome and mezzanine levels, as well as a rooftop open terrace with great Parisian rooftop views). Expensive but fun store- a bit like a Harrods, with gourmet food hall and lots of designer clothes.
Monday morning clear blue skies, sunshine.
Walking, happy snapping – Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees – all iconic, busy and in full tourist mode. That’s the sights not us. Interesting photographic exhibition on the freezing banks of the Seine. Quite political and global –horrible pollution photos of industrial China, characteristic apartment living in poor areas in urban Brazil and fantasy Japanese shots of a schoolgirl being attacked by a green tentacled refrigerator monster and another being chased by a pink fairy floss tornado. It’s photography month in Paris… so lots of exhibitions around town.
Monday afternoon: chilly, overcast. Glad to get back to the warm camper. Camp ground just a metro and a shuttle bus (15 mins) from Eiffel Tower.
Tuesday: light rain all day
Catacombs closed because of vandalism- pity as we thought 1.7 km of underground tunnels filled with stacks of bones was a perfect dry antidote to rainy weather. Instead we wandered an ancient Roman road, Rue Mouffetard in the rain –some food stalls, designer shops and cafes. Coffees, chocolats chaudes (hot) and crepes and then we hit the Lafayette Galleries (an enormous department store with stunning glass dome and mezzanine levels, as well as a rooftop open terrace with great Parisian rooftop views). Expensive but fun store- a bit like a Harrods, with gourmet food hall and lots of designer clothes.
Blogformatmania.
I wonder if anyone noticed the strange formatting for our blogs on Pisa and Cinque Terre. Interesting reading if you like your sentences cut off at both ends. Hopefully a revised version is a better read.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Loire Valley
Three chateaux starting with “Ch…” Once again we were thwarted by closed camp grounds- earlier than indicated in our guides, but anyway we found a site slightly further away than we had anticipated. A revised schedule found us riding bikes from the little town of Bracieux through the Chambord forest to arrive at the biggest and grandest of the chateaux in the Loire Valley. Architecturally ( and I know what I’m talking about here), Chambord is immense. Double helix staircases spiral and intertwine but never meet, in the main foyer. This was probably a Da Vinci design but is not confirmed. It does however mean that the local brewery makes an excellent amber beer called “Leonardo”. Back to Chambord- the self-guided tour means you can go at your own pace and enjoy the spectacular views of the surrounding forest estate and parklands. The terraces, turrets and domes create a magical silhouette. We enjoyed our own little “picnique” in the grounds and felt like “wealthy land owners”. Even the drop of Italian red wine out of a little “popper” container was excellent.
Our second chateau was Chaumont, situated just above the banks of the Loire River, with a commanding view across the sandy banks and north and south. Perfect to thwart enemies – except for that rather large open section at the back near the stables and gardens. Chaumont is a fairytale shape and has a drawbridge, dungeon and courtyard. It also holds temporary art exhibitions in its many spare rooms. We had the chateau to ourselves and loved it’s intimacy. The furnishings were regal but not overdone and the views out of the windows were lovely- forested parklands and river views. The stables were actually very grand and it appears horses had a pretty good lifestyle – bathing and feeding zones, nice warm shelter, views…
The vegetable garden was impressive and we were also happy to partake in a free degustation of an autumn harvest menu- mostly ingenious combinations, for eg. pumpkin (with caramel sauce), carrot (cake), beetroot ( with cheese), savoury pears (poires de terre). Delicious. The exhibitions of produce were also excellent and displayed the pride the French take in their food. Yes, this was all out the back of the chateau.
Cheneonceaux is probably the best known chateau. It’s arched building straddles the Cher River and it’s formal gardens, and forested area are well-known. The car-park at 4.00pm in the afternoon provided a strong hint that it was going to be busy. It was a Saturday, the French were on holidays, the weather had been good. It started to rain , the crowds remained. Quite a few tourist buses, but generally lot’s of families out for the day. In the gardens it was quite nice but inside the chateau it was wall to wall. The furnishings were impressive if you like that sort of thing- generally over-the-top, lot’s of gold, glass, tiles and portraits. The history of Chenonceaux is actually quite interesting and makes the visit worthwhile. The downstairs servants area and kitchen was well-equipped and an interesting diversion from all that glitter.
Fontainbleaue Chateau is 60km south of Paris. A huge forest estate and park land free for all to go for a walk and wander and wish. Unfortunately the late afternoon rainfall came in right on time and our wander was cut short. The interior tour of the chateaux was free today because it was the first Sunday of the month. This meant that there were possibly even more people interested in history than normally. Large family groups shuffled along following the signs from room to room. They gazed in amazement at the ridiculous amount of decorating that went into ceilings, walls and bedheads and took 10 photos per room with their mobile phone cameras or their SLR cameras with the 40cm lens. The first 10 or so rooms were very impressive and the art work, craftsmanship and quality of the furnishings were amazing. After that the views through the windows to the rain-soaked courtyards and gardens looked increasingly inviting. It became just a bit too much. I think I enjoyed the structure of the buildings and the landscape more than the interior extravaganza.
Unfortunately, the 60km trip to Paris on a rainy Sunday evening took three and a half hours and by the time we reached the camp ground at the Bois de Boulogne we were exhausted. For about 30 mins top speed on the freeway reached 6km/hr. The secondary roads were also clogged- roadwork and weekend traffic causing mayhem. Fun, fun, fun. Still… We’re in Paris now.
Beaune et Vezelay
Beaune has made it on the list of France’s Hot 100 of Beautiful Villages. It is medieval, cobble-stoned, heavily patisseried and shines with colourful geometric tiles on the church rooftops. The shops there also indicate that they attract a wealthy crowd of tourists, although it was relatively quiet when we popped in.
Vezelay is a medieval hilltop town with an impressive abbey at the end of a cobblestone climb up the main street. We enjoyed the late afternoon ambience of the town as the street lamps just started blinking and the sun spread its last rays across really old stonewalls. Well… the photos look okay. We also bought some delicious local honey made by sunflower bees.
Geneve, les Russes, Jura Mts.
Our visit to Geneve was mainly to visit a Voltaire museum. The museum was tucked away in an untouristy area but we found it and had it all to ourselves when it opened at 2.00pm. The museum was Voltaire’s house and gave some insight into his life. Arkady is doing an assessment task on Voltaire so hopefully it was helpful. The highlight for us all though was probably afternoon tea in a chic (but not shabby), eclectic (but not messy) café, where pastries, coffee and hot chocolates were served to us as we sat in an old sleigh near the window. The interior was certainly warm and welcoming and the décor had us spotting mini-chandeliers, old French oilcans, toy hot air balloons, vintage posters etc. We also managed to spend our last Swiss francs (yes they don’t use Euros!)
We found a beautifully situated campsite on the terraced hills overlooking Mont Blanc and Lake Geneve, groves of autumn trees, a winding tiny road, an even smaller village nearby and a sign out the front “Ferme” – closed yesterday. Camping grounds are very seasonal and many finish their run at the end of September. We’ve been lucky up ‘til now- we’ve planned and researched to make sure we had open campsites. The next nearest campsite was a car park at the top of a pass over the Jura Mountains. We started driving, enjoying the views back towards Mont Blanc and kept driving into the late afternoon. The car park was barren and uninviting. Finally we arrived in Les Rousses, a winter resort town for skiing and sometimes a walker’s paradise if the weather’s fine in autumn. It was, and we found a campsite open. The Jura Mountains are spectacular, trails going everywhere and of course that golden autumn glow of the forest. Next year’s Tour de France will hold a stage through this area and the town had posters up celebrating the event already. It should be good viewing in 2010.
Lac d'Annecy
Annecy was busy on a Monday afternoon. The French were on “vacances” and enjoying the sunny conditions. The walk along the lakeside to the old town is lined with giant trees all glowing in autumn colours of gold, orange and red. A little contrast is provided with the odd green leaf and some bare branches already in winter mode. Happy Birthday Jood. Half a day driving, a walk through the old town- full of canals and tiny shops, and as an extra treat a stay in a camping ground that feels like a farmers front yard. Nice owners though.
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