Heading Home

Friday, 30^th August

For our last day in Nice/France/Europe we planned to visit the Marc Chagall Museum. We walked there, it was about 20 minutes from the hotel, but we were just a little wary – would it be open? Other Museums we had looked forward to seeing were closed (Picasso in Paris, twice). But we were in luck, it was open! It is situated in a lovely leafy part of Nice, and we walked past some very beautiful apartment blocks, houses, mansions and an enormous building, The Majestic, we presume is a hotel. There are many Belle Epoque, Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings in Nice- it has some very attractive spots.

The Marc Chagall Museum houses a collection of his works. At present the temporary exhibition was his Self Portraits. There is a permanent exhibition of his Old Testament stories, about 15 very large paintings depicting stories about Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Noah and The Song of Songs. There is a beautiful mosaic above a large pond outside, and an auditorium with three stained glass windows, again depicting The Creation. The gallery was interesting and purpose built to house his work. The building is light, airy and modern, with free audio guides, a café in the shady gardens and a good gift shop. I feel we have been spoiled a bit by the Alfons Mucha Slav Epic in Prague, which had an enormous visual, cultural and emotional impact on both of us. While the Chagall works were interesting, we were not blown away!

We walked back to the hotel, collected our luggage and were picked up for our airport transfer. The flight from Nice to Dubai was made interesting, as we flew along the coast to Italy, across Italy to Ancona, and then over Split. We had a chance to revisit (35000 feet above) several of the places we visited on the ground.

We landed in Dubai and had to take a train from one terminal to the other. When we landed at one terminal, we looked around and thought that it looked different. Could they have rearranged all the duty free in the six weeks we’ve been away? Well, no, we were in a different building.

We stocked up on some supplies, and are waiting to board for the long leg home.

And what a long leg it became.

There was a stop in Kuala Lumpur for almost two hours, while they cleaned the plane and refuelled. So we got off the plane, went into the terminal, went through a baggage check, and sat around until we could get back onto the SAME plane, in the same seats and waited on the tarmac for another hour. It was too windy to take off on a northerly runway and we had to wait for a southerly runway to become available. 

We had a bit more waiting, because as we approached the eastern side of Australia, there wasn’t enough fuel to get to Melbourne. So we diverted to Adelaide, and waited for another hour or so. We finally got into Melbourne at 3:30 and into a taxi by 4ish and home at about 4:30.

We think we have been awake for about 45 hours. We try to work it out, but with so many different time zones and that we have been awake for nearly two days, it's not making much sense and what does it matter? We’re home.

Thank you to all of you who have followed our travels. We have had a fantastic time away, and have loved sharing our reflections with you. We hope you have had some fun reading the Blog, VerweysEurope2013.  

How to spend €1:30 and feel like a Millionaire ~ Nice – Monte Carlo – Nice

Thursday, 29^th August

After a slow start, in our own time, and breakfast in the hotel, we walked towards the bus stop to get the bus to Monte Carlo. We followed the directions from “our man, Rick”, but unfortunately The Man did not prepare us for all the renovations going on around the bus stop, well, the bus stop that is no longer where it once was. Walking back and forth across the streets and plazas we eventually found the next stop for the #100 bus that takes you along the coast to Monaco.

We sat on the right side of the bus, so that we could get the best view, the only drawback that we were facing the wrong way. Not to worry – still amazing views, coming or going.

The bus takes about an hour to go from Nice to Monte Carlo and all the way is spectacular. Fabulous views of the water, the cliffs, the harbours, the villas, the boats, the cars – everything is beautiful! We tried to find the villa that The Rolling Stones recorded “Exile on Main Street” in 1972. We know we saw it; we just don’t know which villa it was!

We were tootling along quite enthralled by everything we were seeing, when the bus stopped at one of the many stops along the way, and the driver got out, walked to the end of the bus and saw smoke billowing out. So all 100 passengers had to get out and wait for another bus. Another one came along within a few minutes, but was packed, so we waited for the next. While we were waiting, just above a beach, we watched the people paddling in the shallows, and playing on the sand. There was a woman, who looked like she was in her 70s, doing her stretching exercises, topless.

The next bus was crowded too, but we got on and stood most of the way to Monaco, about 25 minutes. We got off at the end of the line and strolled back towards the casino.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

What beautiful buildings, what beautiful shops, what beautiful wealth.

Many of the shops have Prince Albert & Princess Charlene’ wedding photo in the window. Intriguing. The looked happy enough – but we did not see them in the flesh.

The Casino was very busy, and it doesn’t open until 2:00pm, but there were many people milling around, and several fabulous cars parked outside. The Pokie machine hall was open, so we went in for a peek and then wandered off towards the Prince’s Palace.

It all seems very nice! Very clean, very tidy, free public WCs, which were very clean and even the pedestrian underpasses, which can be dark, scary and filthy in most places, were bright and clean.

Monaco has the highest per capita income in the world, and it shows. No income tax. It is enticing! It is a symbol of success – it has the best of Italian and French lifestyles the longest continual reigning royal family since 1267 and seems totally unscathed by the GFC - if going by property prices is any guide. However, Dick parading around in his hat purchased from the gypsies in Orvieto market might have brought down the prices a tad. Furthermore, Monaco was the only place we visited in Europe where there was no sign of the street traders trying to sell copies of handbags &/or some trinket or other. The only downside was that there was not one square inch of beach between the magnificent ocean going vessels or swimming. But this problem was solved by the hundreds of rooftop pools which every apartment block seemed to have – maybe it is in this principality’s building regulations. It is not hard to appreciate why the French Riviera must be the favourite holiday destination for millions of Europeans as it is difficult to imagine not enjoying a return visit no matter how often.

We got the bus back to Nice (€1:30 each way) and called in at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MOMAC), had a coffee, looked at the sculptures on the terrace and came back to the hotel, walking through Nice. It’s just a little bit more gritty and noisy and vibrant than Monte Carlo.

We rested for a while - absorbing the beauty, the wealth, the bus trip were exhausting!

For our last dinner in Nice/France/Europe we consulted Our Man, Rick, who recommended some restaurants in the next street. After some of the discrepancies we have found between Rick and Nice we wondered if our quest for a good restaurant would be in vain.

We should not have worried. Rick's first two were side by side, so we considered each and made a decision to go to L'Authentic. Rick, my man, you did not let us down!

 

We shared an entrée of gnocchi with a creamy truffle sauce - did you know that gnocchi was first created in Nice? No, nor did I. Our mains were Sea Bass - this has been a delicious discovery for us in Europe. I think I've had sea bass in each country we've visited - and Dick had a veal steak. Our wine was a dry Rose from Provence. My dessert was a crème brulee and Dick had a selection of mini desserts with his coffee. We both had a digestive of limoncello.

We enjoyed the meal and reflected on our six weeks of travel and followed up with our final passegiata (evening stroll) round Nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Remy de Provence to Cassis to Nice

Wednesday, 28^th August

We left St Remy early so that we could get to Cassis in good time for a tour of the Calanques and lunch before our long drive to Nice.

Cassis was recommended to us by a gorgeous French waitress we met in the Blue Mountains at Easter.  She said it was a beautiful seaside town on the Mediterranean that not many tourists visited, but many French people do, and there were many very good restaurants there as well.  These were enough recommendations to encourage us to go. What she didn’t mention, or maybe she did and we didn’t recall, was the incredible and spectacular “calanques” which are the Mediterranean “fjords” – stark cliffs rising 150 metres out of the clear blue sea (& used by world class rock climbers for training), some with small beaches, some with caves and blowholes, fishing boats, kayaks and yachts.

The cliffs are limestone and for many years the stone was quarried and transported straight onto the ships and taken all over the world. The Statue of Liberty’s base is made from Cassis limestone. The stone had been cut on slanting slopes so the stone could be rolled easily onto the ships. We took a 60 minute boat trip that went into five of the calanques. The crew on our boat were very friendly, making lots of jokes, particularly at the expense on the Australians, which everyone thought was hilarious. It was a lot of fun, and the calanques were spectacular.

The Mediterranean sea was at its most seductive under a blue sky (6weeks of warm blue skies) –  the wake of the boat looking like warm black rolling velvet whispering to us to take a dive. But we resisted. After the boat trip we found a waterside restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal of fish soup, fried whitebait and poached cod. We were served by the loveliest young waitress. The four of really enjoyed our time in Cassis.

We went back to the car and Michael drove us all to Nice – about two and a half hours along the motorway, and arriving in Nice at peak hour. This was a mighty effort, as the drivers on the motorway chop and change lanes, cutting in and crossing over. He has been fantastic, chauffeuring Karol, Dick and me all around Provence, remaining calm and patient at all times. It would have been impossible to get to all the wonderful places we did in Provence without a car and a great driver. Thank you, Michael.

When I made the booking for our hotel in Nice, extra charges were made to my credit card. When it was queried the hotel was very apologetic and promised us an upgrade. We are on the top floor, on a corner, with a return balcony, overlooking the main street leading to the beach. The staff have been very attentive!

After dinner we went for a stroll with Karol and Michael on our last night together to the seashore and stuck our feet into the warm Mediterranean but the walk across the stone beach was difficult, painful even and not as lovely as we expected. C’est La Vie.

We made our good byes to Michael and Karol – they are at the start of their European odyssey, leaving tomorrow for Italy, Germany, Prague and beyond, and we are at the end, leaving on Friday for home. It has been great to share our time in France with them and we bid them “Bon Voyage”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Day in The Camargue

Tuesday, 27^th August

We set off this morning for The Camargue, which is the delta of the Rhone River. The Rhone divides into two branches, Le Grand Rhone and Le Petit Rhone, about 10 kms from the Mediterranean. In between the two branches are marshy swamps, wetlands and farmland. The Camargue is home to the Camargue horses, the Camargue bulls, flamingos, boars and the Roma people (gypsies). Most of France’s rice is produced here, and also salt.

The Camargue has two main towns and we went to one, Saintes-Maries-De-Mer. Legend has it that St Mary Salome and St Mary Jacobe, mothers of some of the Apostles fled Palestine with an Egyptian slave girl, Sarah and landed in this area and stayed. They started the “Christianisation” of France. Sarah helped the poor by giving alms, and is now the Patron Saint of the Roma. Roma from all over Europe  gather here every May to celebrate her feast day

When we parked the car we looked across the water and saw a huge flock of flamingos. Well, that made my day! They were standing in the water, most had their heads tucked under their wings, occasionally raising them for a stretch or a look around I suppose, and then back to the snoozing. The flamingos were a very pale pink, almost white; perhaps this has something to do with the time of year or season or age. I’m not sure – it’s something to Google.

We took a 90 minute boat trip that travelled out to sea for about 15 minutes  - so now I can say I have sailed the Mediterranean – and then up the channel. It was fascinating seeing the fishing boats, sailing boats, yachts and all sorts of crafts, but nothing too flash. There are scores of little jetties along the channel, with shacks attached and boats. There were several huge fishing nets hoisted near the shore. It looks like they lower the nets and scoop up the fish and shellfish and whatever else comes up.

Along the way we saw several huge herons, and other water birds and silvery fish that jumped high out of the water and then “belly flopped” back in. At a couple of points along the way, the Camargue bulls came down to the water line, accompanied by the “Gardian”, the cowboy/girl, and several of the white Camargue horses. The horses are born black or brown and turn white as they age. By the age of 8 years they are white, and they are very hardy usually living for 20-30 years. The Camargue bulls are used to play a game in the bull fighting arena where ribbons and tassels are pulled off their horns by the “Razateur”. The bulls are smaller than the Spanish bulls and their horns point up.

It was beautiful on the water, the sky was bright blue and the water was calm.

We had brought a picnic and ate it watching the flamingos. We drove along the other side of the Camargue and made our way back to St Remy, and rested before deciding what to do for dinner. Last night’s self catered dinner in the gazebo was very enjoyable and we will do the same tonight. We will accompany the food with some lovely Provence wines.

It is our last day in Provence, as tomorrow we leave for the French Riviera. Oh, yeah!

Wine Regions of the Cotes de Rhone

Monday 26^th August

An early start today as we headed off to Chateneauneuf-de-Papes, a renowned wine town in the Cotes De Rhone. In May when we stayed in Daylesford and dined at The Lake House, the lovely French waitress there, who hails from Provence, recommended that we visit Chateneauneuf-De Papes. It was high on our list. Chateneauneuf-de-Papes was established in the 1200-1300s as a summer palace for the Pope. The actual palace is now a ruin, but the wine industry that began way back then is flourishing. The area is very interesting. The soil is very red and rocky and the rocks retain the heat and force the vines to struggle resulting in a lean grape, lousy for eating but ideal for producing “big wines”. Eight different grapes are blended to make the local speciality, strictly controlled, and grenache is the most prominent grape in the blend. The Pope’s crest is embossed on all bottles of this wine. Chateneauneuf-de-Papes is a pretty town and we wandered around for an hour or so.

Along the way stopped in a little town, whose market was finishing up. Fortunately there were a couple of stalls still open. Michael and Karol bought some ham, and we bought some potato fritters and got all that was left for a bargain so the owners could go home and some fruit. We stopped at some tables and chairs beside a river and had a lovely picnic.

We then headed off for Beaumes de Venise, a town renowned for its Muscat. We are all suffering from different stages of a cold, coughing, sneezing, feeling BLAHHH! So Michael had a snooze in the car while Karol, Dick and I had a bit of a wander. The town has winding streets set within the ancient town walls, several fountains (of non potable water) and a mix of medieval and more recent buildings. As we were strolling along a woman asked, In French, “Which country?” and Karol replied, “Australia” and the woman told us she had a cousin in Sydney who worked in a restaurant and wanted her to come to Australia to cook French food. But she told us she was happy enough working in an old people’s home and will start picking grapes in a couple of weeks. She then said, “Attendre” went indoors and came back with a large bunch of delicious grapes and told us where to go to get the best views in the town.

Off we went and found the ancient city walls and scrambled up the rocky walls as well as a track beyond. The woman was right – the views were fabulous!

When we returned to the car, Michael and Dick bought a bottle of Muscat. We meandered and Michael drove us back to St Remy, through the picturesque Provencal countryside.

We have eaten out every night we have been in France (and everywhere else) and have been eating quite late, and not sleeping very well. Dick and I suggested that we eat in tonight, perhaps picking up a roast chicken and just staying at the hotel. On our return to the hotel Dick and I walked to a large supermarket in St Remy and picked up a roast chicken, several tasty salads, a bottle of the local Rose and some petit fours and chocolate mousse cake for dessert. This was supermarket shopping that was enjoyable. The quality of the food and the wine was excellent!

Our hotel has a lovely courtyard and Gazebo, so we sat outside and enjoyed a very relaxed meal. It probably helped that our aperitifs were Absinthe (from Prague) and the potato fritters from the market, and our great buys from the supermarket, finishing off with the Muscat from Beames de Venise.

We toddled off to our rooms, wondering what fabulous things are in store for tomorrow.

 

Hill Towns of The Luberon, Provence

Sunday, August 25

Today we went for a long drive to explore the hill towns of The Luberon.

Our first stop was at Isle-Sur-La Sorgue, a market town about 30 minutes from St Remy. Today was a market day and it was huge! There were hundreds of stalls selling everything – meat, roast chickens, fruit, veg, olives, handcrafts, bric-a-brac, junk, antiques, books all over the town. We walked around for an hour and a half and still did not see all of it. We bought olives, a roast coquelet ( a very  small chicken) and fruit for lunch, to have later in the day.

Isle-Sur-La Sorgue has a river that flows from a spring, and years ago powered more than 70 water wheels, for milling flour, and paper and textile mills. There is an ingenious system that channels water from the river into various canals around the town.

From Isle Sur la Sorgue we headed off for Roussillon, and on the way stopped for a great view of Gordes.

Roussillon sits on top of Mont Rouge, and until WW2 was the world’s greatest producer of ochre, used for wallpapers and linoleum. It is a very pretty town; all the buildings are of ochre hues, yellow, orange, pink, brown and are very different to the limestone villages we have been seeing elsewhere in Provence. We walked through the old quarry, which is now a nature park. The orange dust covers everything and oak trees are growing prolifically. We found a seat and shared our market foods with Karol and Michael, who had bought cheese, sausage and bread – a beautiful Provencal picnic.

From Roussillon we headed for Menerbes, which we thought sounded familiar – it was where “A Year in Provence” was set. It was very quiet, and we strolled around, loved the views and saw some quaint buildings. A citadel was built in the 1600’s during the religious wars in France, but it was never ”tested”. Today it is owned privately, but we had a bit of a look anyway. How would you like your own citadel with fabulous views across the Provencal landscape?

We then headed back to St Remy. Michael is marvellous, undertaking all the driving. The roads in Provence are really narrow, and at times we have had to pull over almost into a ditch or canal to let other cars pass. Even in the towns and villages, some of the roads are barely wide enough for one car, let alone two. We are in a Renault Megane – not a big car, however it is comfortable.

When we got back to the hotel we were all very tired and napped.

We met up again at 7:30 for dinner. We looked at several restaurants, but ended up at the one with the13 euro menu, but upgraded to the 19euro. It was very good!

St Remy, Vincent Van Gogh Walk

Provence, Day 3

The Vincent Van Gogh Walk

We woke up late, and strolled around to the Laundromat, and while our clothes were being washed we found a creperie and had brunch. Dick was rather abstemious and had the lemon and sugar, and I lashed out and had the Grand Marnier – it really packs a punch for brekkie!

When the washing was done, we came back to the hotel and rested, as I’ve said before, this housework gig is tiring!

Later in the day we decided to tackle the Vincent Van Gogh walk, which is a trail around the town of where Vincent painted many paintings while he was a patient for a year at the St Paul Hospice, a mental hospital. There are 21 sites that have been signposted with copies of his paintings, and many of the places that he painted can be recognised. We managed to find 19 of the sites; one is closed for renovation (No. 20) and one (No. 14) is just not there. I photographed each “easel” and when the painting was of an actual site, I photographed that too.

Dick found the whole experience rather moving, as Vincent has been of particular interest to him for a long time. I think he felt as I did when I visited all the Beatles landmarks in Liverpool four years ago. He learnt 3 new things about Vincent and the paintings he produced:

·         The constant movement of Vincent’s marks as they zig-zag and sweep from one to direction to another is his attempt to capture the mistrals which ravage this region. I.e., winds of between 30-60 mph which rip through Provence 100 days per year. There are many stories which mention the constant battle Vincent had in trying to paint in these winds.  

·         The backstory is more potent than the actual work produced. However, as the work and backstory are so closely entwined it is impossible to look and appreciate the work purely on an aesthetic basis,

·         The reason we have these paintings now is because they presented a NEW way of looking at the world, i.e., the paintings are attempts to express the intensity with which we should appreciate our existence (at least that is part of the myth and the backstory).

We came back to the hotel for a swim in the pool, and did not undress completely, as the other sunbathers did. We were a little overdressed in our bathers. We haven’t quite turned European yet.

We met with Michael and Karol for dinner, to share our day’s activities and to plan the next few days. Our dinner was great – a set menu for 29 euro each, plus drinks. The highlight was dessert. There was a display cabinet containing 24 of the most divine desserts – it was difficult deciding. It would be worth going and having a three course meal of dessert. It looked fabulous and tasted even better. But again Dick was quite conservative by selecting the lemon meringue tart. However, he and Michael did wash down their deserts with coffee and a calvados (apple cognac) digestif.

 

Arles and Les Baux

Friday, 23^rd August

We set off in the morning for Arles, a bigger city about 15kms from St Remy. We arranged a time to meet back at the car and Karol and Michael went in one direction, and we went in another.

Arles was where Vincent Van Gogh lived for about a year. We wanted to follow in the trail of Vincent Van Gogh and find the places where he had painted around Arles. We were able find several spots, which had been signposted with replicas of the paintings. It was a great way to have a good look around Arles. Not only was it interesting to see where Vincent lived and painted, but also to see quite a lot of Roman ruins, medieval and Renaissance buildings.

We returned to the hotel, and I relaxed and Dick went for a walk to explore St Remy. Vincent Van Gogh was admitted to the mental hospital in St Remy and was there for a year. There is also a “Vincent” walk in St Remy and Dick found 20 of the 21 locations. The 21^st is currently being renovated.

There is also an ancient Roman site in St Remy, which is the oldest town in France and has been occupied since 700 years BC.

In the early evening, we drove to Les Baux, an old hilltop town about 8kms for St Remy. The castle ruins and village buildings are made from limestone, quarried in the valley below. In the 1820s a substance was discovered that could be made into aluminium, and was named “bauxite” after the town. The town has many ancient ruins, a castle, chapel and houses in caves. There are many displays of old weapons, such as crossbows, catapults, battering rams and tebuchets ( a bit like a catapult). We got there just before 7pm and it was the best time – most of the visitors were leaving, the weather was cooler, and the sunset was glorious across the valley. We spent a couple of hours here and really enjoyed the fabulous views, and the peaceful calm, even as we were scrambling up steep steps and rocky paths.

We returned to St Remy for a late dinner, back to the same place as last night - 13 euros for 3 courses is hard to beat!

 

Paris to Provence

Thursday 22^nd August,

We departed the Hotel Ariane Montparnesse, Paris, to change trains 4 times to end up on the TGV fast train from Gare De Lyon station for a less than 3 hour train ride to Avignon where we picked up a car. Luckily for us Michael is happy to drive over the next week and to take us to St Remy where we begin our Provence adventure. With a little training we got the Satellite Navigation system operating and then we were off with another 5 effortless transfers/connections.

It would have been the easiest thing in the world to spend another month in Paris. As every arrondissement  in Paris has its own history, all of which is so beautifully displayed and catches you by surprise every time a corner is turned. However, a lot of blood has been spilt along with acts of extreme cruelty and brutality in this city’s history. That the paradox is that although we appreciate the beauty created over the centuries we hope never to see those times again. Terribly beautiful

And what better place is there to forget the truly sumptuous grandeur of Paris than in a beautifully transformed ancient white stone farmhouse/manor and its barns and stables and cottages which is our Hotel de Soleil, St Remy de Provence. The old town is reportedly the oldest town in France and has been continually occupied since 700 years BC. There is a plaque on the old house where Nostradamus was born in 1503? There is an artist walk which takes us to the spots where Vincent Van Gogh painted some of his 150 paintings during the last year of his life when he lived here from May 1889 – May 1890, including the time and place where he was hospitalised. It is a moving experience to be walking in his footsteps. However, the experience is somewhat diluted when it is shared with a large number of very well to do Parisians enjoying their wonderfully warm summer holidays in this remarkable old town.    

Dinner in the old town was very nice with a very reasonable 13Euro set menu. However, there is no shortage of good places some with live entertainment to revive us after days of exploring all that Provence has to offer.

Art, Towers, Churches, Obelisks and All That Jazz

Wednesday 21^st August

Paris, Day 3 started with the usual number of transfers between lines on the metro until we arrived in the proximity of Georges Pompidou Centre.

As usual we were distracted by numerous other sights (bridge of padlocks (millions of padlocks attached only in the past 12 months which totally cover both side railings and balustrades of the Pont D’ Arcole from Notre Dame’s island) , Tour St Jacques and other tall obelisk-like structures) as we made our way to see the brilliant Roy Lichtenstein retrospective at the Pompidou. The centre was beautifully spacious with lots of escalators and more great views across Paris.

Afterwards, we battled with the other tourist/traveller/passengers to get a glimpse of Notre Dame before we headed off to the Place de la Concord, via the Louvre and the Tuilleries (statue gardens). Steph, the Eiffel Tower Guide had regaled us with numerous stories of the Place de la Concord. Especially as this was the place where thousands of Parisians were hacked to death until the guillotine was invented which was apparently a step towards a more humane approach to kill off recalcitrant citizens. It really is a huge expanse of cobblestones which apparently flowed with blood.

With the help of a very pleasant gendarme we located the subway for the metropolitan for the Place de la Concorde which was unmarked and unsignposted. Oh well those crazy frenchies must enjoy adding just a little more intrigue to the tourist/traveller/passenger’s journey. I have a theory that we probably have spent the greater time this holiday “queuing” – that is if you define queuing as the time spent waiting for something or to get somewhere. Luckily the longest we have had to wait for one our numerous trains on the metropolitan is 4 minutes – there must be 1,000s of trains constantly circulating underneath Paris. The system really should be one of the wonders of the world – definitely up there with any other structure I’ve seen.

Then we joined Karol and Michael for Dinner in Le Marais nearby to the jazz club Duc of Lombards which Karol booked 4 tickets to listen to a live jazz band, “Remi Vignolo”. My steak and aligot (mashed potato, cheese and garlic) with pepper sauce was delicious. The jazz band was very entertaining. The drummer was fantastic and really controlled the rhythm – he was very powerful, but the big bass player, the clarinet and saxophone player and guitarist all were” superbe” and really shone when they had their solos.

Another incredible day in Paris had come to and when we hit our beds after midnight. I think it would be very easy to spend months here exploring all the various areas.

 

 

Perfectly Fabulous Paris

Tuesday, 20^th August

We had a leisurely breakfast, and a latish start, because we slept late as we had been traipsing the Paris boulevards until quite late (midnight) last night.

We headed off to the Picasso Museum. Four years ago we wanted to visit and it was closed until 2010 or 11, so we thought it must have ready for us. Oh, No it was not. The building was surrounded by scaffolding and huge trucks, and a sign telling us it would not be open until 2014. Has anyone ever been to the Musee Picasso in Le Marais? Maybe it doesn’t really exist and is just listed as a lurk for tourists. However, there may be some consolation as we saw a Banksy like stencil on the outside walls of the museum.

So we wandered, disconsolately towards Place des Vosges, and you just can’t stay gloomy for too long in the most beautiful part of Paris. Gorgeous little shops, a jumble of high fashion, cheap stuff, tailors, Art Galleries  galore, and the most perfect little park in the world. It is quiet and calm and has a real sense of a village.

We revisited Christian Louis Parfumerie and stocked up on sweet smelling supplies and had lunch at Café Victor Hugo, strolled through the cloisters and the park of Place Des Vosges. A fairly pleasant way to overcome our disappointment about Picasso.

We found the Promenade Plantee, which is an elevated park made from a former railway viaduct, not far from the Bastille. It is a lovely shady park, about 4metres wide, 4 metres above the city roadways and we walked almost 2kms of its 4.4km length ending in another park, Jardin de Reuilly. This was the garden of a palace of some kings from long ago, and is now a beautiful green oasis, where Parisians sunbake, and picnic and relax.

We noticed that several people were filling large bottles with water from a fountain, and as my bottle was almost empty I refilled it too. It was only later when I hd a drink that I realised the water was a bit fizzy – so a natural sparkling mineral water spring in the heart of Paris, free for all to use.

We headed back to the hotel for a bit of a rest before meeting karol and Michael for a drink. Dick and I headed off for our “Skip the Line” tour of the Eiffel tower. The last time we were in Paris, the queues to go up the tower were hours long and in the sun, so I booked a tour to miss all of that.

Our tour guide was an English girl who had studied and worked in Paris for years. What she didn’t know about the tower, and Paris probably didn’t happen.  We got the lift to the second level and she took us around each side pointing out all the landmarks and told us very entertaining stories about each important place. That took about 90 minutes and then we were free to go up higher, in the elevators.

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

The views were stunning, and became more so as the sun set, the full moon lit up the sky and the Paris streets and buildings started twinkling. We went up as far as we could. The elevator takes you to a closed in section at the top and you are able to take a short set of stairs to a more open level a bit higher up. When we got there, the camera conked out – overworked, I think. So I used the phone, rested the camera, jiggled the battery a bit and it started up.

At 10:00pm we were at the highest point and the tower’s twinkling lights came on and we could hear the cheers and oohs and aahs from the crowd below, but we couldn’t see much!

We had to queue up to descend, and came down to the second level, looked around and then walked down to the first level. I had been walking around Paris for most of the day, and my legs were like jelly but it was a unique experience to be in the belly of the beast walking up and down through its steel skeleton that took 2years 2months and 5 days to build by 250 men and 8,000 tons of cast iron, prefabricated into 18,000 pieces which are held together with 2.5million rivets. Until finally we decided to drag ourselves away and got the lift down to the ground. We then waited until 11:00pm to see the light show from the ground.

It was, is and will always be spectacular. We know every time we see it we will be amazed.

Paris is fabulous!!!!!!!

Leaving Prague, entering Paris

The transfer from Prague to Paris went well and I think we will really enjoy Paris’s slightly more civilised approach to life

after the Slav beer and sausage, pork knee, pork neck and cabbage morning noon and night lets have fun way of living

the changes of location

from the hectic intensity of Rome

to the rustic charm of Orvieto to

the spiritual calm of Assisi

to the crazy Croation party at Split & Dubrovnik

to the student like thoughtfulness of Padua

to the sophistication of Milan

to the old money wealth at Cernobbio

to the sweetness of Zurich

the very seriously gothic Slav spirit of fun in Prague

to the style and elegance amongst the tired old streets of Paris

has been magic and made the trip a joy.

So far, so good.

We met up with our friends, Karol and Michael tonight, sharing our French adventure.  We had dinner at a local restaurant in Montparnasse, recommended by the hotel staff, assuring us that this was not a tourist place. And it was fantastic. We decided to have the set menu, preceded by cocktails. We had ham and melon, then some poultry that was a cross between chicken and turkey – a gamy sort of chicken, not quite turkey and larger than chicken, followed by apricots with a raspberry sorbet.  Some lovely Bordeaux to sip with a delicious dinner. Michael and Karol returned to the hotel as they wanted an early start, and we got the Metro to the Champs Elysee and strolled down to the Arc deTriomphe.

The full moon had risen above the Champs Elysee and I tried to get a photo of the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and the moon, but could only manage two at any one time. Perhaps, if I had stood in the middle of the Champs Elysee, I may have been able to capture all three – who knows?

La Belle Paris!

 

Prague, Day 4, More Mucha

Sunday, 18th August

Our last full day in Prague and we wanted to make sure we did something special – and we did! We went to the National Gallery. This is housed in a huge modern building that looks like a big ugly office block from outside, but inside looks sleek and elegant. The centre of the building has been cleared, so this is a huge high central space of at least six stories, which gives the building light and a sense of open space.

We thought we would be seeing some 20^th century European art, including 14 Picassos, a Van Gogh, Rodin and Henry Moore sculptures, a Toulouse-Lautrec, which we did, but we were not expecting to see much else. That would have been great if that was all that was there, but there was so much more.

Alfons Mucha’s “Slav Epic” was on display. This is 20 enormous paintings (a quarter square kilometre of canvas) showing the history of the Slavic people. Oh my goodness! What a spectacular exhibition. By the end of it we were almost wishing we were Slavic. If we were, we would have felt immensely proud of our race and our histories. Alfons Mucha had the idea for the epic very early in his career and began this amazing work soon after he returned to his Czech homeland after his success in Paris with his gorgeous Art Nouveau posters, designs, decorations etc. I was able to take photos (no flash) so have a look. The photos do not do the work justice, but you will get an idea of the grandeur and the scale.

Interestingly the Gallery is rarely mentioned in the guide books, not in Rick Steves anyway, and in my little Top 10 Prague book, it is listed as something to do on a rainy day. If you are coming to Prague, before you wend your way through the crowds on Charles Bridge and the castle, and maybe after you have been to the Old Town Square, go to the National Gallery – there are  several locations, but the one you MUST go to is at the Veletrezni Palace, the collection of Modern and Contemporary Art. This and the Alfons Mucha Museum have been my highlights in Prague.

We rode the tram back to the hotel, taking a detour out to the ‘burbs in a different direction along the river, enjoying the scenery along the way.

We found a beer hall for dinner, Dick had the goulash and cabbage salad and I had a pork schnitzel, a beer or two each for under $30. Excellent! After dinner we strolled around to a festival on Wenceslas Square, with Czech singers, rock bands and other entertainers.

Our last full day in Prague was a great one. Prague is a fantastic place, with a friendly, relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. We have loved it!

Prague, Day 3

Prague Day 3, started off with a perfect breakfast – it will take 4 breakfasts before we have sampled all on offer. This room and hotel is extremely lovely and the best so far. Then we headed to the National Theatre to view some sculptures and installations and  catch the No. 22 tram up the hill to Prague Castle.

We arrived at the Strahov monastery which houses a winery and the St Norbert’s Brewery where enjoyed the spirit of the place with a very strong beer. This helped prepare us for the Loreto Church and which was once regarded as the holiest place in the Czech Republic (maybe not so any longer as at the last census 60% of Czech citizens declared themselves as atheists). On the ground floor were portraits of their favourite saints and on the second floor behind doors associated with a big bank fault was a priceless collection of jewels – one monstrance was embedded with 6,000 diamonds all of an amethyst hue. Not sure about holiest place but maybe the priciest per square metre.

The Prague Castle had nothing on Hampton Court but the big hall for entertaining the 4 noble families that have ruled over this area over the past 1400 years was impressive.

St Vitus Cathedral was beautiful with monuments and chapels dedicated to the Good King Wenceslas and his grandmother Saint Ludmilla. The stained glass windows were the best I have seen especially the one designed by Alphonse Mucha.

St George Basilica was a good example of Romanesque architecture. However, unfortunately there were no reliquaries worth mentioning.

Finally, we turned to go home through the Czech’s version of Sovereign Hill so-called Golden Lane. It was weird that there were so many trinket type shops selling stuff that nobody wanted but the old-fashioned brewery was all behind glass and only for looking – there was a long queue of thirsty people behind me all about to share my dismay.

Then we headed to the Charles Bridge just as packed in daylight as during night-time. We listened to the blues band, the classical violinists, the jazz-band and watched people get their portraits drawn at the many stalls along the way.

After a rest and change of clothes we had some good luck and found a traditional Czech restaurant in the Old Town where we really enjoyed the Prague ham and gherkins, Beer, Moravian Cab Sav. Pig knee with cabbage and gherkin and pork fillet with potatoes and beans. All to the tunes of regional (Silesian, Moravian, Slovakian and Bohemian) Folk dancing with costume changes, live music, singing and bagpipes. To the end the night, we walked around the markets on the old square.

Life is very easy and much fun in Prague. Prague may translate to paradise or perfect in some old long forgotten language.

 

Prague Day 2, Petrin Hill

Friday 16^th August

We had a slow start to the day, and fortunately this fabulous hotel serves breakfast until 11:00am, and til 11:30 on the weekend – very civilised. Needless to say, as with everything at Unitas Hotel, it was fantastic.  Anything you could imagine that might come under the heading of breakfast food was there, including zucchini fritters and apple stuffed pancakes. MMmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

We had intended to do some laundry and were told that a Laundromat was in a shopping centre not too far away, but when we got there, the place was empty, displaying a sign, “Closed due to technical reasons” – very technical, as in no washers or dryers. Not to worry, our man Rick Steves listed a Laundromat in his book on Prague that we borrowed from the hotel library (!) and we made a way to the address, hoping that it was open. Our 3 day transport pass is excellent value. Anyway, we got there and it was open and we were able to do the washing – sounds very mundane doesn’t it? Not at all! It was very social. There are all sorts of people there, chatting, comparing travel stories, swapping names of good and places to go or not to go. We spoke with an American couple from Hawaii, and a New Zealand guy who was in Prague for a break dancing competition and who used to live in Melbourne, working with Silvers Circus. This place also has a guest book which made for a very good read. Lots of Aussie entries, all pretty funny and one very cool guy who wrote “Go Pies!” Excellent!

While our washing was tumbling in the machine, we were going to go for a walk around the block, and got as far as an antiques shop about three stores away. There were thousands of interesting things in the window and we ended up looking around for a while, and bought an intriguing wood print from the 1920’s and two beautiful Bohemia crystal glasses. Both times we have been to the Laundromat, we have ended up having a really fine time!

When we got back to the hotel we rested for a while – it’s exhausting doing the housework – before setting out for a tram ride around the city. The No. 22 takes you up past Prague Castle and out to the suburbs. We turned around and caught the tram back to the other side of Prague. It was a good way to see parts of the city that are where the real Prague people live, as well as seeing some famous land marks along the way.

In the late afternoon we went to Petrin Hill, which is a huge park right next to the river, in the centre of Prague. At the bottom of the hill, near the tram stop, is an amazing monument to The Victims of the Communists Who Survived. There is a series of statues going up the steps, slowly atrophied by the totalitarian regime. They do not die, but slowly disappear. 205486 people were imprisoned, 248 were executed, 4500 died in prison, 327 were shot attempting to cross the border, 170, 938 left the country. These numbers are written in the stone steps. The monument is very sombre and moving.

Petrin Hill is covered with paths, gardens, forested areas, lawns, where the Prague families, couples and groups of people stroll around or loll around. There is a funicular, (which is covered by our transport pass – what a winner it is!) to the top of the hill. There is an observation tower, which is modelled on the Eiffel tower, one fourth its size. Because of its position on the hill, the tower reaches the same elevation as the Eiffel Tower. We bought tickets and headed for the lift, only to be told that the lift was an extra 50crown each, which the ticket seller did not explain. So, instead of queuing up again we walked to the top – 299 steps up, and 299 down. This time the effort was certainly worth it. The views of Prague are sensational. And our few days of relative quiet and NO stairs, must have helped me to rejuvenate, as I felt ok going up and down the steps.

After the tower we needed some refreshments and found a bar half way down the hill and had a drink and dinner – after all the fabulous meals we have had in the past three and half weeks, the best part of this one was the view. But the beer and the Campari help wash down two virtually taste free baguettes as we overlooked the river, the Charles Bridge and Prague as the sun slowly set. Almost perfect!

But what did make it perfect was the twilight entertainment on the bridge. A one man band, a violin duo and a band of: 3 violins, cello and wash board player doing their interpretations of Beatles, Grease (you’re the one that I want) and Elton John, a Queen number and many more – all very energetic and much fun.

 

Prague

Thursday 15^th August

We woke up every time the train stopped. It stopped for ages at a 4am, probably to split the train into 2 parts: one to Berlin and Mannheim and our section to Prague. However, once the train started to move the rocking motion sent us back to sleep only to wake intermittently as it stopped at Liepzig and others. We woke at about 8.30 had a breakfast box and cuppa and arrived at Prague at about 10.30. Caught a few trains and walked to our hotel. WOW.

This address of 9 Bartomejskahas has a incredible history for the past 800 years. It appears to have been a bargaining chip in the politics played between the Catholic Church and various rulers of Prague. The land was handed over to the church to start a convent for the Grey Sisters,who have been here on and off ever since. Most recently the 500 nuns and novices were sent to prisons by the Communist Secret Police who used the buildings as secret torture chambers which also held the soon to be President - Vaclav Havel . Prince Charles was a guest here to commemorate the overthrow of communism here in the velvet revolution of 1989 with Vaclav Havel. Prince Charles also donated money from his foundation to restore Prague in 2004. And thereby this Hotel Unitas was created on this site. It is a very beautiful hotel with lovely wide corridors and large rooms with plenty of with compliments: glass of champagne, bottles of water and apples on arrival, hors d’oeuvres when leaving. Good linen, extra pillows plenty of chairs and desk space.

But better than the hotel is the town, with plenty of great food and beer all for the easy picking. It is a pleasure just to stroll to the square which is full of entertainment: acrobats, jugglers, heavy metal bagpipe players in black leather dresses, trampoliners and around the square there are recitals in the churches and art shows.

In the afternoon we strolled around the Old Town and visited the Mucha Museum. Alfons Mucha was a Czech artist who pioneered the Art Nouveau movement. The museum houses many of his original drawings, paintings, sketches and lithographs. There is a really interesting 30 minute video, which gave us a break from standing and walking, and there is a great gift shop.

We watched the Astronomical Clock chime and move all its special parts at midday, joining the throng. We have climbed the tower at the Town hall and had a 360⁰ view of Prague. This tower had a lift, so we took full advantage of the modern contraption, we are so over steps, or at least until we get to the castle.

We attended a “Black light Theatre” production after our dinner on the Square – which was called the Czech special – roast duck, sausage and baked ham, with two types of dumplings and red cabbage and, of course, beer. Guess who is a happy man!

The Black light Theatre seems to be a Prague specialty, as we have seen at least two theatres. It’s a theatre/dance production involving black and fluoro costumes that glow in the special light. The dancing was fantastic, and the acting was corny. Strangely, there were about ten curtain calls – MTC would love the response this troupe got.

After the show we strolled along the river to the Charles Bridge, walked across and came back – it was difficult to see the statues as it was dark. We’ll come back in the day time. The views around the town form the river and the bridge are beautiful, all lit with golden glow.

Zurich

Milan-Zurich-Prague

Wednesday 14^th August

As I write this, I am watching Switzerland fly past the window as we make our way to Prague. The sun is setting over the mountains and it is very pretty. Switzerland is very pretty. Everything you’ve heard about or read about “the chocolate box” Switzerland is true!

We have a sleeping cabin, which I thought had shower and toilet, but no, just the two bunks and a wash basin. There is no Dining Car on this train either, and it’s just as well we had a snack before we left Zurich. In think it will be an interesting night.

We had a very busy day, leaving Milan, and here’s a travel tip, in Italy, go first class if your journey is going to be longer than 30 minutes. We had booked our seats, which is also a great idea. The luggage racks in this train were not deep enough to take anything larger than a back pack, consequently, there were suitcases all over the place, as well as people who had missed previous trains, or their trains were late, or whatever. There were scenes of chaos, and very loud  people yelling at each other, the conductor (who disappeared fairly quickly), on their phones, and here we were thinking it would be a lovely and relaxing journey though the Alps.

It got better as passengers got off, but we decided that 1^st class would have been better this time.

The scenery all the way was spectacular. Lake Lugano, The Alps, Lake Lucerne, Swiss farms, all captured in the photos. A beautiful view would emerge and we would try to get it, and then a tunnel, or a big tree, or some pylons would get in the way, so it became a bit of an ongoing challenge to try and get the good pics. After four hours or so, we arrived in Zurich. We had about three and a half hours before we board the train to Prague, so we put the luggage in storage, got a map of the city, we included a walk around the main sights.

The economic crisis appears to have avoided Zurich, or it is well on the way to recovery.  There are fabulous high end fashion shops, equalling any that were in Milan, several chocolate shops, hundreds of watch shops, and jewellery stores, and lots of arty shops selling local crafts and artisans work.

Some beautiful old churches, which have huge clocks, one has the largest clock face in all Europe. The churches in Zurich are very subdued in decoration, such a change from the OTT of Italian churches. A river or maybe it is a canal runs through the centre, dividing the Old Town from the new. The old town has winding medieval streets and houses, and lots of cafes, bars, restaurants and arty shops.

Zurich sits on Lake Lucerne and is very pretty place. We enjoyed the stopover. It was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Milan

Tuesday 13^th August

We had to leave the peace, calm  and serenity of Cernobbio, and make our way to Milan. There was a great schemozzle at the Como train station, - lots of people leaving and no trains to take them away. The train we had tickets for was going to be either 15 or 59 minutes late, no one was sure. We didn’t really mind as we had made sure we had plenty of time before we had to be at the Milan Duomo by 2:15. Several other people were trying to make train connections for Venice or Paris and were getting rather anxious. A train pulled in and everyone scrambled aboard, only to realise that it was going to Milan, but not to Milan Centrale Station, but another station in Milan. Again, we were Ok, but some rather frustrated, or irate, or resigned others were not. When we arrived in Milan we bought a Public Transport Day Pass, and made our way to Milan Centrale. Our hotel was about 200 metres from the station and we just walked around.

Hotel New York – sounds flash, but is very basic. Clean and convenient, which is what we wanted for one night. Tomorrow we are to take the train from Milan to Zurich, and then on to Prague, hence the choice of hotel so close to the train station.

The hotel staff gave us a map and said it was a 30 minute walk, maybe a bit longer because signora will want to see the shops. After an hour, we were still only half way, and signora had not looked in any shops! With a 3 hour walking tour coming up, we got on the Metro.

We had booked a 3 hour walking tour of Milan that included entrance to see The Last Supper, as you must pre book to see it. We met the tour group outside the Duomo, and our guide gave us a comprehensive overview of the exterior and interior of Milan Cathedral. It was started building in 1386 and  continued until early 1800’s. The final touches were added in 1965. It was damaged during WW2 and restoration work was carried out after the war. Milan was heavily bombed during the war, as well as other important land marks, such as La Scala and the building  that houses The Last Supper. All were quickly restored after the war, as symbols of Milan’s endurance. Milan’s Duomo is incredible – 1000’s of statues, gargoyles, spires – nothing exceeds  like excess.No relics on display, but there were 3 dead cardinals in glass coffins for all to see.

The tour took us past the Victor Emmanuele 2Galleria, a high end shopping plaza, La Scala, Leonardo’s statue, The Sforza Castle, and finally to The church of S. Maria della Grazie, and the former Dominican monastery dining room which houses The Last Supper.

We had just 15 minutes to view this painting. It is much bigger than we expected, and fascinating to see. A lot of restoration work has removed all the previous “restoration” which really was repainting, however the painting is still faded and flaky. Apparently Leonardo used a different technique to the regular fresco painting, which didn’t last. In fact, the picture started to deteriorate almost as soon as it was finished.

The tour concluded and we restored ourselves with a truly fabulous gelato from a shop called Shockolat, quite close to The Last Supper. Most of the ice creams are chocolate, using real chocolate, and were superb.

We made our way back to the Duomo – Dick to see an exhibition and Mary to ride the elevator to the top of the Duomo and to do some shopping. Dick’s exhibition closed at 6:30, as did the elevator. Thwarted! So, we thought we would go to Caffe Camparino, where perhaps Campari was invented, but it, too, had closed at 6:30.

The tour was an efficient way to see the ”big ticket items” of Milan, and a day in Milan is probably enough, unless you are going to the opera or have thousands of euro to spend in the fabulous shops. Well, for us, the opera is closed for all of August, and we did not have thousands to spend.

Eventually we got back to the hotel and the Indian receptionist recommended a typical Italian Cucina  for dinner, just down the road. The restaurant is run by Chinese and has pictures of Paris on the walls. Milan is a cosmopolitan city!. The food was very good, as was the wine and we staggered back to bed. We had been walking around Milan from midday to nearly 9:00pm.