Well, here I am sitting at the departure lounge at Heathrow Airport - my time in Europe is basically over.
It was really really horrible to say bye to Daniel and Andrew (and Sarah) - my nephews. We had a coffee and Andrew was just lying in my arms yabbering away saying baby stuff and Daniel was being a 2 2/3 year old full of energy! They are most cool.
Actually, the worstest thing about holidays is the saying bye bye to people knowing that I won't be able to pop in for a cuppa next week, or to just do stuff like sitting on a bus and a train with my nephew. It was very cool yesterday when we went to Bluewater - a big shopping complex (like really big - it went on and on and on and on) and on the way back Daniel and I caught a bus, then a train - and it was just pretty cool. He's a very cool little kid.
What else did I get up to? Can't remember if I wrote about Scotland - and I guess I shouldn't be so lazy and should really go back and look at earlier entries of blogs but lets say:
Helen and Mark are really cool. Fantastic hosts - my friends really are the bestest. Their daughter Nicole is just an absolute honey!!
We did lots - like shopping, the Falkirk Wheel, Stirling Castle (which is much more important than Edinburgh Castle - Stirling was at a river - can't remember the name - that had one crossing right below the castle and it split the Scottish lowlands from the highlands - and whoever controlled the castle controled Scotland. Edinburgh just sits on a hill full of tourists, the Tussochs (national park), a cruise on Lake Katrine on a real steam boat - which is going to stop using coal next year so it's possibly the last time I will ever actually be able to go on a working coal fired steam boat, Loch Lomond, more food, Glasgow, kilt shops, very most excellent curry shops (NZ curry maybe isn't as good - but it's not that bad!), recipes for paneer and lots of coffees and hanging out with my friends.
Scottish people are very cool and very friendly! Not sure though if they understand my accent!! He he!
Then it was time to say bye - again - it's not fun - and on the train to Glasgow and then down to London. Virgin trains are ok, the service is great - but really the French and Swiss trains just rock - the French cause they're so fast as so smooth, the Swiss because the views are just out there!!
London was most excellent - playing with nephews, having dinner with Marcus (yah for the gin and the indian food carrier things - the name of which has slipped my mind) and Nick and Deb (Deb - come back home!! - and say hi to Caro!) in Brick Lane - good curry (well I thought so - although apparently it's difficult to know where in Brick Lane does good stuff) but a run down area, some drugged out guy giving me grief but fab fab. It's so cool how, having not seen people for years, we just fall back into a patter of catching up - yah, I'm telling you, my friends rock!
Then the last day here yesterday, getting slowly out of bed (Lee - ta so much for your hospitality - actually, ta to everyone for their hospitality!), getting picked up by Sarah and Daniel, then over to Bluewater - train rides both ways - and then dinner and packing - with a slight hiccup as I forgot I had domestic internal flights in Thailand so not sure what to do with the extra luggage I was going to bring back for my other new nephew due to be born in August. Something will work out.
Then this morning it was up and journeys to Heathrow - passing a smash up on the M25 - ouch. And then coffee, cuddles and bye byes to my nephews and sister.
And now here, waiting for my plane to Helsinki and then more waits and then another flight to Bangkok and then another flight to Phuket - it's actually, let me think - from check in to arrival at Phuket is about 24 hours to Phuket. From home London to hotel Patong Beach though adds another 3 hours - so about 27 hours in total. OMG - will I sleep at all!! Eeek!
Anyway, I think I'll go find the loo (too much info but there you go), a quick bite and then off to my flight.
Bye London. Bye Scotland. Bye Europe....
Friday, 27 July 2007
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Almost time to go...
A very quick update.
Yep, I forgot things in Berlin.
Yep, I had a stunning time in Glasgow - the weirdest thing is that I'm not going to be able to pop around to Helen and Mark's next week to say hi and have a cuppa.
London is great - food, friends, hanging with my nephews (who are just so so cool), baggage questions - don't ask.
Tomorrow though, it's over and Thailand here I come....
:) and :( - I'll miss my nephews - they are very very cool!!
Yep, I forgot things in Berlin.
Yep, I had a stunning time in Glasgow - the weirdest thing is that I'm not going to be able to pop around to Helen and Mark's next week to say hi and have a cuppa.
London is great - food, friends, hanging with my nephews (who are just so so cool), baggage questions - don't ask.
Tomorrow though, it's over and Thailand here I come....
:) and :( - I'll miss my nephews - they are very very cool!!
Saturday, 21 July 2007
The high road...
I've taken the high road and am now happily esconsced in Glasgow in Scotland - having sadly left Germany and Ji behind....
Berlin - what a fantastically brilliant city in so many ways.
One of the things I am discovering about this blog is that, after a couple of days have passed, it's hard to remember all the things which have happened - because so much happens. It's kind've amazing how much you can pack into a day!!
Berlin was hot - in so many many ways... But temperature wise it was hot. Yah - some serious heat at last (although there was some on earlier parts of the trip I guess!!) - and this seemed to make the days, the people and the place more relaxed and langued - except my sister who didn't like the heat at all...
I did all kinds of things in Berlin - and as a suggestion for anyone who is going there - do one of the walking tours first - it'll give you a brilliant overview and insight into the city and where things are. Also, stay in Mitte - the historical part seems to mostly be in the old East Berlin.
The walking tour showed me all kinds of interesting things: where Berlin started (did you know that in Germany they pick the starting date of a city by the oldest document/reference that has been found to the city - so in Berlin it's something like 1239 - even if it's been around longer than that), one of the last beach bars, how to tell old East Berlin from West Berlin (generally the trams, the pre-fab buildings and pedestrian crossing lights (although they are now been used in West Berlin), the museum island, the monument to war (with a very powerful sculpture in it of a mother holding her dead son), Humboldt University where Marx studied, Einstein taught and 29 Noble Prize winners have come from, the prettiest square in Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie (where the guard post is not the original and a fence had to be put up to stop the woman who owns the Checkpoint Charlie museum from putting up crosses - she's been voted the most embarrassing Berliner for a few years running apparently), the SS torture prison - which I went back to, Hitler's bunker where he died (it's now marked by a sign which was totally unexpected when it went up), the Wall (there's not much left now), the Holocaust memorial (which is very very must go see), the Brandenburg Gate, the hotel where the gloved one dangled his baby, the Reichstag (the dome of which was closed for cleaning). Woven into the tour was a stunningly informative commentary - so very worth it.
One of the things that struck me about Berlin is that it's really easy to forget that not only is there the whole history of East/West Berlin but there was the Nazis before hand.
What else do I do in Berlin? Well, visited the gay museum (which was ok'ish - mostly gay history about Berlin, although it did have Maplethorpes's photo of William Burroughs standing in a William Tell pose (which is how Burroughs, out of it on LSD, had previously tried with his wife - unfortunately, he missed the apple). Had currywurst - I came, I currywursted, I left. More food. The DDR museum (on the history of East Berlin) - interesting but didn't really play up how the DDR was the most perfect police state to date, it did mention how things weren't available, but how there was employment, everyone had what they needed (do you really need a plasma screen?). It didn't, however, explore the psychology of what it must have been like to have been in East Berlin seeing the west and freedom but not being able to get there.
Which reminds me of the holocaust memorial - it is amazing - huge blocks on uneven ground that you walk through and it gives a sense of disorientation. But, controversial as it's only to the jews - what about the gays, the gypsies, the others murdered? So Berlin has agreed to two more memorials - one for the gays and the other for the gypsies. This has got Berliners asking - when is enough enough? The other controversy is that the anti-graffiti coating on the blocks is made by some company that has some connection to IG Farben - which made zyklon b which was the gas used to gas the victims of the holocaust. I also thought it ironic that the memorial is diagonally across the road from Hitler's bunker where he committed suicide.
Anyway, the history of East/West Berlin is fascinating - you've got to wonder at the psyche of people who have to wall in people so that they can't leave. You've also got to wonder about the wall in Berlin - and how that's what the jews are doing in Israel to the Palestinians. Yet the jews don't seem to get that they are creating a ghetto - which is what they were put in 60 years ago...
There was more food in Berlin, the Altes Museum seeing things which were thousands of years old (Greek and Roman), Nephretiti (or however that's spelt), amazing old papyrus, chocolate, cakes, meandering, wandering, looking, checking out, caiprihinias (which are great when it's hot - addicted to the brown sugar I think) and then it was leaving....
So on Friday it was a last wander around and then out to Berlin Tegel airport to catch the plane to Stansted and then to Glasgow. Sweet. Checked in sweet. Had a last chat to Ji. Sweet. Said goodbye to Ji. Sad. Passed through security. Searched. Again. But sweet. Then waited. And waited. And waited. And waited for Air Berlin to fly the spare part needed from Munich to Berlin to fix the plane. And waited. And three hours late left Berlin. Arrived in London. Told that we were booked on Easy Jet the next day and had a hotel for the night. Opps. Didn't they tell us in Berlin? Opps. No trains or other planes, Heathrow had been shut, the weather had been abysmal earlier in the day. No real problems for us (it was the Hilton) but meant I couldn't see Helen and Mark, and meet Nicole, until the next day (today) and for the people travelling to weddings in Glasgow it was a major bummer. The weather though in the UK has been abysmal and the mechanical fault in Berlin was just life...
So a hotel for the night where I got reminded how expensive things are in pounds. Sure, 7 dollars for a glass of wine in a restaurant in NZ is cheap - 7 pounds though convered to about $20 dollars is like ouch. Or 3 pounds for a cup of coffee (about $9NZ) in the restaurant.. Double ouch.
So be it though.
This morning is was EasyJet to Glagow - interesting, most cramped seats ever, a scramble to get on the plane (no allocated seating) - but we got here safely. To be met by Mark. Who told us how two weeks ago there was a terrorist attack at Glasgow airport! Go figure.
And finally I got to see my friend Helen and meet her beautiful daugher Nicole! Yah!
I've just been called for food - so better go!!
Yah!
ps. Just a thought - the pedestrian lights here in Glasgow have a seconds countdown so you know how long before they turn green and you can cross the road. Most excellent... :)
Berlin - what a fantastically brilliant city in so many ways.
One of the things I am discovering about this blog is that, after a couple of days have passed, it's hard to remember all the things which have happened - because so much happens. It's kind've amazing how much you can pack into a day!!
Berlin was hot - in so many many ways... But temperature wise it was hot. Yah - some serious heat at last (although there was some on earlier parts of the trip I guess!!) - and this seemed to make the days, the people and the place more relaxed and langued - except my sister who didn't like the heat at all...
I did all kinds of things in Berlin - and as a suggestion for anyone who is going there - do one of the walking tours first - it'll give you a brilliant overview and insight into the city and where things are. Also, stay in Mitte - the historical part seems to mostly be in the old East Berlin.
The walking tour showed me all kinds of interesting things: where Berlin started (did you know that in Germany they pick the starting date of a city by the oldest document/reference that has been found to the city - so in Berlin it's something like 1239 - even if it's been around longer than that), one of the last beach bars, how to tell old East Berlin from West Berlin (generally the trams, the pre-fab buildings and pedestrian crossing lights (although they are now been used in West Berlin), the museum island, the monument to war (with a very powerful sculpture in it of a mother holding her dead son), Humboldt University where Marx studied, Einstein taught and 29 Noble Prize winners have come from, the prettiest square in Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie (where the guard post is not the original and a fence had to be put up to stop the woman who owns the Checkpoint Charlie museum from putting up crosses - she's been voted the most embarrassing Berliner for a few years running apparently), the SS torture prison - which I went back to, Hitler's bunker where he died (it's now marked by a sign which was totally unexpected when it went up), the Wall (there's not much left now), the Holocaust memorial (which is very very must go see), the Brandenburg Gate, the hotel where the gloved one dangled his baby, the Reichstag (the dome of which was closed for cleaning). Woven into the tour was a stunningly informative commentary - so very worth it.
One of the things that struck me about Berlin is that it's really easy to forget that not only is there the whole history of East/West Berlin but there was the Nazis before hand.
What else do I do in Berlin? Well, visited the gay museum (which was ok'ish - mostly gay history about Berlin, although it did have Maplethorpes's photo of William Burroughs standing in a William Tell pose (which is how Burroughs, out of it on LSD, had previously tried with his wife - unfortunately, he missed the apple). Had currywurst - I came, I currywursted, I left. More food. The DDR museum (on the history of East Berlin) - interesting but didn't really play up how the DDR was the most perfect police state to date, it did mention how things weren't available, but how there was employment, everyone had what they needed (do you really need a plasma screen?). It didn't, however, explore the psychology of what it must have been like to have been in East Berlin seeing the west and freedom but not being able to get there.
Which reminds me of the holocaust memorial - it is amazing - huge blocks on uneven ground that you walk through and it gives a sense of disorientation. But, controversial as it's only to the jews - what about the gays, the gypsies, the others murdered? So Berlin has agreed to two more memorials - one for the gays and the other for the gypsies. This has got Berliners asking - when is enough enough? The other controversy is that the anti-graffiti coating on the blocks is made by some company that has some connection to IG Farben - which made zyklon b which was the gas used to gas the victims of the holocaust. I also thought it ironic that the memorial is diagonally across the road from Hitler's bunker where he committed suicide.
Anyway, the history of East/West Berlin is fascinating - you've got to wonder at the psyche of people who have to wall in people so that they can't leave. You've also got to wonder about the wall in Berlin - and how that's what the jews are doing in Israel to the Palestinians. Yet the jews don't seem to get that they are creating a ghetto - which is what they were put in 60 years ago...
There was more food in Berlin, the Altes Museum seeing things which were thousands of years old (Greek and Roman), Nephretiti (or however that's spelt), amazing old papyrus, chocolate, cakes, meandering, wandering, looking, checking out, caiprihinias (which are great when it's hot - addicted to the brown sugar I think) and then it was leaving....
So on Friday it was a last wander around and then out to Berlin Tegel airport to catch the plane to Stansted and then to Glasgow. Sweet. Checked in sweet. Had a last chat to Ji. Sweet. Said goodbye to Ji. Sad. Passed through security. Searched. Again. But sweet. Then waited. And waited. And waited. And waited for Air Berlin to fly the spare part needed from Munich to Berlin to fix the plane. And waited. And three hours late left Berlin. Arrived in London. Told that we were booked on Easy Jet the next day and had a hotel for the night. Opps. Didn't they tell us in Berlin? Opps. No trains or other planes, Heathrow had been shut, the weather had been abysmal earlier in the day. No real problems for us (it was the Hilton) but meant I couldn't see Helen and Mark, and meet Nicole, until the next day (today) and for the people travelling to weddings in Glasgow it was a major bummer. The weather though in the UK has been abysmal and the mechanical fault in Berlin was just life...
So a hotel for the night where I got reminded how expensive things are in pounds. Sure, 7 dollars for a glass of wine in a restaurant in NZ is cheap - 7 pounds though convered to about $20 dollars is like ouch. Or 3 pounds for a cup of coffee (about $9NZ) in the restaurant.. Double ouch.
So be it though.
This morning is was EasyJet to Glagow - interesting, most cramped seats ever, a scramble to get on the plane (no allocated seating) - but we got here safely. To be met by Mark. Who told us how two weeks ago there was a terrorist attack at Glasgow airport! Go figure.
And finally I got to see my friend Helen and meet her beautiful daugher Nicole! Yah!
I've just been called for food - so better go!!
Yah!
ps. Just a thought - the pedestrian lights here in Glasgow have a seconds countdown so you know how long before they turn green and you can cross the road. Most excellent... :)
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Berlin...
A quick note as it's very late here, about 1.38am, I've just been to dinner, it's as hot as, the keyboard is a german keyboard but has been set to an english keyboard so it's hard to type on and yes....
With super sadness it was bye bye to Craig and Marcel in Switzerland - what amazing hosts, what an amazing country and what an amazing time.
Then, just to be quick and as much for my memory as anything:
Zurich airport is big, getting through security a major, got patted down by a very nice Swiss but had to remove my shoes.
Flight and then in Berlin. Yah.
Off the plane and on to a bus to drive us - and I kid you not - two bus lengths to the door to where we collected our bags. It was bizarre. Then into Berlin - with Ji waiting for us at the airport.
To the hotel - which doesn't like giving out towels and, unfortunately doesn't have airconditioning in 37 degree heat but it's a huge double room suite for a hotel which was an apartment for a family in an older East German style apartment block in the old East Berlin. It's true that the East architecture was very different from the West.
A walk around, found the info centre, the Brandenburg Gate, buses, trains, dinner at a fab restaurant (with the summer mossies which are out in force here), the trams, Hagen Daaz, sleep, a thunder/lightening storm, breakfast, trains, shopping (some stuff is really cheap - a 1gig SD memory card is 10 euro, about $19NZ - and that's a Panasonic branded one, coffee by the nude statutes (you have to see them - it seems to me that Germans are much more comfortable with their bodies, the Tiergarten (which was lovely, particularly the nude mens part), the Helmut Newtown museum (which was brilliant), the new Sony Centre and finding the lego exhibition (which at about $27 NZ entrance I passed on), my sister who took a major trip and is now blue with bruises, lunch at the same place as the day before but this time at 5.30pm (we lost our sense of time), dinner with Ji and her friends at an Austrian restaurant (which was great!!) and now home.
Oh, and Ji got me a prepay card so I could txt her (my NZ vodafone number wont txt her - go figure) but it wouldn't work, and then we took it back to get it working, but now I can't txt america and in Germany you need show your passport and sign a contract to get a prepay card (and I think Ji also said you need to be a resident) - none of this walking in, handing over cash and getting a card.
Berlin is a great city though, it's just amazing to see what's happening here and to see the difference between the old East and West. I was also lucky enough that one of Ji's friends was an Easter Berliner - he was about 11 when they pulled the wall down so he was really interesting to speak to. Particularly as his dad was a major in the East German army.
I've also learned to say a bottle of water in German - useless trivia but there you.
Later as sleep calls and more to do tomorrow. Yah!
ps I don't miss the bad weather there but I miss you all!!
With super sadness it was bye bye to Craig and Marcel in Switzerland - what amazing hosts, what an amazing country and what an amazing time.
Then, just to be quick and as much for my memory as anything:
Zurich airport is big, getting through security a major, got patted down by a very nice Swiss but had to remove my shoes.
Flight and then in Berlin. Yah.
Off the plane and on to a bus to drive us - and I kid you not - two bus lengths to the door to where we collected our bags. It was bizarre. Then into Berlin - with Ji waiting for us at the airport.
To the hotel - which doesn't like giving out towels and, unfortunately doesn't have airconditioning in 37 degree heat but it's a huge double room suite for a hotel which was an apartment for a family in an older East German style apartment block in the old East Berlin. It's true that the East architecture was very different from the West.
A walk around, found the info centre, the Brandenburg Gate, buses, trains, dinner at a fab restaurant (with the summer mossies which are out in force here), the trams, Hagen Daaz, sleep, a thunder/lightening storm, breakfast, trains, shopping (some stuff is really cheap - a 1gig SD memory card is 10 euro, about $19NZ - and that's a Panasonic branded one, coffee by the nude statutes (you have to see them - it seems to me that Germans are much more comfortable with their bodies, the Tiergarten (which was lovely, particularly the nude mens part), the Helmut Newtown museum (which was brilliant), the new Sony Centre and finding the lego exhibition (which at about $27 NZ entrance I passed on), my sister who took a major trip and is now blue with bruises, lunch at the same place as the day before but this time at 5.30pm (we lost our sense of time), dinner with Ji and her friends at an Austrian restaurant (which was great!!) and now home.
Oh, and Ji got me a prepay card so I could txt her (my NZ vodafone number wont txt her - go figure) but it wouldn't work, and then we took it back to get it working, but now I can't txt america and in Germany you need show your passport and sign a contract to get a prepay card (and I think Ji also said you need to be a resident) - none of this walking in, handing over cash and getting a card.
Berlin is a great city though, it's just amazing to see what's happening here and to see the difference between the old East and West. I was also lucky enough that one of Ji's friends was an Easter Berliner - he was about 11 when they pulled the wall down so he was really interesting to speak to. Particularly as his dad was a major in the East German army.
I've also learned to say a bottle of water in German - useless trivia but there you.
Later as sleep calls and more to do tomorrow. Yah!
ps I don't miss the bad weather there but I miss you all!!
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Almost time to go...
Maye I'm just getting a little lazy - funny, what's new - but it seems easier to direct you to a website than to carry on waxing lyrically about what I've been up to!!
Jungfraujoch from Friday - wow.
Yesterday was up Mt Pilatus. Wow. Have a look at:
http://www.pilatus.ch/default-n7-sE.html
It started with far too much food - again. Craig and Marcel are truly fantastic hosts.
Then a wander down to the jetty where we caught the boat to Alpnachstad, where we arrived with 10 minutes to spare but with uncharacteristic Swiss inefficiency thee was only one person selling tickets so all the trains left but they didn't tell us so herded us into a pen to wait for the next train in a half hour. They didn't tell us this, nor could we get out of the pen, nor buy any water. Not good. Then on the train up (which is the steepest clog railway in the world) they let some guy stand up at the front so block the view looking up. But it's an icredibly impressive ride up and the view from the top astounding. No snow like on Jungfraujoch but just wow.
Hung out there for a bit, wandered around and then caught the cablecar down (they put gondolas and cablecars here in places that you would've thought a mountain goat couldn't go, let alone human beings!!) to where we met Craig, Marcel, Pascal and Antoine for a barbee on the mountain side. Most very very cool. The birds on the adventure course gave a nice distraction, particularly the blackbird (an in joke - you had to be there) and the go-kart ride was just fantastic - a total hoot with very nice guys helping you in before you skeltered down the mountain (about 1.3km I think - trying not to kill yourself!!
Then it was more cablecars down the mountain until we reached the bottom, a bus back into town (Lucerne, Mt Pilatus sits above Lucerne) and a bus back into Lucerne. From there we jumped on a train, decided we weren't sure that the train went to Stansstad, jumped off the train, Nic went to the loo, I went to the Coop (to buy soap - being clean is a good thing!!) where I stood in the queue for ages and then the train back to Craig and Marcel's.
That evening (ie yesterday) Craig, Marcel and I went for a walk along Lake Lucerne, on a road cut into the hill, which was fake as it used to house a military base (the rock face looks real but it's actually fake) until we came to a very cool hotel which had a bar on the waterfront where we sat drinking beer (Craig was drinking milk serum - dodgy) and watched fireworks whilst having a fab goss.
Today it was another scrumptious brunch followed by the boys going into Lucerne, walking along the waterfront, completely bathed in sunlight with beautiful people just meandering around enjoying the day, surrounded of course by moutains and water.... We had an ice-coffee on a boat moored on the water's edge. There was an upstairs and a downstairs deck on the boat. Downstairs was the restaurant. Upstairs was the bar. We sat in the bar (open air) and I ordered a coffee with milk. Slight laugh from the waitress. Craig then spoke in German, a coffee with milk - a latté. Waitress then said sorry, couldn't do that, only in the restaurant. Go figure, so I ordered a diet coke (known as Coke Light) here. Then another waitress came over with the drinks. Craig asked her what was what. It transpires that I could have got a black coffee upstairs but not a white coffee, that had to be gotten downstairs. Apparently they couldn't take my order, get someone downstairs at the coffee machine to make the coffee and bring it upstairs. Go figure. And, remember, over here they have machines where you press a button and the coffee comes out - they don't espress it like in Wellington. So, all it meant was someone pressing a button on a machine and bringing the cup upstairs - but nope, couldn't be done. In fairness though to the bar, it was warm, it was sunny, the view was to die for and the iced-coffee really nice!!
Then a walk through the old town, a look at the lion monument (to commemorate the swiss who died and/or were guillotined in France with King Louise XVI during the revolution.
Coming back, Craig and Marcel drove me around the other way (ie completely around Lake Lucerne), through sweet little towns, past the Rigi, through the town where Willaim Tell killed the Austrian guy and then through a 9km tunnel back home. In Switzerland, when there is a moutain in the way, they either go up it in trains/gondolas or through it with tunnels. NZ is seriously an underresourced country.
A snooze, a muck about on the net, more food and my time in Switzerland is nearly over....
What a stunning country though - pick me for living here!!
ps. If anyone from the Glamazons is reading this, we've started talking about bringing a show over here and showing the Swiss what it's all about!!
Jungfraujoch from Friday - wow.
Yesterday was up Mt Pilatus. Wow. Have a look at:
http://www.pilatus.ch/default-n7-sE.html
It started with far too much food - again. Craig and Marcel are truly fantastic hosts.
Then a wander down to the jetty where we caught the boat to Alpnachstad, where we arrived with 10 minutes to spare but with uncharacteristic Swiss inefficiency thee was only one person selling tickets so all the trains left but they didn't tell us so herded us into a pen to wait for the next train in a half hour. They didn't tell us this, nor could we get out of the pen, nor buy any water. Not good. Then on the train up (which is the steepest clog railway in the world) they let some guy stand up at the front so block the view looking up. But it's an icredibly impressive ride up and the view from the top astounding. No snow like on Jungfraujoch but just wow.
Hung out there for a bit, wandered around and then caught the cablecar down (they put gondolas and cablecars here in places that you would've thought a mountain goat couldn't go, let alone human beings!!) to where we met Craig, Marcel, Pascal and Antoine for a barbee on the mountain side. Most very very cool. The birds on the adventure course gave a nice distraction, particularly the blackbird (an in joke - you had to be there) and the go-kart ride was just fantastic - a total hoot with very nice guys helping you in before you skeltered down the mountain (about 1.3km I think - trying not to kill yourself!!
Then it was more cablecars down the mountain until we reached the bottom, a bus back into town (Lucerne, Mt Pilatus sits above Lucerne) and a bus back into Lucerne. From there we jumped on a train, decided we weren't sure that the train went to Stansstad, jumped off the train, Nic went to the loo, I went to the Coop (to buy soap - being clean is a good thing!!) where I stood in the queue for ages and then the train back to Craig and Marcel's.
That evening (ie yesterday) Craig, Marcel and I went for a walk along Lake Lucerne, on a road cut into the hill, which was fake as it used to house a military base (the rock face looks real but it's actually fake) until we came to a very cool hotel which had a bar on the waterfront where we sat drinking beer (Craig was drinking milk serum - dodgy) and watched fireworks whilst having a fab goss.
Today it was another scrumptious brunch followed by the boys going into Lucerne, walking along the waterfront, completely bathed in sunlight with beautiful people just meandering around enjoying the day, surrounded of course by moutains and water.... We had an ice-coffee on a boat moored on the water's edge. There was an upstairs and a downstairs deck on the boat. Downstairs was the restaurant. Upstairs was the bar. We sat in the bar (open air) and I ordered a coffee with milk. Slight laugh from the waitress. Craig then spoke in German, a coffee with milk - a latté. Waitress then said sorry, couldn't do that, only in the restaurant. Go figure, so I ordered a diet coke (known as Coke Light) here. Then another waitress came over with the drinks. Craig asked her what was what. It transpires that I could have got a black coffee upstairs but not a white coffee, that had to be gotten downstairs. Apparently they couldn't take my order, get someone downstairs at the coffee machine to make the coffee and bring it upstairs. Go figure. And, remember, over here they have machines where you press a button and the coffee comes out - they don't espress it like in Wellington. So, all it meant was someone pressing a button on a machine and bringing the cup upstairs - but nope, couldn't be done. In fairness though to the bar, it was warm, it was sunny, the view was to die for and the iced-coffee really nice!!
Then a walk through the old town, a look at the lion monument (to commemorate the swiss who died and/or were guillotined in France with King Louise XVI during the revolution.
Coming back, Craig and Marcel drove me around the other way (ie completely around Lake Lucerne), through sweet little towns, past the Rigi, through the town where Willaim Tell killed the Austrian guy and then through a 9km tunnel back home. In Switzerland, when there is a moutain in the way, they either go up it in trains/gondolas or through it with tunnels. NZ is seriously an underresourced country.
A snooze, a muck about on the net, more food and my time in Switzerland is nearly over....
What a stunning country though - pick me for living here!!
ps. If anyone from the Glamazons is reading this, we've started talking about bringing a show over here and showing the Swiss what it's all about!!
Saturday, 14 July 2007
You just wouldn't believe....
It's very early in the morning in Switzerland, I'm trying to type quietly and I probably should be sleeping (lol - 9am early I mean).
Yesterday I went to one of the most incredible places on the planet - it is just amazing, surreal, astounding, every other adjective that you can think of.
http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-8//183_read-808
Go have a look.
Jungfraujoch is simply just incredible.
8 1/2 hours on trains to get there and back though - although bizarrely enough it didn't seem that long - rail travel here is just great. I think though, due to the lack of sleep, there were tears last night - but not on my part.
The other fascinating thing I saw yesterday were the wood piles - you wouldn't believe how perfect they are - it's almost as those the wood is carefully selected, stacked and then chainsawed to be the same length. I also saw a guy, on a country road, not in a town, weedeating the edge of a paddock by the road - I presume to make it look good. So, everything can be picture postcard perfect but it just takes a lot of work.
There were houses on mountain sides that had no visible means of getting there, gondolas that just climbed moutains, railways that went places that seemed impossible, lakes that were still, people that were friendly, a guy in military service on the local commuter train with his gun going home for the weekend, fab food and just views for Africa. Or is that Switzerland???
And there is also Craig and Marcel who, apart from being stars, it's just great to catch up with!! Yah!!
At some stage, as well, I'll have a think about philosophy and deep and meaningful thoughts for the blog - but I have surprising little time to think. Or write postcards! I've bought a pile, just not sent them yet (or written them!!).
Duh!
Yesterday I went to one of the most incredible places on the planet - it is just amazing, surreal, astounding, every other adjective that you can think of.
http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-8//183_read-808
Go have a look.
Jungfraujoch is simply just incredible.
8 1/2 hours on trains to get there and back though - although bizarrely enough it didn't seem that long - rail travel here is just great. I think though, due to the lack of sleep, there were tears last night - but not on my part.
The other fascinating thing I saw yesterday were the wood piles - you wouldn't believe how perfect they are - it's almost as those the wood is carefully selected, stacked and then chainsawed to be the same length. I also saw a guy, on a country road, not in a town, weedeating the edge of a paddock by the road - I presume to make it look good. So, everything can be picture postcard perfect but it just takes a lot of work.
There were houses on mountain sides that had no visible means of getting there, gondolas that just climbed moutains, railways that went places that seemed impossible, lakes that were still, people that were friendly, a guy in military service on the local commuter train with his gun going home for the weekend, fab food and just views for Africa. Or is that Switzerland???
And there is also Craig and Marcel who, apart from being stars, it's just great to catch up with!! Yah!!
At some stage, as well, I'll have a think about philosophy and deep and meaningful thoughts for the blog - but I have surprising little time to think. Or write postcards! I've bought a pile, just not sent them yet (or written them!!).
Duh!
Thursday, 12 July 2007
A quickee...
Switzerland weather wise is getting better. The first couple of days it rained but it's been clearing up and the forecast is for hot weather tomorrow and over the weekend. Today, I was supposed to go up Mt Pilatus but the top was covered in cloud so it wasn't worth it - went up Berkinstoch (or something like that) and then to Zurich - for shopping... Trust me, it's totally possible to shop here - some stuff is quite reasonably priced (sales!) and some stuff is of the "if I have to ask the price, I can't afford it" variety. But still wow - and food.
Then caught up with the hosts with the most, had a look around Luzern, a fantastic dinner right on the river and then chocolates on the way home on the train - followed by a stroll along the lake past a swan and her cignets (the swan honked and we looked but stayed away - no swan tango'ing here....
Tomorrow though is the Jungfrau which is supposed to be amazing... Yah...
ps. And yes, the eye candy is still totally eye candyish - today supplemented by uniforms (army guys who were on their compulsory military training).
Then caught up with the hosts with the most, had a look around Luzern, a fantastic dinner right on the river and then chocolates on the way home on the train - followed by a stroll along the lake past a swan and her cignets (the swan honked and we looked but stayed away - no swan tango'ing here....
Tomorrow though is the Jungfrau which is supposed to be amazing... Yah...
ps. And yes, the eye candy is still totally eye candyish - today supplemented by uniforms (army guys who were on their compulsory military training).
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
OMG - what a country....
So, here I am in what must trulzy be one of the most beautiful places on the planet - Switzerland is everything they say and more - including what most be the best looking guys I have seen anywhere - this place is just total eye-candy land!!
So we landed in Lausanne, no passport control and thought - what are we going to do. Well, actually, Craig had already txted me and suggested that we go to Bern and have a look there and then meander to Lucerne (or Luzern as it's called here). So that's what we did.
And this country just started it's whole trip of blowing me away.
The service has been amazing, the train system ontime and easy to follow, the people gorgeous, the food wonderful, it's fabulously expensive (well, some things are - like $1 to havea pee in a mcloo in a train station but then other things aren't - there are sales on here at the moment and clothes are reasonably priced - and so much choice like in France - or I saw a swatch which I quite liked for only $89 today) and the countryside just like a postcard.
We arrived in Bern and it was raining - but no worries. Dropped our bags off in the left luggage (which they don't have in France anymore - go Switzerland) and then to the Information Centre where I got directions to this statute that Craig suggested we go see - ask to see the picture but all very, umm, disturbing I guess. Bern though is just beautiful - if you can imagine the footpaths outside the shops is under the first floor so it's out of the rain and the shopping, the food, the buildings - it is all just beautiful. A magical wander around Bern and then on the train to Luzern - remember that's how it's spelt here.
The countryside is just stunning, stunning stunning!
And then arriving at Luzerne and there was Craig. Wow! He is looking fantastic, has been gyming a lot and this mountain air so agrees with him. It was just most excellent to see him though - it's hard to believe that it's been 5 1/2 years since he left NZ. And in many ways it was just like it was last week that I spoke with him.
On the train to Stansstad where he lives, catching up with all the news, and then just getting blown away again where he lives - it's really a mountain wonderland - think Queenstown.
Then it was Marcel - he is still really good looking and it was like it was only last week that we were last talking. And I met the cats - Paris and Caruso whom I'm sure didn't quite know what to do with all these people in their house. And a lovely house it is! So we got settled in, lots of talking and Craig and Marcel (Maesi) had planned a super surprise of champagne and fondue - their hospitality has been astounding and I'm not sure how I can ever repay it.
So, lot of talking and eating and it was just great - oh, did I mention the Swiss chocolate that Craig gave us when we met in Luzern - I'm telling you my waist is so growing....
Today it was up and on the train to St Gallen - and this one was up through mountain passes. It was like a postcard. The fields looked like they had been mowed, the houses were beautiful and pristine, the cows had bells on them - everything was just like you see in a postcard. I'm told that it's all very carefully created here - and partly driven by the wealth; we have no idea of money in NZ - apparently 1 in 25 people here are millionaires. Craig has seen people scrubbing the curbs - money is used to keep everything postcard like. Having said that, apparently taxes are low albeit very complicated but it's userpays for everything - no ringing up for a tax certificate, or a certificate from your local canton (kind've district) saying you've got no debts - you can get it but you need to pay for it. Oh, and why the certificate? Apparently when you shift you need permission of the canton you're moving in to - and each canton is responsible for it's own immigration (the politics and governance are "interesting" compared in NZ so thereotically if Craig moves the canton he moves too could refuse to give him residency/work permit which would mean he couldn't move. Apparently it's more thereotical than actual. Go figure. Of course, Craig needs to be here for 12 years to get citizenship and, although a permanent resident and a taxpayer, he can't vote. Again, go figure.
But, I digress. The views on the way to St. Gallen were topnotch. Sorry I can't post up photos but if they turn out, they should look great!!
St Gallen is, again, very pretty and we found the old town and the UNESCO World Heritage site - a church. Pah I thought - until I walked into it - talk about **** me with a giant barge pole - I have never seen anything like it - just so wow!! The photos will so not do it justice.
Oh, and I should mention that the guys here are so good looking - go to the cantonal bank in St. Gallen closest to the railway station - you'll know what I mean. :)
Then another train (all perfectly on time) on to Romanshorn which is on Lake Constance - and I've got those names horribly wrong - but the lake isn't really a lake, it's just a rather wide part of the Rhine and on the other side is Germany. It's a pretty town, a wonderful walk along the water (my sister went into the town having earlier asked about the sea - go figure; bad geography but does show how big the Rhine is). Then a train back to Zurich, a look around the station (with it's indoor market), a walk down bahnhofstrasse which Craig reckons is probably the best shopping street in the world (only saw a part of it and it's pretty fab), then a to-die for hot chocolate and back on the train to Luzern (Nic accidentally borrowing an umbrella off some guy - eek!!) with more cake things (yummy but can't remember what they're called!!). Then back to Craig and Marcel's (after an interesting discussion on economics and NZ, politics, the world etc) where I met Marcel's cousin who has an oral english test tomorrow so he was getting the rhythm of the language from us - he he with our kiwi accents - and tonight worst (I think - sausage) and rosti. We started with melon and parma ham - which is a common entree in this part of the world, melon to start - just yummy! Followed by good coffee and tiramasu. I'm telling you Craig and Marcel are just spoiling us to death - ideas please how to repay them!!
And tomorrow more adventures. Hopefully the weather will clear (today when we got up it was, outside, like being in Queenstown - crispy cold - and inside totally warm, they know how to make houses here - I can see why people complain about the houses in NZ. Although, having said that, it does get down to minus 20 degrees here in winter! No wind though, unlike Wellington. :) Yep, I've heard the weather is crap there.
So, tomorrow maybe up Mt Pilatus and dinner in Luzern. See, I'm telling you, totally spoilt.
And Switzerland really does rock. Find me a man here will you. Oh, ok, so I'm already here and should do my own finding!! But there is so much choice....
Love ya and later...
So we landed in Lausanne, no passport control and thought - what are we going to do. Well, actually, Craig had already txted me and suggested that we go to Bern and have a look there and then meander to Lucerne (or Luzern as it's called here). So that's what we did.
And this country just started it's whole trip of blowing me away.
The service has been amazing, the train system ontime and easy to follow, the people gorgeous, the food wonderful, it's fabulously expensive (well, some things are - like $1 to havea pee in a mcloo in a train station but then other things aren't - there are sales on here at the moment and clothes are reasonably priced - and so much choice like in France - or I saw a swatch which I quite liked for only $89 today) and the countryside just like a postcard.
We arrived in Bern and it was raining - but no worries. Dropped our bags off in the left luggage (which they don't have in France anymore - go Switzerland) and then to the Information Centre where I got directions to this statute that Craig suggested we go see - ask to see the picture but all very, umm, disturbing I guess. Bern though is just beautiful - if you can imagine the footpaths outside the shops is under the first floor so it's out of the rain and the shopping, the food, the buildings - it is all just beautiful. A magical wander around Bern and then on the train to Luzern - remember that's how it's spelt here.
The countryside is just stunning, stunning stunning!
And then arriving at Luzerne and there was Craig. Wow! He is looking fantastic, has been gyming a lot and this mountain air so agrees with him. It was just most excellent to see him though - it's hard to believe that it's been 5 1/2 years since he left NZ. And in many ways it was just like it was last week that I spoke with him.
On the train to Stansstad where he lives, catching up with all the news, and then just getting blown away again where he lives - it's really a mountain wonderland - think Queenstown.
Then it was Marcel - he is still really good looking and it was like it was only last week that we were last talking. And I met the cats - Paris and Caruso whom I'm sure didn't quite know what to do with all these people in their house. And a lovely house it is! So we got settled in, lots of talking and Craig and Marcel (Maesi) had planned a super surprise of champagne and fondue - their hospitality has been astounding and I'm not sure how I can ever repay it.
So, lot of talking and eating and it was just great - oh, did I mention the Swiss chocolate that Craig gave us when we met in Luzern - I'm telling you my waist is so growing....
Today it was up and on the train to St Gallen - and this one was up through mountain passes. It was like a postcard. The fields looked like they had been mowed, the houses were beautiful and pristine, the cows had bells on them - everything was just like you see in a postcard. I'm told that it's all very carefully created here - and partly driven by the wealth; we have no idea of money in NZ - apparently 1 in 25 people here are millionaires. Craig has seen people scrubbing the curbs - money is used to keep everything postcard like. Having said that, apparently taxes are low albeit very complicated but it's userpays for everything - no ringing up for a tax certificate, or a certificate from your local canton (kind've district) saying you've got no debts - you can get it but you need to pay for it. Oh, and why the certificate? Apparently when you shift you need permission of the canton you're moving in to - and each canton is responsible for it's own immigration (the politics and governance are "interesting" compared in NZ so thereotically if Craig moves the canton he moves too could refuse to give him residency/work permit which would mean he couldn't move. Apparently it's more thereotical than actual. Go figure. Of course, Craig needs to be here for 12 years to get citizenship and, although a permanent resident and a taxpayer, he can't vote. Again, go figure.
But, I digress. The views on the way to St. Gallen were topnotch. Sorry I can't post up photos but if they turn out, they should look great!!
St Gallen is, again, very pretty and we found the old town and the UNESCO World Heritage site - a church. Pah I thought - until I walked into it - talk about **** me with a giant barge pole - I have never seen anything like it - just so wow!! The photos will so not do it justice.
Oh, and I should mention that the guys here are so good looking - go to the cantonal bank in St. Gallen closest to the railway station - you'll know what I mean. :)
Then another train (all perfectly on time) on to Romanshorn which is on Lake Constance - and I've got those names horribly wrong - but the lake isn't really a lake, it's just a rather wide part of the Rhine and on the other side is Germany. It's a pretty town, a wonderful walk along the water (my sister went into the town having earlier asked about the sea - go figure; bad geography but does show how big the Rhine is). Then a train back to Zurich, a look around the station (with it's indoor market), a walk down bahnhofstrasse which Craig reckons is probably the best shopping street in the world (only saw a part of it and it's pretty fab), then a to-die for hot chocolate and back on the train to Luzern (Nic accidentally borrowing an umbrella off some guy - eek!!) with more cake things (yummy but can't remember what they're called!!). Then back to Craig and Marcel's (after an interesting discussion on economics and NZ, politics, the world etc) where I met Marcel's cousin who has an oral english test tomorrow so he was getting the rhythm of the language from us - he he with our kiwi accents - and tonight worst (I think - sausage) and rosti. We started with melon and parma ham - which is a common entree in this part of the world, melon to start - just yummy! Followed by good coffee and tiramasu. I'm telling you Craig and Marcel are just spoiling us to death - ideas please how to repay them!!
And tomorrow more adventures. Hopefully the weather will clear (today when we got up it was, outside, like being in Queenstown - crispy cold - and inside totally warm, they know how to make houses here - I can see why people complain about the houses in NZ. Although, having said that, it does get down to minus 20 degrees here in winter! No wind though, unlike Wellington. :) Yep, I've heard the weather is crap there.
So, tomorrow maybe up Mt Pilatus and dinner in Luzern. See, I'm telling you, totally spoilt.
And Switzerland really does rock. Find me a man here will you. Oh, ok, so I'm already here and should do my own finding!! But there is so much choice....
Love ya and later...
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
After 5 years....
Well, after 5 years I have finally arrived at Craig and Marcel's place in Stasstad, Switzerland - it's about 20 mins by train from Lucerne (or Luzern as it's known here).
What stunning hosts they have been - and I've only been here for 6 hours!!
But to back track a bit first.
France - well, I've left there about 5 kilos heavier but with much improved language and somehow more luggage - although I have no idea as I didn't reallz buy anything apart from the aforementioned food.
I left the last blog in Provence - and it was the second to last day where we had a very groovy roadside diner lunch. We stopped at St. Cannat on the way back and the others went into a bar, I went to a chemist (any ideas what 'lipbalm' is in French?) and then found another bakery that had the most devine pastries - a full size don't mess about religeuse....
That night there were a few drinks around the pool - and thanks to Craig's heroic effort, which gave him the courage (is dutch courage the same as beer courage?) to go next door and rouse the neighbours - Anthony who was looking after the place and Nico - who yes, it transpired, were a couple and were really amazing and friendly to talk to. There was a mixture of french and english and we got there in the end. It appears that rents are horrifically expensive in France such that Nico was spending half his salary on rent. Maybe that explains why the French aren't all fat - we either didn't see them or they can't afford to eat all the cakes and pastries on offer!
I'm currently reading a reallzy interesting book - 60 million frenchmen can't be wrong - and it explains why there seems to be a 'culture shock' between the french and the americans (although I suspect it applies across the board). One of the tricks - and I guess it's what travel is all about - is exploring and experiencing different cultures and the way things are done. Often, it's really easy in France to get 'bad' service when, perhaps, it's more a different expectation of service or other such similar things. Having said that, I found the French to be really friendly and helpful - illustrated by Anthony and Nico who bought pizzas for us all on Friday night when it was us who invited them over. An example of different cultures - we ate each pizza (there were 4) one at a time; so that we could taste and experience each pizza - rather than the kiwi waz of dumping all the pizzas on the table and going for it!!
On Friday we went to Vaison La Romaine - beautiful, old, roman stuff, huge ice cream sundays and, unfortunately, the kitchen was closed so we couldn't have horse hamburgers for lunch.
After there it was into Carpentras for a look (beautiful, old, more drinks at an outside café) - I would recommend staying in the Valcluse part of Provence - it's just beautiful and old world!
That night as the last night in Provence - so just once I had a late night swim (in a lit pool watching fighter jets fly over) before pizza, packing and bed!
Saturday morning I dropped Peter off at the bus stop - having gotten lost again. Driving on the right is quite stressy (for me at least) and the road signs in France are not that helpful - maybe as you get used to them.... I would also suggest to anyone who was connections to the French roading department to tell them about cats eyes - there are none and the headlights all seem to be dipped which makes driving on a dark night all rather 'in the dark'.
After dropping Peter off, finding my way back to the house and finishing up it was off to Aix Gare TGV to wait for our train to Dijon. The TGVs are truly fantastic technology and Aix Gare TGV is an amazing building!!
Next was Dijon - I could wax lyrically about that city for ages - thanks to Craig for suggesting it. It's late here though - just turned midnight (well it was when I started typing this)and I need to get some sleep (and it looks like Paris the cat is going to keep me company).
So, Dijon - more amazing food (yep, I ate beef bourgignon in the city where it came from), patted the good luck owl, stayed in the centre of town, did the monuments by night tour (starting at 10pm - the tourist office in Dijon is well set up for visitors), a fantastic segway tour - I want a segway and I want one now; they are so much fun and just excellent, 5 minutes to get used to it and then you're away!! The Musee de beaux arts was just great, the getting soaked on Saturday night not so great. The shopping was amazing, the trip up the tour gave a fantastic view, the eidlweiss cake thing was to die for, the moroccan meal on the last night sublime (pastilla, tagine and pastries). There were lots of other things in Dijon like getting soaked when it poured on us (you try drying jeans in a hotel room), or sitting under umbrellas eating lunch in the rain, watching thunder storms, practicing my bad french, hanging out in beautiful parks - generally just having a truly fantastic time.
But, as with all good things, it was over too soon and on Monday morning it was my last french breakfast, check out of the hotel and then onto the TGV from Dijon to Lausanne, Switzerland.
I loved it in France, and could quite happily have stayed - and live there. But onwards and upwards as they say.
At some stage I'll have to be a bit more awake and have a bit more time and a proper keyboard and give you some thoughts, some philosophy on life, some insights maybe...
But, the last TGV trip - Dijon to Lausanne. There is no border control or even border that tells you you've passed into Switzerland - but the architecture changes and you start seeing Swiss flags everywhere. What a beautiful country though. As I was coming in, on the train, with some silly young girl who wanted to pull the blind down and not watch this amazing vista unfold in front of us....
And so started my time in Swizterland...
See my next post for that - but suffice to say I have been completely, utterly and totally blown away by this country, the people and especially Craig and Marcel... If there is ever such a thing as a medal for the host-with-the-most, these guys are at the top of the list.
Yah!!
What stunning hosts they have been - and I've only been here for 6 hours!!
But to back track a bit first.
France - well, I've left there about 5 kilos heavier but with much improved language and somehow more luggage - although I have no idea as I didn't reallz buy anything apart from the aforementioned food.
I left the last blog in Provence - and it was the second to last day where we had a very groovy roadside diner lunch. We stopped at St. Cannat on the way back and the others went into a bar, I went to a chemist (any ideas what 'lipbalm' is in French?) and then found another bakery that had the most devine pastries - a full size don't mess about religeuse....
That night there were a few drinks around the pool - and thanks to Craig's heroic effort, which gave him the courage (is dutch courage the same as beer courage?) to go next door and rouse the neighbours - Anthony who was looking after the place and Nico - who yes, it transpired, were a couple and were really amazing and friendly to talk to. There was a mixture of french and english and we got there in the end. It appears that rents are horrifically expensive in France such that Nico was spending half his salary on rent. Maybe that explains why the French aren't all fat - we either didn't see them or they can't afford to eat all the cakes and pastries on offer!
I'm currently reading a reallzy interesting book - 60 million frenchmen can't be wrong - and it explains why there seems to be a 'culture shock' between the french and the americans (although I suspect it applies across the board). One of the tricks - and I guess it's what travel is all about - is exploring and experiencing different cultures and the way things are done. Often, it's really easy in France to get 'bad' service when, perhaps, it's more a different expectation of service or other such similar things. Having said that, I found the French to be really friendly and helpful - illustrated by Anthony and Nico who bought pizzas for us all on Friday night when it was us who invited them over. An example of different cultures - we ate each pizza (there were 4) one at a time; so that we could taste and experience each pizza - rather than the kiwi waz of dumping all the pizzas on the table and going for it!!
On Friday we went to Vaison La Romaine - beautiful, old, roman stuff, huge ice cream sundays and, unfortunately, the kitchen was closed so we couldn't have horse hamburgers for lunch.
After there it was into Carpentras for a look (beautiful, old, more drinks at an outside café) - I would recommend staying in the Valcluse part of Provence - it's just beautiful and old world!
That night as the last night in Provence - so just once I had a late night swim (in a lit pool watching fighter jets fly over) before pizza, packing and bed!
Saturday morning I dropped Peter off at the bus stop - having gotten lost again. Driving on the right is quite stressy (for me at least) and the road signs in France are not that helpful - maybe as you get used to them.... I would also suggest to anyone who was connections to the French roading department to tell them about cats eyes - there are none and the headlights all seem to be dipped which makes driving on a dark night all rather 'in the dark'.
After dropping Peter off, finding my way back to the house and finishing up it was off to Aix Gare TGV to wait for our train to Dijon. The TGVs are truly fantastic technology and Aix Gare TGV is an amazing building!!
Next was Dijon - I could wax lyrically about that city for ages - thanks to Craig for suggesting it. It's late here though - just turned midnight (well it was when I started typing this)and I need to get some sleep (and it looks like Paris the cat is going to keep me company).
So, Dijon - more amazing food (yep, I ate beef bourgignon in the city where it came from), patted the good luck owl, stayed in the centre of town, did the monuments by night tour (starting at 10pm - the tourist office in Dijon is well set up for visitors), a fantastic segway tour - I want a segway and I want one now; they are so much fun and just excellent, 5 minutes to get used to it and then you're away!! The Musee de beaux arts was just great, the getting soaked on Saturday night not so great. The shopping was amazing, the trip up the tour gave a fantastic view, the eidlweiss cake thing was to die for, the moroccan meal on the last night sublime (pastilla, tagine and pastries). There were lots of other things in Dijon like getting soaked when it poured on us (you try drying jeans in a hotel room), or sitting under umbrellas eating lunch in the rain, watching thunder storms, practicing my bad french, hanging out in beautiful parks - generally just having a truly fantastic time.
But, as with all good things, it was over too soon and on Monday morning it was my last french breakfast, check out of the hotel and then onto the TGV from Dijon to Lausanne, Switzerland.
I loved it in France, and could quite happily have stayed - and live there. But onwards and upwards as they say.
At some stage I'll have to be a bit more awake and have a bit more time and a proper keyboard and give you some thoughts, some philosophy on life, some insights maybe...
But, the last TGV trip - Dijon to Lausanne. There is no border control or even border that tells you you've passed into Switzerland - but the architecture changes and you start seeing Swiss flags everywhere. What a beautiful country though. As I was coming in, on the train, with some silly young girl who wanted to pull the blind down and not watch this amazing vista unfold in front of us....
And so started my time in Swizterland...
See my next post for that - but suffice to say I have been completely, utterly and totally blown away by this country, the people and especially Craig and Marcel... If there is ever such a thing as a medal for the host-with-the-most, these guys are at the top of the list.
Yah!!
Thursday, 5 July 2007
The Quickest of Quick...
This is the quickest of quick, it's nearly quarter to 1 in the morning, a drunk Craig went and dragged the two guys from next door over (they're kind've the caretakers) and, of course, they're partners and so voila as they say! We spoke for hours but they went home.
It's great here - but the Mistral has come, a Provencal wind, which has cooled things down.
We've done lots - like gone to Avignon, seen the Papal Palace, gone on the Pont d'Avignon (also known as the Pont Benzoit (or some saint like that), off to the Pont de Gard, then on to Uzes for dinner (which was great - but the drive home afterwards was appalling - the headlights were really dim, we got lost, and there are no cats eyes on the road here - we made it though). Then yesterday (as in the Wednesday, as technically yesterday was Thursday) we went to Arles, had a look around, lunch (which took 2 hours - lunch is big business here!!), the ancient theatre, the arena, Haagen Daaz, a photo exhibition (which was quite challenging!)and then we watched the running with the bulls - which was amazing; all the (we think) trainee matadors got into the ring (?) with the bull (there were 4 bulls - although each bull came out individually - a break and then another 4 bulls) and had to catch this pompom things tied between it's horns - crazy! The bulls, too, really do "scratch" with their hooves and then charge! It was fab.
Then home and into Aix for dinner - a wonderful restaurant, a little cool outside thanks to the Mistral and the service to start was great. Then it just got worse and by the end we'd asked for the bill, it didn't come, I went inside, the waitress handed it to me, then took it back, then disappeared with it. So I went and sat down again, then went to find her, then she said she'd bring it out, she bought it out and we eventually paid. Who knows what was going on - although (for France) it was really cheap and the food was fab!
Today was a slow start - mooching around can be nice - and then off just down the road where we foujnd a road side restaurant and had a wonderful lunch. It was very cool - and the little guy setting up the table etc for his grandmother (the chef) was really pleased to be practicing his english! Then a stop in St. Cannat (including for a to-die-for cake - une religuse (or something like that). Then home, off to buy some milk (slowly getting the hang of this driving thing) and then just hanging around.
Such is life...
France is stunning though and I love - gotta go though - we're not sure how much this is costing!
Bye.....
It's great here - but the Mistral has come, a Provencal wind, which has cooled things down.
We've done lots - like gone to Avignon, seen the Papal Palace, gone on the Pont d'Avignon (also known as the Pont Benzoit (or some saint like that), off to the Pont de Gard, then on to Uzes for dinner (which was great - but the drive home afterwards was appalling - the headlights were really dim, we got lost, and there are no cats eyes on the road here - we made it though). Then yesterday (as in the Wednesday, as technically yesterday was Thursday) we went to Arles, had a look around, lunch (which took 2 hours - lunch is big business here!!), the ancient theatre, the arena, Haagen Daaz, a photo exhibition (which was quite challenging!)and then we watched the running with the bulls - which was amazing; all the (we think) trainee matadors got into the ring (?) with the bull (there were 4 bulls - although each bull came out individually - a break and then another 4 bulls) and had to catch this pompom things tied between it's horns - crazy! The bulls, too, really do "scratch" with their hooves and then charge! It was fab.
Then home and into Aix for dinner - a wonderful restaurant, a little cool outside thanks to the Mistral and the service to start was great. Then it just got worse and by the end we'd asked for the bill, it didn't come, I went inside, the waitress handed it to me, then took it back, then disappeared with it. So I went and sat down again, then went to find her, then she said she'd bring it out, she bought it out and we eventually paid. Who knows what was going on - although (for France) it was really cheap and the food was fab!
Today was a slow start - mooching around can be nice - and then off just down the road where we foujnd a road side restaurant and had a wonderful lunch. It was very cool - and the little guy setting up the table etc for his grandmother (the chef) was really pleased to be practicing his english! Then a stop in St. Cannat (including for a to-die-for cake - une religuse (or something like that). Then home, off to buy some milk (slowly getting the hang of this driving thing) and then just hanging around.
Such is life...
France is stunning though and I love - gotta go though - we're not sure how much this is costing!
Bye.....
Monday, 2 July 2007
The Adventure continues...
It's now really late - like 1am in the morning. I've been busily beavering away trying to get my blog up-to-date. Which I've mostly done, although it's probably as boring as hell, not full of wonderful insights or things like that but there you go....
So, I think, quickly, as I'm sleepy, off to Avignon tomorrow, or is it Arles - so much choice, I'll quickly cover off post-Paris.
Food. Let's start there. I have eaten so much, the food here is unbelievably stunning, there is so much of it. Yes. There we go I guess. :)
After Paris, it was off to Poitiers and Futuroscope. We had to catch a bus and after a bloody huge amount of walking, I had the tickets, we were at the hotel and we discovered that the bus stopped outside the hotel. Yes, the word fuck appeared a few times. So a lie down and then Futuroscope. What a cool place, the architecture if so funking, it's an audio-visual feast, they have little mushrooms everywhere playing music, we saw lots, did heaps of the shows, had a buffet dinner (where I made the women serving the food laugh - it was this weird kind've island theme thing with the addition of African and local options - fab but weird...), the 20th celebration show at the end of the night (10.45pm people - it gets dark late here!) was just stunning, lasers, films (they've worked out how to make water mist and then use that as a screen to project on to - it's so totally totally cool), sound, lights, fountains, fire, fireworks - it was seriously worth being there just for that. Really really cool!
Oh, and on the TGV - it took us 1.5 hours to go 400kms - pretty cool really! And first class all the way (which really only means bigger seats!).
Then the next day it was TGV from the Futuroscope station (it's a day trip now from Paris to the park!), to Marseille - train travel here is really a joy, out to the airport, picked up Craig and Louise (who have been feeling sick - not good), picked up the car - lets just say that driving on the right hand side of the road is all very weird, and rather stressful (it's been a little stressy here, getting used to driving and a few hassles with the house - but all sorted now!). I've managed to drive on the right hand side though and not kill myself, the other passengers or the other road users! The car is a Ford and it's great to drive (even if I keep looking the wrong way for the mirror and the gear stick being on the right is a bit odd!).
Found the house (fab navigating by Craig) and got settled in - with a few hassles, the guy next door doesn't speak english - I think my french has improved out of sight since I got here! Duh! - and the house is beautiful. It's sunny, it's warm, it's a gorgeous pool. A bit isolated but a lovely lovely house - it's on the road to Avignon from Aix-en-Provence if you're interested!). Found the hypermarche (Carrefour) - it's so huge, it's just crazy - a shoppers paradise!
Sunday was picking up Peter from the Aix TGV station (which is closer to Marseille airport than it is to Aix - go figure), back to the house, a swim, into Aix for a look around, Louise was sick so stayed behind, barbeeque that night (an electric one - no fires outside here, and we had to get the guy from next door to ring the owner of the house to find out where the switch was for the outside powerpoint for the barbee - it was in a bedroom - lol!) - but just a beautiful, sunny day!
Monday (today) Peter had a cold so the rest of us went into Aix for a look around. Nicola and I caught the little tourist train - fab fab, Louise and Craig sat in a cafe. We then wandered around, looked, shopped (without buying; it's possible to spend a fortune on food let alone clothes - which I can't carry but trust me, the clothes here are just fantastic - it's really style, fashion and looking good! Lunch, more looking around, walking, looking, buying little cakes, finding a church that we wanted to see that - duh - had just had a funeral so we wandered off until the hearse had gone; found Chez Gu (Gu et Fils) a restaurant from a Year In Provence - I've eaten there before but it is now, no more - it's some italian place... Oh well, things change... :)
Then it was off to the Carrefour hypermarche for a good shop - this thing is unbelievably huge! There is so much choice - of food, of groceries, of clothes, furniture, electrical, whitewear, household items etc etc etc. Imagine a supermarket, a briscoes, a warehouse (although the stuff is much better), a farmers, a noel leemings or a harvey normans, a bakery, a butchery (where you get to chose what meat and how much you want), a fromagerie (I think that's how it's spelt - as well as the cheese section in the fridge, there's the cheese part (it's bigger than just a counter) where you get to choose what cheese you want and they cut it to size - all this and more rolled into one - welcome to the French hypermarche - wow wow wow.... Hock - they didn't have any silk ties!!
And back to the house for snacky dinner, snoozing and reading... Ah, such is the life...
:)
I must admit though, I'm loving France - this country is just fantastic! :) Richard - marry me and give me your French passport!
So, I think, quickly, as I'm sleepy, off to Avignon tomorrow, or is it Arles - so much choice, I'll quickly cover off post-Paris.
Food. Let's start there. I have eaten so much, the food here is unbelievably stunning, there is so much of it. Yes. There we go I guess. :)
After Paris, it was off to Poitiers and Futuroscope. We had to catch a bus and after a bloody huge amount of walking, I had the tickets, we were at the hotel and we discovered that the bus stopped outside the hotel. Yes, the word fuck appeared a few times. So a lie down and then Futuroscope. What a cool place, the architecture if so funking, it's an audio-visual feast, they have little mushrooms everywhere playing music, we saw lots, did heaps of the shows, had a buffet dinner (where I made the women serving the food laugh - it was this weird kind've island theme thing with the addition of African and local options - fab but weird...), the 20th celebration show at the end of the night (10.45pm people - it gets dark late here!) was just stunning, lasers, films (they've worked out how to make water mist and then use that as a screen to project on to - it's so totally totally cool), sound, lights, fountains, fire, fireworks - it was seriously worth being there just for that. Really really cool!
Oh, and on the TGV - it took us 1.5 hours to go 400kms - pretty cool really! And first class all the way (which really only means bigger seats!).
Then the next day it was TGV from the Futuroscope station (it's a day trip now from Paris to the park!), to Marseille - train travel here is really a joy, out to the airport, picked up Craig and Louise (who have been feeling sick - not good), picked up the car - lets just say that driving on the right hand side of the road is all very weird, and rather stressful (it's been a little stressy here, getting used to driving and a few hassles with the house - but all sorted now!). I've managed to drive on the right hand side though and not kill myself, the other passengers or the other road users! The car is a Ford and it's great to drive (even if I keep looking the wrong way for the mirror and the gear stick being on the right is a bit odd!).
Found the house (fab navigating by Craig) and got settled in - with a few hassles, the guy next door doesn't speak english - I think my french has improved out of sight since I got here! Duh! - and the house is beautiful. It's sunny, it's warm, it's a gorgeous pool. A bit isolated but a lovely lovely house - it's on the road to Avignon from Aix-en-Provence if you're interested!). Found the hypermarche (Carrefour) - it's so huge, it's just crazy - a shoppers paradise!
Sunday was picking up Peter from the Aix TGV station (which is closer to Marseille airport than it is to Aix - go figure), back to the house, a swim, into Aix for a look around, Louise was sick so stayed behind, barbeeque that night (an electric one - no fires outside here, and we had to get the guy from next door to ring the owner of the house to find out where the switch was for the outside powerpoint for the barbee - it was in a bedroom - lol!) - but just a beautiful, sunny day!
Monday (today) Peter had a cold so the rest of us went into Aix for a look around. Nicola and I caught the little tourist train - fab fab, Louise and Craig sat in a cafe. We then wandered around, looked, shopped (without buying; it's possible to spend a fortune on food let alone clothes - which I can't carry but trust me, the clothes here are just fantastic - it's really style, fashion and looking good! Lunch, more looking around, walking, looking, buying little cakes, finding a church that we wanted to see that - duh - had just had a funeral so we wandered off until the hearse had gone; found Chez Gu (Gu et Fils) a restaurant from a Year In Provence - I've eaten there before but it is now, no more - it's some italian place... Oh well, things change... :)
Then it was off to the Carrefour hypermarche for a good shop - this thing is unbelievably huge! There is so much choice - of food, of groceries, of clothes, furniture, electrical, whitewear, household items etc etc etc. Imagine a supermarket, a briscoes, a warehouse (although the stuff is much better), a farmers, a noel leemings or a harvey normans, a bakery, a butchery (where you get to chose what meat and how much you want), a fromagerie (I think that's how it's spelt - as well as the cheese section in the fridge, there's the cheese part (it's bigger than just a counter) where you get to choose what cheese you want and they cut it to size - all this and more rolled into one - welcome to the French hypermarche - wow wow wow.... Hock - they didn't have any silk ties!!
And back to the house for snacky dinner, snoozing and reading... Ah, such is the life...
:)
I must admit though, I'm loving France - this country is just fantastic! :) Richard - marry me and give me your French passport!
Post 40....
POST 40….
I should also say – yah all of you who sent me txts! Fantastic and just yummy! And yah all of you who sent emails – fantastic and just yummy! I’m so sorry if I haven’t replied to each individually – duh!! I’ll owe so many people big time! It was so cool thought to receive all of them on my birthday (or the emails later) – yah!
On the 28th of June, as a 40 year old – lol – I went wandering by myself around Bastille. I found markets (the street food markets here are just fantastic – how anyone in this country stays thin I have no idea!), shops, more markets (the second set included an indoor food hall where I had fun buying cheese, a goats cheese and a blue cheese – both cru – unpasteurised milk), a wonderful boulangarie where the shop assistant slipped me an extra loaf of bread as it was my birthday – the little things like that are just sparkles really, a shop where I bought some paté (which in French means pasta I think - pate is terrine here!) and found a park and had myself a little picnic. Spot on! Then back to the hotel, bye byes to Tia, Lizzie and Amanda and saw them off on the metro (to the train back to London to the rain – although Paris had been pretty grotty!), dinner with Peter and Ivo – huge pizzas, like massive, then to the restaurant below the hotel for crème brulee with a very good looking waiter (who, no, I did not get to know better!) and then bed!
And so ended my time in Paris! I started as a baby-pup (if that’s what one can call a 39 year old) and left a not-so-baby-baby-pup. Paris is truly an amazing city, it would be wonderful to spend longer and longer there. Maybe one day….
I should also say – yah all of you who sent me txts! Fantastic and just yummy! And yah all of you who sent emails – fantastic and just yummy! I’m so sorry if I haven’t replied to each individually – duh!! I’ll owe so many people big time! It was so cool thought to receive all of them on my birthday (or the emails later) – yah!
On the 28th of June, as a 40 year old – lol – I went wandering by myself around Bastille. I found markets (the street food markets here are just fantastic – how anyone in this country stays thin I have no idea!), shops, more markets (the second set included an indoor food hall where I had fun buying cheese, a goats cheese and a blue cheese – both cru – unpasteurised milk), a wonderful boulangarie where the shop assistant slipped me an extra loaf of bread as it was my birthday – the little things like that are just sparkles really, a shop where I bought some paté (which in French means pasta I think - pate is terrine here!) and found a park and had myself a little picnic. Spot on! Then back to the hotel, bye byes to Tia, Lizzie and Amanda and saw them off on the metro (to the train back to London to the rain – although Paris had been pretty grotty!), dinner with Peter and Ivo – huge pizzas, like massive, then to the restaurant below the hotel for crème brulee with a very good looking waiter (who, no, I did not get to know better!) and then bed!
And so ended my time in Paris! I started as a baby-pup (if that’s what one can call a 39 year old) and left a not-so-baby-baby-pup. Paris is truly an amazing city, it would be wonderful to spend longer and longer there. Maybe one day….
Paris and turning 40 - need I say more....
PARIS
So, we’ve arrived. In the city of love, of dogs, of smoking everywhere, of expense, of another language, of beauty, culture, beautiful women, cars, people, food, chocolate, architecture, basically just pure amazingness! After my visa bounced (don’t go there – it’s turned out all cool and apparently the SCNF office, maybe at just Gare de Nord, has a low merchant limit so as to reduce fraud, so I had to use two different credit cards to get all our passes etc), stood in a queue to book some TGV trips only for the computers to crash and to be told to return later (a tip, allow heaps of time to book train travel – the queues can be huge, including at SCNF offices as I discovered later!), we were on our way to the hotel – metro style. Hotel de Nice – I liked it, the shower in Nic’s room was broken, Peter didn’t think much of his but to me it’s a hotel with charm, a wonderful location and, for Paris – not too expensive; watch the phones though – I managed to spend $150 NZ on calls whilst I was there!! Duh!
But, importantly, we arrived, we were checked in, my bad French was proving funny and after a little rest we wandered off for a look, to find the tourist office and ended up at the Arc de Triomphe (the tourist office on Champs Elysee is no longer there), we climbed up (Nic with her knee did too, not discovering there was a lift until it was time to come down), the view from the top was stunning, if a little wet – the Arc is huge and the roundabout mayhem that works - if that makes sense! Down the Champs Elysee we wandered when it really started to rain, we were all tired and ready for food – so back to the hotel and walking into the Marais did we go – and to The Gai Moulin (or something) did we go – which transpires means that the owner (Moulin or whatever his name was – I can’t remember know – duh, old age!) was Gai and this was his restaurant. He spoke really good English, the price was quick good for Paris and the women I were with were the only straight people there I think – he he! All good though and that’s where I learned that service is, by law, included in bills so you don’t have to tip! If you ask, the waiter will say it’s not included to get the tip – but the owner was super excellent and pointed out the reality to us (not that his waiter tried to rip us!). The other thing to remember about French waiters is that they are polite, but efficient and not chatty friendly like kiwi waiters. To bed it was then. I think, at that stage, it hadn’t really sunk in that I was in Paris, on holiday and about to turn 40…. Here too is as good a place as any to mention, too, how when paying by visa in Paris, they bring the machine to your table – so you can see them swipe the card, no going up to the check out and they get you to sign – but there is no gap to leave a tip – not like in kiwi restaurants (which bugs me!). The other tip to watch for here with Visa, make sure you have your passport with you as they often ask for it as proof of identity; although Craig did manage to use his drivers licence today as id).
The next day, we got up and the others buggered off to Eurodisney. Me, I slowly came too, and got Peter and Ivo up – they having arrived at some ungodly hour the night before from Prague, arrived late due to the plane leaving late due to bad weather and then deciding, upon arrival, that the only sensible thing to do was to go out to a bar – go figure! Lol!! I’m trying to remember back to what we did – it was the 26th of June which, although not long ago, seems ages ago as so much has happened really since then. I might remember more later and come back to it – but the long and short is that we hung out, caught up, had coffee, had hagan daaz, bought some stuff for Aaron, we went to the Monet Museum (Marmont or something) and it was brilliant, quiet, not too many tourists as it’s a bit out of the way – but in a beautiful old building and most the collection was donated by Monet’s son – it was just brilliant! Peter and Ivo left, I carried on looking around the museum, I wandered off, caught a bus through Paris to have a look and found shops, shops and shops (the sales started the next day – my birthday!), a church and more shops – it’s so possible to shop, shop and shop some more in Paris! We went to dinner at the same place as the night before (the women were at Disneyland – I’ll say it once, having said it before – but why go to American Disneyland when you’re in Paris????), that was great, we got invited downstairs where there was cabaret style singing going on (although Ivo didn’t like it – not sure why), we wandered off to the Banana Bar – which was ok, full of smoke (you end up stinking over here when you’ve been out), drunk young French things who were happy to practice their English on us and throw up behind the couch (17 year olds can’t hold their liquour….), Peter almost getting ripped off – the bartender shortchanged him 10euro and when Peter pointed this out, he just handed over the 10euro with no apologies nothing. I guess, though, at least Peter got served – Ivo couldn’t get served!! But, then, OMG, it was midnight in Paris and I was 40. Just like that. Wow….
I went back to the hotel as a 40 year old, it was officially my birthday (at least in the place where I was, if not where I live or where I was born) and went to sleep… The next morning I got up, rang my mum, found the women, Peter and Ivo were asleep, went to Notre Dame, stood with the crowds and crowds of people but enjoyed the magnificence of the church – we were commenting how we had no idea how the thing was built given that it was hundreds of years ago, well before cranes and electricity for lighting etc – just amazing. Peter pointed out later that it’s buttressed and apparently Notre Dame was the first church where they used buttresses to hold the building in – effectively is that without the buttresses, the walls start to fall outwards and the roof collapses – this is what apparently happened to Notre Dame and, as a result, they developed the buttresses concept to hold the walls up. Cool eh? And the do look amazing! After Notre Dame, the women (Nicola, Tia, Lizzie and Amanda – I’m not including myself in there, or Peter, or Ivo – although he is known as the Grand Duchess) went to to Saint Chappelle and I wandered off to the Left Bank to find the restaurant for that night – glad that I did as it was tucked away in a little street but it looked absolutely gorgeous! I then wandered off to Saint Chappelle, spoke with some Americans as I couldn’t go in because it was closed for lunch or groups or something (although the women were already in there), caught up with Peter and then eventually we all wandered off to the Musee D’Orsay (except Peter who wandered off to find Ivo). We got there, went in and wow it’s just stunning! We somehow lost Nicola in the entrance so Me et the others went to the café under the clock and had lunch. We then started look at art – so much art, art for Africa, Asia and Europe combined – and this was only one museum. It was stunning though, found Nicola, found Picasso, Cezanne, Monet, Whislter’s Mother (the original!), Van Gogh and too many others to remember! This doesn’t include the statutes, the furniture, the doors, the carvings and on and on – it was just stunning! There was a special exhibition of the artists who used the art dealer (Volland or something; if I remember all these names, I’ll fix up the blog, or actually get on the net and find them out, I’ll fix up the blog; I’m currently typing this offline) – Monet, Cezanne, Picasso etc – it was totally packed and so much art. With all of that though, the Musee was stunning and I was there on my birthday!
It was then back to the hotel, for Amanda, Tia and I (Nic and Lizzie caught the metro/RER) it was a walk via the Louvre – where Amanda and Tia went in – and I walked back along Rue de Rivoli just soaking up the atmosphere of Paris as a 40 year old! A snooze, a shower and then it was off to dinner. Some of us walked and some took a cab. Peter and I arrived (we’d walked) at Le Petit Prince – recommended by William in Wellington and I owe him; it was a great recommendation! It was also a restaurant I booked by writing a letter to them (they don’t have a website) – but it all worked perfectly! It was beautiful inside, the table set up wonderfully, the atmosphere great, the matron fab, out waiter fabber, the other waiter cuter, the cocktails to start (they didn’t put enough sugar in the majito!), the champagne to follow, the food peppered inbetween – stunning! I had goats cheese quinelles, fish for a main and for the dessert it was the made as we ate apple tart with a scoop of ice-cream which they put a candle in and again I turned red but blew it out making a wish (and for those of you who are wondering whether I got laid or not, you’ll have to ask….) It was a fantastic meal, we were treated well, the restaurant and the food great (if you’re interested, for 6 people it cost over $600NZ – and by Parisian standards it wasn’t expensive; although I guess champagne in any restaurant isn’t cheap… he he he….) and just a wonderfully wonderful birthday dinner. Afterward, the women and I (Peter going home…. ) zapped to the Eiffel Tower (having got stuck in the RER, me having to change my ticket as it was poked, getting told by a very helpful guy how to use the metro to get there as there were no more RER trains) – it was great. We just caught it as the lights were dancing up and down and then we just wandered around it – it was closed for the night but it is a truly amazing and beautiful thing – and really really big – like size queens go! Then lots of waiting for a cab – but who cares, so ended my birthday – and it was great!!
Why weren’t the rest of you here for it?? Huh? Huh???
So, we’ve arrived. In the city of love, of dogs, of smoking everywhere, of expense, of another language, of beauty, culture, beautiful women, cars, people, food, chocolate, architecture, basically just pure amazingness! After my visa bounced (don’t go there – it’s turned out all cool and apparently the SCNF office, maybe at just Gare de Nord, has a low merchant limit so as to reduce fraud, so I had to use two different credit cards to get all our passes etc), stood in a queue to book some TGV trips only for the computers to crash and to be told to return later (a tip, allow heaps of time to book train travel – the queues can be huge, including at SCNF offices as I discovered later!), we were on our way to the hotel – metro style. Hotel de Nice – I liked it, the shower in Nic’s room was broken, Peter didn’t think much of his but to me it’s a hotel with charm, a wonderful location and, for Paris – not too expensive; watch the phones though – I managed to spend $150 NZ on calls whilst I was there!! Duh!
But, importantly, we arrived, we were checked in, my bad French was proving funny and after a little rest we wandered off for a look, to find the tourist office and ended up at the Arc de Triomphe (the tourist office on Champs Elysee is no longer there), we climbed up (Nic with her knee did too, not discovering there was a lift until it was time to come down), the view from the top was stunning, if a little wet – the Arc is huge and the roundabout mayhem that works - if that makes sense! Down the Champs Elysee we wandered when it really started to rain, we were all tired and ready for food – so back to the hotel and walking into the Marais did we go – and to The Gai Moulin (or something) did we go – which transpires means that the owner (Moulin or whatever his name was – I can’t remember know – duh, old age!) was Gai and this was his restaurant. He spoke really good English, the price was quick good for Paris and the women I were with were the only straight people there I think – he he! All good though and that’s where I learned that service is, by law, included in bills so you don’t have to tip! If you ask, the waiter will say it’s not included to get the tip – but the owner was super excellent and pointed out the reality to us (not that his waiter tried to rip us!). The other thing to remember about French waiters is that they are polite, but efficient and not chatty friendly like kiwi waiters. To bed it was then. I think, at that stage, it hadn’t really sunk in that I was in Paris, on holiday and about to turn 40…. Here too is as good a place as any to mention, too, how when paying by visa in Paris, they bring the machine to your table – so you can see them swipe the card, no going up to the check out and they get you to sign – but there is no gap to leave a tip – not like in kiwi restaurants (which bugs me!). The other tip to watch for here with Visa, make sure you have your passport with you as they often ask for it as proof of identity; although Craig did manage to use his drivers licence today as id).
The next day, we got up and the others buggered off to Eurodisney. Me, I slowly came too, and got Peter and Ivo up – they having arrived at some ungodly hour the night before from Prague, arrived late due to the plane leaving late due to bad weather and then deciding, upon arrival, that the only sensible thing to do was to go out to a bar – go figure! Lol!! I’m trying to remember back to what we did – it was the 26th of June which, although not long ago, seems ages ago as so much has happened really since then. I might remember more later and come back to it – but the long and short is that we hung out, caught up, had coffee, had hagan daaz, bought some stuff for Aaron, we went to the Monet Museum (Marmont or something) and it was brilliant, quiet, not too many tourists as it’s a bit out of the way – but in a beautiful old building and most the collection was donated by Monet’s son – it was just brilliant! Peter and Ivo left, I carried on looking around the museum, I wandered off, caught a bus through Paris to have a look and found shops, shops and shops (the sales started the next day – my birthday!), a church and more shops – it’s so possible to shop, shop and shop some more in Paris! We went to dinner at the same place as the night before (the women were at Disneyland – I’ll say it once, having said it before – but why go to American Disneyland when you’re in Paris????), that was great, we got invited downstairs where there was cabaret style singing going on (although Ivo didn’t like it – not sure why), we wandered off to the Banana Bar – which was ok, full of smoke (you end up stinking over here when you’ve been out), drunk young French things who were happy to practice their English on us and throw up behind the couch (17 year olds can’t hold their liquour….), Peter almost getting ripped off – the bartender shortchanged him 10euro and when Peter pointed this out, he just handed over the 10euro with no apologies nothing. I guess, though, at least Peter got served – Ivo couldn’t get served!! But, then, OMG, it was midnight in Paris and I was 40. Just like that. Wow….
I went back to the hotel as a 40 year old, it was officially my birthday (at least in the place where I was, if not where I live or where I was born) and went to sleep… The next morning I got up, rang my mum, found the women, Peter and Ivo were asleep, went to Notre Dame, stood with the crowds and crowds of people but enjoyed the magnificence of the church – we were commenting how we had no idea how the thing was built given that it was hundreds of years ago, well before cranes and electricity for lighting etc – just amazing. Peter pointed out later that it’s buttressed and apparently Notre Dame was the first church where they used buttresses to hold the building in – effectively is that without the buttresses, the walls start to fall outwards and the roof collapses – this is what apparently happened to Notre Dame and, as a result, they developed the buttresses concept to hold the walls up. Cool eh? And the do look amazing! After Notre Dame, the women (Nicola, Tia, Lizzie and Amanda – I’m not including myself in there, or Peter, or Ivo – although he is known as the Grand Duchess) went to to Saint Chappelle and I wandered off to the Left Bank to find the restaurant for that night – glad that I did as it was tucked away in a little street but it looked absolutely gorgeous! I then wandered off to Saint Chappelle, spoke with some Americans as I couldn’t go in because it was closed for lunch or groups or something (although the women were already in there), caught up with Peter and then eventually we all wandered off to the Musee D’Orsay (except Peter who wandered off to find Ivo). We got there, went in and wow it’s just stunning! We somehow lost Nicola in the entrance so Me et the others went to the café under the clock and had lunch. We then started look at art – so much art, art for Africa, Asia and Europe combined – and this was only one museum. It was stunning though, found Nicola, found Picasso, Cezanne, Monet, Whislter’s Mother (the original!), Van Gogh and too many others to remember! This doesn’t include the statutes, the furniture, the doors, the carvings and on and on – it was just stunning! There was a special exhibition of the artists who used the art dealer (Volland or something; if I remember all these names, I’ll fix up the blog, or actually get on the net and find them out, I’ll fix up the blog; I’m currently typing this offline) – Monet, Cezanne, Picasso etc – it was totally packed and so much art. With all of that though, the Musee was stunning and I was there on my birthday!
It was then back to the hotel, for Amanda, Tia and I (Nic and Lizzie caught the metro/RER) it was a walk via the Louvre – where Amanda and Tia went in – and I walked back along Rue de Rivoli just soaking up the atmosphere of Paris as a 40 year old! A snooze, a shower and then it was off to dinner. Some of us walked and some took a cab. Peter and I arrived (we’d walked) at Le Petit Prince – recommended by William in Wellington and I owe him; it was a great recommendation! It was also a restaurant I booked by writing a letter to them (they don’t have a website) – but it all worked perfectly! It was beautiful inside, the table set up wonderfully, the atmosphere great, the matron fab, out waiter fabber, the other waiter cuter, the cocktails to start (they didn’t put enough sugar in the majito!), the champagne to follow, the food peppered inbetween – stunning! I had goats cheese quinelles, fish for a main and for the dessert it was the made as we ate apple tart with a scoop of ice-cream which they put a candle in and again I turned red but blew it out making a wish (and for those of you who are wondering whether I got laid or not, you’ll have to ask….) It was a fantastic meal, we were treated well, the restaurant and the food great (if you’re interested, for 6 people it cost over $600NZ – and by Parisian standards it wasn’t expensive; although I guess champagne in any restaurant isn’t cheap… he he he….) and just a wonderfully wonderful birthday dinner. Afterward, the women and I (Peter going home…. ) zapped to the Eiffel Tower (having got stuck in the RER, me having to change my ticket as it was poked, getting told by a very helpful guy how to use the metro to get there as there were no more RER trains) – it was great. We just caught it as the lights were dancing up and down and then we just wandered around it – it was closed for the night but it is a truly amazing and beautiful thing – and really really big – like size queens go! Then lots of waiting for a cab – but who cares, so ended my birthday – and it was great!!
Why weren’t the rest of you here for it?? Huh? Huh???
More on London - and maybe more repetition...
What else did I do in London – went shopping at Asda and bought some jeans, underwear and socks – ok, so I travelled with virtually nothing and decided that trying to do laundry – particularly when the weather was turning crap (you’ll have heard about all the floods – I luckily missed them but it was the start of the raining whilst I was there!). Yes, I sold out and bought the jeans when they were nuttily cheap (I think I paid $20 NZ for them – or to be more accurate, my sister paid and I have to pay her back!) and made in a sweatshop in China! I also caught up with my magical friend Marcus – yah! He took me for a beer, a hagen daaz and a goss/catch up (yes, you’ll have to have been there for that one – and, oh, shall we say that it was probably a juicy one – I tell Marcus stuff that I don’t even tell my priest – and I don’t have one of those!!)
Then there was the next birthday party – I’m telling you, it’s been completely overboard this 40 thing – and when I type that I go – fuck, have I really spent 4 decades alive! So, the next party – before the real birthday. We wandered in (my sisters, my brother in law, my nephews, met a couple of friends of Sarah and Matt) to the Thames, walked along and came to Ask. We were early (ie they stuffed up the booking) but had us seated (a lovely Polish waiter – the UK had an estimated influx of 500,000 Poles when Poland joined the EU – they thought they’d be a few thousand! Apparently though it’s done great things for the economy although you can sense the growing resentment. At it’s simpliest and as a generalisation, Polish immigrants are willing to work for the minimum wage (thus depressing wages) and are prepared to live in not so great accommodation (ie more like the stereotypical kiwi/aussie 15 people to a flat thing); this is helping to keep inflation down but “locals” are now having to compete with these highly skilled workers and the attendant disharmony from that. It does depend a little who you talk to.). Where was I? Oh, yes, we were seated, looking out over the Thames, had some wine, lots of chatting, Tia, Lizzie, Amanda (they were going to be coming to Paris) and Richard (he was going to a conference) turned up having just arrived that morning from NZ – jetlag is a funny thing!), I got given a flashing “It’s my birthday badge”, Daniel and Andrew were stars, there was massive amounts of food, a birthday balloon (prominently showing that I was turning 40 – ta Sarah and Matt!!) and then, lo and behold, no dessert. Any ideas why? Of course, my sister and brother-in-law had arranged for a cake, with candles, with singing, on the main tourist drag along the Thames at about 2pm on a Saturday afternoon – funny ha ha, I’m not sure that red is my colour!! But it was great! And super-big ta’s to my mum (who probably isn’t reading this as she doesn’t have the internet) for the wonderful gift towards lunch!!
And, really, so endth my time in London (although I’m going back! Yah!). Obviously there was lots of other little bits and pieces, thoughts and ideas – when I get back – ask me for coffee and I’m sure I can bore you to tears (and show you hundreds of photos; although my camera is making slightly weird whirring noises; go figure). Just mentioning quickly that we went to Greenwich (which is lovely), had brunch, looked at the markets, caught up with Craig and Louise (who are asleep in their bedroom whilst I type this in Provence – he he!), walked through Greenwich Park, hung out with my nephews, had a beer (actually, I think I had a coffee!) with Matt, feed the squirrels – you know lots of stuff; nothing touristy but just really cool hanging around, being lazy and spending time with the world as it tripped on by.
I packed on Sunday night (having had curry at Sarah and Matt’s and goo-goo’d at Andrew and said bye bye to Daniel). On the subject of curries – I do not understand why my british friends reckon you can’t get a good curry in NZ – the ones over here aren’t any better; they seem the same to me – only more expensive. Oh well…..
Monday morning, it was up, showered, finished packing, bus, to train station, lots of txts about how Nicola had misplaced her mastercard, on to the train, Nicola happened to be on the same train, to Waterloo (poor Nic’s knee was really sore – but to give her absolute credit, she’s not complained at all whilst we’ve been away), found Tia, Lizzie and Amanda and then, voila, on to Eurostar. It’s a very very cool train…. Next stop, Paris…..
Then there was the next birthday party – I’m telling you, it’s been completely overboard this 40 thing – and when I type that I go – fuck, have I really spent 4 decades alive! So, the next party – before the real birthday. We wandered in (my sisters, my brother in law, my nephews, met a couple of friends of Sarah and Matt) to the Thames, walked along and came to Ask. We were early (ie they stuffed up the booking) but had us seated (a lovely Polish waiter – the UK had an estimated influx of 500,000 Poles when Poland joined the EU – they thought they’d be a few thousand! Apparently though it’s done great things for the economy although you can sense the growing resentment. At it’s simpliest and as a generalisation, Polish immigrants are willing to work for the minimum wage (thus depressing wages) and are prepared to live in not so great accommodation (ie more like the stereotypical kiwi/aussie 15 people to a flat thing); this is helping to keep inflation down but “locals” are now having to compete with these highly skilled workers and the attendant disharmony from that. It does depend a little who you talk to.). Where was I? Oh, yes, we were seated, looking out over the Thames, had some wine, lots of chatting, Tia, Lizzie, Amanda (they were going to be coming to Paris) and Richard (he was going to a conference) turned up having just arrived that morning from NZ – jetlag is a funny thing!), I got given a flashing “It’s my birthday badge”, Daniel and Andrew were stars, there was massive amounts of food, a birthday balloon (prominently showing that I was turning 40 – ta Sarah and Matt!!) and then, lo and behold, no dessert. Any ideas why? Of course, my sister and brother-in-law had arranged for a cake, with candles, with singing, on the main tourist drag along the Thames at about 2pm on a Saturday afternoon – funny ha ha, I’m not sure that red is my colour!! But it was great! And super-big ta’s to my mum (who probably isn’t reading this as she doesn’t have the internet) for the wonderful gift towards lunch!!
And, really, so endth my time in London (although I’m going back! Yah!). Obviously there was lots of other little bits and pieces, thoughts and ideas – when I get back – ask me for coffee and I’m sure I can bore you to tears (and show you hundreds of photos; although my camera is making slightly weird whirring noises; go figure). Just mentioning quickly that we went to Greenwich (which is lovely), had brunch, looked at the markets, caught up with Craig and Louise (who are asleep in their bedroom whilst I type this in Provence – he he!), walked through Greenwich Park, hung out with my nephews, had a beer (actually, I think I had a coffee!) with Matt, feed the squirrels – you know lots of stuff; nothing touristy but just really cool hanging around, being lazy and spending time with the world as it tripped on by.
I packed on Sunday night (having had curry at Sarah and Matt’s and goo-goo’d at Andrew and said bye bye to Daniel). On the subject of curries – I do not understand why my british friends reckon you can’t get a good curry in NZ – the ones over here aren’t any better; they seem the same to me – only more expensive. Oh well…..
Monday morning, it was up, showered, finished packing, bus, to train station, lots of txts about how Nicola had misplaced her mastercard, on to the train, Nicola happened to be on the same train, to Waterloo (poor Nic’s knee was really sore – but to give her absolute credit, she’s not complained at all whilst we’ve been away), found Tia, Lizzie and Amanda and then, voila, on to Eurostar. It’s a very very cool train…. Next stop, Paris…..
The day in Portsmouth.....
THE DAY IN PORTSMOUTH
I finally got hold of Sharon, Liz’s sister, who lives in Portsmouth and she most wonderfully bent over backwards, really wanted me to come down to see her or for her to come up to London to see me and, as I’d planned a day out of London (I was going to pretend to be learned and go to Cambridge or Oxford) I thought – Portsmouth, why not. It turned out to be one of those things where, in hindsight, you realise you totally made the right decision. Up, to railway station, train to Waterloo, ticket office, chat chat with a Russian women, pushed through thousands of people (I seriously mean we have no idea in little ol’ Wellington about people, congestion and peak hour!) and then the train. It’s a 24pound return trip (23 I think one way – go figure) and the trains basically go every half hour – it’s a commuter thing really. So, on the train, clacky-te-clack and watching the English countryside (with some rain) go by. The very nice man with his cart came by and took some money off me (money – please, it’s like water over here, it just flows, flows, flows, through your fingers) and gave me coffee and a snack. The coffee was interesting as it consisted of a paper cup full of hot water – but no coffee. Hmmmm goes Cookie. Hmmm back goes the cup of hot water. Hmmm goes Cookie, that’s a cute boy (ok, that’s really just to see how’s actually reading this). Uhuh, this funny silver tag, if Cookie pulls it, then up from the bottom of the cup will bubble the liquid coffee which will make a cuppa coffee. All very good really. So, into Portsmouth I arrived and it was raining, had a chat with a very nice police woman, found the Information Centre, got hold of Sharon who said she’d be in shortly, started looking around the old docks, the sun started shining, had a look through a museum and Sharon arrived. We went for a walk to the new shopping centre (oh, the shopping….), stopped for a coffee, lots of gossip (yes, just like Deborah, I think you had to be there), reconfirmed that it’s not possible to get a flatwhite in England and the people serving, whilst polite, aren’t particularly friendly and then we found the French market. By this stage the sun had come out, it had turned into a beautiful day and I discovered that French stall holders came over to Portsmouth; it was just wonderful. Wandering along, have a look. Then it was up the Spinnaker. You’ll have to ask to see the photos – and yes, Liz, your sister did stand on the glass. It’s this amazing tower that was supposed to be open for the millennium but it was a little late – ie it only opened about 18 months ago, it’s shaped like a spinnaker and it’s rather just stunning. The exterior lift unfortunately doesn’t work – apparently it never has – so up the internal one we went. The views from the 3 viewing decks are just amazing – and it was helped so much by being a stunningly sunny day. We stood on glass looking straightdown (no shoes please!), looked over the naval base, the Isle Of Wight, saw a channel ferry come in, got shown all the sites around and about. Just beautiful. Like I said (or is that wrote), there are three levels with the third one being open air – it’s so worth it and something that the people of Portsmouth can be really proud of. After the spinnaker, Sharon and I headed back to the docks so that we could do a boat trip around the harbour. I’ll just note that there were some people who had a kid in a wheelchair and they weren’t allowed to take her on the boat – not good people. The boat trip itself was really cool, it had started to cool off a bit but we sat outside and wandered past an aircraft carrier – it didn’t seem as big as I thought they would be but the people on it waved back (he he – guess who waved first!!) and one of them was in camouflage and touting a automatic rifle looking thing – yep, it was a working ship of war…. We carried on around the harbour and saw lots of frigates/things/whatever they were – all grey so I could imagine that at sea they just completely merge into the sea. More armed guards (soldiers? seamen?). We saw the ferry which we’d seen come in earlier – it looked bigger than the aircraft carrier! Then there was the ships ghostyard where naval ships go before it’s decided what to do with them – sold/scrapped or whatever. Past the old submarine base (it’s no longer based there) and to the entrance of the harbour – where some nutty yachtees who didn’t know what they were doing but were trying to tango with out bigger boat were being rather “OMG, are we going to crash” (which is kind’ve what our captain was saying!). We docked and got off in the shopping precent (rather than where we started) and Sharon most stunningly wonderfully took me to lunch at Café Rouge, which is a lovely French restaurant. I thought that it was an independent – but it transpires that they are everywhere. Apparently, most restaurants you see around the UK, particularly in the tourist areas are chains – rather than independents. Notwithstanding that, Sharon and I had a wonderful wonderful lunch and it was a great way to top off an excellent day. It seems that my fortieth was being celebrated over a rather long period! After that, it was on the train back to London. Yah!
In terms of Portsmouth, what a gem it turned out to be – go everyone go!! I had a magical time, perhaps especially because I had a local guide who so kindly, wonderfully and yummily showed me around and pointed out all the little bits and pieces!
I finally got hold of Sharon, Liz’s sister, who lives in Portsmouth and she most wonderfully bent over backwards, really wanted me to come down to see her or for her to come up to London to see me and, as I’d planned a day out of London (I was going to pretend to be learned and go to Cambridge or Oxford) I thought – Portsmouth, why not. It turned out to be one of those things where, in hindsight, you realise you totally made the right decision. Up, to railway station, train to Waterloo, ticket office, chat chat with a Russian women, pushed through thousands of people (I seriously mean we have no idea in little ol’ Wellington about people, congestion and peak hour!) and then the train. It’s a 24pound return trip (23 I think one way – go figure) and the trains basically go every half hour – it’s a commuter thing really. So, on the train, clacky-te-clack and watching the English countryside (with some rain) go by. The very nice man with his cart came by and took some money off me (money – please, it’s like water over here, it just flows, flows, flows, through your fingers) and gave me coffee and a snack. The coffee was interesting as it consisted of a paper cup full of hot water – but no coffee. Hmmmm goes Cookie. Hmmm back goes the cup of hot water. Hmmm goes Cookie, that’s a cute boy (ok, that’s really just to see how’s actually reading this). Uhuh, this funny silver tag, if Cookie pulls it, then up from the bottom of the cup will bubble the liquid coffee which will make a cuppa coffee. All very good really. So, into Portsmouth I arrived and it was raining, had a chat with a very nice police woman, found the Information Centre, got hold of Sharon who said she’d be in shortly, started looking around the old docks, the sun started shining, had a look through a museum and Sharon arrived. We went for a walk to the new shopping centre (oh, the shopping….), stopped for a coffee, lots of gossip (yes, just like Deborah, I think you had to be there), reconfirmed that it’s not possible to get a flatwhite in England and the people serving, whilst polite, aren’t particularly friendly and then we found the French market. By this stage the sun had come out, it had turned into a beautiful day and I discovered that French stall holders came over to Portsmouth; it was just wonderful. Wandering along, have a look. Then it was up the Spinnaker. You’ll have to ask to see the photos – and yes, Liz, your sister did stand on the glass. It’s this amazing tower that was supposed to be open for the millennium but it was a little late – ie it only opened about 18 months ago, it’s shaped like a spinnaker and it’s rather just stunning. The exterior lift unfortunately doesn’t work – apparently it never has – so up the internal one we went. The views from the 3 viewing decks are just amazing – and it was helped so much by being a stunningly sunny day. We stood on glass looking straightdown (no shoes please!), looked over the naval base, the Isle Of Wight, saw a channel ferry come in, got shown all the sites around and about. Just beautiful. Like I said (or is that wrote), there are three levels with the third one being open air – it’s so worth it and something that the people of Portsmouth can be really proud of. After the spinnaker, Sharon and I headed back to the docks so that we could do a boat trip around the harbour. I’ll just note that there were some people who had a kid in a wheelchair and they weren’t allowed to take her on the boat – not good people. The boat trip itself was really cool, it had started to cool off a bit but we sat outside and wandered past an aircraft carrier – it didn’t seem as big as I thought they would be but the people on it waved back (he he – guess who waved first!!) and one of them was in camouflage and touting a automatic rifle looking thing – yep, it was a working ship of war…. We carried on around the harbour and saw lots of frigates/things/whatever they were – all grey so I could imagine that at sea they just completely merge into the sea. More armed guards (soldiers? seamen?). We saw the ferry which we’d seen come in earlier – it looked bigger than the aircraft carrier! Then there was the ships ghostyard where naval ships go before it’s decided what to do with them – sold/scrapped or whatever. Past the old submarine base (it’s no longer based there) and to the entrance of the harbour – where some nutty yachtees who didn’t know what they were doing but were trying to tango with out bigger boat were being rather “OMG, are we going to crash” (which is kind’ve what our captain was saying!). We docked and got off in the shopping precent (rather than where we started) and Sharon most stunningly wonderfully took me to lunch at Café Rouge, which is a lovely French restaurant. I thought that it was an independent – but it transpires that they are everywhere. Apparently, most restaurants you see around the UK, particularly in the tourist areas are chains – rather than independents. Notwithstanding that, Sharon and I had a wonderful wonderful lunch and it was a great way to top off an excellent day. It seems that my fortieth was being celebrated over a rather long period! After that, it was on the train back to London. Yah!
In terms of Portsmouth, what a gem it turned out to be – go everyone go!! I had a magical time, perhaps especially because I had a local guide who so kindly, wonderfully and yummily showed me around and pointed out all the little bits and pieces!
OMG - Repetition maybe on London....
So, finally I sit down to type up what I’ve been doing so that you can read it, be bored to tears and wonder why you ever logged on to my blog at all…. Don’t really blame you if you wander off to other things – although I will find out, I will track you down or is that I’ll just hang out in Provence a bit more and enjoy myself…..
Turning back to London (and I’m offline now typing this so I can’t quite remember what I’ve already typed – eek!), having gotten off the plane, had a facial, relaxed a little and met my new little nephew, it was off into London with my sister. Although, we didn’t get that far as I had left my cellphone in the carpark – which by turn of events was still there. The funniest part (apart from accidentally phoning my sister in London from Hong Kong airport; tip – always always always make sure your phone is on keylock..) was that we were on the motorway when I realised I’d left my phone so my sister took the next off-ramp which was still Heathrow airport – that place is rather huge!
We then drove to Blackheath where my sister lives – on the ring road – and stopped for MacDonalds – their banana milkshakes the bestest hangover cure and I figured that they might make me feel a bit better – although they’re really thick in England; hopefully no mad-cow-beef-based-non-diary stuff in it.
London then followed which was mainly hanging out with my nephews and sisters, walking to Blackheath one day (which was lovely and passed the most beautiful old folks home on the way). Blackheath itself it just a lot of grass. It’s pretty cool, and pretty big – but a lot of grass none-the-less!
Another night (which was before Blackheath but it’s very late, my timing is all mixed up, I’m trying to get as much typed as possible to bore you to tears and this laptop keeps doing weird things) I went into London Bridge – which apparently the Americans bought when they thought they were buying the Disneyland Tower Bridge - and caught up with Deborah Holyoake – whom I’m used to work with at MSD. Some of you may remember her but it was so cool to see her, and it was hard to think that it was over 3 years since I’d last seen her. We, of course, did the only sensible thing which was to have a major goss-catch up session over dinner. What we spoke about, looking out over the Thames, well, maybe that’s just private goss….
I should probably mention here that I was staying with Lee, nearly Lee (in Lewisham actually I think) which isn’t that far by walking, bus (which if I didn’t get off not knowing that it looped back I wouldn’t have walked so far, but it was nice) or train from my sister’s place (although you wouldn’t take the train, a bus is much easier – and you can use an oyster card but not on the trains – oyster being the “one card fits all public transport” card which is being rolled out across all public transport but hasn’t made all the trains yet). Lee’s place is great, the bathroom is fab and it’s just around the corner from a lovely little park which the local library is a wonderful old building!
Turning back to London (and I’m offline now typing this so I can’t quite remember what I’ve already typed – eek!), having gotten off the plane, had a facial, relaxed a little and met my new little nephew, it was off into London with my sister. Although, we didn’t get that far as I had left my cellphone in the carpark – which by turn of events was still there. The funniest part (apart from accidentally phoning my sister in London from Hong Kong airport; tip – always always always make sure your phone is on keylock..) was that we were on the motorway when I realised I’d left my phone so my sister took the next off-ramp which was still Heathrow airport – that place is rather huge!
We then drove to Blackheath where my sister lives – on the ring road – and stopped for MacDonalds – their banana milkshakes the bestest hangover cure and I figured that they might make me feel a bit better – although they’re really thick in England; hopefully no mad-cow-beef-based-non-diary stuff in it.
London then followed which was mainly hanging out with my nephews and sisters, walking to Blackheath one day (which was lovely and passed the most beautiful old folks home on the way). Blackheath itself it just a lot of grass. It’s pretty cool, and pretty big – but a lot of grass none-the-less!
Another night (which was before Blackheath but it’s very late, my timing is all mixed up, I’m trying to get as much typed as possible to bore you to tears and this laptop keeps doing weird things) I went into London Bridge – which apparently the Americans bought when they thought they were buying the Disneyland Tower Bridge - and caught up with Deborah Holyoake – whom I’m used to work with at MSD. Some of you may remember her but it was so cool to see her, and it was hard to think that it was over 3 years since I’d last seen her. We, of course, did the only sensible thing which was to have a major goss-catch up session over dinner. What we spoke about, looking out over the Thames, well, maybe that’s just private goss….
I should probably mention here that I was staying with Lee, nearly Lee (in Lewisham actually I think) which isn’t that far by walking, bus (which if I didn’t get off not knowing that it looped back I wouldn’t have walked so far, but it was nice) or train from my sister’s place (although you wouldn’t take the train, a bus is much easier – and you can use an oyster card but not on the trains – oyster being the “one card fits all public transport” card which is being rolled out across all public transport but hasn’t made all the trains yet). Lee’s place is great, the bathroom is fab and it’s just around the corner from a lovely little park which the local library is a wonderful old building!
Sunday, 1 July 2007
It's been a while...
OMG, it's been a while since I've managed to get to an internet café - why; well, maybe because I've been eating so much!
I'm now sitting in Provence, it's raining (still) but warm, we're ensconced in the most gorgeous house and, after a few initial hiccups, it's all looking good.
Driving in absolutely crazy - this driving on the left thing leaves a lot to be desired but I'm still alive, haven't crashed and the others are still here too!
Just quickly here:
Yah to everyone for the presents - you know who you are - ta heaps!! :)
Yah to everyone who has been sending me emails - I've not replied to them all and my biggest "I'm sorry" for that - the french keyboards are different, I've not been near an internet café and, umm, err, I'll owe you coffee!! Or hot chocolate!
It's also 11.40pm here, I want to get some sleep because tomorrow it's either Avignon or Arles - we'll decide in the morning depending on the weather!
I'll add posts shortly with what I've been up to - and I'm not sure about photos as I'm not sure when/how to get them from the memory card thing to the net - oh, well, there we go!
:)
Hope you're all just stunning. Yah!
Me - I'm just 40.....
I'm now sitting in Provence, it's raining (still) but warm, we're ensconced in the most gorgeous house and, after a few initial hiccups, it's all looking good.
Driving in absolutely crazy - this driving on the left thing leaves a lot to be desired but I'm still alive, haven't crashed and the others are still here too!
Just quickly here:
Yah to everyone for the presents - you know who you are - ta heaps!! :)
Yah to everyone who has been sending me emails - I've not replied to them all and my biggest "I'm sorry" for that - the french keyboards are different, I've not been near an internet café and, umm, err, I'll owe you coffee!! Or hot chocolate!
It's also 11.40pm here, I want to get some sleep because tomorrow it's either Avignon or Arles - we'll decide in the morning depending on the weather!
I'll add posts shortly with what I've been up to - and I'm not sure about photos as I'm not sure when/how to get them from the memory card thing to the net - oh, well, there we go!
:)
Hope you're all just stunning. Yah!
Me - I'm just 40.....
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