April 2013

Paris continued.

We went to see the Eiffel Tower of course and were impressed again with it's size and aspect. I know it was an engineering marvel in its time and epitomizes innovative Paris for so many, but I still don't like it. I think it is so incongruous on the city skyline.

Just as we were leaving the Eiffel Tower we walked past Shane Warne with Liz Hurley and his children. They are in the middle of this picture below. Notice that the grass is roped off. The signs say that "it is sleeping"and the French are very supportive of letting it rest until the growing season starts.

Arc de Triomphe

We approached the Etiole, the intersection dominated by the Arc de Triomphe where twelve boulevards meet. It reminded us of driving up the Champ Elysees in our right-hand drive... campervan in the seventies, into the utter chaos of that place where you give way to entering traffic... The only roundabout in France, if not the world, where that happens!

Like its Roman ancestors, this arch has served as a parade gateway for triumphal armies (French or Foe) and for important ceremonies. Beneath the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where the flame is re-kindled and fresh flowers laid daily.

Looking up at the arch.

We wandered down the Champs-Elysees, one of the world's grandest and most celebrated streets, home to big business, celebrity cafes, glitzy nightclubs and high-fashion shopping. I have to admit to being seduced by a huge store selling every known brand of make-up. I had promised myself some new make-up for years, and now I have it!

Two lolly lovers.

More street art. This artist does his work at night and similar examples are found on many Paris buildings. His work is sought after and it improves the value of buildings it adorns.

Metro station with beautiful old Paris lights.

Ohlala!

After a very full and memorable week of celebration and adventure with Carol, Jenny, Susan, Brian and Jan and Zig, we said our goodbyes and all headed off in different directions.... Carol and Jenny to Madeira, Susan and Brian to Avignon and Zig and Jan to Venice. We moved to our new address in Paris just on the edge of the Marais and not far from Bastille.

Our one bedroom unit had a tiny kitchen and bathroom but quite a spacious bedroom and living room and an entry through a courtyard with a rosemary plant in a pot. I think it belonged to the bar next door but we used a bit for dinner one night!

We went to the Pantheon which was a disappointment, once a church, now a gloomy, uninspiring and extremely secular mausoleum. The floor was beautiful though.

Following that we ventured into the archaeological crypt under the square of Notre Dame. The aim of the tour is to provide a better understanding of how the city has been in a continuous state of reconstruction for over 2,000 years by revealing its various archaeological layers. The most fascinating display for me was the interactive screen which allowed the viewer to see different stages of the building of Notre Dame over the two hundred years of its construction. I could move a button on the screen which changed viewpoints vertically and horizontally so the cathedral could be seen from every conceivable angle of the interior and exterior. It was brilliant .

We then walked down the St Michelle Boulevarde, had lunch and then went to Luxembourg gardens where the blossom on the trees was just pinking on the branches and the daffodils and jonquils were flowering. Another week or two and the late spring will be sprung!.

Our visit to St Chapelle was a delight. The roof is supported by muscular buttresses so the walls are there to display the stained glass windows. As we walked into the church the brilliant colour of the windows was 'gob-smacking'. Most of them have been restored and coloured light floods into the interior. It is a gem. For the moment there are not any photos. Somehow I've obliterated them but expect they'll turn up later!

On Sunday morning we happened upon people running the Paris Marathon which streamed past the end of our street for ages. The highest registration number we saw was 65,538. It was quite a spectacle with a brass band playing and people cheering and clapping encouragement as the runners came past.

It was a busy day, first Sunday of the month, when museums are free. We thought we would take advantage of that fact and started with the Muse d'orsay. We started with the sculptures on the bottom level and an hour later decided we needed to prioritize the exhibits as we could not see them all. Up to the top floor we went to concentrate on the Impressionist paintings which were wonderful. And so many of them. We also saw some of the Art Nouveau furniture.

These are small sculpted caricatures by Daumier.

This beautiful clock has been preserved from the time when the museum building was a railway station. It barely escaped the wrecking ball when the French realized it would be a great place to house the enormous collection of 19th century art scattered throughout the city.

Eventually we reached saturation point and left.

The next museum which we walked to was the Rodin Museum. We wandered through the lovely gardens, just pushing out the early spring buds, and gazed at Rodin's sculptures which were dotted around. We had lunch in the sun sitting outside the cafe and then tackled the museum. Rodin was prolific and the building houses many of his great works.

'The Thinker' dominates the formal garden.

Coffee and cake in the sun. lovely!

On our way home we crossed the bridge over the Canauxrama Boat Dock, a canal near our new apartment. You can just see the Bastille monument in the distance.

The little car is plugged into electricity... A common sight.

And... This is how the furniture is moved in!

The next day we strolled down the Rue Cler which houses a thriving traditional Parisienne neighbourhood with workaday charm. The street is traffic free and is lined with shops selling everyday essentials - wine, cheese, chocolate, bread, meat. There is a PO and a bank, restaurants and flower shops. We couldn't resist the produce and bought strawberries, cold meats, pastries, bagettes and cheese and went home to eat our goodies. There's no doubt that the French have good food!

Cheese shop with a mind boggling selection.

Same for the delicatessen... Meats, pate, small goods of every description.

Asparagus spears arranged like battlements.

A day later we returned to The Marais area and the Place Des Vosges to buy a book I saw and should have bought the first time we were there. While we were there we saw the very interesting little car below.

These two seater( one behind the other) vehicles are a great answer to the traffic in narrow medieval lanes. They can back into parallel parking places and not be parked in. They don't seem to have windows which could be a bit chilly in the winter. Glenn says they are roofed motor scooters which they are I guess.

Probably the most interesting of all the museums we saw was the Salvadore Dali Museum. I have long been interested in his Surrealist view of the world and the works we saw were amazing, startling and sometimes beautiful. His juxtapositioning of exceptionally well drawn and familiar objects in unfamiliar ways is unsettling.

He was an original talent.

 

The Petit Palais museum is an impressive building with a delightful courtyard and cafe and some lovely Art Nouveau vases, timepieces and ceramics.

We also saw a stunning exhibition of illuminated manuscripts too, with superb colours and fine detail, which kept us gazing for ages. Neither of us can remember where but we did see a lot of museums in the space of a few days and they tend to run together!

Lunch again!

We thought this was a great system which allows people to pick up a push bike in one place and drop it in another. The cost for a year is minimal and they are greatly patronized. Cyclists have recently won the right to their own designated bike paths through the city streets so can ride safely.Take note Sydney!

Before we left Paris we took the metro to Gare du Nord to find out where to catch the train to Beauvais where the regional airport is located. We were warned that the railway station was a nightmare and it did take some sorting out as nothing is in English. We bought our tickets in advance and had no problems on the day with the exception of being roused on by the nice ticket collector on the train for not validating the ticket before we left... Which we knew nothing about!!!

 

March- April 2013

26.3.13

Our carefully planned trip to Paris with Malaysian Airlines, via KL with a short stopover didn't eventuate. For once we were at the front of the queue to check in when we were handed a piece of paper apologizing for the fact that the scheduled flight had been delayed for ten hours due to illness of the second officer. Another one had to be flown in and he needed the mandatory ten hour break before flying again. So, there was a frantic shuffle of passengers to other airlines and we were eventually fobbed off to Cathay Pacific. We had no sooner had our ticketing completed than the very sad lady from Cathay Pacific came to tell us the bad news, something had fallen off the plane and she could no longer be responsible for us, so we were handed back to MAS.

They placated us with free meal vouchers and we spent the next few hours becoming closely acquainted with all the other passengers left in limbo with us.

Five hours later we were issued with boarding passes for a Qantas flight to London.. and a connecting flight to Paris. We checked the luggage in at last and were rushed through the express lanes onto the plane which was revving up on the runway and plonked into seats at opposite ends of the plane. On the way past the welcoming hosties we told them we were in love but were in separate seats. We were no sooner in the air than we were moved to exit seats with all the legroom in the world. We were disappointed that it wasn't first class or at least business but were grateful for small mercies. Same thing happened on the London to Paris leg so 'we no complain'.

Despite our problems we arrived at the door of our apartment in Paris just as the agent was letting the other six of our friends in the door. .. talk about good timing after all. There were hugs and kisses all round and great excitement as we explored our two, two bedroom apartments, one above the other and oh so French!

The apartment is in a small cobbled lane on the Ile Saint Louis and when we walk to the end of the lane we look directly at the back of Notre Dame Cathedral across the Seine.

We have done two guided walks which were excellent. The guides are young, educated and native to the area of the walk and very knowledgeable and passionate about their place. The first was through the Marais, which contains more per-Revolutionary lanes and buildings than anywhere else in Paris and is Medieval. Once bohemian, it is now vibrant and trendy. We saw so many places we would have missed on our own including the street art which our guide William pointed out and explained.

The second walk was in the Montmartre district, the picturesque village once home to Van Gogh, Edith Piaf and Picasso. We met our young guide Marie outside the metro station almost opposite Moulin Rouge and Le Chat Noir. We walked uphill past shops with delicious pastries and wonderful leather goods towards the top. On the way we saw the houses of such notable artists as Renoir, Van Gogh, Utrillo and Toulouse-Lautrec. The Place Du Tertre was filled with artists painting and selling their art and it has been the town square of the village of Montmartre since medieval times.

At the top, on Paris' highest point sits Sacre Coeur Basilica. Interestingly, the exterior is laced with gypsum which whitens with age. Inside is the impressive dome, decorated with a mosaic high above the altar where Christ exposes his sacred heart, burning with love and compassion for humanity.

We were there on Good Friday and watched the Stations of the Cross, a re-enactment of Christ's journey, carrying his cross up to Mt. Golgotha to be crucified. The crowds were enormous and devout, a reminder that France is 80% Catholic.

On Saturday the day dawned cold and overcast with a smattering of snowflakes and six of us went to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, final resting place of many notable people, including Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Chopin, Proust, Sarah Bernhardt and artists Gericault, Delacroix,Seurat, and Modigliani.

The 100 acre cemetery has 70,000 of tombs crammed in every which way but still accepts new residents. Price of a 21sq foot plot is in excess of €II,000! It is huge and confusing and the guide book says "have you had enough of dead people? Thank God you can leave" ..... And we did.

The big night, the purpose of our trip to Paris arrived. Carol's 70th birthday. How great it was to be with good friends to celebrate in such a place and such a way. We all tarted up and I must say Brian looked very fetching in his red bow tie. We followed our instructions to the office where we were bussed to the venue and then lined up briefly outside before we went into The Moulin Rouge for dinner and a show. There were a thousand people closely packed into the venue and seated. We were right near the stage, so close in fact that Zig had feathers tickling him all night.

Jan, Zig, Susan, Jenny, Glenn, Carol and Brian.

I took the photo just before we entered Moulin Rouge where photography was not allowed.

The very nice meal accompanied by wine was served and cleared with speed and efficiency and then the lights dimmed and the show began. And what a show it was! It was a fast moving, tasteful and glamorous whirl of bare -breasted women and athletic and graceful male dancers all wearing stunning costumes. There was also a 'Cirque d' Soleil ' element with a clever ventriloquist and exceptional acrobatics. The entire show was colourful and totally engrossing, and a perfect way to celebrate Carol's birthday.

The next morning we went to Notre Dame for the Gregorian Mass. We got there half an hour before it started thinking we 'd be early but just managed to get Into the cathedral where it was standing room only. Every seat was taken and people were standing in every possible space for the entire Mass. The singing from the all male choir was beautiful, despite being in French of course. We all met for a delicious lunch and then went different ways.

Mass at Notre Dame.

some interesting street scenes.

 

 

Jauuary, February, March 2013

Shortly after we arrived back on the coast we did a house sit for Ben, Angie and children while they went to Queensland for their annual holiday. We fed and watered three chickens, two guinea pigs, one rabbit, two goldfish and Tiger the cat. All went well except that Tiger spent every night curled up at our feet on the end of the bed. We knew he had to be locked in the house at night but missed the bit about it being in the laundry! We enjoyed the experience but were happy to hand back the menagerie when their young owners returned.

The weather has been so incredibly wet with flooding rains and high winds and many people evacuated from homes ... again! Sadly, as a result, our annual Dragons Abreast club camping weekend didn't eventuate. The ground was saturated and far too boggy for those in tents and the constant rain would have doused our fire. Instead we all had a great day indoors at Sandra and Greg's house, eating the snags leftover from our Bunnings fundraiser bar-b-q with lots of laughter, a few drinks and coffees from barrista extra-ordinaire Greg. Thank you both.

It's been a period of notable birthdays with Glenn's mother Laurel celebrating 90 years on January 30th. The girls in the family took her to High Tea in Newcastle and we took her out to lunch on the day. Unfortunately Angie couldn't be there as she was in Queensland on their family holiday. Laurel is extremely well and looking after herself in her own home with some support for gardening, shopping and cleaning. She thoroughly enjoyed her first high tea and the beautifully presented food on delicate china. She has been using my iPad a lot so we bought her one of her own. She loves playing solitaire and memory games and is learning more about it as she goes.

We have spent quite a lot of time with her which has been lovely for us all. We have stowed a lot of excess gear from the van in her garage too, which is great as our place is still rented.

 

 

Opening gifts.

 

Moeana with flowers for her great grandmother Laurel... G'ma Lolly.

On the same day as Laurel turned 90, longtime friends Terry and twin sister Diane (in London) turned 70. We had a delicious birthday lunch with close friends overlooking Terrigal Beach, and toasted Terry on the spot, and Diane, his 'womb mate', from a distance. Kylie and Adam brought along baby Tyler to meet us all and we had a great time catching up.

Next on the birthday list was baby sister Nanette, who turned 60 last week. We had a gathering of three generations to celebrate at Riverstone, not too far from where Nan and Ken live in Wilberforce. Her close friend Tina arrived loaded with flowering shrubs and the cake was delicious.

Then there was Glenn hitting the number 65, along with so many of our 'baby boomer' friends, all delighted to be getting a little gift from the government under the heading of 'older Australians'. Life is just grand!

We met with four of our six fellow travellers to Europe at the Davistown RSL to finalize plans for our trip to Paris. We will be coming from different points to spend a week celebrating Carol's very special 70th birthday, and then going our separate ways for the rest of the time.

We have also spent time with Cush and our little granddaughters Moeana and Mathilda. They climb into bed with us in the mornings and wriggle us awake not long after sunrise. Glenn has been replacing screens on doors and windows and doing odd jobs while I made new curtains for Moe's bedroom. Can't believe how quickly the children are growing.

After the time with Cush we set off in the van for a few days. I have to say it's great to be back in our little home with everything at our fingertips. Yesterday we went to Dungog to visit friends Pamela and Chris who have recently moved there from Sydney. They love it and have settled in to the slower pace and but enjoy a busy social life. After meeting them for coffee, the four of us went to see Dorothy and Barry, friends from Terrigal who have built a beautiful home with magnificent views of the hills just out of town. They are very happy there too and think Dungog is a great country town.

Yesterday we drove to Telegherry in the Barrington tops where we have camped before in a beautiful forest park. Unfortunately it was closed after the heavy rains so we camped at the day use area which we shared with three guys who were heading off today on their mountain bikes through the fire trails. It was muddy and misty but a fine night. This morning we went for a walk and saw a Lyrebird. We paddled across the flooded causeway and filled our lungs with fresh mountain air.

After leaving Telegherry we headed to Wingham, my childhood home town, hoping to camp on the banks of the Manning River in the Wingham Brush, famous for the flying fox colony there. Again we were disappointed to find the road closed due to flood damage. We toured around the town, visited the old home and had a good dose of nostalgia. (Glenn is a very patient man). We consulted our Camps 6, and decided to try for another forest park just NW of Moorland where we are now. There are about 7 other vans/tents here, a few camp fires on the large grassed area with toilets and water. The night sky is brilliant with stars. How we love this life!

One low point. Glenn beat me at cards again tonight!

Sunday. 17.3.13

We spent the morning sitting in the sun working through our bank statements for the last 12 months to see where we spent so much money. It's an interesting breakdown and so far fuel, food and alcohol figure largely. Eventually we suspended that activity and packed up and moved on.

We drove to SW Rocks to the Crispies house and picked up the conversation where we left off last time we saw them. Good friends are a treasure. Jim has been trekking in Nepal to a school in the village of Gudal, which has financial support from a School in Singapore where he and Joan worked. Joan is jet lagged after returning from the states yesterday. Gadabouts! The men played golf of course and Joan and I went out for some retail therapy before whiling away a few hours playing scrabble.

We headed back to Newcastle to Cush and sky-diving the next day, March 20th. It was an early getup to be at the airport at Peats Ridge by 8am where we had a briefing on the safety aspects of the jump and donned our special harness and pretty red pants which were designed to protect clothing on landing. Glenn was in charge of the grandkids, Moeana and Mathilda during the jump.

Signing the paperwork.

Gearing up.

We each had an experienced jumper with us for our tandem jumps and during the flight we were hitched together. Matt was the first and he looked a bit apprehensive as he and the instructor edged towards the open door of the helicopter and dangled their legs in space. As they tipped forward and rolled out of the helicopter, all I could see was his open, screaming mouth as he disappeared below.

Next was Cush. The sound of the rotors above was deafening and the air was cold as it rushed into the helicopter cabin. Cush was nervous and several expletives escaped her lips as she tumbled forward and out of sight.

Next was me and instructor Phil and together we did a crab crawl from the space behind the pilot to the open doorway. All the while the pilot was deeply concentrating on holding the helicopter steady as each couple jumped. A few deep breaths and over the edge we went, doing a complete somersault and looking up at the underbelly of the chopper before free-falling. The sensation was indescribable as I settled, arms outstretched, and surveyed the earth below. The rush of air past my ears was deafening and everything flapped.... I didn't realize just how much until later when I looked at the video and saw my face wobbling!

Then the parachute opened and jerked hard on my harness, jolting me upright and leaving some memorable bruises. Everything was quiet then as we floated down to earth. There was time to look around at farms and highways, trees and water, and to have a go at steering the chute in one direction or another by pulling on the controls.

I watched Matt and Cush land without misshap below us and we came in for a soft landing too, the instructor doing all the work while I held my legs up out of the way.

After gathering in the parachutes, the six of us walked back to the 'office' where we climbed out of our gear and celebrated our brave adventure!! What a great time we had.

 

 

To make the day an absolute standout, later we celebrated the birth of Eden Summer Munday, sixth child of Ben and Angie and sister to Alex, Milli, Jacob, Addison and Isabelle. We are now very proud and thankful grandparents of eight treasured grandchildren.

Six days later we caught the train to the airport and were on our way to Paris.