I'm just wild about Harrod's

Back on the tube at 9.30am this morning and in the queue to buy tickets for the State rooms at Buckingham Palace by 10am.  One and a bit hours later we finally got to the front of the queue and purchased our tickets in about one minute flat – what takes everyone else so long????  We had time to go and find something to eat and drink and a toilet before our twelve o’clock entry.  Although there were so many people and there was a fair amount of shuffling along and feeling like sheep it was well worth the money and the crowds to wander through the state rooms of the Palace.  Saw the quadrangle and the main covered entry point into the staterooms where the carriages pull up and then walked through all the grand drawing rooms, dining rooms and reception rooms.  Certainly very splendid and tasteful and all the floors are covered with beautiful carpets.  One wonders whether they are replaced at the end of every tourist season as they are tramped over by thousands of pairs every day but they certainly haven’t cut any corners with providing luxurious floor coverings although I noted that various gilded doors and staircases had Perspex coverings which presumably are removed the rest of the year.

Ended the visit by stepping through the same passages as those who arrive for the famous garden parties and out to the rear garden (garden? 30 acres!).  Could just imagine the Queen stepping out with the corgis to let them stretch their legs on the vast area of lawn – barricaded off from us mere mortals but we were allowed to wander along the garden path past the lakes filled with water fowl.  Today is an absolutely beautiful blue sunny day with a maximum of about 27 degrees so it was a very pleasant stroll and a pocket of peace and tranquillity in the midst of the busy city.   We eventually headed back out into the real world and cut through Belgravia (okay, not quite the real world) to Harrod’s.  We were starting to think it might be about lunchtime and were convinced of it whilst walking through the foodhall where they had the most scrumptious looking roast beef sandwiches for sale.  Grabbed one of those each and headed back outside to devour them then back inside for a wander through the departments of Harrod’s that appealed such as the pet, toy and sports sections.  Also had a wander through the children’s international fashion section but Kate and Chloe missed out as we couldn’t quite afford the 300GBP Dolce and Gabana handbags for girls. L

Harrod’s is undergoing upgrades and renovations (as is the rest of London in preparation for next year’s Olympics) so the Chocolate Cafe was closed which was probably a good thing as it meant a) we will still be able to fit into our clothes tomorrow and b) we were forced to push on and walk down the road to the Natural History Museum.  Not that pleasant a walk actually as it was HOT by then and the sun was right in our faces so grateful to disappear into the cool and dark depths of the museum.   Headed straight for the dinosaur exhibit which is a great mix of skeletons, fossils and animatronic dinosaurs.  The T Rex still manages to eye you off as you walk past like he wants to take your head off – remember it frightening the heck out of Kate when she was 3.  Then made our way over to the Earth wing – love riding the giant escalator up through the model of the earth with the molten core. 

Could feel our feet starting to get pretty sore so up Exhibition Road to Hyde Park where we sat on the grass and enjoyed the sunshine and watching all the people ‘mucking about in boats’ on the Serpentine.  A few girls trotted past on their ponies along Rotten Row but none of them thought to offer me a ride (didn’t they know how tired my feet were?!!).  Eventually decided we weren’t going to magically teleport back to G&J’s so staggered over to Kensington tube station and caught the train back to Bermondsey. Just enough energy to get back to the house with a quick stop off at Tesco’s for milk and cider (the two essentials of life) and then collapsed on the couch.  Jeremy arrived home shortly after us and we had a BBQ to celebrate the summery weather.  Glen arrived home about 9pm having done one of his long days (has to fit 5 days of work into 4) and we knocked off the rest of the meringue and icecream.

A big kid in a big city!

A day to keep Larry happy -  a ride on a ferris wheel, a visit to a chocolate shop and finally a toy store -  what more can a big kid want in London? J.

The day started grey and over cast (despite the warm and sunny forecast) with a rushed bus trip to the London Eye for the prepaid 10am ride. Arrived just in time and even though the sky was overcast it was still a great view.  Very enjoyable and a must for a visitor to London as it gives a great overview of all the sights.  Arrived back onto the ground and after a 10 minute walk we arrived at Trafalgar Square to meet up with Sarah who arrived shortly after we did.

Went through the National Portrait Gallery which was very interesting with a short story next to most of the paintings giving an insight into some of the history of this country.  There are paintings that were so life like that you wouldn’t be surprised if one blinked.

Larry’s grumbling stomach led us to an English pub in the West End for lunch which was thoroughly enjoyed by the three of us.  Sarah and Jenny had a yummy strawberry and lime cider which also went down very well.  Now restored with full stomachs, more sight seeing was on the agenda until we came across the three story M&M store. Larry was off in a flash leaving Sarah and Jenny to do the casual viewing of this fine establishment.  Larry got to have a very quick look (half an hour!!!) around before being rushed out of the store by the girls L.

More wandering through the streets until we got to Hamley’s toy store, 5 stories of toys, WOW. Lots of things to see and try and you have to be careful with constant ambushes by staff playing with the toys.  As you would expect from a huge toy store there was an enormous range to look at.  A few items were purchased for the Bender/Easton clan so if they are reading this blog they will now know they are scoring some goodies J.

A visit to the Liberty department store was next on the agenda which is a fascinating store. Very old fashioned building/shop lay out which was very pleasant compared to the huge open spaced buildings we are used to.  A few items were also purchased here so we could get a Liberty bag and Jenny was very excited bolting from one gorgeous Englishy Christmas decoration to the next.  Sarah was very patient with her auntie’s exuberance in this shop.   Stopped for afternoon tea in the coffee shop before heading on.  Walked down Bond Street and Sarah and Jenny admired the amazing jewellery on display in the windows of the famous jewellery stores.  For some reason Larry walked very fast down the street – he must have been in a hurry to get to Fortnum and Mason!   Visited the sweets and tea sections and also the hamper and Christmas sections but not for too long as Larry had just about enough of department stores by this stage.

On the way to Green Park tube station we decided a sit down in the park was the go, which by the amount of people in the park was a popular decision.  A good way to relax and talk and finish the day with Sarah who is looking well and is enjoying her London experience.

Time to part company with Sarah and take the tube back to G&J’s house to get ready for dinner as we promised them a meal out as a thank you for their generosity.  A thoroughly enjoyable meal at a Bavarian Beer Hall was had by the four of us.  After at least a stein of beer each between us, Jeremy and Jenny made the somewhat foolhardy decision to try a ‘porno brasse’ for a finisher – a packet of sherbet with a shot of vodka.  You are supposed to tip the sherbet into your mouth, knock back the vodka, then shake your head violently to mix it all up in your mouth.  There was a slightly fear of frothing at the mouth but it was actually more like having a mouthful of popping rocks and had us giggling like the big kid Larry had been all day.  With full stomachs we waddled back to home via the tube to collapse in bed for a very sound sleep.  

The streets of London

Casual start to the day with a walk into the city to sort out some banking issues. After that we caught the tube to St James Park to visit the Palace. Lots of squirrels and geese in the park and they are not shy at all. All was going well until we arrived near Buckingham Palace just as the changing of the guard was taking place. A very large crowd was watching and it was very difficult to get around to purchase tickets for viewing part of the palace. Huge lines and we heard via the grapevine that there was a two hour wait just to buy the tickets. Looking at the line we believed the rumour and headed back out of the crowd through the park to the horse guards area and out past Downing Street, lots of armed police around the entrance.

After lunch we walked across the bridge next to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, took the tourist photos and headed off to the London Eye to get info for tomorrow as we didn’t have the time to go on it as we had to meet Glen at Piccadilly Circus for a sightseeing walk.  Very interesting getting the guided tour of the West End including fascinating back alleys that ooze history.  All this was going very well until we arrived at the bus stop to go back to G & J’s house and the forecasted rain arrived. Three of us standing under one umbrella waiting for the bus was starting to get uncomfortable but finally it arrived and we were very thankful of that. The rain basically stopped as we were on the bus and started again when we got off for a ten minute walk back to the house. Oh well it is London. J

Larry wanted to see the foxes that infest this area of London so he accompanied Glen and Martin on their walk. No foxes but Martin came close to being torn apart by an Akita fighting dog.  For some reason he snarled at the Akita but very fortunate for Martin the other dog was very well trained and brought up and it just ignored him. I think Martin should be buying a lotto ticket for his fortunate escape.

Arrived back to a Turkey and cheese risotto with fresh bread, mmmmmmmmmm very, very nice and we are being spoilt rotten with meals as the ice cream maker is humming in the back ground and when it is finished we have another giant meringue to smash into it, oh heaven J.

Larry's second favourite day

For a Sunday morning we were amazingly ‘up and at em’ and out the door on our way to Duxford and the Imperial War Air Museum by 9am.  It was the second box to be ticked for Larry and with great anticipation we arrived at the airfield. As an ex RAAFie Larry was like a kid in a lolly shop, the exhibits were amazing with a large range of old and new. Over 180 pics were taken and the surprise was a great Land Warfare exhibition at the end of the airfield. Very well put together with more tanks and guns that you could poke a stick at. A number of tanks and German soldier dummies were arranged around rubble to give an excellent idea of what it was like during the war. All in all a great day at the museum.  Jenny, Glen and Jeremy were extremely patient with the aircraft junkie.

After the museum we journeyed to the heart of Cambridge to wander around this old city.  Very charming with the the river Cam running through it. Lots of people doing the ‘punting’ thing with the added bonus of watching one of the tourist poleman falling into the canal and by his reaction it was very cold. Very peaceful wandering around and with light failing we had to leave to get back to London to pick up Martin from the dog sitter and get the pizza organised. Beer and pizza for dinner after a day at an aircraft museum, a great day I would think.

Being Bermies

Didn’t really sleep in as it is much lighter here in the mornings but we didn’t exactly leap out of bed either as Jeremy brought us a cuppa in ‘bed’ and we checked emails etc with Martin snuggled up in the  duvet between us.  His long legs means he takes up a lot more of the bed than Bonnie does!  We eventually got up and G&J made us eggs, bacon and muffins for breakfast while we read the Saturday morning Guardian –we are being spoilt rotten.  We were absolutely happy to just ‘go with the flow’ today and it was so nice not to have to be anywhere or to do anything or to have to read a map or tourist guide.  We took Martin with us and sauntered off to through the ‘housing estate’ section of Bermondsey to the little markets that have opened up under the arches of the train line into London Bridge.  Lots of artisan bakers, butchers and cheesemongers who apparently supply to Southwark restaurants.  They have all relocated from a weekend market near Waterloo which has become too overpriced and crowded thanks to a few ‘celebrity chefs’ and newspaper articles that have identified them as the place to go for gourmet produce.   Jeremy bought a sour dough loaf for our dinner tonight and we had a coffee at a bean roasting place before walking up to Bermondsey Street proper. 

Today is the Bermondsey Street festival so the street was cordoned off and every local community group and shop had stalls lining the pavement.  Bermondsey Street is actually along the same line as the original Roman Road that led in from the east into London Bridge and one of the restaurants has a glass floor where you can look down onto the foundations  of an old Roman building).  We wandered up and down and popped into a few shops including a designer cat and dog collar/lead shop where a fancy-schmancy collar can set you back about 80 pounds.  There were lots of dogs in the store with their owners and plenty more outside wearing the collars so the store doesn’t look like going out of business any time soon.  Suffice to say that we didn’t buy one for Bonnie or Ducati though!  They are certainly a lot more liberal about allowing dogs places in Europe – basically Martin can go anywhere with Glen and Jeremy – shops, bars, trains, buses – just not into anywhere that serves food. 

We eventually headed towards a big grassed  square along the road which was filled with tents selling food and drinks.  A whole suckling pig roasting on a spit threw a thin aromatic trail of smoke across the crowd of people sitting at tables and chairs enjoying the autumn sunshine.  We nabbed a table and sat down for deliciously refreshing bottle of Stella Artois cider (comes in pint bottles!) and fed Martin the ice cubes out of the plastic cups.  We had him looking beautiful and topped up with doggie treats as we had him entered in the ‘most handsome dog’ section of the afternoon dog show.  Unfortunately he was up against some stiff competition including another whippet wearing a garish collar from the store we had visited early and who were sponsoring the dog show – guess which dog made it through to the top 6!  We told Martin it didn’t matter and that it wasn’t his fault the judges had no taste but he did disappear under the table for a sulk whilst we had a few more drinks back at the bar.  Some of Glen and Jeremy’s friends turned up and sat with us and some of their neighbours walked past and stopped and chatted so it was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.  Most of the time there would be one plane or other flying overhead and Glen had an application on his phone that allowed him to track it and tell us what it was so we welcomed various planes into Heathrow and London City airports.  Just scary where the application shows you ALL the planes at once and you realise just how many planes are up there at once.

Eventually headed home with Robin and Ian in tow where we had a few glasses of wine and continued chatting.  Couldn’t convince them to stay for tea though as they thought they had imposed enough which was a shame as they really missed out.  Jeremy made a fantastic lemon and chicken pasta which we had with the sour dough bread and for dessert Jeremy had prepared home- made vanilla icecream which we had with a GIANT meringue which had strawberry syrup (jam? Fruit?) through it to give it lovely pink swirls and flavouring – will try and reproduce one at home as it was REALLY yummy.  Larry just can’t resist walking past a bakery that sells them!

We watched a bit of ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and another episode of Doctor Who (they are all saved on G&J’s clever telly) and then went to bed but not straight to sleep as we were all suffering from a massive sugar rush. J

Boats, trains and automobiles

We had to have an early start this morning as we had a lot of ground to cover and a boat to catch.  A pity as we didn’t have the best night’s sleep thanks to Mnsr Thump-thump in the room above.  It was still pretty dark as we walked over to breakfast at 7am, fuelled us up and then the car and on the road by 8am.  We got onto the motorway heading north and up and over the Pont du Normandie and then wended our way north through who knows what as the fog was pretty dense.  Larry basically followed 50 metres behind another car and watched its lights so that we knew which way the road bent and whether there was any braking to be done.  We negotiated the toll booths without any dramas and pulled over after about an hour and a half for a stretch of the legs and Larry’s obligatory morning Coke.  Such an incredibly big roadhouse with surrounding landscaped gardens we had to take photos.  Continued on and made to Calais about 10.45am – 267 kilometres covered pretty quickly at 130 km/h!  We wended our way through to the car ferry terminal and were a bit uncertain as to where the Europcar depot was – turned out it was right in the terminal and we just couldn’t face heading back out into the town to fill the car up so will just cop the cost of topping up the tank. 

We were so early checking in, the P&O ferry lady offered us a seat on an earlier boat at 12.05pm.  Figured it was better than sitting around in a pretty desolate ferry terminal and only a 20 minute wait instead so we were pulling out of Calais and sitting eating lunch on the Pride of Burgundy (Cornish pasties) by 12.30pm.   Very calm and smooth trip although it was a bit too bracing to stay outside taking the sea air for too long even though it had turned into a lovely sunny day.  Arrived in Dover about 1.30pm and walked through yet another deserted terminal and over to the travel office where a shuttle bus was waiting to take us to Dover Priory train station.  A train for London left about 10 minutes after we got there so we hopped on and headed off for London Bridge station.  Texted Glen from the train and he was waiting for us at the station.  Was lovely to see him and a familiar face.  We walked down to his office at City Hall and dumped our suitcases there and Glen went back to work for a couple of hours while we stretched our legs by doing a circuit around London and Tower Bridges.  Stopped for a sandwich and coffee and then outside the Tower of London to check out the ‘tourist tat’ – far superior to French tourist tat but probably a bit more expensive – a Christmas tree ornament of Henry VIII and his six wives for 45 pounds!!!  

Made our way back to City Hall and collected Glen and our suitcases, then headed to Glen’s ‘local’ for a refreshing ale with some of his workmates.  Decided it was too late and too far to walk back to G&J’s with the suitcases so hailed a taxi and were back there in 5 minutes flat.  Jeremy was there to welcome us as was Martin T Whippet who warmed to Larry pretty quickly and was curled up on his lap by the end of the evening.  Stayed up til about 11pm chatting and watching Dr Who before unfolding the couch and sleeeeeep. J

On the cider trail

The weather just told us it is going to be 13 degrees in Perth tomorrow – really??  Today we woke to clear blue skies and although it was brisk to begin with it was shirt sleeve weather for most of the day.  We had another yummy breakfast this morning as it was included in our room tariff and this time we scored a window seat overlooking the beach.  Ate our fill and then went and played with the most overexcited silky terrier outside while we took photos of the hotel and packed the car.  Absolutely cute little dog who kept dashing from one of us to the other with his green squeaky frog – almost tempted to smuggle him into the car.  We drove to Pegasus Bridge and made it there just as a bus load of tourists turned up but luckily they headed straight for the souvenir shop and didn’t spoil our views/photos of the bridge.  Went over the Museum and saw the ‘real’ bridge in the garden but didn’t bother going in to the museum proper.  Decided that we had pretty much ‘ticked the box’ on the whole D-day thing so we headed inland to the very pretty town of Beauvron-en-Auge –one of the ‘hundred loveliest villages in France’.  It is filled with 17^th and 18^th century half timbered houses and a lovely market square and combined with colourful flowers in window sills and gardens it was very picturesque.  Unfortunately we had to share it with about 3 bus loads of tourists who all seemed to be Japanese.   It was a challenge to take photos without 3 or 4 of them posing in front of things but we did manage and then wandered off onto some side streets while they bought their required crepe and bottle of calvados and disappeared again.  We took the Route de Cidre recommended by the tourist office lady and drove through some very pretty countryside filled with apple orchards, chateaux and racehorses (the Pays d’Auge is strewn with famous stud farms).  Just a pity that Larry couldn’t really take his eyes off the narrow and winding roads as cars kept hurtling around blind bends at him. 

Still fairly early so we thought we would head towards the Chateau of William the Conqueror which according to my map book was sitting right between where we were and our destination of Honfleur.  Kevin got us there but it looked very uninviting with big barred gates and we found out later that it is only open to the public in July and August.  Continued to Honfleur and arrived about 12.30pm.  Made our way to our motel hoping to check in early but the gates were barred there too so we made our way back to the centre of Honfleur to have some lunch.  An absolutely beautiful warm, sunny day so it wasn’t any hardship at all to choose an alfresco table on the edge of the old harbour and have a galette and a cider (we we had just done the cider route!).  Lots of people also seemed to think there wasn’t a better place to be alive and were also enjoying food, sunshine and good company.  About 2pm we headed back to Motel les Bleuets and the gates were miraculously open so we spent a couple of hours relaxing and doing some ‘paperwork’ on the computer, working out our route for our big day of travelling tomorrow etc.  Got a message from Margaret via our blog reminding us of our sightseeing obligations in Honfleur so headed back down into town about 4pm.

Caught the little train up the Cote de Grace to the little church of St Catherine and a lookout over Honfleur and all the way over to Le Havre and the Pont du Normandie which we will head over tomorrow.  I read somewhere that its span is as long as the Champs Elysees so it is pretty impressive.  When the little train got back into Honfleur it was stopped as the drawbridge to the old harbour was up to let out a whole lot of yachts going out for a race so we jumped off the train rather than sit in it for 5 minutes (it was pretty packed so not that comfy) and headed off through the winding streets of Honfleur.  We HAD to stop at the Jeff de Bruges chocolate shop and buy a little packet of 7 YUMMY chocolates for about 4 euro but worth every bite and we justified it by calling it dessert for the dinner we would have a bit later.  Wandered through the streets and popped in and out of shops until we decided to just have early dinner and head back to the motel figuring a spa or sauna might be in order.  It remained a clear and still evening so we sat alfresco out on the old harbour again and I had the required moules and frites and a glass of Pastis to celebrate our last evening in France (for now!)  Were a little concerned about the fact the police, fire brigade and ambulance turned up on the other side of the harbour and saw them all rush down to the jetty alongside the boats.  It appeared that someone had stepped off the walkway above and gone into the water and were needing medical attention – they were eventually carried off on a stretcher and with a drip attached.  Most of the waiters from the different restaurants came out to see what was going on but I can’t believe it is an uncommon event as there are so many tourists walking right near the edge (of course being France there is no barrier) and looking at the amazing scenery/taking photos and not looking where they are going.

We have got back to the Motel to find the spa/sauna is closed to I get to write this while Larry has his traditional snooze along to the sound of furiously typing fingers.  I might get him to take a turn at blogging tomorrow. :O

Today is D-day

We watched the most hilarious movie last night on the telly – a real French farce from the ‘60’s which basically involved a James Bond lookalike and his gorgeous sidekick having adventures in Brazil after their maniacal Japanese pilot jumped from the plane cackling insanely and they crash landed in the jungle.  Lucky he had a gun and could shoot (and then roast unskinned) a crocodile for their dinner.  I have not laughed so much in years – we both had tears streaming down our faces. 

Another yummy breakfast this morning and then said goodbye with reluctance to our lovely hotel room with its deep luxurious bath and its brutally honest shaving mirror.  We used Kevin to get out of town but then threw ‘her’ into a spin when we decided to shortcut up to St Lo via Percy rather than by following the motorways.  We eventually had to turn Kevin off as she was sounding increasingly perturbed that we refused to turn right, then sharp right again to get us back on track.  When we got past St Lo we turned her on again to get us to Pointe du Hoc and she immediately got her revenge by sending us some increasingly local roads until eventually we got to a no-thru-road farmtrack with the road we wanted on the other side of the hedgerow.  A couple of ‘recalculations’ and we were back on track and reached the Pointe by 10am.  Only a few people there so we could wander along the path and take photos of a desolate looking lunar landscape without people in the way.  It was fascinating to see the huge holes blown in the ground from the shells that rained down on the Germans before D-Day and we went down into bunkers and ammunition stores and got a bit of an idea of what it must have been like 70 odd years ago.  There were lots of knowledgeable people there talking to groups so developed the tactic of standing nearby and videoing so learnt some interesting facts such as none of the guns actually being there when the Rangers finally got to the batteries as the Germans had taken them and hidden them in a nearby orchard.

Spent about an hour there before heading on and stopped a bit further down the road at a great road-side D-day museum filled with WWII memorabilia and playing the required Glen Miller soundtrack in the background.  A veritable jumble sale of paraphernalia collected from the war or that had been subsequently dug up as well mementoes that have handed over by survivors such as a Swastika armband with an affidavit saying “I took this from a German that we captured wearing US uniform and who was subsequently executed by firing squad”.  Just totally amazing and Larry was in seventh heaven as the museum lady gave him permission to take as many photos as he liked.

Time to move on and headed to Omaha Beach and drove along its length stopping at the memorial to get out and walk along the sand.  The tide was out so you could see just what a long trek from the water to the other side of the beach it would have been for the landing forces.   Amazing any of them made it at all when you consider that the Germans were razing them with machine guns capable of shooting 1200 bullets per minute.  The only saving grace that I could see was that the sand is very firm so not such a hard slog as if you were trying to cross a Perth beach with 70 pounds worth of equipment on your back.  On to the American Cemetery where it was brought home exactly how many thousands didn’t make it across the beach or in the following days of the invasion.  An extremely sobering experience to see the rows and rows of crosses but very impressive to see the military precision with which they line up from every angle.  We spent some time looking into the visitor centre and watched a short movie which put names and faces to some of the crosses outside.  So sad that so many young lives cut short – some of them only a few years older than our boys.

Hunger eventually drove us out and stopped for a ‘quick snack’ at a cafe down the road – three different types of Normandy cheese on toast with accompanying egg salad – very yummy.  Drove on to Longues-sur-mer and the German battery with bunkers and guns still fairly intact.  Larry did his usual trick of making me exercise straight after a meal by making me walk the entire circuit so we could get to the lookout (sighting and control bunker) but worth the walk as we got our first sight of all the Mulberry harbour remnants out in the water of the bay.  Started drizzling just as we got back in the car but the rain gods remain on our side as it miraculously stopped when we got to Arromanches and we were able to sit on the edge of the ocean wall and have an icecream looking out over Port Winston.  Wandered along the sea front and did a quick tour of the tack shops and suddenly realised it was after 5pm and that it was probably time to head on to our overnight stop.  Reached St Aubin sur Mer and our hotel reasonably easily as Kevin decided to be co-operative and checked into our hotel which is right on the sea front.  Although our room doesn’t face the sea we can see it out of window at an angle and we may possibly hear it tonight if the two old ladies in the room next door ever stop talking.

We had a wander down the seaside promenade before dinner and found another D-day monument as our hotel is pretty much right on Juno beach.  Before we knew it was time for our dinner reservation as we have half board.  The lady was very good at explaining what everything was in English for us so we had some idea of what we were ordering – my limited French doesn’t go as far as the names for various types of seafood.  Had a delicious three course meal and I was very brave and had a plate of various oysters, prawns and sea snails although I drew the line at crunching on the miniature prawns that looked like something a whale should eat.  We were stuffed at the end of the meal we couldn’t finish our delicious apple tarts with caramel sauce and had to waddle up to the room and bloat on the bed for a bit before writing this. J

Le Tour de la Jardinière

We had an absolutely yummy dinner at Restaurant de la Croix d’Or last night and it was fabulously exciting because the menu was all in French and I could only work out what half of the things in each dish were so we didn’t really know what we were ordering.  But we figured it didn’t really matter as whatever we chose was going to be delicious and we were right.  The desserts were particularly fantastic but by the end of so many other courses we couldn’t really do them justice even though we had left an ‘empty corner’ a la Ben. J  Breakfast this morning was equally yummy and we filled up on cereal, yoghurt, fruit, croissants, crusty bread, juice and coffee/chocolate.

Headed off to Mont St Michel and took the scenic route around the bay rather than along the main roads and we were soon pulling over to start taking photos of the Mont as it loomed across the bay.  It was very overcast and gloomy but the forecast said no rain and we discovered later from the numerous jokey postcards at Mont St Michel that that is pretty unusual and it is one of the other things that Normandy is famous (infamous?) for.  Larry felt much more comfortable behind the wheel today and remembered to look left instead of right at roundabouts without me having to remind him.  We got to the Mont about 10am so although there were lots of people about it wasn’t hideously crowded.  We walked up the main street looking at all the souvenir shops and Larry drooled over the walls of swords, daggers, guns and other assorted arsenal.  Got told off in one shop for taking a photo of him but that was okay because the shopkeeper told off Larry and not me! J  Continued on up and up and decided not to go in the abbey but just to wander around on the ramparts and enjoy the views.  Eventually breakfast wore off and we found a nice cafe overlooking the bay and had a galette with cheese, egg and ham and a cold drink and coffee.  Feeling suitably refreshed we hit the shops again for a while then decided the crowds were increasingly annoying and that it was time to leave. 

Decided we would continue to drive west around the baie to Cancale.  Everywhere along the road there were gardeners tidying verges, roundabouts etc and quite often when we pull over somewhere to video there is the sound of lawnmowers or whipper snippers in the background.  This is becoming Le Tour of the Jardinière!  When we eventually arrived at Cancale we decided to continue through and right to the tip of Point de Grouin so that we had completely finished the arc of the baie.  Great views across the bay but Mont St Michel was just a little hazy bump on the horizon.  Larry was particularly excited by the gun turrets buried into the cliffs around the Pointe – our first real ‘taste’ of the military history of the area.  Wandered over the headlands (yes, with mowers and whipper snippers in the background) and were particularly amused that the fences were on the other side of the path from the steep crumbly cliff and were rather to keep people off areas they were trying to revegetate on the other side – plants are definitely pretty important here!!  After our fill of scenery we decided to head back to Avranches via the more major roads with one brief stop at Mont Dol as it was the highest point in the area and had great views across the plain and out across to the bay and Mont St Michel. 

Back in Avranches and it was time for some domestic chores so we drove up and down some streets hoping to stumble across a Laundromat and we actually found one just as were heading up a tiny back street and were giving up hope!  A nice lady that was already in there asked us if we needed help (in English!) so we were soon in sudsy heaven and could wander off and find a much needed toilet and something to eat. We headed into the town centre and found a kebab shop and had a kebab, frites and drink – a far cry from our fancy meal last night but we are nothing if not versatile and it certainly hit the spot alright.  Larry felt that a little dessert was in order so we headed over to a patisserie/boulangerie/glacerie which sold the most humungous meringues I have ever seen – about the size of a lawn bowl so we had one of those each and then the most enormous sugar rush so that we were giggling away whilst we strewed ourselves with crumbs.  Larry used to the opportunity whilst the dryer was on to finally work out how to use Kevin properly (putting up the aerial fully apparently makes a big difference to the satellite working properly and not freezing!!) so we made it back to the hotel easily.  After hanging up any washing that was still slightly damp after we ran out of coins at the Laundromat we walked up to the memorial to General Patton and took some photos of the tank and now we are sitting in the pretty garden at our hotel as it not too cold and it still quite light at 8pm.

Rolling, rolling, rolling..

We had a fairly leisurely start to the day as our train didn’t leave Gare du Montparnasse until 11am so we had time for breakfast at our favourite croissantery (our own word) before packing up and checking out.  All very easy getting to Montparnasse as we are old hands at the Metro by now but we were really glad we had left plenty of time when we go to Gare du Montparnasse as it was HUGE and took us ages to work our way through, find the right level, find where to print out our reserved tickets and validate them and then find the right platform.  Had time to do all that and still sit and relax and grab something to eat for the journey.  Jumped on our TGV and then sped across western France.  The train goes so quickly that it is hard to focus on anything out of the windows and probably didn’t help that we were in the backwards facing seats.  There was occasional glimpses of little villages and chateaus and churches on distant hillsides but for the most part all we saw was lots of crops and fields of cows and quite a few wind turbines which seem to be popular over here. 

The train was right on time and we pulled into Vitre at 1pm.   We were slightly dismayed to see no taxis in sight of the station and the tourist office closed until 2.30pm and that there was nowhere we could leave our suitcases in order to explore the picturesque streets of Vitre,  so decided to sit in the sun and have lunch at a boulangerie (yummy chicken and salad baguettes) and ask the cafe owners how to get a taxi.  Unfortunately our French and her English weren’t up to the task so we headed back to the train station and the nice lady selling tickets rang for a taxi for us which promptly turned up a couple of minutes later.  Arrived at the Europcar depot where we were met with one mechanic with no English and no idea why we were there.  Waved our reservation confirmation at him and he promptly jumped on the phone to (we assume) the boss who arrived about 5 minutes later.  It seemed pretty obvious by then that we weren’t expected and they didn’t have a car ready for us but ‘the boss’ rang head office and did all our details over the phone and eventually dug out a booking sheet which we filled in together (he did the French bits, we did the English bits).  Meanwhile Manuel the Mechanic rustled up an Opel Corsa for us and so we were eventually on our way.  Took the back roads to Fougeres in order to give Larry a chance to work out the car without too much traffic to stress over and in no time at all we were in the town centre.  Found a big carpark and walked to the tourist office for a badly needed toilet break and a map of the walk route to the chateau and back.  I was a bit shocked that after my efforts at asking for the toilet in French and following her instructions, the tourist office lady thought I could actually speak and understand everything in French when we asked for a map.   When I eventually asked for Anglais she asked if we were English and when we said Australian she said they had heaps of Australians in lately and asked why.  We headed off on the scenic route down to the chateau through the pretty gardens.  It was gardening day and the steep paths were strewn with hedge clippings so it was a mix of having to watch your footing and look at the amazing views down the chateau.  Spared a thought for Margaret who only a couple of months ago was here trudging up the same hill in much warmer weather (about 16 degrees here today).  Hardly anyone about at all which was such a stark contrast after the busy footpaths of Paris.  On some occasions we had a whole street to ourselves!!  Decided not to actually go into the chateau but sat on a bench outside it where we could admire the huge impenetrable walls while we had TIC and then headed back to the car.  Dug Kevin (GPS) out of the suitcase and programmed in Avranches and we started off well enough before he froze in fright and left us sitting at a roundabout with no idea where to go.  Eventually gave up on him and just followed the signs to Avranches instead.  Ended up on the motorway so only took about 10 minutes (after 20 minutes of going around Fougeres after Kevin got us lost) and found our hotel in Avranches fairly easily (but more by good luck than good management).  Light drizzly rain had started so we were happy to collapse on the bed for an hour or so and update blogs, watch telly etc before going up to the well reputed restaurant for dinner.

The Lady Jenny and Larry the Unicorn

Last night we had dinner at ‘The Beer Station’ around the corner from our hotel.  We had to go there as the two words Larry told me  had learnt in preparation for his French holiday were ‘bier’ and ‘sil vous plait’ (except that I have subsequently learnt that he also learnt how to say ‘I love you Jenny, will you marry me) J  The day had been fine and partly cloudy all day even though they had forecast showers and we had carried an umbrella around all day just in case (we decided French weather forecasters were just as useless as Australian ones) but during dinner the heavens opened and it was raining pretty heavily as we headed home – lucky it was just around the corner.  But we had to hoof it and it seems to be becoming a bit of a habit for Larry to make me exercise by jogging/climbing multitudes of stairs etc after every meal – hmmm.

Last day in Paris draws to a close, has been exciting and rewarding but we are over the seething mass of humanity.  Arrived at the Notre Dame cathedral in the morning and a very impressive building.   We didn’t try and battle the crowds trying to get inside but instead headed to the crypts which had lots of information about the history of Paris including models of it during the Roman period when it was called Letitia.  Were also lots of Roman era foundations etc down there.  Wandered through the parks to the rear of the Notre Dame and tried to visit the Memorial to the deported Jews during WWII but it was closed unfortunately.  Did the lazy sight seeing touristy walks as we were not in hurry to anything today.  Enjoyed an ice cream from the famous Berthillion cafe on the island St Louis then wandered the streets of the Latin Quarter before stopping for quiche (Jenny) and hamburger (Larry) for lunch.  Finally we got le stroppy French waiter – everyone else has been very nice and friendly everywhere else we have been.  Larry then got impressive brownie points by going to a tapestry museum.   Well it was the amazing set of tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn and even Larry had to admit they were pretty impressive.  I got the itch to do another tapestry but the souvenir shop only sold ones that had already been done (and at vast expense) so had to content myself with a calendar instead.  We wandered back over to the I’le de Cite and found a square with a bird market and a police concert band setting up.  Found a park bench and settled in to watch for a while and as were leaving the familiar tune of Advance Australia Fair reached our ears, we did a quick u-turn to listen to the rest and clapped louder than anyone else at the end. That was about the last tune they played though as finally the forecast rain hit but it didn’t last for long and had stopped by the time we had made our way back to the line of tourist shops near the Notre Dame where we loaded up with some souvenirs before heading homewards.  Stopped on the Pont des Arts to revisit ‘our’ bench and got some spekky shots from the bridge in the daylight with the sun glistening off the hundreds of padlocks.  Then back on the metro and home for a relax and to pack up ready to hit the road tomorrow.  We are looking forward to the part of our adventure which will be more relaxing starting with our train trip to Vitre tomorrow morning.

We're flying high!

Last night on the bridge was so perfect and so romantic that Larry picked it for his spot to propose.  One would think it was a “getting carried away in the moment” moment except that he could produce a ring and propose in carefully rehearsed French – he really is the most wonderful man so how could I refuse him?! We floated home and to bed after an extremely long day of sightseeing – at least 12 hours on our feet and lot of ground covered – literally. 

This morning was a leisurely start that began with ringing/texting family to tell them the big news.  We then had a leisurely breakfast in the hotel and then revised our travel plans after checking the web and finding the Eagles game would be televised at the Aussie pub in the Marais this evening when we were planning to be at Montmatre.  So headed there first instead and climbed the stairs to the Sacre Couer and enjoyed watching the annoying gypsies hoofing it when the gendarmes turned up.  They were a little intimidating so much nicer without them.  We took in the views from the steps of the Sacre Couer  then wandered the little touristy streets of Montmatre.  We walked away from the crowds and through some quiet back streets which were equally picturesque but much less stressful.  Found a gorgeous street filled with terrace houses and a complete range of shops and cafes,  real estate agents to motorcycle/scooter shops – a real French street for French residents and not tourists and lined with an avenue of autumnal trees.  Headed back up the hill and succumbed to a tourist lunch in the main square – steak and frites and salad and yummy crème caramel for 11 euro.

 The crowds had really picked up in the couple of hours we had been at Montmatre so headed off in the opposite direction and found ourselves in a much lower class area far from the madding crowds of tourists but still filled with madding crowds of mainly Sengalse locals doing their Saturday shopping and catching up in cafes.  Hopped on the metro and down to the Marais district where the socio-economic tone increased a hundred fold.  We headed straight to Cafe Oz on rue St Denis so we knew where it was for later on and went in to check they would be showing the Eagles game only to be told it was not being televised anywhere in Europe and we were about the 40^th people that had come in asking about it.  In fact, another group came in asking just after us and their news was that it was the final quarter and Carlton was ahead by 8 points.  Larry immediately jumped on the phone to Ray who told us the Eagles were ahead by 14 points so we happily reported that to the Carlton supporters at the bar.  Between them texting friends and us ringing Ray we sat out the rest of the game with beers in hand hoping the Eagles could hang on in what seemed to be the longest quarter ever.  But they didn’t let us down so we are still flying high (and the phone bill home will be worth it!!) 

As there was no game to stay in the area to watch we wandered off through the streets of the Marais and ended up at the Musee Carnavalet which is a free museum that documents the history of Paris.  I had taken Larry there with the promise that they had an interesting display about the French Revolution but it was closed for the day so he had to look at lots of gilded salons instead.  Lucky the Eagles had won and he was in a good mood! J  Continued on the Place de Vosges and sat on the grass relaxing and listening to a group playing Alpenhorns.  Decided we deserved an early trip home as we have been on the go for the last 3 days so headed home on the metro with only one diversion to a sports/golf shop Larry had noted near our hotel.  It was absolutely PACKED (are there crowds EVERYWHERE in Paris???) with huge queues so we figured there must have been some sort of sale on although there weren’t any ‘special’ signs that I could see and the prices weren’t anything to make me grab things off the shelves.  They had a golf section AND an equestrian section so we were both happy to browse and (in my case) soak in the nice smell of saddle leather.  Our ‘early’ day meant we were back at the hotel by 5.30pm so not that early after all but nice to put our feet up, have a cup of tea and watch some telly.  We’ll worry about dinner when we get hungry later on.

The Art of Patience

Well we did make it to the Arc d'Triomphe last night and it was worth the climb up the far more than 48 steps that Larry promised me to get to the fantastic views of the city with all its twinkly lights.  Great views of the Sacre Couer with a blood red moon behind it and the Eiffel tower which lit up all sparkly at 9pm.  Staggered home and fell into bed and into a deep long sleep - bliss!  When we eventually surfaced we headed around the corner to a nice croissant place for breakfast and then walked all the way down the Champs Elysees with Larry stopping to drool at the Mercedes Benz showroom.

We made our way into the Tuilleries Gardens and headed to the Musee d'Orangerie to sit and enjoy the beautiful water lilly paintings.   Amazing that a few splodges of paint close up turns into a beautiful landscape in gorgeous hues as you step backwards away from the painting.  After our fill of 'culture' wandered up through the Tuileries gardens to the Louvre and then over the Palais Royal.  Gardens were a bit disappointing as a bit of construction work going on - more gravel and barricades than we would have liked.  So grabbed some picnic supplies and headed back to the Tuileries gardens just as it started raining and thundering!  Didn't last long though and it was still dry under the trees so were able to enjoy our yummy baguettes and pastries.  Feeling refreshed enough to keep going so walked over the Seine to the Musee d'Orsay and caught the train back to the Eiffel tower for the 'patience' bit of our day.  Big queue for the toilets and big queue for the tower - about an hour before we got to the top and then jostled our way around the edges.  Sad to see the people clutching their champagne glasses and searchingn for an elusive romantic moment amongst teh hoards! The day was now clear and sunny so great views all over Paris and worth every euro. 

Were feeling the need for an extended period of sitting down by mid afternoon so hopped on a one hour scenic cruise which left from just under the Eiffel Tower and did a loop up around the islands.  Was quite warm by now - the day just seems to be getting warmer and warmer - were glad after all that we had worn shorts and t-shirts with ''just in case" jumpers.  Lots of people sitting along the river banks and enjoying the Paris sunshine.

Back to the Louvre at 6pm and after a quick bite in the underground shopping mall foodhall felt ready to tackle some more culture and we were hoping that the late hour would mean less crowds and less patience required.  Was still incredibly busy though so I hate to think what the crowds in the middlle of the day are like if it's that busy at 8pm on a Friday night!!!  We 'did' the 'big 3'- Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory - but probably spent more time in the Egyptian wing which was utterly amazing and more than matched the British Museum's display.

Topped off our night with a visit to the Pont desArts - the one with all the padlocks -which was filled with people having picnics and enjoying the balmy evening and the lights along the Seine.  Tres romantique!

Above and beneath Paris skies

Well that felt like the longest night ever.  We whiled away the first few hours at the Tune Hotel, walked over to the airport, walked back, went up and down the lifts a few times trying to find internet access and then caught the shuttle back to the airport about 10.30pm.  Boarded our flight about 12.30am but didn’t take off til about 1.30am (the screaming baby across the way wasn’t impressed with the delay either) then flew for the rest of the night.  We had loads of leg room as we were row 1 (!) but extremely narrow seats meant you kept waking up with pins and needles in your arms.  But, thanks to a Restavit, I did manage to sleep/doze for about 7 hours so the flight didn’t drag too badly. 

Arrived Orly airport and eventually found our shuttle bus (despite Margaret planting the seed of doubt that it wouldn’t turn up).  We shared it into the city with a couple of Queenslanders who had just married on Lombok a couple of days ago plus his sister/brother-in-law/nephew aka the screaming baby from the plane.  So the abominable traffic plus two stops at their various accommodation choices which were a long way from ours meant a LONG but reasonably scenic trip to our hotel.  Eventually made it about 12 noon but room not quite ready so we headed to a nearby bar/cafe (La Flamme) for a croque monsieur and coke followed by a cappuccino for an extra caffeine hit.  Back to Royal Magda for a shower and (finally!) a change of clothes.  Ignored the temptation of a quick lie down and headed out again.  Caught the metro to the Trocadero so we could have a “Look it’s the Eiffel Tower – we’re really here in Paris” moment.  Lots of photos from all sorts of angles and perspectives –either side and under it but couldn’t quite handle the queue to go up it in our sleep deprived state so sat on the grass and absorbed it from afar instead.  A beautiful clear, warm, autumn day so lots of other people doing the same.  

Feeling strong enough to handle a bit more sight-seeing so headed along the rue St Dominique past lots of yummy patisserie and boulengeries to the Hotel de Invalides.   Went and gawped at Napoleon’s tomb and its opulent surrounds and then visited the various army museums.  The WWI and WW2 wings were filled with uniforms, paintings and audio visual displays which was all very interesting in a kind of dry, musuemy kind of way – nowhere near as good as the War Museum in Canberra.  The wing containing Arms and Armoury from centuries ago was far more interesting as far as I was concerned.  Amazing detailing and engraving on Louis XIII and XIV’s  armour and also lots of displays of jousting armour for knights and horses.  There were rooms and rooms stuffed with armour and chainmail as well as loads of swords, pikes etc.  It amazes me that once they were weighed down with armour plus wielding a huge, heaving sword that they could move at all – let alone fight!  Didn’t leave until just about closing time and then headed over to the gardens of the Rodin museum in the vague hope that they might stay open a little longer but looked like it had closed for the day too.  We were both starting to shimmy with fatigue at about that stage in any case so caught the metro home and flopped on the bed.  I am now typing this to resounding snores!  Hunger will eventually drive us back out and then the plan is to go up the Arc d’Triomphe for some twinkly night time vistas.