At the end of a day that started with yet another vaccination shot (this one for rabies, or as the French call it 'RAGE'), we finished at Notre Dame. I left Michelle in the Musee d'Orsay as I couldn't keep up with her, and I took a boat ride along the River Seine. It is a different view from the water, and quite relaxing. Very interesting to see all the architecture and of course the famous sights and buildings.
Managed to get a little sunburnt as Paris is still in a heatwave, but forgot that I had a band-aid on my arm. So now I have a tattoo!!!
Notre Dame is a fantastic building, with gargoyles on every corner looking down. Also the buttresses really make the look on the rear of the building as shown. I found the interior to be quite dark though. My search for Quasimodo came up empty though.
A final walk around the Latin Quarter and all it's tiny streets and out-of-the-way little shops, before coming home to another cool shower! *Stub
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Monet's Water Lillies, Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France
Monet Monet Monet - it's a rich man's world!
The Musee d'Orsay houses fine works of art including everything from paintings from the impressionist movement, to 7ft high model cross-sections of some of the buildings of Paris, to scupltures by Rodin. It was my second time at the Musee d'Orsay, but I still spent five hours in there running around like a little kid excited at seeing so many of my favourite paintings - lots of Monet's, Van Gogh's, Cezanne's and Renoir's. * Mush
Inside the Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France
In the early 1970s the redundant Gare d'Orsay (the Orsay railway station) was under threat from destruction and replacement by a large modern hotel complex. Thankfully, it didn't and became a listed building due to a revival of interest in 19th century architecture. Apparently, it took 9 years to be transformed and the Musée d'Orsay opened in 1986.
Artchitecturally, it is a stunning building inside and out featuring magnificent cast iron clock faces on the exterior and a huge elaborate gold one inside as seen on the far wall in the picture. The terraces on each level had great views over the River Seine, the Louvre and north Paris with Sacre Coeur atop of Montmatre in the distance. *Mush
Artchitecturally, it is a stunning building inside and out featuring magnificent cast iron clock faces on the exterior and a huge elaborate gold one inside as seen on the far wall in the picture. The terraces on each level had great views over the River Seine, the Louvre and north Paris with Sacre Coeur atop of Montmatre in the distance. *Mush
Monday, June 27, 2005
Climbing the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without a trip up La Tour Eiffel... so up we went. Not the usual way up in the lift (elevator) of course. No no. Up the stairs (Martin's idea)!! All 689 of them! This actually wasn't as bad as it seems and we got some good close up views of the structure and beams. It didn't take long to get to the second floor and after that, the only way up to the tippy top is by lift. When we got to the top the sun was setting over an impressive but hazy Paris. It was perfect timing to see panoramas by day and by night. It didn't get dark until 11 at night so we stayed up there for three hours. Don't worry, we didn't starve - we took our baguette and brie to keep us going! However, we forgot the wine which is kind of hard to believe!!
We decided to take the stairs down which was interesting because the beams were lit up and glowing orange in the night. *Mush
We decided to take the stairs down which was interesting because the beams were lit up and glowing orange in the night. *Mush
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France
After visiting La Defense on the West side of town, we took the Metro to Arc de Triomphe. From here we took a leisurely stroll down the Champs Elysees, a shopping haven, but not for those on a small budget. At the end of Champs Elysees, is the Place de la Concorde with an obelisk from Luxor, Egypt, addorning the centre.
Our walk continued through the Jardin des Tuileries with a fountain in the centre and children playing with wooden, patchwork sailboats. We reached the Louvre and decided we had done enough walking and took the train back to Juvisy. *Mush and Stub
Our walk continued through the Jardin des Tuileries with a fountain in the centre and children playing with wooden, patchwork sailboats. We reached the Louvre and decided we had done enough walking and took the train back to Juvisy. *Mush and Stub
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Monet's house, Giverny, France
Claude Monet had an absolute passion for his garden which he designed himself. Unfotunately, decades after his death the house and garden became neglected and abandonded. The gardens opened to the public in 1991 after a long and arduous restoration process which relied on photos and studies from family decendants, and memories of visitors to Giverny decades before. It took 10 years and $12 million - about £8 million - to rebuild and restore the house and gardens back to how it was in Monet's day. If you are a lover of Monet, check out THE water lily pond and other photos in our photo album (double click on photo here). * Mush
Michelle on Monet's Japanese Bridge, Giverny, France
About a 2 hour drive northwest of Paris on the border of Normandy lies one of the most famous gardens in France - that of Claude Monet - the father of the impressionist painting era. Monet lived here from 1883 'til his death in 1926. It was here that he painted his bazillion water lillies and his Japanese bridges in various lights and shadows of the day. For me (Mush) it was really special as I have loved Monet's work for many years and it was very moving to finally see what he saw, felt and painted. * Mush
Friday, June 24, 2005
Mona Lisa - Leonardo Da Vinci, Paris, France
The 'Mona Lisa' is a very spellbinding painting – one that you just have to keep looking at. And the more one looks, the more it seems to change. Pretty eerie.
Monna (or Mona) Lisa, was a young Florentine woman and was married to a well-known figure, Francesco del Giocondo in 1495. The work is dated between 1503 and 1505, and Leonardo loved the portrait so much that he always carried it with him, until eventually it was sold to François I.
The 'Mona Lisa' is famous for many different reasons – some say because of her elusive expression – whether she be sad or amused. Others, because of the air of mystery about her created by the 'sfumato' technique that Leonardo used - a blending and shadowy effect. Indeed, when we saw the painting it seemed better appreciated from afar where the figure became clearer as one stepped away. Also, on close inspection of the painting the right side and the left side don’t match:- the horizon on one side is lower than the other giving the impression that Mona is taller and more upright on one side than the other correlating with a change in her facial expression. The 'Mona Lisa' also became more famous because she was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and was rediscovered in a hotel in Florence a couple of years later. Mush
Monna (or Mona) Lisa, was a young Florentine woman and was married to a well-known figure, Francesco del Giocondo in 1495. The work is dated between 1503 and 1505, and Leonardo loved the portrait so much that he always carried it with him, until eventually it was sold to François I.
The 'Mona Lisa' is famous for many different reasons – some say because of her elusive expression – whether she be sad or amused. Others, because of the air of mystery about her created by the 'sfumato' technique that Leonardo used - a blending and shadowy effect. Indeed, when we saw the painting it seemed better appreciated from afar where the figure became clearer as one stepped away. Also, on close inspection of the painting the right side and the left side don’t match:- the horizon on one side is lower than the other giving the impression that Mona is taller and more upright on one side than the other correlating with a change in her facial expression. The 'Mona Lisa' also became more famous because she was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and was rediscovered in a hotel in Florence a couple of years later. Mush
At The Louvre, Paris, France
After Montmartre, we took the Metro down to the Arc de Triomphe. As it was rush hour, I was excited to see the mess of traffic around the Arc, as 13 streets or so flow into the traffic circle. I was upset to see that it was not the chaos that I expected, but somewhat civilized.
Then we spent our Friday evening touring around the Louvre. Attractions such as the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, an Egyptian Mummy and the Crown Jewels were highlights. Also, there was an old castle discovered underneath the Louvre and it has been excavated in the Louvre basement. There are so many exhibits here that it is impossible to see everything in a day. I enjoyed the actual building itself, as it is an impressive structure with very ornate interiors. *Stub
Basilique de Sacre Coeur, Paris, France
Perched on a hillside in Montmartre, the highest point in Paris, is the impressive Basilique de Sacre Coeur. A beautiful, white coloured church with a panoramic view over Paris. It was completed in the early 1900's at the site of the last vineyard in Paris, and was previously the site of 2 Roman temples, a Celtic shrine, and a Benedictine Abbey.
Around the church are some very charming streets and alleys with plenty of bistros, cafes and street artists. These artists line the streets and surround the Place de Tertre, attempting to draw your portrait. Stub
Around the church are some very charming streets and alleys with plenty of bistros, cafes and street artists. These artists line the streets and surround the Place de Tertre, attempting to draw your portrait. Stub
Jim Morrison's Grave, Paris, France
To start our tour of Paris on Friday, we headed first for Cimetiere de Pere Lachaise. This is famous recently for the grave of Jim Morrison, The Doors frontman. There was a small crowd around this grave. Also in the large cemetary were the graves of Frederic Chopin, Moliere and Oscar Wilde (pics in Flickr.com). This cemetary was very interesting, jam packed with tombs and stones of all shapes and sizes. Some of them looked like small churches! Stub
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Eiffel Tower at Sunset, Paris, France
Another bus ride down through the Champs Elysees and a quick view of the Arc de Triomphe. Our day tour ended up at the base of the Eiffel Tower where there were still remnants of the rainstorm of earlier. It is light until about 11PM at this time of year, so not many night shots of Paris yet. We plan to go up the Eiffel Tower on Sunday evening and enjoy the sunset! Stub
The Moulin Rouge, Paris, France
Our first day in Paris was quite lazy. We took a trip into central Paris with Rachel and walked the streets. We made a stop at Musee de Luxembourg, for the Matisse Exposition that was being held.
After being stuck in a major, major rainstorm, we hopped on a bus just to get out of the rain. The bus went past the Louvre, Opera House, Gare Saint Lazarre and up to Montmartre. We took a look at the outside of the Moulin Rouge, a bizarre building with a windmill on it. I guess this used to be some sort of cabaret club, and was where the can-can dance originated........and of course recently made more famous by the movie of the same name! Stub
After being stuck in a major, major rainstorm, we hopped on a bus just to get out of the rain. The bus went past the Louvre, Opera House, Gare Saint Lazarre and up to Montmartre. We took a look at the outside of the Moulin Rouge, a bizarre building with a windmill on it. I guess this used to be some sort of cabaret club, and was where the can-can dance originated........and of course recently made more famous by the movie of the same name! Stub
Paris, France.
After seeing friends and saying farewells, we took off for Paris. We are staying here for a week with an old friend, Rachel, with her hubby Pierre, and one year old Adrien. I knew Rachel from my first scientific research job back in Cambridge in 1992.
Our trip to Juvisy-sur-Orge where they live, proved rather interesting as we were stuck with our large packs on the train in the middle of rush hour and to make it worse...in the midst of a heat wave. The journey which took three hours from the airport to their apartment, included some frustrating conversations with the locals as we both struggled to regain what French we have! Mush
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Hairball Terry
A special guest arrived in to London from Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Terry is a friend that I joined in Bill, The Disco Dingo Bus in New Zealand 3 years ago. He has now set up a hostel in Rio that is supposed to be quite impressive. It is called Mellow Yellow and the link is attached! We had a group including Jules, Biscuit, Terry and Sunil (sp??) for pints and then a curry on infamous Brick Lane in London. Stub
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London, England
We travelled back to London on June 20th, on our way to Paris. We had previously bought tickets to a Shakespeare play Pericles that was to be performed at the old Shakespeare Globe Theatre. Couldn't really think of a better place to see one of his shows, but at his theatre on the bank of the Thames. The show was great, especially some of the rope acrobatics that they included. It was very much a modern version of his play. The building was thatched and had seats in a circular pattern around the stage - not a bad seat in the house. Interior photo on flickr. Stub
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Dylan in Poppy Field, Kidderminster, England
So, we spent a week back at Denmark House in Bromsgrove with the family Doozer. Mush had many last minute things to take care of, and Stub had to get final vaccinations and help Richard move yet another fridge and other appliances!!! This photo was taken as we were returning a moving van to Kidderminster and passed this great field of poppies. Stub
Thursday, June 16, 2005
The Family, Feckenham, England
Monday evening we returned 'home' to Bromsgrove to spend a final week with Michelle's family before we depart for Paris on Wednesday of next week. I'm sure there will be BBQ's, take aways, many bottles of wine, and plenty of laughs to be had before we leave. Michelle's family have been exceptionally hospitable, and we have enjoyed our time here immensely.
Pictured from L to R are brother Richard holding neice Christina, Sister in Law Nicola, Stub, sister Jacqueline, and soon to be Brother in Law Mark. Photo taken in the back yard of Richard and Nicola.
Pictured from L to R are brother Richard holding neice Christina, Sister in Law Nicola, Stub, sister Jacqueline, and soon to be Brother in Law Mark. Photo taken in the back yard of Richard and Nicola.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Roman Bath Reflection, Bath, England
A Monday morning tour around the best preserved Roman Bath's in the world. These were uncovered in the late 1800's but are no longer in use (filled with algae). The Roman's were quite the builders. A main 'sacred' spring, flowing in to multiple different pools and eventually drained out to the River Avon. All through a complex series of channels and pools. Also, some beautiful temples were built around the sight, with remnants of sculpted stones uncovered also. I could imagine the Baths to be the main social area of town, bustling with all status of people.
A nice view here is of the Bath Abbey reflected in the Great Pool bath.
A nice view here is of the Bath Abbey reflected in the Great Pool bath.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England
Sunday was a day trip out to some of the ancient, and bizarre sights of Southern England. First stop to attempt to avoid the crowds was Stonehenge. Through some good planning we actually were able to get a photo without the hords of people in. This meant we had to lay down in the grass and try to block them all out with foliage! We actually spent 2 hrs here relaxing and learning about the history (and trying to block out other tourists). The largest stones were brought from about 19 miles away, but some of the smaller ones (only 5 tons) were brought all the way from Wales. Pretty incredible feat.
From here, we drove to Woodhenge (no joke). Although, when we arrived there are just concrete stumps in place of where they think old wood pillar circles used to be.
We drove through a military area, complete with 'Tank Crossings' (pictured in Flickr), and up to Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow. Silbury Hill is a very large, bizarre conical hill built thousands of years ago. There are no burial chambers or anything that they know of. West Kennet was a long (200 ft) burial chamber built 5000 yrs ago. You are able to enter into the old structure.
Last stop for the day was Avebury, with it's strange stone circle. Again, very large stones place in a circle but this time large enough that they built a small village in the centre. They also had a lot of information regarding crop circle in the area that kept appearing. Some very intricate designs and amazing patterns. Aliens???? Doubtful!
Not sure of the meanings of all these sights, only the ancient people know, but it made for a very interesting day out. Stub
From here, we drove to Woodhenge (no joke). Although, when we arrived there are just concrete stumps in place of where they think old wood pillar circles used to be.
We drove through a military area, complete with 'Tank Crossings' (pictured in Flickr), and up to Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow. Silbury Hill is a very large, bizarre conical hill built thousands of years ago. There are no burial chambers or anything that they know of. West Kennet was a long (200 ft) burial chamber built 5000 yrs ago. You are able to enter into the old structure.
Last stop for the day was Avebury, with it's strange stone circle. Again, very large stones place in a circle but this time large enough that they built a small village in the centre. They also had a lot of information regarding crop circle in the area that kept appearing. Some very intricate designs and amazing patterns. Aliens???? Doubtful!
Not sure of the meanings of all these sights, only the ancient people know, but it made for a very interesting day out. Stub
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Bath, England
After London, we took a 3 day trip down to the World Heritage town of Bath. We stayed with Michelle's good friend Steve in a beautiful flat in the old heritage buildings downtown. Some wonderful meals and a lot of laughs! Steve walked us around the town, showing us the Royal Crescent, Circle Crescent, Bath Abbey, the river Avon (pictured here) and the famous Roman Baths that the city is known for.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Lavenham, England
From London, we made an overnight stop at Martins Mum's friend Barb and Philip, with their son Joseph. We totally got pampered by Barbs, who cooked us an amazing roast lamb which we enjoyed in the garden amongst nesting pheasants and ducks. Barbs and Philip also took us to this great little town called Lavenham, which has many old timber houses throughout the town. They are all in wonderful shape, except for being a little crooked most of the time.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
At Tower Bridge, London, England
On our walking tour of London, Tower Bridge was one of the stops. They actually raised it while we were there to let a fancy sailboat through.
Grandad Dad at Covent Garden, London, England
On the Tuesday in London, we met up with Martin's Dad (who was over visiting from Canada), and Grandad who still lives in London. Grandad is 88, but still loves to get around and see everything. We walked around London seeing sights like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Sq., Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden (pictured here)St. Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tower Bridge and Tower of London. It was great just to walk around the city and enjoy the sights whilst catching up 3 generations. They also joined us later in the week on the Queen Mary, which is a boat docked on the Thames but is now a pub!
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Biscuit and J-Lo
Michelle and I spent 5 days down in London. During this time, we stayed at Bisuit's house (on the left). I met these 2 in Oz, then joined them in their van called Bill, the Disco Dingo Bus in NZ. We enjoyed a few pints in the pub with these guys and some other friends also from previous travels.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Auntie Michelle
Mush with her 4 year old nephew Dylan, and her 6 week old neice Christina, (her brother Richard and his wife Nicola's children)!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
New Grange, Ireland
After a super rushed morning of just catching the train in time to run to the bus heading to Drogheda, we arrived at New Grange. It is a UNESCO heritage site, with various monuments scattered around the large area.
Imagine the recent farmers surprise when he dug up a mound that he wanted to use for a quarry, only to find all these decorated stones that date back to 3200-2000 BC.
The sites we visited were Knowth and New Grange. They are 2 distinct mounds, both about 80m (approx 250 ft) in diameter and 13m (45 ft) high. They just look like large mounds covered by grass, but there is great historical significance. They are some of the oldest structures in the world and predate the Egyptian Pyramids by at least 500 years.
There are a couple of tunnels into the tombs and you are able to enter into the one at Newgrange. It really makes you think when you are inside. The structure was amazing inside and these ancient people were incredible builders. The tunnel was actually engineered so that on the Winter Solstice, the sunlight is able to penetrate right down the 30m tunnel and into the centre of the tomb for only 15 minutes. They actually turn out the lights and give you a surreal demonstration.
Imagine the recent farmers surprise when he dug up a mound that he wanted to use for a quarry, only to find all these decorated stones that date back to 3200-2000 BC.
The sites we visited were Knowth and New Grange. They are 2 distinct mounds, both about 80m (approx 250 ft) in diameter and 13m (45 ft) high. They just look like large mounds covered by grass, but there is great historical significance. They are some of the oldest structures in the world and predate the Egyptian Pyramids by at least 500 years.
There are a couple of tunnels into the tombs and you are able to enter into the one at Newgrange. It really makes you think when you are inside. The structure was amazing inside and these ancient people were incredible builders. The tunnel was actually engineered so that on the Winter Solstice, the sunlight is able to penetrate right down the 30m tunnel and into the centre of the tomb for only 15 minutes. They actually turn out the lights and give you a surreal demonstration.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Galway, Ireland
Wednesday evening getting packed up in Dublin and preparing to leave early in the morning for Birmingham.
Our final 2 days were spent touring around the Irish countryside. On Tuesday, we got an early bus to Galway on the West coast. It took around 3.5 hours to get there and when we arrived it seemed like the town was all under construction. After a walk around town visiting some of the old buildings including an impressive cathedral and a very non-descript house that was Nora Barnacle's (James Joyce's wife), it was lunch time. A great lunch on the riverfront consisting of baguette, Shropshire Blue and Conte cheeses with sundried tomatoes bought at the local cheesemonger in town. Very tasty I must say.
From here, we walked down to Salthill, which is the beachfront area. After an early morning we relaxed on our first beach until the rains started. Back into town to one of the cool pubs all in a row on the pedestrian road, for what has become rather traditional. But it was Murphy's Irish Stout this time!!! The bus ride home was uneventful except for when it was stopped for a flock of sheep being herded along the road. Typically Irish!
On Tuesday we were off to Newgrange.
Our final 2 days were spent touring around the Irish countryside. On Tuesday, we got an early bus to Galway on the West coast. It took around 3.5 hours to get there and when we arrived it seemed like the town was all under construction. After a walk around town visiting some of the old buildings including an impressive cathedral and a very non-descript house that was Nora Barnacle's (James Joyce's wife), it was lunch time. A great lunch on the riverfront consisting of baguette, Shropshire Blue and Conte cheeses with sundried tomatoes bought at the local cheesemonger in town. Very tasty I must say.
From here, we walked down to Salthill, which is the beachfront area. After an early morning we relaxed on our first beach until the rains started. Back into town to one of the cool pubs all in a row on the pedestrian road, for what has become rather traditional. But it was Murphy's Irish Stout this time!!! The bus ride home was uneventful except for when it was stopped for a flock of sheep being herded along the road. Typically Irish!
On Tuesday we were off to Newgrange.
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