So the train from Florence started with some time taking in the sites along with the millions (okay, I might be exagerating slightly) of other tourists. After dumping our magically growing number of cases at the left luggage depot (what's a girl to do with all her shiny new things!?!) we set off into the centre where I spotted Harry Potter in English at a book shop. I have been fighting the urge to stop sight-seeing so I can read it all. Florence was mobbed and after our laid back time in Lucca it was something of a shock. Still, I managed to find some beautiful leather gloves and boots which helped ease the pain. LOL
Arrived back at the station and looked at the ticket in horror as I realised we were at the wrong station and needed to be at the other one in 40 minutes. Quick taxi ride and we were met with the news that the train was delayed by 40 minutes! Train finally decided to arrive 80 minutes late so it was straight on, changed and into our beds. Slept well but was thrown when I looked at my mobile phone and it said Swisscom. By 7.30am we should have been well into France but nope, looking out at the very quaint station with classic swiss chalet style roof confirmed it.
Arrived in Paris 4 hours late, checked into the hostel but we couldn't use our room yet. By that stage we had hit sugar lows and I was asking Euan to stop the world as I wanted it to stop moving so food was called for. With that sorted we discovered that our hostel room had ripped curtains and a hole in the ceiling and when I had a shower I had to keep hitting a button to get the water to flow. At this point I had my holiday moment where things just get a little much and you have a little cry. Euan decided to laugh hysterically instead.
We had picked up a brochure in the hostel for Fat Tire bike tours around Paris so we headed off to check out the night tour. This was just what we needed to shake out the cobwebs as we scouted around Paris on cruiser bikes. Our guide Austin was a gutsy Texan who took us confidently down some very busy streets past some brilliant scenary. It felt a little like a Critical Mass and some of the requirements were the same, be confident, stay together, etc. Ice cream on the Ille-de-Cite and a boat ride on the Seine made the trip very memorable as did Euan getting a flat tire then later losing his chain and nearly the group.
The next day was another bike ride, this time seeing more of the traditional sites like the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon's Tomb, the Louvre, Ecole Militaire, Les Invalides and Place de la Concorde. Euan was the arse man for the day trip as he was now a veteran having done one tour before! His job was to make sure we didn't lose anyone and he did a great job. Stopped for lunch in the Tuileries and enjoyed a chat with some well travelled Californians.
We were pretty tired that night so asked for a recommendation for somewhere French and local so how we ended up trying to order Italian food from a menu in Italian with French translations is anyone's guess. We must remember to ask for non smoking next time. It's been so long since I ate with people smoking around me that I had forgotten how disgusting it is. The Italians have banned smoking at a lot of indoor places and the sooner the French follow suit the better. I should mention that despite the hideous decor of the hostel the bed is comfortable and we slept well.
Today we decided on a change of pace and headed to Montparnasse for the Montparnasse 56 Tour which is a quicker and I think no less stunning view of the city. Spent quite some time there as there is plenty to look out at. Everyone has recommended the Musee d'Orsay and I understand why, it's far more managable then the Louvre and has some glorious Picasso, Cezanne, Rodin, Monet and other Impressionist works. The building is also stunning.
I should mention the lovely cake shop we passed on our way there. I had the most amazing pistachio meringue with pistachio cream, jam and real raspberries. I meant to take a photo but I ate it before I remembered... oppps.
With weary feet we headed back to the Metro however on the way we spotted this rather short but very ballsey lady traffic cop doing her duty as the lights were out. When we sat down to watch the guy on the seat commented on Euan's new Fat Tire bikes t-shirt. Turns out he does all of the walking tours for the company. Honestly, what are the chances of that happening!
Back near the hostel the Tour was approaching the end for the dqy so we sat down for a Tequila Sunrise for me and a Chimay Grand Reserve beer for Euan which made our visit to the laundromat infinitely more exciting. I should point out this beer was the source of the drunkness that ended up with one broken leg for Euan so I am watching him closely. Quiet night in front of the computer catching up on all the news (Bracks, Thwaites, Sheedy, Rasmussen all out!!!) then an early night.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Lucca.
Your guest reporter, Euan, taking to the keyboard here.
Lucca is dangerous.
We've slipped in to the Lucca way of life far too easily. Up at nine, a lazy meander to the shops, spending three hours over lunch and shopping till seven.
Yes. Shopping. Me. Shopping.
I don't do shopping. Nor does Suzie.
So someone please explain to me how I manged to shop for six hours and not only be present while Suzie bought bags and shoes but actively encouraged her to buy more?
Last night was really cool. You know the drill, breakfast, bit of shopping, eating out for lunch, little nap, friends of my aunt (who is fab!) around for some nibbles and a splash of sparkly stuff then off to the George Michael concert at Lucca stadium.
Yep, me at a George Michael concert. Who'd have thought eh? OK, I didn't know 3/4s of the songs but who cares? The man puts on a good show.
The next day kicked off with the pair of us hiring bikes to scoot around the walls of Lucca. None of your poncy sports bikes here, good honest working bikes with a basket on the front. It was great zipping around the walls drinking in the sumptuous views. It sure made a nice change to have the wind whipping through my hair (no one wears helmets here).
After such massive exertions we naturally had to have a bit of refreshment and that filtered us nicely through to a 3 hour lunch back at my Aunt's place.
Then came the serious business of shopping which I've already spoken to.
Saturday we woke up at our now customary hour of nine in the morning (or there abouts). My Uncle had arrived late the night before and it was great to see the Aunt and Uncle team in full flight.
We set of for Piza to do the oh so touristy gawk at the Leaning Tower which, cliched though it may sound, just has to be seen to be believed. We've all seen the photos and some of us have been unfortunate enough to see it get straightened and bent again in that frightful Superman movie but until you actually walk around it and see it then it really doesn't sink in.
We also visited the Baptistry which was pretty special. My Uncle and I headed up to the galeria and the visit was made even more special by a singer singining some scales (she might have been singing words but I didn't understand them) and it was just beautiful. The acoustics of the building are out of this world.
There then followed a really nice meal with a picture perfect restraunt with a picture perfect view of the tower. Fantastic stuff.
A strange thing happened back at the flat though. Three of us were in the kitchen when there was a loud thunk. A pigeon had literally dropped dead out of the sky on to a ledge across the court yard. It put us all in mind of Monty Python's parrot sketch.
The fund didn't end there though. We went to a really swish restaraunt for dinner and one of the dishes on offer was Fresh Pigeon Ravioli. You can imagine what we made of that, though I'm not sure that the waitress knew what to make of all of us near enough collapsing in hysterics while she patiently tried to take our drinks order.
Yesterday was spend in the seaside town of Viareggio which featured sumptuous beaches festooned with regimented ranks of sun parasols sun loungers. Neither of us a particularly beachy so we had a delicious lunch and had a turn around the various shops.
It was great to see my Aunt and Uncle again. To be honest I barely recognised my Aunt, the Lucca life clearly agrees with her. So tanned and healthy! Lucca is a charming place and I've little doubt we'll be back although a lottery win may be required.
Onwards to Paris via sleeper Eurostar!
Lucca is dangerous.
We've slipped in to the Lucca way of life far too easily. Up at nine, a lazy meander to the shops, spending three hours over lunch and shopping till seven.
Yes. Shopping. Me. Shopping.
I don't do shopping. Nor does Suzie.
So someone please explain to me how I manged to shop for six hours and not only be present while Suzie bought bags and shoes but actively encouraged her to buy more?
Last night was really cool. You know the drill, breakfast, bit of shopping, eating out for lunch, little nap, friends of my aunt (who is fab!) around for some nibbles and a splash of sparkly stuff then off to the George Michael concert at Lucca stadium.
Yep, me at a George Michael concert. Who'd have thought eh? OK, I didn't know 3/4s of the songs but who cares? The man puts on a good show.
The next day kicked off with the pair of us hiring bikes to scoot around the walls of Lucca. None of your poncy sports bikes here, good honest working bikes with a basket on the front. It was great zipping around the walls drinking in the sumptuous views. It sure made a nice change to have the wind whipping through my hair (no one wears helmets here).
After such massive exertions we naturally had to have a bit of refreshment and that filtered us nicely through to a 3 hour lunch back at my Aunt's place.
Then came the serious business of shopping which I've already spoken to.
Saturday we woke up at our now customary hour of nine in the morning (or there abouts). My Uncle had arrived late the night before and it was great to see the Aunt and Uncle team in full flight.
We set of for Piza to do the oh so touristy gawk at the Leaning Tower which, cliched though it may sound, just has to be seen to be believed. We've all seen the photos and some of us have been unfortunate enough to see it get straightened and bent again in that frightful Superman movie but until you actually walk around it and see it then it really doesn't sink in.
We also visited the Baptistry which was pretty special. My Uncle and I headed up to the galeria and the visit was made even more special by a singer singining some scales (she might have been singing words but I didn't understand them) and it was just beautiful. The acoustics of the building are out of this world.
There then followed a really nice meal with a picture perfect restraunt with a picture perfect view of the tower. Fantastic stuff.
A strange thing happened back at the flat though. Three of us were in the kitchen when there was a loud thunk. A pigeon had literally dropped dead out of the sky on to a ledge across the court yard. It put us all in mind of Monty Python's parrot sketch.
The fund didn't end there though. We went to a really swish restaraunt for dinner and one of the dishes on offer was Fresh Pigeon Ravioli. You can imagine what we made of that, though I'm not sure that the waitress knew what to make of all of us near enough collapsing in hysterics while she patiently tried to take our drinks order.
Yesterday was spend in the seaside town of Viareggio which featured sumptuous beaches festooned with regimented ranks of sun parasols sun loungers. Neither of us a particularly beachy so we had a delicious lunch and had a turn around the various shops.
It was great to see my Aunt and Uncle again. To be honest I barely recognised my Aunt, the Lucca life clearly agrees with her. So tanned and healthy! Lucca is a charming place and I've little doubt we'll be back although a lottery win may be required.
Onwards to Paris via sleeper Eurostar!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Devon diary
Wow, finding time to get onto the internet proves difficult when one has sight seeing and shopping to do! We are now in Lucca in the Tuscany region of Italy and it's 10.40pm but I need to go back quite a few days first...
The day after visiting Glasgow I wanted to visit one of the places my anscestors came from which happens to be 10 minutes down the road from Euan's parents. That genealogy interest turned out to provide the spring board for one of the more memorable days. It started in the village of Kilwinning with a visit to the abbey there which is now little more than ruins. We were fortunate enough to catch one of the volunteers who maintains the exhibits and spent a delightful hour taking in what was on offer. He took us up the bell tower and showed us the clock mechanism and we were next to the bell when it struck 11am. Not as loud as I expected! At the top was a lovely view.
It also turns out that Kilwinning is Masonic lodge number zero. Apparently the lodges originally split in to two factions with Edinburgh claiming numero uno status to which Kilwinning said, uh-uh it's us. Most of the overseas lodges affiliated with Kilwinning and eventually common sense prevailed and the two factions united. Kilwinning was not prepared to give up its calm though and rather than renumber all the lodges took the number zero. All that history, and much more, for nothing. Although we did leave a ten pound donation.
For lunch we went to an exhibition mill in Dalgraven. It was restored from a wreck some fifteen years ago and contains many exhibits, the highlight of which currently is a collection of chinese silks circa the Boxer Rebellion, circa 1899. This first class collection was donated after a 'wan pasty faced youth' from the Kelvingrove Museum turned it down. More fool him! The mill is in working condition and also has a great collection of agricultral and dairy equipment.
Next day it was down to Devon by train to see our neice, Lucy, for the first time. Euan's sister now lives in Cadeleigh in a converted farm house. It's huge! A lot of work has gone in to it though as it was pretty much a shell, not even that, when they took posession. There's still some work to be done but what has been done looks like it's stepped straight out of a gorgeous Laura Ashley collection. My neice is a delight, she's in the terrible twos and is very far from terrible. Within 10 minutes of arriving we were helping her with her jigsaw puzzle. Lovely home made chicken curry for dinner followed by meringue, berries and cream. Carol is a splendid cook!
The day after visiting Glasgow I wanted to visit one of the places my anscestors came from which happens to be 10 minutes down the road from Euan's parents. That genealogy interest turned out to provide the spring board for one of the more memorable days. It started in the village of Kilwinning with a visit to the abbey there which is now little more than ruins. We were fortunate enough to catch one of the volunteers who maintains the exhibits and spent a delightful hour taking in what was on offer. He took us up the bell tower and showed us the clock mechanism and we were next to the bell when it struck 11am. Not as loud as I expected! At the top was a lovely view.
It also turns out that Kilwinning is Masonic lodge number zero. Apparently the lodges originally split in to two factions with Edinburgh claiming numero uno status to which Kilwinning said, uh-uh it's us. Most of the overseas lodges affiliated with Kilwinning and eventually common sense prevailed and the two factions united. Kilwinning was not prepared to give up its calm though and rather than renumber all the lodges took the number zero. All that history, and much more, for nothing. Although we did leave a ten pound donation.
For lunch we went to an exhibition mill in Dalgraven. It was restored from a wreck some fifteen years ago and contains many exhibits, the highlight of which currently is a collection of chinese silks circa the Boxer Rebellion, circa 1899. This first class collection was donated after a 'wan pasty faced youth' from the Kelvingrove Museum turned it down. More fool him! The mill is in working condition and also has a great collection of agricultral and dairy equipment.
Next day it was down to Devon by train to see our neice, Lucy, for the first time. Euan's sister now lives in Cadeleigh in a converted farm house. It's huge! A lot of work has gone in to it though as it was pretty much a shell, not even that, when they took posession. There's still some work to be done but what has been done looks like it's stepped straight out of a gorgeous Laura Ashley collection. My neice is a delight, she's in the terrible twos and is very far from terrible. Within 10 minutes of arriving we were helping her with her jigsaw puzzle. Lovely home made chicken curry for dinner followed by meringue, berries and cream. Carol is a splendid cook!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Family time
Monday we had Euan's grandparents, John and Flo, coming for lunch and the morning was spent relaxing. I requested a visit to Tesco's as I really do love supermarkets. Picked up a new T-shirt for a very cheap price and we got some tablet (sugar fugde type sweet) for Euan. I could have quite happlily spent another hour or so there but didn't think it was fair for Euan and Ken to follow me around any longer.
Lovely lunch of ham cooked in coke (yes, it works) and potatoes, peas and carrots followed by raspberry crumble and home made ice cream. Afterwards we retired to the lounge to watch the Tour. The grandparents aren't getting any younger so it was nice to see them.
Yesterday we visited Glasgow and the Kelvingrove museum and gallery. It was a fantastic day. A beautifully presented exhibition, we even saw some conservators at work. I visted the gift shop which had some lovely things. I could have spent more than I did! Had a delicious lunch of haddock and mussel chowder at the gallery.
We drove home via the scenic route. The Clyde River is lovely and the houses are so different to what you see in Australia. Went through Saltcoats where some of my ancestors lived. Still looks pretty much as it would have over 100 years ago. I bet it smells better though.
Euan and I got dropped off in Ayr so we could see Die Hard 4.0. Picked up our tickets then had a quick look in WH Smith (yep, a book shop) where it was 3 for 2 and I couldn't resist. I'm having such a nice time reading this holiday. Die Hard was fun and Bruce still looks good. :-) Caught the train back to Irvine and a short £3.20 taxi ride right to the front door saw us home for a lovely beef stew and mash dinner. Caught the Tour highlights then it was off to bed with me struggling to keep my eyes open.
Lovely lunch of ham cooked in coke (yes, it works) and potatoes, peas and carrots followed by raspberry crumble and home made ice cream. Afterwards we retired to the lounge to watch the Tour. The grandparents aren't getting any younger so it was nice to see them.
Yesterday we visited Glasgow and the Kelvingrove museum and gallery. It was a fantastic day. A beautifully presented exhibition, we even saw some conservators at work. I visted the gift shop which had some lovely things. I could have spent more than I did! Had a delicious lunch of haddock and mussel chowder at the gallery.
We drove home via the scenic route. The Clyde River is lovely and the houses are so different to what you see in Australia. Went through Saltcoats where some of my ancestors lived. Still looks pretty much as it would have over 100 years ago. I bet it smells better though.
Euan and I got dropped off in Ayr so we could see Die Hard 4.0. Picked up our tickets then had a quick look in WH Smith (yep, a book shop) where it was 3 for 2 and I couldn't resist. I'm having such a nice time reading this holiday. Die Hard was fun and Bruce still looks good. :-) Caught the train back to Irvine and a short £3.20 taxi ride right to the front door saw us home for a lovely beef stew and mash dinner. Caught the Tour highlights then it was off to bed with me struggling to keep my eyes open.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Lots to see here finally
Grab a drink and settle in for a long read. Plenty of photos to see... enjoy!
R & R
Finally a chance to unwind today but not before getting a flight to Glasgow. Off we headed to Liverpool Street station. No trains, you'll be on a bus today. Okayyyyy. Thank goodness it was Sunday. Much looking at the watch calculating the time and all looked good. Bus was uneventful, small queue to check in at the airport then we head through security.
Well actually we stood in line for over an hour to get through security. I have never seen a queue move that slowly. Thank goodness for a good book! Once we got too the front things went reasonably quickly and we had our bags and were on our way to the boarding gate.
No we weren't.
Shoes off and through the scanner then I could finally go the toilet and get some food for my rumbling tummy. Getting on the plane was bliss as the flight wasn't full.
I can understand now why my in-laws don't like flying any more. The rigmarole to get through security was a farce. The terrorists have won because they have completely changed the way we are expected to travel. Quite frankly it pisses me off.
Lovely to see my in-laws again. It really is hard to believe it's nearly three years since we saw them last. Salmon sandwiches washed down with lovely sparkling wine that was served for Euan's sisters wedding. They had saved a bottle for us to taste and it was lovely. Sweeter than champagne with 7.5% alcohol.
We caught the final hour of the tour and it was so exciting to see Robbie McEwen pick himself up from a crash and cross the line in first place.
Roast beef for dinner then a very early night for me as I was still suffering the after effects of jet lag and trying to cram too much into the short time we had in London.
Well actually we stood in line for over an hour to get through security. I have never seen a queue move that slowly. Thank goodness for a good book! Once we got too the front things went reasonably quickly and we had our bags and were on our way to the boarding gate.
No we weren't.
Shoes off and through the scanner then I could finally go the toilet and get some food for my rumbling tummy. Getting on the plane was bliss as the flight wasn't full.
I can understand now why my in-laws don't like flying any more. The rigmarole to get through security was a farce. The terrorists have won because they have completely changed the way we are expected to travel. Quite frankly it pisses me off.
Lovely to see my in-laws again. It really is hard to believe it's nearly three years since we saw them last. Salmon sandwiches washed down with lovely sparkling wine that was served for Euan's sisters wedding. They had saved a bottle for us to taste and it was lovely. Sweeter than champagne with 7.5% alcohol.
We caught the final hour of the tour and it was so exciting to see Robbie McEwen pick himself up from a crash and cross the line in first place.
Roast beef for dinner then a very early night for me as I was still suffering the after effects of jet lag and trying to cram too much into the short time we had in London.
Le Tour, Le Tour!
I'd been so excited to be seeing the tour live so to wake up feeling like I had hardly slept was a bit of a disappointment. Poor Euan had to put up with groggy, grumpy Suzie (I should point out that this is a rare state of being for me). First stop of the day was Leicester Square for some tickets to a show. Ended up getting The Lord of the Rings which had been Euan's pick but my choice of We Will Rock You wasn't available. With the tickets safely tucked into my purse we walked towards Buckingham Palace to find an appropriate spot to watch the Tour.
So many people were already there some 4 hours before the race started getting prime positions. As we were making our way down The Mall we passed the horse guards looking splendid. We found a spot close to Buckingham Palace one row back. It was funny to see all the people outside the queen's residence looking the other way!
Finally the caravan came along with much fanfare and noise. We scored some shower gel and got sprayed with water which was welcome relief in the rather hot sun. Realising that neither of us was going to be able to stand there for another four hours we walked a short way over to St James' Park and found a shady spot on the grass in front of a large screen. Realising that we had some time to go before the race I grabbed the opportunity to have another nap in a strange place.
The screen and sound were fabulous and it was great to see London looking so magnificant. I really have felt very much at home to come back to London to some familiar places. Despite being negative at times about living in London (mostly due to the weather) I have so many happy memories of our time there. We even found some of the places we went on our first date.
We had a date with the theatre so left the race before the end to get some dinner. Had a great Gorgonzola and mushroom pizza (one of the nicest I have ever had) then heaed to Drury Lane for the show.
Walking in to find the hobbits already acting trying to catch fireflies from around the theatre was something special. The stage was decorated with what looked like twigs. I wish I had a photo but the ushers were getting very worked up about people taking photos. As the time got nearer for the show to start the hobbits worked their way up to the stage and the show started with a fabulous song and dance.
Gollum stole the show again! The acting and singing was of variable quality but there was so very clever use of props to give the impressions of the Balrog and the dark riders. The orcs bounced around using some clever crutches. Overall it was a good show.
Hindsight is a beautiful thing and if I had thought a bit more I might not have tried to cram so much into those two days. Still, they are memories I will have for life now.
So many people were already there some 4 hours before the race started getting prime positions. As we were making our way down The Mall we passed the horse guards looking splendid. We found a spot close to Buckingham Palace one row back. It was funny to see all the people outside the queen's residence looking the other way!
Finally the caravan came along with much fanfare and noise. We scored some shower gel and got sprayed with water which was welcome relief in the rather hot sun. Realising that neither of us was going to be able to stand there for another four hours we walked a short way over to St James' Park and found a shady spot on the grass in front of a large screen. Realising that we had some time to go before the race I grabbed the opportunity to have another nap in a strange place.
The screen and sound were fabulous and it was great to see London looking so magnificant. I really have felt very much at home to come back to London to some familiar places. Despite being negative at times about living in London (mostly due to the weather) I have so many happy memories of our time there. We even found some of the places we went on our first date.
We had a date with the theatre so left the race before the end to get some dinner. Had a great Gorgonzola and mushroom pizza (one of the nicest I have ever had) then heaed to Drury Lane for the show.
Walking in to find the hobbits already acting trying to catch fireflies from around the theatre was something special. The stage was decorated with what looked like twigs. I wish I had a photo but the ushers were getting very worked up about people taking photos. As the time got nearer for the show to start the hobbits worked their way up to the stage and the show started with a fabulous song and dance.
Gollum stole the show again! The acting and singing was of variable quality but there was so very clever use of props to give the impressions of the Balrog and the dark riders. The orcs bounced around using some clever crutches. Overall it was a good show.
Hindsight is a beautiful thing and if I had thought a bit more I might not have tried to cram so much into those two days. Still, they are memories I will have for life now.
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