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.
Jolly old London!
Indeed, I have to agree with Euan and say I throughly enjoyed Malaysia. I will be back at some point in time and see more of the country.
In London we stayed at the Ace Hotel. Now, I am not sure I would call it ace but it was really clean, fresh and comfortable despite having a room that Euan could touch each wall at the same time and sleeping in bunks. At London prices that was fine with me. We fell into bed sometime around 4am according to our body clock so it doesn't come as a great surprise that a few days later I was still feeling rather worse for wear.
The next day was a long one. It started out with a bit of sight seeing and, shockingly, Euan even did some clothes shopping much to my delight. Not cheap clothes shopping either, he spent more in pounds than he ordinarily would in dollars on a jacket. It's a really nice black Rohan assignment jacket that I hope will replace wooley for some of the time. Wooley is the green jacket that Euan loves (more than me I think sometimes!).
We went on one of the London Walks, Eccentric London. I highly recommend going on a couple of these if you're in London, very entertaining and good value. Two hours flew by and next thing we knew it was time for lunch.
On recommendation from our guide we went to Abactus where we had a delicious three course set lunch. Beautiful food. We sat at the bar because they were so busy and giggled at the very proper english blokes sitting next to us who were prattling on about all things english.
Then we headed to Trafalgar Square for the Tour de France sign on. We got there an hour and a half before the start and it was already packed. Fortunately we got chatting to an english couple Paul and Tracy and that helped the time go more quickly as the "entertainment" while we waited was a DJ who thought he was the bee's knees however I didn't see too many people in the crowd dancing. Once the main event started there was a good atmosphere, lots of flag waving and watching the riders wheel on was awesome.
It was a long day on the feet though and we both felt like our feet were on fire and my back was aching. leaving Trafalgar Square afterwards there were people everywhere! the Friday night reveller's were out in full force.
In London we stayed at the Ace Hotel. Now, I am not sure I would call it ace but it was really clean, fresh and comfortable despite having a room that Euan could touch each wall at the same time and sleeping in bunks. At London prices that was fine with me. We fell into bed sometime around 4am according to our body clock so it doesn't come as a great surprise that a few days later I was still feeling rather worse for wear.
The next day was a long one. It started out with a bit of sight seeing and, shockingly, Euan even did some clothes shopping much to my delight. Not cheap clothes shopping either, he spent more in pounds than he ordinarily would in dollars on a jacket. It's a really nice black Rohan assignment jacket that I hope will replace wooley for some of the time. Wooley is the green jacket that Euan loves (more than me I think sometimes!).
We went on one of the London Walks, Eccentric London. I highly recommend going on a couple of these if you're in London, very entertaining and good value. Two hours flew by and next thing we knew it was time for lunch.
On recommendation from our guide we went to Abactus where we had a delicious three course set lunch. Beautiful food. We sat at the bar because they were so busy and giggled at the very proper english blokes sitting next to us who were prattling on about all things english.
Then we headed to Trafalgar Square for the Tour de France sign on. We got there an hour and a half before the start and it was already packed. Fortunately we got chatting to an english couple Paul and Tracy and that helped the time go more quickly as the "entertainment" while we waited was a DJ who thought he was the bee's knees however I didn't see too many people in the crowd dancing. Once the main event started there was a good atmosphere, lots of flag waving and watching the riders wheel on was awesome.
It was a long day on the feet though and we both felt like our feet were on fire and my back was aching. leaving Trafalgar Square afterwards there were people everywhere! the Friday night reveller's were out in full force.
Leaving Malaysia, hello London
Rather than write something else I'll let Euan do the writing...
We had a great time in Malaysia and we'll certainly be back.
Things I like about Malaysia.
The people. Hands down the most tourist friendly and welcoming place I've ever been to, bar none. The service here is fantastic and nothing seems to be too much trouble.
The public transport system. It's quick, it's reliable and you really don't need anything else other than your own two feet.
The sights. Old mixing it with the new, some really impressive architecture and some great museums.
The traffic. I don't know, it's busy but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of aggression displayed on the roads. (Suzie: even when the traffic cops let three light changes go by and only allowed traffic from one direction they all sat threre quite happily and waited their turn - I can't imagine this happening in any other city I have been to)
The food. Yum!
Things I don't like so much.
Peak hour public transport. Oh boy! Sardine tins.
Not sure I'd wan't to ride a bike here. With the prevalence of scooters I'm not sure cycling's a practical option. Shame as it's mostly flat.
The humidity. OK so that's something I'd get used to but when the locals are praying for rain, well you know it's kind of bad.
So thirteen hours later we land in Heathrow to .... rain. What else? This is the UK after all. The flight was good, as good as these things can be, and the transit from Heathrow to our hostel in West Kensington was relatively smooth, yay for decent public transport.
Today's a day of doing a bit of sight seeing, although having lived in Watford for three years there's not much we want to see that we haven't already, and scouting out a good location to watch the Prologue tomorrow.
We had a great time in Malaysia and we'll certainly be back.
Things I like about Malaysia.
The people. Hands down the most tourist friendly and welcoming place I've ever been to, bar none. The service here is fantastic and nothing seems to be too much trouble.
The public transport system. It's quick, it's reliable and you really don't need anything else other than your own two feet.
The sights. Old mixing it with the new, some really impressive architecture and some great museums.
The traffic. I don't know, it's busy but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of aggression displayed on the roads. (Suzie: even when the traffic cops let three light changes go by and only allowed traffic from one direction they all sat threre quite happily and waited their turn - I can't imagine this happening in any other city I have been to)
The food. Yum!
Things I don't like so much.
Peak hour public transport. Oh boy! Sardine tins.
Not sure I'd wan't to ride a bike here. With the prevalence of scooters I'm not sure cycling's a practical option. Shame as it's mostly flat.
The humidity. OK so that's something I'd get used to but when the locals are praying for rain, well you know it's kind of bad.
So thirteen hours later we land in Heathrow to .... rain. What else? This is the UK after all. The flight was good, as good as these things can be, and the transit from Heathrow to our hostel in West Kensington was relatively smooth, yay for decent public transport.
Today's a day of doing a bit of sight seeing, although having lived in Watford for three years there's not much we want to see that we haven't already, and scouting out a good location to watch the Prologue tomorrow.
Fast forward six days...
I feel like I've hardly had time to scratch myself so now I am in relaxation mode with Euan's family I can settle down to some decent blogging time.
First things first, Euan's toe is much recovered thanks to my very large first aid kit. As I tell people I am a pharmacists daughter and I can't help but bring a huge amount of stuff, never know what you might need although you hope you won't need any of it. He's walking normally again and no sign of infection. Go me!
So, last I wrote we were heading out for some more sight seeing in KL. Lovely day but incredibly humid... even the locals were praying for rain! I tried to avoid catching any glimpses of my reflection as I know I looked like some strange sweating, red faced westerner. Most embarressing.
Visited the Menara Kuala Lumpur (aka KL Tower) which has fantastic views over KL and included a audio visual guide to point out some of the highlights. The Malaysians are very proud of the achievement of building the tower and with good reason. Whilst looking through the brochure (I love brochures by the way) I noticed that we could get a free shuttle bus to the Telecommunications Museum. Given Euan's long history of working in telecoms I thought this would interest him but I ended up enjoying it also.
The museum is housed in the original telecommunications building and was a very well presented display. Even better we virtually had our own guide to show us around. It seems they employ rather too many people to do all the jobs here. They were clearly very excited to have visitors and we even had our photo taken reading one of the information boards. Near the end they told us we could use the internet and this is what Euan wrote:
"A little sooner than I expected but it seems rude not to use the facilities of Malaysia's Telecoms museum. I don't know if Australia's even got a telecoms museum. Given my line of work I've found this place particularly interesting. Earlier today we visited the KL tower which forms the hub of the microwave network here. The customer service here is absolutely fantastic, having a great time."
Back out into the heat for a walk to the Petronas Twin Towers (oh look, sweaty foreigner...). Euan got sucked in by some monk (I guess, that was how he was dressed) who handed him a "lucky" card. Luckily Euan only gave him 1 RM. Apparently he was asking for 100 RM (about 30 aussie dollars)!
By the time we got to the towers it was time for lunch and more importantly, we never shop on an empty stomach! The food court was awesome. Euan ended up with a fabulous Laksa and I had chicken and rice. Then it was time to shop although there was more window shopping than anything else. So many stores and I can understand the attraction but I'm not a shopper at heart. Retired to a coffee shop for a very large coffee and I had the first of my naps in strange places.
Despite not being much of a shopper we headed back to Berjaya Times Square because it is cool. Had a wander through Border's (we really much stay out of book shops!) then had some chinese food for dinner and off to bed.
First things first, Euan's toe is much recovered thanks to my very large first aid kit. As I tell people I am a pharmacists daughter and I can't help but bring a huge amount of stuff, never know what you might need although you hope you won't need any of it. He's walking normally again and no sign of infection. Go me!
So, last I wrote we were heading out for some more sight seeing in KL. Lovely day but incredibly humid... even the locals were praying for rain! I tried to avoid catching any glimpses of my reflection as I know I looked like some strange sweating, red faced westerner. Most embarressing.
Visited the Menara Kuala Lumpur (aka KL Tower) which has fantastic views over KL and included a audio visual guide to point out some of the highlights. The Malaysians are very proud of the achievement of building the tower and with good reason. Whilst looking through the brochure (I love brochures by the way) I noticed that we could get a free shuttle bus to the Telecommunications Museum. Given Euan's long history of working in telecoms I thought this would interest him but I ended up enjoying it also.
The museum is housed in the original telecommunications building and was a very well presented display. Even better we virtually had our own guide to show us around. It seems they employ rather too many people to do all the jobs here. They were clearly very excited to have visitors and we even had our photo taken reading one of the information boards. Near the end they told us we could use the internet and this is what Euan wrote:
"A little sooner than I expected but it seems rude not to use the facilities of Malaysia's Telecoms museum. I don't know if Australia's even got a telecoms museum. Given my line of work I've found this place particularly interesting. Earlier today we visited the KL tower which forms the hub of the microwave network here. The customer service here is absolutely fantastic, having a great time."
Back out into the heat for a walk to the Petronas Twin Towers (oh look, sweaty foreigner...). Euan got sucked in by some monk (I guess, that was how he was dressed) who handed him a "lucky" card. Luckily Euan only gave him 1 RM. Apparently he was asking for 100 RM (about 30 aussie dollars)!
By the time we got to the towers it was time for lunch and more importantly, we never shop on an empty stomach! The food court was awesome. Euan ended up with a fabulous Laksa and I had chicken and rice. Then it was time to shop although there was more window shopping than anything else. So many stores and I can understand the attraction but I'm not a shopper at heart. Retired to a coffee shop for a very large coffee and I had the first of my naps in strange places.
Despite not being much of a shopper we headed back to Berjaya Times Square because it is cool. Had a wander through Border's (we really much stay out of book shops!) then had some chinese food for dinner and off to bed.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Euan's take on things
Yay, on holiday!
Set off on Monday, flying out of Melbourne @ 15:00 for Malaysia where we're spending a couple of days. This has been the culmination of much planning and little bit of angst but we're finally on our way. A five week holiday, w00t!
The angst, well as you may know I'm now an Aussie(Aussie Aussie(Oi OI OI))! When I had my citizenship interview I asked what I needed to do passport wise as I had a permament resident's visa in my British passport. I was told that all I needed to do was get an RRV stamped in it.Imagine my anger and frustration when with 6 working days to go I was told I neeeded an Aussie passport :p Oh well, cost me an extra 100 bucks and a bit of stress but it's well worth it!.
Check in lady was quite excited with us, collectively we're 9 kgs under the baggage allowance of 40kgs, not bad for a 5 week trip! Flight was with Malaysian airlines and it had individual movie screens, computer games etc etc. Waste of time bringing magazines and books, oh well.
Oh nearly forgot, if you're ever travelling overseas and want to take advantage of the duty free on your return you can sort it all out before you go. We've got over 200 bucks worth of spirits waiting for us when we return, sweet!We're staying in Kuala Lumpar at the Equator Hostel, a basic backpackers place which is all we need and adds to the flavor of the place. We got in at around about midnight local time, a quick beer and off to bed.
Yesterday started off with an unintended trek, Suzie confidently strode off in a direction with the map and I confidently didn't even look at the map and followed Suzie. Over five kms later Suzie discovered it was 5kms in the wrong direction. Oops!
All good though as the National museum was in that direction, then the planetarium. We took in the Police museum as well which was very interesting before hoppping on the bus to the big shopping centre, Berjaya Times Square.In my case it was close to literally hopping. While my knee's pretty good the endurance isn't what I'd like it to be. The consquence is that towards the end of the day I was getting a little shaky on the legs and ended up tripping over a grate and ripping back the skin on my bg toe. Ouch! Oh well, all part of the fun!
Ended the day by sampling one of the local bistros, obviously tailored for western tastes, and took in a movie at the IMAX there (2D). Transformers is a fun movie!
Malaysia
We've arrived safely in Malaysia and day one of the holiday is over. It's hot and humid as I expected and we are drinking lots of water to compensate. The Equator Hostel is basic but nice. It's very close to the shopping area so was a good pick.
Got in very late on Monday night after a good flight. Mum and Dad drove us to the airport and I am sure that they were impressed by the relatively little luggage we were taking for a four week trip. The lady at the check-in desk as even more impressed as we were both well under the 20kg limit (15.6 for Euan and 16.8 for Suzie) and commented, "I like that!".
We spent the flight watching movies (The Shooter & Wild Hogs), playing computer games and being fed. Very impressed with Malaysian Airlines - good service - Euan liked the bit where they came down the aisle with the tray of beer. Dinner was salmon curry for me and mushroom ravoli for me with a snack of chicken roll later on.
We landed at about 9.45pm local time so I wasn't keen to get the train so taxi it was. You buy a voucher at the airport then stand in a queue to be allocated a taxi. Very nice car and driver although it fast became obvious that he didn't know where the hotel was. We ended up driving past it three times. First time I spotted it as we went past, the second time the driver didn't listen when I told him where it was so it was a case of third time lucky. I always feel a huge sense of relief when I finally get to the hotel in a foreign country and get a bed.
Despite being fed on the plane by tummy was telling me it wanted food so we wandered down the street to a small cafe. Unfortunately the kitchen had closed but by the time I had finished my drink I was ready to go to bed anyway.
Day one proper of the holiday started early with a basic breakfast then we headed out to see the sites with a map and some instructions on what to see. Well, as they say about the best laid plans... Found the monorail station and then told Euan that if we follow it we will come to the first stop for the hop-on, hop-off bus. So off I strode confidently with Euan trusting my map reading skills. About 20 minutes later I realised we had followed the monorail in the wrong direction. Much more walking ensued until we reach china town. Our journey hunt was through the boring area although we did see a fire station and saw their fire motor bikes so not completely a waste.
In china town we had our first coffee for the day and some pastries which put the world to rights again. Waiting for the tourist bus we met some Melbournians (small world out there). Finally got ourselves on the bus and headed to the National Museum. It was a good display of dress, culture and customs of the different people who inhabit Malaysia. With native, Indian, Chinese, Portugese, British influences the country has seemingly embraced all of those cultures. Whilst the official national religion is Islam it's clear that not all of the population is Muslim. We have seen a wide variety of dress from full burkas with only the eyes showing through to not much covered. All appear to live together peacefully.
After we visted the museum we headed over a very busy highway via a covered walk-way to the Planeterium. Good thing it was cheap (1 RM each) as there wan't a great deal to see. The 360° view of the city was good and made up for the large number of stairs we climbed to get there. As we wandered along the road to get back to the next bus stop we passed by the Police musuem and headed inside. It's beautifully presented. Found the weapon display the most interesting which surprised me as I'm not a big fan of guns but they had a large proportion dedicated to various home made weapons that have been seized. A whole new use of an old fashioned bike pump was shown where a sharp metal spike had been welded inside ready to be drawn out. Not much use if your bike tire goes flat.
Euan was obviously getting tired and stumbling a little as he isn't used to doing so much walking, especially since he broke his leg. That unfortunately led to a rather nasty looking cut on the bottom of his big toe with a five cent piece size piece of skin peeled back. We patched it up as best we could with a tissue and onward we walked. Soaked the tissue off later with some saline and I tortued him with betadine and it's now got a very large bandaid on it. Fingers crossed it will now heal on it's own.
Found the big shopping centre, Berjaya Times Square, and had an early dinner/late lunch and the most fabulous Lemon chill drink which was so refreshing. I had Mushroom soup and Euan has pumpkin and we shared a bowl of wedges. I noticed that Transformers was showing on the Imax screen so bought tickets and watched that rather than try and walk too far. Excellent movie and I especially liked it on the huge screen. The robot transformations were really well done and I liked the cast and the storyline. The transforming Camero was hilarious.
Tottled back to the hotel for an early night so we are up bright and early today. We are going to the Petronas Twin Towers and the tall KL tower today and we will see how Euan's foot holds up.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
2 more sleeps!
I hope both of us get a better night sleep tonight. I was awake at 4am feeling like the energiser bunny and poor Euan had to put up with me wriggling which kept him awake. I'm going to have to try some calming meditation as I am far too excited! Still, we got lots done today. Early to the cafe for coffee and toast then a facial for me and shopping for Euan. We are tidying up the house and catching up on the washing and tomorrow is packing day!
Last day at work yesterday and we aren't back for 38 days. There was of course a lot to do and hand over. It's funny how a timeline pushes you into getting things finished.
A relaxing night planned with Dr Who then I'll read in bed and try and unwind.
Last day at work yesterday and we aren't back for 38 days. There was of course a lot to do and hand over. It's funny how a timeline pushes you into getting things finished.
A relaxing night planned with Dr Who then I'll read in bed and try and unwind.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Shiny and new
Euan picked up his passport yesterday which matches my shiny new passport. I was lazy and let my last passport expire so my passport is only 1 1/2 months old too. Now in ten years time we can get them re-issued together. Awwww.
We are getting really excited. I woke up at quarter to five all bouncy and went for a long walk which was a lovely way to start the day. Something leads me to suspect we will be doing a lot of walking while we are away!
I picked up a 4GB compact flash card for my camera so I shouldn't run out of storage space now! I'll visit the post office later to get our mail re-directed.
Four more sleeps!
We are getting really excited. I woke up at quarter to five all bouncy and went for a long walk which was a lovely way to start the day. Something leads me to suspect we will be doing a lot of walking while we are away!
I picked up a 4GB compact flash card for my camera so I shouldn't run out of storage space now! I'll visit the post office later to get our mail re-directed.
Four more sleeps!
Monday, June 25, 2007
A tale of time
Our itinery is rather broad aside from knowing when we are flying to different places...
2nd July - Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia (unwind)
5th July - London, England (first stage of TdF)
8th July - Ayrshire, Scotland (Euan's family)
12th July - Devon, England (Euan's family)
16th July - Rome, Italy (Sightseeing)
18th July - Lucca, Italy (Euan's family and sightseeing)
Large period of time to be determined, probably Piza, Florence, Venice in Italy then train to Bayeux, France to vist the tapestry and see the war graves.
28th July - Paris, France (final stage of the TdF)
30th July - Fere en Tardenois, France
2nd August - home beckons
2nd July - Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia (unwind)
5th July - London, England (first stage of TdF)
8th July - Ayrshire, Scotland (Euan's family)
12th July - Devon, England (Euan's family)
16th July - Rome, Italy (Sightseeing)
18th July - Lucca, Italy (Euan's family and sightseeing)
Large period of time to be determined, probably Piza, Florence, Venice in Italy then train to Bayeux, France to vist the tapestry and see the war graves.
28th July - Paris, France (final stage of the TdF)
30th July - Fere en Tardenois, France
2nd August - home beckons
A cautionary tale
Just 7 more sleeps to go until we fly out. I'm finally getting excited. A lot of people were wondering why I wasn't excited earlier and I don't really have an answer for that although I do have a small tale of woe to tell.
Euan became an Australian citizen on May 15th and was very specific about asking during the interview process if he needed to get an Australian passport. He was told that all he need to do was make sure he got his Residents Visa put into his British passport so off he goes on Friday to do just that only to be told that he has to have an Australian passort. I am surprised I couldn't hear the screams from here. Interview has now been done and we hope the passport will be ready tomorrow!
We have been busy on the phone organising global roaming and letting the banks know that we are travelling and to please not panic and put a stop on our cards!! I've printed off the maps of London and Paris and the timetables for the Tour de France for the first and last stages. I can't believe we will be seeing the TdF LIVE! I'm really hoping Robbie McEwan can take out the final sprint. I'm contemplating taking an Aussie flag so he notices us.
Euan became an Australian citizen on May 15th and was very specific about asking during the interview process if he needed to get an Australian passport. He was told that all he need to do was make sure he got his Residents Visa put into his British passport so off he goes on Friday to do just that only to be told that he has to have an Australian passort. I am surprised I couldn't hear the screams from here. Interview has now been done and we hope the passport will be ready tomorrow!
We have been busy on the phone organising global roaming and letting the banks know that we are travelling and to please not panic and put a stop on our cards!! I've printed off the maps of London and Paris and the timetables for the Tour de France for the first and last stages. I can't believe we will be seeing the TdF LIVE! I'm really hoping Robbie McEwan can take out the final sprint. I'm contemplating taking an Aussie flag so he notices us.
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