Hi there
For those of you who are catching up with us, here is the possibly only London blog. We have been crazy busy since we got here, except for one day when we had a domestic day - with a slight cold brewing. Even then we managed to get out and about...just not all day!
Well it's 9.33am and I am in an internet cafe just around the corner from where we are staying which is just across the road from Kensington Park, and the Palace where Diana lived. The day is 12 degrees, grey and overcast, slightly damp-feeling but though it has been raining there is no rain currently.We have been really fortunate with the weather on this trip. The cold weather was quite easy to cope with - dry snow. During this whole nearly four weeks now, we have had about 15 minutes of light rain while we have been getting around - not bad for winter!
So with time against me, here are some editted highlights.No pictures - will add those into the mix later.
1. Trains.
Having taken the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris, we took the Eurostar from Paris to London. It was really weird thinking about the fact that we were zooming along at nearly 100 metres under the sea - at times. They show you a diagram to make it clear in their in-train booklet! It is really easy to get from tube to train to tube to our accommodation. These services are noticeably improving with better escalators and lifts. Being able to shift from one country to another in a train was a bit strange - but they had customs for the UK in Paris!
2.People.
We had dimsum just off Oxford Street (in a cafe called Ping Pong in James street!)with Jaime, Reena and J's grooms Nathan and Flash. Then the boys went off to measure John up for the kilt he is to wear at the wedding. We are to be parent-substitutes at the double ceremony. The photos should be good!
We also met up with my colleague from Hillcrest High, Linda Hood, who is teaching at a posh girls' school here. She also chose a pub, The Zetland Arms. because her grandmother had worked there in 1916. It was good to find out her news and she had just got back from NZ following her mother's illness which necessitated a shift into Matariki in Te Awamutu.
We met up with Barry's brother, Alex, in The Zetland Arms (again!)in South Kensington and had a meal and catchup with with hm in an Italian restaurant, of which there are about three on every side of every block in London it seems. He was in good form and was pleased to hear how all the people in Auckland were doing.
3. Places.
We have seen a lot of these as you can imagine. On Saturday we did a "London Walk" around Notting Hill which took us around the older parts of this )used-to-be) village.We also met up with a woman who had just moved from Waikato Hospital and whose daughter was at Waikato Uni.We now know where Robbie Williams used to live; where Annie Lennox does live and where Prince Charles's Highgrove meat can be bought. Organic meat, this will cost you NZ$97 per kg for rack of lamb. Yes we did find the bookshop from "Notting Hill" and shopped at Portobello Market. That night we did a "London Walk" around Hampstead - more famous people's places and more strange histories. This included the house where JM Barrie wrote "Peter Pan" and about three pubs - they were part of the walk too. The ales were interesting! We also did another walk, around the City this time - on Sunday - which enabled us to be taken to some places that would have been tricky on a working day. The Gherkin close up is quie an amazing building. We were taken down some medieval passages and shown some of the original Saxon buildings and places of London - including the original Roman wall.
4. Performances.
We have seen "Totem" (Cirque du Soleil) in the Royal Albert Hall - the building almost as amazing as the show.We walked around Covent Garden yesterday and then happened past a matinee of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" at the Vaudeville Theatre and went to it. This was a very clever and timely commentary on politics and social morality.Then last night we went to "We Will Rock You" the story by Ben Elton, based on the music of Queen, was also a social commentary - if you wanted to read it that way - about the perils of plastic music. It was a HUGE show with lights and sound effects which were very overwhelming at times. One surprise character was played by the actor who used to be Curly Watts on Coro Street - and he was a real rager. Nigel and many other would really like this one!
Tomorrow we head up to The Wedding and if I can I will post a blog to you from there. Home on Sunday....our beds will be good!!
Love to all J&J
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
et encore auvoir de Paris
and again goodbye to Paris...which also means hello to London in a few hours. I am sitting in the lobby of our hotel, where no conciefge seems to know how to load up photos on their system so I will add the snaps in later.
We have had a very busy last three days. Tuesday was a visit around the Ile De La Cite - the original part of Paris as the island offered good defences.It was quite cold that day and we spent some pleasant time in a heated flower market. The Palais Royal was part of that walk and included stunning shops such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Stella MacCartney ( hand on VISA card - no problem. John was a astonished to see a pair of shoes at 850 euros! There is also a very "royal" Metro with glass making up a good part of its decoration.
The focus of Wednesday was a visit to Pere Lachaise, a cemetery of 105 acres (do not worry our demise is not yet at hand, as far as we know!). Many of you will know that many famous people are buried there - including Jim Morrison of the Doors, for some reason.Getting to that side of Paris took us to a very different part of the city.It was very multi-ethnic, Africans, Eastern European and Muslims of all colours and shapes.It was also quite cool that day but it did not stop people coming to Jim's grave - which was in a very hidden place,though he is on the map if you ever get this way.A tree nearby has names carved into it and "show me the way to the next whiskey bar" painted on it too.
Returning into Paris we spen some time at the Louvre as it had a late opening that day. I would hate to come here on a really busy day. We saw a lot and got a case of museum fatigue, but not before seeing some wonderful art works and contributing to the economy in the museum shop.
Thursday we spent getting to the Viaduc des Arts - another walk from the box. The focus was this collection of artists working in their shop.Now I am going to stop here as a man has come to paint the ceiling and things are getting a little close. Talk to you soon.
We have had a very busy last three days. Tuesday was a visit around the Ile De La Cite - the original part of Paris as the island offered good defences.It was quite cold that day and we spent some pleasant time in a heated flower market. The Palais Royal was part of that walk and included stunning shops such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Stella MacCartney ( hand on VISA card - no problem. John was a astonished to see a pair of shoes at 850 euros! There is also a very "royal" Metro with glass making up a good part of its decoration.
The focus of Wednesday was a visit to Pere Lachaise, a cemetery of 105 acres (do not worry our demise is not yet at hand, as far as we know!). Many of you will know that many famous people are buried there - including Jim Morrison of the Doors, for some reason.Getting to that side of Paris took us to a very different part of the city.It was very multi-ethnic, Africans, Eastern European and Muslims of all colours and shapes.It was also quite cool that day but it did not stop people coming to Jim's grave - which was in a very hidden place,though he is on the map if you ever get this way.A tree nearby has names carved into it and "show me the way to the next whiskey bar" painted on it too.
Returning into Paris we spen some time at the Louvre as it had a late opening that day. I would hate to come here on a really busy day. We saw a lot and got a case of museum fatigue, but not before seeing some wonderful art works and contributing to the economy in the museum shop.
Thursday we spent getting to the Viaduc des Arts - another walk from the box. The focus was this collection of artists working in their shop.Now I am going to stop here as a man has come to paint the ceiling and things are getting a little close. Talk to you soon.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Bon soir from Paris
Cher amis et famille
That would be actually bonjour from Montmartre,the arty bit of Paris,and the most hilly. We got here yesterday afternoon by train from Amsterdam. That was a great trip and very easy to accomplish. (I am trying to type this on a keyboard that only likes French so everything I type nearly is currently underlined in red, which is a bit unnerving for an English teacher!)
Anyway we found our way here (Hotel de Relais, Rue Constance) with little problem at all as it was only a latter of one change on the Metro and a walk of a few blocks.We are only just around the corner from the Cafe which featured in the movie "Amelie" so you can see that this is a very authentic area. It is also the centre of the girlie shows and sex shops. Evidently this hotel used to be a rent by the hour hotel a few iterations ago. Yesterday we got our bearings around this neighbourhood and walked a good bit before finding a cafe for a simple meal and another for a glass or two of wine!
This morning we walked much further around this area and took ourselves up onto the top of Montmartre where the church of Sacre Coeur gives the best view of Paris.Today it was a bit misty, but there were still plenty of people visiting. The Place du Tertre nearby, traditionally the haunt of artists (Picasso, Dali et al). was practically ring-fenced with artists' easels. Even when you broke through them, it was very hard to get away from those who were wandering around with clipboards, trying to get you to stop still for a portrait (15 euros) It was interesting, while we were in Amsterdam, to see how Van Gogh had painted the windmills of this hill (used to grind flour) when he was here about 1886. The place he stayed in is also just up the street. Now, the whole of this area is very settled indeed and there is only a bit of room left in the Montmartre cemetery, which we also visited today. Anyway,we must go and enjoy Paris a bit more!
That would be actually bonjour from Montmartre,the arty bit of Paris,and the most hilly. We got here yesterday afternoon by train from Amsterdam. That was a great trip and very easy to accomplish. (I am trying to type this on a keyboard that only likes French so everything I type nearly is currently underlined in red, which is a bit unnerving for an English teacher!)
Anyway we found our way here (Hotel de Relais, Rue Constance) with little problem at all as it was only a latter of one change on the Metro and a walk of a few blocks.We are only just around the corner from the Cafe which featured in the movie "Amelie" so you can see that this is a very authentic area. It is also the centre of the girlie shows and sex shops. Evidently this hotel used to be a rent by the hour hotel a few iterations ago. Yesterday we got our bearings around this neighbourhood and walked a good bit before finding a cafe for a simple meal and another for a glass or two of wine!
This morning we walked much further around this area and took ourselves up onto the top of Montmartre where the church of Sacre Coeur gives the best view of Paris.Today it was a bit misty, but there were still plenty of people visiting. The Place du Tertre nearby, traditionally the haunt of artists (Picasso, Dali et al). was practically ring-fenced with artists' easels. Even when you broke through them, it was very hard to get away from those who were wandering around with clipboards, trying to get you to stop still for a portrait (15 euros) It was interesting, while we were in Amsterdam, to see how Van Gogh had painted the windmills of this hill (used to grind flour) when he was here about 1886. The place he stayed in is also just up the street. Now, the whole of this area is very settled indeed and there is only a bit of room left in the Montmartre cemetery, which we also visited today. Anyway,we must go and enjoy Paris a bit more!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year from Fireworks Frenzy
Hi everyone
Happy New Year! This is our last night in Amsterdam. Last night there were times when we wondered if it would be our last night ever!
They do fireworks in a major way in this city - and there is no rubbish bin or public place which is immune.No health and safety controls here - they just go for it: hand held rockets;throwing crackers around; lighting fireworks inside bottles - it is all on - and that was the run-up to New Year!Yesterday we went out to Haarlem for lunch and then went into Neuemarkt near the red light district where we met up with Jared and Jo's friends. We had drinks in their apartment then set off into the square just before midnight. A solid sound wall of explosions ensued - there was no possibiity of hearing anything else - sign language was needed here! The fireworks went on and on. Eventually, about 1.30am we walked back into the Dam Square and then back to our hotel, about 35 minutes walk. The litter - cans, bottles, plastic and fireworks detritus was fairly indescribable. However, when we went out today there were signs of cleaning up having been done in some places.
Since this is the last post from Amsterdam, I wanted to put up some more photos so you could see some more of the idiosyncratic sights of Haarlem and Amsterdam. I have been entranced by the flower markets; the small transport solutions - especially bicycles and by some of the shops! Enjoy the snaps and we will meet again in Paris.
Bon soir mes chers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
