The end of our stay in Bucharest was defined by certain inaccuracies in the travel guide I had bought. Nice local cheap restaurant near Placa Revolutionii turned out to be the building of the Bucharest Hilton – not known for cheap prices or local flavour. Another restaurant seemed to be at the totally different square. At least we found a terrace restaurant with good food, nice service and some added drama by the local baccalaureate students in their nines. The local beer was good and weather was warm. Another thing lacking from the travel guide was the working hours of the local metro. Plus there was no mention that every ticket was a return (2 journey) one. Shame on you Thomas Cook!
The next morning we just got a taxi to the station and found out that we had misunderstood the taxi driver on arrival. Lucky man got a huge tip... At the station bought some food to our train journey and got rid of the remaining lei. Then our small train carrying cars to Thessaloniki and Istanbul left Bucharesti. Another city worth another visit in the future.
The 20 or so hour train journey to Istanbul showed us three totally different landscapes. The southern Romania was flat where as the chalk hills in northern Bulgaria were steep. When we woke up in Turkey it was undulating farming landscape with a lot of poppies along the field boundaries.
The train itself was basic. The sleeper car was Romanian but there was no personal hygiene kit or free bottle of water in the cupboard. The safety net required artistic invention to be placed about correctly and there were signs of heavy use everywhere. The cleanliness of the toilet went downhill from the start and its lock worked when it wanted. In addition every border had two sets of passport controllers coming in. Embarrassingly, we missed the passport stamps and visa for Phil at the Turkish border when we thought that one set of Turkish controllers was enough. We were woken up at 5 am in Edirne to face the lack of stamps in an additional passport control. The poor police at the station was as astonished as us when he was in his turn woken up. There was a moment of panic at the dark station platform but I got my stamp and Phil paid his visa.
The train arrived to Istanbul almost two hours late. That did not really matter since we could see the suburbs of Istanbul where huge areas were under development and cute new estates with local style semidetached houses dotted the slopes of mild ridges. There was an ATM at the station and the walk to our hotel was a short and pleasant one. Luckily, we were able to get our room almost at the spot. We just sampled the tasty breakfast buffet of the Sirkeci Konak hotel after which we were shown our room upstairs. The room is not the largest but we have a view to the gardens of Topkapi. What a nice place to have a nap after a long and eventful night!
Thursday 15 May 2008
Tuesday 13 May 2008
Tuesday, 13 May 2008, Bucharest
Another sleeper compartment, another restaurant car. The sleeper car was nicer than the Hungarian one although poor Phil on the upper bunk could not get the safety net in place and slept very near the wall all night. The restaurant offered just two alternatives: chicken or pork. Both were juicy and came grilled with some cheesy chips and a salad with ripest tomatoes ever! The red wine was a bit sweet to my taste but a robust Romanian produce. Hungary in the evening sun was very flat but so it was supposed to be.
The first task in Bucharest was to find a cash machine. Which was best done just on the other side of the road. The one inside the building was devoid of money. However, the city was busier and more eastern than Budapest, which had been in hibernation due to Pentacost bank holiday (supposedly – at least everything was closed on Monday in Budapest). Many Roma were around the station with their women having colourful long skirts.
We were once again allowed to check-in early – although this may have something to do with not working of the air conditioning. Otherwise the Unique Hotel is spotless in a residential quarter off Placa Romana in the north. We had a quick look at the centre to see the People’s palace and the old city. The historical museum was closed – against the information we had. They would be partly open (lapidarium and some gold finds) tomorrow but our train has contradictory departure times so we head to the train station tomorrow early.
Also the last remaining traditional restaurant-hostel had become even more last. There was heavy building work going and it apparently turns out to be one more parador-style luxury hotel. Luckily, the Festival 39 was still where it was supposed to and we had an early lunch/brunch. My salad was huge!
Bucharest looks very interesting and reminds me of my first visit to Athens in early 1990s before the huge renovation works in the Plaka district. However, the potholes were not that bad and the road works were done in a slightly more modern way. The number of pot holes is astonishing. The whole centre is like the southern part of Via Vigne Nuove. Nevertheless, there is old charm and new achievements with a lot of sadness of the opportunities missed during the destructive Ceaucescu years. The People’s palace is huge but did not evoke any will of visiting it. What was lost to create such a monstrocity! You look at the Secession style buildings or the few remaining early modern churches and you can see what once was there.
The first task in Bucharest was to find a cash machine. Which was best done just on the other side of the road. The one inside the building was devoid of money. However, the city was busier and more eastern than Budapest, which had been in hibernation due to Pentacost bank holiday (supposedly – at least everything was closed on Monday in Budapest). Many Roma were around the station with their women having colourful long skirts.
We were once again allowed to check-in early – although this may have something to do with not working of the air conditioning. Otherwise the Unique Hotel is spotless in a residential quarter off Placa Romana in the north. We had a quick look at the centre to see the People’s palace and the old city. The historical museum was closed – against the information we had. They would be partly open (lapidarium and some gold finds) tomorrow but our train has contradictory departure times so we head to the train station tomorrow early.
Also the last remaining traditional restaurant-hostel had become even more last. There was heavy building work going and it apparently turns out to be one more parador-style luxury hotel. Luckily, the Festival 39 was still where it was supposed to and we had an early lunch/brunch. My salad was huge!
Bucharest looks very interesting and reminds me of my first visit to Athens in early 1990s before the huge renovation works in the Plaka district. However, the potholes were not that bad and the road works were done in a slightly more modern way. The number of pot holes is astonishing. The whole centre is like the southern part of Via Vigne Nuove. Nevertheless, there is old charm and new achievements with a lot of sadness of the opportunities missed during the destructive Ceaucescu years. The People’s palace is huge but did not evoke any will of visiting it. What was lost to create such a monstrocity! You look at the Secession style buildings or the few remaining early modern churches and you can see what once was there.
Monday, 12 May 2008, Budapest
Baths – is there anything more wonderful than sit in a warm pool after a moment in the steam room?! Then, moving between spaces, cooling down and swimming in a classical style swimming pool. Just hours and hours of leisurely swimming and bathing. The wave machine in the Gellert outdoors pools was slightly scary, though. Especially, when one got in only after the machine had started. The stay in the Gellert Hotel gave a hint how it felt to visit Roman baths and relax in an aesthetically pleasant atmosphere.
The Sunday morning in the baths was followed by a visit to the Historical museum. We cut the visit short and decided to see only the archaeological exhibition. The presentations were compact but well designed and very educational. The truth is that it seemed to simplify the complex prehistory and early history but that is only natural when it seems that the ancient populations changed about every five hundred years or so. I was particularly impressed by the Roman room where the left hand side depicted how the Romanised life was in west of the Danube where as the right hand side showed how the natives lived in the east. There were plenty of reconstructions and even soundscape in the galleries. Although presentation was ultramodern, some of the interpretations and descriptions revealed a Marxist past. This was not bad since most of the explanations are similar to processual ones anyway.
On Sunday evening we had a very fancy meal in the hotel’s restaurant. I had a nice goulash soup followed by veal with goose liver and mushrooms. All was washed down by a deep Hungarian red wine. However, this meal was the first time in my life when wine tasting ritual turned out to be significant, not just an old relic. The first bottle was vinegary and was kindly and swiftly replaced by our very polite waiter.
Then we decided to go to the drinks bar. That was both a good choice and a bad mistake. The bar man was a true original, making drinks to our own specifications. We ended up chatting with other customers one of which turned out to be from the anthropology department at Edinburgh. How easy it is to down a significant number of G&T’s when your discussion is flowing from the university life to the Brown government! We did not dare to check the bill when Phil handed over his credit card the following day.
Monday morning was a bit slow. Phil had a second go in the steam rooms but I enjoyed our spacious room. At noon we left our luggage with a bell boy (c. fiftythree years of age!) and headed to the centre. We took a Duna sightseeing tour on a boat and enjoyed the beautiful riverscape.
After a late lunch in the Verne club (amazing decoration), we got a taxi from the Gellert hotel and headed for the train station. The taxi was somewhat cheaper than on arrival but that seem to be the reoccurring story...
The Sunday morning in the baths was followed by a visit to the Historical museum. We cut the visit short and decided to see only the archaeological exhibition. The presentations were compact but well designed and very educational. The truth is that it seemed to simplify the complex prehistory and early history but that is only natural when it seems that the ancient populations changed about every five hundred years or so. I was particularly impressed by the Roman room where the left hand side depicted how the Romanised life was in west of the Danube where as the right hand side showed how the natives lived in the east. There were plenty of reconstructions and even soundscape in the galleries. Although presentation was ultramodern, some of the interpretations and descriptions revealed a Marxist past. This was not bad since most of the explanations are similar to processual ones anyway.
On Sunday evening we had a very fancy meal in the hotel’s restaurant. I had a nice goulash soup followed by veal with goose liver and mushrooms. All was washed down by a deep Hungarian red wine. However, this meal was the first time in my life when wine tasting ritual turned out to be significant, not just an old relic. The first bottle was vinegary and was kindly and swiftly replaced by our very polite waiter.
Then we decided to go to the drinks bar. That was both a good choice and a bad mistake. The bar man was a true original, making drinks to our own specifications. We ended up chatting with other customers one of which turned out to be from the anthropology department at Edinburgh. How easy it is to down a significant number of G&T’s when your discussion is flowing from the university life to the Brown government! We did not dare to check the bill when Phil handed over his credit card the following day.
Monday morning was a bit slow. Phil had a second go in the steam rooms but I enjoyed our spacious room. At noon we left our luggage with a bell boy (c. fiftythree years of age!) and headed to the centre. We took a Duna sightseeing tour on a boat and enjoyed the beautiful riverscape.
After a late lunch in the Verne club (amazing decoration), we got a taxi from the Gellert hotel and headed for the train station. The taxi was somewhat cheaper than on arrival but that seem to be the reoccurring story...
Mon 5th May- The Louvre and bust.
A nice hard mattress in our bijou apartment meant that we had a good night’s sleep, although my throat is a bit sore – perhaps made oversensitive to the tobacco aroma in the room as no longer immune to its perfidious entry-ism to everything. The breakfast bar in the hotel is small, with tables crammed together with museum posters and coffee and tea motifs on the walls here and there. Petit dejuner is a disappointing cup of coffee a burnt croissant, actually quite nice, and a role, with butter jam and some very orange ‘orange juice’ which tastes almost like the real thing. Refreshed we go to the Louvre, where I have to put my bag in the cloakroom, but have to keep my camera. But cameras are allowed in the Louvre but not flash photography. To attempt the entire Louvre in a day, or even a week would be madness (!) so we concentrated on the antiquities to begin with. Neither of us had been for a very long time. For me it was 1991, after I ran away from my computer MSc, and had not found my true ceramic calling. I don’t think Ulla had been since the pyramid was built. Some time ago... I still don’t have much of a thing for statues, but it is nice to pick up changing hair and clothing styles, and indeed representational styles. Will need to get the big book of the languages of sculpture to get more into it I suppose. Was of course taken by the nice wooden representation of the Parthenon with nice wooded Corinthian style faceted imbrices and antefixes. I do wonder if the use of antefixes and other complex roof furniture by the Greeks was in some way a reflection of the ceramic masks faces and fetishes that also abound in the surviving material culture.
Of further interest were the Christian sarcophagi, which had deeply symbolised decoration – no mere representation of stylised roofs for these chaps! Did manage to spot some Tunisian Byzantine wall plates – including the ‘Isaac’ one, always a bit suspicious of that one, but am not familiar with the style sin use at the time. We had time for a quick sprint round the medieval foundations and display on the immense excavations that preceded the pyramid. A very large urban excavation indeed.
Afterwards we emerged into the sunlight blinking, via an interesting Japanese style shop. If I ever get round to redesigning the garden. Mind you since I now have a lawn mower (finally) perhaps it’s a bit late to replace the lawn with pebbles. Anyway we stop of at the cafe at petit Pont, drinking Kir to the sound of jazz piano and watching Notre dames. The inside of the cathedral seems to have been given over to tourists. Even though there was a service going on in did not stop the gawping and talking. Sigh no real feel of the sacred there.
The evening meal was in the Latin Quarter. The restaurant streets were reminiscent of the situation further east – lots of people trying to entice you into their establishments whilst we were trying to read the menus. Finally ate at the l’etrace . Starters Me: oysters. Very nice. Ulla: snails -a couple missing apparently. Main course - Me: Rabbit and potatoes. I forgot how bony rabbit is, is there a polite way of eating it, or are you supposed to resort to using your hands? Desert was three cheeses for me (tasteless emmental, v good camembert and some tasty goat’s cheese. Ulla had blow torched crème Brule, suffering from that syndrome that had too hot on top and frozen at the base. So I had a nice meal and Ulla a rather disappointing one.
Then cocktails at the Georges cafe. Waitresses in cat masques did not add to the glamour of the black room with black tables where we ordered the happy hour cocktails – apparently a global phenomenon. Like the macara. Sparklers in the cocktails reminded me of the past... (For the record I continued with my study of long Island Iced Teas of the world. Ulla had a Gin Fizz. The LIIT was very coke based.
And the final stop of the day was a bar just around the corner from the hotel where we had some Amstel in faded tiles - perhaps predating the 50s which were elegant in a faded and patched way.
A nice hard mattress in our bijou apartment meant that we had a good night’s sleep, although my throat is a bit sore – perhaps made oversensitive to the tobacco aroma in the room as no longer immune to its perfidious entry-ism to everything. The breakfast bar in the hotel is small, with tables crammed together with museum posters and coffee and tea motifs on the walls here and there. Petit dejuner is a disappointing cup of coffee a burnt croissant, actually quite nice, and a role, with butter jam and some very orange ‘orange juice’ which tastes almost like the real thing. Refreshed we go to the Louvre, where I have to put my bag in the cloakroom, but have to keep my camera. But cameras are allowed in the Louvre but not flash photography. To attempt the entire Louvre in a day, or even a week would be madness (!) so we concentrated on the antiquities to begin with. Neither of us had been for a very long time. For me it was 1991, after I ran away from my computer MSc, and had not found my true ceramic calling. I don’t think Ulla had been since the pyramid was built. Some time ago... I still don’t have much of a thing for statues, but it is nice to pick up changing hair and clothing styles, and indeed representational styles. Will need to get the big book of the languages of sculpture to get more into it I suppose. Was of course taken by the nice wooden representation of the Parthenon with nice wooded Corinthian style faceted imbrices and antefixes. I do wonder if the use of antefixes and other complex roof furniture by the Greeks was in some way a reflection of the ceramic masks faces and fetishes that also abound in the surviving material culture.
Of further interest were the Christian sarcophagi, which had deeply symbolised decoration – no mere representation of stylised roofs for these chaps! Did manage to spot some Tunisian Byzantine wall plates – including the ‘Isaac’ one, always a bit suspicious of that one, but am not familiar with the style sin use at the time. We had time for a quick sprint round the medieval foundations and display on the immense excavations that preceded the pyramid. A very large urban excavation indeed.
Afterwards we emerged into the sunlight blinking, via an interesting Japanese style shop. If I ever get round to redesigning the garden. Mind you since I now have a lawn mower (finally) perhaps it’s a bit late to replace the lawn with pebbles. Anyway we stop of at the cafe at petit Pont, drinking Kir to the sound of jazz piano and watching Notre dames. The inside of the cathedral seems to have been given over to tourists. Even though there was a service going on in did not stop the gawping and talking. Sigh no real feel of the sacred there.
The evening meal was in the Latin Quarter. The restaurant streets were reminiscent of the situation further east – lots of people trying to entice you into their establishments whilst we were trying to read the menus. Finally ate at the l’etrace . Starters Me: oysters. Very nice. Ulla: snails -a couple missing apparently. Main course - Me: Rabbit and potatoes. I forgot how bony rabbit is, is there a polite way of eating it, or are you supposed to resort to using your hands? Desert was three cheeses for me (tasteless emmental, v good camembert and some tasty goat’s cheese. Ulla had blow torched crème Brule, suffering from that syndrome that had too hot on top and frozen at the base. So I had a nice meal and Ulla a rather disappointing one.
Then cocktails at the Georges cafe. Waitresses in cat masques did not add to the glamour of the black room with black tables where we ordered the happy hour cocktails – apparently a global phenomenon. Like the macara. Sparklers in the cocktails reminded me of the past... (For the record I continued with my study of long Island Iced Teas of the world. Ulla had a Gin Fizz. The LIIT was very coke based.
And the final stop of the day was a bar just around the corner from the hotel where we had some Amstel in faded tiles - perhaps predating the 50s which were elegant in a faded and patched way.
Saturday 10 May 2008
Saturday, 10 May 2008, Wien/Budapest
Time flies so quickly! The visit to Vienna started splendidly when the Fleming’s hotel Westbahnhof Wien let us check in at 7 am. The nice gesture by the hotel allowed us to have a couple of hours of luxurious sleep before heading to the centre. The Hungarian sleeper compartment was OK but when the trip starts at midnight and finishes at 6 am, you still want to sleep some more.
The hotel was really nice and modern with good service. The glass-walled shower standing next to our bed was a bit strange – and shower in front of workmate or a casual friend to share a room could be embarrassing. The WiFi was free if you asked for it, and the bar downstairs sold reasonably priced drinks. The breakfast buffet was a delight with nice German rye bread, fresh fruit, a selection of cold cuts and cheeses and miniature Danish.
Wien was a delight with two lovely museums. After a short walkabout to see St Stefan’s cathedral, opera house, Mozart’s statue and the Habsburg palace – and being annoyed by literally hundreds of pseudo-Rococo courtiers trying to flock you some classical concert tickets – we decided to choose Belvedere as our palace of the visit. The fact that it serves now as an art museum was important for me since we have been concentrating perhaps too much on archaeological museums. The views from the upper palace were stunning although the gardens were under repair works. The collections gave a good idea of the history of the Austrian painting art with the breathtaking Gustav Klimt paintings as a highlight. There were also some interesting classics inspired romantic paintings and odd French painting. I also find a painting the style of which was very much of Finnish Gallen-Kallela’s. When I checked the name of the painter, it was a Gallen-Kallela...
The lower palace had a Kokoschka exhibition that detailed his career into early 1920s. That provided more new knowledge and the palace had a couple of stunning rooms like the one used as a museum shop with all paintings inspired by the finding of Herculaneum in the 18th century. After checking the sculpture exhibition in Orangerie our feet were so achy we staggered to the nearest beer hall – which happened to be a microbrewery next door. Later, we did not feel hungry so decided to take a simple round trip with the circular tram route – only to find out that the tram changed number at one point and headed to the suburbs. An hour later we were looking for a restaurant in the centre and settled with Gutemberg which provided a delightful meal with huge Wiener schnitzels and dry Austrian white wine.
This morning we visited the Natural History museum for me to see the Venus of Willendorf in live. And there it was with all the other Venuses and I was so happy. The archaeological frescos and metal finds from Hallstatt added to the joy. I also found out that Hallstatt had been a salt mine. Something that is often not mentioned when archaeologists discuss the metal object types from this place and period. The true revelation was the fossil and mineralogical collections which combined amazingly the old-fashioned reference collections with humorous new interactive displays. I awed the collections of semiprecious stones and meteors with old faded tickets. The small vivarium and its grumpy chameleon ended our visit after a short break with juice spritzers and a piece of Sacher cake.
The train to Budapest had a restaurant car and we celebrated our recreation of the Orient Express route, Grand tour and our week-old marriage with a starter and main course flushed down with Hungarian champagne. Without realising, we entered Budapest and got a taxi to Gellert Hotel. Now we only have to learn our way to the baths tomorrow!
The hotel was really nice and modern with good service. The glass-walled shower standing next to our bed was a bit strange – and shower in front of workmate or a casual friend to share a room could be embarrassing. The WiFi was free if you asked for it, and the bar downstairs sold reasonably priced drinks. The breakfast buffet was a delight with nice German rye bread, fresh fruit, a selection of cold cuts and cheeses and miniature Danish.
Wien was a delight with two lovely museums. After a short walkabout to see St Stefan’s cathedral, opera house, Mozart’s statue and the Habsburg palace – and being annoyed by literally hundreds of pseudo-Rococo courtiers trying to flock you some classical concert tickets – we decided to choose Belvedere as our palace of the visit. The fact that it serves now as an art museum was important for me since we have been concentrating perhaps too much on archaeological museums. The views from the upper palace were stunning although the gardens were under repair works. The collections gave a good idea of the history of the Austrian painting art with the breathtaking Gustav Klimt paintings as a highlight. There were also some interesting classics inspired romantic paintings and odd French painting. I also find a painting the style of which was very much of Finnish Gallen-Kallela’s. When I checked the name of the painter, it was a Gallen-Kallela...
The lower palace had a Kokoschka exhibition that detailed his career into early 1920s. That provided more new knowledge and the palace had a couple of stunning rooms like the one used as a museum shop with all paintings inspired by the finding of Herculaneum in the 18th century. After checking the sculpture exhibition in Orangerie our feet were so achy we staggered to the nearest beer hall – which happened to be a microbrewery next door. Later, we did not feel hungry so decided to take a simple round trip with the circular tram route – only to find out that the tram changed number at one point and headed to the suburbs. An hour later we were looking for a restaurant in the centre and settled with Gutemberg which provided a delightful meal with huge Wiener schnitzels and dry Austrian white wine.
This morning we visited the Natural History museum for me to see the Venus of Willendorf in live. And there it was with all the other Venuses and I was so happy. The archaeological frescos and metal finds from Hallstatt added to the joy. I also found out that Hallstatt had been a salt mine. Something that is often not mentioned when archaeologists discuss the metal object types from this place and period. The true revelation was the fossil and mineralogical collections which combined amazingly the old-fashioned reference collections with humorous new interactive displays. I awed the collections of semiprecious stones and meteors with old faded tickets. The small vivarium and its grumpy chameleon ended our visit after a short break with juice spritzers and a piece of Sacher cake.
The train to Budapest had a restaurant car and we celebrated our recreation of the Orient Express route, Grand tour and our week-old marriage with a starter and main course flushed down with Hungarian champagne. Without realising, we entered Budapest and got a taxi to Gellert Hotel. Now we only have to learn our way to the baths tomorrow!
Friday 9 May 2008
Thursday, 8th of May, Munich
Phil felt slightly hot in the morning – and not the right way – so we decided to keep the room until late in the night when our train will leave for Vienna. So much more civilized this way! Now we can relax and hope Phil’s cold disappears soon. Luckily, there is a pharmacy in the same building so we did not have to go far for some aspirin.
The morning was spent in cultural activities. We took a tram to the other side of town and visited the archaeological museum. That is the prehistoric and Romano-German museum of Bayern. This museum had a lot to offer. There was a walkthrough of local archaeology from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages and a temporal exhibition on local Limes. The Hallstatt room showed how much they had pottery in their cemeteries by showing all found from a one on one high wall – or at least it felt like it. Unlike the yesterday’s Antikensammlung, this did not definitely feel half empty! The only murmur was not discussing the trade links with the south and the Mediterranean properly. It remained unclear if the metal vessels also found in great numbers from Etruria were made locally after Etruscan example or not. But that is to me to check. Nevertheless, the Hallstatt pottery could definitely brew all nice Iron Age beer.
After the pleasant visit to the Museum we had a short walk in Englische Garten; the Japanese tearoom did not look very well with its roof partly gone missing, though. But the rapids surfers took me by surprise. The locals don’t seem to respect the danger signs at that spot very tightly and we saw at least three surfers and a couple of other swimmers. Too lovely a day!
The lunch was spent in a brilliant sunshine in a beer garden near the royal residence and Opera. Phil reconfirmed his inner carnivore by tasting some more sausages whereas I tried a local speciality: some kind of meatloaf although the name suggested liver sausage of some form. This was served with a fried egg and some potato salad. I just took a taster portion but it was quite heavy and it surely filled me up. What a perfect timing for a rest! Especially, since my arms and face are still red from the Seine cruise in Paris. Although should not complain of marvellous sunshine.
The morning was spent in cultural activities. We took a tram to the other side of town and visited the archaeological museum. That is the prehistoric and Romano-German museum of Bayern. This museum had a lot to offer. There was a walkthrough of local archaeology from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages and a temporal exhibition on local Limes. The Hallstatt room showed how much they had pottery in their cemeteries by showing all found from a one on one high wall – or at least it felt like it. Unlike the yesterday’s Antikensammlung, this did not definitely feel half empty! The only murmur was not discussing the trade links with the south and the Mediterranean properly. It remained unclear if the metal vessels also found in great numbers from Etruria were made locally after Etruscan example or not. But that is to me to check. Nevertheless, the Hallstatt pottery could definitely brew all nice Iron Age beer.
After the pleasant visit to the Museum we had a short walk in Englische Garten; the Japanese tearoom did not look very well with its roof partly gone missing, though. But the rapids surfers took me by surprise. The locals don’t seem to respect the danger signs at that spot very tightly and we saw at least three surfers and a couple of other swimmers. Too lovely a day!
The lunch was spent in a brilliant sunshine in a beer garden near the royal residence and Opera. Phil reconfirmed his inner carnivore by tasting some more sausages whereas I tried a local speciality: some kind of meatloaf although the name suggested liver sausage of some form. This was served with a fried egg and some potato salad. I just took a taster portion but it was quite heavy and it surely filled me up. What a perfect timing for a rest! Especially, since my arms and face are still red from the Seine cruise in Paris. Although should not complain of marvellous sunshine.
Monday 5 May 2008
Phil's take so far
Well, survived the wedding, and the trip yesturday which was somewhat coloured by a hangover. That last sip of Gin and Tonic and the night wore on on saturday/sunday.
The train from Leicester was nice- affordable weekend first class. I must remember to book in advance more often. The one fly in that particular ointment was realising in the last half hour of the journey that we had misread the eurostar ticket and so had missed the train out to Paris. Still it was properly missed - no mad dash panic accross st pancreas in a foohardy attempt to change the laws of physics. Fortunately they were able to change our tickets, albeit we had to sit apart, but as I slept most of the way that wasn't really a problem, being lulled to sleep by the mutterd cursing of the kids in the same block as me playing various PDA games.
Getting through security: non of the new humiliations that planes bring- taking off shoes, face scan, only one bag, taking off belt, mad panic to get dressed again at the shopping mall, sorry waiting area.
Paris of course was waiting for us, and whilst signage could be better, betting to the taxi rank prooved not too difficult, and then the short haul to the Hotel Albouy.
after a quick refresh in our bijou room, a bijou walk to the cafe pierre. Had forgotten about the expense that beer can reach in paris - but the wiess beer went well with the steak frites. And beside Ulla was paying.
and then back for a very early night in Paris
The train from Leicester was nice- affordable weekend first class. I must remember to book in advance more often. The one fly in that particular ointment was realising in the last half hour of the journey that we had misread the eurostar ticket and so had missed the train out to Paris. Still it was properly missed - no mad dash panic accross st pancreas in a foohardy attempt to change the laws of physics. Fortunately they were able to change our tickets, albeit we had to sit apart, but as I slept most of the way that wasn't really a problem, being lulled to sleep by the mutterd cursing of the kids in the same block as me playing various PDA games.
Getting through security: non of the new humiliations that planes bring- taking off shoes, face scan, only one bag, taking off belt, mad panic to get dressed again at the shopping mall, sorry waiting area.
Paris of course was waiting for us, and whilst signage could be better, betting to the taxi rank prooved not too difficult, and then the short haul to the Hotel Albouy.
after a quick refresh in our bijou room, a bijou walk to the cafe pierre. Had forgotten about the expense that beer can reach in paris - but the wiess beer went well with the steak frites. And beside Ulla was paying.
and then back for a very early night in Paris
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