Ron+Gaye in Europe 2009

On the way home!

2009-10-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

We have concluded our fantastic holiday with 3 days in Paris which is always a delight. We arrived on Tuesday morning after a very comfortable 3+ hour journey from Montpellier on the TGV, to be met by beautiful fine weather (again), as it remained for the following two days. We left this morning (Friday) at 8.30am and are now on a TGV bound for Zurich where we will board our Emirates flight for home at 2145 tonight.

We spent most of the 3 days in Paris, just wandering, on foot for two days, and then on bicycle yesterday. The bike rental system here is brilliant. They have 20,000 bikes located in hundreds of locations (rental stations) around the city. Each bike is locked into a frame, and can only be removed using an approved ID and password. Providing the bike is returned (and locked in) to another station within 30 minutes there is no hire fee, and you can immediately take another one. Locals can register as approved users for a year at a time, while visitors can register as daily or weekly users. The registration fee is only 1 euro. So yesterday we covered a significant part of the city, both left and right bank for the grand sum of 2 euros.

After some initial reluctance to use a bike, Gaye ended the day by cycling down the Champs Elysees in (almost) peak hour traffic. For those readers who have been to this magnificent city you will understand what an achievement this is. We imagined what it must be like for Cadel Evans to ride down this stunning boulevard at the end of the Tour de France. My personal achievement was to ride the bike around the Arc de Triomphe so I did it. I had previously driven around it a few times, always challenging and exciting, and have wanted to cycle it since. This stunning Paris landmark is in the middle of a large roundabout with about 10-12 lanes of traffic, but none of the lanes are marked, so cars, scooters, buses and trucks (sometimes bicycles!) are all jostling for position so they can exit where planned. The impressive thing is it works and you hardly ever hear a car horn sounded in anger or frustration, very different from other parts of the city.

We did originally have plans to revisit the Musee D’Orsay which we haven’t seen since 1994, and to climb the Eiffel Tower which we have never done, despite always visiting it when here. Neither eventuated unfortunately, both because of the volumes of tourists wanting to do the same. At the Musee we reluctantly joined a fairly long queue and had negotiated about half of it when we heard an announcement of a technical problem requiring immediate evacuation of the building. That was it, we were off to the Eiffel Tower. Well that was much worse (people wise) with what we estimated as a couple of thousand people in various queues waiting to get in lifts or onto staircases. It will have to wait until next time. We were very surprised to see the number of tourists here as we expected it to be relatively quiet given the time of the year. We later found out that we were caught up in mid term school holidays so the place was busier than we have experienced before, but not to an unpleasant level as it must be in July-August.

As usual the whole Paris experience was memorable (especially for Gaye), just being there rubbing shoulders with the locals is enough. We had some good food experiences, and as usual no good coffee experiences . We also met some interesting people including an American couple who we shared a table with at dinner last night. He is a “yachty” from a long way back, and now they manage five huge houses in the Bahamas for several multi millionaires, some billionaires including one who is no. 65 of the Forbes Rich List, and their various yachts and launches. Interesting life for some! They were really good company. A significant part of the travelling experience for us has always been the many interesting people you meet along the way, some locals and some fellow travellers. We have met many Aussies this time, mostly from Melbourne it seems.

12 hours later……….We are now at Zurich airport waiting to check in. We arrived in Zurich about 1pm after a very fast and comfortable journey on the TGV, although the overcast and at times foggy weather spoilt the views out the window somewhat. We spent the afternoon having lunch and then wandering around the main parts of the city in cold and overcast conditions. Zurich is a very attractive and stylish city (I guess as to be expected of the Swiss), and would be quite stunning to look at if we had a day like yesterday in Paris.

So our journey is almost at an end. We have had a superb time, full of great experiences and very very few negative ones. We finally clocked up 9000 kms in our Peugeot (in 41 days) so we obviously covered a significant part of southern France.
Now we can look forward to our family, particularly Anika who has become 50% older since we left, and is apparently close to walking. We missed the start of the rolling and crawling stages so are determined not to miss seeing her walk for the first time. We will also be celebrating Nic and Tims announcement last week that they are getting married next May – very exciting for us.

We hope you may have gained some entertainment from our blog – we know that some have read it. If nothing else it will be a great memory jogger for us in years to come.

Au Revoir friends all!

Ron & Gaye

La House - our lifeline to the world

2009-10-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

I think we have previously mentioned the cafe down the street owned and run by a Moroccan Swedish guy called Samir. This great little place quickly became our home away from home in Lodeve because of Samir's great personality, his generosity and hospitality and his delicious Tagine cooked food. He also provides free WiFi so La House was our contact point with the world outside of Lodeve.

Samir is a very interesting and likeable character. His family were political refugees from Morocco who settled in Stockholm, Sweden almost 30 years ago. He spent the first 15 years of his life in Morocco and the second 15 in Sweden. He is now just over 40 and identifies more as a Swede than a Moroccan. His parents and his 2 sisters have since moved back to Morocco, obviously no longer under threat. Samir is living in France to be nearer too his parents in case he is needed, but does not want to move back himself.

Samir playing with his much-loved "house" music

La House is very different than any other cafe or bar in Lodeve, which has added a much needed element to the hospitality scene in the town. We have got to know Samir well, and have tried to talk him into coming to Fremantle to open a bar/cafe with a Moroccan/Spanish theme. We reckon he would be a real hit in our town, and it is clear that he would like to come over. Let's see what happens. Interestingly he was all set to come to Perth a few years ago to study at Curtin but family matters intervened.

I had a great afternoon there yesterday, after dropping in on him as he was about to close the doors for the day. Of course he welcomed me in (as he always does). Gaye had decided to stay home and pack for our departure this morning, and she had foolishly said "stay as long as you like". Another new friend, Mimi Caruth- a young Irish woman who is in Lodeve studying French (language) and Buddhism. was there as well, hard at work on her laptop. I think I have mentioned previously that there is a major Buddhist Temple in the mountains just outside Lodeve, which attracts people from all over the planet. Anyway we opened beers all round, and I set up my laptop to do some email and blogging. Before I even got started Mimi and I got involved in a philosophical discussion, centred around Buddhism of course, that we continued for about 2 hours (and several beers). Samir tucked himself away in a corner with his house music to play with, until a couple of his local friends dropped in as well. Eventually, about 7pm (4 hours later) I managed to escape after only half completing my intended correspondence. A really pleasant end to our time in Lodeve.

This is Mimi

Au Revoir Lodeve (for now). We have had a wonderful holiday here, and have got to know the town so much better, and of course met a lot more people than on our last visit. It is starting to feel like a second home......and we WILL be back.

We are heading into Montpellier soon, where we will stay the night and then catch an early TVG train for Paris. Three nights in Paris, then a train to Zurich to board our Emirates flight home on Friday night. Back to work on Monday next week. Perhaps one more post to this blog from Paris.

Agde - on the Mediterranean port

2009-10-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday this week we went down to the Mediterranean coast a bit, in dodgy weather, to Agde which is less than an hours drive from Lodeve. It had started to rain in Lodeve and the forecast for the whole area was for 2-3 days continual rain. But when we got to Agde we were surprised to find it fine – very windy and quite threatening but it did not rain at all in the several hours we were there. Another example of the amazing luck we always have with weather when travelling (pity the luck doesn’t extend to the things financial!). The wind referred to is well illustrated in the following images taken at Cap D’Agde which is the more recently settled seaside (and resort ) settlement.

Agde is now very much a holiday destination, and in some of the more recently developed parts is a bit too reminiscent of the Gold Coast (but without the extreme high-rise buildings). As a resort it is apparently very popular with people who like to take their clothes off – it hosts the largest nudist resort in Europe. It is a very ancient, dating back to 550BC (or thereabouts) when it was first settled by the Phoenicians, and later became a major trading port for the Romans. The two millenniums since have seen the whole area silt up so that the original town of Agde is now 15kms inland.

Albi

2009-10-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Since we dropped B+J off in Montpellier last Saturday, from where they were catching a TGV to Paris, we have had three really interesting, and not too taxing days, visiting places we had not previously seen. On Sunday, after a leisurely start to an again stunning day (weather-wise) we headed for Albi which I thought was an hour or so NW of Lodeve. It turned out to be closer to 2 hours but that did not matter one little bit, as the drive was beautiful; though the region famous for Roquefort cheese.

Before we reached Albi we took a detour to a place called Ambialet, because we saw a sign depicting the village that looked interesting. This is something we do a lot, and always have when driving in France. Many of our favourite destinations are not mentioned in the popular guidebooks, but have been discovered by us in this way. In our mind it is essential to have a car in southern France, otherwise so much that is special would be practically inaccessible.

Ambialet is a very pretty little village, situated on an oxbow of the Tarn river. The centre of the town is located on a narrow spit of land, 25 metres across, at the narrowest point of the oxbow . This can be seen in one of the images below.

After a picnic morning tea by the river in Ambialet, we set off again for Albi, driving mostly along the course of the river. We were pleasantly surprised by Albi. It is a medium sized city of nearly 50,000 people, and is built on the Tarn river. Unlike most other towns and villages in Southern France the dominant building material is red brick (see images below). The bricks are only about one third of the thickness of a common Australian house-brick. This gives the town a relatively unique appearance as far as France goes.

Apart from the general appearance of the town (and its superb bridges over the Tarn), the highlights of our brief visit were the quite amazing baroque Cathedral of Ste-Cecile in the middle of the old town, the museum in the Palace de la Berbie dedicated to Toulouse Lautrec (a famous son of Albi), and the Lapeyrouse museum. For those familiar with Sydney, and Botany Bay in particular, you would recognize the name La Perouse (as it is used in Sydney). Lapeyrouse, another famous son of Albi, was three quarters of the way through an amazing voyage of discovery that would have challenged anything Captain Cook did, when his two ships (and all on board) were lost in the New Hebrides in 1788 (date sound familiar?). His last landfall was at Botany Bay at the location that now bears his name. The square outside of the museum in Albi is named Botany Bay, and there is a significant amount of reference to “New Holland” in the museum.

Brian & Jans visit

2009-10-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Apologies for lack of photos on this post. My camera was (for a while) refusing to talk to my computer so I lost a couple of hundred images.

A week ago we said goodbye to my cousin Brian and his wife Jan, who had spent 5 fun days with us. Again we packed quite a lot in but did not move at quite the same pace as we had with our previous visitors. Brian & Jan were content to stop and smell the flowers a bit more, and both have done a lot of travelling in the past, so perhaps the excitement was not quite at the same level.

Again we took them to some of our favourite haunts, but also discovered one or two more. We were also a bit more physical during this time, probably because Brian & Jan are some years younger than us (in fact Jan celebrated her 50th birthday while here), and are also both quite fit. The highlights for us were an 8km paddle down the Tarn river (in 2 person canoes), and a challenging two hour trek over part of the (pilgrim trail) out of the beautiful village of St Guilhem l’Desert. The canoe trip was especially rewarding, through the “oh so stunning” Gorges du Tarn that I have mentioned repeatedly. I am sure we will always bring visitors here if nowhere else in the south of France. We would have liked to do a longer journey but were talked out of it by the “hirers” who said it would be very cold by the time we finished (around 4pm) - and weren’t they right! I was foolish enough to paddle in shorts and bare feet, and by the time we finished my feet were totally numb from the cold. Now I have some appreciation of how mountain climbers must feel. It took almost an hour to get full feeling back. The others all had joggers (and long pants) on so were spared the grief.

On the subject of Jan’s birthday celebrations – she did not know until 2 days before they left Canberra that Brian was bringing her to France (and primarily Paris) as a birthday gift. He had been planning and organizing it for 8 months and had somehow kept it a total secret. On the night we had dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant in a nearby town that had been strongly recommended to us. It is in fact the first Michelin recognised restaurant we have been to in five visits to this country. The young chef (26 yrs old) is the son of our friend Michel Canac’s medical associate (the partner in his practice), and has received his first M* less than 12 months after opening. It was superb, in classical French style, in every respect and not overly expensive (much to our surprise). We will have no hesitation in returning there next time we are in Lodeve (hopefully 2011).

Goodbye to Garry and Jan

2009-10-17T00:53:00.001-07:00

Today (Wed 7/10) we said goodbye to my brother Garry, and his wife Jan, in Montpellier where they were catching a TGV (the very fast train) up to Paris and then home. They have just spent 6 days with us at the end of their first trip to Europe. They have had a fantastic adventure and I am sure will have caught the “travel bug” that Gaye and I have had for so long.

We had an action-packed few days with them. As the official driver, and unofficial guide, I was determined to show them as much as practically possible in the time of this amazing region, that we have grown to love so much.

A number of the places we visited were on our list of favourites, but we did have a few new experiences like the “Train Jeune” (Yelllow Train) which is an old train that travels a spectacular 45 km route through the Pyranees, on the French-Spanish border. Although it is a 2.5 hour drive, mostly on motorways, to connect with the train, it is well worth it.

After our experiences in showing Denis & Kit, and Garry & Jan around, we have come up with the crazy notion of hosting small groups (8-10) from Oz, giving them a highly personalized 14 day tour of Languedoc (our region), Provence and the Perigord-Dordogne. We believe that with a small group like this, able to travel in a small bus, our now quite extensive local knowledge of these regions would allow us to provide a far better experience than a more traditional tour operator could. Food for thought….and we are thinking about it. Perhaps the first tour in April 2011, who knows?

Lodeve - our town - our apartment

2009-10-10T01:29:00.000-07:00

We thought we should publish this short video clip to give you an idea of what our apartment in Lodeve looks like. Deb (our friend from Bize) has just spent a couple of days with us, and took this on her faithful little Canon digital.

For those of you familiar with Lodeve I will also post a few images of our rivers in flood which you may not have seen before. Last week we had 3 days of almost constant (and at times very heavy) rain after 5 months without any. The impact on the 2 rivers that encircle Lodeve was immediate and dramatic.

And I will finish this off with an shot of Lodeve from one of the surrounding hills.

Just a reminder that our apartment is available for short term rentals if you are thinking about visiting this beautiful part of the world.

Provence

2009-10-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

This post is well overdue but is worth the effort

It is about 9.20pm on Tuesday evening (22/9), we have just finished a delightful meal of poached salmon (etc) accompanied by a more than acceptable bottle of Brut Rose (a bubbly from Burgundy) from Leonce Bocquet (sounds like we should have paid much more than 5 euros at the supermarket but then this is France). We arrived home in Lodeve just 2 hours ago from a delightful couple of days full of unexpected surprises.

We set out very early yesterday (well early for us – 6.30am) with the objective of getting our travelling companions (Denis & Kit Cherry) to Nice by late afternoon where they will be catching a plane to Italy on Wednesday. We started well, getting away on time, but it quickly went pear-shaped when I missed a road-sign that I should never miss, which meant that we were well on the way to Barcelona (to the south when we should have been going east then north), before I realized my stuff-up. And then the “back-track option” I chose was also less than ideal meaning that by the time we had negotiated Montpellier (a challenge at any time) we or should I say I, had blown at least an hour of our valuable time, and we were well and truly involved in the early rush hour.

We had decided that we wanted to go via Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, quite a diversion from the fastest route to Nice, but we really wanted to share Moustiers with Den & Kit. It remains our favourite village in France after we stopped there in 2005, just for lunch, at the recommendation of the guide book Gaye was reading at the time, but as it eventuated stayed for 2 nights. Moustiers is very special – it is classified “Un des Plus Beaux Village de France” which means it’s special qualities are officially recognized, and which of course means it attracts a lot of tourists (oh well!).

A view of Moustiers

Anyway we arrived at Moustiers in time for lunch, even if a bit later than planned, after an interesting, and often very beautiful drive of about 5.5 hours duration. In this part of France an average of 50-60 kms per hour is normal for those who like to avoid the motorways as much as possible – which we definitely do. Gaye had her heart set on a special table at a special restaurant – “Les Trielles Muscate” which is where we had lunch back in 2005, and we managed to achieve her goal. The restaurant is superbly located in the middle of Moustiers, perched on the edge of the small gorge that bisects the village, and is highly rated by travel writers. We enjoyed a superb three-course lunch with a bottle of local rose (nicely chilled), and then after an hour of exploring the village we set off for Nice which should have been just 2 hours away. Some less than average navigation (won’t mention the navigator) meant that it was nearly 3 hours before we set our passengers down (and said goodbye to our travelling companions of the last 3 weeks), in the middle of Nice.

Gayes favourite restaurant

Over lunch I had suggested to Gaye that instead of driving all the way back to Lodeve as planned (3.5 – 4 hours) we should return to Moustiers and spend a night there in the same delightful Chambres d’Hote (B&B) that we had discovered in 2005. We managed to secure a room but not the one we had last time – this one, on the second floor was even nicer. The plan was that we would return to Moustiers via Castellane (another beautiful village where we had stayed in 2005) and the magnificent Grand Canyon du Verdon (which we had only partially explored in 2005), using the quickest route possible between Nice and Castellane. Gaye’s navigation however sent us on an entirely different, and much more circuitous route that threatened to really challenge our schedule. At first, after realizing the mistake, I was less than impressed, but that quickly changed as we were confronted by the truly magnificent spectacle of the Defile du Chaudan (the gorges of the River Var which empties into the Mediterranean near Nice), a drive that cannot be adequately described in words or in man-made photographs – simply STUNNING. The next 3.5 hours were as good a driving experience as we have ever had in France or anywhere else. The last section, through the Grand Canyon du Verdon, of 45 kilometres between Castellane and Moustiers, was done in fading and finally disappearing light. Rather than this be a disappointment, it presented the magnificent gorge in an entirely different light that was quite magical.

A few images from our drive back to Moustiers from Nice follow:

After a quiet and restful night in Moustiers, and a classic French breakfast brought to our room by the Madame de la Chambre d’Hote, we set off for Lodeve by mid morning having planned a route that was almost entirely new to us. We drove through the Luberon region of Provence (made famous by Peter Mayle in his books on an expatriate Pom’s life in Provence), full of contrasting but always delightful landscapes.

We stopped in several small villages along the way, the highlights being Saignon (where the Australian author Henrietta Taylor has made her home – we rang her and had a little chat while we sipped a coffee next to one of her houses), Rousillon and Gordes. All of these villages are rated as “Un des Plus Beaux Villages de France”, and as far as we are concerned thoroughly deserve the title.

Gordes in particular, where we stopped for lunch, is superb, and now rivals Moustiers in our personal ratings. We must go back there with more time to explore and experience. A few images taken of and in Gordes follow:

Once we left Gordes, the rest of the journey was less spectacular bit still contained many highlights including the longest avenue of trees we have yet seen in France, and that is saying something because France is full of superb avenues of plane trees. This one must have been 5 or 6 kilometres long, just before St Remy de Provence (where Vincent van Gogh spent time in an asylum while living in nearby Arles). Two days, 1050 kilometres and nearly 20 hours of driving after leaving, we arrived back in Lodeve at about 7.30pm. Whew!

A few facts + figures

2009-10-09T02:51:00.000-07:00

For those who are numbers oriented, or who have asked questions about the price of things here in France, here are just a few answers.

We have had the car for 30 days as of today (Thursday 8th Oct)
We have driven more than 6800 kms in that time (an average of 230 kms per day).
On the motorways (“A” roads) where the speed limit is mostly 130 we average nearly 120 kms per hour of driving, however we mostly avoid these instead preferring the national (“N”) roads or Departmental (“D”) roads.
On the minor roads we struggle to average 55 kilometres per hour of driving, but we see and experience so much more.
Our car is a Peugeot 308SW diesel from which we get nearly 1000kms per tank of fuel (averaging nearly 20kms per litre.
We have paid between 0.91 and 1.15 euros per litre for diesel or “gazole”. Cheapest fuel is always at supermarkets while the most expensive is in the many roadside stops (“aires”) on the motorways.
Unleaded petrol ranges from 1.14 to about 1.30.

The all important wine purchases are very inexpensive. On average we are paying between 2.50 and 4.50 for a bottle of more than acceptable red or white from most supermarkets.
A decent bottle of champagne can be obtained for as little as 15 euros, while Moet is about 26. Cheap but quaffable Methode de Champenoise can cost as little as 4.50.
Alcohol generally is cheap in the supermarkets e.g. a bottle of gin from 6 euros, Baileys 10-11, Cointreau about 13 etc. A dozen small stubbies of beer (330ml) can cost less than 4 euros.

Most processed food items seem to be marked about the same as in Perth, but of course in euros rather than dollars so are therefore 50-70% dearer. Fruit & veges are cheaper and generally better. Soft drinks seem much more expensive than at home, but we never buy them so I am not sure. Really nice pastries of many kinds cost between about 0.60 and 2 euros.

Cheeses (Fromage) are probably cheaper than at home but it is difficult to do a direct comparison. The choice is mind-boggling. France is reputed to have more than 400 different styles of cheese, and our major supermarket seems to stock most of them.

The food staples are probably a bit cheaper e.g.
1 litre fresh milk 0.90
Bread A large baguette costs between 0.30 and 0.60
A dozen eggs From about 1.50

Accommodation is probably not that much different to Australia (with the notable exception of Paris). A room for two in a good Chambres d’Hote (B&B) will cost from 45-65 euros. Two or three star hotels are in the range 50-75 euros with breakfast extra (usually 7-10 euros each).

Entrance fees to museums and other places of interest are generally cheap by European standards (much cheaper than our previous experiences in the UK). We have paid between 3 and about 9 euros for various places.

Some things are ridiculously cheap but usually for a good (often environmental) reason e.g. as mentioned before we can park our car all day in a parking station at the end of a tram line in Montpellier (medium sized city), and get a return tram ticket for every person in the vehicle into the centre of the city (1/2 hour journey), for only 4 euros. And in Montpellier we can rent a good quality bike for just 1 euro per day.

Music CD's and Movie DVD's are more expensive than at home. CD's cost between 20 and 30 euros, while DVD's look to be in the 20-35 euro range.

Hardware (of the Bunnings kind) seems very expensive e.g. a small pair of pliers will cost 12-15 euros. The cheap Chinese imports do not seem to have made it here.

Hope this helps you appreciate the cost of living in France.

Spain - San Sebastien

2009-10-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

After a very pleasant day and a half in Bilbao we headed back to San Sebastien, a place we have long wanted to visit. The drive back was interesting to say the least. We decided to avoid the motorway on the return journey as time was not an issue, but I underestimated the need for a map. We had actually driven to Spain without a Spanish road map (or a GPS) – not a challenge if you use the motorways and can read the ample signage – but get on the N and D roads, amongst the frequent little villages, and you quickly reminded why maps were invented. We were also thrown of the scent by the names San Sebastien and Donostia being used interchangeably. What our limited reading had not told us is that the Basque name for San Sebastien is Donostia. Once we had worked that out, and circumnavigated many roundabouts multiple times while we assessed the correct exit, we finally made it into SS The next challenge was finding the pension we had booked, which we knew was in the Parte Vieja or “old town” and that it was highly unlikely we could get the car anywhere close. Somehow we did get close (without realizing it), decided to stop and ask directions at a little bookshop, after parking illegally. After a bit of fun with the shop owner, and his customer who both got involved, it turned out we were only 100m from our destination, so my homing instinct had worked again.

The pension, Lonely Planets “authors choice”, was in the oldest building in San Sebastien. It was quaint but certainly no more than 1 star. A tiny bedroom with a bed about 25cm too short for me, so my feet hung out over the end while sleeping, and a shared bathroom. However the mattress was OK, the sheets clean, no-one else was using the bathroom that we did, and it was superbly located, so for just a 2 night stay Lonely Planet did not really let us down.

San Sebastien is stunningly beautiful seaside city of just under 200,000 inhabitants, built around 2 large bays, one with a narrow entrance guarded by a small island, surrounded by mountains and divided roughly in half by a picturesque river, the Rio Urumea. Its 3 famous “playas” or beaches are reminiscent of several Sydney beaches including Bondi. Since the 19th century it has been a favourite summer destination for the Spanish elite, including the royal family we are told. Its character is enhanced by the existence of an active fishing fleet that ties up very close to the old town. Lots of similarities with Fremantle, just more geographically spectacular. In fact on one of our many walks I was waxing lyrical about SS and said to Gaye “I could easily live in a place like this” – she said “you do” - I said “you’re right”….and she was!

SS is also renowned as the culinary capital of Spain, if not Europe, with more Michelin stars per head of population than any other city in the world, and a concentration of tapas bars in the old town greater than any other in Spain, and that is saying something. Needless to say our time in SS was dominated by much walking, with frequent interruptions for pintxos, beer and txacoli (the traditional Basque wine). The tapas here are actually pintxos, the Basque version of tapas, with bread playing a dominant role. Every establishment displays its pintxos on uncovered plates set out along the bar, with typically 20-30 different choices. Usually the customer is given a plate and walks along selecting the pintxos they want, order a drink and then part with their money. The pintxos very in price from about 1.5 – 3.5 euros each, a small beer 2 and a large beer about 3.5. It is actually a very unhygienic process that our over-zealous public health authorities would never allow in Oz.

We believe this fabulous city would appeal to anybody and everybody we know, and have no hesitation in saying “add it to your European itinerary” (and don’t forget Bilbao while you are here).

Some images of San Sebastien for your enjoyment:

The magnificent Guggenheim Museum

2009-10-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

A modern wonder of the world.

Spain - Bilbao

2009-10-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday 27th September

Imagine this if you will.

We are sitting on a café terrace, overlooking one of the world’s GREAT modern buildings. It is early evening, the sun has disappeared but has left some of its light behind, with a partial moon now fully visible waiting for its turn. The weather is perfect, clear sky, no breeze and about 20 degrees. There is a very good 3 piece jazz band playing just a few metres away while we enjoy a cold and refreshing drink in the company of many other people enjoying the experience. The building in front of us is starting to take on a whole new character as the light changes. This is not one of my fantasies – this is real – this is us in Bilbao in the Basque region of Spain, in a Sunday evening, taking the time to reflect on our visit today to the Guggenheim Museum. What a building, what a place, what an experience.

The next couple of photos give just a taste of what we have .seen today. I will post a separate blog with more photos. For more information about the Guggenheim Bilbao check out http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/?idioma=en

We arrived in Bilbao this morning (Sunday) after a long (9+ hours) drive from Lodeve, most of which we did yesterday. We have come to Spain for a few days because another couple are using our apartment for 5 days on their way back to Australia after a trip on the Canal Midi.

Our main destination was, and is San Sebastien, where we will be going tomorrow, but we have wanted to see this museum since it was first opened in 1997. We have not been disappointed, in fact we have been blown away by it. It may be not everybody’s taste in architecture, but to us it is magnificent. Where does architecture end and art begin? Or is architecture art?

Apart from the Guggenheim, the whole Bilbaon experience has been a very positive one, with the city far exceeding our expectations, admittedly based on insufficient pre-reading. It is a city of more than 350,000 people, located in a strategic part of the Spanish Basque region, that has had a major re-birth over the past 10-15 years, particularly after the completion of the Guggenheim. It should be on the agenda of every visitor to Spain – we will be back. A quick look at some of Bilbao follows:

Funniest incident

2009-10-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

As always on a trip like this, travelling through unfamiliar countries with inadequate language skills, there have been many amusing, and some downright funny moments. The pick of the bunch for me happened in Berlin, several weeks ago. To set the scene, you may remember that I have commented in earlier blogs, how few Americans seem to be travelling in Europe this year, and how that has made it better for us.

We were in the Reichstag (German Parliament building), after lining up outside for a while, negotiating a very tight security net and entering the lift that will take us (and another 30 or so people) up to the dome. The lift was being contrary for some reason, and the door would not close. The security man escorting us got out, got back in, got out, got back in and so on…but still it would not close, the man was getting a bit agitated, as were a couple of the punters.

In my attempt to lighten the atmosphere I said “Houston we have a problem” in a weak attempt at an American accent.

Immediately I got a response. From behind me a slightly miffed voice with a classic Texan drawl said, “In Houston we don’t have problems we only have opportunities”.

Back in your box Ron.

Most embarrassing moment

2009-10-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

I am going to publish this now as I cannot imagine that we will have another more embarrassing moment on this journey.

A couple of days ago we took my brother Garry and his wife Jan to Les Baux, a stunning hilltop village and chateau remains about 180kms from Lodeve (more about Les Baux later).

After visiting the village we returned to our car intent on driving down to Cassis, on the Mediterranean, so that Garry could fulfill his ambition to swim in that sea. As we pulled away from the carpark I noticed the fuel tank was only half full, and the digital display was showing only 400kms left. This was a (puzzling) concern as I had filled the car that morning so there should have been 80% of the fuel left.

We drove on, with me thinking that the fuel level sensor would catch up after a kilometer or two, but it didn’t. About 5 or 6 kms on we decided to stop and look for evidence of a leak. Garry and I both looked under the car and sure enough there were large drops of liquid falling on the ground, from somewhere in the engine compartment – “Sacre Blue” we have a leak! We lifted the bonnet but could not see anything (the Peugeot has a very compact engine compartment), so I decided I should ring the Peugeot 24 hour roadside assistance service which we were entitled to do. As both of our French mobiles had run out of credit we had no choice but to drive on until we found a public phone box. We weren’t far from the major town of Arles so thought it would not be difficult to find the Peugeot service agent there.

However 10kms short of Arles we went through the small village of Fontvieille, and saw a phone-box right alongside a convenient carpark. It was starting to get late in the day so thought the sooner I made contact with the roadside assistance the better for everybody – so we stopped. I made the call which was answered by a very polite and patient Frenchman with quite acceptable English language skills. After asking me lots of questions about who I was, what car we had etc., I had to try and tell him where we were – exactly! It took him at least 5 minutes to locate the village, based on my spelling which unfortunately was slightly astray. I kept leaving out the second “I”, and neither of us could understand why Google was not coming up with the answer. Eventually we got it sorted, and he assured me he would have a mechanic there within the hour, who would try to resolve the problem on the spot; if not the vehicle would be towed into Arles, and if necessary we would be given a replacement car. All good – I thought, so we wandered off to find a café in what turned out to be a pretty little village. After a while I left the others and returned to the car in case the mechanic turned up without phoning first (I could still receive phone calls on my exhausted SIM card).

I got the call a little while later, this time from an impolite and impatient Frenchman who did not have a word of English, and I was struggling with his aggressively delivered French. He was in a tow truck and trying to find us. Somehow I managed to direct him to the carpark, and he proceeded to lift the car straight onto the truck without having a look at the “problem” first. He turned out to be just a tow truck driver, not a mechanic. He was a big dark guy (second row forward I reckon) with a classic Gallic face sporting a permanent scowl. He was quite agitated as it was late and he needed to get us back to the garage before it closed. We were having a difficult time communicating, but eventually we understood that the 4 of us had to pile in the cab with him – interesting. Gaye reckoned she has always wanted to ride in a tow truck. We had many laughs on the way into Arles, some at the drivers expense so we were hoping his lack of English was not just a ploy.We arrived at the very conveniently located garage that we could have very easily found if we had just kept going earlier and thus avoided all the drama. There was only one person left there, and he had zero English as well, so describing the “problem” clearly was challenging. Once he understood he asked me to reverse the car a bit so he could examine the puddle on the ground left by the “leak”. It was only very small but he dipped his finger in and had a smell (and taste) – it was water. He excitedly (in classic French style) told me it was simply condensation from the air conditioner, which of course I did not accept because it was clear that we had lost nearly half a tank of fuel, and the filler cap had NOT been interfered with. I lay on the ground to have a close-up sniff myself – and then VERY sheepishly got back on my feet accepting that it was not a puddle of diesel fuel (“gazole”). But why was the fuel gauge giving an incorrect reading? Guess what, as we drove away with our tails firmly between our legs, the digital display was telling us we had 780kms left in the tank, and the gauge was miraculously now showing more than 3/4. Perhaps getting the car on and off the truck had somehow disturbed the fuel in the tank enough to kick the sensor into action. I think the truck driver and the garage man will dine out for years on the story of the “crazy incompetent Englishman with absolutely no knowledge of automotive technology”. I had not let it be known that we were Aussies.

Apart from my acute embarrassment, the fallout from this incident, meant that Garry missed his longed for swim in the Med, and we missed a special dinner that Samir was going to cook for us that night.

Sunday 20th September

2009-10-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

Another superb autumn day. We decided on a picnic at the Cirque de Navacelles, a quite amazing geological feature on the River Vis, that is not too far from Lodeve. We also planned to visit the local Buddhist monastery on our way home as it is only open to tourists between 2pm and 6pm some Sundays of the year. We met a young Spanish woman last night at La House, who told us she had come from Valencia just to visit the temple, and that we should too.
On our way down into the Cirque, close to the village of Navacelles, we spotted a small track that looked like it might lead to the river. With some reservation from the women in the car, who thought the track looked too small for a car and way too steep, we took it anyway. It opened out into a grassed area close to the river that looked a good place for a private picnic but further exploration found a tiny foot-track that lead right onto the rocky bed of the river. A better place to picnic on a warm autumn afternoon is hard to imagine. The photos below show the view into the Cirque, and our picnic spot by the river at the bottom of the canyon.

We had a very pretty and technically challenging drive back using tiny roads that were barely marked on maps, but were generally well sign-posted, and eventually found the monastery which is situated in the middle of pine plantations in the mountains above Lodeve. Way too many people lined up and waiting to get in, so we changed our minds and headed back to Lodeve. Later on a walk around town we passed the Brasserie L’Esperance (opposite La House) and were spotted by Abraham (the proprietor) who we had also met the day before. He is a Berber (from Nth Africa), and proud of it, who fancies himself as a bit of a rock star, and stakes a claim to being related to Hannibal. He and his mate were just packing up their gear after entertaining the crowd, but he insisted that they would start again, just for his new Australian friends – he is a real character. So we stayed for a couple of beers and a bit of music, and were soon joined by a growing number of locals who joined in the frivolity. It wasn’t long before one of the locals (obviously a penny or two short of a pound) who grabbed the mike and proceeded to entertain us with his versions of some French folk songs, La Marsellaise and even impersonations of motorbikes and F1 cars in action….very funny!

We have met some terrific people this time including Samir, the proprietor of La House (think I have mentioned him before), Mimi an young Irish woman who is studying French and Buddhism here (she has been to Oz several times and knows Fremantle well), and Abraham.

Our Aussie friend Deb

2009-10-08T04:46:00.000-07:00

We had made arrangements to visit Deb Westerberg, a new friend (from our last visit in 2007), born in Albany, lived in Perth for many years, Scotland for several, and now in a small village called Bize in the Minervois region. When we visited her in May 2007, she had not long since purchased an old house, with the intention of turning it into a Gite (self contained short term accommodation). Deb was (and is) very bravely living out an ambition alone that she and her recently deceased husband had dreamed about while living in Edinburgh for a number of years. A couple of photos of her delightful place follow.

We had a great time with Deb, who is a person who lives life to the full, and who enjoys un verre de vin as much as we do. We had a lot of laughs, visited a couple of nearby historical villages, picked some grapes and just generally had a good time. The funniest moment came when I stopped the car to take a photo of some grape-pic kers hard at work in a local vineyard. My travelling companions were a bit concerned that I was invading these peoples space and that I should ask for permission to take a shot. That didn't prove necessary because as soon as I got out of the car with the camera, they all stood up, posed and then called me over. When I got a bit closer one of the young women handed me her secateurs and invited me to pick a bunch of grapes while she took a photo. They were all amazingly friendly and it was hard to get away.

Another highlight was Oyster day. Every Wednesday afternoon a couple of blokes turn up at a local bar with a vanload of fresh oysters, which they shuck to order. Fresh, cheap and totally delicious accompanied by an ice cold beer (see below - the shuckers are in the background).

It was fantastic to see what she has achieved with her property since we were last there. We will definitely catch up with her again once or twice while we are in France.

The stunning Viaduc de Millau

2009-10-03T02:51:00.001-07:00

A few images of the quite amazing Norman Foster designed Viaduc de Millau. This stunning bridge crosses the Gorges du Tarn near Millau, just 60 kms north of Lodeve and is 2.5 kms long.

More photos of the Gorges du Tarn

2009-10-03T02:38:00.001-07:00

A few more of the 100's of images I have taken in the Gorges du Tarn.

Route du Michel

2009-10-03T02:25:00.000-07:00

Today dawned beautifully – a perfect autumn day – so we decided to do the Tour de Michel. This name needs an explanation. When we were last here (2007) we asked our friend Michel Canac to recommend the best all-day drive he knew, knowing that he and Ani spend a lot of time exploring the region by foot and by car, and of course were both born nearby (in Millau). Without hesitation he wrote out an itinerary for us that took us into the Gorges du Tarn, and included a visit to one of the most famous caves in Europe if not the world, plusa close-up look at the Viaduc de Millau from ground level. We did it last time and were blown away so decided we should share it with Kit & Den. (I have posted separate blogs with more photos of the Gorge and the Viaduc)

It is difficult to put in words how spectacularly beautiful this particular part of the world is. The photos below go part of the way in telling the story but this is something that must be seen and experienced personally. The highlights of this very long (12 hour day) were the villages of St Etienne and xxxxxxx, the view from Point Sublime, the ground up inspection of the Viaduc, and the Aven Armand (cave) that is in a word stunning. The cave consists of one giant cavern, large enough in volume to accommodate the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, that had only one small opening directly over the cavern, that was first explored in the 1890’s. The display of stalactites and stalagmites is extraordinary, some of them 35 metres tall and yet still 15-20 metres from the roof. The base of the cave looks like a petrified forest and can be explored in detail by foot. This tour is very strongly recommended to anyone visiting this region.

Lodeve Markets

2009-10-03T02:12:00.000-07:00

The Lodeve markets (marche) happen every Saturday morning. They are apparently one of the best markets in the region, and are quite large. They start right outside our apartment in the town square (Place de la Republique), extend all the way to the bottom of the street, and then along another street, probably covering a distance of 250m in total. They are very lively and a lot of fun. We usually run into every person we know in the town (not that many). The food stalls are particularly excellent, with all produce locally grown, made, caught or slaughtered. This is definitely a weekly highlight for the locals (and us itinerants).

A day in Montpellier

2009-10-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

Off to Montpellier for the day. This is our local big city, about 50kms to the east, and always a great place to visit. Montpellier, a city of 230,000 is described by Lonely Planet as innovative, fast-growing, self-confident and rivaling Toulouse for the title of southern France’s most vital city. More than a quarter of the population consists of students who live in a city that would have to be one of the most pedestrian friendly cities in Europe. It has a fantastic modern tram system that has two lines intersecting in the middle of the city, one running essentially E-W and the other N-S. At each of the terminal points a large carpark is provided where it is possible to park all day for 4 euros, and then transfer onto the tram to get into the city in a most comfortable way. The 4 euro parking fee also includes a return tram ticket for EVERY occupant of the car. This is what I call good public transport planning policy, and it works – superbly.

We spent the day, bathed in superb Mediterranean weather, wandering around the old quarter of the city, stopping occasionally for refreshments in one of the many interesting cafes and restaurants, and doing a bit of shopping (mostly clothes).

We have been back into Montpellier a couple of times since this trip (this blog is way overdue), including yesterday to drop my brother and his wife at the train station, on their way home. We found out yesterday that Joan Baez (one of my favourite performers from the 60-70's) is giving a free concert in Montpellier on the 25th so we will definitely be going. We are taking Mimi and possibly Samir with us.

More photos of Mont St Michel

2009-10-03T01:58:00.001-07:00

Getting to Lodeve

2009-10-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

After stopping for a while here, enjoying a beer while overlooking Rocamadour and buying our very French style lunch ingredients at a mini supermarket, we were back on the road heading for the valley of the Lot river, which we remembered from 2005 as a stunning landscape. After a slight (and unintended) detour which took us through the town of Cahors which is situated within a large loop of the Lot, we eventually found our way to the road we were looking for.
The drive along the course of the Lot was enjoyed by all, with many beautiful views of the river itself, pretty little villages along the way, and of course the ever present spectacular geological features so prevalent in this region. The only interruption to this journey was for lunch (by the river).

Once we left the Lot behind we had a relatively uneventful 3 hour drive to Millau, punctuated from time to time of course by stunning scenery and many little villages and towns. Millau is a regional centre (pop. 22,000) spectacularly situated (no other words can be used) at the bottom of part of the Gorge du Tarn at the confluence of the Tarn and the Dourbie rivers, and overlooked by the now world famous Viaduc de Millau, designed by the much lauded English architect Sir Norman Foster (remember the dome of the Reichstag in Berlin), to allow the A75 motorway to cross the Gorge du Tarn. This magnificent structure spans 2.5kms and is up to 343m above the valley bottom. In its first year of operation (2005) it carried 4.43 million vehicles. It took more than 3 years to build at a cost of more than AU$750 million, and is a true icon of modern design and engineering.

Once we had crossed this superb bridge we were only 60kms from Lodeve. This section of the A75 (i.e. Millau to Lodeve) is quite superb, as it wends its way down the southern edge of the Larzac plateau, falling 500 or 600m and negotiating a long tunnel.
We drove into Lodeve about 7pm that night. It was good to be “home”! As we all wearily extracted ourselves from the car right outside of the apartment, a dark haired and well dressed Frenchman walked past, that none of us paid much attention to. As he passed us and was walking away we heard a quiet “aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi” which of course we all reacted to. Amazingly it turned out to be Michel Canac, a local doctor and good long term friend of Ian’s who has become our local guardian in Lodeve, as well as our friend. He just happened to walking by on his way to the local supermarket. Of course we were very happy to see him, and made arrangements to catch up on Sunday night at his place for a welcoming aperitif.
The apartment is looking great, particularly with several of Ian’s paintings now hanging on the walls. Ian de Souza (and his wife Ros), one of the four owners of the apartment, is a celebrated artist from Fremantle who recently had his first French exhibition here in Lodeve. We are very glad that he has left some of his works behind for us to enjoy.

Finally in Republique de France - First 3 days

2009-09-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

We departed Berlin on a sleeper train bound for Paris, from the Hauptbahnhof, on the evening of Tuesday 8th at about 8pm arriving at Paris Est station at about 9.30am. This time on a German train with a larger couchette, but unfortunately much harder bunk beds. We had to find our way to Charles de Gaulle airport (by metro and regional trains) where our leased Peugeot 308SW was waiting for us to collect the keys. Without too much fuss we found the car and were on the road by about 12.30pm that day.

Getting away from CDG airport in any direction but north is quite challenging as all roads lead into Paris, but we managed quite well and took less than an hour to navigate our way out of the rather large tentacles of the city of Paris and point the car in the direction of Normandy, or more specifically Mont St Michel (the second most visited site in France).We ended up driving nearly 400kms this afternoon finally reaching a cute little village called Ducey, after a couple of stops along the way at other delightful villages – there are so many in France it boggles the mind. It is great to be back in France I must say – we feel very comfortable here. We had a choice of two hotels in Ducey, opted for the 2 star (and cheaper one) after inspecting the rooms, and to our delight found they had a 3-4 star restaurant in house. We were given the prime table, right in the middle of a fairly crowded dining room full of very quiet and seemingly boring couples having little if no interaction, so we four Aussies did our best to brighten the place up. This is not an unusual experience in France. If there could be only one word to describe French people it would be CONSERVATIVE. At least that is our impression after several visits to the country. While on the subject of the French, what they are NOT is arrogant, as is the popular perception of many people, particularly the English. In fact on the whole they are very charming while being reserved. For those thinking about visiting France in future we would like to share an important tip with you. Whenever you find yourself interacting with a French person make sure they know you are Australian, and NOT English or American. It makes a huge difference.

The next morning we drove the remaining 20kms to Mont St Michel, making sure we got there well before it opened as everything we have read, and been told, about the place is that it can be overwhelmed with tourists. Mont St Michel is a simply amazing sight to behold, being a medieval abbey perched on what was a small island in a very tidal estuary, but now joined to the mainland by a man-made causeway. The photos herein don’t really do justice to the magnificence of this abbey. We managed to be nearly first in the queue, just in front of a couple of busloads of Japanese tourists, every one of whom had a camera that was in continual use. We have always thought that many Japanese tourists must only see the sights through a camera lens. When we eventually came out of the abbey we counted nearly 20 tour coaches in the car-park, along with hundreds of cars that were not there when we arrived, so the early start was smart.

After leaving Mont St Michel we drove to a nearby resort city called St Malo where we dipped our toes in the Atlantic (for the very first time). Would have enjoyed a swim but didn’t have the gear, and there were too many “conservative” French people around to go skinny-dipping. We weren’t overwhelmed by St Malo, in many ways it reminded us of tacky English seaside towns that we have visited in the past, so we didn’t hang around for long.

We drove for most of the rest of the day having decided we now wanted to get to Lodeve as quickly as possible, preferably in time for the Saturday morning markets. As we headed further south the landscape was steadily changing, becoming more mountainous, greener and generally more spectacular. We stopped for a breather in Nantes, but didn’t really gain a strong impression of a city that the travel guides rate quite highly, and then drove on to an innocuous looking place on the main road, but once we turned off and negotiated the ever narrowing streets into the “Centre Ville” we discovered a pretty little village, like so many built around a small river and with a more than acceptable hotel where we ate, drank and slept the night away. The need to overlook the drab outskirts of French villages and towns, and find the often surprising centre, is so common in this country.

3rd Day in France

We got a reasonably early start today, with the aim of reaching Lodeve by late afternoon (which we duly did). We stayed on a major national (N) road for a couple of hours before diverting on to a minor (or D) road to the amazing sight of Rocamadour, a village spectacularly built on the side of a high rocky outcrop. The photo below tries to do justice to the majesty of this very old village.
After stopping for a while here, enjoying a beer while overlooking Rocamadour and buying our very French style lunch ingredients at a mini supermarket, we were back on the road heading for the valley of the Lot river, which we remembered from 2005 as a stunning landscape. After a slight (and unintended) detour which took us through the town of Cahors which is situated within a large loop of the Lot, we eventually found our way to the road we were looking for.
The drive along the course of the Lot was enjoyed by all, with many beautiful views of the river itself, pretty little villages along the way, and of course the ever present spectacular geological features so prevalent in this region.
Once we left the Lot behind we had a relatively uneventful 3 hour drive to Millau, punctuated from time to time of course by stunning scenery and many little villages and towns. Millau is a regional centre (pop. 22,000) spectacularly situated (no other words can be used) at the bottom of part of the Gorge du Tarn at the confluence of the Tarn and the Dourbie rivers, and overlooked by the now world famous Viaduc de Millau, designed by the much lauded English architect Sir Norman Foster (remember the dome of the Reichstag in Berlin), to allow the A75 motorway to cross the Gorge du Tarn. This magnificent structure spans 2.5kms and is up to 343m above the valley bottom. In its first year of operation (2005) it carried 4.43 million vehicles. It took more than 3 years to build at a cost of more than AU$750 million, and is a true icon of modern design and engineering. Once we had crossed this superb bridge we were only 60kms from Lodeve. This section of the A75 (i.e. Millau to Lodeve) is quite superb, as it wends its way down the southern edge of the Larzac plateau, falling 500 or 600m and negotiating a long tunnel.
We drove into Lodeve about 7pm that night. It was good to be “home”! As we all wearily extracted ourselves from the car right outside of the apartment, a dark haired and well dressed Frenchman walked past, that none of us paid much attention to. As he passed us and was walking away we heard a quiet “aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi” which of course we all reacted to. Amazingly it turned out to be Michel Canac, a local doctor and good long term friend of Ian’s who has become our local guardian in Lodeve, as well as our friend. He just happened to walking by on his way to the local supermarket. Of course we were very happy to see him, and made arrangements to catch up on Sunday night at his place for a welcoming aperitif. The apartment is looking great, particularly with several of Ian’s paintings now hanging on the walls. Ian de Souza (and his wife Ros), one of the four owners of the apartment, is a celebrated artist from Fremantle who recently had his first French exhibition here in Lodeve. We are very glad that he has left some of his works behind for us to enjoy.

More photos of the amazing Reichstag Dome

2009-09-25T04:35:00.001-07:00

Berlin - A very interesting city

2009-09-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

At about 9pm on Friday 8th we boarded a sleeper train for Munich, from where we transferred to another train through to Berlin. The four of us ended up in a 4 person couchette as the more private alternative was just too expensive. Our Eurail pass does not cover “sleepovers”. It was a bit crowded but after a few Glavas and Cointreaus we didn’t care and all eventually had a good nights sleep. We transferred at Munich about 7am and travelled in real German luxury for the next 5-6 hours before pulling into Berlin Hauptbanhof. We were in first class admittedly (thanks to Eurail) but the luxury of this train had to be seen to be appreciated.

We found our way to our pre- booked apartment in East Berlin (in the Mitte district) by tram, travelling through what appeared to be somewhat grungy urban surroundings, thinking that our choice of location (via internet) may not have been as good as it could have been. We soon changed our mind on that score. The apartment was great, certainly not luxurious but it definitely had loads of character, with the only real negative being a very small and solitary bathroom. As soon as we got out on the street and started wandering we knew the grunge was superficial and that we were in fact in a very vibrant and happening city. The grunge is understandable when you consider that this area was well behind “the wall” just 20 years ago. We were told there was not a shop, café or pub to be seen anywhere near our apartment in those days. Today almost every second building in Kastanienallee Strasse (our street) was a bar, café or restaurant. Our first impression of Berlin from our wandering through the Mitte was that it is a young person’s city. Over the next 3 days the number of people of our age (in fact over 40) that we saw within the vicinity of our apartment could have been counted on one hand. We were later to find out that Berlin is in fact a relatively poor city, with a high unemployment rate (17%) and a disproportionately high student population. It is also a cheap city to live in by ECU standards, and therefore attracts many young people either to study or to further their artistic endeavours. This particularly applies to the East Berlin side, hence the absence of oldies from that part of the city. A tour guide told us that commercial rents in the centre of Berlin are 15% of the equivalent in London.

Over the next 3 days and nights we were to discover that Berlin is a fascinating city, and that we needed far more time to really appreciate it. With such an amazing recent history, since the emergence of the Nazi party under Hitler in 1933, including the smashing down of the wall just 20 years ago, it could not be anything but interesting. Again due to our limited time we linked up with two local tours, one a hop-on/hop-off bus and the second a walking tour with Terry (which we should have done on the first day so that we could better appreciate the city later). We had read about Terry’s walking tour on the net, and were determined that if we did nothing else in Berlin we would do it. Terry is an eccentric 74 year old Brit who has lived in Berlin for a significant part of his life, including the period of occupation and the subsequent tearing down of the wall in 1989. He has served with the military, and the British diplomatic corps in Berlin previously and for a period of time was the official Berlin guide for senior military personnel. His intimate personal knowledge of Berlin is quite extraordinary, and as an ex-history teacher, his ability to tie it all together and deliver it in an entertaining way is fantastic. His tours typically last from about 10am until as late as 8 or 9 pm, whereas most similar walking tours we have seen advertised in Berlin (and other cities) are for just 2-4 hours – his energy is something to behold. We most strongly recommend this tour to anybody visiting Berlin, and that it be done as early as possible during the stay as it sets the scene brilliantly for what will be experienced later.Apart from Terry’s tour, the highlights (of many) in Berlin were probably the opportunity to visit the magnificent dome over the house of parliament (the Reichstag) designed by Sir Norman Foster to replace the one burned in the great fire of 1933 (which was the final catalyst in Hitler gaining complete control of government in Germany), and to use the new Hauptbahnhof train station built for the soccer world cup a few years ago. Both buildings are triumphs of architectural design and of German engineering. The several funky cafes and restaurants we found were also a highlight of our time in Berlin, with prices noticeably cheaper than Vienna.

At risk of sounding repetitive we want to come back here one day with more time credits.

Budapest - a real surprise

2009-09-25T02:32:00.000-07:00

We left Vienna behind, reluctantly, on Wednesday afternoon, heading for Budapest by train using our Eurail ticket. We left with shared impression of Vienna as a relaxed but reserved, highly cultured and aesthetically beautiful city with our only real disappointment being the fact that we were not able to attend a Beethoven or Mozart concert (and have a decent coffee!). Next time – and there WILL be a next time!

On our way to Budapest we passed through an amazing wind farm site that we estimated could have in excess of 1000 wind turbines spread over an area of a couple of square kilometres. There is so much evidence already that Europe is far ahead of Australia in harnessing renewable energy sources, and we have not experienced Germany yet.

We arrived in Budapest around 7pm on Wednesday evening and left just 50 hours later (what a planning error that was i.e. much more time is needed). From the time we stepped out into the huge railway station we knew we were in a very special place. Budapest has everything that Vienna had, and a lot more. It is a faster paced, and a more friendly place, with a population that continues to rebuild and re-define itself after the communist rule that only ended 20 years ago. It is a place on the move. We had no idea of the glorious past of Budapest, and its eminence in previous times as the capital of middle Europe. In so many ways it is reminiscent of Paris, which is understandable given the apparent influence French architects had on their Hungarian peers. It is also still a cheaper place to visit than other major European cities including Vienna, but there is no doubt that this will change as American and German tourists (and others of course) come in increasing numbers. On that subject it is very evident that Americans are not travelling at the moment (GFC we assume). We hardly heard a yankee accent in either Vienna or Budapest (MOST unusual in Europe) and were told by several people, including our Vienna guides, that they had not come this summer. Not good for the local tourist industry but great for us.

We packed so much into the next 50 hours, our heads were spinning, and our legs aching, by the time we boarded our sleeper train last night, bound for Berlin via Munich. Again we did a couple of guided tours (which is a bit unusual for us), one by boat along the Danube, another on a hop-on hop-off open deck bus which takes you to all of the most interesting parts of Budapest, with an optional commentary on the way. Given the limited time we had we decided this was the only way to really get a feel for the city. The following selection of photos (from the 300 or so I took) gives an impression of the extraordinary beauty and style of this city. We want to come back and recommend it to anybody considering a European adventure.

The first stage - Vienna

2009-09-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Sitting on the Leipzig Express from Munich to Berlin, in first class luxury, at 8.30am on Saturday morning (5th Sep), I am contemplating our first week in Europe (well almost a week). In a word it has been sensational, exceeding our expectations in most ways, particularly Budapest but more about that wonderful city later.

Our adventure started in good old Perth at 10.30pm on Saturday 29th August when we boarded an Emirates flight for Vienna via Dubai. Everything about Emirates was excellent except the seating arrangements which for a six-footer+ like Ron is just inadequate. Back to Malaysian Airlines next time – the seating is much better. Not much to say about Dubai as we only experienced the new airport terminal, which was opulent in a way that only oil can buy! Arrived in the beautiful (and relaxed) city of Vienna early on Sunday afternoon and made our way to the apartment we had booked on the net.
Fantastic choice – we found ourselves in a modern roomy 2 bedroom apartment, in a highly energy efficient building, where both the heating and the cooling comes from geothermal resources directly under the building…..and we were within 5-10 minutes walk of the main city square, Karlsplatz, which is also the central hub for all public transport – very convenient. Like most European cities we have experienced, the public transport is superb.

We had 3 nights in Vienna, enjoying perfect weather the whole time, filling our days with constant activity. To make the most of our limited time we decided to do a couple of guided walks and were very glad we did. The first one was The Third Man walking tour. For those who don’t know, The Third Man, consistently rated one of the best British made films of all time, was set in Vienna – mostly in the sewers, although we were told most of the filming was done in a studio in England because Orson Wells (the lead actor) did not want to get his hands (and knees) dirty! The tour was conducted by Chris, the son of the local woman who founded the tour 20 years ago and has since written several books about the subject. Not only Chris, but her two daughters have also followed her into the tour guiding business. The 2.5 hour tour visited all of the locations used in making the film, covering a sizeable portion of the centre of Vienna, and was full of entertaining and informative anecdotes. Highly recommended for anyone visiting this city. A couple of photos of film locations visited are shown below. In each case Chris is holding up a print from the film that was set right where he is standing.

The second tour, guided by a retired woman passionate about her city, was more about the fascinating history, architecture and culture of Vienna, and again had us wandering all over Vienna for more than 2 hours. No-one else turned up for the tour so we had her to ourselves. She was an excellent guide with exceptional knowledge that she enthusiastically shared with us.
The partially revealed fresco in the picture on the right dates from medieval times. Apart from these two organised tours we just explored the city as best we could, armed with our map, our 3 day transport pass and plenty of excitement. The highlights were probably the Salm Brauerie (brewery), sort of a “poor mans Little Ceatures”, the fresh food markets, and the continually stunning architecture. The few negatives included the failure to find a decent coffee (always a problem when you leave Australia), and some bum directions to our departure point that almost saw us miss our train to Budapest.