11October2008
Posted by mark under: 2008 Travels.
General: It has been great to experience a little of many parts of Europe. A continent where we were able to visit and see evidence and reminders of earlier civilisations, great engineering, architecture and art. Churches centuries old and still in use that are grand and lavish in the extreme – difficult to comprehend without the explanation that people saw the Pope and the church as God’s representative on earth and the church architecture and decoration reflected this. Castles and palaces and sites of World War 1 and 11 battles and events evidenced the centuries of conflict which have shaped this continent. Amazing now to consider the European Union (covers all Europe except independent Switzerland) with a single currency and mostly no border controls. On the surface a very unified situation given the past. Will be interesting to see what the future holds as opinion/comment in local newspapers over the handling of the current financial crisis to the effect that the EU is a sham and each country is just approaching things from their own nationalistic point of view!?
Very interesting also to experience some of the differences in culture, world view and approach – from the Northern European Dutch, German and Swiss who tend to be very orderly and ordered approach, to the Italian which has elements of order but also much more apparent acceptance of the way things happen to be, including the “Italian Minute”.
People: NZ seems quiet and almost “under populated” by comparison with many of the mega cities and areas we visited. Put all of that alongside hordes of tourists and you have people everywhere. eg under the central city in Rome and in Paris our coach drove into huge underground car parks capable of holding maybe 100 coaches. eg commonly restaurants with tables and chairs jammed so closely together was a challenge to get in and out of ones chair! eg beaches (even pebbly rather than sandy ones) where people are lined in rows and tiers over the entire space.
Engineering and infrastructure: Tunnelling is undertaken extremely often – on one stretch of road between northern Italy and southern France we drove on the coach for about 2.5 hours and went through 163 tunnels – these are all part of a 4 lane toll motorway – 2 lanes through one tunnel and the opposing lanes in another parallel tunnel usually maybe 50 metres away. Very efficient. Also tunnels under cities and also the underground car parks referred to above. Very convenient motorway service centres about every 30 km or so along the way – generally with service station and convenience store, good coffee, reasonable size food courts, general shop, toilets etc. Not unusual for 30 or so trucks, several tour buses and 30 or so cars to be stopped at the same time. Trucks in Italy are not allowed on the roads on Sundays and through the EU regular breaks required so many pulled up at truck stops for drivers to sleep.
Driving: I was pleased to have been on the coach tour first and experienced a taste of European roads and motorways before we picked up our rental car. Overall I did not find driving in Italy and France as bad as some had made it out to be. The motorways can be fast but especially in Germany and Italy much more orderly – trucks and buses are all speed limited – and trucks are restricted to the right hand lane – so in many ways more orderly. For the most part (probably because we tended to avoid big cities at rush hour) the motorways are generally less congested and flow quite freely – so you can cover a lot of ground at 120-130 km/hr.
The Peugeot Lease was nice in a way but not something I would do again. I would much rather have had a medium size car that was less conspicuously “tourist”. The GPS was mostly great once we got used to it – provided clear voice and visual instructions – only drawback it did lead us into some narrow streets in the old parts of some cities which were really restricted access local traffic only – it doesn’t seem to differentiate – and once you’re in that system hard to get out.
We travelled 3,170 km in the rental over 18 days – average only 176 per day but some days did 350 other days none. Cost 264 Euro (approx NZ $554) for diesel 6.3 l/100km, and around NZ$125 for the convenience of toll roads. Anyway it was a major achievement to get the car back without any scratches or dings!
The Siesta: – especially in Italy shops/businesses generally (except some tourist places) close at 1pm and open again at 3 or 4pm – so thought is needed when planning the itinerary! The shutters come down and hardly a local is to be seen – home enjoying their mid-day main meal and having a snooze! A lifestyle I could quite get used to!
Gill’s Travel Awards to come!
11October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
We had an interesting wander around Balboa Village on our first afternoon in LA – the village is on a peninsula/island off Newport Beach – very expensive eclectic mix of houses – prim and proper with beautiful gardens – many decorated along with the house for Halloween. Most fronting onto marinas with jetties and boats of all shapes and sizes but predominantly grand. We enjoyed a nice dinner back over the bridge.
Yesterday though we both came down with some sort of tummy bug and spent the whole day in our room – at least we are in a nice hotel and not still on the bus trip! A little disappointing though to catch this on the very last leg of the trip. Both well and up and at it today so all good – we had to postpone a tour around LA we had arranged for yesterday, and will do this instead this afternoon and get dropped off to the airport at the end of the tour.
We on the plane 10.30 pm Saturday night – miss Sunday altogether and arrive home early Monday morning!! Hope it is warm and dry in NZ – in the 7 weeks we have been away we have only seen rain on 3 occasions and each for only a few minutes to a couple of hours at most!!
9October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Now comfortably installed at Fairmont Hotel Newport Beach, LA, after the usual waiting around and long flight. We got to LA about 7.30pm and shuttled to hotel – zoomed along freeway at 70-80 miles/hr and fell into bed. Had excellent views of expansive snowy peaks and plateaus of Greenland and Canada as we flew across and then impressive view also of Las Vegas and the Strip as we approached towards LA.
Now off to lounge around the pool area for a few hours and then will spend a few hours at Balboa Village, strolling the Boardwalks and Pier and fitting in a few shops along the way.
7October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Left St Remy, the birthplace of Nostradamus, after a quick look at the area over the road from our hotel – the clinic where Van Gogh spent time after he mutilated his ear! It is now a tourist area (of course) with highlighted areas around the grounds that may have inspired his various paintings. Also nearby is the Triumphal Arch, built by Caesar to celebrate his defeat of the Greeks and Gauls in 10BC. Such history abounds!
We drove across the Var, mostly on the A8 (tolls again) and down to St Tropez – busyish even out of season so we didn’t stop but could admire the local artists displaying their work on the quai Jean-Jaures, the houses and cafes and more luxury yachts. There are many nice little beaches along this stretch of the Cote D’Azur some with beautiful sand and others pebbley.
We got to Nice in good time to return the Peugeot – not a scratch to be seen thanks to Mark’s good driving and parking and some care. The rental man was most impressed as it is usual to return the new car damaged and in fact the next client displayed just this with some significant dents!!
Arrived back in London at 8.30pm after delays leaving and then queueing to land at Heathrow. The hotel here is one week old so nice and new, clean and fresh and quite a contrast to the last few weeks. Leave for LA tomorrow early evenng.
6October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
We left Toulouse this am after a good time catching up with the Deverell Family and headed back towards Provence via Carcassonne, mostly on the motorway past Narbonne, Beziers and Montpellier. We were entertained for some time at the Canal near Villemoustaussou watching the canal boats navigate the locks. The actual cruising part along the peaceful tree-lined canals looked very inviting – the locks once mastered would be ok too. We watched a smooth operating crew and another who just managed largely by bumping into other vessels!!
We drove most of the way today on the toll roads – very quick but uses up the euros. Tonight we are in the small town of St Remy de Provence – had a nice wee shop, a look at the church with a notable organ (concerts each Saturday), and had dinner at a pub/bar where I enjoyed the local speciality – lamb and tripe.
4October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
We are currently enjoying time in Toulouse with Mark’s cousin Ian, his wife Christine and their sons Jeremie, Stephen, Samuel, Faitala, and Peter. We drove here yesterday stopping to pick up Samuel from Bedarieux where he works at a guitar factory (producing high quality and expensive instruments).
It is nice to be in the city again after all the medieval villages and we are enjoying the musical entertainment as the boys play their instruments together regularly. Jeremie and Stephan have a band called Lady Distortion see www.myspace.com/ladydistortion
The weather has been markedly cooler but apart from a skiffle or two of rain it is all fine.
2October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Visit to the Pont du Gard today, located between Avignon and Nimes. This structure is the most outstanding part of the remains of an old roman aqueduct built about 19BC to take 20 million litres of spring water daily to the city of Nimes via ditches, tunnels, siphons and bridges. The aqueduct itself, spanning the Gardon River, is made of huge limestone rocks, 3 tiers and 48 metres in height. Water went along the top and the lower 2 levels were for people and traffic at various stages. It fell into disrepair during the middle ages and also some blocks were used for other structures. Again a very impressive structure and engineering feat way before modern times.
This afternoon we drove to Gordes – a very cute village tumbling in cascades down a rocky hillside. Also around the area we saw old bories – drystone structures like beehives built from around 3500 BC and used for shelter and storage. Last stop was Rousillon – another village on a crag! But interesting for the use of ochre colours all around – about 17 shades they reckon. The earth and rocks looked very richly coloured.
2October2008
Posted by admin under: Background.
Interesting day yesterday with 2 quite different stops. First, The Cathedrale D’ Images – a multi media slide show with classical music in a huge disused underground quarry, at les Baux en Provence, where bauxite was first discovered in 1822. A different theme is chosen each year and images are projected simultaneously onto various walls, floor and ceiling spaces giving an incredible 3D effect. This years’ theme is Van Gogh. Mark counted about 40 different projectors but quite hard to count in the dark! The space is cavernous and you wander at leisure not sure where to look to see it all at the same time. Show lasts 30 minutes and runs continuously.
Then, a visit at Nimes to the best preserved of all the remaining (200) Roman arena. One of the 20 largest – seating 24,000, the outer facade 21m high and inside 2 huge tiers with 60 arcades. I was much amused by the name of the many exits and passageway areas called vomitories – designed to keep the plebs from mixing with the patricians! I could imagine what else occurred there maybe. Listened to an audioguide on a self-paced tour of the arena – very impressive – could not listen to all the info unless you stayed ½ day at least! Also static displays of costume and equipment and videos of the action! The arena is still used for events, which is incredible – would be deemed a health and safety hazard in NZ I’m sure – no handrails on very high steep levels, very slippery uneven marble slabs, trip dangers etc – no doubt we would have to sign up prior to entry and to being responsible for undertaking a hazardous visit in NZ! However, great to see this and imagine the torrid spectacles of the past.
Staying for the next 2 nights near Avingnon.
1October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
A highlight at the end of our day yesterday exploring the Camargue area of Provence yesterday, was a visit to the Parc Ornithologique where we saw up close 100’s of flamingos – graceful and beautiful. They made a lot of noise “chattering” and gurgling as they pushed their bills through the water when feeding. Easy to sit and admire. Gorgeous colours as they open their wings and about 5 different breeds and colour variations. We saw a few flying – very streamlined and often in formation. Other birds in the Parc included ducks, egrets, herons, falcon and owl. Of interest too were a kind of beaver (my French was challenged here reading the explanation boards to discover exactly what it was!).
Earlier in the day we drove around the Camargue area – formed by the delta of the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone – wetlands of salt marshes, pastures and sand dunes and also took a boat ride up the Little Rhone. The highlights were the white Camargue horses which roam wild in the marshes and are also used as workhorses and the black Camargue bulls – used by professional bullfighters for different types of games in the arenas (not the gory Spanish bullfighting!!) The owners are known as Manadiers and the keepers as the guardians. The horses are black/auburn at birth and become totally white by about 7-8 years, they live 20-30 years so are the guardians friends for life when broken in.
The landscape looks very bleak but supports not only these animals (hardwork!) but also is irrigated to grow rice which grows between May and September – 1 ha produces 5-7 tonnes of rice. The filling and emptying of the marshes also allows salt to be harvested. Grapes and apples also grow in the area.
29September2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Today, (29th) we have driven through the chasms of the Gorges du Verdon, France’s /Europe’s answer to the U.S. Grand Canyon depending on which guide you read. The Verdon river cuts into striated rock up to 700m deep in places – great views of stark limestone faces, slabs of rock angled in all directions and of course way down… the river – a bit of a trickle at present. Highest road point was 1200m. Photos just don’t do the views justice. There are a few little towns along the way, the best being Castellane at one end with a church perched airily on top of rock and Aiguines (lunch stop) nearer the other end with a beautiful 17th century chateau overlooking Lac de Ste-Croix. Each of the 4 turrets are tiled differently. A bit further on is Moustiers-Ste-Marie (at the end of the lake) – on the edge of a ravine – I climbed a steep path up to a 12th century chapel with stunning views out to the Gorges. Slung between the 2 sides of the ravine is a golden star, renewed the year I was born but said to date back to 13th century. You will need to look hard to see the star in the photo! (Mark had a siesta through all this! to recover from negotiating about 100 hair pin bends in the last two days!)
We then passed through lavender country (again not the right flowering time) and onto the A8 and A54 where we picked up speed (110-130km/hr) and paid E$8 in tolls to our stay in the countryside near Arles.
Yesterday – 28th – started with a cultural interlude in Sospel – viewed the magnificent cathedral and then the local festival – marching bands and folk dancing followed by a parade of animals – horses, donkeys, cows with bells and sheep – the street sweeper truck followed along behind!
Off then through the Foret de Turini – beech, maple, sweet chestnut, pines and cliffs! Magnificent scenery and colours – red/orange bushes, all shades of green and tinges of yellow as autumn approaches. Highest road point was 1607m. Followed on though the Valle and Gorges de la Vesubie – more stunning rock formations, colour and shapes. Very dramatic Citadel at Entrevaux – perched on a rocky outcrop with an impressive zig-zag path to the top. Detoured via Castellane with it’s large aquamarine coloured man-made hydro lake before spending the night at St. Andre-les-Alpes.