Day 24 - Paris to Melbourne

Au Revoir!

See Ya!

Day 23 - Paris Goodbyes

Today we said goodbye to Paris for the final time. Up early and showered and enjoyed a petite dejeuner in the dining room here at the hotel. The old world charm worked a treat and before long we were on our way.

We ended up doing a complete loop of the right bank today, all on foot. Started with a walk down to the end of Rue de Rivoli to Place de Bastille and then walked along Rue de Lyon until the start of Avenue Daumensil where the Promenade Plantee begins.

The Promenade Plantee is a 4km long garden built on top of a disused 19th century railway viaduct, and highly recommended in a recent article in The Age. The Lonely Planet guidebook adds "seduction springs up in the most unlikely places, and perhaps none more likely than this viaduct carving through the busy Bastille quarter". True, the garden was very nice - cherry trees, maples, roses and lavender, but the abundance of homeless men sleeping on pieces of cardboard and the overwhelming stench of urine was too much for us. Nothing seductive about this place in our opinion. A clever idea, but not quite working as it should. We feel tempted to tell Lonely Planet to take it off their Top Ten things to do list.

So, we took a detour and sought out the "Le Pure Cafe" used in the film, Before Sunset. With a bit of map-work, we found it and took many photos - very stylish and very quaint.

Then it was back off into the city, walking along Bd Voltaire, through Place de la Liberation and eventually Bd Haussman, which houses the big department stores in Paris, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, H&M and others. Had a little look through these (and made a few purchases), then made our way through the Madeleine area down to the Tullieries Gardens again and sat beside a fountain for a while, to give our feet a break. Then we met up with Rue de Rivoli (at the other end) and walked and walked all the way back to the hotel.

Tonight we had a most marvellous dinner for our final night in Paris. Kym had full say in the restaurant selection. We traipsed all over the Marais area looking at the menus and eventually selected a nice little restaurant just one block from our hotel where we had the most delicious meal ever. The restaurant was called The Mauvais Garcons (The Bad Boys) and it was a knockout. We sat at one of the three tables on the front courtyard. We both enjoyed the grilled camembert and green salad with caramel porto (a caramel and port wine dressing) to start - OMG this was so scrumptious - we could have left after that! For the mains, monsieur had the lamb with thyme and potato au gratin and legumes, whilst madame had the duck with caramelised honey pear. So delicious, without being over the top. To finish, perhaps a raspberry cake with coulis was enjoyed by madame, whilst monsieur may have devoured a hearty slab of apple flan dusted with icing sugar and drizzled caramel sauce. Well worth it. We tipped handsomely to show our gratitude. The restaurant was extremely busy by the time we had left. Highly recommended, and a fitting way to finish our stay in France.

Our bags our now packed, ready for departure tomorrow and the long haul flight back to OZ. Gosh, that flight is awful, but it will be nice to return home after a very exciting time here in France. As they say in the classics, "the honeymoon is over". Bon soir et a bientot!

Day 22 - Paris and it's Islands

Our hotel here in Paris is typically old-world Parisian. Positioned right opposite the Hotel de Ville, it has a lovely charm about it. An old wooden circular staircase is central to the building. Entrance on ground level, reception and salle de manger/lounge on the first level and the hotel rooms on the floors above. The hallways are lined with wallpaper and there are hundreds of framed paintings, old maps and drawings throughout. I am the last member of my family to have stayed here at the Hotel de Nice (Paris). My brother Andrew had recommended it as a taste of what Paris used to be like, before much of the modern accoutrements of today (save for a split system air-conditioner and flat-screen TV). My parents have also stayed in this hotel.

All the rooms are styled differently and, as if planned, our room is a rich red colour. Red drapes, red and gold bedspread, red and white wallpaper, red carpet. It looks like something from the 18th century (today's featured pic is of our room). Someone must have known that we both have a penchant for Red. Very appropriate, on the honeymoon and all.

The room we have been allocated looks out onto the busy Rue de Rivoli. We have two little balconies that overlook the street. It is a nice, vibrant area here. A large gay population, Jewish population and heaps and heaps of restaurants and cafes. On our walk yesterday, we noticed how busy all the food places were. Even the fast food places were overflowing. McDonalds, KFC, Quick had every aisle open and people queuing onto the street - why aren't Parisians fat? Maybe we should open a fast food business in Paris and retire off that? Yeah right, we couldn't even afford the rent!

Today we concentrated on the two Iles (islands) which are the geographic and historic heart of Paris. We started with a visit to the famous Shakespeare and Co bookstore featured just over on the Left Bank. A tremendous experience to wander through the new and second hand books on display. Very good indeed. Then we got caught looking at souvenirs for a short while, as you do on your second-last day. Had a nice lunch in Rue de Rivoli - Quiche Lorraine. Delicious (and some rather nice desserts too).

We then headed back to the two islands to do what Rod's brother Andrew had suggested. Thanks for the great tip, we followed it exactly. A nice stroll down Rue de Barres (from R de Rivoli), down some cobble-stoned steps, across Pont Louis Phillipe and onto Ile St-Louis, where we descended some stairs to the banks of the Seine - just delightful. We loved Ile-St-Louis - and much of the exclusive Paris apartments are here. There was one on sale with no view of the Seine for just over 2,000,000 euros, but it looked very nice. So we have started to save up.

Loved wandering around the streets of Ile-St-Louis and then we headed over the bigger Ile-de-Cite which houses the famed Notre-Dame cathedral (which we were lucky to get into at evening with no queues at all) and we also had a delicious caramel-flavoured glace from the famed Berthillon ice-creamery. Yummo. We continued to wander through the streets and did a lot of window-shopping looking at all the up-market shops, which are very different to their counterparts on the mainland.

Not too late tonight, as tomorrow is our final day in Paris and our final day of the trip. So we intend to make the most of it. There are a couple of places we wish to revisit and will finish with a nice dinner somewhere - there are so many options. Bon soir for now.

Day 21 - Nice to Paris

Not a great deal to report today. We checked out of the hotel in Nice and headed via tram for 1 euro each to the Nice-Ville station and waited in the general hall for the platform details to come up on the departures board. Rod had booked a duplex table on the TGV for this trip, in which one person sits facing one direction, and the other sits in the directions both facing each other with a little fixed table in the middle. Kind of like a table for two in a restaurant. Very cosy - but it guarantees at least one person is facing the right way for the whole journey, even if the train changes directions.

And there we sat for six hours. The first three hours was spent meandering back through the magnificent Meditteranean coastline through Cannes, St Raphael, Toulon and back through Aix-en-Provence TGV and then Avignon TGV. Once clear of Aix, the driver was able to show off the full capabilities of the train and we hurtled all the way to Paris at extremely fast speed. Every so often, the speed would drop a fraction and you could feel your back come away from the seat. The most terrifying part was when another train passed us in the opposite direction (also at high speed). We travelled through some truly magnificent countryside in the process and arrived in Gare de Lyon, Paris mid-afternoon.

Checked into our lovely little hotel here in Paris for the final few days of our journey. We then walked around the Marais area, where we are staying, right next to the imposing Hotel de Ville. We now have our bearings and will be back at it tomorrow.

Day 20 - Nice and Bastille Day

Started today with the Nice Le Grand Tour which was the double-decker bus that takes you around Nice for a 90 minute round-trip showcasing the sights and historical features of the town. It was run by the same company that runs a similar deal in Paris. There is an audio commentary via headphones in eight languages. We tried a few languages, but English seemed to be more our speed. The pre-recorded English narrator, however, was decidedly pompous sounding with very clipped English, which was tedious. However, the bus was the perfect way to see the town (including climbing all the hills) with some breathtaking views looking back down on Nice from up high. You can get off and on the bus as many times as you like throughout the day.

After we did a round trip, we alighted the bus and sought some refreshments in town. Just a couple of baguettes and soft-drinks. Then we headed back down to the bus to go and inspect the Chagall Museum. We were sitting near a very annoying American woman from New York who seemed to be rather well read but yet so dumb with the simple things. She was one of those people who felt the need to articulate every random thought and even asked whether we were still in Nice whilst on the Nice bus tour. She was barking mad.

We made the mistake of letting it slip that we were visiting the Chagall Museum, which she instantly latched onto and declared she would visit it too. Rod tried to talk up the Matisse Museum in an attempt to get her off the bus early, but to no avail. So she accompany ed us into the museum where we promptly urged her to enjoy the displays. She didn't take the hint. Anyhow, we managed to lose her in the museum and then carefully manoeuvred our way around the paintings without her spotting us again. We enjoyed Chagall's works very much. Some very bright colourful paintings with an almost Leunig quality about them. Bought a couple of souvenirs in the gift-shop and then hopped on the bus back down the hill.

The bus did not return to the Promenade des Anglais however, as the police had closed it off in readiness for the Bastille Day celebrations that were to happen that night. The bus seemed to go around and round in circles - we think even the driver got confused/lost and we eventually got off somewhere near the Port of Nice.
Off to the supermarket then to buy some cool drinks and a spot of food for dinner, as we felt like something light. Showered and devoured half a slab of brie avec bottled water. After a little viewing of another Ghost Whisperer episode in French, we headed down to the Nice foreshore to soak up some of the vibe happening for Bastille Day.

Not much actually happened during the day, other than most shops being closed, but the real party was saved for the evening. There were bands and street performers, police, and people swarming around the place. Every street corner had some sort of event occurring and there were roving bands and even a motorised moving white grand piano being played by Amadeaus with a ballerina pirouetting on top of it - c'est incroyable!

The great mild night was dampened a little by the obvious search for someone missing out in the sea. There were police, ambulance, search and rescue and a helicopter obviously looking for a body. It was either a swimmer or a deep-sea diver they were looking for. A little unsettling.

The crowds got bigger and bigger and we positioned ourselves almost on the beach when it was near dark (about 10pm) here to watch the fireworks display, which was most impressive. Rod thinks it was the best fireworks display he has seen. Kym thinks it was second only to Sydney 2000. But it was a really great display. Done in tune to many songs, but Elton John and Mack the Knife were among them! The event was very family friendly, alcohol-free and really, really enjoyable.

Carnival atmosphere ensued and the bands and acts started up again on the promenade. Our feet were killing us, so we slowly made our way back to our hotel in the sea of people. Kym even went shoe-shopping after 11pm - not too many places you can shop for shoes at that hour. It was a real party atmosphere and a really enjoyable night. Thanks Nice. Happy Bastille Day!

Day 19 - Nice - The Old & The New

Slept in a little this morning, after our huge walk along the full length of the Promenade yesterday evening/night. We needed to move all our bags from one room into another this morning, as the room we were in was needed and we had received prior warning. Once we moved our stuff, we had a nice petit dejeuner in a cafe right near the hotel entrance.

A good look at the old town of Nice (Vieux Nice) was on the agenda today, and we certainly succeeded in that department. I don't think there was a nook, cranny or Rue that we didn't see in the old town. Our feet are killing us tonight, but it was worth it. Started the day by walking up the other end of the promenade towards Quai de Etats-Unis and right around to the Port de Nice where there were so many boats moored. Many huge yachts and many, many boats.

We walked right around the perimeter of Vieux Nice before tackling the middle part. Sort of like starting a chocolate from the outside, before hitting the gooey, soft centre. Down by the port, there were a lot of antique shops which are all located in the one area. We only window shopped, but a lot of euros were required to buy here, and we don't have that many euros left :(

At the end of the antique strip is the wonderful Place Garibaldi - a huge square or piazza, with a fountain, statue, shops, trams and some lovely old trees providing welcome shade from the searing heat. We sat here for a little while and watched all the people go about their business, shopkeepers setting up for lunch, children playing with the fountain's water, dogs sitting in the fountain, vespas scooting around. A nice, relaxed atmosphere.

Then it was in to the wonderful labyrinth of streets and alleys that make up Vieux Nice. The streets were small and narrow, very intimate and a little hilly in parts. Lots of vendors selling their wares. A good mix of traders - food, souvenirs, flowers, toys, books, homewares. The whole area had a nice feel. Needless to say, a few more euros left our wallets here, but we don't get the chance to visit often, so why not? Here we bought a huge baugeutte (jambon club sandwich) which we split in half and ate together for lunch. Kym can be seen in today's feature pic delicately ripping the baguette in two in readiness to devour. How terribly rustic. How very delicious!!

We finished off our tour of the old town after about six hours all up. Our feet were killing us by now, but we went into the new town area and walked around the indoor shopping centre for a little bit - again to cool down more than anything and buy a few things to eat/drink back in the hotel room.

Having concentrated on the old town today, we will tackle the rest of Nice tomorrow. We are going to buy a ticket for the open top bus as many people have said it is the best way to get around and learn some more about the city. We can hop on and hop off wherever we like (just like we did in Paris). Rod is particularly keen to inspect the Cimiez area, right up on top of the hill where all the posh people stay. We are hoping for an early start, to make the most of Bastille Day, our last day in Nice.

Day 18 - Aix to Nice

Well hello from the busy seaside town of Nice.

It is after midnight as we write this, so may have to finish it tomorrow...

We set off from Aix fairly early this morning and caught a bus that was about 90 minutes earlier than we had booked, but they were very flexible in allowing us to get on the earlier one. We felt the need to leave Aix early as we needed to bus it to the TGV station during peak hour traffic and then find our platform and car number, so we felt more at ease at least getting to the TGV station nice and early. Had a pleasant train journey to Nice, stopping at several stops along the way, Toulon, Saint Raphael and Cannes, much of the journey hugging the Mediterranean coastline. Was very nice indeed.

Pulled into Nice in the heat of the day (as per usual) and quickly found our way to the hotel we had booked. When we arrived at the hotel, we discovered the proprietor was out and left a phone number on the door for people to contact her on. We don't have a phone with us, so that was no good. Kym went searching for some lunch while Rod guarded the bags. Eventually some girls came back from shopping and let Rod into the hotel via an entry code. Whilst in the lobby, Rod discovered the room number and found the doors to the room wide open, and so had a quick look around. It really was not up to standard (and our standards aren't too high), but this one failed the test big time. So, just as we were about to check ourselves into the hotel, we checked ourselves straight back out. We might lose the first night's tariff, but we weren't going to sleep in what was something akin to a youth hostel but with our beds backing onto the other side of the front door (which we assumed would be opening and closing ad banging all night). The front door probably wasn't the only thing that would be banging all night. That hotel was not air conditioned, which ordinarily would not worry us, but during this heatwave, was a necessity. Tripadvisor.com has for the first time let us down (it seems).

So, we put the packs back on and walked around a bit and have now found a 3-star hotel which is not too bad at all - Hotel Lafayette. The biggest selling point was the room was icy cold when we inspected it. We were sold. Our Aix hotel had cooling, but it struggled. This cooling was perfect. So, a good night's sleep is anticipated tonight.

Went for a big long walk tonight right along the Promenade des Anglais which was really, really nice. The weather was extraordinarily warm and so heaps of people were out - this was still about 11pm then. The only slight disappointment with the promenade today is that they have chosen to use energy-efficient light bulbs along it, and it has lost a lot of the old charm it used to have. Not being negative, just a mere observation. Kym quite rightly suggests there is plenty of sun here most of the year to generate solar power anyway.

The time got away from us and it is now well after midnight. Have a full program tomorrow and Susie L, I have sent a note to the Parfumery you kindly suggested. We are trying to get in tomorrow, even though I sent the email after business hours and hence after the cut-off, as the following day is Bastille Day and they may be closed. Thanks so much for the suggestion. Kym LOVES the idea of being able to make her own perfume. I hope we get the chance.

Bon Soir to all!

Day 17 - Aix-en-Provence

This is my third visit to Aix-en-Provence. I last visited here in 1994 and loved it. This time around I have not been as enamoured with the place. True it is a beautiful town, with lots to see and do with its grand boulevards and fountains and cafes and buildings. But the big problem with Aix today is that it is dirty. The streets and footpaths simply aren't washed, the rubbish bins are overflowing and the place just smells. It is a travesty that such a graceful, elegant (and expensive) town should have to breathe through all the grit and grime that lies about its streets. You can actually feel your shoes sticking to the pavement as you walk around, just like the carpet in a nightclub at 3am, non? I can only hope that one day a more-responsible council will become aware of this and do something positive to correct it.

Off the soapbox for now, and onto the day's activities. We started with a walk through the Mazarin quarter and inspected some very old, grand buildings along the way. This morning we spent a great deal of time in the Granet Musuem which is named after the painter who donated so much of his work to it. It also houses works by Cezanne, Rembrandt and Constantin. We were fortunate to see an extensive exhibition by the (still-living) artist, Pierre Alechinsky, which were bold and somewhat abstract. We are not huge fans of contemporary art, but there were some really good works on display here by that artist.

We walked back along the Cours Mirabeau and happened across a street market that was primarily selling arts and crafts and there were some splendid items on display. We bought a couple of photographs we liked from one of the street vendors. We are hoping we can keep them protected during the remainder of our trip.

Had a nice but very filling lunch in one of the restaurants that spills out onto the Cours Mirabeau. Monsieur had the trois fromage pizza et jambon fumee d'Italie, whilst Madame had the saumon fumee fettucine avec basile. A grande bouteille of San Pellegrino to wash it all down with. Very nice indeed.

During the afternoon we learnt that Kym had achieved an HD for her most recent university subject last semester, so there was much celebration. We were very, very happy. Conincidentally, the subject had a large still-life component, so M.Cezanne would have been impressed too! Rod shouted Kym a double boule cone of icecream - tres bon. Then we went for a final walk down the Cours Mirabeau loop (see today's pic) and said goodbye to this very pretty little town.

Tomorrow we are off to the seaside - to the Cote d'Azur and in particular, Nice. That will be our destination for the next three days, including the national holiday Bastille Day celebrations on July 14th!

Day 16 - Aix-en-Provence and Cezanne

Bounded out of bed this morning, free of commitments and responsibilities - lol. Don't you just love holidays? Oui, oui, oui!

Fortunately the temperature was noticeably lower this morning, which was a nice change. We had a really great breakfast at a cafe in Aix's old-town right beside a fountain. Was particularly good in that we received freshly-squeezed orange juice and coffee with milk in addition to the pain/confiture and croissant. It is obviously a cultural difference in Europe, but they generally don't add milk to coffee - you have to ask for it, and usually pay more for it too. Sometimes it's called cafe creme.

Set off nice and early to have a look at Aix-en-Provence's famed street markets (via a quick visit to the tourist office to find out where the markets were). Once located, we discovered food stalls, clothing stalls, jewellery stalls, soap/lavender/pot-pourri stalls, dogs, babies, children, madness, mayhem. Just too many bloody people!

To escape the hectic city-life and contribute less to the temporary summer-time population problem, we climbed the hill just outside of town to visit the much quieter and reflective space that is Paul Cezanne's Studio. Although essentially just a one-room studio, this was a remarkable experience as everything in the studio has been left just as it was when Cezanne died. We were able to see the exact objects used by the artist in his still-life paintings - nothing was roped off either. Photographs were prohibited inside the room, but your scout journalist managed to snap one inside the studio (today's featured pic) without being escorted from the premises or arrested. Cezanne purchased the cottage in 1901 and it is surrounded by a tranquil (if slightly overgrown) cottage garden. Not a museum as such, more of an experience.

We then headed back into the city to have a detailed look at the most famous street in Aix-en-Provence, Cours Mirabeau. A street created for horse-drawn coaches in 1649, Cours Mirabeau is today lined with plane trees, fountains, cafes and elegant mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries. We had a map from the tourist office which detailed information relating to the Cours, including Le Passage Agard which was part of the former Carmelite convent linking the Law Courts to the Mirabeau - Cezanne often frequented the Deux Garcons cafe here with his friends.

After lunch, we headed off to look at some of the shops lining the streets. Popped into several souvenir shops (some good, some awful) and spent a fair bit of time in the department stores looking at more of the incredible sales. Rod bought more things at H&M - his bargain of the day was four pairs of socks for 1 euro - that's $1.50 people - incredible! And he bought some t-shirts on sale too.

Took it easy this afternoon, drank lots of water and cans of soft drink - they are both quite cheap. Brings to mind another item of interest - the complete domination of Coca-Cola in the French soft-drink department. Pepsi seems to have made very little market penetration, particularly down south. We thought the competition would have been fierce, but alas, no.

Had a little stroll through the streets tonight. Most of the shops have closed up now until Monday. Sunday is very quiet here in France. We intend having a look at the Mazarin Quarter tomorrow, as well as taking in some more of the old town sights.

Day 15 - Arles to Aix-en-Provence

We checked out of our Arles hotel this morning avec backpacks, walked through the heart of the town and stopped for some petite dejeuner at a cafe in Place Voltaire (the same one we visited on our first day). 5 euros got us some bread, jam, orange juice and a coffee.

Then we pressed on to the train station where we discovered that our train had been replaced by a bus service (not really sure why, as we had to rush to get on the bus to Avignon - no time to ask questions). They were probably doing track works or similar. Anyway, this gave us a good view of how the real people around here live and, by and large, it wasn't that impressive. The countryside was far more interesting and we saw several fields of sunflowers. These flowers looked very impressive en masse (they grow quite tall actually, and we could well understand Van Gogh's fascination with them. Our only regret was that we couldn't take photos as all our luggage was under the bus at the time - bugger!

The bus took us to Avignon TGV station where we caught a standard train to Aix-en-Provence, but while we were waiting, a lightning fast bullet train went through the station. Man, it was fast. The whole station rocked and people's hats flew off. Very impressive. We think we are on one of those trains when we return from Nice to Paris.

Arrived in Aix-en-Provence mid-afternoon. It was hot. Rod had sweat visibly pouring down his face and Kym was dehydrated to the max. It is so incredibly hot here. There was a lot of cloud cover today, which made it feel more like a sauna. The humidity makes it extremely oppressive. Rod keeps telling Kym that this weather is abnormal for France, but it is hard to be convincing when it just hasn't relented. The temperature has been in the 30's+ since we arrived and it has made doing the touristy things a bit of a chore. A little bit of a shame, but we think we are losing weight as a result - lol. Not to mention, working on our lovely mediterranean tans!!

Checked into our hotel and it is not as bad as some reviews had made out. Those who have been to Aix would know there are not many hotels in the heart of the city. We booked a 2 star hotel that is just behind the Cours Mirabeau (right in the heart of the city) and it really isn't too bad. True, the air conditioner is struggling but, although the hotel is old, the room is clean and tidy. Aix hotels are notoriously and outrageously expensive, so we haven't done too badly, all things considered.

We had a little look through the town. There are lots of tourists and people everywhere, but we managed to take in a bit of the atmosphere. We met a nice man who runs a shop whose daughter has spent time in Sydney and now is in Perth studying. He spoke at length about Australia and Australians. It was nice speaking to someone French who was openly willing to speak English. He ran a (better quality) gift shop and a salon de the upstairs. We also bought a nice little something for our kitchen wall.

Too hot to eat out tonight (even been too hot to drink alcohol lately!), so we found a supermarket downstairs in what looks like a department store at ground level, Monoprix, and bought a couple of salad/vegetable dishes for dinner that were yummy. Perhaps we also bought some chocolate and cheese items too, non?? Kym could not believe an entire supermarket aisle was devoted to cheeses. She even has photos to prove it. It's a wonder we are actually losing weight.

Whilst eating, we watched the French version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and then Ghost Whisperer in French (dubbed rather well actually). Tomorrow we will get stuck into the touristy things early, before it gets too hot again. For now, Bon Nuit!

Day 14 - Arles

Wednesday 8th July - another hot day - 37 degrees. You would think we were getting used to it by now, but alas, no.

We started the day finishing off the few sites we hadn't seen already using our Passeport Avantage carte. First on the agenda was the Cloitre Saint Trophime which were built in the 12th and the 14th centuries. It had two galleries that were Romanesque and two which were Gothic. Very impressive and, even more so, was the painstaking renovation taking place whereby the cloisters were being cleaned by hand. The transformation from the dark grey to a much lighter sandy colour was amazing.

From right up high in the cloisters, we then ventured deep down underground to the Cryptoportico of the Forum, an incredible subterranean city which was built in 46 BC, wow - that is old. 2056 years ago and it is simply incredible. To be walking within Roman Architecture built before Christ was very special.

We had a bite of lunch (just baguettes today) and visited the Espace Van Gogh which was the former Arles hospital in which Van Gogh was a patient. He painted there too, and we took some photos. There was a really nice flower garden in the centre of outdoor square avec fountain in the middle.

We also found the spot on the Rhone River where Van Gogh painted Starry Night Over The Rhone. Not really much at all there. We thought tres bland, but Vincent saw things we didn't!

Then ventured back to the hotel for a bit as it was HOT. Rod had a nanna-nap and Kym did some washing. After that we went off for a final walk through the town and had some dinner.

Very mild night, so ended up back in the hotel pool around 9pm. Tomorrow we head to the lavender capital of the world - Aix-en-Provence. Bags packed again and we are ready to roll.

Day 13 - Arles

Today was another hot one here in Arles. 34 degrees with a fair bit of humidity. Hard to imagine when we keep looking at those horrid temperatures back in Melbourne town. Talk about extremes!

Covered a lot of ground again today, beginning with a trip to the Office de Tourisme to get a detailed map of Arles and buy the Passeport Avantage which gets us into 6 monuments and 3 museums - well, 6 monuments and 2 museums, as they neglected to tell us the famous Arlaten museum was closed until 2014!

Arles also has a well-known street market on a Wednesday and Saturday which goes for miles and miles, so we checked that out starting near the tourist office and continuing right around the perimeter of town all the way to the huge cavalry towers at the old entrance to the town. We think we did it in reverse, as the market started with antiques and then moved into clothing, shoes, jewellery (which went forever and all started looking the same after a while) and then into food - fruit, vegetables, bakers, fish mongers, there was even a truck roasting chickens on the side of the street!

After a quick coffee at a cafe in Place Voltaire, we visited perhaps Arles' biggest attraction, the huge Roman ampitheatre, which was built around 90 AD. Incredibly old. A lot of scaffolding and seating is fixed around the original monument, as the space still holds events there. Infact, they were holding a bullfight there this afternoon, so we were told to visit before 3.30pm or be charged extra. Initially we were disappointed at all the temporary seating and scaffolding in place as it not congruous with taking nice photos, but we changed our minds and actually now think that it is really great that this venue is still used today for spectator sports, as it was originally intended.

Luncheon today was at the Jardins des Arts, a beautiful restaurant set in 12th century cloisters - really superb food and great atmosphere. Kym liked the look of it and we benefited from eating where the locals eat - away from the tourists. They have a website too - highly recommend this one when in Arles - scrumptious. We both had the plat du jour and took photos of them too, we were that impressed! A gnocchi with pesto and creme rossa and a nice garden salad and fresh pain. YUMMO!

As the day heated up, Rod thought a museum might be in order (to cool down) and we headed to the Musee Reattu, which contained a lot of modern art (which we find tres ordinaire) and an extensive display of Picasso paintings and drawings.

As we mentioned in a previous blog, there are no Van Gogh paintings actually in Arles, despite him painting some 300+ here. The city drove him out of Arles as he was deemed to be mad, and he was eventually moved to the asylum in nearby St Remy. Tonight we started to visit some of the ten spots around Arles where Van Gogh placed his easel and painted some masterpieces - it was fun. The city of Arles has a huge plaque at each of these locations with a graphic of the painting and other valuable info associated with the location.

In fact, the last part of our journey through France follows in the footsteps of some of the great artists - Van Gogh here in Arles, then we move to Aix-en-Provence which was home to Paul Cezanne (his studio is still there as he left it when he died) and finally we visit Nice, home to Henri Matisse.

To wind up today, we had a fantastic swim in the rooftop pool at about 9.30pm (still broad daylight here) and we had it all to ourselves. Unbelievable. Such a hot night and no-one using the pool. It is so refreshing to have a swim after a long day doing very little - lol!! Bring on tomorrow!

Day 12 - Annecy to Arles

We both didn't sleep too well last night and, as we had an early start today, we were not happy peeps for a little while. The receptionist made the mistake of asking us how we were when checking out, so she copped a bit of a serve about the room in Annecy not quite being what we had booked. A slight disagreement there, but we packed up our troubles and headed to the station for our 8am train to Valence Ville. Our packs seem to be getting heavier even though we haven't that much to them yet.

The three hour train ride to Valance Ville was fun, as Rod had booked first-class seats and we ended up right behind the driver at the head of the train. We were in a bright yellow and white compartment almost all to ourselves. It was great and we also got a good appreciation of the countryside as we whirled through all the stations - Albens, Chambery, Grenoble to name a few. Finally we arrived at Valence Ville at around lunchtime. We decided to go for a walk and stretch our legs (avec backpacks on our shoulders). Moved away from the train station (and the weirdos that train stations invariably attract) and bought a sandwich/baguette in one of the city streets. Walking back to catch our train, Kym found a very nice top in a store for only 5 euros - what a bargain!

A fair bit of train travel today, but it has resulted in us now being positioned right in the south of France. Once in Arles, we walked from the train station to our hotel in the heat of the day. The hotel was on the opposite side of the town, so we were greatly relieved to finally arrive and learn that it also had a swimming pool! We checked in and showered and then went for a bit of a walk in the old town (primarily to find some bottled water). We happened across a giant pink rhinoceros drinking from the water fountain in the main town piazza - had the heat really gotten to us?? Finally, after much searching and walking through the labyrinth of streets that make up Arles, we eventually found a small supermarket - right next door to two others! Stocked up on food and bottled water and took them back to the hotel.

Nightfall was setting in, so we squeezed in another quick walk through the town, including a stroll along the banks of the Rhone. Sure looks nice at night - and we can see why Vincent Van Gogh enjoyed painting this river. Starry, starry night indeed. Lights glistening off the river gave a twinkling effect. It was also nice to enjoy a substantial summer breeze for the first time on our holiday - a great relief from the incessant heat. And so, for now, it is goodnight from our Bedroom in Arles (a play on words for those not familiar with Van Gogh painting) ;)

Day 11 - Annecy and the Imperial Palace

Today we had no hesitation returning to yesterday's boulangerie for another el-chepo but el-yummo breakfast in the old town of Annecy. Being a Monday morning, it was nowhere near as busy as yesterday's market mayhem and we sat and ate and contemplated things and people and they passed us by. There a lot of dogs here in Annecy, which Kym particularly likes. They are allowed into the shops and are very well behaved - it's funny. One dog was even carrying its owner's morning paper around in its teeth! And no, we have not yet had any problems with doggy-doos, nor have we seen much either.

We strolled along the old town streets afterwards and visited the old prison on the island in the middle of the city. As it was still not too hot, we decided it might be nice to walk along the Annecy promenade to the other side of town and check out the Imperial Palace Casino Hotel. We walked right around this mammoth structure and all the way down to the beach. Not much to see at the beach - it looked like hardened mud, yet there were plenty of people there. We went up to the casino to see if we could try our luck. Kym doesn't mind a flutter now and then, but we could both read the French sign at the entrance well enough to understand that shorts, sneakers and beach-wear were not permitted. Oh well, we probably saved some money that way. We can gamble whatever money we have left (yeah right) at the salubrious Crown Casino back home in Melbourne - lol.

To try a different walk back home, we decided to follow the signs to Albertville which seemed to take us through the newer commercial centre of Annecy. There was a Galeries Lafayette store there so we popped in, primarily to cool down. Kym wanted to try some perfumes, so we charged over to the lights and glamour of the perfume section and Rod noticed all these men in dark suits walking around, all looking the same and all on high alert. They seemed to protecting someone. From what we now gather, there was a sheik's wife in the store and she had four bodyguards to escort her around while she threw bottles of perfume into her personal assistant's shopping bag. We went upstairs to escape the commotion, and there was even a guard up there looking down on her. She must have been big-time sheik material, as there were two top-of-the-range black Mercedes outside with the drivers waiting. We wonder whether she must have been staying at the Imperial Palace Casino Hotel??

Walked back into town and checked out some more of the card-shops and sales. Heaps of things on sale still. Popped into the supermarket and grabbed some lunch for today and some breakfast for tomorrow morning, as we have an early start tomorrow. The train for Arles leaves at 8am.

Dinner tonight was back at La Table d'Elise in the old town and we thoroughly enjoyed a Reine pizza, green salad and some champagne to celebrate our last night here. The owner also celebrated our return by giving us a complimentary shot of a local drink - something like Grasgrois? (I will check later on the name). We think it was pass-out poison as we both couldn't walk straight after that. LOL. So we meandered through the small, bendy streets of the old town before returning to the hotel to pack once again and finish off all the food and drink we had accumulated over the last few days.

Tomorrow will take us way down south to Arles - where Vincent Van Gogh went mad. The place where he painted over 300 paintings, not one of which still remains there. It should be great fun staying down by the Rhone River. Until then, bon soir!

Day 10 - Annecy and Lac Annecy

Awoke this morning to a much more bearable temperature in our room here in Annecy, which made a pleasant change from the tropical sauna that we endured the night before. There was a fair bit of cloud outside, so the sun wasn't as penetrating. After a shower, we hopped straight down to the Sunday markets which I had read about previously. Here, the streets of the old town were lined with lots of different sellers offering a multitude of wares. We bought one or two naughty things there for our house and for others - some of the crafty things were very clever and very beautiful.

On the way back, we saw a nice boulangerie offering a fairly cheap 'petite dejeuner' (breakfast), so we enjoyed a really nice breakfast outside on the street - pain avec beurre et confiture, criossant (which was YUM) and fresh orange juice and a nice strong coffee - all for 5 euro each. Just what we needed. The place was very busy and the waitress run off her feet - so we tipped her, which made her smile.

We stopped by a shop selling some little enamel signs (among other things) and bought a couple for our house. One is decorated like a Paris street sign and says 'Place des Amoureaux'. As tacky as it is buying those things, it is our honeymoon, so why not??!! It will something to remember it by as the years pass - lol.

We then decided to head to the lake again to have a look around. There was some sort of triathlon happening there with lots of areas cordoned off. Continuing around the lake, lots of different boat companies were set up offering tours/crossings of Lac Annecy. So, swept away by the moment, we bought 2 tickets and enjoyed a 1-hour cruise of the lake which was sooo picturesque - just like in those old Milka adverts. Little chalets amidst a plethora of green vegetation. As I mentioned previously, it snows around here during the winter months, so it is exceptionally pretty in Annecy during the summer, like so many ski towns are.

Halfway around the lake, the heavens opened temporarily and we all clambered into the undercover area on the boat while the tropical rain poured down outside. Rod rather enjoyed getting a bit wet, as it was one way to cool down. There was also a live commentary in French (and English just for us) and we learnt about the towns around the lake as we passed by. Tailloires looked particularly pretty - perhaps one day we will look at it in greater detail. Our boat also passed what purported to be the most expensive restaurant in France in 2009. Have forgotten the name, but it is on expensive real estate right down to the water's edge. Lac Annecy is a very picturesque lake, with turquoise water and big mountains enveloping it. All too soon, our boat journey ended.

Back on shore we treated ourselves to some glaces (ice creams). Today's flavours of choice were caramel and chocolate. Very nice indeed. It started to rain a little more just as we approached the hotel, so we popped inside for some refreshments until the rain passed. Stella Artois no less.

Enjoyed a lovely meal at a place along the water in Annecy. Table d'Elise I think it was called (will have to check the photos). Kym had a nice meal baked with cheeses of the area and Rod had a Savoy salad which was delicious. We evenb got to try the Kir drink (sweet wine with blackcurrant) that had eluded us in Dijon - it is a famous Dijonese drink. Romantic walk around the lake - lots of photos and now home to bed!

Day 9 - Annecy

This blog entry is our first one from the very east of France at the foothills of the French Alps in Annecy. We are actually very close to Switzerland tonight, as Annecy is not far from Geneva. And we can see Mont Blanc from this town!

But back to Dijon briefly to wrap up. The illuminated night tour of Dijon was excellent. Carmen from the Tourist Office there was extremely knowledgable and provided a very detailed history of the town and its many architecture styles. She was still going at midnight and, as we were very tired, we peeled off the tour near the end as she took the group very near our apartment. Rod was pleased we did the tour because he got some really nice night photos of the town.

We then headed back to the apartment to prepare for our last sleep in Dijon - boo hoo. We were up at about 8am and started tidying up a little and packing our bags again. Coco, the lovely owner of the apartment, had very kindly offered to drop us back at the station. She also gave us a fantastic Owl magnet, which we will keep for our fridge at home. For all our friends interested, Coco has a website - www.myhomeindijon.com which details her apartment - it was lovely.

Caught the train from Dijon to Annecy via Lyon. We changed trains at Lyon Part Dieux and managed to get some nice-looking lunch after we left the station area. The food on offer at the station was average looking, in fact the station was extremely busy, as Lyon is a major city and school holidays have started this weekend.
Once we arrived at Annecy, we were pleased to discover that our hotel was located quite close to the station area, so we checked in and dropped off our bags in our room. This room is quite small actually and is located in the roofline on the top floor, which wouldn't normally be so bad but for the extreme heat outside - the air cooler is struggling to cope, as are we. This is primarily a ski-resort town, so the warm weather is a complete aberration from the norm.

Went to the tourist office and collected some walking maps to use tomorrow and then we walked down to the lake to admire the view. The lake area is really picturesque and we have taken lots of photos including some of the 'Pont des Amours' - allegedly the most-photographed bridge in France (today's featured pic avec the lovely Kym). It was really beautiful. We then found a supermarket and stocked up on some supplies as the hotel here wants 14 euro each for a buffet breakfast - so they can stick that. We bought some bread and jam and ham and water and fruit and will make our own breakfast merci beaucoup! Voila, that is our first day in Annecy. There is a thunderstorm approaching, we are told. That will determine what we do tomorrow.

Day 8 - Dijon museums and markets

Today we planned to visit some of the museums here in Dijon, and did just that. The first one we visited was literally across the road from the backdoor of our apartment. The Musee Magnin is installed in a 17th century mansion and is the work of two collectors who bequeathed a remarkable set of paintings and drawings to the state in 1938. We had trouble trying to converse with the two old ladies on the front desk. They understood we were Australian with limited French, but they knew no English whatsoever, so we ended up pointing and guessing and got there in the end. It was a really nice building, encircling a stunning courtyard area and there were rooms and rooms of French and Italian paintings. We were told twice that the museum closes at midday (presumably for the staff to have their lunch) and so we made our way out before then and back home for some drinks.

We decided to pop into the city to collect some pre-made baguettes (sandwiches) and eat them on the run. We also had to take a jacket Kym bought yesterday back to the store to have the security tag removed - not the easiest thing to explain when your French is a bit off. Mission accomplished none-the-less and then we waded through the street market stalls lining the streets of Dijon this morning - most of which were selling cheap rubbish. We also passed through the covered food market - now, this was impressive. A huge open hall of boulangeries, fromageries, charcuteries and poissonaries. All very colourful and all very fresh. We passed by one stall just selling spices out of hession bags - the smell was incredible. If we were staying longer, we could have bought so much (and eaten it too).

After our market experience, we went back on the museum trail and called into the most impressive (and free) Musee des Beaux Arts. This museum is housed in the Palace of the Grand Dukes and had endless rooms and corridors of paintings and sculptures covering several centuries. There were works from 1350 through to present day. We even discovered works by Manet, Monet, Sisley and Delacroix in the hot, hot rooftop attic area. How the oil on the paintings wasn't running down the canvas, we don't know. Because it was hot, hot, hot up there. In fact the whole museum appeared to have climate control apparatus, but wasn't using it.

To cool down, we sat outside the museum in a lovely little public garden at the back of the palace in Rue de Forges. Here a few large trees provided shade over a cool tranquil pond. Park bench seating surrounds the perimeter of the park and here people come to read a book or have their lunch or just cuddle up to that someone special. Everytime we passed this garden, with it's low wrought-iron fence, we could see couples playing together. Tres romantique!

After our moment relaxing, we returned to the apartment to commence some domestic duties. We had the use of a washing machine in the apartment and so washed all our clothes and tonight we ironed what needed ironing and started packing all our belongings back into our backpacks ready for our departure tomorrow. Our next blog should be from a small town at the foothills of the French Alps, Annecy.

So it is goodbye to Dijon for now - we will be back. We are about to embark on a guided tour run by the tourist office here - Dijon by Night - showcasing all the monuments and buildings under the spotlights. A fitting end to a lovely stay here in Dijon.

Day 7 - Dijon and their shoes

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is the start of our 2nd week here in France. So much has happened already and we are enjoying absolutely every minute of it. Dijon is such a lovely town - small enough to not have all the people and tourists that crowd/ruin Paris, yet big enough to stand out on its own including housing many of the big-name stores - Galeries Lafayette and H&M are here and their cashier/caisse machines are very-much familiar with our credit cards. We have bought the most superb clothes here for a fraction of what they would cost in Australia and none of them made in China. The quality is amazing. OK, we may be in holiday-mode, but there is a lot to be said for this town and it's way of life. We are tres impressed!

Today Rod bought a pair of 50 euro sneakers for under 20 euros and threw out his old, dilapidated 3 year-old trainers. Other bargains included a 20 euro sweater for 5 euros and a hat that Rod bought for 3 euro - it was an amazing grab - we are sure the hat will feature in future photos soon. Rod's French is improving - perhaps as a result of the "who cares if it's not quite right" mentality. We both get there in the end. Most of the attendants just laugh and once they hear "nous sommes Australien", they love us.

Being a town with a university, there is an abundance of youth here (which makes us too feel young) and the town is rich with soooo much history, architecture and beautiful things. We really, really love it. The pace makes for a refreshing change from the hustle and bustle of Paris.

Today we did the 'Owl Trail', a very enlightening walk through the town of Dijon following brass arrows inlaid into the streets and paths of Dijon. There are 22 stops along the trail with a large owl and a number representing a stop which corresponds to a page containing historical details in the accompanying brochure. The walk can be done in just over an hour, but it took us over 3 hours as we got distracted by shops, lots of pretty things and lunch. Although it was another hot day in the sun, we really enjoyed our lunch-break eating baguettes in the shaded gardens of the Archeology Museum (which incidentally was closed while they had their lunch!).

We ate dinner at home tonight and enjoyed it. Norah Jones, du fromages, du vin and a good day was had by all ;) It is now 10pm here (and still not dark) and we note the computer says it is 6am in Melbourne. Time to call it quits for today. Until next we meet... a bientot!