Pictures! Yay!

Just to let you all know that I've finally put some pictures on my Cannes, Perpignan, Corsica, Nice, Paris and London Blogs. I'm currently in Belfast doing some work, and I finish up here on Wednesday. Here is a little "taster" picture of what to expect from my next blog:

London

I arrived at London Heathrow a few hours after I had intended, however, due to a power failure in England, Jess and Andrew were also a little delayed on the train, so they didn't have to wait too long for me. I made it through passport control with no problems at all, and customs actually appeared to be empty, so I could have actually smuggled 2kg of smelly cheese into the country and they would have been none the wiser (I didn't, of course).

I walked through the "last chance duty-free shopping" area without a sideways glance, and made it through to the arrivals lounge, where I was greeted by 2 very friendly, familiar faces! For those of you who don't know them, Andrew is a teacher and worked with Nicky when she was up at Ringarooma, until he was swept off his feet by Jess, an English dentist, who came to Australia determined NOT to bring a bloke back with her (so brought back Andrew instead). They are now living in the UK, in Hitchin, which is a half hour train ride out of London, and on their last trip to Australia (at Christmas time) they very kindly offered to meet me at the airport and give me a place to stay when I arrived in London.

So we hopped onto the underground and made the 1 hour journey into London King's Cross Station. Andrew and Jess presented me with my very own Oyster card to use, which is a rechargeable train ticket, that you scan at the start and end of every journey, and which turns out cheaper than buying a trip ticket each time. Very handy! A bunch of American students got onto the train at our first stop, and did not shut up for the whole time they were on the train, which was about 45 minutes! Boy, Americans sure do like to talk, and they love for other people to hear what they are saying (appologies to any American friends who may be reading this: Jessamyn, Josh... of course, there are exceptions to any rule!).

At one of our stops, someone had pulled the emergency alarm and so we had to wait until they had investigated into it until we could get on our way again. Apparently, sometimes you can be waiting for quite a long time while they investigate. Luckily, it was only a few minutes in our case (otherwise I think Andrew might have exploded from frustration of having to listen to the students talking).

We got off at King's Cross Station and had to wait a little while as our train had been delayed (due to either the weather or a power failure). When it did eventually arrive, it turned out to be on Platform 9, so we had to walk past the famous Platform 9 and 3/4 from the Harry Potter Novels, and saw Harry's trolley, which was halfway through the brick wall. It was another half hour train ride to Hitchin, and Jess and Andrew pointed out all the interesting sites along the way. This consisted of the stadium where Arsenal play their home games. It was a short car ride from the train station to Jess and Andrew's flat, which they will only be living in for another week before they move into their new house that they have bought - very exciting. That night we had pizza for dinner, which I think Andrew had been looking forward to ever since I accepted their offer for a place to stay. It was excellent pizza. And nice and garlicky, especially if you add the extra garlic butter that they put in there for you! We then watched Big Brother UK and the highlights of the AFL which they have on cable. It was great, they showed highlights from the Sydney Collingwood match that the 'Pies won. Thanks alot Jess and Andrew, I'm embarrassed to say that I'm now hooked on BB! It is much more interesting than BB Australia!

The next day, Andrew had to go to work, but Jess had taken a couple of days off, so we walked into Hitchen for a little look. It took us about 10 minutes to cover all the important sights! It is a pretty little town, and they had a nice farmer's market on that day. Jess bought some bread to go with our dinner that night, and we had a few taste tests of some of the goods that were for sale. That afternoon we had a relaxing day just chilling out in front of the TV, until Andrew came home, and we headed over to their friend's Dan and Helen's house for dinner. It was an Eggplant themed dinner- Helen had made a delicious Eggplant bake, and Andrew made a yummy eggplant pasta dish. For dessert we had Rhubarb Crumble which Helen had baked, and Apple Pie that Jess had bought from the Farmers Market, with Clotted Cream Icecream (that is clotted cream icecream, not clotted cream AND icecream, and it was delicious).

The next morning Jess and I went for a walk out in the fresh air and along a country path near their house. It was very refreshing, however we couldn't go too far, because it had rained ALOT and the path was a bit muddy. Back at the house, I packed my bag, then caught a taxi to the train station, and a train into London.

After dropping my bags in my hotel room, I caught the underground to Oxford Circus, and took a walk down Regent Street. After sorting out my business at the bank (I had to activate my bank account), I then had time to do a bit of shopping before heading back to my hotel for the night. Wouldn't you know it, the walls were very thin in my room, and next door, my neighbour was an American woman who liked to talk on the phone! It was quite handy though, as she talked about all the places she had been, and so gave me an idea of some of the sights that would be good to see. Also, she had just been to see a musical, and from what she said I gather it was The Lord of The Rings Musical, and she thoroughly enjoyed it (despite never having seen the movies or read the books), so if anyone is planning on seeing a show in London...

The next morning I had to get up early to catch a train to High Wycombe, where I had my appointment with my accountant. This meeting lasted 1 and 1/2 hours, and basically now I'm setting up a limited company, as it works out better for tax. It was quite frustrating, but I'm not going to bore you all with details of my meeting. My company's name is Towns Locum Services Ltd. So if anyone needs a vet, just give me a call...

That afternoon I visited Westminster Abbey, although I didn't actually go through it as it was closed by the time I got there. I walked around the outside though, and intend to go through it perhaps on my next trip to London. For those who don't know, or can't quite remember, Westminster Abbey is the church where all the monarchs have their coronation, and also where Princess Diana's funeral was held. I also walked past the houses of Parliament, which are just across the road, and "Big Ben".

On Friday morning I woke up to the news that an unexploded bomb had been found in the West End. That was exciting, and made me a bit nervous, but everyone just went about their normal business, like nothing had happened (except that there were a few road closures and traffic diversions). I had a meeting at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons that morning so that I could register to be a member, pay my money and swear the Veterinary Oath. It now means that I can practise anywhere in the UK, and I can put the letters MRCVS after my name.

On Friday afternoon I walked from my hotel to Buckingham Palace. I didn't see the Queen, or either of the Princes who were in town for the Concert for Diana which was held the following day. I walked right around the perimeter of the palace and it's gardens- the royals certainly have a lot of space. Apparently you could fit 4 football stadiums in their grounds.
On Saturday morning I walked back to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guards Ceremony which occurs every day at 11:30am. I had been waiting for about half an hour (you have to get there early in order to get a good spot by the rails) when at 11am, a couple of the guards walked out to change the sign to say that the next changing of the guard would occur at 11:30 am the next morning. Apparently, a little bit of drizzly rain is just too much for the poor guards to cope with (they said it ruins their instruments, I suspect they just didn't want to get wet).

So I went for a walk along the Thames in the rain instead. I didn't get very far before having to turn back to make it to the Apollo theatre in time for the Saturday Matinee of "Wicked", a musical which told the "real story" of the witches from The Wizard of Oz. It was a really great show, and a fantastic way to spend a rainy afternoon. Adam Garcia stars in in, but unfortunately, he didn't perform on the afternoon that I saw it. His understudy was terrific though, as were all the other performers. I'm sure it will be coming to Australia soon. It was great to go and see a musical again, I haven't been to one in a while. London is spoilt for choice, there are so many.

On Sunday morning I headed to Buckingham Palace again to see the Changing of the Guards Ceremony. This time I hadn't waited in vain, as the sun shone a little, and they actually went ahead with it. It was quite good to watch. The soldiers march down The Mall, in their red coats and furry hats, some of them playing instruments, some of them riding horses, and they enter the gates of the palace. Then they do a bit of shouting, and then a small group of them sit in a circle and play some songs (they played a Beatles Medley!), then the ones that were just on duty leave, and the ones who have just arrived stay. Quite entertaining.

That afternoon I bought a ticket for an open-topped double decker bus tour around London. The ticket lasts for 24 hours from the time of purchase, and you can hop on and hop off as you like. It took me through a very exclusive neighbourhood, where you can only lease the houses, and they are all painted "Queen Anne White", which is basically a shade of cream. It is the most expensive area in London, but it doesn't appear on the Monopoly Board because in real life you can't actually buy a property there, so you can't buy one in Monopoly either! Margaret Thatcher's house is down one of the streets (which we saw) and there is a police officer which stands guard at her front door 24 hours a day! We also passed Sean Connery's house.

We went past Westminster Abbey, went over the Thames, past the hospital where Florence Nightingale worked (I think it was called St Thomas's, but I'm not 100%), past the London Eye, back over the Thames, past St Paul's Cathedral, which is where Diana and Charles got married, past the memorial in honour of the great fire of London, back over the Thames, then over the Tower of London bridge, and I got off at the stop for the Tower of London.

I took a tour at the Tower of London with one of the Beefeaters (one of the guides that lives and works at the Tower, you can only become a Beefeater if you have spent about 18 years loyal service in the Royal Army or Airforce). The Tower of London was built as a palace, but it is probably more famous for being a prison, and for being the site where Anne Bolin was beheaded (along with many other prisoners). The crown jewels are also housed there, and are on display to the public.

I hopped back onto the bus tour once I'd finished looking at the Tower, and it took us to Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, past the Mall gates, down a street where they have all the exclusive Gentleman's clubs (some which have a waiting list of 30 years!) and along Park Lane on Mayfair, we passed Spruikers corner, where people get on their soapboxes every Sunday, and arrived back at where I started at Victoria Station. It was a great way to see London, and they have live guides on board who give a running commetry, but can also answer any questions you may have, so I would recommend it to anyone who is visiting London for the first time.

On Monday morning, I got back on one of the tour busses (as my ticket was still valid) and headed to one of the docks, as a free ferry ride was included in the bus ticket. I got on one of the ferries which goes all the way to Greenwich, but I got off a short distance down the river at The Tower of London, as I thought I may have been seasick if I rode for too much longer (it was a rough day on the Thames!)! I got back on the next bus which came along (which was the same bus I had got off to join the ferry!) and rode back to Victoria Station again.

After lunch, I took a train to Harrod's for a look and (I hoped) a shop. It was the first day of Harrod's big sale, so it was VERY busy. I didn't even buy anything! There was a little Laduree (the French patisserie I discovered in Paris) which is attached to Harrods though, so I went there for afternoon tea, and also bought some more macaroons to take away with me! That night I had to pack my bag as I was leaving for Belfast early the next morning.

On Tuesday I got up bright and early and had a quick breakfast before checking out of my hotel and headed to the bus station to catch a bus to Stansted Airport. I got to the bus station at 7:40 am, and thought "Great, I will make the 8:00am bus!" Unfortunately, the ticket office only had two desks open (out of 13), so it took me 15 minutes to buy a ticket, and the girl told me that I had to buy a ticket for the 8:30 bus as I wouldn't make the 8:00 one. So I bought my ticket, then had to wait 30minutes in the departure lounge, waiting for my bus. Once I got on the bus, I was infuriated to find that you could actually buy your ticket off the bus driver! So I WOULD have been able to catch the 8:00am bus! Anyway, nothing I could do about it now that I was on the 8:30 bus! The bus was to take 90 minutes, however, due to delays on the road, the driver told us that it would actually take 10 minutes more. I thought I would be cutting it a bit fine to make my cut off for check in which was at 10:40, however, we made it by 10:15 and I was able to check in. I felt a bit sorry for a woman on the bus who was sitting in front of me. She was supposed to be catching a plane at 1:30, but she didn't realise until she was on the bus that the bus didn't go to HEATHROW AIRPORT! The bus driver organised for her to get straight onto a bus that would be leaving for Heathrow as soon as we got to Stanstead, so I don't know if she made it or not.

After checking in, I headed straight to security, in order to get through in time for my flight (which left at 11:10). Unfortunately, I managed to get in the slowest moving line, and the security guard told another man off for pushing in (even though his flight was leaving VERY soon), so I didn't want to push in, even though time was ticking very close to my departure time. I heard someone come to the security area and call another passenger through, so I figured that they would do the same if my flight was about to leave. My departure time came and went, and I figured that the flight must have been delayed... You may have guessed by now, but I MISSED MY FLIGHT!!! It turns out that actually, they don't bother to call you if your bags are on the plane and you are not. They just turf your stuff off the plane and go without you!

So after spending over an HOUR in the security line, I then had to turn around and go back through, in order to pick up my bags, buy another ticket, and check-in all over again! And wouldn't you know it, this time my flight WAS delayed, for AN HOUR! It wasn't a great end to my London adventure! I did learn an important lesson though: I must not be so polite in the line at the airport, if it means missing your flight, just push in! I'm wondering if maybe it is a bit of Karma coming back to me for laughing at Shannon, the Canadian lady who missed the barge in Amsterdam!!!

Love,

Lis x

Pictures

Appologies for the lack of pictures over the past few Blogs. I just tried to put some on, however, I got my last lot of photos burnt onto a DVD (instead of a CD) and this computer does not seem to be able to read it. I will try again later.

Paris

Hello. My name is Lisa Towns, I am 26 years old, and I have conquered the Paris Metro System! I arrived in Paris on Monday the 18th June at Gare Nord (North Train Station), at around7:30pm. I then had to make my way to my hotel, which involved catching a couple of trains on different lines on the Metro System. I know that this sounds simple enough, and after I had travelled on it once I found that it actually was (quite simple), but standing all alone in the metro station at Gare Nord, faced with a map that didn't seem to have the station on it that I wanted to travel to, and 2 ticket machines, each selling tickets for different kinds of trains, it certainly felt quite overwhelming. I am SO grateful to Elise that we made the (almost pointless) journey while we were in Brussels to check out the Art Nouveau houses, as the trains that we travelled on there were also on the Metro system, and so it was a very similar system (actually, it could be an identical system, but as Elise was there with me and seemed to know what she was doing, I must confess that I didn't really pay that much attention to the process of buying the train tickets and I let Elise just lead me onto whichever train line she felt we needed to catch. But even still, had we not even used the Metro then, I would probably be sitting in Gare Nord still, in a corner in the foetal position).

So, after taking several deep breaths, and having another look around the hall, I found ANOTHER map, that actually had my station on it, and thus, I was able to work out what line I had to eventually end up on. I had to catch 3 metro trains, but I got there in the end! I also found it quite handy that the ticket machines had a language button on them, so buying tickets was also very easy, and as the ticket I bought let me throught the gate, I assumed that I had used the correct machine for the correct line (plus they had a little 'M' on them).

One of the problems with any underground train line is that they entirely mess up your sense of direction, so that once you get back above ground at your stop, you have entirely no idea which direction you are facing. After staring at my map of Paris in my Lonely Planet for something like 5 minutes, I took a stab at which direction I was supposed to head in, and fortunately was correct, and found my hotel with not too much effort. Although I actually haven't had any problems as yet, I am still always relieved to find that the hotel that I have booked actually exists and is expecting me! The hotel that I eventually chose to stay at (after having no takers on joining me in Paris) was located in the heart of the Latin Quarter, which is in Central Paris, just next door to the Ile de Cite, which is where Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris is located (and is measured as the true centre of Paris). My room was located on the 6th floor, and so I had a pretty good view over Paris, although I couldn't see the Eiffel Tower because of the direction that my room was facing.

On Tuesday I decided that I would walk from my hotel, past the Cathedral Notre Dame, to the Musee de Louvre, and possibly to the Eiffel Tower. I thought about catching the Metro again, but wanted to get my barings a little of the city and besides, you don't actually get to SEE Paris if you are travelling underground the whole time! The main police station in Paris is situated just across the road from Cathedral Notre Dame, so I had to pass it on my walk, and it seemed that there was some kind of Police/military parade occuring, and I had to pass lots of spunky looking young French fellas in uniform!
It was on my walk here that I also had my first sight of the Eiffel Tower. It is a lot bigger than what I had imagined, and certainly towers over everything else in Paris. It really isn't a very pretty structure, but I was always very excited to see it (as my 1200 photos of it will show) as it proved that I really was in Paris!

It took me about an hour to walk to the Musee de Louvre, and this is also a very impressive building. There is a courtyard in the centre of it which has 2 huge glass pyramids. It was just as well that I didn't actually want to visit the museum that day, as most of the museums in Paris are closed on a Tuesday. So from there, I went to the Tourist Office to buy my Museum pass (a must purchase for anyone heading to Paris and wanting to visit more than one museum or monument) so that I could avoid all the queues when I did decide that I wanted to visit some museums. From the Tourist Office, I headed towards the Eiffel Tower, and walked through the Jardin des Tuileries on the way. These gardens are just adjacent to the Musee de Louvre, and are full of statues, and grassy areas, and a fountain and lots of seats to sit on. While I was passing through the gardens, I was stopped by a pregnant woman who asked me if I spoke English. When I replied "yes", she thrust a note into my hand that said that she was from Bosnia, had been in the country for 2 months, and that her father was in hospital and please help. So I gave her about 1€ in change, then went on my way. I bought a lovely Italian style soft serve chocolate/vanilla icecream from a street vendor just outside the park, had 2 licks of it and then the icecream fell off the cone onto the ground. I was so disappointed because it was sooo good, but I resisted the temptation to go and buy another one.

When I got to the Eiffel Tower, I was stopped by another woman who asked me if I spoke english. This time I answered "no". At first, I thought that it was the same woman who had asked me at the gardens, and I was a little offended that she hadn't recognised me after I had given her money, but then I realised that this woman wasn't pregnant. During my stay in Paris I was asked on several occasions if I spoke English, by very similar looking women, and each time I told them "no".

I waited in line to climb the stairs of the Eiffel Tower for about an hour, then climbed the stairs to the second platform (which is as high as they will let you climb), and then took the elevator to the very top. It wasn't as scary as what I thought it would be (I'm not really that keen on heights), and actually, the going up in the elevator was the scariest part, as it felt like I was flying through the air. After climbing the stairs back to the ground, I then bought a strawberry and vanilla icecream, and this time managed to eat it all without dropping it on the ground.

The next day I visited the Louvre again, and this time I caught the Metro there. I also managed to find a metro station which was actually closer to my hotel than the one I had caught the train to on my first day, and it also meant that I only had to catch one train, as it was on the same line as the stop for the Louvre. I spent about 4 hours at the Louvre, looking at all the exhibits, but of course, I couldn't manage to see everything as that would take months to do. I got an audio guide at the start of the day, and managed to resist the temptation to get "The Da Vinci Code" audio guide, and got the guide for the general collection instead. I had a little wander around some of the paintings, before deciding that I really should just go straight to the "Mona Lisa" which is really what I was most interested in seeing. The line up to see it really wasn't as long as what I thought it would be, and it really is a beautiful painting, although I'm sure I don't have to go into detail, as I'm sure everyone knows what it looks like!

One of my favourite parts of the museum was actually the Napoleon III apartments, which were decorated with original, remarkably preserved furnishings. The actual Louvre building is also worth just looking at in itself (even if it didn't have all that art work inside) as it is a beautiful, grand building.

At about 4pm, I decided that I had seen enough (my head was beginning to buzz from Museum over-load), so I headed towards the Opera House, which is also, coincidentally, right near lots of shops, including Galleries Lafayette, and The Grand Magazins (big shops). So I had a bit of retail therapy to refresh myself, although all I ended up buying was some soap.

Paris has a large number of historical sights and monuments, and on Wednesday I visited several of them. In the morning, I went to The Pantheon, a giant basilica, which houses the bodies of many famous French men and women, including Victor Hugo (the man who wrote "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and Marie and Pierre Curie (and others). The tombs of these people are in the crypt, below the building, and inside the building is a cathedral, with a statue paying homage to St Genevieve, and many tableaus on the walls of the naves. It is another beautiful building (there are many in Paris).

After lunch, I visited St Sulspice Church, which I must confess I only went to because it is mentioned in the Da Vinci Code!! Here, I saw the "Rose Line" as mentioned in the Da Vinci Code, and there are many signs in the church in a couple of different languages which explain that The Da Vinci Code is a fictional work, and that the line inside the church is a meridian line, and was never called "the rose line" and that it is actually part of a scientific device (a gnomon) which is used to measure the movement of the sun and the moon, or something like that, and not a line dividing Paris into North and South, as mentioned in "The Da Vinci Code".
I then went to the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, where, after queueing for about 10 minutes, I entered the church and had a quick look around. I then lined up for another half an hour outside the Cathedral to have a self guided tour of the towers of Notre Dame. Here, I got to climb up the North tower at the front of the Cathedral, cross the arcade of gargoyles where there are many gargoyles and chimeras (the gargoyles are projections from the cathedral which are used to drain water, whereas the chimeras are statues), and see the bell in the Belfry.

After my tour of the Cathedral, I then had an hour to visit the Conciergerie, an old prison which had amongst it's prisoners Marie-Antoinette!

On Friday I had to get up early to get on a tour bus to go on a tour of the Champagne Region of France! Our first stop was Piper-Heidsieck Caves in Reims, where we had a very entertaining (although slightly kitsch) tour of the cellars on little motorised cars. We then had our first tasting of the day, at 10:30am! We then visited the Grand Cathedral in Reims, the church where Clovis, the first French King was baptised. It was destroyed by fire in 1210, and completely rebuilt. It is currently undergoing restoration as it was fairly damaged during the war in September 1914.

We then had free time for lunch, and I visited a restaurant where I had pasta with escargots! They weren't too bad, a little bland, and tasted a little like dirt. I probably wouldn't order them again though. They were served with something that looked like the lining of a cows stomach (and probably was). I ate it anyway and it wasn't too bad, and was actually a bit tastier than the snails.

After lunch, we passed near the village where Dom Peringon, the monk who invented champagne, lived, before arriving in Eperney and taking a tour of Moet and Chandon Cellars. This tour was a more traditional guided tour, finished with another delicious tasting. I certainly learnt alot about the production of Champagne on that day, but it was really quite interesting.

On Saturday, I had another day of visiting monuments and museums in Paris, including the Hotel des Invalides, where I saw a chapel constructed by King Louis the XIV, and the tomb of Napolean I. I also visited the Arc de Triomphe, which is a huge Arc which was comissioned by Napolean to commemorate his great victories, but finished not in his lifetime (construction stopped when he started losing battles, and it was later finished by one of his following kings). I climbed up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and had yet another great view over Paris. After visiting the Arc, I walked back past the designer shops on the avenue de Champs-Elysees, and back towards the Grand Magazins, and on the way, bought a crepe filled with Nutella from one of the street vendors. My friend Karen's sister, Jacquie, had told me that I had to do this, and I am only sorry that I had left it until my third last day to try it. Had I known how good it was going to be, I would have had one everyday I was in Paris!
The next day, I walked to Luxembourg Gardens, which was also close to my hotel, for a look. Once I was there, I decided that I really should try another crepe, and this time tried a sugar and Grand Marnier one. It was also very good. I had a wander around the lovely gardens, then headed back into the museum district of Paris, and spent much of the afternoon at the Musee d'Orsay. I saw some really beautiful paintings here by Monet and Renoir, including Monet's "Poppy's" (or Coquelicots) which was my favourite. The painting that will probably stick in my mind the longest though, is probably "Origin of the World" (or L'Origine du monde). Mum, if you are looking this one up on Wikipedia or Google and are a bit shocked by the picture that comes up, then you probably have the right one! The most amusing thing about this painting is watching the reactions of the people as they first walk in the room and see it: first a blank expression as they turn to look at the painting, then a startled look of recognition, as they realise what it is that they are looking at, then a little smirk comes over their face, as they whisper and giggle with their companions. It didn't matter what the age or gender of the viewer was, their initial reactions were the same!

After visiting the museum, I then had to seek out another street vendor to buy another crepe, this one filled with chestnut cream (also a very good flavour, it is a close call out of the Chestnut and Nutella as to which was the best!). On my walk back to the metro station, I passed a tea shop called Lauderee and decided that I had to go in, as everythime I had passed the shop, there had been a line up out the door, and I felt that I might have been missing out on something. They seemed to be doing a roaring trade in Macaroons, so I bought several different flavours, and they were GOOD!

That night, I decided that I should go to a traditional French Restaurant for dinner, as it was my last night in France. So I went to one, where I liked the look of the menu, and it wasn't until I had sat down that I realised it was actually Maroccan! Oh well, the meal was lovely anyway!

I spent my last morning in Paris, just pottering about the area around my hotel, before I realised that I really should get a move on and make my way to the airport, otherwise I was in danger of missing my plane! I made it though, with plenty of time to spare, and it turned out that my plane was delayed anyway!

I had a lovely time in Paris, but I'm definitely going to have to go back, as there are so many things to see and do, and I'll have to go back to do some shopping when it doesn't matter how full my bag gets!

Thanks everyone for your emails!

Love,
Lis x.