Hmmm, so Bordeaux was ok... frustratingly, the main thing I wanted to do in Bordeaux was go to the Musee d'Aquitaine, which traces 2500 years of history in the Aquitaine area. Of course, it was closed; until May 10. Ugh.
Instead I:
- Took a walking tour around the older areas, and learned a lot about the history and the architecture.
- Took a wine tour to a winery. It was ok. Didn't like the wine much, but LOVED my French guide's disparaging comments on France's current anti-alcoholism education. She considers this to be CRAZY, as it is anti wine! Her secret for health and happiness was drinking wine regularly; that is, every day.
- Visited an awesome monolithic (underground, carved into the cliff face) church in the very cool medieval village of St Emillion.
- Bought a skirt. It is very hard to find a coloured skirt in France. I had to settle for brown...
- Ate some very good food, especially confit de canard at Bistro Eduard.
- Took an eight hour train ride to Lyon.
Upon arriving at Lyon, I:
- Got annoyed at the metro ticket machines for only taking coin and microchipped bank cards.
- Waited ages in line to book my train ticket to Strasbourg (mostly so I could get change for the metro machine).
- Was given ticket advice by a beggar after I gave him some change.
- Wandered around at the bottom of a large hill, trying to find the way to my hostel.
- Learned the best way up the big hill, as my hostel was mid way up it.
- Wondered if it was unreasonable to want an escalator to be built into the hill.
- Discovered that the reception to the hostel was closed (dinner break).
- Went back down the hill to eat kebabs with chips in it.
- Marevlled at the truly amazing view from the hotel- it actually makes the climb worth it (just).
- Found that my room was full of English speakers, including a girl from Ferntree Gully, with whom I spent this morning wandering the city.
- Visited the Printing Museum, which was ok; started out with English translation, but they petered out by the second room, so it was just a case of looking, without extra understanding.
- Visited the Lumiere Museum, which was fantastic; it didn't hurt that it was housed in an exquisite Art Nouveau building.
- Ate bread and cheese while checking out the view.
- Wandered at random, taking photos of pretty things and street art, and enjoying the lat sunshine.
- Concluded that I really, really like Lyon. One of my favourite places so far.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Typically French
Warning: French keyboards are set out differently; I am struggling with my typing so pleqse excuse typos.
As anticipated, Saturday involved a visit to the Museum of the Middle Ages (j'adore! So much geeky Naomi stuff!), followed by a trip to a chateau for a picnic. We WERE aiming for Chateau Chantilly, but it was very complicated, so we gave up... Ended up at Chateau Vincennes, not so far away, and probably not so beautiful, but enor,ous. I found it interesting as it gave me an idea of how castles would actually have housed villages. This is how villages originally were in England, and why you occassionally co,e across castles in the middle of towns... sorry, nerding out, I think.
Somehow, the suggestions arose that it was good petanque weather, and so a game was arranged for Sunday... I was now heading to Bordeaux in the afternoon! Apparently petanque is VERY French. I had no idea what it was, but hey, when in Rome... er, Paris... Lise and I went home to make beef bourgignon for pre-petanque feasting, and then had our very yummy crepe dinner. Mmmm
Well, petanque, the game; sort of like lawn bowls, you are aiming to get your ball closest to the cournichon (?). And the verdict; SO MUCH FUN! We played with Jacques' friend Antoine, and Lisa and I sort of got the hang of it... or we fluked our way through.Either possible. Anyway, Jacques and Lisa took the first tournament, and midway through the revenge round we realised I had to run for my train! So Lisa advises that Jacques is very keen for a rematch on my return to Paris! Lisa and I are considering getting a petanque set...
Now I'm in Bordeaux. Spent last night talking to an Aussie girl who insists I am the first person she's met in France who speaks English. Spent today sitting in the public gardens chilling out, mostly; my week in the provences will be much slower paced than Paris, as less sights and demands on my time. Tomorrow I am doing a walking tour and visiting the museum of Aquitaine; the next day a tour to a winery and a medieval village- I just can't seem to get enough of them!
Keep emailing and commenting- it's so good to hear from you all!
As anticipated, Saturday involved a visit to the Museum of the Middle Ages (j'adore! So much geeky Naomi stuff!), followed by a trip to a chateau for a picnic. We WERE aiming for Chateau Chantilly, but it was very complicated, so we gave up... Ended up at Chateau Vincennes, not so far away, and probably not so beautiful, but enor,ous. I found it interesting as it gave me an idea of how castles would actually have housed villages. This is how villages originally were in England, and why you occassionally co,e across castles in the middle of towns... sorry, nerding out, I think.
Somehow, the suggestions arose that it was good petanque weather, and so a game was arranged for Sunday... I was now heading to Bordeaux in the afternoon! Apparently petanque is VERY French. I had no idea what it was, but hey, when in Rome... er, Paris... Lise and I went home to make beef bourgignon for pre-petanque feasting, and then had our very yummy crepe dinner. Mmmm
Well, petanque, the game; sort of like lawn bowls, you are aiming to get your ball closest to the cournichon (?). And the verdict; SO MUCH FUN! We played with Jacques' friend Antoine, and Lisa and I sort of got the hang of it... or we fluked our way through.Either possible. Anyway, Jacques and Lisa took the first tournament, and midway through the revenge round we realised I had to run for my train! So Lisa advises that Jacques is very keen for a rematch on my return to Paris! Lisa and I are considering getting a petanque set...
Now I'm in Bordeaux. Spent last night talking to an Aussie girl who insists I am the first person she's met in France who speaks English. Spent today sitting in the public gardens chilling out, mostly; my week in the provences will be much slower paced than Paris, as less sights and demands on my time. Tomorrow I am doing a walking tour and visiting the museum of Aquitaine; the next day a tour to a winery and a medieval village- I just can't seem to get enough of them!
Keep emailing and commenting- it's so good to hear from you all!
Friday, April 20, 2007
A taste of French indulgence
For chocolate lovers, visiting Paris without a stop at Angelina (226 Rue de Rivoli) may well be a crime. You may have to wait for a table to become available in this busy tea salon, with little French old ladies and groups of tourists enjoying occupying the stately tables which fill every available space. The price list may not suit the budget traveller, but Angelina is the ultimate for a lavish desert. All the deserts looked divine, and I chose a particularly good Tarte Citron (some Melbourne readers may be aware of my Lemon Tart Quest. This is the furthest afield I have ventured, and well worth it!). But the creme de la creme here is the hot chocolate. Chocolat l'Affricain is like molten chocolate- delicious! Served in a jug, with a side dish of chantilly cream, the diner serves the chocolate to their liking. Thanks to Sarah (in Paris) for the tip! And if you feel the need to walk off the calories, you can stroll through the nearby Rivoli Gardens, or, as I did, visit the bookstore next door, which proudly boasts a tradition of stocking English books. I chose a few French books (translated in Anglaise, of course), to keep me entertained on my upcoming trip around France.
Of course, the French have made lavishness an art form. Yesterday I visited Versailles. Now anyone who has studied French History would know this, but I was a little surprised; Chateau Versailles is ENORMOUS! Almost every room is gloriously decorated, sporting painted ceilings and priceless paintings and furniture. As an aside, has anyone else noticed the way, as soon as something has a touch of gold or gilt, tourists feel the need to snap a picture? Amuses me a lot. Anyway, the chateau was impressive. I was particularly interested in Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, a section of the estate given to her by Louis XVI, which she fashioned into a pastoral hideaway from the ritual of court life. She apparently loved to spend time close to nature, such as on the small farm run for her amusement. But my favourite part of Versailles was the gardens. It was a beautiful day, and it was so nice to be able to sit on sections of the grass (a true luxury in Paris). Must admit I fell asleep for a while! Also saw an abundance of wildlife: catfish scrambling for crumbs; a woodpecker; and a French frog!
The visit to Angelina today was actually a side-trip on my excursion to the true symbol of French grandeur; Royal Palais de Musee Louvre. This place is stupidly big, so much so that it really frustrated me. According to Lonely Planet it would take nine months just to glance at all the exhibits. But once I found a sense of direction, I was able to enjoy the spectacular artworks within. I particularly enjoyed the sculpture galleries, and was glad that I finally braved the Da Vinci Code trailblazers and ventured into the Italian painting galleries. I am not joking about the Da Vinci Code, by the way- the Louvre actually offers a Da Vinci Code Audio-tour. I declined. A word of advice- your ticket is an all day pass, so take advantage of this, and take breaks outside the Musee for lunch or coffee. Don't eat inside the centre- it is overpriced and average fare. The all day pass is an especially good option if you visit on one of the days the centre is open late.
One thing that constantly amazes me about Paris is the quality of the buskers. They just don't do anything by halves here. Many buskers are professional musicians eking a living off generous tourists. The first time a I heard a piano accordion strike up while I was on the Metro was a true Amelie moment; it felt like a traditional French soundtrack had been added to my ordinary day. I've also thoroughly enjoyed: the string orchestral arrangement playing at one Metro; the Latin bad playing at another; the jazz trio improvising atop a wall near the steps of the Pompidou centre (below); and the electric harp player at Sacre Cour.
And so my time in Paris is drawing to a close. Tomorrow's plans involve visiting the Museum of Middle Ages (which I am really looking forward to, nerd, nerd), ad a picnic at a chateau, followed by a crepe dinner. Then I strike out on my own while Lisa finishes up at work. I'm visiting Bordeaux, then Lyon and Strasbourg. Paris has been surprisingly good; my cynicism has been erased. I think my low expectations meant I could only be pleasantly surprised, and I have been. Paris is really a beautiful city, and it's so exciting when a waiter smiles at you, or when your hesitant attempts at French are understood. As Lisa insists, the difficulties of Paris make those ordinary moments extraordinary. Paris has that effect, somehow.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Supporting the arts
So yesterday I started the day at Musee d'Orsay, in a ridiculously long line (ask to see the photo when I come back, it looks like a crowd scene). However, I didn't see the Impressionists when they were at NGV because of the line, so there was no way I was leaving. 40 minutes later I got inside, and was happy to find out that my VIT card got me in for free :) Wow, I think that's the first time my VIT card did anything good for me.
I was not disappointed once inside either. Impressionism (which aims to capture a sense of light, and the impression of image) and neo-impressionism (which furthers the idea of creating a sense, rather than an image, by painting in a series of dots, which tricks the eye) are some of my favourite art forms. I wandered happily through a huge collection of Monet (it's so interesting to see more than just Waterlilies, he has a huge range of works), was amazed at Degas' skill with pastel (how do you imply the delicacy of tulle with a crayon???), and was disappointed by the relatively small collection of Renoir (my favourite artist). New favourites included Levy-Dhurmer and Redon, whose semi fantastical works bordered on surreal, and Henri Edmund Cross, who moves from neo-impressionism towards modern art, I think, with his use of blocky brush strokes rather than delicate dots. I also discovered that a lot of furniture design and artwork I like has a title to describe it; I have finally discovered what 'art nouveau' encompasses, and that I like it. It's all that swirly stuff from early 1900's, and it's purty. So I bought a book.
Afterwards met Lisa for a picnic in the park (Luxembourg Gardens), involving wine, baguette saucisson and three types of cheese, all divine. Very nice and cruisy. And cheesy. Then we met up with Lisa's friend Sarah, who was doing a radio interview with her about street art. For this we took a tour around (I think) 5th Arrondisement, and saw all sorts of stuff Lisa has blogged about- Nemo, Jef Aerosol, Mesnager, Miss Tic, the giraffes I like but can never remember who does them. Afterwards we went to an exhibition for Jef Aerosol's book, which was cool, and we met Mesnager and Jef. It was really exciting to see all this art, which has become part of Lisa's experience of Paris. It made my visit here seem more persona than the usual tourist trail.
Today I hit that tourist trail again though, heading for Sacre Cour. In a boulangerie on the way there, a guy said good bye to me in Italian. I guess my accent was terrible, and he was trying to place my nationality. Lisa thinks he thought I was the female version of Pepe le Pew. Sacre Cour was nice, particularly for it's amazing view of the city. It's on top of Montmartre, a raised part of the city, and the view just from the steps out front is lovely. If you shell out to climb the 276 stairs to the top (as I did), it's spectacular. Even more beautiful was the choir singing as I descended the staircase, and the amazing sound streaming out of the upper dome windows toward the sky.
Sarah had mentioned a fantastic hot chocolate pace around Concorde, so I wandered trying to find that (and failing), so instead strolled Champs Elysee, and a few shopping areas around there. Then jumped a train to the Musee Rodin. I had been considering going to see Rodin stuff, as his name nagged in the back of my head as one I knew for some reason. Then I saw a piece at Musee d'Orsay titled The Gates of Hell (e porte l'enfern, I think), which was spectacular, and sealed my decision. I'm sure some of you still can't place his work, though. Perhaps you are sitting with your head in your hands as you ponder? If so, you may resemble his best known work, The Thinker (La Pensive). It's the first work you see as you stroll around the beautiful gardens surrounding the museum. I loved this museum, it's a lot smaller than some of the other museums in Paris, and mostly made up of sculptures. I also got in for free, which made me like it more :)
Then I did as all good tourists do when in Paris: finally, I visited the Eiffel Tower. I didn't go up (long lines, hefty-ish price tag, meant to meet Lisa, plus what would I look at up there? Normally from a Parisian vantage point I try to spot the Eiffel Tower...), but was surprised to discover that the tower is a lot more beautiful, complex and impressive when you're close up. It's easy to become blase, as it's such a cliched image now, but this is a beautiful structure, and caused a huge uproar when first erected. Even the French didn't like it, now it is the most recognised (and prided) symbol of their country.
I'm now back at Lisa's, chilling out. She's gone to a Pinter play translated into French, and I have decided to be lazy and not go. Instead I am blogging, resting, cooking dinner and planning my tomorrow. I might go out for a drink or desert later, too; there are so many bars and restaurants around here. I was amazed, when I went for a walk after dark on Monday night, to find the place still buzzing. Lise says it often is still buzzing at 2am. Ah, gay Paris!
I was not disappointed once inside either. Impressionism (which aims to capture a sense of light, and the impression of image) and neo-impressionism (which furthers the idea of creating a sense, rather than an image, by painting in a series of dots, which tricks the eye) are some of my favourite art forms. I wandered happily through a huge collection of Monet (it's so interesting to see more than just Waterlilies, he has a huge range of works), was amazed at Degas' skill with pastel (how do you imply the delicacy of tulle with a crayon???), and was disappointed by the relatively small collection of Renoir (my favourite artist). New favourites included Levy-Dhurmer and Redon, whose semi fantastical works bordered on surreal, and Henri Edmund Cross, who moves from neo-impressionism towards modern art, I think, with his use of blocky brush strokes rather than delicate dots. I also discovered that a lot of furniture design and artwork I like has a title to describe it; I have finally discovered what 'art nouveau' encompasses, and that I like it. It's all that swirly stuff from early 1900's, and it's purty. So I bought a book.
Afterwards met Lisa for a picnic in the park (Luxembourg Gardens), involving wine, baguette saucisson and three types of cheese, all divine. Very nice and cruisy. And cheesy. Then we met up with Lisa's friend Sarah, who was doing a radio interview with her about street art. For this we took a tour around (I think) 5th Arrondisement, and saw all sorts of stuff Lisa has blogged about- Nemo, Jef Aerosol, Mesnager, Miss Tic, the giraffes I like but can never remember who does them. Afterwards we went to an exhibition for Jef Aerosol's book, which was cool, and we met Mesnager and Jef. It was really exciting to see all this art, which has become part of Lisa's experience of Paris. It made my visit here seem more persona than the usual tourist trail.
Today I hit that tourist trail again though, heading for Sacre Cour. In a boulangerie on the way there, a guy said good bye to me in Italian. I guess my accent was terrible, and he was trying to place my nationality. Lisa thinks he thought I was the female version of Pepe le Pew. Sacre Cour was nice, particularly for it's amazing view of the city. It's on top of Montmartre, a raised part of the city, and the view just from the steps out front is lovely. If you shell out to climb the 276 stairs to the top (as I did), it's spectacular. Even more beautiful was the choir singing as I descended the staircase, and the amazing sound streaming out of the upper dome windows toward the sky.
Sarah had mentioned a fantastic hot chocolate pace around Concorde, so I wandered trying to find that (and failing), so instead strolled Champs Elysee, and a few shopping areas around there. Then jumped a train to the Musee Rodin. I had been considering going to see Rodin stuff, as his name nagged in the back of my head as one I knew for some reason. Then I saw a piece at Musee d'Orsay titled The Gates of Hell (e porte l'enfern, I think), which was spectacular, and sealed my decision. I'm sure some of you still can't place his work, though. Perhaps you are sitting with your head in your hands as you ponder? If so, you may resemble his best known work, The Thinker (La Pensive). It's the first work you see as you stroll around the beautiful gardens surrounding the museum. I loved this museum, it's a lot smaller than some of the other museums in Paris, and mostly made up of sculptures. I also got in for free, which made me like it more :)
Then I did as all good tourists do when in Paris: finally, I visited the Eiffel Tower. I didn't go up (long lines, hefty-ish price tag, meant to meet Lisa, plus what would I look at up there? Normally from a Parisian vantage point I try to spot the Eiffel Tower...), but was surprised to discover that the tower is a lot more beautiful, complex and impressive when you're close up. It's easy to become blase, as it's such a cliched image now, but this is a beautiful structure, and caused a huge uproar when first erected. Even the French didn't like it, now it is the most recognised (and prided) symbol of their country.
I'm now back at Lisa's, chilling out. She's gone to a Pinter play translated into French, and I have decided to be lazy and not go. Instead I am blogging, resting, cooking dinner and planning my tomorrow. I might go out for a drink or desert later, too; there are so many bars and restaurants around here. I was amazed, when I went for a walk after dark on Monday night, to find the place still buzzing. Lise says it often is still buzzing at 2am. Ah, gay Paris!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Spirits of chairs and churches
A friend of mine has some clear plastic chairs, which she loves. They are Phillipe Starck Louis Ghost Chairs, and I had never seen them before until I visited this friend's new unit. Then I read an article about them in my weekend paper. And now I have seen them on display in an art museum.
Even though I find modern art very challenging, and I often don't like it, I keep taking myself to modern art galleries. While in London, Lisa and I visited Tate Modern, and today I checked out the Pompidou Centre in Paris. While I connected with fewer artworks at Pompidou, I think the selection of works was better. It featured a variety of media, ranging from sculpture, to video, to homeware design (hence the Phillipe Starck stuff).
I find that I am less forgiving with modern art. It evokes very strong reactions in me, I either love something, hate it or am completely uninterested. More classical art tends to promote a more reflective viewing style for me, so I am more inclined to develop a considered opinion of the piece. But at the modern galleries I have visited I have liked:
- some Cy Twombly work, particularly the Seasons, on display at Tate
- the New York photography on display at Pompidou. I have forgotten the artists
- Mattisse
- Pollock. Not very original choice, I know!
- Paul Nash
- Kandinsky (part of the Bauhaus movement)
- Dali. Again, not very original choice. Meh.
- Phillipe Starck. His designs are SO artistic, sometimes to the point that they are completely impractical. It's cool, haute merchandise domestique!
Weirdest thing I've seen in these moder galleries: a room entirely devoted to inflatable things. Some of this was inflatable art, but some was actually just inflatable furniture, a la 1960s, or plans for it, or photos of it. C'est bizarre.
I also chose to visit a site from another historical extreme today- Notre Dame. Lisa just smiles and nods when I get excited about churches... I am a little obsessive. I seem to remember similar reactions from Jackie by the end of our New Zealand trip... and the churches in Europe are of course far more numerous and spectacular! So church visits are something for me to indulge in when Lisa and I are solo exploring. I am not at all religious, but am fascinated by expression of faith, a subject I think was awakened when I wrote my thesis. So I just love exploring churches, religious artwork and literature, etc.
Anyway, Notre Dame is gorgeous, and particularly intriguing for its literary connections, as well as the general religious beauty. In fact, it is the literature (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo) which is responsible for the restoration of the Cathedral; prior to the success of Hugo's novel, the site had fallen into disrepair. In fact, the cathedral was ransacked the very day Hunchback was released.
I decided to commit to the wait and the fee involved with visiting the towers, and was glad I did. The steps are a challenge (472, I think), but the view was fantastic; both of Paris, and of the gargoyles and other monsters, each individualised, and the flying buttresses (it's a churchy thing, common on Gothic style churches).
Apart from that, Paris has seen me attempting French, people watching and just wandering alleys. Oh, and eating as much stereotypical food as possible. Lisa brought me croissant and pan au chocolat for breakfast (I can not BELIEVE how good French croissants really are! Wow!); we had wine with dinner (Sancerre, I think. It's a white wine, hints of apple, very crisp and refreshing); crepe fromage for lunch; and tomorrow we will picnic for lunch, with plans of baguette, cheese and saucisson. Mmmmm..... :)
Even though I find modern art very challenging, and I often don't like it, I keep taking myself to modern art galleries. While in London, Lisa and I visited Tate Modern, and today I checked out the Pompidou Centre in Paris. While I connected with fewer artworks at Pompidou, I think the selection of works was better. It featured a variety of media, ranging from sculpture, to video, to homeware design (hence the Phillipe Starck stuff).
I find that I am less forgiving with modern art. It evokes very strong reactions in me, I either love something, hate it or am completely uninterested. More classical art tends to promote a more reflective viewing style for me, so I am more inclined to develop a considered opinion of the piece. But at the modern galleries I have visited I have liked:
- some Cy Twombly work, particularly the Seasons, on display at Tate
- the New York photography on display at Pompidou. I have forgotten the artists
- Mattisse
- Pollock. Not very original choice, I know!
- Paul Nash
- Kandinsky (part of the Bauhaus movement)
- Dali. Again, not very original choice. Meh.
- Phillipe Starck. His designs are SO artistic, sometimes to the point that they are completely impractical. It's cool, haute merchandise domestique!
Weirdest thing I've seen in these moder galleries: a room entirely devoted to inflatable things. Some of this was inflatable art, but some was actually just inflatable furniture, a la 1960s, or plans for it, or photos of it. C'est bizarre.
I also chose to visit a site from another historical extreme today- Notre Dame. Lisa just smiles and nods when I get excited about churches... I am a little obsessive. I seem to remember similar reactions from Jackie by the end of our New Zealand trip... and the churches in Europe are of course far more numerous and spectacular! So church visits are something for me to indulge in when Lisa and I are solo exploring. I am not at all religious, but am fascinated by expression of faith, a subject I think was awakened when I wrote my thesis. So I just love exploring churches, religious artwork and literature, etc.
Anyway, Notre Dame is gorgeous, and particularly intriguing for its literary connections, as well as the general religious beauty. In fact, it is the literature (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo) which is responsible for the restoration of the Cathedral; prior to the success of Hugo's novel, the site had fallen into disrepair. In fact, the cathedral was ransacked the very day Hunchback was released.
I decided to commit to the wait and the fee involved with visiting the towers, and was glad I did. The steps are a challenge (472, I think), but the view was fantastic; both of Paris, and of the gargoyles and other monsters, each individualised, and the flying buttresses (it's a churchy thing, common on Gothic style churches).
Apart from that, Paris has seen me attempting French, people watching and just wandering alleys. Oh, and eating as much stereotypical food as possible. Lisa brought me croissant and pan au chocolat for breakfast (I can not BELIEVE how good French croissants really are! Wow!); we had wine with dinner (Sancerre, I think. It's a white wine, hints of apple, very crisp and refreshing); crepe fromage for lunch; and tomorrow we will picnic for lunch, with plans of baguette, cheese and saucisson. Mmmmm..... :)
The city of...
So, the big test. I am in Paris, city of all sorts of nouns. I'm staying on the floor of Lisa's apartment, which I comprehended was small... but in it's entirety it is actually smaller than my bedroom! So very little space to move with a house guest... So I feel entirely indebted to Lisa- you are fabulous, Lise!!!!
So far, I like Paris. This experience is based on arriving in Paris at 5pm Sunday, a walk around Lisa's area (which includes viewing Pont Neuf and Pont Des Arts, bits of Notre Dame, and Fontaine St Michel. Oh and no criticism of any French I use is allowed. Only encouragement, I am a fragile French attempter. Any nastiness may send me back into my shell entirely) and then dinner. So not much, today I will strike out on my own while Lisa does things one must do having been out of town for a week. I am going to see Notre Dame, I think. And... stuff. Lisa keeps asking what I want to do or see, but apart from a few things (churches, Louvre, Musee D'Orsay), I really don't know. Stuff.
Belgium has definitely got a good rap from me. Bruges was beautiful, whether it's fake or not it is just gorgeous. We have surmised that perhaps Lonely Planet warns people off it because it is very tourist driven, there are tourists all over the place. But hey, I'm a tourist, so I can't complain. Went to a chocolate museum while Lisa took a canal tour- with the amount of inevitable 'being lost' one does in Bruges (wind-y medieval streets are not conducive to well directed strolling), we didn't manage to each do both of these activities, but we each liked our choice.
Yesterday we split up and strolled around Belgium. I ended up taking photos of street art for Lisa!!! And trying to order things in French, which mostly went well. Then I drank beer. Both Lisa and I found that, even if you consider drinking something else, the fact that you're in Belgium and the great beer is so cheap compels you to just drink beer. Here are the beers I drank in Belgium:
Kreik (Cherry)
Duvel
Palm
Westmalle Tripel
Forbidden Fruit
Jupiler
Triple Karmeliet
Bruges Blonde
Grimbergen Dubel
Not bad for three days of beer drinking! (And of course sometimes I had more than one beer... Jupiler was incredibly cheap, at one hostel it was only 1 euro!)
So far, I like Paris. This experience is based on arriving in Paris at 5pm Sunday, a walk around Lisa's area (which includes viewing Pont Neuf and Pont Des Arts, bits of Notre Dame, and Fontaine St Michel. Oh and no criticism of any French I use is allowed. Only encouragement, I am a fragile French attempter. Any nastiness may send me back into my shell entirely) and then dinner. So not much, today I will strike out on my own while Lisa does things one must do having been out of town for a week. I am going to see Notre Dame, I think. And... stuff. Lisa keeps asking what I want to do or see, but apart from a few things (churches, Louvre, Musee D'Orsay), I really don't know. Stuff.
Belgium has definitely got a good rap from me. Bruges was beautiful, whether it's fake or not it is just gorgeous. We have surmised that perhaps Lonely Planet warns people off it because it is very tourist driven, there are tourists all over the place. But hey, I'm a tourist, so I can't complain. Went to a chocolate museum while Lisa took a canal tour- with the amount of inevitable 'being lost' one does in Bruges (wind-y medieval streets are not conducive to well directed strolling), we didn't manage to each do both of these activities, but we each liked our choice.
Yesterday we split up and strolled around Belgium. I ended up taking photos of street art for Lisa!!! And trying to order things in French, which mostly went well. Then I drank beer. Both Lisa and I found that, even if you consider drinking something else, the fact that you're in Belgium and the great beer is so cheap compels you to just drink beer. Here are the beers I drank in Belgium:
Kreik (Cherry)
Duvel
Palm
Westmalle Tripel
Forbidden Fruit
Jupiler
Triple Karmeliet
Bruges Blonde
Grimbergen Dubel
Not bad for three days of beer drinking! (And of course sometimes I had more than one beer... Jupiler was incredibly cheap, at one hostel it was only 1 euro!)
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Beer and chocolate
Well, this is Belgium. Chocolate on Grand Place, beer in various locations including Place Saint Katherine and the hostel. Brussells is quite nice, despite proclaiming itself an 'ugly city' in the map I picked up. I think it's pretty!
Got into Belgium around lunchtime yesterday, found a hostel and wandered the streets, sampling belgian food and drinks along the way (fries, chocs, beers). Grand Place is AMAZING, everywhere you turn there is another beautiful building. Today we went to three museums: the Comic Art Museum, the Belvue Museum (history of Belgium) and the Brewers Museum (sparse on displays, but the cheesiest movie which was also very informative and thrist inspiring... so we went for beer afterwards).
Tomorrow we head to Bruges for a day trip- a medieval town (or town recreated in the medieval style, according to lonely PLanet). Supposed to be very beautiful and romantic, so I'm looking forward to it. PLus we're going to a chocolate museum there :) With tastings.
Most annoying thing about Belgium has also been quite amusing- each hostel we've been to could only put us up for one night at a time. So we changed hostels tonight, and tomorrow will return to our original hostel for another night! Then Sunday it's off to Paris, and Lisa's tiny apartment :)
Got into Belgium around lunchtime yesterday, found a hostel and wandered the streets, sampling belgian food and drinks along the way (fries, chocs, beers). Grand Place is AMAZING, everywhere you turn there is another beautiful building. Today we went to three museums: the Comic Art Museum, the Belvue Museum (history of Belgium) and the Brewers Museum (sparse on displays, but the cheesiest movie which was also very informative and thrist inspiring... so we went for beer afterwards).
Tomorrow we head to Bruges for a day trip- a medieval town (or town recreated in the medieval style, according to lonely PLanet). Supposed to be very beautiful and romantic, so I'm looking forward to it. PLus we're going to a chocolate museum there :) With tastings.
Most annoying thing about Belgium has also been quite amusing- each hostel we've been to could only put us up for one night at a time. So we changed hostels tonight, and tomorrow will return to our original hostel for another night! Then Sunday it's off to Paris, and Lisa's tiny apartment :)
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
5 minute blog post
I literally have only 5 minutes left on my net time, so here is a speedy recap of the last few days:
Everything shuts in Norwich over Easter. Everything. It is a major city, the second largest provincial city in England, and everything closes. Ironically, we went down the road to a tiny hamlet called Wroxham- everything was open. But it was cold, so we went home.
There was a big traffic jam on the way to Cambridge :( and BJ had to get back to Norwich to collect Paul after his football match, so I only saw my dream town for an hour. But I loved it. I am inspired to get my butt into gear re scholarships to go to England, because I WILL live and study in Cambridge. All the colleges are built right into the town, or, more accurately, the town has been built up around the colleges, so that you can find, say, Jesus college right next to a shopping strip. It is gorgeous. And they have several speciality chocolate shops, too (thanks for the chockies BJ!). What can I say? They clearly made this town just for me.
ARGH! 2 MINUTES!
Bath was also gorgeous. Really quaint, very 18th century, except for some that was older of course. Such as the Roman baths, built 65 AD. Very overwhelming. Can't write more, must publish this. BYE!
Everything shuts in Norwich over Easter. Everything. It is a major city, the second largest provincial city in England, and everything closes. Ironically, we went down the road to a tiny hamlet called Wroxham- everything was open. But it was cold, so we went home.
There was a big traffic jam on the way to Cambridge :( and BJ had to get back to Norwich to collect Paul after his football match, so I only saw my dream town for an hour. But I loved it. I am inspired to get my butt into gear re scholarships to go to England, because I WILL live and study in Cambridge. All the colleges are built right into the town, or, more accurately, the town has been built up around the colleges, so that you can find, say, Jesus college right next to a shopping strip. It is gorgeous. And they have several speciality chocolate shops, too (thanks for the chockies BJ!). What can I say? They clearly made this town just for me.
ARGH! 2 MINUTES!
Bath was also gorgeous. Really quaint, very 18th century, except for some that was older of course. Such as the Roman baths, built 65 AD. Very overwhelming. Can't write more, must publish this. BYE!
Monday, April 09, 2007
Hobbiton hillside
I'm in Norwich, staying with my cousin BJ (technically my step-cousin, I guess. Uncle's daughter from his first marriage, when he still lived in Scotland). It's nice to have a real bed, and actually pretty good to have a day where I'm not rushing about- we decided that, as it's Easter Sunday, nothing would really be open, so we're just relaxing. Plus Paul, BJ's husband is a footballer, and he's got a game tomorrow.
The train trip out was funny; once we'd passed the industrial city edges, it felt a lot like we were in Hobbiton. Very LOTR landscapes. It's pretty, extremely quaint. A lot of England seems so surreal, because it's so associated with books I've read; LOTR, Bronte, Dickens. It seems so odd to be in such a landscape, almost like a story itself.
Saw a bit of Norwich yesterday, went to the Cathedral- beautiful, begun in 1096, not fully completed until 15thC, when the present spire was completed (the original fell off in 13thC!), and strolled around the streets, all windy and cobbled. Norwich has been a major centre since well before the Norman invasion, and has long been one of the largest provincial centres in England. It has SO many churches, which I love- by medieval times there were around 50 churches for a community of maybe 6000!
There is a castle, built by the Normans, which has been used as a gaol and is now open to the public as a museum, but I prob won't have a chance to see it before I go tomorrow. :( Oh well, plenty more castles around, I am sure.
BJ is currently tormenting Tyra- her enormous rottweiler, named after Tyra Banks, who wears a pink diamante studded collar and is utterly spoiled, and hugely friendly. Tomorrow we'll drop Paul at his game, then drive to Cambridge (swoon), from where I'll catch the train back to London. Then it's out to Greenwich, where Lisa and I are staying. Probably Bath on Tuesday (unless Cambridge gets me all in the mood for universities, in which case I'll visit Oxford), another day of London sights Wednesday (hopefully seeing inside Westminster), and Belgium Thursday (beer and chocolate! Beer and chocolate!).
Oh, following up from comments on my last entry:
- Les Mis was great. I'd never seen it before, and I actually didn't know how it ended! Loved it. How do they possibly perform it without a rotating stage? Despite fairly small theatre, set was fantastic (especially liked the use of the bridge for Javert's death), lighting very effective (particularly liked the backlighting used to display the 'anonymous' poor, so they were faceless for a large part of the song), and overall a strong cast. Epenine was particularly notable.
- Rami, I think perhaps you should have glazed over during this part of the entry :) Sutton Hoo is a major burial site from Anglo Saxon times. It's a ship burial, so the king/ lord was buried within his ship, and the inhabitants had goods and treasures buried with them, like we would associate with, say, Egyptian burials. It's a really significant archaeological find, and TOTALLY fascinating to English history geeks like myself.
- Haven't gotten a new phone number yet, although I should. Am spending stacks in text messages, but want to wait until Europe as apparently a lot of English SIM cards will still charge me international rates in Europe? I'm going to investigate when I get to Paris, I think, but from what BJ says, UK mobile carriers are quite pricey. So no, Jorel, that wasn't me texting you weird numbers. Although I did text to let you know I was ok, but that was from my normal number, possibly with international codes tacked on?
Hope you're all well, thanks for leaving comments- glad to hear how you are.
The train trip out was funny; once we'd passed the industrial city edges, it felt a lot like we were in Hobbiton. Very LOTR landscapes. It's pretty, extremely quaint. A lot of England seems so surreal, because it's so associated with books I've read; LOTR, Bronte, Dickens. It seems so odd to be in such a landscape, almost like a story itself.
Saw a bit of Norwich yesterday, went to the Cathedral- beautiful, begun in 1096, not fully completed until 15thC, when the present spire was completed (the original fell off in 13thC!), and strolled around the streets, all windy and cobbled. Norwich has been a major centre since well before the Norman invasion, and has long been one of the largest provincial centres in England. It has SO many churches, which I love- by medieval times there were around 50 churches for a community of maybe 6000!
There is a castle, built by the Normans, which has been used as a gaol and is now open to the public as a museum, but I prob won't have a chance to see it before I go tomorrow. :( Oh well, plenty more castles around, I am sure.
BJ is currently tormenting Tyra- her enormous rottweiler, named after Tyra Banks, who wears a pink diamante studded collar and is utterly spoiled, and hugely friendly. Tomorrow we'll drop Paul at his game, then drive to Cambridge (swoon), from where I'll catch the train back to London. Then it's out to Greenwich, where Lisa and I are staying. Probably Bath on Tuesday (unless Cambridge gets me all in the mood for universities, in which case I'll visit Oxford), another day of London sights Wednesday (hopefully seeing inside Westminster), and Belgium Thursday (beer and chocolate! Beer and chocolate!).
Oh, following up from comments on my last entry:
- Les Mis was great. I'd never seen it before, and I actually didn't know how it ended! Loved it. How do they possibly perform it without a rotating stage? Despite fairly small theatre, set was fantastic (especially liked the use of the bridge for Javert's death), lighting very effective (particularly liked the backlighting used to display the 'anonymous' poor, so they were faceless for a large part of the song), and overall a strong cast. Epenine was particularly notable.
- Rami, I think perhaps you should have glazed over during this part of the entry :) Sutton Hoo is a major burial site from Anglo Saxon times. It's a ship burial, so the king/ lord was buried within his ship, and the inhabitants had goods and treasures buried with them, like we would associate with, say, Egyptian burials. It's a really significant archaeological find, and TOTALLY fascinating to English history geeks like myself.
- Haven't gotten a new phone number yet, although I should. Am spending stacks in text messages, but want to wait until Europe as apparently a lot of English SIM cards will still charge me international rates in Europe? I'm going to investigate when I get to Paris, I think, but from what BJ says, UK mobile carriers are quite pricey. So no, Jorel, that wasn't me texting you weird numbers. Although I did text to let you know I was ok, but that was from my normal number, possibly with international codes tacked on?
Hope you're all well, thanks for leaving comments- glad to hear how you are.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Ten thousand steps
The Grand Old Duke of York, He took ten thousand steps. Ok, that's not quite how it goes, but trust me, if he were getting about London there's a darn good chance he took ten thousand steps. Could even have been ten thousand stairs (the Brits are very traditional about some things, such as stairs, and promoting tea quality over that of coffee). Especially if he were trying to see it all in three days like some Naomi's we know.
But I am having a great time. Highlights: Seeing an 11th century copy of 'Beowulf' (yeah, yeah, geek I know); having a squirrel run up my leg; being able to confidently navigate the rail system, despite line closures over the long weekend.
Yesterday I:
-Visited the British Museum. Sadly most of the medieval stuff was not on display as there are new medieval rooms opening next year :( Still got to see all the Sutton Hoo and pre Anglo-Saxon Celtic stuff (let your eyes glaze over if you don't know what I am talking about here). My favourite exhibit was the Assyrian section, which was awesome. Marvelled at how awful British coffee is.
- Hung out in Russell Square, feeding squirrels
- Visited the National Library (oh geek out), which has a bunch of old books to make me swoon: Shakespeare folios; handwritten Alice in Wonderland; stacks of illuminated gospels, including the Lindisfarne; Chaucer; and my faves- Beowulf and the Magna Carta. Swoon.
- Hung out at Leicester Square, and found pretty cheap food in Chinatown
- Went to bed by 8pm, exhausted from 24 hours travelling and a day of sightseeing
Today I:
- Got an Oyster card for the trains- so I look like a local, and am saving money, and can get on any form of pt without fear of having the wrong ticket. Yay! I can't wait until Melbourne introduces the myki system, which will be similar.
- Trekked the National Gallery and checked out Trafalgar Square. My favourite stuff was, unsurprisingly, the 12th century section. Most of it is religious, and it is just so so cool. Was going to check out the Renoir exhibition (he being my favourite artist), but it cost £12 and I am trying not to blow all my cash at once. I can see Renoir in France.
- Wandered the wrong way (aiming for Leicester Square) to discover St James Park is very close to the Gallery. Had lunch looking at ducks and hoping no-one would come and charge me for sitting on a park bench (they didn't). Marvelled at how decent even the cheapest tea is- especially impressive considering how disgusting the coffee is. As Lisa said, that's why the Brits are tea drinkers.
- Made my way through the Horse Guard to Parliament House and (sigh) Westminster Abbey. Sadly Westminster was closed to tourists today, but I wandered what was accessible of the cloisters. Might revisit it next week.
- Strolled to Piccadilly Circus (feeling more and more like I am on a Monopoly board), caught tube to Leicei#ster Square to check out discount theatre tickets. I am seeing Les Miserables tonight. Really wanted to see Wicked, but the discount price was £40. I'm paying over £10 less for Les Mis, and I've never seen it, so it will be exciting. 12 rows from stage.
- Found a discount net cafe to blog and plan my train journey to Norwich tomorrow.
Later I will:
- Possibly wander through Hyde Park and over to the palace. It's probably something you have to do, right?
- Go to the theatre! Hopefully having picked up more cheap Asian for dinner.
- Try and find my way home again.
- Pack to leave my hostel tomorrow.
Next week, when in London again, I plan to check out:
- St Paul's
- London Tower
- London Dungeon
- Greenwich markets (we're staying in Greenwich next week)
- Westminster again, maybe
OK, off to a National Rail station to work out if I need to book a seat on my train tomorrow. Then I shall visit the queen.
But I am having a great time. Highlights: Seeing an 11th century copy of 'Beowulf' (yeah, yeah, geek I know); having a squirrel run up my leg; being able to confidently navigate the rail system, despite line closures over the long weekend.
Yesterday I:
-Visited the British Museum. Sadly most of the medieval stuff was not on display as there are new medieval rooms opening next year :( Still got to see all the Sutton Hoo and pre Anglo-Saxon Celtic stuff (let your eyes glaze over if you don't know what I am talking about here). My favourite exhibit was the Assyrian section, which was awesome. Marvelled at how awful British coffee is.
- Hung out in Russell Square, feeding squirrels
- Visited the National Library (oh geek out), which has a bunch of old books to make me swoon: Shakespeare folios; handwritten Alice in Wonderland; stacks of illuminated gospels, including the Lindisfarne; Chaucer; and my faves- Beowulf and the Magna Carta. Swoon.
- Hung out at Leicester Square, and found pretty cheap food in Chinatown
- Went to bed by 8pm, exhausted from 24 hours travelling and a day of sightseeing
Today I:
- Got an Oyster card for the trains- so I look like a local, and am saving money, and can get on any form of pt without fear of having the wrong ticket. Yay! I can't wait until Melbourne introduces the myki system, which will be similar.
- Trekked the National Gallery and checked out Trafalgar Square. My favourite stuff was, unsurprisingly, the 12th century section. Most of it is religious, and it is just so so cool. Was going to check out the Renoir exhibition (he being my favourite artist), but it cost £12 and I am trying not to blow all my cash at once. I can see Renoir in France.
- Wandered the wrong way (aiming for Leicester Square) to discover St James Park is very close to the Gallery. Had lunch looking at ducks and hoping no-one would come and charge me for sitting on a park bench (they didn't). Marvelled at how decent even the cheapest tea is- especially impressive considering how disgusting the coffee is. As Lisa said, that's why the Brits are tea drinkers.
- Made my way through the Horse Guard to Parliament House and (sigh) Westminster Abbey. Sadly Westminster was closed to tourists today, but I wandered what was accessible of the cloisters. Might revisit it next week.
- Strolled to Piccadilly Circus (feeling more and more like I am on a Monopoly board), caught tube to Leicei#ster Square to check out discount theatre tickets. I am seeing Les Miserables tonight. Really wanted to see Wicked, but the discount price was £40. I'm paying over £10 less for Les Mis, and I've never seen it, so it will be exciting. 12 rows from stage.
- Found a discount net cafe to blog and plan my train journey to Norwich tomorrow.
Later I will:
- Possibly wander through Hyde Park and over to the palace. It's probably something you have to do, right?
- Go to the theatre! Hopefully having picked up more cheap Asian for dinner.
- Try and find my way home again.
- Pack to leave my hostel tomorrow.
Next week, when in London again, I plan to check out:
- St Paul's
- London Tower
- London Dungeon
- Greenwich markets (we're staying in Greenwich next week)
- Westminster again, maybe
OK, off to a National Rail station to work out if I need to book a seat on my train tomorrow. Then I shall visit the queen.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
London town
Hey folks, so I made it to London. Seem to have lost ability to type though, maybe that was the pint I had earlier. After taking ages through passport stuff (and yet no-one even scanned my bag at customs???) and having my sleeping bag disappear (have to buy a new one, Thai will reimburse me), then missing my train, then finding that Shepherd's Bush has TWO stations, and is across the road fromt he one I DIDN'T get off at, I felt I deserved that beer.
Anyway, flight was long but ok. Great first leg- had interactive movie choice, so I could watch the trash of my choice and pause it etc. Nice. Second leg only had big shared tv's though, so I'm glad I slept.
London is pretty cool so far, although I am yet to head out and check it out properly (going to hit the Thames area after this blog, maybe wander Brit museum). I can see myself lving in England :) It seems I have stumbled onto an Aussie hostel, quite by chance. But hey, lotsa discounts, I'm not complaining. Ok, off for food and 'sploring.
Anyway, flight was long but ok. Great first leg- had interactive movie choice, so I could watch the trash of my choice and pause it etc. Nice. Second leg only had big shared tv's though, so I'm glad I slept.
London is pretty cool so far, although I am yet to head out and check it out properly (going to hit the Thames area after this blog, maybe wander Brit museum). I can see myself lving in England :) It seems I have stumbled onto an Aussie hostel, quite by chance. But hey, lotsa discounts, I'm not complaining. Ok, off for food and 'sploring.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Alll of Neptune's oceans- rain, rivers and washing water
Oh lord. It's two days out from my departure, and it is gloomy, and my clothes are only just washing now. Will these clothes never be clean? Or more to the point, dry.
Typical. The one nice sunny day we had this week was yesterday. All days prior were rainy, so I didn't wash. And while it was great to see sun yesterday, as it was Picnic Day, it was also the day I had absolutely NO time to wash.
Picnic itself was ACE. Had so many people show up, so many RANDOM people show up. Such as my cousin and his mates on their bikes. I was on the phone to a lost friend (who happened to be at Studley Park Boathouse, down the river, rather than Fairfield Boathouse, where we all were), and noticed a bunch of kids on bikes just sitting in front of our group and looking. It finally registered that I knew one of the kids- not my cousin, mind you, I recognised his mate. Bad cousin, Naomi! Made up for it by feeding the ravenous hoardes and giving them money to go and buy chips. My nana, aunt and uncle also arrived for a while, leaving instructions for contacting my cousin in England, and a responsibility to drive my nana to the airport.
Also had such randoms as Jackie and Lonza from Geelong show up (thanks for making the big drive, guys!), as well as Kat (who I haven't seen since I left for Indonesia and who, it transpires, is living in a tent out the back of a squat. Even thought she has two corporate jobs...) and Dave (who I haven't seen in maybe a year, year and a half, as he teaches in Westernport). Also cool to see so many of the regular gang, especially those of the gang who only irregularly make it to group thangs- Gene, Sares, Dom. It was so much fun. Much eating, much merriment, much crocheting (on the parts of Deb and Sares).
But perhaps the most fun was discovering that I have not taunted away all my boating karma, through many a weekend at the boathouse laughing at people rowing badly- while Marty had been threatening to force me into a boat, and he and Gene both tried to manhandle me at various times during the afternoon (I had to human chain myself to a fence...), in the end I found out the price of rowboat hire. And we did not fall in. Hoorah! This was mostly due to Gene's rowing prowess, Marty a keen second for these honours (I was ok... ). Best part was when, Paul and Rami having bombarded us with rocks from the shore, we made landfall and Marty jumped ashore to attack them. Also amusing were the various encounters with overhanging and submerged branches.
Later that night went blues dancing with Nick, Sai, Imo and surprise inclusions Fy and Ben. While the class wasn't as good as last month (at which my teachers, Noni and Josh, officiated), it was ok, and we all hung around danced socially afterwards- even Ben. The class was taught by Kieran, who is from Geelong, and knows Gene. I have met him before, maybe at a New Year's thing at Gene's aunts? Or Gene's 21st? Or maybe just at swing? I'm not sure, but I re-introduced myself anyway. And the BIG surprise from the night is that Fy and Ben are planning to come monthly to Blues Night. Yay!
Referring back to the blog title, "all of Neptune's oceans" have washed the Scottish Rock Opera from St Martin's... and my life. Now I just need them to wash the songs from my mind. The show improved every night until it was really quite powerful, and we finished with good crowds, three great reviews and an enormous sigh of relief. Bump out only kept me at theatre until 1am, and I am meeting Clarry today to get my cheque.
Now I just have to wash, dry, pack, see family, check my flights, update my tickets, confirm check in time, book flights for the gold coast for later in the year, and other random things I am yet to list- before Wednesday. Sweet (as sweet as "all the perfumes of Arabia"... GO AWAY Scottish play!!!).
Typical. The one nice sunny day we had this week was yesterday. All days prior were rainy, so I didn't wash. And while it was great to see sun yesterday, as it was Picnic Day, it was also the day I had absolutely NO time to wash.
Picnic itself was ACE. Had so many people show up, so many RANDOM people show up. Such as my cousin and his mates on their bikes. I was on the phone to a lost friend (who happened to be at Studley Park Boathouse, down the river, rather than Fairfield Boathouse, where we all were), and noticed a bunch of kids on bikes just sitting in front of our group and looking. It finally registered that I knew one of the kids- not my cousin, mind you, I recognised his mate. Bad cousin, Naomi! Made up for it by feeding the ravenous hoardes and giving them money to go and buy chips. My nana, aunt and uncle also arrived for a while, leaving instructions for contacting my cousin in England, and a responsibility to drive my nana to the airport.
Also had such randoms as Jackie and Lonza from Geelong show up (thanks for making the big drive, guys!), as well as Kat (who I haven't seen since I left for Indonesia and who, it transpires, is living in a tent out the back of a squat. Even thought she has two corporate jobs...) and Dave (who I haven't seen in maybe a year, year and a half, as he teaches in Westernport). Also cool to see so many of the regular gang, especially those of the gang who only irregularly make it to group thangs- Gene, Sares, Dom. It was so much fun. Much eating, much merriment, much crocheting (on the parts of Deb and Sares).
But perhaps the most fun was discovering that I have not taunted away all my boating karma, through many a weekend at the boathouse laughing at people rowing badly- while Marty had been threatening to force me into a boat, and he and Gene both tried to manhandle me at various times during the afternoon (I had to human chain myself to a fence...), in the end I found out the price of rowboat hire. And we did not fall in. Hoorah! This was mostly due to Gene's rowing prowess, Marty a keen second for these honours (I was ok... ). Best part was when, Paul and Rami having bombarded us with rocks from the shore, we made landfall and Marty jumped ashore to attack them. Also amusing were the various encounters with overhanging and submerged branches.
Later that night went blues dancing with Nick, Sai, Imo and surprise inclusions Fy and Ben. While the class wasn't as good as last month (at which my teachers, Noni and Josh, officiated), it was ok, and we all hung around danced socially afterwards- even Ben. The class was taught by Kieran, who is from Geelong, and knows Gene. I have met him before, maybe at a New Year's thing at Gene's aunts? Or Gene's 21st? Or maybe just at swing? I'm not sure, but I re-introduced myself anyway. And the BIG surprise from the night is that Fy and Ben are planning to come monthly to Blues Night. Yay!
Referring back to the blog title, "all of Neptune's oceans" have washed the Scottish Rock Opera from St Martin's... and my life. Now I just need them to wash the songs from my mind. The show improved every night until it was really quite powerful, and we finished with good crowds, three great reviews and an enormous sigh of relief. Bump out only kept me at theatre until 1am, and I am meeting Clarry today to get my cheque.
Now I just have to wash, dry, pack, see family, check my flights, update my tickets, confirm check in time, book flights for the gold coast for later in the year, and other random things I am yet to list- before Wednesday. Sweet (as sweet as "all the perfumes of Arabia"... GO AWAY Scottish play!!!).
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