By the time my time in Villefranche came to an end, I was feeling pretty weary with having to live in a foreign language, where achieving even the simplest task was a major effort and I was getting pretty sick of my own company. So I decided to head back to the UK for a few weeks R & R before heading back to tackle it again. I headed up to Calais and found that I had left the good weather behind - in fact it was miserable. I tried to get onto the net to book a ferry to Dover but it seems that Calais had no internet that evening so I headed down to the port and booked in person. My ferry left at 9.00pm and we arrived in Dover 75 minutes later at 9.15. Since I had not booked a hotel on this side of the channel, I decided to make a start heading north in the hope that I would find a motel/hotel in one of the rest areas along the motorway. I thought it would be far too late to barge in unannounced on any of my brothers or sisters in London, even assuming they were home on a Friday night. I did find a hotel and got a great night's sleep before heading up the M1, which is as diabolical as everyone says it is. I spent nearly an hour going no further than about 5 miles. Fortunately, when I hit the M6 things started to move a bit more quickly. I arrived in Edinburgh about 6.30pm and went round to see Christopher and Joe at a friend's house where they had been barbecuing and partying. After a couple of restorative G & Ts (which actually had more of an effect than usual), I had to leave the car at Leonie's and take a taxi back to Lyss' flat where I was to stay the night.
Leigh had arranged for me to visit a recruitment agency on the Monday. She was very keen for me to come and do some work with her at Mellon and it seemed that the interview was just a formality. However, I did have to account for myself for a period of 5 years, even covering periods of more than 4 weeks where I didn't work - what a palaver. Getting a reference from the Bank was actually very easy (thank you Vanessa) but I had been on holiday for more than 4 weeks by then so I needed a personal reference for that (thanks Mandy) and even that didn't cover the full 5 years. They wanted one for the 6 months pre Bank and we all know how difficult that can be with a government agency. We got there in the end though and I started work at Mellon a week ago. It has been really good having the social interaction that a job provides again and even better, it is a call centre so I am getting a reminder of what it is like to be on an inbound queue. It's all good at the moment, I guess because it is new and different and because it is only a temporary role. Some of you will remember Suzi Straayer who left the Bank on a year's leave in August last year to come to this side of the world - well, guess what: I found her at Mellon at the beginning of the week. She has been working there for some time but she was saying that she was finding it difficult 'living' in Edinburgh and travelling. I think she has found Edinburgh a reasonably expensive place to live. It is obviously a smaller world than we think. I feel slightly tied down now that I am working and have had to pass up several opportunities to go and do things but it is only for a short time so I will still have other opportunities - Italy in June springs to mind. In some ways this is a good time to be working rather than holidaying, as the weather in some parts of Europe has been pretty dire - and it hasn't been a lot warmer here either. The best bonus of all of course, is that I am adding funds to my coffers for my next assault on Europe which can only be good. The children and I head off to Milan next week to which I am really looking forward to.
It was Leigh's birthday last week so on Saturday night we went out for drinks and dinner at a Brazilian restaurant - something quite different and a very pleasant evening, although by the time I got home, it was a good deal later than evening. Just as well I didn't take the car or I would have been collecting it on Sunday again. This trip has involved far more alcohol than my system is used to.
Those of you who know me well, will be surprised to learn that I have joined Lyss' gym and been going regularly (although I know me even better and that may change over time). They have a lovely pool area with a spa, sauna and steam room which I have made heavy use of, in preference to the actual gym equipment, although I have done some workouts. I have been a little disappointed with the results so far I have to say, but to be fair, it has only been a week (I always was impatient).
So I think this has caught everyone up on where I am and what I am doing so I'll be in touch again after Milan.
Turning 50
Maybe this was what started it all? That's me on the right.
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Beaulieu sur Mer and beyond
Beaulieu sur Mer is just a little way along the coast from Nice, nestled on some very rugged coastline. It is quite stunning especially on a beautiful day. However I discovered very soon after I arrived that it was closed on Easter Monday. I went down to the beach and realised that it was a topless beach so I felt somewhat overdressed. I still didn't even have a swimsuit, so I was wearing my shorts and a t-shirt. About 6.00pm, one cafe opened, and taking full advantage of this fact, charged an arm and a leg for a very basic meal - nice to see that this doesn't only happen in NZ!
The hotel I was staying in looked fabulous on the website but the price should have alerted me to possible problems. When I got there, I found that the air con didn't work and there was a notice saying 'keep your windows closed at night for security'; the TV with 20 international channels couldn't get any one of them; and the high speed internet couldn't connect. On the plus side, the pool did look as lovely as the picture but, in a cruel twist, the weather conspired to spoil even that when is suddenly clouded over and became very cold. This didn't seem to affect the heat in the rooms though, which seemed to have fairly effective heat retention properties. So after a sleepless night, I got up, packed myself up and headed northwards. I had no idea where I would be by the end of the day but I had thought I might head towards St Malo, where I could sit on a beach or catch a ferry to Jersey. It was a 12 hour drive to St Malo according to Tom so I decided I would need to stop on the way and I thought I would know that place when I reached it.
Lo and behold, I was driving through Lyon when I noticed a road sign pointing towards Villefranche sur Saone so I thought I would return there. You may recall that I went there on my way down to Tuscany and took photos of chocolate for Mandy. I had promised myself that I would take some time to stay there if I got the opportunity, and here was that opportunity. I went back to the hotel I had stayed at last time in the hope that they would have a room. Fortunately they did so I got myself settled and then headed down to Le Promenoir for a G & T in the sun. I really like Villefranche - I went shopping for a few things I needed - swimsuit, shorts and another pair of jeans since the ones I had brought with me were almost past their use by date. I spent a happy afternoon trying to shop in French and met a lovely woman who helped me with my French while I helped her with her English. Great sales technique - I bought quite a few things from her shop after spending about an hour there. I also found a laverie and managed to get my washing done. It felt quite a homely sort of place - not necessarily a hot destination on the tourist trail, but I enjoyed my time there.
The hotel I was staying in looked fabulous on the website but the price should have alerted me to possible problems. When I got there, I found that the air con didn't work and there was a notice saying 'keep your windows closed at night for security'; the TV with 20 international channels couldn't get any one of them; and the high speed internet couldn't connect. On the plus side, the pool did look as lovely as the picture but, in a cruel twist, the weather conspired to spoil even that when is suddenly clouded over and became very cold. This didn't seem to affect the heat in the rooms though, which seemed to have fairly effective heat retention properties. So after a sleepless night, I got up, packed myself up and headed northwards. I had no idea where I would be by the end of the day but I had thought I might head towards St Malo, where I could sit on a beach or catch a ferry to Jersey. It was a 12 hour drive to St Malo according to Tom so I decided I would need to stop on the way and I thought I would know that place when I reached it.
Lo and behold, I was driving through Lyon when I noticed a road sign pointing towards Villefranche sur Saone so I thought I would return there. You may recall that I went there on my way down to Tuscany and took photos of chocolate for Mandy. I had promised myself that I would take some time to stay there if I got the opportunity, and here was that opportunity. I went back to the hotel I had stayed at last time in the hope that they would have a room. Fortunately they did so I got myself settled and then headed down to Le Promenoir for a G & T in the sun. I really like Villefranche - I went shopping for a few things I needed - swimsuit, shorts and another pair of jeans since the ones I had brought with me were almost past their use by date. I spent a happy afternoon trying to shop in French and met a lovely woman who helped me with my French while I helped her with her English. Great sales technique - I bought quite a few things from her shop after spending about an hour there. I also found a laverie and managed to get my washing done. It felt quite a homely sort of place - not necessarily a hot destination on the tourist trail, but I enjoyed my time there.
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
Leaving Lucignano
I had spent a lovely fortnight in Lucignano but it was time to move on so I packed everything back into the LBR, said a fond farewell to Dario, receiving two rounds of the Italian cheek kissing, said farewell to Mama Dario and headed north towards Nice.
I arrived early afternoon and discovered that the hotel I had booked (Albert 1er, Rue de Phoceens)was so close to the Promenade des Anglais, that I was almost on the beach. Talk about good luck - you can't believe anything you read in accommodation guides so it is often a lottery, and so far not one I have won often so I was thrilled to discover that this one was a good one.
I promenaded down the promenade and walked back through the flower markets. I found an Irish pub which was offering fish and chips so I had an early dinner and a glass of wine. I went back to the hotel and got changed and went back to Ma Nolan's for an evening of Irish music and entertainment. I met up with a couple of NZ girls and it turned into a pretty messy night which didn't look too great the next day.
On the Sunday, despite feeling a little offcolour, I strolled along the promenade towards the Chateau and climbed what felt like hundreds of steps and took photos of the magnificent views over the Baie des Anges. I also passed the Cascades which were a very welcome cooling agent after the climb and climbed on up to the gardens at the top, which overlooked the old port. It certainly is a rugged coastline, but very beautiful.
The gardens closed at 7.00pm so I walked back down Rue Massena, one of the main shopping precincts in Nice, although it was closed by then. However, there were lots of cafes, bistrots and restaurants open and I stopped at one for dinner. I decided I wasn't too hungry so opted for 2 entrees but either one of them would have done me as a main meal, and both were delicious. After dinner, I headed back toward the hotel and found a restaurant called Le Maori but I couldn't see anything that looked even vaguely Maori about it. There were lots of street performers and sellers along the way. I was particularly intrigued to watch as artists using spray paints, creating wonderful pictures in only 3 - 5 minutes. Some of the techniques they used to create the effects were very clever, and I watched several works being created.
Easter Monday, and time to move on. Nice was lovely, and probably more so if money is no object, but it is hideously expensive.Before I left, I took one last stroll down to the flower markets, which had miraculously turned into a fleamarket. I spent quite some time puddling around the stalls and was surprised to find some real gems amongst the rubbish. There was some lovely china and silverware, as well as some cheaper stuff. I also found a second hand book stall which had some English books, so I got a couple of them and headed off to a cafe on the beachfront and sat and read one of my purchases while I had lunch, before I headed off to Beaulieu sur Mer.
I arrived early afternoon and discovered that the hotel I had booked (Albert 1er, Rue de Phoceens)was so close to the Promenade des Anglais, that I was almost on the beach. Talk about good luck - you can't believe anything you read in accommodation guides so it is often a lottery, and so far not one I have won often so I was thrilled to discover that this one was a good one.
I promenaded down the promenade and walked back through the flower markets. I found an Irish pub which was offering fish and chips so I had an early dinner and a glass of wine. I went back to the hotel and got changed and went back to Ma Nolan's for an evening of Irish music and entertainment. I met up with a couple of NZ girls and it turned into a pretty messy night which didn't look too great the next day.
On the Sunday, despite feeling a little offcolour, I strolled along the promenade towards the Chateau and climbed what felt like hundreds of steps and took photos of the magnificent views over the Baie des Anges. I also passed the Cascades which were a very welcome cooling agent after the climb and climbed on up to the gardens at the top, which overlooked the old port. It certainly is a rugged coastline, but very beautiful.
The gardens closed at 7.00pm so I walked back down Rue Massena, one of the main shopping precincts in Nice, although it was closed by then. However, there were lots of cafes, bistrots and restaurants open and I stopped at one for dinner. I decided I wasn't too hungry so opted for 2 entrees but either one of them would have done me as a main meal, and both were delicious. After dinner, I headed back toward the hotel and found a restaurant called Le Maori but I couldn't see anything that looked even vaguely Maori about it. There were lots of street performers and sellers along the way. I was particularly intrigued to watch as artists using spray paints, creating wonderful pictures in only 3 - 5 minutes. Some of the techniques they used to create the effects were very clever, and I watched several works being created.
Easter Monday, and time to move on. Nice was lovely, and probably more so if money is no object, but it is hideously expensive.Before I left, I took one last stroll down to the flower markets, which had miraculously turned into a fleamarket. I spent quite some time puddling around the stalls and was surprised to find some real gems amongst the rubbish. There was some lovely china and silverware, as well as some cheaper stuff. I also found a second hand book stall which had some English books, so I got a couple of them and headed off to a cafe on the beachfront and sat and read one of my purchases while I had lunch, before I headed off to Beaulieu sur Mer.
Long overdue but finally, here is a catch up
(Since my last blog) I still had 5 days left in Lucignano so I revisited Arezzo and arranged to hire a bike and spent the afternoon exploring further afield than I had done on my previous visits. I really enjoyed the feeling of the wind in my hair as I whizzed down the hills that took me so long to get up. They say you never forget how to ride a bike and despite a few wobbles early on, I did ok. However, I remember now why it was that I gave up bike riding on a regular basis - suffice to say that the drive home was uncomfortable and I decided to go to bed with a DVD rather than try and find a comfortable spot on the couch. It does get easier the more you do it but I now restrict myself to an hour at a time.
I did revisit Siena and it was a beautiful day so I enjoyed it much more than my first visit. I parked the car on the other side of the city this time and wandered for miles, eventually ending up back in the Piazza del Campo which was crowded but not overcrowded. I sat in the Piazza trying to eat my delicious chocolate gelato before it melted - nearly beat me but I put up a pretty good fight! Despite this, it is still not my favourite Italian city - that is still Florence.
Rome: what an amazing city. I wanted to see all the things I had studied and I wasn't disappointed. The Colosseum was wonderful but like many things I saw there, it felt dirty. The Trevi Fountain exceeded my expectations - I loved it (can you tell by the number of photos?) I threw my coin in order to return to Rome and a second coin to have my wish granted (must be quite a money spinner because I saw lots of people doing the same thing) I was surprised by the number of people who were just sitting in front of it admiring it - not that it is not admirable, just that I didn't expect to see so many on a midweek, midafternoon that was not a wonderful day. But then, Rome is a frantic city. The traffic is intolerable (I was relieved that Dario had told me that only lunatics drive in Rome and recommended I take the train from Arezzo) and there are people everywhere. I navigated the underground and came up at Flaminio where I found Via del Corso which is the best (and busiest) shopping street in Rome. At the end of Via del Corso, I discovered the Monumento Vittorio Emanuele II, which is where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded. The statue of Vittorio Emanuele completely stopped me in my tracks - huge, perfectly crafted and a complete surprise to me. Again, I took lots of photos. I climbed up all the steps, where officious people with whistles stop everyone from actually sitting on the steps, and took photos looking down on Piazza Venezia - roadworks and all.
I visited the Vatican City and checked out the queue for the Sistine Chapel and I think you must have to get there at 4.00am in order to view it before sunset. I did watch those poor people whose sole purpose in life seems to be setting up (and presumably putting away again) for the weekly Wednesday Audience. I tried to imagine what better way there could be of doing it but I guess it keeps at least 15 people in work. I was lucky enough to suddenly be surrounded by a tour group, with an English speaking (German) tour guide so I learnt quite a bit about Basilica Saint Pietro.
I hopped back on a Tour bus and headed back to the Railway Station in time to catch my train back to Arezzo (it only took an hour)
As I may have mentioned, I love Florence so it will come as no surprise to learn that I did yet another visit. I had lunch in Piazza San Signoria, finishing it off with my favourite 'macedonie', which is just a fabulous way of saying fruit salad. (The difference between what I get whenever I have macedonie and what I get when I order fruit salad at home is that macedonie is a great mix of exotic fruits (melons, mango etc) as well as some more common fruits - apples, pears, kiwifruit; and it is all so fresh and chilled just right (divine) while fruit salad is predominantly apples, oranges, pears with the odd exotic).
After lunch, I went wandering and found a very busy market where you could buy lots of tourist rubbish but also some great leather bags, and silk scarves, which I resisted (the bags anyway). I strolled back across Ponte Vecchio and picked up the car and headed back to Lucignano.
I did revisit Siena and it was a beautiful day so I enjoyed it much more than my first visit. I parked the car on the other side of the city this time and wandered for miles, eventually ending up back in the Piazza del Campo which was crowded but not overcrowded. I sat in the Piazza trying to eat my delicious chocolate gelato before it melted - nearly beat me but I put up a pretty good fight! Despite this, it is still not my favourite Italian city - that is still Florence.
Rome: what an amazing city. I wanted to see all the things I had studied and I wasn't disappointed. The Colosseum was wonderful but like many things I saw there, it felt dirty. The Trevi Fountain exceeded my expectations - I loved it (can you tell by the number of photos?) I threw my coin in order to return to Rome and a second coin to have my wish granted (must be quite a money spinner because I saw lots of people doing the same thing) I was surprised by the number of people who were just sitting in front of it admiring it - not that it is not admirable, just that I didn't expect to see so many on a midweek, midafternoon that was not a wonderful day. But then, Rome is a frantic city. The traffic is intolerable (I was relieved that Dario had told me that only lunatics drive in Rome and recommended I take the train from Arezzo) and there are people everywhere. I navigated the underground and came up at Flaminio where I found Via del Corso which is the best (and busiest) shopping street in Rome. At the end of Via del Corso, I discovered the Monumento Vittorio Emanuele II, which is where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded. The statue of Vittorio Emanuele completely stopped me in my tracks - huge, perfectly crafted and a complete surprise to me. Again, I took lots of photos. I climbed up all the steps, where officious people with whistles stop everyone from actually sitting on the steps, and took photos looking down on Piazza Venezia - roadworks and all.
I visited the Vatican City and checked out the queue for the Sistine Chapel and I think you must have to get there at 4.00am in order to view it before sunset. I did watch those poor people whose sole purpose in life seems to be setting up (and presumably putting away again) for the weekly Wednesday Audience. I tried to imagine what better way there could be of doing it but I guess it keeps at least 15 people in work. I was lucky enough to suddenly be surrounded by a tour group, with an English speaking (German) tour guide so I learnt quite a bit about Basilica Saint Pietro.
I hopped back on a Tour bus and headed back to the Railway Station in time to catch my train back to Arezzo (it only took an hour)
As I may have mentioned, I love Florence so it will come as no surprise to learn that I did yet another visit. I had lunch in Piazza San Signoria, finishing it off with my favourite 'macedonie', which is just a fabulous way of saying fruit salad. (The difference between what I get whenever I have macedonie and what I get when I order fruit salad at home is that macedonie is a great mix of exotic fruits (melons, mango etc) as well as some more common fruits - apples, pears, kiwifruit; and it is all so fresh and chilled just right (divine) while fruit salad is predominantly apples, oranges, pears with the odd exotic).
After lunch, I went wandering and found a very busy market where you could buy lots of tourist rubbish but also some great leather bags, and silk scarves, which I resisted (the bags anyway). I strolled back across Ponte Vecchio and picked up the car and headed back to Lucignano.
Friday, 20 April 2007
Photos updated
Well it has taken me a while but I have sorted all, labelled all, deleted some (Italy) and added some (Italy and France), but I haven't yet got round to doing any writing. It's been a bit hectic but hopefully by the end of this weekend (my time) I should have updated the story as well. Catch up with everyone soon.
Cheers
Helen
Cheers
Helen
Monday, 2 April 2007
Return to Florence
I have decided that Florence is probably my favourite city so far in Italy. I went back there again yesterday intending to see the Ponte Vecchio and visit the Uffizi Gallery. I managed to get a park not to far along from the bridge and meandered along in the sun for the 10 minutes or so that it took me to get to the bridge.
I wish I was wealthy enough to seriously look at all the beautiful gold in all the shops lining the bridge but window shopping was almost as much fun - I mean really, who could enjoy actually having to make a choice amongst all that, what stress!
I walked along Lungarno d. Archibusieri, past all the artists and street sellers towards the queue for the Uffizi where I was to spend the next 2 hours trying to communicate with a young Japanese girl who was travelling on her own. Her English was not good, my Japanese is non existent and our Italian was also useless so we spent the time gesticulating and miming to each other and she showed me her photos of Milan and Venice, since we had discovered that she had just been there and I would be going there (not quite sure how we got there but we did have 2 hours to spare).
After finally getting into the Uffizi, we went our separate ways. I know it's not PC to say this, but I was not as impressed as I expected to be. Yes, there are some lovely paintings and sculptures in the gallery but Edinburgh has a gallery full of paintings which are just as beautiful in their own way. I think the one that most surprised me was Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus'. In every copy I have seen, the colours seemed much more intense and vibrant than the reality. My preference was definitely the scupture collection and the visit was definitely worthwhile.
Next I headed out to the Piazza d. Signoria which was a real highlight. I just stood in the middle of it breathing in all the atmosphere. It was quite magnificent. The real 'David', Neptune, the people, the busy-ness - it all just stunned me. I spent a good hour just watching and admiring everything - I think I will have to go back again! I had gelato and sat in the sun - this is what I expected this trip to be.
(Photos will be uploaded tomorrow so check them out) Bye for now
I wish I was wealthy enough to seriously look at all the beautiful gold in all the shops lining the bridge but window shopping was almost as much fun - I mean really, who could enjoy actually having to make a choice amongst all that, what stress!
I walked along Lungarno d. Archibusieri, past all the artists and street sellers towards the queue for the Uffizi where I was to spend the next 2 hours trying to communicate with a young Japanese girl who was travelling on her own. Her English was not good, my Japanese is non existent and our Italian was also useless so we spent the time gesticulating and miming to each other and she showed me her photos of Milan and Venice, since we had discovered that she had just been there and I would be going there (not quite sure how we got there but we did have 2 hours to spare).
After finally getting into the Uffizi, we went our separate ways. I know it's not PC to say this, but I was not as impressed as I expected to be. Yes, there are some lovely paintings and sculptures in the gallery but Edinburgh has a gallery full of paintings which are just as beautiful in their own way. I think the one that most surprised me was Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus'. In every copy I have seen, the colours seemed much more intense and vibrant than the reality. My preference was definitely the scupture collection and the visit was definitely worthwhile.
Next I headed out to the Piazza d. Signoria which was a real highlight. I just stood in the middle of it breathing in all the atmosphere. It was quite magnificent. The real 'David', Neptune, the people, the busy-ness - it all just stunned me. I spent a good hour just watching and admiring everything - I think I will have to go back again! I had gelato and sat in the sun - this is what I expected this trip to be.
(Photos will be uploaded tomorrow so check them out) Bye for now
Pisa
I can't believe I have been in Lucignano for a week already - how the time is flying. As I have said, Lucignano is very central so on Saturday, I drove up to Pisa. It was a beautiful day and Pisa is a delightful city. After parking my car in a place I thought was reasonably central, I walked for miles trying to find the Tower. It was a wonderful stroll, up Corso Italia which has some stunning shopping which I managed to resist despite some serious handbag and shoe shops. I was amazed by the Tower, as much by its colour as much as its lean. I didn't expect it to be quite so white. The Piazza del Duomo was full of people out enjoying the beautiful spring day and I enjoyed watching the world go by. Of course, I heard a few Americans and some English but by far the most common visitor seemed to be either Italian or German. I sat at one of the Trattoria and had a delicious lunch, along with what seemed like half the world. I had to go and move the car since I don't want to get any more tickets - I wouldn't even know where/how to pay one here! so I walked the many miles back to the car and brought it back a bit closer so I could stay a bit longer, it really was beautiful. Needless to say, the photos say it better than I could.
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