Rob's Trip 2012 - Plus others
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Cities I've visited
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Final Installment of Trip 2011
5/10
Get limo out to Heathrow. Everything runs very smoothly and Virgin seem very efficient. Their lounge at Heathrow is spectacular. On the plane, have ordered vegetarian food but we note that, unlike any other airline, there are vegetarian dishes on the main menu. However, they are determined we should have the 'special' vegetarian meal which turns out to be leaves with tomato, cucumber, asparagus and peppers with no dressing. Ask to eat the main menu food.
Pudong Airport (brand new) seems virtually empty. Terrifying taxi journey through Pudong (Ann here - it was not terrifying it was heart stopping, traumatic, the scariest event EVER). Hotel is huge (66 floors). We've been put on the 49th floor so we can have a 'special' view of Shanghai. It's a bit too special for Ann's liking, ie it has ceiling to floor windows with views over Shanghai and down to the street. Close the curtains. Bathroom has three doors. Huge swivelling TV in middle of the room. Have access to the Royal Club Lounge which has free breakfast, afternoon teas, cocktail sessions etc etc and turns out to be a great base (Ann - on floor 44). Decide to wander down Nanjing Road to the Bund, not realising it is a public holiday with 6.5m extra visitors in Shanghai (on top of the 20m+ already living there) most of them seemingly on Nanjing Road. Run for cover (Ann - I want to go to Auckland NOW). Eat in one of the hotel's six restaurants, Italian.
6/10
Decide to go to Shanghai Museum which is across People's Square. Lured into People's Park we have another 'unfound' moment but this is beneficial as we get to see how the park is used for sitting, exercise, children's fairground, watching, even playing boules. A green oasis in the middle of downtown Shanghai. Bump into the Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum which we had intended to visit but it has been taken over by a PIXAR Exhibition, ironically the day after Steve Jobs' death. Eventually get to the museum which is a very manageable experience. First thing I see is Te Ao Maori (Ann goes for the ceramics), an exhibition of artefacts from Otago (Dunedin being twinned with Shanghai). Some good stuff, particularly the kete. The best standing exhibitions are the Ceramics, the Sculpture, and the Minorities. Well laid out, with good supporting information, though very little deference to modern museum visitor management, except for the shopping opportunities. Drink and eat in the Museum's tea rooms which demonstrate that China's understanding of hospitality and tourism still lag behind all the other developments. Then visit the Centre for Urban Planning (honest) which has a fantastic, huge, detailed, spectacular model of Shanghai which lights up every 15 minutes. In the evening go to hotel Chinese restaurant and persuade them to give us some (quite good) vegetarian food. Hotel wifi is spotty, not helped by the Chinese government's blocking of Facebook, blogs, much of Google, as well as Apple's blocking of Flash.
7/10
Meet Catherine the guide we hired through Localtours.com. Go in hired car to Zhujiajiao, a water town about 45 minutes from the centre. Based around a number of canals, it is 1700 years old and whilst now dedicated to tourism, retains the old buildings and structures, so gives a different view of Shanghai. Walk around a number of attractions, including an old large private house from the Ming period with domestic garden still being worked (green beans, spinach, squash), a couple of temples, and an old herbal pharmacy. Lots of quaint bridges including one where traditionally people put fish into the river for luck. Being tourists we buy some fish to put in the river. Having carefully freed them in the river, a man instantly pops up with a net looking to recycle them. Have Chrysanthemum tea in an old tea house overlooking the canals before renting a boat to take us through the canals back to where we started. Catherine turns out to be relaxed and helpful, taking a lot of pressure off us. Return by mid afternoon. Use the Lounge's facilities and then try Nanjing Road again. A bit quieter as the holiday is over, but because the population has had a three day holiday they have to work over the weekend. Amateur dancers and musicians on the street. Visit Shanghai no 1 Department Store and Shanghai no 1 Food Store. Meet a Chinese Kiwi woman who used to live in Auckland.
8/10
Go with Catherine by taxi to French Concession. It doesn't take long to get sense that it is very different, with low rise houses from early 20th century, trees, restaurants and bars, though as it is 9am Sunday, the busiest place is the Christian church (which is very busy and evangelical). Get the idea and move on to a large fabric market. Ann gets 6 meters of silk and arranges for two silk blouses to be made and delivered to the hotel within 24 hours. Then move, to our surprise to the Godly vegetarian restaurant (opened in 1922) for an early lunch. Very traditional upmarket Chinese restaurant, with a proper restaurant on the first floor, overlooking Nanjing Road West (address is 445 Nanjing Road West), and a noodle bar on the ground floor. Although the menu has reference to Chicken, shrimps, beef etc, Catherine assures us that anything that looks like an animal/fish is actually tofu. Have an excellent mini banquet, which includes Ann's favourite tofu style peking duck wraps with cucumber and hoisin sauce). Catherine, who got married very recently (in fact two days before, during the national holiday), demolishes a great deal of it. Then on to the old town where we visit the very interesting Yu Yuan gardens, move around the bazaar shopping, and then end up in the main tea-room on the bridges where we have flowering teas. Very enjoyable and different. In the afternoon it's the All Blacks vs Argentina in the quarter finals of Rugby World Cup and the hotel's Club Lounge is busy with Argentinians who, fortunately, end up very disappointed. I only mention I'm from NZ after the first All Black try.
9/10
Rob to Shanghai Institute of Technology for four hour meeting and 20 dish banquet lunch. Very humid after a few days of, for Shanghai, quite pleasant weather. Ann checks out Nanjing Road West, has a swim and decides to go nowhere near the spa (is that fungus I see?). In the evening, stroll up a cooler and quieter Nanjing Road (by Nanjing Road standards), taking photographs, popping into unusual shops, buying flowering and sleeping tea, as well as oranges. Go to the hotel's French restaurant where they (unlike any restaurant in Paris) have a vegetarian section to the menu. The hotel generally has been excellent, apart from the wifi and the spa, and the Club Lounge in particular is excellent value, with a very helpful manager, Stephanie. Packing nearly completed with the three non-extended suitcases that we started off with having been transformed successfully into four extended cases.
10/10
Off to the airport. Not being able to face another suicide taxi driver, have appropriated the hotel car, so we make a more sedate exit (at no more than 120kpmh). Pudong airport is brand new but lacks the modern touches. However, we get on the plane and before long (well after 12 sleepless hours) we are back in Auckland on 12/10.
For the first time since we set off over five weeks ago, we need the raincoats we had perfectly packed as it is teeming down. Unfortunately, we can't remember where they are. The first taxi refuses to take us because we have too much luggage but by 8.30 we are home and Daisy looks bewildered but happy as Ann comes through the front door. It's been a very interesting and exciting trip (sometimes too exciting). The first two weeks were a nightmare as the house sale started to go to custard, but after that (and after the house was sold) it was great. 8,000 years of history in four countries; 6 cities, lots of different churches, cathedrals, museums, exhibitions, cultures; a kaleidoscope of walking, looking, shopping, eating and wondering. Excellent.
Get limo out to Heathrow. Everything runs very smoothly and Virgin seem very efficient. Their lounge at Heathrow is spectacular. On the plane, have ordered vegetarian food but we note that, unlike any other airline, there are vegetarian dishes on the main menu. However, they are determined we should have the 'special' vegetarian meal which turns out to be leaves with tomato, cucumber, asparagus and peppers with no dressing. Ask to eat the main menu food.
Pudong Airport (brand new) seems virtually empty. Terrifying taxi journey through Pudong (Ann here - it was not terrifying it was heart stopping, traumatic, the scariest event EVER). Hotel is huge (66 floors). We've been put on the 49th floor so we can have a 'special' view of Shanghai. It's a bit too special for Ann's liking, ie it has ceiling to floor windows with views over Shanghai and down to the street. Close the curtains. Bathroom has three doors. Huge swivelling TV in middle of the room. Have access to the Royal Club Lounge which has free breakfast, afternoon teas, cocktail sessions etc etc and turns out to be a great base (Ann - on floor 44). Decide to wander down Nanjing Road to the Bund, not realising it is a public holiday with 6.5m extra visitors in Shanghai (on top of the 20m+ already living there) most of them seemingly on Nanjing Road. Run for cover (Ann - I want to go to Auckland NOW). Eat in one of the hotel's six restaurants, Italian.
6/10
Decide to go to Shanghai Museum which is across People's Square. Lured into People's Park we have another 'unfound' moment but this is beneficial as we get to see how the park is used for sitting, exercise, children's fairground, watching, even playing boules. A green oasis in the middle of downtown Shanghai. Bump into the Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum which we had intended to visit but it has been taken over by a PIXAR Exhibition, ironically the day after Steve Jobs' death. Eventually get to the museum which is a very manageable experience. First thing I see is Te Ao Maori (Ann goes for the ceramics), an exhibition of artefacts from Otago (Dunedin being twinned with Shanghai). Some good stuff, particularly the kete. The best standing exhibitions are the Ceramics, the Sculpture, and the Minorities. Well laid out, with good supporting information, though very little deference to modern museum visitor management, except for the shopping opportunities. Drink and eat in the Museum's tea rooms which demonstrate that China's understanding of hospitality and tourism still lag behind all the other developments. Then visit the Centre for Urban Planning (honest) which has a fantastic, huge, detailed, spectacular model of Shanghai which lights up every 15 minutes. In the evening go to hotel Chinese restaurant and persuade them to give us some (quite good) vegetarian food. Hotel wifi is spotty, not helped by the Chinese government's blocking of Facebook, blogs, much of Google, as well as Apple's blocking of Flash.
7/10
Meet Catherine the guide we hired through Localtours.com. Go in hired car to Zhujiajiao, a water town about 45 minutes from the centre. Based around a number of canals, it is 1700 years old and whilst now dedicated to tourism, retains the old buildings and structures, so gives a different view of Shanghai. Walk around a number of attractions, including an old large private house from the Ming period with domestic garden still being worked (green beans, spinach, squash), a couple of temples, and an old herbal pharmacy. Lots of quaint bridges including one where traditionally people put fish into the river for luck. Being tourists we buy some fish to put in the river. Having carefully freed them in the river, a man instantly pops up with a net looking to recycle them. Have Chrysanthemum tea in an old tea house overlooking the canals before renting a boat to take us through the canals back to where we started. Catherine turns out to be relaxed and helpful, taking a lot of pressure off us. Return by mid afternoon. Use the Lounge's facilities and then try Nanjing Road again. A bit quieter as the holiday is over, but because the population has had a three day holiday they have to work over the weekend. Amateur dancers and musicians on the street. Visit Shanghai no 1 Department Store and Shanghai no 1 Food Store. Meet a Chinese Kiwi woman who used to live in Auckland.
8/10
Go with Catherine by taxi to French Concession. It doesn't take long to get sense that it is very different, with low rise houses from early 20th century, trees, restaurants and bars, though as it is 9am Sunday, the busiest place is the Christian church (which is very busy and evangelical). Get the idea and move on to a large fabric market. Ann gets 6 meters of silk and arranges for two silk blouses to be made and delivered to the hotel within 24 hours. Then move, to our surprise to the Godly vegetarian restaurant (opened in 1922) for an early lunch. Very traditional upmarket Chinese restaurant, with a proper restaurant on the first floor, overlooking Nanjing Road West (address is 445 Nanjing Road West), and a noodle bar on the ground floor. Although the menu has reference to Chicken, shrimps, beef etc, Catherine assures us that anything that looks like an animal/fish is actually tofu. Have an excellent mini banquet, which includes Ann's favourite tofu style peking duck wraps with cucumber and hoisin sauce). Catherine, who got married very recently (in fact two days before, during the national holiday), demolishes a great deal of it. Then on to the old town where we visit the very interesting Yu Yuan gardens, move around the bazaar shopping, and then end up in the main tea-room on the bridges where we have flowering teas. Very enjoyable and different. In the afternoon it's the All Blacks vs Argentina in the quarter finals of Rugby World Cup and the hotel's Club Lounge is busy with Argentinians who, fortunately, end up very disappointed. I only mention I'm from NZ after the first All Black try.
9/10
Rob to Shanghai Institute of Technology for four hour meeting and 20 dish banquet lunch. Very humid after a few days of, for Shanghai, quite pleasant weather. Ann checks out Nanjing Road West, has a swim and decides to go nowhere near the spa (is that fungus I see?). In the evening, stroll up a cooler and quieter Nanjing Road (by Nanjing Road standards), taking photographs, popping into unusual shops, buying flowering and sleeping tea, as well as oranges. Go to the hotel's French restaurant where they (unlike any restaurant in Paris) have a vegetarian section to the menu. The hotel generally has been excellent, apart from the wifi and the spa, and the Club Lounge in particular is excellent value, with a very helpful manager, Stephanie. Packing nearly completed with the three non-extended suitcases that we started off with having been transformed successfully into four extended cases.
10/10
Off to the airport. Not being able to face another suicide taxi driver, have appropriated the hotel car, so we make a more sedate exit (at no more than 120kpmh). Pudong airport is brand new but lacks the modern touches. However, we get on the plane and before long (well after 12 sleepless hours) we are back in Auckland on 12/10.
For the first time since we set off over five weeks ago, we need the raincoats we had perfectly packed as it is teeming down. Unfortunately, we can't remember where they are. The first taxi refuses to take us because we have too much luggage but by 8.30 we are home and Daisy looks bewildered but happy as Ann comes through the front door. It's been a very interesting and exciting trip (sometimes too exciting). The first two weeks were a nightmare as the house sale started to go to custard, but after that (and after the house was sold) it was great. 8,000 years of history in four countries; 6 cities, lots of different churches, cathedrals, museums, exhibitions, cultures; a kaleidoscope of walking, looking, shopping, eating and wondering. Excellent.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
The next instalment
3/10 (roughly) Get the boat from Embankment down to Greenwich. It's one of the Thames Clippers which travel regularly and are not specifically for tourists. A dog adopts Ann and its owner explains to us how London should ban tourists. In the 30 or so years we have travelled up and down the river, it is amazing how it has changed with almost every bit of the riverside filled up now. It's always a great journey. The new Greenwich Pier, promised for the Millenium, is now being built, as is much of London where Olympic fever has led to the usual urban revamping that the event brings. Go through the centre of Greenwich which, if anything, is grubbier than it used to be, though the University of Greenwich seems to be expanding its territory even further. Arrive in the park and wind our way up to the Observatory. A few squirrels pop out to see us. At the top there is still one of the best views in the world, looking out over London. Another spot where you realise how much has changed, with all the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, the Gherkin and the soon to be completed Shard (the largest building in Europe). St Paul's is still there. Walk down through the centre of the University and bump into Andrew Dawson. Claiming to be the oldest member of the School of Humanities he brings us up to date with gossip and laments, in his time immemorial manner, the appalling nature of University management.
After lunch in the very sunny Victoria Gardens, we go to look for the old Temple church, with it's circular tower. End up initially at St Brides Church which is traditionally the church for journalists. Eventually find St Mary's Temple (behind an anonymous black door off Fleet Street). While it was badly damaged in World War II, it is much as it was when then the Templars owned it upto the 14th century. The state handed it over to the lawyers in the 17th century and it sits in the middle of the Inns, peaceful, elegant and little known. It's good to know that Christianity believes that journalists and lawyers are both redeemable.
Go along Fleet Street and pop into the Twinings shop which is based at the original tea shop of the early 18th century. Also find some exotic 19th century decoration in the foyer of the Lloyds Law Courts branch.
In the evening Steve and Rob wander aimlessly around the South Bank, eating, drinking, and catching up. The signs of autumn are back in the air.
4/11: last full day in London. Get to Ottolenghis for breakfast at last. Great food, though suspiciously like dinner. Do some final shopping, and get ourselves sorted out for the next day. The temperature has gone down 10 degrees and the humidity up 50%. in the evening go to the Masala Zone in Covent Garden. Another example of combining chain eating and good food. They explain the food, how best to enjoy it and even give tips on what to do when you get to Kerala. Really tasty and good value. Everything now packed but alarmingly with some space available in the bags.
After lunch in the very sunny Victoria Gardens, we go to look for the old Temple church, with it's circular tower. End up initially at St Brides Church which is traditionally the church for journalists. Eventually find St Mary's Temple (behind an anonymous black door off Fleet Street). While it was badly damaged in World War II, it is much as it was when then the Templars owned it upto the 14th century. The state handed it over to the lawyers in the 17th century and it sits in the middle of the Inns, peaceful, elegant and little known. It's good to know that Christianity believes that journalists and lawyers are both redeemable.
Go along Fleet Street and pop into the Twinings shop which is based at the original tea shop of the early 18th century. Also find some exotic 19th century decoration in the foyer of the Lloyds Law Courts branch.
In the evening Steve and Rob wander aimlessly around the South Bank, eating, drinking, and catching up. The signs of autumn are back in the air.
4/11: last full day in London. Get to Ottolenghis for breakfast at last. Great food, though suspiciously like dinner. Do some final shopping, and get ourselves sorted out for the next day. The temperature has gone down 10 degrees and the humidity up 50%. in the evening go to the Masala Zone in Covent Garden. Another example of combining chain eating and good food. They explain the food, how best to enjoy it and even give tips on what to do when you get to Kerala. Really tasty and good value. Everything now packed but alarmingly with some space available in the bags.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
A very Big Blog
2011 Europe and China
Since the house issue traumatized us for the first couple of weeks, writing about these has been drastically abbreviated and the journal proper begins after we arrived in the Andalusian hills to stay with Ed and Jan. Anything written before then has been slashed and so will read badly - promise!
5/9: Arrive in London on the Monday. Stay at CX.
6/9: Went to NG and NPG.
7/9: R to York for Conspiracy Conference. stayed at the Cedar Court Grand, which used to be the GNR Headquarters. Great hotel. Ann stays in London and meets up with Candice.
8/9: Ann decides to come to York a day early as the house situation is preoccupying us. Rob at conference, with Ann looking around York. Both of us have been able to acquire Senior Citizens Rail Cards which reduces rail fares significantly.
9/9: Rob's 65th birthday. Celebrates it by giving a paper at the conference. In the evening, have dinner in the hotel restaurant. Beautiful present of a gold tie pin made by Rolie.
10/9: hire car to get us over to Tickton Grange. Ann has to have a lesson in how to drive it!Get there via Hornsea, with a quick look at the outside of the house. Tickton Grange packed with wedding guests. Room seems too small so we ask to move to another one, which seems even smaller, so we move back. Eat in hotel restaurant which is renowned for it's food, and the vegetarian food is excellent. Are told that the chef will be happy to make special dishes for us if we choose to return for the other evenings. Very noisy night as guests return late from the wedding party, with one getting locked out. Not guaranteed to improve our temper.
11/9: Decide to do tiki tour of East Riding churches, moving from Hornsea down through Holderness. Not many are open but they are very impressive. A couple are open, including Patrington. Have another great meal in the hotel and have a chat with the chef. The service in the hotel is turning out to be very good with everyone keen to help.
Another good meal at the hotel helps, but we have decided that I can't return to London the following day.
12/9: Today is just too awful to write about.
13/9: Neither of us can return to London till tomorrow. A final good meal but we seem too exhausted to enjoy it.
14/9: Go to Courtaulds in the afternoon and have a good meal at Masala in the evening. Booked into one of the new Executive King rooms in the Buckingham extension of the CX. Better rooms once Ann has reorganized the couch tables and chairs to give a more sensible arrangement.
15/9: Ann goes to meet Sarah for the day (BL/lunch at NPG) and Rob to BL. Theatre in the evening to see Anthony Sher and Tara Fitzgerald in Arthur Miller's Breaking Glass. Not that clever and we leave at half-time.
16/9: Rob to see Catherine Churchill at Avery Hill to discuss syllabus+ timetabling. Ann goes to Science Fiction study day and shopping for Spain. In the evening meet up with Steve and Maggie with a celebratory champagne at the CX before going to Rasa for a good night out.
17/9: Final shopping and packing, with over half our stuff being left behind. Have acquired one extra bag, but all four are still full. Early bed for a 5.30 rise to go to Gatwick.
18/9: get hotel car to Gatwick. Early Sunday so get to airport at about 120 mph and spend lots of time not sitting in Koru Club lounge. 3 hour flight not in Air New Zealand Business Class and have to buy our own sandwiches. Cope admirably.
At Malaga airport, have been instructed by Jan to get taxi to Los Caballos restaurant at Alora which is 'big and easy to find'. At least the taxi driver - whose extensive English vocabulary stretches to 'no problem' - has heard of Alora and does not seem too worried that he has no idea of where Los Caballos is, or how to work his SatNav. The allennz angel, however, appears out of nowhere and places the restaurant by the roadside just as the taxi driver sets off for Madrid. Jan and Dot turn up with big car and we head off into the hills to the house where they, with Ed and Pat and Andy (Jan's brother) are staying for the week. Andalucia is hotter than London. The place they have is huge and well done out with plenty of space for this odd collective, as well as a swimming pool. We have been promised an air conditioned room but it appears to have been cut off, potentially a problem with 32 degrees, but hopefully we put on the fan and open a window. In addition to the 7 inhabitants, Jan's friend Annie and two others - Eric and another Annie - are there for the evening. Eric suits the name - irrepressible, good humored, stubborn, chauvinistic - his long suffering, but amiable wife would better be named Ernie. A fairly good natured evening with lots of drink, though pervaded by the wide ranging prejudices of baby boomer English against virtually any group that is not a baby boomer English.
18/9: get the news that the sale of the house is complete.
It has been arranged to have a trip upto the lakes above Alora with last night's group of ten plus a couple more. Jan had said that, with Ed not too well, we probably wouldn't go anywhere (fine with us after the previous two weeks) but he is up for this trip and we set off in convoy. Annie is our driver and her knowledge of the area makes it a very interesting trip. Spectacular scenery, and spectacular engineering (the lakes are man made). At the side of one of the lakes - beautifully aquamarine - the dozen collect with Eric back on full throttle trying to get everyone to either swim, paddle an inflatable plastic canoe, or play boules. Despite the charm of the environment, he fails to have any great success, and we head off for lunch (at about 3o'clock). Jan's pessimism about the ability of the Spanish to cope with non-meat eaters is, temporarily at least, well founded, when the vegetarians are faced with the choice of a mixed salad or a house mixed salad. It turns out that the latter is the former with tuna, so we eat a lot of chips.
Return to the house via Alora, one of Andalucia's striking white towns, overseen by a grim castle. Quite pretty. There we hit the supermarket like a bunch of elderly London rioters. I buy champagne (but not as we know it Jim) for us all to celebrate. We then go with Annie to a travel agent to get tickets for the trip from Malaga to Seville. Annie's Spanish helps us get almost through the process until we are advised that we need to show our passports to spend the 63 Euros. There is some coming and going (literally) but we get them. After rescuing a kitten and buying flip flops for Pat, we get back to the house by 7.00. It is a long evening of eating and drinking, lasting until 1.00 am, and excluding Eric but an interesting day which showed off Andalucia.
19/9: intended to be a chill out day, for which the house and the weather are admirably suited. Have discovered how the air conditioning works. (press the button on the air conditioning control unit) which has made for a good but relatively short night's sleep. After chilling out for a couple of hours, someone reads that there is an interesting '40 minute walk' around the local area. Everyone seems up for this (excepting the eminently sensible Ann). The days so far have started overcast, with the real heat starting in the late morning, or when any group of English people start to go for a 40 minute walk (which is really' it turns out, 2+ hours long). Half way up to the destination (somewhat mundanely a television mast, with a view attached) half the group gives up. On returning to the house, Ed decides it is foolish for the others to continue on without water or hats, and sets off to meet them with water. When the others return some 20 minutes later but not having seen Ed, all hell is let loose and a search party goes out. For man in his condition, so much walking, mostly uphill, in 32 degrees, seems dangerous. Eventually he is found. In the evening, another long meal, but a smaller group, less drink, earlier bed and less talk of the end of Western civilization.
20/9: Jan takes us down to Alora station where we head off to Malaga, not knowing that Malaga Central is not the central station. A whirlwind tour of it persuades us to get back on the train and go to Malaga M.Z where we head off to Seville, about two and a half hours away. Spain's trains seem efficient, user-friendly, clean and fast. Get taxi to the hotel which is tucked away in the little cobbled streets of the old Jewish quarter, in fact so tucked away that the taxi driver doesn't want to go there and drops us off quite near at a spot that suits him. We will soon realize that male Spanish taxi drivers and waiters have been bred with a charm-free gene. The hotel - Fontecruz Seville - is a stylish boutique hotel with a combination of modern and traditional, including a swimming pool, a roof top bar ( we are told), and a restaurant dedicated to Jim Morrison and rock and roll (sic). The room we have - a junior suite - is certainly smart, with lots of space and storage, big bed, good bathroom, separate seating area. Unfortunately, the temperature is 24 degrees, and after five hours of full-on air conditioning, 23. This is the start of a saga that ends with Hector, the young manager (who has the genes of a taxi driver/waiter combined with the education and ethics of a PR expert) trying to persuade Ann to withdraw her comments from Trip Advisor by offering bottles of champagne, free holidays and discounts. For further details, see Trip Advisor. In the evening have an excellent orienteering tour in a horse and carriage. Builds up the appetite for Seville.
21/9: Visit Cathedral. Over the top, Gothic with a strong twist of neo Baroque, tribute to the Catholic Church. Third largest church in the world (and largest Gothic). Fascinatingly monstrous. Would have broken Morris's heart. Start trying to get into Spanish ways of eating, acting, sleeping. Have been warned about the lack of vegetarian food but it becomes obvious that, in Seville at least, if you are happy to eat a number of tapas (or 'media' half portions), you can easily get by, at least for a few days. Look forward to spinach and chick peas, aubergines, pisto, etc. Take a siesta in the afternoon and then go to the Alcazar, Seville's Moorish monument. Peaceful and beautiful, it is a tasteful antidote to the Cathedral.On our way to what we hoped was dinner, whilst looking for the place to buy flamenco tickets, we get lost (well Ann thinks 'unfound'). We do eventually eat, and get the tickets, but decide not to travel without a street map (or with each other). End up the evening dangling our feet in the pool for half an hour.
22/9: set off the Calle Sierpes, which is the main shopping street. Although still passing through lanes, this is smarter area than the Jewish Quarter. On our way to the Museo Belles Artes, we call in at the new Mercado - market - which has some luscious fruits and vegetables and associated goodies, together with some dead rabbits. The market is underneath a new regeneration project which includes huge mushroom-like, Frank Lloyd derived structures. Fairly weird. Then go to the museum which is based in a 17th century convent and includes everything from the 13th to the 20th century. Real delight and discover some new painters we have never heard of, notably Pacheco. A really good example of a European provincial museum. In the evening go to a flamenco show in the Casablanca de la Memories. This is a community centre based in an 18th century courtyard, which gives nightly shows of flamenco music and dance. There is a guitarist, a singer and male and female dancer. It's an hour of 19th and early 20th century flamenco. Very dramatic. Spend the rest of the evening trying to sort out Hector.
23/9: up earlier and get the train to Cordoba. Go straight to the Mesquita, the 8th/9th century Moorish mosque which is overlaid by a later 13th century church, retaining elements of both, including 850 Moorish columns. Brilliant. Can only be explained by looking at the photographs. Wander up through the Jewish quarter, have lunch in a nice courtyard, eat an ice-cream (well three)' buy some silver filigree boxes for people at home, and then get the Ave back to Seville. In the evening went to place off the tourist track and had a (fairly) proper meal. After a brief discussion of our proposed Hectorcide, we had a relaxed evening compared with the helper-skelter of tapas eating. Found two waiters with a missing gene. And so to bed with a theoretically free and last day in Seville tomorrow.
24/9: final day and meant to be chill out. Set off on a wander looking to visit the park we had seen on our first night. Manage to confuse the Palace Maria Luisa with the University, end up patrolling main streets, and give up. Undaunted we continued to chill out in 32 degrees. Try to find shops for fans/shawls but it is Sunday and the Spanish go to church and don't shop. After a usual siesta in the hotel, in the late afternoon, we went to try the shops and Ann managed to find not one fan but five. We then took a repeat carriage tour except this was the Grand Tour which included the Jewish Quarter, the Bull Ring, both sides of the river, some of Triana,, and then the original tour. Really good as the temperature dropped and the sky turned pink. Managed to get lost (unfound) again looking for something to eat (how on earth do the Spanish wait until after 10 to eat?) but end up in cheap and cheerful Middle Eastern restaurant with great Babaganoush and Falafel. For the time being we hope never to see another tapas.
25/9: up early for the flight. Ann has withdrawn the initial 'no aircon' Trip advisor posting but has an even more thought provoking (ie Hector provoking) version for posting after departure. However, we refuse the discount, champagne and holiday offered by Hector. Traveling EasyJet turns out to be easier than expected despite getting on the plane not knowing what seat you will be sitting in. Ann has discovered Speedy Boarding, which allows you, for 5 quid and minimal pummelling of nearby people, to get on early enough to get a reasonable seat. Having to pay for your food remains an interesting feature of such travel. The sandwiches are so big and heavy that an EasyJet crash would have more fatalities because of falling sandwiches than falling passengers. Get to the CX early afternoon. By now, we have been traveling long enough to never accept the first room we are offered and eventually choose the third one because of it's sofa and sound levels. Swear that when we return, we will wait until the fourth room before accepting it. Spend the rest of the day in the bar, sorting things out, doing laundry (well getting someone else to do the laundry) and trying to find out where the valuables we had left behind, supposedly in the Office safe, are actually based. Leads to a further complimentary apologetic bottle of wine. Eat in-room where tapas is banned.
26/9: London day with nothing planned except Ottolenghis new restaurant - NOPI - in the evening. Have a wander, get my hair cut., do some shopping. Pret A Manger has become the standard breakfast place, where their Flat White with an extra shot is an approximation of a good coffee. Their Bircher Muesli with yoghurt is also excellent. The old Italian Strand Cafe, with it's sausage sandwiches has closed. Go back to the hotel and I spend a couple of hours trying to calm AUT down. We have decided to stick with three nights in Paris, despite an inclination to spend extra time in London. In the afternoon, have another wander. London is having the summer it missed so the walk is pleasant. We find Carluccios new base, have a drink in Covent Garden. We visit the world's coolest 'shop' - the Apple Store - which has no tills, no counters, you can use/touch anything and people will give you lessons on how to cut and paste on an ipad. Then back to the hotel to prepare for Paris. In the evening go to NOPI. Get all their vegetarian dishes and it is a feast and taste bomb. See Trip Advisor
27/9: leave for Paris via Eurostar. Travel on an EconomyPlus (or BusinessMinus) package. Relatively comfortable with free refreshments. See the once-mythical Ebbsfleet Station. Takes less than 2.5 hours and get there mid- afternoon. Both Paris and London have decided to have a late September heatwave with temperatures of 28 degrees, so not much different from Seville really. Staying at the Relais St Germain at the Carrefours de L'Odeon. It's a 22 bedroom, 17th century house run by one of France's most famous chefs and his wife. It has an eccentric restaurant attached - Le Comptoir - which runs as a brasserie during the day and has a six month booking in advance, haute restaurant in the evening with prix fixee, menu fixee meal (inevitably not for vegetarians). Great location, not far from the river with lots of shops, cafes and history around it. Have a wander around and end up in the nearby Luxembourg gardens, but it is extremely hot. In the evening find a small wine bar with expensive wines and only four seats outside, which also serves nice cheeses (claiming they are designed for the wine). Accepting that vegetarians and French cuisine are still incompatible, have a reasonable Italian meal.
28/9: have breakfast at Le Comptoir. Standard fresh juice, fruit and yoghurt, five breads and cheese. Ham and boiled eggs are also available. Great produce (even the bakers' names are given on the menu). Very delicious (and almost sensible). Then walk to churches at St Suplice and St Germain de Pres before visiting the Musee Delacroix, which is based in the apartment that the painter lived in during the latter part of his life. A small museum showing the man's life and friends and some of his work. While neither of us is that keen on the painting, still interesting visit. Wander down through the streets to the river looking at macaroons (and the many other upmarket shops) and then on to the Musee D'Orsay to see the V&As Cult of Beauty exhibition, renamed for the French market Voluptousness and Decadence in the England of Oscar Wilde. Excellent, with much of Burne Jones, Morris and Whistler etc but also the designers (Jeckyll, Dresser, De Morgan etc) and the life style with a lot of greenery yallery around. Very satisfying though in danger of over unifying the aesthetic movement. Both Ann and I notice that the Arts and Crafts movement seems to have disappeared.
Get taxi to the museum of the Modern Ages, now trying to rebrand itself as the Musee Cluny. Set on the site of an old Roman Baths, subsequently covered by an Abbey and then turned into a 17th Century hotel, it is an exceptional collection of everything from 55 BC to the early 16th century. All sorts of sculptures, paintings, objects with some beautiful ceramics, gold and silver, stained glass going back to the Visigoths. The stained glass is particularly interesting because it links so obviously to the work of BJ and Morris that we had seen in the morning. A real surprise. In the evening, after a more expensive glass of wine and even more cheese at the wine bar, track down one of the few Parisian vegetarian restaurants - Le Grenier de Notre Dame. Open since 1978 it claims, which is demonstrated by the food which is early Cranks wholesome. However, it's full of vegetables. Head back to the hotel and persuade Le Comptoir, packed with it's pig-swilling gourmands, to provide a nice Chablis for us, sitting outside the hotel. An accordion player turns up to play for us.
29/9: head off to find a food market which turns out to be just around the corner - St Germain Marche. Ann dies and goes to heaven and purchases three packets of dried mushrooms of unusual nature. Wander round some of the streets which we missed yesterday. Very interesting, and just off the tourist track which runs down Boulevard St Germain. Read later in the day that Rod Stewart had commented that, walking around Paris gives you the feeling that no one in the city has to work for a living. Walk over the bridge to the Isle de Cite and down to Notre Dame. As a Gothic Cathedral, much more satisfying than Seville's. The outside has interesting decoration, and the inside some good glass. Ann gets some great photographs. I learn that wearing sunglasses in a Gothic Cathedral makes it difficult to appreciate.
Walk back to the left bank, and down to the Jardin des Plantes. It's the old Royal garden of the 17th century, with three scientific museums and a zoo added. The gardens turn out to be lovely, with great bushes of all sorts of morning glories. Then get taxi to Musee de L'Orangerie in the Tuileries. A small, modernized museum with the impressionist/early modernist collections of two individuals in the basement (with some great Rousseau) and on the top floor, two rooms with huge canvasses of Monet's last waterlilies. Hard to describe, so look at Ann's pictures. Another excellent museum. In the evening start to despair at the possibility of finding anything vegetarian to eat. The French approach to eating is noisy, crowded and determinedly carnivore. We end up in another Italian restaurant, but this time with no redeeming features. A bottle of wine is 20 Euros and a glass 11! Leave quickly. Our idea of having a final glass of wine in our little wine bar is foiled by it being full (ie having four people in it). However, solve the problem by sitting inside the hotel (with air conditioning but looking out to the 24 degree Carrefours de L'Odeon and watching the world go by.
1/1: Have breakfast and then another look at the Marche which is just wakening up for a busy Saturday. Catch the 11.13 Eurostar. Go back to CX where, disturbingly, we accept the first room offered. For the first time the sofa doesn't need moving. Then have a three hour rampage on luggage. How to prepare for three days in London and four days in Shanghai; manage the laundry; get all our accumulated stuff into 4 bags (as opposed to the three we left with) and make our hotel room liveable. Sort of resolve this, but finish up with an early night and a broken TV.
2/11: Head off to Ottolenghis for breakfast - they had been advertising this new initiative when we had dinner there. Not open. Helpfully the Pret next to Libertys is empty and they offer us our preferred breakfast with table service. Get taxi to V&A with the intention of having a look and then going to Leighton House. Although it's a very hot day (27) the internal garden/cafe provides us with a great base so we can have one hour forays, with coffee/food in between. Even manage to have a very good salad for lunch and Ann decides that she 'will never forgive the French for their outrageous treatment of vegetarians'.
In this way we manage six hours of shopping, Asian (China, Japan &Korea, as well as the Islamic Art ones) galleries, Britain 1790 to 1900 (which are new to us), silver and stained glass, etc. First time we have had the chance to really explore the museum rather than sticking to particular exhibitions or rooms. It also brings together the whole range of art and artefacts we have seen in the previous two weeks. I am now devoted to medievalism and Ann to C. R. Ashbee.
In the evening go to Carluccio's which we can remember as a high class restaurant with shop, and then a Bluewater outlet and which is now a very modern 45 outlet chain with good quality, high speed, high noise, young profile, Italian eating experience. Great antipasti ferrite, and they allow a shared tasting plate of 3 of their pastas. Too noisy to stay long, but a good eating experience. Retire to hotel for an evening in the bar with iPads.
Since the house issue traumatized us for the first couple of weeks, writing about these has been drastically abbreviated and the journal proper begins after we arrived in the Andalusian hills to stay with Ed and Jan. Anything written before then has been slashed and so will read badly - promise!
5/9: Arrive in London on the Monday. Stay at CX.
6/9: Went to NG and NPG.
7/9: R to York for Conspiracy Conference. stayed at the Cedar Court Grand, which used to be the GNR Headquarters. Great hotel. Ann stays in London and meets up with Candice.
8/9: Ann decides to come to York a day early as the house situation is preoccupying us. Rob at conference, with Ann looking around York. Both of us have been able to acquire Senior Citizens Rail Cards which reduces rail fares significantly.
9/9: Rob's 65th birthday. Celebrates it by giving a paper at the conference. In the evening, have dinner in the hotel restaurant. Beautiful present of a gold tie pin made by Rolie.
10/9: hire car to get us over to Tickton Grange. Ann has to have a lesson in how to drive it!Get there via Hornsea, with a quick look at the outside of the house. Tickton Grange packed with wedding guests. Room seems too small so we ask to move to another one, which seems even smaller, so we move back. Eat in hotel restaurant which is renowned for it's food, and the vegetarian food is excellent. Are told that the chef will be happy to make special dishes for us if we choose to return for the other evenings. Very noisy night as guests return late from the wedding party, with one getting locked out. Not guaranteed to improve our temper.
11/9: Decide to do tiki tour of East Riding churches, moving from Hornsea down through Holderness. Not many are open but they are very impressive. A couple are open, including Patrington. Have another great meal in the hotel and have a chat with the chef. The service in the hotel is turning out to be very good with everyone keen to help.
Another good meal at the hotel helps, but we have decided that I can't return to London the following day.
12/9: Today is just too awful to write about.
13/9: Neither of us can return to London till tomorrow. A final good meal but we seem too exhausted to enjoy it.
14/9: Go to Courtaulds in the afternoon and have a good meal at Masala in the evening. Booked into one of the new Executive King rooms in the Buckingham extension of the CX. Better rooms once Ann has reorganized the couch tables and chairs to give a more sensible arrangement.
15/9: Ann goes to meet Sarah for the day (BL/lunch at NPG) and Rob to BL. Theatre in the evening to see Anthony Sher and Tara Fitzgerald in Arthur Miller's Breaking Glass. Not that clever and we leave at half-time.
16/9: Rob to see Catherine Churchill at Avery Hill to discuss syllabus+ timetabling. Ann goes to Science Fiction study day and shopping for Spain. In the evening meet up with Steve and Maggie with a celebratory champagne at the CX before going to Rasa for a good night out.
17/9: Final shopping and packing, with over half our stuff being left behind. Have acquired one extra bag, but all four are still full. Early bed for a 5.30 rise to go to Gatwick.
18/9: get hotel car to Gatwick. Early Sunday so get to airport at about 120 mph and spend lots of time not sitting in Koru Club lounge. 3 hour flight not in Air New Zealand Business Class and have to buy our own sandwiches. Cope admirably.
At Malaga airport, have been instructed by Jan to get taxi to Los Caballos restaurant at Alora which is 'big and easy to find'. At least the taxi driver - whose extensive English vocabulary stretches to 'no problem' - has heard of Alora and does not seem too worried that he has no idea of where Los Caballos is, or how to work his SatNav. The allennz angel, however, appears out of nowhere and places the restaurant by the roadside just as the taxi driver sets off for Madrid. Jan and Dot turn up with big car and we head off into the hills to the house where they, with Ed and Pat and Andy (Jan's brother) are staying for the week. Andalucia is hotter than London. The place they have is huge and well done out with plenty of space for this odd collective, as well as a swimming pool. We have been promised an air conditioned room but it appears to have been cut off, potentially a problem with 32 degrees, but hopefully we put on the fan and open a window. In addition to the 7 inhabitants, Jan's friend Annie and two others - Eric and another Annie - are there for the evening. Eric suits the name - irrepressible, good humored, stubborn, chauvinistic - his long suffering, but amiable wife would better be named Ernie. A fairly good natured evening with lots of drink, though pervaded by the wide ranging prejudices of baby boomer English against virtually any group that is not a baby boomer English.
18/9: get the news that the sale of the house is complete.
It has been arranged to have a trip upto the lakes above Alora with last night's group of ten plus a couple more. Jan had said that, with Ed not too well, we probably wouldn't go anywhere (fine with us after the previous two weeks) but he is up for this trip and we set off in convoy. Annie is our driver and her knowledge of the area makes it a very interesting trip. Spectacular scenery, and spectacular engineering (the lakes are man made). At the side of one of the lakes - beautifully aquamarine - the dozen collect with Eric back on full throttle trying to get everyone to either swim, paddle an inflatable plastic canoe, or play boules. Despite the charm of the environment, he fails to have any great success, and we head off for lunch (at about 3o'clock). Jan's pessimism about the ability of the Spanish to cope with non-meat eaters is, temporarily at least, well founded, when the vegetarians are faced with the choice of a mixed salad or a house mixed salad. It turns out that the latter is the former with tuna, so we eat a lot of chips.
Return to the house via Alora, one of Andalucia's striking white towns, overseen by a grim castle. Quite pretty. There we hit the supermarket like a bunch of elderly London rioters. I buy champagne (but not as we know it Jim) for us all to celebrate. We then go with Annie to a travel agent to get tickets for the trip from Malaga to Seville. Annie's Spanish helps us get almost through the process until we are advised that we need to show our passports to spend the 63 Euros. There is some coming and going (literally) but we get them. After rescuing a kitten and buying flip flops for Pat, we get back to the house by 7.00. It is a long evening of eating and drinking, lasting until 1.00 am, and excluding Eric but an interesting day which showed off Andalucia.
19/9: intended to be a chill out day, for which the house and the weather are admirably suited. Have discovered how the air conditioning works. (press the button on the air conditioning control unit) which has made for a good but relatively short night's sleep. After chilling out for a couple of hours, someone reads that there is an interesting '40 minute walk' around the local area. Everyone seems up for this (excepting the eminently sensible Ann). The days so far have started overcast, with the real heat starting in the late morning, or when any group of English people start to go for a 40 minute walk (which is really' it turns out, 2+ hours long). Half way up to the destination (somewhat mundanely a television mast, with a view attached) half the group gives up. On returning to the house, Ed decides it is foolish for the others to continue on without water or hats, and sets off to meet them with water. When the others return some 20 minutes later but not having seen Ed, all hell is let loose and a search party goes out. For man in his condition, so much walking, mostly uphill, in 32 degrees, seems dangerous. Eventually he is found. In the evening, another long meal, but a smaller group, less drink, earlier bed and less talk of the end of Western civilization.
20/9: Jan takes us down to Alora station where we head off to Malaga, not knowing that Malaga Central is not the central station. A whirlwind tour of it persuades us to get back on the train and go to Malaga M.Z where we head off to Seville, about two and a half hours away. Spain's trains seem efficient, user-friendly, clean and fast. Get taxi to the hotel which is tucked away in the little cobbled streets of the old Jewish quarter, in fact so tucked away that the taxi driver doesn't want to go there and drops us off quite near at a spot that suits him. We will soon realize that male Spanish taxi drivers and waiters have been bred with a charm-free gene. The hotel - Fontecruz Seville - is a stylish boutique hotel with a combination of modern and traditional, including a swimming pool, a roof top bar ( we are told), and a restaurant dedicated to Jim Morrison and rock and roll (sic). The room we have - a junior suite - is certainly smart, with lots of space and storage, big bed, good bathroom, separate seating area. Unfortunately, the temperature is 24 degrees, and after five hours of full-on air conditioning, 23. This is the start of a saga that ends with Hector, the young manager (who has the genes of a taxi driver/waiter combined with the education and ethics of a PR expert) trying to persuade Ann to withdraw her comments from Trip Advisor by offering bottles of champagne, free holidays and discounts. For further details, see Trip Advisor. In the evening have an excellent orienteering tour in a horse and carriage. Builds up the appetite for Seville.
21/9: Visit Cathedral. Over the top, Gothic with a strong twist of neo Baroque, tribute to the Catholic Church. Third largest church in the world (and largest Gothic). Fascinatingly monstrous. Would have broken Morris's heart. Start trying to get into Spanish ways of eating, acting, sleeping. Have been warned about the lack of vegetarian food but it becomes obvious that, in Seville at least, if you are happy to eat a number of tapas (or 'media' half portions), you can easily get by, at least for a few days. Look forward to spinach and chick peas, aubergines, pisto, etc. Take a siesta in the afternoon and then go to the Alcazar, Seville's Moorish monument. Peaceful and beautiful, it is a tasteful antidote to the Cathedral.On our way to what we hoped was dinner, whilst looking for the place to buy flamenco tickets, we get lost (well Ann thinks 'unfound'). We do eventually eat, and get the tickets, but decide not to travel without a street map (or with each other). End up the evening dangling our feet in the pool for half an hour.
22/9: set off the Calle Sierpes, which is the main shopping street. Although still passing through lanes, this is smarter area than the Jewish Quarter. On our way to the Museo Belles Artes, we call in at the new Mercado - market - which has some luscious fruits and vegetables and associated goodies, together with some dead rabbits. The market is underneath a new regeneration project which includes huge mushroom-like, Frank Lloyd derived structures. Fairly weird. Then go to the museum which is based in a 17th century convent and includes everything from the 13th to the 20th century. Real delight and discover some new painters we have never heard of, notably Pacheco. A really good example of a European provincial museum. In the evening go to a flamenco show in the Casablanca de la Memories. This is a community centre based in an 18th century courtyard, which gives nightly shows of flamenco music and dance. There is a guitarist, a singer and male and female dancer. It's an hour of 19th and early 20th century flamenco. Very dramatic. Spend the rest of the evening trying to sort out Hector.
23/9: up earlier and get the train to Cordoba. Go straight to the Mesquita, the 8th/9th century Moorish mosque which is overlaid by a later 13th century church, retaining elements of both, including 850 Moorish columns. Brilliant. Can only be explained by looking at the photographs. Wander up through the Jewish quarter, have lunch in a nice courtyard, eat an ice-cream (well three)' buy some silver filigree boxes for people at home, and then get the Ave back to Seville. In the evening went to place off the tourist track and had a (fairly) proper meal. After a brief discussion of our proposed Hectorcide, we had a relaxed evening compared with the helper-skelter of tapas eating. Found two waiters with a missing gene. And so to bed with a theoretically free and last day in Seville tomorrow.
24/9: final day and meant to be chill out. Set off on a wander looking to visit the park we had seen on our first night. Manage to confuse the Palace Maria Luisa with the University, end up patrolling main streets, and give up. Undaunted we continued to chill out in 32 degrees. Try to find shops for fans/shawls but it is Sunday and the Spanish go to church and don't shop. After a usual siesta in the hotel, in the late afternoon, we went to try the shops and Ann managed to find not one fan but five. We then took a repeat carriage tour except this was the Grand Tour which included the Jewish Quarter, the Bull Ring, both sides of the river, some of Triana,, and then the original tour. Really good as the temperature dropped and the sky turned pink. Managed to get lost (unfound) again looking for something to eat (how on earth do the Spanish wait until after 10 to eat?) but end up in cheap and cheerful Middle Eastern restaurant with great Babaganoush and Falafel. For the time being we hope never to see another tapas.
25/9: up early for the flight. Ann has withdrawn the initial 'no aircon' Trip advisor posting but has an even more thought provoking (ie Hector provoking) version for posting after departure. However, we refuse the discount, champagne and holiday offered by Hector. Traveling EasyJet turns out to be easier than expected despite getting on the plane not knowing what seat you will be sitting in. Ann has discovered Speedy Boarding, which allows you, for 5 quid and minimal pummelling of nearby people, to get on early enough to get a reasonable seat. Having to pay for your food remains an interesting feature of such travel. The sandwiches are so big and heavy that an EasyJet crash would have more fatalities because of falling sandwiches than falling passengers. Get to the CX early afternoon. By now, we have been traveling long enough to never accept the first room we are offered and eventually choose the third one because of it's sofa and sound levels. Swear that when we return, we will wait until the fourth room before accepting it. Spend the rest of the day in the bar, sorting things out, doing laundry (well getting someone else to do the laundry) and trying to find out where the valuables we had left behind, supposedly in the Office safe, are actually based. Leads to a further complimentary apologetic bottle of wine. Eat in-room where tapas is banned.
26/9: London day with nothing planned except Ottolenghis new restaurant - NOPI - in the evening. Have a wander, get my hair cut., do some shopping. Pret A Manger has become the standard breakfast place, where their Flat White with an extra shot is an approximation of a good coffee. Their Bircher Muesli with yoghurt is also excellent. The old Italian Strand Cafe, with it's sausage sandwiches has closed. Go back to the hotel and I spend a couple of hours trying to calm AUT down. We have decided to stick with three nights in Paris, despite an inclination to spend extra time in London. In the afternoon, have another wander. London is having the summer it missed so the walk is pleasant. We find Carluccios new base, have a drink in Covent Garden. We visit the world's coolest 'shop' - the Apple Store - which has no tills, no counters, you can use/touch anything and people will give you lessons on how to cut and paste on an ipad. Then back to the hotel to prepare for Paris. In the evening go to NOPI. Get all their vegetarian dishes and it is a feast and taste bomb. See Trip Advisor
27/9: leave for Paris via Eurostar. Travel on an EconomyPlus (or BusinessMinus) package. Relatively comfortable with free refreshments. See the once-mythical Ebbsfleet Station. Takes less than 2.5 hours and get there mid- afternoon. Both Paris and London have decided to have a late September heatwave with temperatures of 28 degrees, so not much different from Seville really. Staying at the Relais St Germain at the Carrefours de L'Odeon. It's a 22 bedroom, 17th century house run by one of France's most famous chefs and his wife. It has an eccentric restaurant attached - Le Comptoir - which runs as a brasserie during the day and has a six month booking in advance, haute restaurant in the evening with prix fixee, menu fixee meal (inevitably not for vegetarians). Great location, not far from the river with lots of shops, cafes and history around it. Have a wander around and end up in the nearby Luxembourg gardens, but it is extremely hot. In the evening find a small wine bar with expensive wines and only four seats outside, which also serves nice cheeses (claiming they are designed for the wine). Accepting that vegetarians and French cuisine are still incompatible, have a reasonable Italian meal.
28/9: have breakfast at Le Comptoir. Standard fresh juice, fruit and yoghurt, five breads and cheese. Ham and boiled eggs are also available. Great produce (even the bakers' names are given on the menu). Very delicious (and almost sensible). Then walk to churches at St Suplice and St Germain de Pres before visiting the Musee Delacroix, which is based in the apartment that the painter lived in during the latter part of his life. A small museum showing the man's life and friends and some of his work. While neither of us is that keen on the painting, still interesting visit. Wander down through the streets to the river looking at macaroons (and the many other upmarket shops) and then on to the Musee D'Orsay to see the V&As Cult of Beauty exhibition, renamed for the French market Voluptousness and Decadence in the England of Oscar Wilde. Excellent, with much of Burne Jones, Morris and Whistler etc but also the designers (Jeckyll, Dresser, De Morgan etc) and the life style with a lot of greenery yallery around. Very satisfying though in danger of over unifying the aesthetic movement. Both Ann and I notice that the Arts and Crafts movement seems to have disappeared.
Get taxi to the museum of the Modern Ages, now trying to rebrand itself as the Musee Cluny. Set on the site of an old Roman Baths, subsequently covered by an Abbey and then turned into a 17th Century hotel, it is an exceptional collection of everything from 55 BC to the early 16th century. All sorts of sculptures, paintings, objects with some beautiful ceramics, gold and silver, stained glass going back to the Visigoths. The stained glass is particularly interesting because it links so obviously to the work of BJ and Morris that we had seen in the morning. A real surprise. In the evening, after a more expensive glass of wine and even more cheese at the wine bar, track down one of the few Parisian vegetarian restaurants - Le Grenier de Notre Dame. Open since 1978 it claims, which is demonstrated by the food which is early Cranks wholesome. However, it's full of vegetables. Head back to the hotel and persuade Le Comptoir, packed with it's pig-swilling gourmands, to provide a nice Chablis for us, sitting outside the hotel. An accordion player turns up to play for us.
29/9: head off to find a food market which turns out to be just around the corner - St Germain Marche. Ann dies and goes to heaven and purchases three packets of dried mushrooms of unusual nature. Wander round some of the streets which we missed yesterday. Very interesting, and just off the tourist track which runs down Boulevard St Germain. Read later in the day that Rod Stewart had commented that, walking around Paris gives you the feeling that no one in the city has to work for a living. Walk over the bridge to the Isle de Cite and down to Notre Dame. As a Gothic Cathedral, much more satisfying than Seville's. The outside has interesting decoration, and the inside some good glass. Ann gets some great photographs. I learn that wearing sunglasses in a Gothic Cathedral makes it difficult to appreciate.
Walk back to the left bank, and down to the Jardin des Plantes. It's the old Royal garden of the 17th century, with three scientific museums and a zoo added. The gardens turn out to be lovely, with great bushes of all sorts of morning glories. Then get taxi to Musee de L'Orangerie in the Tuileries. A small, modernized museum with the impressionist/early modernist collections of two individuals in the basement (with some great Rousseau) and on the top floor, two rooms with huge canvasses of Monet's last waterlilies. Hard to describe, so look at Ann's pictures. Another excellent museum. In the evening start to despair at the possibility of finding anything vegetarian to eat. The French approach to eating is noisy, crowded and determinedly carnivore. We end up in another Italian restaurant, but this time with no redeeming features. A bottle of wine is 20 Euros and a glass 11! Leave quickly. Our idea of having a final glass of wine in our little wine bar is foiled by it being full (ie having four people in it). However, solve the problem by sitting inside the hotel (with air conditioning but looking out to the 24 degree Carrefours de L'Odeon and watching the world go by.
1/1: Have breakfast and then another look at the Marche which is just wakening up for a busy Saturday. Catch the 11.13 Eurostar. Go back to CX where, disturbingly, we accept the first room offered. For the first time the sofa doesn't need moving. Then have a three hour rampage on luggage. How to prepare for three days in London and four days in Shanghai; manage the laundry; get all our accumulated stuff into 4 bags (as opposed to the three we left with) and make our hotel room liveable. Sort of resolve this, but finish up with an early night and a broken TV.
2/11: Head off to Ottolenghis for breakfast - they had been advertising this new initiative when we had dinner there. Not open. Helpfully the Pret next to Libertys is empty and they offer us our preferred breakfast with table service. Get taxi to V&A with the intention of having a look and then going to Leighton House. Although it's a very hot day (27) the internal garden/cafe provides us with a great base so we can have one hour forays, with coffee/food in between. Even manage to have a very good salad for lunch and Ann decides that she 'will never forgive the French for their outrageous treatment of vegetarians'.
In this way we manage six hours of shopping, Asian (China, Japan &Korea, as well as the Islamic Art ones) galleries, Britain 1790 to 1900 (which are new to us), silver and stained glass, etc. First time we have had the chance to really explore the museum rather than sticking to particular exhibitions or rooms. It also brings together the whole range of art and artefacts we have seen in the previous two weeks. I am now devoted to medievalism and Ann to C. R. Ashbee.
In the evening go to Carluccio's which we can remember as a high class restaurant with shop, and then a Bluewater outlet and which is now a very modern 45 outlet chain with good quality, high speed, high noise, young profile, Italian eating experience. Great antipasti ferrite, and they allow a shared tasting plate of 3 of their pastas. Too noisy to stay long, but a good eating experience. Retire to hotel for an evening in the bar with iPads.
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