Me and my shadow... and a moat!

So, I'm in Rhodes and the living is goooood! Here is a summary of my first trip into Rhodes (I am staying in Ixia, about 5 minutes north by bus). Here I am on the bus, there is even a seat at the back with an ocean view!
Once I arrived into Rhodes, I chose the "old town" for my first visit - as opposed to the "new town" (which isn't really new, but is certainly newer). My first introduction to the wonderfully preserved medieval old town was, to my delight, the moat!!!!

Yes, I truly was walking in a moat! It was very cool. If you click and read the below though, you will see it's not all fun and games, as thousands perished on this very spot in ancient conflicts. It's sobering... yet also neat to see new life here: people running, children playing, tourists and lots of greenery and flowers...

I was at the spot in this old town map shown by the read arrow (click to enlarge). I explored his and a couple of adjacent spots, maybe 3-5% of the total thing, and that took me an entire afternoon. So much more to still explore!

After exploring the moat, I stopped and had lunch: pork souvlaki! Tried for lamb, but to no avail. The places that are open this time of year have scaled back menus. But it was incredibly good, sitting there in the sun. I call this my "not Ouzo lunch" as the first carafe of wine he brought me was actually ouzo and was quite a surprise when I took my first sip! Didn't hate it though, and will try it again. In the end, drank the lovely wine quite happily....

After lunch I set out to explore a bit more... The city's road makes one short detour through the old town's walls - in one gate and immediately out the other - right at this spot (otherwise, cars in the old town are limited to residents [yes, people live in the old town!] and handicap vehicles. This bench I was sitting on was ancient (I think) and was right beside the ruins on the site of the Temple of Aphrodite (didn't get a good pic, will return later to get a good one I can post).

Here's starts the bit on my shadow.... For some reason, I was feeling playful (must have been the moat that did it!) and I was shooting my shadow all day... Here I am playing feet shadow puppets!

... and my legs as I walk on these cool stone paved sidewalks they have everywhere here.

The last spot of the old town I visited was right by the sea, and I caught this vista of the outer wall that looked out from a little courtyard as I entered it...

Super cool shot through the old wall, looking out to the ancient pier (still in use today, I think it's considered part if the new town, but not sure...). More on that shortly...

Now this is one cool shot: my shadow on the beach just outside the old walls... I took this picture looking through a slit in the wall, and I am lit up from behind in the dying sun of the day. Neat, eh?

This little guy was begging me to take his picture: (warning, if you don't care for cats, it's time to stop reading... heh)...

Pleeeaaaaassseee pet me?

I'd resisted the petting of Greece's cats until then, but rubbing up against my leg? I become putty in a cute kitty's paws....

... and "me and my shadow" takes on a whole new meaning!!! This guy was very reluctant to leave my side after a bit of attention, and followed me for quite awhile (sorry, computer is turning the picture on it's side, sigh...)...

Me and my shadow cat....

Still have a few more pics of the day to share, but first this: the view on my way home at the end of the day, sunset time, taken from the back of a taxi!

I looking through one of the walls of the strucures on the peir, and I didn't ask the seagull to pose, he just did it! Honest!Now, just a few more cat pics, because one can never have enough, right? I literally took hundreds.... heh... This one was an encouraging sign at a spot where volunteers put out food for the cats at the end of the pier (and, yes, I emptied my pockets of change):

In this spot alone - where the cats were fed - I counted 17 cats, in every shape and size possible. All looked very content and rather healthy. (I probably saw 100+ on the pier during my walk).

Now, click to enlarge this pic and tell me how many cats you see?

Ah, yes, there I am with my shadow again.... It's a theme I return to several times and makes for an interesting aspect of my trip photo collection. Maybe I can publish a book just of my shadow travelling Europe. LOL. Would go well of my collection of pictures of me in mirrors and reflective surfaces....

Overall, Rhodes continues to be great. I did that 5 minute bus-ride on foot one day... I think it took me well over an hour, but it was spectactularly lovely!!! Oh, that 5 minute bus ride? It's great, the only problem is that no one can tell me the schedule (transit responses vary from 30 minutes to an hour apart - and the schedule they gave me is in Greek and based on the summer schedule). When I go to town, I go and stand at the stop and figure if it takes less than an hour to come then it's a bonus. On the day I am writing this, it only took about 5 minutes to arrive.... but I've waited as long as about 35 minutes so far... LOL. It's why I often take a cheap 8E taxi home at the end of a day in town...

And the answer to the # of cats in the last picture? The answer is FOUR. You might have to look closely to see the 2 cats sleeping so curled up they appear as one....

Leaving Berlin

I wrote this bit offline on my iPod when I was at the airport leaving Berlin - on November 9th, the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall - on my way to Greece...How interesting it was, as it hit me, hearing that a flight for Moscow is now open for boarding!! That is something I have never heard before.

What ensued was a feeling, a desire, to just go somewhere, like that, or anywhere without a plan. To go to an airport, see what flights are available, and just hop on, and take it from there. The small matter of the cost of the ticket did not occur to me in that moment... Heh... But that's a new level of comfort in travel that is new to me. And, the freedom, just to think like this !!

Ok, I managed to make a connection, weak as it is, to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall - which is happening today as I leave. Freedom and freedom.

The other twist I've taken today is to celebrate the anniversary by being one of the ones who leaves Berlin today with a freedom of movement that not all had 20 years ago.

Maybe there is someone on this flight from East Berlin.... Now, that's freedom!

If you missed why I was leaving Berlin on such a momentous day, click here. UPDATE: To clarify, I did manage to stay for the U2 concert though - click here for details ;-)

Settling in on Rhodes

So, Rhodes is lovely. Not that I have seen a lot of it yet. I have been busy settling into my place and little 'hood, and grabbing doses of sun when it shines.

Yesterday I went for a walk and found a stretch of rocky beach about a block from home.... Rocky beach indeed, tho some cool rocks! Took this one "home" but that does not mean it will necessarily "come home" with me. I am having enough challenges managing luggage weight limits without adding rocks into the mix!
This is evidence of a good soaking of the Mediterranean sea, quite unintentional...
This is the spot I was exploring when I got "waved"...
... and on a completely different note, these are the elements of my coffee adventure...
So, day 1 here went out to get a coffee, found nothing open right near by (except a place that had a Nescafe coin-op thing!), so figured there was no time like the present to get brewing at home. While I was at the grocery store, I realized that I had not looked in the kitchen to see what kind of brewing device there was, so I was in the dark in more ways than one when I got to the store. Not that knowledge of the red thingy (above) would have helped me. It was definitely all Greek to me as I was buying coffee and cream.... The coffee I selected because it was a relatively small package and seemed to be the most popular one, so it must be good, right? All I could do was squeeze it to tell it was ground, and that was that.... The cream situation confounded me. Initially made a selection from the coffee section (as most cream in Europe is unrefrigerated), but found real milk and cream in the dairy case later. Great. Now, picking one out. I studied them quite a bit before picking this one out. It wasn't until I took this picture that I noticed it must be for whipping cream! Ha! At least it wasn't buttermilk or something....

I had never used one of these coffee pots before, but I was surprised at how well I figured it out. The biggest challenge was figuring out what went in where.... and what portions to use. Oh, and I dumped out the water initially, and replaced it with bottled water, filled the thingee with coffee and off we go to the stove! I must have gotten something right because it tasted awesome! Had a second cup. And today awoke looking forward to my own coffee. I hope it tastes just as good when the whipping cream runs out and I scale the richness back a bit...

Other initial observations:

• One of the only downsides here is the strong sulfur smell of the water... I'm using bottled water to brush my teeth, as the sulfur smell had me gagging... eeek!... Not too bad for a shower though. Anyways, has me needing to remember to buy enough water for cooking and such
• You cannot flush any paper here, at all.... leads to much managing of plastic bags....
• And no recycling! boo! (a little surprising, as this seemed to be quite sophisticated in Athens)
  
• It's raining pretty frequently, but never for really long, and it burns off quickly.
• The mosquitos here are EVIL!
• No wifi, no land-fi, no fi at all has me struggling to adapt a bit... but I'm managing with an awesome internet cafe half a block away (it was cool lighting, lots of new computers, a full bar and food!)
• Not nearly as much culture shock as I'd thought: lots of English speakers and a very modern grocery store have me easing in nicely

That's it for now, more soon.....

Hanging out with Persephone

I am in Greece!! Rhodes, actually. I spent last night in Athens (nice to have a preview of where I am spending December) and I flew to Rhodes this morning. So I named this blog post "Hanging out with Persephone"... Above is the sculpture, Hades and Persephone, which I have seen in the Borghese Gallery in Rome, it's truly amazing.... But the reason for naming this blog post after her is two-fold:

• The first is a book I started reading today, Dinner with Persephone, by Patricia Storace. It's travel writing from Greece, from a woman who spent a year in Athens. It's an easy read and I have learned more about Greek culture from the first chapter than all the Greek travel books I've read to date. Highly recommended.
• The second is a cat whom I have named Persephone, who came and sat on the wall of my private terrace this afternoon. I took some pics, will post at a later time. I was reading the book, chatting with the cat, figured she needed a name... bingo!

This motivates me to brush up on my Greek gods and goddesses.... More soon...

Other than that, I am well. Much less culture shocking coming to Greece than I anticipated. I probably had more culture shock in Rome. More once I've been here awhile.... Oh, on that note, I am in Greece for the rest of this calendar year. I leave January 1 for Barcelona...

U2 in Berlin: experience my experience - part 2

I was lucky enough to attend U2's historic free concert at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on November 5th. Click here to view my first post, which contained videos. Now I will post some pics.... just a few from the hundreds I took!

Here I am drinking glühwein (spiked with rum!), waiting for the concert to begin...
Arriving early provided a special treat, getting a preview of the light show as they did the final technical checks:

The Brandenburg Gate being used as a computer screen... look, see the drop down menu that the tech must be mousing over? heh.

This was the perimeter security wall, limiting the audience to 10,000 attendees. There was a lot of controversy about this wall (the irony of building a wall to celebrate a wall coming down), with criticism of MTV (who sponsored the event) as protecting their investment. Click here and here for more.

Folks outside Starbucks without tickets trying to get a glimpse. I didn't feel smug to be inside (though very glad!), just felt a bit sorry for them. Oh, well.... off to get some more Glühwein...

This TV crew was from Spain, had a nice time chatting with them after they'd finished this spot. Two of them live in Berlin, and the other had come up just for the anniversary week. They were unanimous about the fact that Germany was cold!! lol. And, no, they did not ask to interview me. (Also look at the office building behind... funny how they are all working late this evening, lol...)

The perspective from portapottieland....

I took a few random shots of spectators while waiting for the concert to begin, and I thought this guy personified what I thought Berliners would look like before I got here.

It started to rain a bit, prompting this guy to use this brightly coloured bag as a hat. I am sure the beer consumed so far that evening had nothing to do with this seemingly rational decision ;-)

Saw this guy a few times, wrapped up in his flag from a country I have yet to take the time to identify...

OK, here we are, the concert has begun!!!! This was from the first song, "One Love" and this is what the lighting changed to later in the piece. Awesome!!!

Here's the set list:

• One (I always thought it was One Love?)
• Magnificent
• Sunday Bloody Sunday (including special guest Jay-Z who I'd honestly never heard of before, apparently I was the only one!)
• Beautiful Day
• Vertigo
• Moment of Surrender

I would like someone who knows about photography and composition to tell me why I love this picture so much? There is just something about it...

More clapping.... BTW, someone asked me how close to the front I was, well, you can see I am quite a ways back, probably half way... When I arrived I actually could have stood practically in the front row (about 3 people back), but that would have required standing in one spot for 3 hours... naw, not my style...This kid had the best seat in the house, on the shoulders of the tallest dad in the crowd! She definitely had a good time. Oh, I discovered the Germans are a tall lot, I wasn't towering above people as much as I was used to...

One of the rocker guys by me... loved the spirit and energy of the crowd, everyone was so happy!!! This was a hard core U2 crowd, all knew the songs and were singing along...

My new friends that I was closest to during the final lead up to the band, and all during it. The couple (on the left) and the girl on her own were all in Berlin for the evening, living in smaller communities about an hour away. The couple drove in and the girl took the train. They found a Canadian's perspective on the whole experience rather interesting!

After the concert.... Once again, I'm looking for a photographer to tell me why I like the composition of this random pic....

... and this one... I think it has something to do with the clarity of a single part of the picture and the blurriness of everything else... But if I could learn what it was, then maybe I could learn to take this kind of shot intentionally - and better! - than them just appearing every 100 pics or so in my e-stack!

All in all, it was an amazing evening and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In closing, a shout out and hello to all those folks back home in Vancouver who I understand were rooting for me to get a ticket, crushed for me when I didn't, and excited for me when I finallly did! Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into what it was like...

U2 in Berlin: experience my experience

The U2 concert at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was amazing.... and, yes, I was really there!!!

Here first are some videos (pics will follow separately)... The first four are by yours truly (way back in the crowd).... aand the last ones are from the pros (with the band visible)...

How exciting when the band launched into the opening song, "One Love":



A bit of Sunday Bloody Sunday:


Beautiful Day clip with references to "this Beautiful City of Berlin":


Bono talks about Brandenburg Gate in this one:



The following videos were taken by U2gigs.com - all of which have amazing high def quality - and you can actually see Bono and the band!:

*** Their videos are wider than my blog template... to see the un-cut-off version, right click the play button and select Watch on YouTube"

Beautiful Day


U2 performing Sunday Bloody Sunday - with Jay Z (with a little "stand up for your rights" energy)


Last song: Moment of Surrender

For pictures, see part 2 of this post - click here.

Irony near the old Iron Curtain

OK, time for a little laugh, at my expense... If you read my blog post yesterday about Twetches (click here), then this is the inside story about why I was laughing at myself so hard...

So.... I am here in Berlin, coincidentally here very close to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.... aka the Iron Curtain when referred to in it's broader context... hence, the theme for this post on a little irony on my trip...

BTW, the pic above is one I took myself, of a preservered segment pf the wall - to see where I took it, look for the red box near the item marked 3 on this map

So.... here's how it goes:

• I originally planned to be in Berlin October 1-31
• I have other accomodation booked in Rhodes, Greece starting November 1 for a month
• Not long after I plan my trip, I learn that anniversary of the day the wall fell was happening a week after I left on November 9th, oh well
• Then I learn that this is a special year, marking 20 years since the wall fell!, oh well well, live and learn
• While I am IN Berlin, I keep reading about the fall of the wall, the 20th anniversary, and what will be happening to celebrate, darn, if only I was here
• I toy briefly on modifying my stay, but discard it as a whim
• My friend Kelly visits for 10 days and we frequently laugh at the fact that I won't be here for the anniversary
• Then I hear that U2 is playing a special free concert for the people of Berlin - at the Brandenburg Gate - on November 5th!
• I think this is so cool.... I begin to ponder if it is worth changing my travel plans
• I get it in my head somehow that this concert is being held the night the wall fell (it fell during the wee hours), before the 20th anniversary the next day
• 2 days before I am supposed to leave, I decide, what the hell, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I'll do it! (and I have a whole month in Rhodes, not a huge place, 3 weeks is fine!)
• I decide to leave on November 9th, giving me time for the concert on Nov 5, the anniversary on Nov 6 and a few days afterwards to take in any extended exhibitions
• I change my travel plans (extending my time in my flat here, telling the Rhodes folks I'll be late [though I still have paid for the days not used, it's a flat for the month], changing my flights) and chalk up the cost to the 'once in a lifetime opportunity' ledger (as if I had one)
• With me so far? Read on...

The irony comes in here:

IRONY #1

• I hear via a friend in Vancouver that the U2 tickets have gone "on sale" (yes, even though they are free, there are limited amount available), geeze, how did I miss that? I jump online and.... oh, they are "sold out"! IRONY #1 - NO U2 TIX
• I think, oh well, I'll just go see if I can get a tix at the entrance, if not, I'll stand a block away and listen (see the note at the end of a previous post here about the rather poignant relevance of this and the famous 1987 concert incident)...
• IRONY #1 - NO U2 TIX!

IRONY #2

• At least I am here for the fall of the wall anniversary...
• I begin to read about some of the celebration plans for the anniversary when something doesn't feel right... a main one doesn't until the 9th? WTF? another one runs Nov 7-9? WTF?
• Then it hits me... I check the dates, and, yes, did you catch it? The anniversary is on November 9 (they day I am leaving!), not November 6
• What happened? a dyslexic moment? I made up the U2 night before story? the full moon? I was really blonde at birth? LOL
• IRONY #2 - Despite the extra cost, I still won't be here for the anniversary!

Irony #3

• It starts to snow in Berlin today... geez, I should have planned my trip to be somewhere warmer at this point.... oh, wait! I did that! I even have a furnished, paid-for flat waiting for me in Greece!
• IRONY #3 - Berlin cold, Greece warm, where is Roberta? and why?

So, here I am in Berlin, as the snow falls, with no tickets to tomorrow's U2 concert and I fly out on the day the wall fell. Nice work Roberta!

In case you are wondering, I did consider changing the tix again, but realized it was really the concert that motivated me, and to duplicate those costs was really more than I wanted to do...

But, ah, the irony....

NOV. 5 UPDATE: the snow has stopped, the sun is shining and I just scored a FREE ticket to the U2 concert!!!!! All is right with the world!

Doors open at 4:00, the concert starts at 6:30. Here are the other important details from my ticket (!): Veranstaltungsdauer: 20 Minuten (TV-Aufzeichung); Bitte nutzen sie zur Anreise den OPNV; Mitbringen von Getranken bis max. 0,5 l Gefassgross PRO PERSON im Tetra-Pak und PET erlaubt. Einbringen von Glas, Dosen, sperrignen Gegenstanden aller Art, Waffen, pyrotechnischen Artiklen, Video, Foto- und Tonaufzeichnungsgeraten ist untersagt

Twetches are cool

This is my first ever Twetch. But it is actually "illegal"....
If you are on Twitter, then you will love Twetches. If you aren't on Twitter, maybe Twetches will convince you to tune in.... Twetches is new to me, but was recently relaunched. They are cool. I decided to participate by doing my first Twetch, and figured I should be my first target! But I laughed when I went to upload it, as I broke rule #1 (you aren't supposed to Twetch your own Tweets, doh...)... so not sure if it will appear on the Twetches site or not... But here it is. Will now turn my attention to other's tweets to see what catches my doodle eye... If you join Twitter, please follow me (@citytravelbug) and be sure to follow @twetches too!

PS - oh, sweet heaven, they have included me on the Twetches site afterall, but not without some well deserved public shaming here, heh...

Would the real Checkpoint Charlie please stand up?

If you've been to Berlin and think you have visited Checkpoint Charlie, but have not ventured out of the city core, you probably saw the replica at the site where Checkpoint Charlie once stood. The "real" Checkpoint Charlie lives at the Allied Museum. In fact, there are two Charlies in residence here.

All that remains of the original hut erected at Checkpoint Charlie in 1961 is this facade, but it is preserved inside at the museum:
Outside the museum is the actual Checkpoint Charlie building that was removed, intact, from where it stood on the border between East and West Berlin in 1989 when the wall fell. Note: In the background of this picture, you can also see a train car; the Allies ran regular military trains during the occupation period and this is a car that has been preserved.

Silly Canadian girl getting her picture taken with Charlie....

The museum also has a real watchtower, complete with a working spotlight, and a slice of the Berlin Wall:

This watchtower once stood at Potsdamer Platz and Bernauer Strasse and inside there is a red phone from the day when the tower was in use. To quote from the adjacent plaque, "The Red Telephone connected the last supreme commander of the former Soviet Forces in Germany, Colonel General M. P. Burkakov with his superiors in Moscow." Spooky....

The pride of the museum is, without doubt, The Royal Air Force Hastings TG 503 aircraft that was flown as part of the Berlin Airlift during the Berlin Blockade of 1948-1949.

I actually got to tour the plane! While the museum is open daily, the aircraft tours only take place on specific days, so it took some organizing for me to get there on a Sunday! Here is my ticket which cost me a whole 1E (the museum was free)... cool the way they've done the tour tickets up, probably for appreciation by the kids, but I liked it too.

Up the stairs and just inside, looking out....

Sitting IN the plane, watching a movie about the Berlin Airlift. The film was only in German (you can learn all the history in English in the exhibitions) but a picture truly is worth a thousand words, and I still enjoyed it. Interesting to see it with a few children, important that they understand this history...

Waaaaay coool picture taken looking out the window, with the museum signage in the background....

Seeing this sign, and the spot where they hung their parachutes, made the visit very real. The airlift was not without its tragedies, including fatalities (39 on the British side, 31 on the American side, and at least 8 deaths on the German side).

The cockpit was quite something....

There were lots of other interesting exhibits, not the least of which was this jeep. There are 2 jeeps at the museum, both well preserved/restored... there's some interesting info about the acquisition of one of them.

Smile!!!!

This was a neat display, showing telephones, bus stop signs and postal boxes from the British, French and American occupying forces. They also had displays of uniforms from all three, if you are into that kind of thing...

Another remarkable exhibit is the authentic spy tunnel. During an 11-month period in 1954-1955 - in order to avoid being surprised again by actions such as the Berlin Blockade - the American and British intelligence services made clever use of a 450-metre long tunnel used for underground telephone cables used by the Soviet armed forces in the GDR (East Germany) buy tapping the lines. There was quite the broohaha when the tunnel came to light, thanks to a British double agent named George Blake who spilled the beans to the Soviets. This last remaining section of the tunnel was salvaged in 2005.

Lot and lots of other good exhibits. Couldn't resist taking a pic of this kid checking out a model of of an airport with a bunch of the planes.

Just a nice pic of one of the two buildings on site; the "Outpost" used to be a theatre, and they have done a clever job of repurposing the space without gutting it. Love the art deco feel.

Here's the Outpost at dusk with its neon lights on...

Finally, but actual first, was this statue I came upon on my way to the museum from the U-Bahn; it is actually part of the museum's collection. It is called "The Day The Wall Came Down". It's a very moving piece. The horses are life sized and seemed so real, and the torn and toppled wall pieces captured the moment. I wonder whether the horses symbolized the ones at Brandenburg Gate (which were imprisioned in the "no man's land" for 28 years); even if they don't, that's what it brought to mind for me.

Overall, a very good museum. It was maybe 20 minutes, 30 max, to get to the museum. Its doubtful you'll find crowds but you'll definitely find real "stuff". I spent 2-3 hours there. Depending on your level of interst in the history, you could spend less time (most do), or spend more time (I'm sure there are some, I still only absorbed about 1/2 of it). The website also has some good information, if you are patient, as the organization isn't the best, but the content is good.

I hope to return again this trip, as beginning on November 6, 2009 (the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall), the museum will commence a new special exhibit, "Wall Patrol: The Western Powers on the Berlin wall, 1961-1990" (runs until April 5, 2010).

Flowers, changing plans and rock concerts in Berlin

It is Saturday morning in Berlin. Well, it feels like Saturday morning... In reality it is Saturday afternoon and I am just thinking about what I am going to do today. So, a few pics...
These are the flowers on my windowsill, which continue to bloom, despite me being put in charge of their care for a month (the little mums didn't do so well).
I have no idea how I took this pic, was fooling with my camera's settings... I really should learn how to use this camera properly one day, who knows what I could be capable of? Don't hold your breath though... I was a good month and a half into my trip before I figured out what a digital zoom was...

My friend Kelly in the entrance to our building. Yes, those gorgeous gods greet me every time I come or go from this place.

This is the courtyard to at the back of our building . Hmmm.... as Kelly was here for such a nice long visit (10 days) I tend to think of this place as "ours" not "mine". Our place is through the doorway to the left....

... and waaaay up 86 stairs to the very top!! You see those 3 windows on the top level? That's home.

A street view of the building in the Kreuzberg neighborhood (info here and here). Yes, that's a little bar that is right downstairs (which, alas, I had not visited earlier in my trip, and ultimately won't, as I am now motivated to stay out of smoky places the last week or so...) ... ;-)

Today it is sunny and clear, but cold, with highs of 8C and lows of 0C. Brrrr.... A good excuse to laze around a bit, that, and the fact that I should have been running off to an airport this morning. Yet, here I am. So, with it so cold out, why is it that have I not travelled onto Greece today as I'd originally planned?

Well, a bit of a chance of a lifetime presented itself to me.... I'd been as bit disappointed that I was leaving just days before the 20th anniversary of when the Berlin Wall fell on November 6th. Then it was announced that U2 was going to do a free concert the night of November 5th (the Berlin Wall fell in the wee hours of that night) outside at Brandenburg Gate! Details here. 3 cheers for Bono!

That did it. I quickly checked that I could keep this flat for awhile longer -- lucky for me that I could -- and rearranged my cheap flights, and I will now be here until November 9th (I figure there could be some interesting things going on that weekend so no sense rushing).... I will still have the rest of November in Rhodes, which is relatively small, so I'll have plenty of time to rest up and restore my tan there.

How excited am I about my free U2 ticket you ask? Well, heh, they "sold" out in 3 hours when I didn't even know they had been released yet. S.H.I.T.... ;-) .... Let's just say the search is on for 1 kind soul with a spare ticket in Berlin. My fingers and toes are crossed, and maybe eventually my eyes too!!! Lol. Send good vibes my way... If all else fails, it's outside, so I'll find myself a little spot a block away or something and bop away anyways.

I absolutely KNOW that I will be able to hear it from a little ways away, as the Genesis concert of 1987 demonstrated when Phil Collins and the band turned some of the speakers from their outdoor concert in the west towards the east. Almost created an international incident! Read the full story here.

Maybe it is fitting somehow that I not get in, and that I stand somewhere in the old East Berlin to enjoy the music from afar.... Maybe this was the universe's plan, in which case, it will be most cool. And, just maybe, I'll do some more blog updating....

UPDATE & CLARIFICATION: In the end, I did manage to get a ticket to U2 on Nov 5th- it was awesome (click here for my pics & videos), but left on Nov 9th (thus missing the actual anniversary). I know, clear as mud....

Sunday in Berlin: Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz

Today I was up early (for me, especially for a Sunday!) as I accompanied my friend Kelly to the airport (a little sad to see her go, but many happy memories of hanging out together for 10 days in Berlin). so I decided to hit a fleamarket. I'd planned ahead for this adventure, so after seeing her off, I headed to the Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz. Once I got off the S-Bahn, I was unsure where to go, so a kiosk seller pointed me in the right direction. As I got closer, I needed more directions, and ended up walking with a young German man and woman who were headed the same way. He'd tried to explain, then said I could walk with them. He has been in Berlin for a year, having come from a small village in southern Germany. His next travel plans? Canada! I thought that was an interesting coincidence! His friend, the girl, was just visiting for the weekend and were meeting another friend who hadn't put in an appearance yet... ah, Sunday mornings....
I spent a total 13.50E and here's what I got for my money.... This item was my top find, it was 2 sets of Bavarian playing cards. Totally cool (click the pic to see an enlarged view). What you see here is the ace of each suit plus one other card. They are for a special German card game, hence the special decoration. I totally scored with this cool purchase for 2E. One of my top treasures on my trip!

I needed a scarf, having lost the pashmina I'd picked up in Venice (for a whole 5E), so was on the hunt, saw lots, but nothing grabbed me as special. Until I saw the teensiest little booth with knitted gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers, hats and scarves. I asked the very neat older German woman if she'd knitted them herself, and after a translation consultation with the adjacent vendor it was confirmed, yes she did. This is the one I picked out. Much heavier than I'd planned, but lovingly made, sweet imperfections and made of the warmest wool. I happily paid her 5E asking price. When I went to wrap it around my neck, she smiled and shook her head, and proceeded to wrap it properly around my neck. Interestingly, it was twice as warm the way she wrapped it. It does get cold in Germany so she knew her stuff. Another score that I will treasure.

I also needed a new small backpack. Flying on the discount airlines in Europe, you need to keep your checked luggage weight down, so I was using a little daypack I'd brought with me as my carry-on, but it was a a bit too small. So I'd decided to shop for one. And who needs new? I was eyeing a few bags throughout the market, but saw nothing, until I came on this one. What is the price I asked? 4E. As I was inspecting it, one of the 2 young lads offered me the one off his back for 7E, much better quality he said, and proceeded to empty it. Spent some time checking them both out, but this was a bit larger and I liked the Levi Strauss kitchiness of it. They seemed a touch disappointed so I gave them their full amount. Turns out the two of them - probably 10 years old - bring a few wares to the market most weekends. We chatted for a bit and I told them they had very good English, which was true. Such nice young gentleman, they asked how I liked Berlin and seemed very happy when I told them it was a very cool city.

I have been dying to do a jigsaw puzzle for awhile, so I picked up this one for 1.50E. After I'm done with it, it will be donated to the apartment where I am staying. Wouldn't have been my first choice for a puzzle, but in retrospect it is kind of cute, and I'm sure will give me much amusement in my final weeks here....

Bought this cute little tin for 1E as a gift for my sister (just killed the surprise factor, didn't I?), lol....

Sooo, those were my treasures. Here are a few other interesting pics I took while I was there. This wasn't for sale, but I thought it was nifty: a little girl carrying her wooden bicycle:

Isn't he cute? This dog was keeping himself warm lying on a blanket-covered dolly, and cuddling with his teddy bear (you might have to click to see the enlarged version to spot it). When I said hello, he stood up and wagged his tail, so I had a nice little visit, he got some pets, then he went back to his bear buddy. Had a fun conversation with the friend of the owner's who was watching him. Really, everyone is so friendly here!

Another dog, but I didn't get to meet him. There were lots of accordians on sale, as well as violins, electrical gear (much of it seemingly ancient), books, clothing, dishes, fishing gear, pictures, furniture, you name it...

This was really cool. I asked the vendor about it, and he said it was from the 20's. He called it a doll, but it looks like a mannequin to me. I did not ask the price, and he laughed when I said I was a tourist; so obvious that I couldn't take it with me! But he was kind enough to let me take a decent picture of it.

Oh, speaking of mannequins, it is so cold here, that even the mannequins wear hats!!

When I was done my full circuit of the market, which surrounded a park the size of full city block, I headed for coffee at one of the half-dozen cute little spots across the street.

Too bad I wasn't hungry, they were serving an awesome breakfast buffet here. But my latte hit the spot and didn't break the bank for 2.50E. Yum.

Oops, a couple more pics.... (it is hard to get blog pics in the order I want, and I am too lazy to go back and fix it up!). Thought this was interesting, a bin of old coins and bills that aren't in circulation anymore. I tried to ask what the currency of the bills was, but they couldn't understand what I was asking. I was tempted to get a bit anyways, but knowing what you buy makes it more interesting, and I wasn't up to trying to figure it out online. Maybe I'll see more at another market next Sunday....

There was a girl selling some clever jewellry made out of old computer and typewriter keyboard keys. Especially fun were the ones that said "Esc" or "Del" ;-)

And, finally, there was tons of vinyl LPs amongst all the CDs and tapes. I can't remember when I last saw a 45!

So, that was my day... There are numerous flohmarkets (fleamarkets) in Berlin. Most operate both Saturday and Sunday. I have previously visited the Museum Island market - where I saw gas masks and other varied army gear - but it has more new than old and is geared towards tourists. I was attracted to Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz because it is off the beaten track, is geared to a student's wallet and has more Eastern Bloc kitch ("ostalgie") and small vendors, including people who cleared out their closets the night before. Both markets I have visited so far had food stands where you could get an awesome sausage in a bun for cheap, and make a visit to the local cafe afterwards. It's a cool way to spend a few hours here.

Best Bar Moments in Venice

Yes, I was in Harry's bar! Had a bellini, of course. Very good. At 15E a pop they'd better be good! :-) So, what did I do next? Had another, of course! LOL, most expensive drinks of my life, but so worth it. I did take another picture inside the bar, but then I got in trouble - no pictures of the patrons (oops! was only trying to take a pic of the waiters...), eek! But I didn't kicked out ;-)I did a little Harry's Bar doodle which my bow-tied waiter took a photocopy of! He wouldn't accept the original, so this is my first doodle left behind in Europe of which I still have the original. One day, it might be worth millions, LOL. Anyways, another total spluge, but so worth it. Not familiar with the story of Harry's Bar? It opened in 1931 and has a really fascinating history and is often referred to as one of the best bars in the world. And it's where the Bellini was invented... It's worth dropping by the Harry's Bar website for the full story, including how the bar became to be named Harry's and the founder's adventures with Ernest Hemingway. Also, read The Perfect Bellini for more bellini inside secrets.

The bar has the coolest doors... as a person goes in, there is a little curve in the etched innner glass and you cannot see the others inside the bar. My doodle above includes the reverse side of this door.

Now a bit about the bar I found at the end of my first day in Venice, which was veeerry special... Just look at this:

After my gondola ride, I wandered aimlessly for awhile, until I saw a vaporetti stop then got on, meaning to go to Rialto. But along the way I saw the most charming little canalside bar adjacent to another vaporetti stop, so I jumped off (well, I waited until the vaparetto stopped first) and I went for a glass of wine. There were only half a dozen tables up against the front of a charming hotel and all that was in front was the canal. There wasn't even any pedestrian traffic, as the corner table was on a small canal intersection (although a few people tried!). There was only one other table occupied. My first glass of wine was so quiet and relaxing. A totally peaceful spot, just the sound of the waves and the passing boats. And the occassional singing gondalier, or the sounds of an accordian if someone brought a musician along on their gondalier ride to serenade them. (here is a pic of the bar from the Grand Canal taken the next day).

My second glass of wine was as enjoyable but much more interesting. Began chatting with the two gentlemen sitting at the other table, and they eventually came and sat with me. They were from Cambridge in the UK and were quite lovely. It was their second trip to Venice but their first night in their hotel this trip, and they were most delighted with their room: same view, directly above the hotel doors with a little balcony. Said their room was a little suite. It sounded heavenly. We chatted about travel, and a bit about photography. Philip, the talkative one, had met a photographer who had been setting up waiting for the pre-sunset light when I walked past; it turns out he was Canadian too - Philip thought he was from Vancouver too, but by this point he had gone. A small world. Anyways, I enjoyed meeting them (the other guy was Richard).

We joked that we might see each other the next day at the same time. Almost went, but decided to go to Harry's Bar instead....

Both bars are top pics for me in Venice!

Murano Glassmaking Tour on a Shoestring

Perhaps you have heard that Venice is expensive. It is... and it isn't... More on that in another post, but here's a good example of what you can do on the cheap in Venice and still have an amazing experience: a self-guided Murano glassmaking tour.

Setting out to Murano is as easy as jumping on the vaparetto - and if you are in Venice for a few days then you probably already have a vaparetto pass; if not, tickets are cheap and you'll be using a few everyday anyways. So I consider the transportation segment "free".
Once on the island, you can find a glassmaking demonstration for as little as 5E. As I was getting off my vaparetto (at the first stop on Murano), there was a guy pointing the way to demos, less than 5 minutes walk away - I listened and paid attention to the details so that I could come back after lunch. But to the experience itself. I walked in, paid my 5E, they waited a few minutes longer for others to arrive and then the demonstration started. Exciting to be there, right in the workshop, next to the truly red hot furnace. There were only two other people there so I was able to get very close. Here are the glassmakers getting started...

Just before they got started, they noticed that one of the stones in their oven broken. The solution? Weld it together with a blob of hot glass!

Now, here is our blob of hot glass...

I had my camera on the glass-end of the process, but they guy would have been blowing down the tube you see while he rolled the rod around and the blog began to change shape...

He would put the glass back in the oven every few minutes before continuing on. At this point, there was another guy with another blob of glass in a different colour holding his stick next to the main guy. Here you see the main guy using tools to manipulate the second piece of liquid glass as it was twisted around the original piece...

Shaping the glass with scissors, hard to tell what is happening, but very interesting... They did have an audio recording playing during the demo, in English, explaining the overall process, the heat of the ovens, etc.

I literally gasped out loud as I recognized the horse that he was making...

Creating the legs...

And the finished product!!! Took all of 5-10 minutes to create. We had a quick minute to take pictures then this horsie was heading to a cool-down furnace for 24 hours.

They shepard you into the glass shop after the demo - with incredible stuff costing hundreds and even thousands of dollars - but all I bought was 2 little pieces of glass (a paper weight and a butter knife) for 10E each.. They didn't make their millions on me, obviously! Walking back to the vaparetto I spotted this gate at another glassmaking establishment and snapped a couple pics...

Another closeup of the gate....

Now, for a few other pics from my time on Murano... This is one of the glass places:

And another... this sign was made out of little chips of coloured glass:

This canal was the other way from the glassmaking demo and it's where I went first for a bit to eat and to soak in the ambience....

Oh, on the way to Murano, the first stop you come to is this one. Don't get off here, unless you have a hankering for seeing some crypts and graves...

These were some pilons that had seen better days that I spotted on the journey... I think they were just for directional purposes (once you get out on the water to/from Murano you can clearly see that they have "lanes" for the waterways)...

While I was at lunch, I observed this activity taking place on the canal across from me. The boat had a big winch (from which the operator made a point to look cool and grin once he spotted me taking pics, lol) and they were lifting heavy stuff out... Once they get these materials out of the boat, they will put them on top of that rickety old wheel barrow and all they guys would help push it along to a nearby building. It was rather hilarious as I was wondering if they wheel barrow would survive...

My pizza and beer. Pretty cheap, for Venice, totalling 21E for a whole pizza and two beers. And veeery good!

Found this guy fishing for lunch near the glassmaking demo place...

So, that was my budget tour. You don't need a tour company for this little jaunt. It was easy to do, very pleasant and for 5E who can complain?

Random Pics and Reflections from Venice - Part 2

In this blog post I continue my random reflections (click here for part 1) - plus at the end I have my observations on ways in which Venice is and INS'T expensive... Now, to start this off, I have a place in Venice!! No, more like Venice has a place in my heart and there is some shop that starts with Roberta that I just had to snap...A little amore to the sound of the dueling orchestras in San Marco Square....

At the vaparetto stops, they have a little system to figure out which gondalier gets the next ride - simple but looks like it works pretty well...

The soft Venice light in the late day...

Gondala traffic jam!!!

Loved this guy taking a picture (of me!?!? lol) from his hotel mini-balcony. You can click on the pic to enlarge it if you need a closer look to spot him....

This is just wrong, wrong, wrong.... oh, and it was almost 30C!

Even laundry can be pretty in Venice...

Nice vista from one of the bridges on the Grand Canal....

I adore this picture of this little Italian lady watering her plants ;-)

Not all vaparetto guys are this cute, but they are all nice ';-)

Took a few pics of workmen on one of the canals, and this one just cracked me up somehow!

Purdy yellow building...

Serious photo chick...

Another seagull posing for me...

Away from the city centre, when I was rounding the island on a vaparetto, came across these marketing spoofs, kind of funny to see...

Also saw this big tall ship (yacht) moored....

Just the nice glint off the water....

Now, which vaparetto shall we take?

Loved these reflections of these kids at one of the vaparetto stops...

I like the old stone....

Found this goddess hiding in a park...

This was a little alarming from a distance, it looked like a barge had run aground, but it is a memorial to the folks who used to move containers on their boats....

Me getting artsy with my pics...

This is the memorial plaque...

Neat piece of public art... (click to enlarge for more details)...

People and a statue....

My hotel, just steps from San Marco Square...

The view from my hotel window...

Things you can't do in San Marco Square... really!

How to make your backpack happy on a vaparetto ride...

Place I had dinner my first night, I even got my feet splashed!!! More below in my notes on what is and isn't expensive in Venice. Hint: this was NOT expensive!

Liked these glass signpost things at the gondola places....

Just a nice feeling of the late afternoon sun from this... Gondaliers on their break.... really!

Loved the glint of sun on the metal thingee on the front of this gondola...

Waving to happy strangers and them waving back! Gondolas are often moored 2 or 3 deep; here's how they get across....

I honestly was preparing to take a pic of this pretty canal view, and was zooming in, when I spotted the gondalier taking a leak.. jeez...

They say Venice is expensive, but here are some observations on both sides of the coin:

• day 1: first snack in San Marco square included a Diet Coke that set me back 7E (!) and a sandwich also for 7E... at least my Diet Coke came in a glass bottle - and an awesome view


• this was after I not-so-sheepishly got up and left the adjacent restaurant when the white-tuxedo'd waiter was sure to point out the 6E music charge


• I was able to hear the band from my cafe with my 7E Diet Coke just fine, though no tuxedo :-)


• you might think you can bring a picnic to enjoy the square for cheap but, alas, it is forbidden to sit or eat in the square


• this rule was shamelessly broken by some, as i did myself, albeit discretely broke on my last night there, armed with a 3E sandwich from a place across from my hotel and a 2.50E little bottle of wine in my purse


• that bottle was the companion to another that I'd bought , also for 2.50, for my gondola ride the day before (no glass for me, felt oddly fun to sip it right from the bottle (ok, was more like glugging!)


• got the wine along with individually wrapped cheese wedges and Tuc crackers right across from my hotel, which was steps from San Marco, right in a main tourist area


• my "do it yourself" Murano glassmaking tour cost me a whole 5E, not including lunch; I used my vaparetto pass and found a walk-in demonstration at a little factory for 5E (I was prepared to spend much more than that) - when I got off my vaporetti there was a guy calling out directions to glassmaking demonstrations (I have written a whole separate blog entry just on this trip)


• lunch on my Murano was a fairly reasonable (for Venice) 21E for a whole pizza and two beers - the ambience of Murano was free


• my first evening I had an amazingly cheap dinner by Rialto bridge right on the Grand Canal I was close enough to the water to get my toes splashed once); my pasta (a tasty penne pest) was 8E and ny 1/4 litre of wine was something like 3.30E; service was speedy and if not overly warm it certainly wasn't bad; came to abut 13E including service; the place was called "(something) Omnibus" if you go there


• wine at my fab special canal-side bar where I met the gents from Cambridge (mentioned in another of my Venice posts) was 8E a glass and came with a big bowl of peanuts


• walked away from another place just a couple side-canals away when I saw their menu prices, figured wine would break the Roberta bank


• almost went to one cute place on little canal when I read theirmenu; I stopped reading when I saw the soup was 15E


• my Bellinis from Harry's bar cost 15E each (yeah, I had two :-) but the atmosphere and history were as free as the olives (more in another of my posts)


• was sure to partake in my hotel's included breakast, simple but free and served to me at a tablle with a window of cute side streets; excellent coffee, juice, yogurt, jam-filled croissant and some cheese (and there was other stuff left in my basket)


• gelato by my hotel was perhaps the best I've ever had (thoughmaybe that rating comes partly from my degree of gelato craving at the time) and was cheaper than Florence: 3.50E for a cup with three flavours (stratacella, fragola and, my fav, limone.... Yum!)


• I picked up a little handpainted mask for 10E on my final day

So, Venice is going to cost you more than other places, but you can keep it reasonable in many areas. Just don't be afraid to splurge a little... after all, this is Venice!!!

Random Pics and Reflections from Venice

Some random pics and reflections from my recent 2 night trip to Venice recently.... Tip: you can click on any pic to see an enlarged version....
Had a beer at this little bar one day and loved the welcome dog!!
Gorgeous hand made glass door knob on a chi chi store (I think it was Prada)...

Venice is a great place that one can hang out with their love... I was living vicariously!!!

Looking down from one of the little 'bump' bridges near San Marco Square....

A closeup of the knobs....

Tourist in his gondalier hat, thought it was a cute pic...

Relief on the side of one of the buildings down near the water at San Marco Square...

Neat glass window on church...

Loved these round bobble thingees...

Thought these varied columns were kind of cool...

One of the horses looking down on San Marco Square....

Marble detail....

One of the mosaics on the outside of the church in San Marco Square, amazing detail...

The very cool belltower... neat clock....

The gold spire at the top of the belltower glinting in the sun against the blue sky... and one of the statues "ringing" the bell... I could hear these bells from my hotel room, they were lovely....

More gold glinting in the sun....

The rather odd compulsion to hang out with the pigeons and let them land on your head... not sure I get this, but, what the heck, to each their own... and everyone was having a good time!

My 7E Coke my first afternoon in Venice! But it was ice cold and the ambience was great....

Me in a vaparetto stop reflection....

Just a nice Venice scene....

Of course, I took so many pics that I had to break this into a couple of posts!!! Click here to go to Part 2.... which contains more in the way of reflections as well as observations on what is and isn't expensive in Venice...

My Venice gondola trip

I am so glad I splurged and took my gondola ride recently when I was in Venice. 80E! Gasp! But well worth it. It was my first day in Venice and I was feeling impulsive and a little irrational, so I figured I'd better do it before I changed my mind. I realized I wanted the experience and recognized it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Once I decided, I slipped back to my hotel for a quick pee and to pick up a small bottle of wine. Here's my gondalier as we set out...
OK, my pics are out of order... but this was my view pulling back in at the end of my ride...

Now for the trip itself, it was pretty cool to be on the water with the other gondolas...

Venice from the water as the sun is easing towards the end of its day...

This seagull was posing for me!

One of the neat buildings in Venice....

Mozart stayed in this building (if you click on the pic you can see the plaque on the building in the enlarged view)...

About to go under a bridge on a little side canal...

There are a tight corners in the maze of little side canals, so this is how they keep aware of what's coming...

Pretty little canal...

The view as I was leaning back watching the world go by...

This is the Opera House...

This is what it looks like to emerge from under a tunnel...

Another pic out of order... this was when we first left the Grand Canal and began our trek through the little side canals...

My "real" view as I sipped my wine...

My gondalier waving goodbye at the end of our journey... He's a true blue Venentian. Said he tried to leave once, but came back. He owns his own gondola, and they are feeling the economic crunch... and their cost of living is double anywhere else... but he wouldn't trade it for the world.

The pictures hardly capture the magic of the moment, but the memories will live on. Overall, the experience was awesome and a definite trip highlight!

A side trip to Sorrento

This is me in Sorrento... beautiful!!!! (do I mean me? or the location? was meaning the latter, but I'm ok if anyone thinks the former ;-). This pic was taken on the pier that can only be reached by walking through the restaurant.
This is really part 2 of my blog post My Day in Pompeii... after the ruins, our tour took us a bit further south, past Naples, to Sorrento on the Almalfi Coast for lunch here:

Our tour group at lunch... I was sitting next to the lady in the hot pink top, and had a direct view down to the water and the pretty little bay. Hats off to the tour company for picking such a spectacular location for lunch; I don't think there could have been a better located restaurant in all of Sorrento - and the food was good, and pretty reasonable.

My view if I looked directly down from my restaurant seat - looks like a lovely spot to cool off, doesn't it?

Diners on the sea side of the restaurant. Ah, amore...

Ah, the pier.... You can rent a deck chair here for something like 6E/day. Suits optional. Great view of the location behind.

Another shot of the location... we drove a loooong way down to reach the restaurant. That walkway you see is to climb back up to one of the hotels.

Boats and sunbather....

Another location shot....

The water was soooo clear!

Changing huts for the bathers....

OK, after lunch, we were driven half-way back up the hill to the town square in Sorrento, for some free time. I believe we were originally supposed to have two hours, but we had lingered at lunch, and our driver was quite astute in sensing the weariness of the group. He asked if we would rather just stay an hour, to which we all said yes!!

I spent my time wandering the cute streets, buying a few souveniers then sat and doodled in a little cafe. On my wanderings, came across this old building (an old market?) where the local men come to play chess....

Apparently there is a trade in fake Limoncello.... (didn't buy any here, but when I finally tasted Limoncello in Rome I fell in love with what really must be the nectar of the gods....)

Cute little square....

The main square where we were dropped off....

Now, where did I leave my beer...... ? (no, not me silly! ;-)

These are the very first fresh olives I have had in my life, and wowweeee! I ate them all! I got these, plus two bowls of nuts free with my Coke Light (that's what they call Diet Coke in Europe), which was only about 4E. Delish!!!

A sampling of Sorrento transportation....

Sorrento transport for those who can afford more than a Vespa....

Our driver was waiting on time when we returned from our various wanderings and we settled into the looooong drive back to Rome. Talk about a full day!!!! I think I slept until noon the following day! But I am certainly glad I saw Pompeii, and glad I did it with such an awesome tour; really, the lunch and time in Sorrento really topped it off perfectly.

OK, one final side note: I was really surprised that one of the people on the tour, a woman about my age, told me she didn't know what to expect on the trip: she'd never heard of Pompeii or the eruption.... I was sooo surprised, the story has fascinated me since childhood....

My day in Pompeii

One of my trip highlights so far has been my trip to Pompeii. This was a 'must see' sight for me, as I'd read about Pompeii all my life (and the 79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius) and had to see it for myself. And.... here I am at Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background!

Fortunately, Pompeii is close enough to Rome for a day trip. I opted for the Semi-Private Day Trip to Pompeii & Sorrento from When in Rome Tours (if you are in Rome and have a flexible schedule, get in touch with them, as they sometimes have deals for last minute bookings!). Aside of needing to be ready for bus pickup at a Rome hotel at 7:30 (eek!) we got off to a good start. Our lovely air conditioned small bus (great driver, cute too!) had about a dozen passengers, mostly from the USA, but also from Australia - and Canada, of course!

About 3 hours later, we got our first glance at Mount Vesuvius... and a much needed pit stop.Now, we were really getting close... I got hungry well before I saw this sign. We weren't having lunch until after we toured the site, and, silly me, had forgotten to bring a snack. Fortunately, another passenger came to my rescue with a spare granola bar. (might have been nice if the tour had a few small snacks on board for long bus trips, low expense for them and would be greatly appreciated by folks like me).Upon arrival at the Pompeii site, it is easy to get water. Our guide, who met us where the bus pulled in took a moment and made sure everyone had a bottle of water before we left the area; that impressed me (now this I did bring with me!) Speaking of our guide, here he is, in one of his most impassioned moments. He was a real archaeologist and had actually worked on the Pompeii site for 6 months earlier in his life, so he had deep first hand knowledge. He was also charming and funny, and kinda cute too. I really had no idea of the magnitude of Pompeii until I was there. Or, in fact, until I read the excellent booklet that the site gives away free. Our guide did keep telling it how large it was, but when I looked at the map in detail later, I realize we only saw about 20% of the site - and we were there 3 hours!!! We kept moving the whole time; I was tired so I can't imagine how some of the less mobile folks made it; while our guide was sensitive to their needs, he did keep us moving. One cannot see Pompeii in a day - part of me wishes I'd seen one of the theatres, but there wasn't any part of what we did see that could have been subtracted.

To start off on a light note, if you were new to town in Pompeii, or just visiting, you would need to know where to find a prostitute. This road marker pointed the way to the brothel. Seriously. And another... Until you found yourself at the brothel itself. How did you know? There was a similar sign at the entrance (more phallic symbols for my trip's collection!). Inside, there were plenty of frescos to get one in the mood....Of course, all this for the men, nothing about the needs of women, and I expect for the most part the prostitutes did not choose their lives willingly, but I do love the passion and experimentation in the frescos. Now, for a bit more of Pompeii.... This was the house of the baker. Well, one of many 35 such homes. The residence was upstairs and the hortus (garden) contained machinery for grinding wheat and making the bread. The gardens at the House of the Faun; only the gardens have been restored to what is believed to be the design, everything else is as is, as it was uncovered. This was the largest house in Pompeii (2,970 square metres), so belonged to a most prosperous resident. The bronze faun in the garden...Mosaic tiles: A general pic of the view standing in Pompeii, with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Inside a smaller house, there were these cool frescos, with amazing colour - look at that blue! (You can click on the pic to enlarge it for a closer look). Another fresco detail:In the public baths, the bathers could tell the time of day from the way the light shone in the windows. Apparently the fashion was to go to the baths in late afternoon, after a day's work, and before dinner. There were separate baths for women. Relief detail inside the baths... More reliefs in the bath... there was a room lined with these guys... they were about 9-10 inches tall and just above eye level (well, way above eye level for someone shorter! lol) Not just a fresco, but the hole you see is a glimpse into part of the water heating system. The guy in the hat is from modern day. Ha ha!!!! Our guide kept us really moving, so no time to get pics without tourists in them....Nice pic of Mount Vesuvius - apparently it looked much differently before it blew it's top. There were interesting street signs. The street name signs have to be recently created, but the street names are real - they were most organized! And this visual indicates a spot where there would be porters that could help you home from the market with your purchases.This marker means one way street. Really. Sad to see, but one of the remarkable things about Pompeii is how the combination of ash and gas conserved the shapes of the bodies of the people in Pompeii in the exact positions they were in when they died. What is seen today are plaster casts made from these remains. We saw a couple of the most famous ones, this being a pregnant woman lying face down, as if to protect her baby.... ;-( And this, a young boy, covering his mouth from the gas... Sadly, there is some evidence that the people left Pompeii during the eruption, but returned, not knowing that the gas would follow...OK, this was the Mensa Ponderaria, the public office to control weights and measures. This was near the produce market.

Nice pic of ruins and Latin lettering.... Loved these views of ruins in the larger town squares and forums....

No, those are not my feet. But just forward of the stranger's left foot, you will see a depression in the stone. This is actually part of the city's drainage system. When it rained, all the water would drain from the streets and squares in a matter of minutes, and was collected for use in washing and crops. Marvelous, and better than we do in many places in the world today!

Another cool view....

And another....

Nice detail on the top of an old column:

These little white stones in the roads had a specific purpose. At nightfall, they would reflect remaining daylight, as well as light from lanterns, to light the way. Seriously, this was a very sophisticated society.

This last pic was actually the first view of the site I had upon arrival. There are several city gates, and depending on how you get to Pompeii, and what you plan to see, you can enter at different spots -- though this did seem like the main one.

I have several hundred more pictures (!) but these are good highlights.

Afterwards, we said goodbye to our tour guide (he really was awesome!) and met up with our bus driver. Only thing I would have liked changed about the stop in Pompeii would have been 15 minutes to visit the gift shop for some postcards, but I know there was a schedule....

Our tour continued onto Sorrento for lunch. I'll write about that in a separate post next (click here to go to that post).

Where is Roberta?

The last rays of sunshine of the day in Berlin yesterday at a little cafe near "home" where I bravely sat outside (most definitely fall here!)
My first German meal: 2 little things with eggs, a treat and a Diet Coke, all under 5E.

Where I am sitting now as I write this (except it's dark outside!)

No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth, but have had a few busy weeks and either not much time or, frankly, interest in sitting down to blog (when I had sights to see!) or stuck without wifi. Anyways, I am alive and well and currently in Berlin.

I got here yesterday and after a trip out to get a bite to eat and get groceries - and climb the 80+ stairs back up to my wonderful flat, I have been tucked in here. It is cool, and I was tired, so I actually stayed in bed until 4pm. Heavenly! At that point I was going to go out, but it started to rain, so I transferred to the couch.... It is now 8:30pm and I am cooking some pasta (yes, me!) and laying low until tomorrow. Such are the luxuries of having a month in a city: one has the opportunity to recharge one's batteries.

I will attempt to update my blog with some of my recent activities, but here is a quick snapshot: I ended up leaving Rome a week earlier than planned so I could see a bit more of Italy while I was in the area. I took the train to Florence where I spent four nights, then onward to Venice where I spent two nights, and then I flew from Venice to Berlin. I am here until the end of October.

I've actually been drafting some blog entries offline on my iTouch when I've had time to kill (aka travelling), so there is hope for the updates...

Random Pics and Reflections from Rome

Time is ticking, I have seen so much of Rome, and still more to see... So just a quick post with some random pics and reflections...

Me at Trevi fountain:
I did not have the chicken, but perhaps if I did I would have felt eternally peaceful...

How this shoeboxed sized kiosk has an internet cafe and laundry service beats me...

Insanely brave tourists!

Amore everywhere....

Cats amid the ruins...

My friend Zoey at the cat sanctuary...

Kitty trinkets for sale at the cat sanctuary...

Early doodle upon my arrival in Roma:

Gladiator on his coffee break....

Random reflections:

• I had the most bizarre trip to the doctor in my life. Diagnosis for my lingering cough: "Is OK". At that point the visit was over.
• If it's raining hard and there are huge taxi lineups, go for a Limoncella and get your palm read instead
• Limoncella really is wonderful and gives a cold a good quick kick in the ass
• The cafe downstairs knows my order by now and I get a huge greeting when I arrive - and I get to pick a different cornetta every day (Italian name for crissant)
• If you impulsively order a bowl of soup after seeing it served at the adjacent table, you might pay more for it than your meal: pesto spaghetti 8E, mushroom soup 10E - but it was really good
• At Trevi fountain, there are guys with modern Polaroid-type cameras who will take your pic for a fee (skip it, more fun to take your own self-portrait and swap cameras with other tourists; other wandering sales guys: tripods and roses
• If it rains, entrepreneuring guys selling umbrellas magically appear everywhere - spent 10E for a lime green folding umbrella that I'll leave behind for my flatmate here (note to self: actually carry small lightweight folding umbrella lugged from Canada in purse when rain is forecast!)
• Pizza by the slice places here sell by weight; you point to the pizza you want and gesture how much you want cut off (with scissors!); if you take it to go, they fold it in half and wrap it so you can eat it as you walk
• My travel budget is thankful that the darling deep jade green suede/leather boots that caught my eye did not come in my size
• Proven gelatto combination: limone, fragola, stracitella
• Buffallo mozzerella is to die for
• Rome streets really are madness!

Recent experiences have included:

• National Museum of Rome
• Vatican Museums night tour

Will write soon on some of these, and other earlier experiences....

Off to Florence on Friday for 4 nights, then onto Venice for 2 nights, then I fly from then to Berlin on October 1st...

For now, it's a beautiful day (after many rainy ones), so I am heading out to explore...

My Spanish Steps Day

Today I am laying low, trying to get over a cold. Nothing serious, of course, but it's been niggling at me, so I am resting and trying to get well. Health is SO precious when one is travelling! Oh, and thank goodness it's only a cold.... it was interesting enough to try to explain my symptoms to the Italian pharmacist - hand gestures and all... glad it wasn't something else!

So, good day to update my blog... I am realizing how much time it takes to keep a good blog while travelling and being busy with sights. But I also realize it's value, not only to those who are following, but to me as a record of my trip. So I am going to to do some "catch up" posts soon... For now, I will share the day I went to the Spanish Steps to see a friend, and some of my wanderings earlier that day.....

My friend said, "Meet me at the Spanish Steps!" Um, ok.....
Rules for all the things you cannot do on the Spanish Steps. BTW, everyone was eating.

I have a new interest: taking pictures of people taking pictures...

The band that was playing.... I picked this shot as there are some interesting expressions on the spectators' faces - click the pic to enlarge it to see them well!

One closeup of the fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps. It's impossible to take a pic of the whole fountain on its own, as it is swarmed with people...

Ah, there amongst the crowds, I find Caroline - ex-boss and now friend! She and a friend are in Europe for 12 days and we managed to be in the same city on the same day, so got together for dinner. It is SO nice to see a familiar face!

Salute! Caroline and I drinking a glass of wine for a friend back in Vancouver.

The birds inside our restaurant. Yes, when I went inside to use the loo, I heard birds singing, but they were not on the stereo, there were in a cage, right next to where it appears they prepare the salads. Wouldn't see that one in Canada!

Our restaurant was around the corner from the Trevi fountain, so we wandered by. I'll be back again to take more pics another day, and throw a coin! BTW, there was lots of amore at the fountain and on the Spanish Steps.

Now for some pics from earlier that day....

I found my mecca!!!! For some girls it's an Italian shoe store. For me, it's an art store! This was just one aisle of pretty colours to draw with! The store was Vertecchi, described in one of my guide books as "the queen of Rome's stationary and art stores". Indeed.

I indulged myself in a new set of lovely pastel gel pens that draw just like fine paint.... This is the resulting doodle over lunch, no longer in my possesion. My server was admiring it, so I gave it to her. So far that's one doodle adorning Rome (have left a few elsewhere in Europe).... BTW, for those who know me, yes, that's my name on it. I used to just sign my initials. Made the big transition to signing my name.

Me in my napkin holder...

Odd picture really. Noticed a mirror in the storefront across the street from the cafe, so snapped a pic of moi and passersby. Weird....

Iniside the cafe, he biggest jars of Nutella I've ever seen. Probably a gallon. Just an average doorway, lol....

There was this HUGE swarm of people outside the Gucci store, it turns out Julia Roberts was in the store. Poor girl, no privacy whatsoever. She later left in a motorcade. Loved this one of my crowd pics, the girl's expression says it all (for those who are into this kind of thing).

Loved this moment: this car had two very beefy men in it, macho expressions on their faces, couldn't help but giggle.

That's it for that day. I will blog more about some of my other adventures, the highlights of which so far have been:

• A day trip to Pompeii and Sorrento!
• The Capitoline Museums
• The Palazzo Barberini

For now, back to nursing my cold, nibbling buffalo mozzerella for dinner, and wondering if it will rain again later. Boy, when it rains her, it RAINS! The loudest thunder I think I've ever heard. No wonder in ancient times people thought that the gods were angry, and created Zeus (Greek) / Jupiter (Roman) with this thunder sticks.....

Arrival in Rome!

Yes, I have arrived in Rome, the picture above being proof!

This is a quick note to say that I am alive and well, and to satisfy those who keep asking for a blog update! ;-)

I have been here a few days, but my internet connection varies, and is offline when I am usually online (wifi only available 9am-9pm, roughly, sometimes the server sleeps in, sometimes it is up late, but regardless it's not a steady thing).

So far I have had a drink overlooking the 2nd floor of the Collosseum, explored the Ghetto, visited the site where Julius Caesar met his maker, and visited the cat sanctuary! Otherwise I have been sleeping (like the 14 hours I slept upon my arrival!), getting to know my neighborhood, eating gelato and figuring out transit intricacies. Plus doing some contract work.... And trying to stay out of the heat

More soon.....

Picasso Museum in Paris is inspiring.... and closing!

Yesterday I saw the Picasso Museum here in Paris. It was truly AWESOME!!! Stunning. Pictures are not allowed, but I took some covert ones (sans flash) until I got caught, which thankfully did not happen until the last room. I wasn't the only one... Anyways, here are some of my favs... (btw, if you click on the pics you can see enlarged versions.)

This was one of my highlights, seeing both of these - and seeing them together!
This was cool...

Such a famous piece, and I saw it!!

This was quite amazing to see in person, I loved it.

Not only did I really like this painting, but it gave me a chance to capture a bit of the spirit of the gallery.

Oooh la la... Picasso knew how to capture the spirit of a woman!

This is one of my fav Picassos of all....

This was amazing, and it was in a big room, so spent lots of time just reflecting on it from different angles...

This was delightful, i's a series of studies, but somehow all together they just pop.

This was neat. This HUGE mural had it's own room and tiered seating.

Just one of the awesome scultpures, I love his whimsey...

This is a cast of Picasso's hand! SO cool to see....

OK, now outside.... This is the front of the building... and there is this HUGE mirro that is something like 4 stories high.... you can see how it is propped up from the left, so I think it is temporary perhaps (?) and done so they could get a start on renovating the building before it shuts down in a few days (I've written about the upcoming closure below).

This is the exit door from the museum, and as people exit you see doubles. It is really interesting, and I may go back to take more shots another day (this is when my battery died).

The sun pouring into the building throught he coloured glass windows and falling on the railings, a very clear effect, captivating.

No, this is not a painting... It is just a reflection on a white wall from the coloured glass in a window.

Me all warped by mirrors in the sculpture garden... Hey, I like the skinny factor!

I got caught taking a picture of Maryanne and Branwen from across the sculture garden, so they got me back....

Me happy and hot in the sculpture garden...

The result of my post-museum doodling while sitting in the museum cafe in the shade afterwards.... solo, I might add... I am a s-l-o-w museum visitor, need lots of time to savour and let what I've experienced sink in, so the girls were off to do more sightseeing while I amused myself in the shade.... this is the result...

If you are inspired to see the museum, unless it is this week, you are going to have to wait awhile... I feel VERY lucky that I happened to be here now, not a month from now!

A little info gathered online:

As the Picasso Museum prepares to close for a two-year refurbishment, the artist’s sketchbook stolen in June is yet to be recovered. The Picasso Museum is closing Aug. 23 for a 20 million euro ($28 million) overhaul to make way for more visitors and upgrade security equipment and wiring. It’s one of several French arts institutions to have been robbed or vandalized recently. As global museums accommodate ever bigger crowds, protecting their collections becomes increasingly tough. (Picasso Sketchbook’s Fate Is Mystery as Museum Security Tested)

Random Pics and Reflections from Paris

Random pics and observations from Paris.... beginning with me and my awesome niece, Branwen who is with me in Paris. We have great fun together...
My new friends Shawn and Jessica, from Boise, Idaho, who I met in Barcelona. We managed to get together for lunch when they passed through Paris, and shared more stories. They spent 3 months in Europe and are on their way home now - good stories and pics on their blog.

My fav French beer - although hearing me trying to order it in French has brought much amusement to servers here... along with the handle of my new luggage! I am done with the backpack; this fine specimen rolls, but can also be used as a backpack in a pinch can also be carried as a duffle bag. My next city transfer is going to be soooo much more pleasant!

Taking a picture of B with all things Perrier: her drink, the bottle, and there is an umbrella too, but this was the best pic of the lot. Oh, wait, what is happening in that ad behind her???!?

Close up of the ad.... it appears to be for a science exhibit.... lol...

Said bag doing double-duty on it's way home as a grocery cart.... that is one loooong baguette!

My little black tattoo on my shoulder got some pink highlights for the day, courtesy of my art pens and my niece's creativity... BTW, the tattoo is a Japanese symbol for "sisters" which I had done in memory of my dear sister Carol Leigh, whose presence I feel a lot on this trip.

Marketing innovation in Paris: there was a guy going down the street hanging little moped ads on bicycles....

Now this may just look like a random truck. In fact, it's where the construction workers who are doing road work here go for their lunch break. We had walked by and saw them inside, with baguettes and wine. Ah, only in Paris... Oh, there are more stories about this one... As we sat having our coffee with this view, the truck began a rockin'..... Much giggling from us... then we got busted when taking pics... by rather cute guy in the crew. Many bonjours and blushing in the ensuing days....There are phallic symbols in Paris , which I'm sure I'll post pics of later, but there's not a lot of subtlety in the essentials, such as this series of condom ads, such as thie one for the ladies....

... and this one for the gents.... But they are amusing and get to the point (so to speak). I liked the innovation.

And the subway station immediately adjacent is well prepared to support the cause... In Paris, you never know when.... heh....

Branwen and her friend Maryanne who travelled here at the same time. Maryanne has demostrated a remarkable talent for running across us sitting in coffee shops or bars, it's really weird, she hasn't needed to call B one, but they have gotten together numerous times...

The mailman at our building. It is really interesting to watch, as none of the apartments have numbers on the doors. There are numbers on the mailboxes, along with names, but I do not believe there is any relationship to the address (do people just write the building address on the mail?!). He (and sometimes she) spends much time reading envelopes and looking for the appropriate box to drop it into. In the upper left hand corner of the boxes there is some kind of cross reference guide, but not sure how much it helps. One day, we saw the postman return about 20 minutes later with 1 more letter, I guess he recognized a name on a misaddressed envelope and came back to make sure it got to it's owner. So French that they care about these details....

Elegant coffee and crossoint served to me one morning at a local cafe (I know, only crumbs as evidence!); the cookie was a nice surprise. Now, notice the pattern on the table, hand painted...

This pattern was repeated everywhere in the restaurant including, yes, the loo! This included the toilet seat, toilet paper roller, garbage can, toilet brush etc... They are also very into Marilyn Munro at this place, and her pic is everywhere too. It's really quite cool upstairs in the restaurant, shall try to take pics one day...

Exterior of said cafe... it's worth clicking on this image to enlarge it and see some of the details.

My niece doing the crossword puzzle I made for here when a search for a book of English crosswords proved fruitless...

I think I finally figured this one out. The backs of stoplights here have a red + that is only alluminated when the same light is red on the other side. When the cars get a green light on the other side, this red cross goes out. Didn't seem to be a sign to pedestrians, as there are the usual green/red walk/don't walk signs here. My theory is that they are there for jaywalkers (which everyone does) and cyclists (which are everywhere and fearless) so they can tell which lane of traffic entering a roadway has the red light. An absence of a red + and no cars in sight, means it is ok to fly across, as the other roads coming into the intersection or square must have red.....

Signs advising there is a spot nearby to plug in your electric car. I have also seen signs indicating the distance (e.g. 2km) to the nearest such place.

There is one of these plug-in parking spots down the street from us, right by our local park. It appears there is a fine if you use these spots to just park. Show your plug!

And the ground markings for the spot....

Awesome freshly squeezed orange juice on a hot afternoon, along with a cafe of water if you want to thin it down, or just extend it.... and one of my doodles in progress sitting on the table, as I am always doodling when I am in cafes (the mermaid did eventually get a face)...

This really cool glass ceiling was in a book/art store I was in the other day.... Said bookstore/artstore in the St. Denis area.... they had Moleskines - yeah!!!! And got some more cool skinny pens for doodles... Only I could spend 49.50E and walk away with just paper and pens.... LOL....

That's it for this round... there are so many other things I have observed here, will try to continue to capture them in between my posts of the sights of Paris... ;-)

Wandering the charming Passages of Paris

Today I began to explore the covered passages of Paris. I travelled to the Bourse Metro stop and walked a couple blocks to the entrance of Passage Panoramas.
In case you do the same trip, I admit the picture above is from the exit where it joins Passage Jouffroy, as I forgot to take a pic upon entering.... I was so excited to arrive!!

This fellow greeted me as I entered Passage Panoramas, the oldest of the existing passages....

My first glimpse inside, oh my!

Here is a bit of information from the cover of "The Covered Passages of Paris" by Guy Lambert: "An innovative architectural type in the 19th century, the covered passage was the result of a perfect correlation between the concept of the city, the rise of the luxury goods trade and a new type of social life. Multi-purpose, it was intended as much for circulation as for all manners of amusement. Among the forty-odd passages which enhanced the French capital from the late 18th to the mid-19th century, only seventeen still fulfill their initial function."

Here is a bit more context from Lambert's book: "Unlike the more monumental passages built later in other European countries, the Parisian covered passages are systematically residential. Entrance halls for the apartment occupants or the tradespeople who lived over their shops, they were, and still are, private and protected property; the opening and closing of their gates regulates their life."

This is the shop I bought a few treasures in, including the aforementioned book. Everything in this shop is hand made, and the selection includes many items that are made from leather scraps from factories (including the cute little orange leather wallet/purse thing I bought).

You can buy a genuine stamp from the year 1900 for 1700E....

Beautiful vistas throughout, with the natural light streaming in... lovely even on a rainy day, I imagine....

Lots of little cafes....

As many locals as tourists... in fact, probably more locals than tourists....Then I crossed the street to the next one: Passage Jouffroy:

This candy shop practically lit up the whole area with it's yellow cheeriness and spectacularly artistic displays... (I resisted temptation to go in)....

This shop brings to mind a passage (pun not intended!) from Lambert's book that jumped out at me: "(Walter) Benjamin provided, in "Arcades" (1927-1929), one of the finest literary images of the telescopic awsthetics of which the passage is sometimes the theatre, "In the arcades, one comes upon types of collar studs for which we no longer know the corresponding collars and shirts. If a shoemaker's shop should be neighbor to a confectioner's, then his festoons of bootlaces will resemble rolls of licorice. Over stamps and letterboxes roll balls of string and of silk [...] and lying in the fixative pans from a photographer's darkroom is birdseed." It paints quite the picture, doesn't it?

Several old hotels face both a passage and the outside street....

A wee fresco painting advertising the wax museum....

This was a cool pic, using an adjacent store window's reflection... There are tons and tons of books, including quite a few English art books.....

Cool clock.... still going strong....

Cool light fixture....

Then I crossed the street to my final passage of the day, Passazge Verdeau:

This was beautiful, but not very busy. Being August, many shops are closed, and it seems in this passage that this was the trend throughout...

A few other pics, from the three passages I visited today....

There are some neat old tiles....

Neat riding horse....

Busted!!! Got caught taking pictures of a movie shoot... oops!!!

I honestly did not see this sign when I first went in!! LOL.

All in all, it was a fun day exploring the passages, and I expect I'll explore more....

A trip to the Opera... and the Phantom's home - Part 1

I saw a sight on Monday "by accident".
It wasn't really a sightseeing day, more of a day for just hanging out, but I decided to take the Metro and just get off somewhere and have coffee in another neighborhood and poke around. I was lucky in that I picked the Opera metro station where, for those who know Paris, I was greeted with the marvelous architecture of the Opera Garnier building, right on the square. I spent quite a bit of time gazing up at the gold angels on the roof and taking pics of all the sculptures on the outside of the building. I really didn't think about going inside initially - until I saw the visitor signs. And thought, why not? I'm right here....

Before I describe what I saw, a little background:

"The Opera's interior is decorated with Gobelin tapestries, gilded mosaics, and an eight-ton chandelier that fell on the audience in 1896. The incident, along with rumors of a spooky lake beneath the building inspired La Fantome de l'Opera (The Phantom of the Opera), which begain life as a 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux and went through several film incarnations before
bursting into song in 1986 with Andrew Lloyd Webster's megamusical. Be sue to pay a visit to the Phantom's box, no. 5. The Opera's auditorium has 1900 red velvet seats and a ceiling painted by Marc Chagall in 1964. The five-tiered auditorium was designed as a stage not only for operas, but also for social life; balconies were constructed so audience members could watch
one another, as well as the show." (Let's Go Paris, 2007)

The only word I can think to describe this building is magnificent. It truly was magnificent!

I wonder how they keep these sculptures shining... probably solid gold or something... or maybe angels come down from above at night to give them a shine...

Just some of the sculptures on the front of the building...

This one was my favourite... click on it to enlarge it... the expressions are priceless, and it's nice as it is a happy little crowd here enjoying the music....

One of the many closeups I took of this sculpure...

Goddess lampposts....

Cherubs and masks...

Goddess lamp closeup...

Inside.... these are pics taken on the "grand staircase"...

Then.... there is the "ballroom".....

And if you step out onto the terrace for some fresh air during the intermission, there are all sorts of additional frescos and sculptures to entertain your eye....

Believe it or not, the best is yet to come.... see A trip to the Opera... and the Phantom's home - Part 2

A trip to the Opera... and the Phantom's home - Part 2

Continued from A trip to the Opera... and the Phantom's home - Part 1...
THIS is the auditorium inside the Palais Garnier!!! What a spectacular surprise! I had not read about the building before arriving, so after all the grand classical frescos elsewhere in the building, I was delighted to look up and find this modern art fresco! SO awesome!!! Of course I should have guess it was done by Marc Chagall, but did not learn that until later.

Here are a few other pics and closeups from the auditorium...

The auditorium truly was a trip highlight for me... I bought a huge postcard (10x12?) for 5E of the ceiling .... but I am also hoping one of my pics will be frameable when I get home (home? what's that? oh yeah, I don't have one of those anymore... LOL)

But, alas, there are a few more pics still.... these from the library...

At the entrance to the library they have about a dozen little reproductions/models of stages from certain performances.... This one was from Tristan et Isolde...

This one was from Salammbo...

A hallway into the library....

I really can't say much more.... the pics speak for themselves ;-)

A lazy Sunday day at Paris Plages

Sunday I spent a lazy day, culminating in a visit to Paris Plages, where they turn the banks of the Seine into a beach for a month or so each summer....

My doodle done over dinner, which I ended up giving to the couple sitting next to me who admitted they had been waiting to see what it was like when I finished...
My view as the sun went down, from my river side seat....

This is the crepe cafe where I was seated... I had one of the little seats facing the river (unlike the guy who skippped the fenc). Met this cool Parisian man, 77 and a happy bachelor, who told me all about life in Paris and his travels. LOVED this location, and will return again...

Awesome sandcastle... gave the guy a good tip to encourage his art....

Just a little guy under one of the bridges....

This guy was playing old cylinders on a crank box, and had sheet music for people to sing along...

How to get a good drink from the water fountain....

Cool comic guy, he really was hilarious....

Cool dude does ball tricks...

Just a Seine side scene...

That's all 4 now... with special thanks to my friend Bryan who knows Paris well and thought I would enjoy coming to Paris in August for just this reason......

Do zebras have striped feet?

Going back to this entry to add pics.....

This is what macaroni and cheese is like in Paris (that's goat's cheese)...
Pretty flowers in a window....

Closing the shop door here means, for many places, rolling the the storefront inside...

One of my pics from visting Centre Pompidou -- in that whole plaza, I saw only one of these little red things... what is it, I wonder?

Cool clock in the Pomp...

Owee! Somehow I don't know how this is sexy, but I guess it takes all types...

My first view of the Eiffel Tower this trip!

Going up the people movers at the Pomp...

Outside view of the Pomp's people movers...

Across from the Pomp, fhis Monoprix store has such a small store front that they decided to abbreviate, rather than use a smaller font...

Loved this big gold pot outside the Pomp....

Crowds enjoying the entertainment outside the pomp...

Entertainer guy at the Pomp, he was actually pretty good!

Pomp!!! I actually love these....

My first view of Centre Pompidou....

OK, this is the 'surprise' from yesterday that I wrote about below....

I've heard of soap on a rope, but how about soap on a peg? You just rub it, guess it lasts for a year or something.....

Do zebras have striped feet? I want to know. Because I might be turning into a zebra.... as I look at my bare feet I can now see rather darkish tan lines starting to appear between where the straps of my sandals usually sit.... an "interesting" development.

Other random reflections and a summary of day 2:

• Europeans are so much smarter when it comes to appliances, I think. The washer in my flat here, which fits under the kitchen counter and is about the size of a dishwasher, is both a washer and a dryer. For small spaces back home, why do we need a whole closet with stacking pairs? Or, better yet, why not a washer/dryer instead of a dishwasher? Think about it, what's the most effort to do without the appliance? In my place in Aix, the washer was even smaller, though it did not dry as well - but very efficient for a small space. And much of the time one can air dry clothes here anyways.


• I love the mix of languages here... today at breakfast I had around me Korean (I think), German (I think), French and English. I had a lot of respect for the waitress who was trying to communicate with them all.


• I also love glancing over at the tourist next to me, seeing them reading their guide book, and trying to spot what language it is in...


• Yesterday I encountered, um, a squat and aim toilet, not far off the beaten track. It was in a little bar, and when he pointed to the little door behind the bar, I thought, wow, how did they fit a toilet in there? Well, I got my answer! After a moment's hesitation, I laughed at myself, and said, "C'mon girl, don't be an uptight North American, you can handle this". The place was superclean, so what the heck. And more than 1/2 the world's population uses facilities lesser than this. Shan't say much more, except that no major traumas were suffered. And the flush sure makes certain the entire area is doused. LOL. And, yes, I took a picture of it. LOL.


• Tonight, just back from seeing the Kandinsky exhibit at the Centre Pompidou. Wow, it was pretty awesome. But, wow, am I tuckered out. The Pomp is only a 10-15 minute walk from here, and when I arrived I spent lots of time just enjoying the crowds and entertainment outside. And much time admiring the building, and snapping pics. Apparently there was quite a controversy when the building was built, SO modern in such a historic part of the city. And it is "out there". But I gather the Parisians have warmed to it since. As it is the last weekend of the exhibit, it was quite crowded and there was a long wait. But I stuck with it, and was well rewarded... splurged for the audio-guide (something I have learned to do in recent years), so even as I drooped, I still learned as I soaked it all in. Took me about 2, maybe 2.5 hours to see it, once I finally got in, and I wasn't doddling. Or rushing. Just taking it all in. When it was done, I really was drooping, so dragged myself to their little cafeteria and bought a water and a cookie, which disappeared in an instant. Revived, I stopped for a bite to eat on my way home (more about that in a sec) and just got in at 9:30pm and I am ready for a shower and to bed....


• Tomorrow will be an un-art day, I need time to let that digest. I also plan to go back to the Pomp to see the rest of their exhibits at some point.


• You know, museums and galleries would sell a lot more stuff at their exhibit shops - tucked so neatly between the end of the exhibit and the exit - if they had a small revival area (toilets, places to sit, water)... as it was, I bought 2 postcards and a magnet and was outta there....


• Dinner. Well, I just had my most expensive meal on my trip so far. 26.10E... I'm really trying to eat on the cheap, but by the time I found my spot and ordered a beer (and, no, I didn't just have one), I realized just how hungry I was. So, for 15.50E I actually ordered macaroni and cheese! LOL. Actually, it was "gratin macaroni fromage chevre"... turns out that was enough for them to come clean my table and put down a white tablecloth. Ah, free bread, most welcome...


• Oh!! And I got my first view of the Eiffel Tower this trip, from the 6th floor at the Pomp... can't wait to go hang out with it steadily in my view... and to go up again. Once you've seen it, there is a nice open deck on the 1st level up and you can sit IN the Eiffel Tower for ages, just hanging out...


• That all said, it's off to watch The National from yesterday, then do some reading until I doze off... as I typically do with the lights still on, thinking I'll be awake longer.

Day 1 in Paris!!

Updated this post to add some pics....

Evidence that I really AM in Paris!
Corn on the cob anyone?

I'd explain what this guy is, or is doing, but I really have no idea....

Notre Dame from the left bank:

Notre Dame again from the left bank, I stood between the little sidewalk kiosk guys to take these:

This guy was selling some truly ancient stuff. Pinned up at the right are the old sheets of music, larger than 11x17 office paper:

Little cafe where I had my lunch (and the scene of a little surprise which I wrote about the following day - scroll up to the next entry):

These guys look like they stole the luggage carts from the airport... but they are probably from a train station... regardless, they are giving the strong young backpacker image a bit of a dent....

My artist lady organizing her work (more about her below):

My artist lady helping people out with directions:

Here's how the mail pickup goes... I used one of these mailboxes in Aix and I couldn't understand the difference between the 2 slots... here's evidence that the 2 sections are picked up separately, though I am sure I saw something flutter from one side to the other, so I trust they do another sort for strays...

I'll have the Croque Monsieur!

My artist lady sitting painting....

My artist lady's paints when I first came across the scene....

Notre Dame from the back... few tourists see this view....

The paradox between rich and poor... ended up journalling a lot on that them this day....

Directions on the Siene!

This lady was measuring the circumfrance of the tree. Really.

One pic from outside the memorial site described below:

An exterior shot of the memorial site:

Some edict about parks in Paris.... seemed more about how much they are required to keep them open so all have access than police rules....

Canadian girl gets artsy with her camera:

Notre Dame from the side, lots miss this too...

Ah, Notre Dame!!

People, people and more people.... this line stretched for blocks....

These signs mean I am in Paris!

Band doing a sound check... Check out the statue on the right, it looks like she is joining in...

Hanging out waiting for the concert to start....

Well, my first day in Paris was all I could want, and more. I can't believe I have so many more days to go....

Mini-expedition at the start of the day yesterday was a walk up to a cafe for cafe au lait and a crossaint (I wasn't going to have the croissant, as I'd already had cereal in my flat, but the very French waitress looked so crushed for me that I broke down and had one... it wasn't hard), and then a trip to Monoprix for water and a few more groceries. Then home to put those things away and organize for my day. It was a much cooler day, which was a relief.

I decided to explore Rue de Temple right down to the Seine, and it only took me 25 minutes to reach Hotel de Ville. There are probably 40 jewellry stores on Rue de Temple - I presume following the custom of collecting similar shops in a single area to draw clients. Several are wholesale only, none top end, lots of inexpensive costume jewellry, and a few mid-range places with some designer stuff. My niece (who is a jewellry student) will love it! I am sure I'll pick up a bangle or bobble or two, but not to be distracted by this yet....

There is some big music festival set up in the square in front of Hotel de Ville, but no bands on when I went by. Will have to look up the info and perhaps swing back there when there is something to swing to. And, besides, there was Notre Dame rising just ahead...!

I crossed the Seine at Pont d'Arcole, pausing to look down on Paris Plages, where they turn the banks of the Seine into a beach for much of the summer, which I plan to experience.... Once over the bridge, wham, suddenly, there I was in a crowded street of tourists. Which I can't really complain about, considering I am one.... 2 short blocks and I was at Notre Dame. The loooong lines of people lined up to get in rather amazed me, I don't remember waiting that long when I visited... and I expect I will go back at some point (um, as much as I'd like to see the gargoyles up close, I do not envision myself climbing up to them!).

Crossing the island, immediately to the left of Notre Dame is a little park called Square Jean XXIII, which is an immediate relief from the crowds, river side walk, green grass and trees, benches and a mix of both locals and a few tourists wise to the diversion. There are nice views of Notre Dame from here as well. The little benched areas looked nice, but had little playgrounds, so I carried on a bit... At the end of this stretch, where Pont de L'archeveche begins, I came across another little park, Square de L'le France, full of trees and benches, at the point of the island and containing one of the sights I wanted to see at some point (though I thought it was elsewhere): Memorial de Martyrs et de la Deportation. I sat in the shade and waited for about half an hour for the memorial to reopen (only 1 guy working, so I guess he gets the French version of a siesta... ).

Memorial de Martyrs et de la Deportation is a stunning and moving monument. The information panel at the entrance was enough to bring on reflection (the memorial is to honour the over 200,000 French deportees and vicitims of the holocaust). "It was designed by French modernist architect, writer, teacher, and town planner Georges-Henri Pingusson and opened in 1962. Pingusson intended that its long and narrow subterranean space convey a feeling of claustrophobia." (Wikipedia). The designer certainly achieved his objective, and it was a very sombering experience, but one important to feel and not to be rushed. Afterwards, I sat in the shade and I wrote about the experience rather extensively in my journal. Then quietly moved on.

I needed lunch. As I crossed the river, I came across an unattended artist's stand, paintings ready for sale, and a current work, paints and brush just sitting there. Had to snap a shot, as it was so, well, French! As I stood looking at the art, the woman emerged from the cafe across the street. And I bought one of her water colours of the same cafe (30E - not expensive for some, but a real splurge for me!) then, of course, had to go to the very same cafe for lunch: beer and a Croque Monsieur (heaven!!!). I was inspired to write a lot more about the little details of this interaction, so they are tucked away in what I now realize will be quite a stack of journals when I get home....

Afterwards, I strolled along, browsing at all the little typical Paris river side vendors. Amongst all the tourist stuff, there were some rather interesting old French books, huge sheets of music (from an old symphony?), old maps and such. A couple boxes of old postcards caught my eye, and they were quite fun to browse through. Imagine, holding a postcard sent to someone more than a 100 years ago, the original message just sitting there - and often very vague (Monsieur Croissant, Ile de la Cite, Paris, France). With much restraint, I limited myself to 5 cards (at 2E each), and plan to mail one of the still blank ones to my mom.

Oh, weariness! Time to begin my way back... back past Notre Dame and through the same crowds and over to the Hotel de Ville, now many people sitting waiting for a concert that hasn't begun... shall I wait? Uh, no, I know when I am tuckered out and ducked into the Metro, and, poof, I was "home" to my neighborhood in a flash. All I had to do was find a store called Darty, buy an fan, and put my feet up with a beer. Found Darty pretty easily (a kind of a French Future Shop), who had a nice selection of fans, picked out the cheapest half decent one (30E), tucked it under my arm and headed homewards.

So, ok, if you are new to a city, and you are cockily sure that you know where you are, and you see a shortcut, and you are tired and you are carrying a large object, resist the temptation. I repeat: resist the temptation. I was sooooo close to my street off Place de la Republicque, that I was sure I knew where I would emerge... Uh, no. And following my nose didn't help, in fact I managed to get turned around and was heading away from home, as I discovered about 1/2 an hour later when I sat for a moment on a bench and studied my map. Oh dear. I then tried to recover, using partly the map, and party that nose of mine which had failed me miserably. When I sat on a bench to study my map again, I looked up and saw, there's another store advertising tampons (they sell keys and hardware stuff).... hmm.... could that be the same store? oh, good lord. This time wisened to my reality and used the map only to get home, eventually made it, oh what joy to see my street! Of course, I also needed to pee, and not wanting to stretch out the walk home any longer I had not stopped at any cafes along the way... by this time I'd been wandering with the fan for a good hour and a half... Ok, home, stairs, keys, door, pee!, windows open, fan plugged in, beer cracked, sitting, feet up, pure bliss!!

Truth be told, it was pretty funny. I never really felt truly lost or alarmed, just a little disoriented, and amused with myself. Hard to get lost here, as you will always come across a Metro station with the name clearly marked and a map. The challenge is figuring out NSEW, especially when the streets go every which way...

A quiet evening enjoying the fan, the cooler Paris air, my book (the landlords at the last place gave me the Eric Newby book to finish), and thinking about my day today. Oh, and my landlord here offered to pay for the fan, sweet!

I woke up this morning in Paris!

Just came back to this previous entry to add some pics....

This was my first meal in Paris, a block or so from my flat, heaven!!!

Gare de Lyon train station in Paris... I am really here!

Oh my, my train is pulling into Paris... yipee! Do I look just a little excited?

Watching the time go by on my Dali watch, purchased in Barcelona (though I didn't make it to the Dali museums, will do when I go back there)...

In the train's magazine there was an article on Michael Palin in France, in French, of course. I took pics of the article to go back and translate to read it later... (I adore Michael Palin's travel writing and shows!)

Just an ad that caught my eye in the train's magazine...

Outside the Marsielle train station...

This was the train I took from Aix to Marsielle, very modern.

This seat is claimed!!! My seat departing Aix.... the train was actually almost deserted. It was open seating, and I had this car almost to myself, just 3 or 4 other people.

How exciting.... I truly am in Paris!!! Since being here in 2001 I planned to return, just had no idea it would take me this long.... no matter, I am here now! Sweet.

The journey here was fine, in fact the smoothest transition I have had so far.... and a nice change to have everything go as planned.

From Aix I took the 'slow' train (it was plenty fast and was only 45 minutes) to Marseille, then connected to the TGV which went directly to Paris in 3 hours flat. When I first went to Aix from Marsielle, instead of the train I took the Aix Direct bus that was repeatedly recommended, but ended up doing a lot of walking with my heavy pack (both to find the bus in the first place, then a bit of an extra trek on the Aix end) ... there is a similar bus that goes to the Aix TGV station (which is a ways out of town), but I'd had enough of slogging the pack - so for my exit I decided to take the train back to Marseille (and the old train station was a closer walk than the bus) and it put me practically on the next platform for my onward leg to Paris.

Getting my month-long Metro pass here was fun... despite not speaking much English, the guy figured out what I was asking for.... and showed me where to put my photo and signature. Hmmm... I thought he was going to take the photo. No. "Machine" he said with a vague wave to the right.... After looking for some official photo booth, I realized it was the little booths we used to go into Woolworth's as a kid and take goofy pics with our friends for a nickel. Well, most people have used them since then, but not me. I was a funny sight, I'm sure, trying to tuck myself into the little booth with my pack, and figuring out the French instructions, trying to get it to accept my 4E in coins.... all eventually completed with success.... but where's is the pic? After much looking, I opened the curtain, and there were my pics outside. Doh. With my fancy scissors (not) I managed to get one of the pics stuck onto the pass (it looks like a dog ate the edges, but it's me!) and off I went....

I am still going to ditch the pack though. And, guess what, 2 big luggage clearance stores 2 blocks from my place...

Haven't been able to get past the password on the wifi here in the flat, but it has a PC! Yeah! Only thing is, I can't post pics.... so this entry is pic-less, for now... I'm sure I'll get it all figured out later, but, for now, I have more important things to do.... like be outside with this silly "I'm in Paris" grin on my face ;-)

The flat... it is great! A little smaller than I imagined, but it is cute and clean and very handy. And only 1 flight of stairs up (Barcelona had 4 flights, Aix had 2 flights, so this is nothing!). Only it's a bit hot at night. I did the wet towel trick again last night, and stuck one of the 2 frozen picnic ice packs from the freezer in a waterproof pouch and took it to bed with me. Is this what they mean by hot, steamy nights in Paris? LOL.... I intend to buy a fan today. This morning I took a closer look at the 2 white thingies in front of the windows that seemed to have no buttons yesterday... today they had buttons (imagine that!), so after much pressing and flipping of dials, I finally got.... heat! Ack!! How do I turn this thing off?!?!? So, a splurge on a fan is in order. As I'm here a month, it's worth it. How does one ask, "Where are the fans?" in French, I wonder.... I did check in Monoprix last night, standing at a counter, pointing to the fan the cashier had blowing on her face, and pointing to myself... such a confused look on her face... but a thorough check of the store found none.

That's it for now... I am sure much more to come...

My week in Aix wraps up

It is the evening of August 5th and I have a few "chores" to do before my departure to Paris tomorrow morning, namely packing, updating my blog and drinking 1/2 a bottle of wine I still had sitting in the fridge. Have begun all 3...


This is me at Place de 4 Dauphins, on my way to the Picasso-Cezanne exhibit... if only that water really was cooling off my head!

Here are the dolphins, sans girl, really quite lovely...

It is easy for Cezanne fans to find all the sights here... Interestingly, Cezanne wasn't acknowledged for his genius in his home town of Aix until after his death. Kind of sad. But they've certainly made up for it now...

Me, relaxing after the Picasso-Cezanne exhibit, tired but inspired.... At some cafes/bars here they bring around little appies for free at an hour I didn't figure out, but managed to stumble on twice....

Mail delivery in the old town... the guy just leans his bike against a wall or lampost while he makes his deliveries, all the bags left open.... nice journey back to simpler times for North Americans...

I tried to order 1 croissant a few days ago, but it turned into 2 chocolate croissants.... blame my charming French waiter! They melted in my mouth.... and were so good I went back for another dose the next day....

In the hallway of the apartment building where I am staying. Wow. Was surprised - but then again, not surprised - to see that my flat is featured in Alistar Sawday's "Special Places to Stay - French Holiday Homes" (entry 367). My oh my, how classy I am staying.... Honestly, this was cheaper than a crappy motel room a bus ride outside of town.... and it has been truly heaven. This is my one big treat during my trip and it has been worth every penny.

Click on this pic to enlarge it, these guys expressions are priceless. They would look spectacular if restored...

They have the cutest little bus that navigates the old city streets here, it is smaller than a North American mini-van... Very cute, but never took it myself, as I was fortunate to be within walking distance of everything!

Just your average apartment bulding doorway..... LOL! Honestly, if you just look around you as you walk down the streets here, you see the most remarkable things....

My shopping trip yesterday. Not pictured: my still-warm baguette from Paul the baker. The mint cucumber cold soup was maaarvelllous!!!!!

One of two bands I saw playing on the streets of Aix yesterday, both of which I bought CDs of. This group was called Blue Mary. I video'd a bit too, and will upload it to youtube when I have time...

Yesterday's other band, these guys were called Jazz a L'oLive, really awesome. A nice way to waste away a relaxing afternoon for me....

I honestly saw this lady walking down the street the other day, I think she was for real, not in a costume ;-)

Aix cement mixer working.... taken from my window... ;-)

The true highlight of my trip here has been two Picasso exhibits that have me "full".... I am going to do a separate blog post about them, tho not sure if I will get to it tonight....

A few other random reflections and notes I want to capture:

• Don't think I noted the last book I read in Barcelona: "The Well of Loneliness" by Radclyffe Hall - an important book that, alas, I had never heard of before. Quite enjoyed it but was a bit put off by the ending.... would still recommend it though.Was delighted that my apartment here in Aix had bookcases full of English books! The first book I read here "Weekend in Paris" by Robyn Sisman - a very light read but quite fun, as Paris is my next destinationThen I started reading Eric Newby's "On the Shores of the Mediterranean" which is a much slower read, although thoroughly enjoyable.... unfortunately I have not finished before my departure.... will either need to find a copy in Paris or borrow and mail back...
• One thing I have enjoyed about Aix, that I didn't experience in Barcelona, is that it cools off at night, it is such a relief and makes a big difference to my energy level
• There is a jacuzzi tub in this place, but.... even a warm bath seems counter intuitnive at the moment
• I think Bill Clinton did an awesome thing getting those gilrls out of North Korea
• I am going to buy myself a rolling suitcase in Paris. I don't know what I had in mind when I decided to backpack, probably some romantic dream of it being so easy, but, heck, I'm not 25, or 35... hell, I'm not even 45 anymore! I don't need to be a hero. And every advantage of a pack that I thought was clear to me has entirely vanished. So, tomorrow is my last day of heavy slugging with all my stuff on my back...
• Oh, my Spanish cell phone is going in the garbage... despite what I told them I needed, they sold me a locked phone that I could not put a sim card in here.... Bought a new one from a place called The Phone House (is this part of CarPhone Warehouse, I wonder?) that DOES work all over Europe, so it's a French cell phone for now... and will become a Roman in September.
• Oh, I found a BLACK SKETCHBOOK here!!!! Never could find one at home. It's small enough that it can fit in my purse, and it has black pages, which are my fav to doodle on. I am over the top happy!!!!

With that, I'd better go pack, as I really have done more on the blog and wine fronts than on the packing front, and I'd like a good night's sleep before my trip tomorrow (versus maybe 3 hours sleep I got when I left Barcelona, up late drinking beer and shooting the breeze....). All 4 now....

Transition: from Barcelona to Aix-en-Provence

On Thursday, July 30th I set off from Barcelona, Spain to Aix-en-Provence, France. Not the easiest spot to get to: it involved 2 trains and a bus. Well, actually, 3 trains and a bus - and walking.... It was a bit of an adventure that I wrote about in detail in my journal (when one is on the train, there is a lot of time to write....) - but here are some highlights:

• survived the "pigeon poop scam" on my way to get me to the commuter train that would get me to the station where my train would depart Barcelona from... it goes like this: guys pelt you with something (muddy water? tea and oatmeal?) then come to rescue you from the pigeon poop which at this point is all over you (or, in my case, my pack)... they seem genuine enough until they try to help you off with your pack.... uh, no thanks
• with that, and then a track platform change on the commuter train, my time cushion was eaten up and I got my train from Barcelona to Montpellier with 7 minutes to spare... that's actually not bad with a train, but a bit too close to comfort for me
• passport control into France was interesting, as we pulled out of the border station, saw a guy cursing loudly and shaking his head... probably no passport?
• Saw a girl so addicted to her iPod that she stood in the toilet of the 2nd class compartment for at least 30 minutes charging her device using the razor plug (it was a hold-your-breath facility, so I really think she was nuts!)
• upon arrival in Montepellier I met my first pay toilet of this trip... but it was .50E! But it was clean and almost pleasant after the train loo.
• there was 1st class available on the leg from Montpellier to Marseille, which I took and aside of the larger seats, I wondered if it was worth the few extra Euros.... but the loo was mucho better, so, yeah, it's worth it...

Most guide books and web info tell you to take the train from Barcelona to Marseille via Narbonne, but I found that going via Montpellier was about 2 hours faster: a shorter wait between trains, and I think my 2nd train was a high speed one...

On a train platform in Marseille.... so immediately French!

Passed several wind farms in southern France, for some reason I find them very elegant and beautiful....

The Spanish coastline...

Finally, off the trains, just one bus and a walk to go....

• at Marseille, got confused and conflicting directions on where to find the bus to Aix, so wandered around for ages with my heavy pack in the heat..... (why exactly did I want a pack instead of a rolling suitcase? someone remind me....)the bus itself was awesome, cool and took only about 30 minutes
• All I had to do then was phone the guy who was going to let me into the apartment and walk about 5-10 minutes.... but my stupid Spanish phone did not work, the pay phones would not accept my credit cards, and I could not convince anyone (shop owners, people on the streets) to let me make 1 single short local phone call.... sheesh!
• Finally arrived at the building, but no one was going to let me in until I telephoned the guy to come.... regrouped.... and to make a long story short (believe me, it is longer) found a kind woman in a children's clothing shop who let me call and I left a voice mail (being almost an hour later than was anticipated)... the shop lady came out a few minutes later to say Monseiur had called and he would be there in 10 minutes - triumph!!!

Now, some pics from Aix..... This is where I am staying, and below is the sunlight pouring in my kitchen window this morning... (after the morning thunderstorm had cleared....)

My street, and my windows... adjacent to an old chapel...

My windows:

The nearest square in the old town, where I had dinner my first night (crepe place straight ahead) and a drink last night by the fountain (guy in black shirt with the laptop is at "my" table)..

Happy feets in Aix listening to a cello concerto....

Cellists playing in a truly beautiful square, notice the old stcne cobblestones.... and, yeah, the motorcycle at the window too ;-)

I have yet to have pizza from this guy, but when he saw me taking a picture he wanted to be in it! So sweet....

Me and my beer and my doodles and the fountain for last night's beer.... (same square as 4 pics above).... that pint cost me 6.50E! gasp! I am having to be crafty here to eat cheaply....

I bought two small photographs from this gentleman yesteday, his name is Jurek Nems and he is very exciting to talk to, he was going on about the light in France and his joy in what he is able to capture. I will treasure the 2 pics and look forward to framing them wherever and whenver I have a 'home' again....

Barcelona reflections under the stars

Sometimes it gets windy here...
My big purchase one day, for 4.77E. The wine was 1.79E and it's pretty good.

Shopping cart secured parking lot inside the local grocery store....

The place where I got my pedicure....

You would be forgiven for thinking this store sold ferrets.... those are toilet seats in the window.

This is a doodle I did today in a cafe, ended up giving it to my waiter who was admiring it - so snapped a pic first...

I am sitting outside under the stars with my laptop blogging. It's 10pm and quite lovely, the sky is still fading so I can see blue, but the stars are starting to twinkle. When I see the Big Dipper here it makes me realize the world isn't so large afterall...

So, 2 more nights in Barcelona, and just one more full day. So what have I been doing? Not scrambling around seeing as many final things as I can. Nope. I'm chillin'. I came to the realization the other day that there is still so much I want to see here that I am going to come back, most likely in January. So that took any pressure off. And I've been taking advantage of the relaxed mood I have been in, to sleep, to doodle and to read. And journal. And just be. It turns out that I had a whole lot more decompressing to do that I thought, but I have been trusting my inner voice and just going with the flow.

Barcelona really is a great setting off point for a long journey, as it is so relaxed here. I would consider starting off a future Europe trip here too.

But, with time ticking down, I realize there are lots of reflections and memories that I want to capture before I move on, as once I do, I am sure they will slip away. I'll actually have a good collection of assorted bits to look back on this trip: this blog, my journals (both in notebooks that I always carry with me and often write in cafes - and some stuff written electronically), emails I've sent people, letters, and even postcards. And doodles. And loads of pics. There hasn't been a day so far when I haven't taken at least one pic.

So, I expect I'll do a few blog posts in the next couple of days...

Some random reflections:

• When you go into an inside ATM here, there is a little lever that you can put across the door so no one else can get in - that's just SO smart!
• I missed a good one today: Jess and Sean (my flatmates) were down at the beach today beside a couple that were seriously making out, as in "oh wow!" - went on for hours... aside of the interlude where the girl clipped the guy's toenails (an all out pedicure) before they got back to it
• They also had a good story of a couple all out making out on the bus: girl straddling the guy's lap.... things are kinda relaxed here...
• I was surprised how many people here have asked me for a light... who smokes and doesn't carry a lighter? It's rare to be asked this at home... finally figured out they were all guys, maybe it's a way to chat up the women?
• I'm surprised at the number of little bars that don't have soap in their bathrooms... the health department here isn't doing a great job on swine flu prevention - and I haven't seen a hand sanitizer station here anywhere
• Was woken up at 3am one night by explosions - I couldn't see anything, but the next day Mabel told me that it was fireworks a couple of streets over... at 3am on a weekday night? lol
• It's midnight and there is the loudest scrapy clanging garbage truck doing it's pickup

More later...

Heat

The above is a doodle I did this afternoon, while still reflecting on the theme of heat...

The pics are of Mickey the cat, lazing about and looking for attention on a hot day....

I was looking for a word this morning that will not come to me, to describe my love/hate relationship with the sun and heat here. Because it is not hate, it is more like a patient intolerance, or sometimes not so patient, when the heat explodes into its thick, opressive endlessness, with no relief. And, yet, it is not intolerance either, because I can tolerate it - in fact, I think I could live in Barcelona, I like it so much - but perhaps it is exasperation? Anyways, there is always this struggle here from appreciating the sun and warmth, and wishing it would just ease off, if only for awhile....

There have been a few cooler moments, a gentle relief, if just for awhile... Of course there were the 2 days of truly torrential rain when the Tour de France came through (of course, the days that involved standing at a barricade for hours were the wettest! ah, irony...), but beyond that, a few precious hours here and there. This past week there have been evenings that after the sun has gone down, it has been cooler, though again that is not the right word, as "cool" and "Barcelona" in the summer simply cannot be used together. More like quiet warmth instead of oppresive heat, and the breeze feels lovely when it picks up. Although it is a warm wind that caresses the skin, and does not truly cool one off, it is pleasant and comfortable. On these nights it is lovely to sit on the terrace under the stars and just be. Or chat with my flatmates Jessica and Sean, visiting from Boise, Idaho. Still followed by a cool shower before bed, still the fan on, but generally easier to fall asleep as the heat isn't as deep in my bones.

And the mornings, if I wake early enough, are refreshing. Again, the terrace, as I sit in the shade and read while I have my breakfast. During the heat of the day, the terrace is impossible, though I will sometimes prop the umbrella and try to catch a break. More likely, to retreat indoors, or to be out and about in this fine city.

At the hottest moments, one ducks into stores that have air conditioning -- or if down at Plaza Catalunya will step into the doorways of the Ingles department store, where they have the most powerful and cold air conditioning blowing upon the entrances (I will step just inside and pretend to be studying the store directory, which is directly in the path of this relief). Otherwise, it's shade: the shady side of the street, the cafes with their huge shady umbrellas. And the ice cold beer or bottled water. Or gelato.

But the heat does take something out of me, as I have seemed to turn lazy this last week or so. Or maybe this is my body releasing years of work and go-go-go.... Perhaps a bit of both. For 4 or 5 days in a row I did not leave the little neighborhood where I am living (Sants), choosing the frequent the little cafes and markets here, rather than trekking about by the metro or bus. Not that I mind these, but it has been restful just to hang out. I guess I have been really living like a local this past bit. I've been working a fair amount too, so the pace has suited me.

Now I find myself with just three days left in Barcelona, and so much still to see. I had some moments of feeling rushed to now "do it all" but I let go of that pretty quickly, as that's not my travel style, and I want enjoyment, not agendas. The realization that I want to return to Barcelona again at some point during this year in Europe has put my mind at ease. So I will still see a few more things, but I won't sweat it (pun not intended!), while still enjoying moments of reading or doodling in the sidewalk cafes.

Today I have some work to do though, so blogging is the perfect way to avoid it ;-) In truth, the time difference suits me quite well here, as being 9 hours ahead of Vancouver gives me a whole day to deliver something promised in the morning. So it is that I am sitting down at 1pm here to do a few hours work (after getting up twice, I was up fairly early, but fell asleep reading on the terrace, so lay down and slept again, an early siesta!). Depending on how the work goes, I shall probably send in my work around 5pm here (8am Vancouver), then head out to enjoy myself.

One good thing is that I have some colour in me now - no pale sun starved skinned girl here - and along with catching up on sleep I think I am looking more rested and relaxed than in years. That can only be a good thing.

Post script, later the same evening...

Ironically, this evening has turned out to be the coolest since arriving in Barcelona. This afternoon as I sat in an outdoor cafe and doodled on the theme of heat (pic above) the wind picked up and it was actually cool on my skin. Lovely. Some people next to me were shivering, probably locals who are used to the heat. Me, it was just a nice break. This evening in my room, I still have my fan on, as it keeps the air circulating, but I had to turn it down from the medium setting, as it was a little too cool! And, just now, on the terrace, after midnight, under the stars, it was refreshingly cool. Yes, cool can be used. Veeery nice.

Just checked the temperature, it's 24C, so I guess my definition of cool has evolved....

Thinking back on my reflections earlier, I was focused on the downside of the heat... But said little about the "love" side of the equation.... I love that I never have to give a thought to another layer or wishing I'd brought sleeves (not that I wear those often anyways); I love the way my body is relaxed from the heat; I love the bright light the sun brings here; I love feeling warm; I love all the realizations I have in the heat that go, "Wow, I am IN Spain!!!"; I love all the trees in this city, lots of shade; I love the wide boulevards with trees down the middle; I love how many cafes have outside seating under huge umbrellas; I love much about the sun - it beats out the downsides, for sure.

Other heat observations and reflections:

• To sleep on a really hot night here, I have found the trick is to have an icy cold shower just before bed, soak a towel in water and spread it over my naked body, and leave the fan on high. It helps. Believe it or not, the towel dries overnight, and I've been known to redouse it part way through the night.
• The trick is to always be well hydrated here. Lugging a couple 1.5L or 2L bottles of water up the 68 stairs every day is a bit of a chore, but you get used to it... Nothing worse than running low on water!
• Always have 2 big bottles of water... keep one in the fridge and one in my room - every few hours switch them, so as to enjoy cold water.
• One day I came home after a day out and had a drink of water from the bottle in my room... it was reaaaallly warm - as in the temperature of a cup of tea after it has cooled for about 10 minutes... didn't taste all that pleasant!
• Carry a bottle of water when leaving to go out for the day, it's cheaper than buying one immediately while out.
• They have cold water in the pop machines on the metro platforms - nice touch!
• I bought a bottle of Spanish red wine (1.79E) and left it in my room (as I have been conditioned to drink red wine at room temperature), then cracked it a few days later... I confess to adding a couple of ice cubes to bring it down to a drinkable state
• Some stores here have signs in the window that loosely mean "local temperature" - in other words, no air conditioning - I guess a warning sign to fend off tourists who come in and then complain
• People here really do all go out and walk in the evenings, enjoying the fresh and somewhat cooler air
• Lots of people carry fans - and I sometimes do (Mabel, whose apartment I am sharing, brought me back a truly lovely hand-painted fan from Seville - a special treasure and useful too!
• Some of the metro trains have awesome air conditioning! Unfortunately, not all of them (the rest have "ok" AC) - but it's a crapshoot, never know what you will get!
• It pays to get to know which entrance to use for the Metro stations you use most often, otherwise there are a lot of up and down stairs going above/below tracks
• Don't let anyone tell you that people don't wear shorts in Europe!!! That may be the case in Paris (as I soon will find out for myself) but Barcelona is super casual and you see shorts more than anything else here