We left early in the morning for the Eurostar to London. The only discernible differences between it and the other trains were; going through customs and the transit lounge at the start of the trip, and the 15 minutes of darkness near the end.
We arrived in St Pancras then caught the tube to Paddington where we encountered our nemesis: stairs. We struggled manfully with the bags and made it in time to catch the train to Oxford.
The train travel was smooth and uneventful, however once we arrived in Oxford, we faced that terror that all long range tourists must face after weeks on the road: the laundromat.
Our avuncular taxi driver admitted that very few laundromats were left in Oxford, so he drove us to the one he used to scam 50p coins from.
So, our first experience of Oxford was sitting in a laundromat that David Lynch would have found too depressing to film. We were joined by Col, an American, also on his 10th wedding anniversary, so he kept us company during the final spin cycle.
A cab to the hotel which was right in the heart of Oxford (good) but up several sets of narrow stairs (bad). Fortunately they had staff to help us with our bags, but the staff were not apparently available to ferry us down to the street and back.
Oxford!
I found a sim for my phone and we somehow stumbled into Waterstones (which was preparing for the launch of the next JK Rowling book) where we, somehow, managed to walk out with just one bag of books.
We were opposite the college that Lord Peter Wimsey attended (along with a lot less fictional luminaries) and we found his regular drinking hole (at the other side of the block.)
L, as can be imagined, was in heaven.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Day 18 - Chartres
One last full day in France and what better way to spend it than visiting another cathedral.
But not just any old cathedral, we'd already seen them after all. This was the big one, the Cathedral at Chartres.
Mindbogglingly ornate on the outside, it is even more spectacular on the inside, as its stained glass windows had even survived the French Revolution. It was built on a Roman site and has multiple layers from the Middle Ages, to the Gothic and Neo Gothic periods.
The Museum of Stained Glass nearby has close-ups of all the windows, so you can make out the finer details.
A train home and now it's our last night in Paris .
But not just any old cathedral, we'd already seen them after all. This was the big one, the Cathedral at Chartres.
Mindbogglingly ornate on the outside, it is even more spectacular on the inside, as its stained glass windows had even survived the French Revolution. It was built on a Roman site and has multiple layers from the Middle Ages, to the Gothic and Neo Gothic periods.
The Museum of Stained Glass nearby has close-ups of all the windows, so you can make out the finer details.
A train home and now it's our last night in Paris .
Day 17 - back to Paris
This was a travelling day. We went back to Paris and checked into the Mercure next to the Garden du Nord. We took a taxi from Austerlitz to Nord, rather than struggle with the suitcases through the Metro again.
The Gard du Nord area is very very different to St Germaine and we had just spent about a week in the country so we were suffering a bit of culture shock. We had to mail some stuff home, so we set off in search of packing tape. In, probably, the wrong direction. Eventually, with the help of a friendly news vendor, we found the Virgin Megastore which had a stationery department.
That was our excitement for the day.
Day 16 - the rest of Blois
By Sunday we were pretty much Musee'd and Chateau'd out, so we just planned a quiet day exploring the rest of Blois.
And Blois helped us with our quiet day by closing pretty much everything.
We walked over the bridge to the other side of the Loire and found a small park to watch the river run sluggishly by. There's not much depth to the Loire at Blois.
We walked up to the cathedral but, being a Sunday morning, it appeared to be in some use. We took photos of the outside then went back to the Chateau to watch the dragons again.
Nearby was the Museum of Natural History, but it was undergoing renovation and only had one room open. Still, we found out there were European beavers, so that's something.
We were pretty worn out by that stage, but were made one last effort to climb back up to the cathedral, to see the inside.
The trip was worth it, as we found some lovely gardens behind it.
Back down the hill again to find somewhere open for dinner, and one last weary trek back to the hotel for our last sleep in Blois.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Day 14 - the Chateaus of Blois & Chambon
Blois used to house the Royal Palace before it was moved to Paris. And It was from Blois that we got the fleur-de-lys as a symbol of French royalty. Needless to say, the Chateau de Blois was full of the damn things.
In the afternoon we took a bus out to one of the grandest and largest Chateaus of them all, the Chateau de Chambord:
The Chateau de Chambord is rumoured to be designed by Leonardo da Vinci - it is based on a modular design and has a double spiral staircase at its centre which bears an uncanny resemblance to the DNA do.uble helix.
And the upstairs roof area reminded me of Gormenghast
Chambord Is what I would call an unhaunted house. It's to big for any kind of homeliness or comfort. Only sections of it have been in use at any given time, it's more an act of conspicuous consumption than a domicile.
 |
| Chateau de Blois |
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| The Throne - covered in the damn things |
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| Inside the Chateau |
In the afternoon we took a bus out to one of the grandest and largest Chateaus of them all, the Chateau de Chambord:
 |
| To scale |
The Chateau de Chambord is rumoured to be designed by Leonardo da Vinci - it is based on a modular design and has a double spiral staircase at its centre which bears an uncanny resemblance to the DNA do.uble helix.
 | |
| Okay, the interior of the staircase looks more like 2001 |
Chambord Is what I would call an unhaunted house. It's to big for any kind of homeliness or comfort. Only sections of it have been in use at any given time, it's more an act of conspicuous consumption than a domicile.
Day 15 - Day trip to Tours
Aside from the dragons, Robert-Houdin, and the Chateau, Blois is central to the Loire Valley district so is a good central location to see the rest of the Loire Valley.
We had a choice between seeing Tours or Orleans, and Tours won.
(I apologise for the paucity of the following entries, but we have no free wifi at the moment.)
Just as we left the train station we saw a Petit Train just about to leave. These are small trains for tourists that run past points of interest. We'd noticed one in Nantes, so we decided to take the tour in Tours, so to speak.
The train took us past the Basilica of St Martin, Charlemagne's Tower, the old town, the banks of the Loire and the Cathedral.
Based on an internet recommendation we visited the Musée de Compagnonne (Museum of Companionship). This is a museum dedicated to the masterworks of craft guild apprentices and so is full of weird objects and craft works. Well worth seeing, some photos from it appear below.
We had lunch in the Old Town and went through a few of the shops before checking out the Basilica of St Martin and the nearby museum which taught us more about the cloak ripper than we ever wanted to know. The English on the exhibits ran out just before the archaeological section. We assume Romans were involved.
Then off to the Cathedral and the Museum of Fine Arts that had a collection of justly neglected works - and a surprise Monet and Ernst.
We hope to return to Tours, one day just wasn't enough.
We had a choice between seeing Tours or Orleans, and Tours won.
(I apologise for the paucity of the following entries, but we have no free wifi at the moment.)
Just as we left the train station we saw a Petit Train just about to leave. These are small trains for tourists that run past points of interest. We'd noticed one in Nantes, so we decided to take the tour in Tours, so to speak.
The train took us past the Basilica of St Martin, Charlemagne's Tower, the old town, the banks of the Loire and the Cathedral.
Based on an internet recommendation we visited the Musée de Compagnonne (Museum of Companionship). This is a museum dedicated to the masterworks of craft guild apprentices and so is full of weird objects and craft works. Well worth seeing, some photos from it appear below.
We had lunch in the Old Town and went through a few of the shops before checking out the Basilica of St Martin and the nearby museum which taught us more about the cloak ripper than we ever wanted to know. The English on the exhibits ran out just before the archaeological section. We assume Romans were involved.
Then off to the Cathedral and the Museum of Fine Arts that had a collection of justly neglected works - and a surprise Monet and Ernst.
We hope to return to Tours, one day just wasn't enough.
Day 13a - The Dragons of Blois
They deserve their own post:
We must have watched them about four times now.
We must have watched them about four times now.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Day 13 - Blois
The wifi in our hotel is a bit flakey. So I'm hoping to do a bigger update later.
Blois is fairly small compared to Nantes and both its attractions to us are right next to each other. And there's nowhere to eat near the hotel (which is just next to the station.) In a way it reminds me of the historical French equivalent of Glen Innes.
The point to staying here is that it's central to the Chateaus of the Loire valley. We plan on day trips to Tours and Orleans (so it's handy that we're just across from the station.)
I'll digress here just to point out how amazing the French train system has been, especially for those with minimal French. I was able to book our train tickets on the net, but collect them at the station from a automated ticket machine, just by using the same credit card. C'est magnifique!
We immediately availed ourselves of the first major attraction in Bloyes - the Robert-Houdin Maison de la Magir. Robert-Houdin was the father of modern stage magic,and a personal hero of mine and the museum devoted to his memory is absolutely delightful.
For a start it has - ah, but I'll save that for when I can embed a YouTube video. Instead, as I'm composing this on my iPhone I'll attach a couple of photos at the end.
The museum has it's own live magic show (which was delightful), a room devoted to optical illusions, an exhibition of puppetry, a floor devoted to Robert-Houdin himself (who had a fully automated house a century before Bill Gates) and finally - the Hallucinoscope, which is hard to describe, but entails walking through a darkened exhibit wearing mirrors under your eyes that reflect the ceiling - do it created the illusion of walking underwater.
Another wonderful, one of a kind experience from France!
Blois is fairly small compared to Nantes and both its attractions to us are right next to each other. And there's nowhere to eat near the hotel (which is just next to the station.) In a way it reminds me of the historical French equivalent of Glen Innes.
The point to staying here is that it's central to the Chateaus of the Loire valley. We plan on day trips to Tours and Orleans (so it's handy that we're just across from the station.)
I'll digress here just to point out how amazing the French train system has been, especially for those with minimal French. I was able to book our train tickets on the net, but collect them at the station from a automated ticket machine, just by using the same credit card. C'est magnifique!
We immediately availed ourselves of the first major attraction in Bloyes - the Robert-Houdin Maison de la Magir. Robert-Houdin was the father of modern stage magic,and a personal hero of mine and the museum devoted to his memory is absolutely delightful.
For a start it has - ah, but I'll save that for when I can embed a YouTube video. Instead, as I'm composing this on my iPhone I'll attach a couple of photos at the end.
The museum has it's own live magic show (which was delightful), a room devoted to optical illusions, an exhibition of puppetry, a floor devoted to Robert-Houdin himself (who had a fully automated house a century before Bill Gates) and finally - the Hallucinoscope, which is hard to describe, but entails walking through a darkened exhibit wearing mirrors under your eyes that reflect the ceiling - do it created the illusion of walking underwater.
Another wonderful, one of a kind experience from France!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Day 11 & Day 12 - Nantes
Yes we wanted to spend our tenth wedding anniversary in Paris. I know it's a cliche but we love the city, the people, the feel of Paris - it's not just the city of romance but a city of pure life. But we had another destination in mind in France, a place we'd only heard of in legend and YouTube videos - Les Machines de L'ile at Nantes.
Basically we wanted to go to Nantes to ride in an elephant.
This elephant.
This is what it looks like in motion.
Llyn also went for a ride on a mechanical heron (a prototype for a new project - The Heron Tree - which is due for completion in 2018) and we saw their mechanical caterpillar.
Here's the caterpillar in motion
The next day we returned for a ride on their Verne inspired carousal.
Here are some more of the amazing sights from Les Machines de L'Ile
It's like a Terry Gilliam redesign of Disneyland.
Nantes is the home town of Jules Verne and like Verne it had a delightful confluence of the past and the future. We tried to get to the Jules Verne museum but, like so much of Nantes, it was closed on Tuesday (or Dimarche as I know now to look for. ) An anticlimax to the titanic struggle Llyn had with her natural enemy, a steep flight of stairs.
Today we wandered up the road to the Cathedral of St Pierre and St Paul - a building that survived fire, revolution and the explosion of a nearby Jacobin arsenal.
Said arsenal was part of the Chateau Duc d'Bretagne where we wandered the ramparts overlooking the rest of Nantes before being absorbed by the museum. The museum not only covered the history of the original inhabitants of the Chateau but the history of Nantes itself, and we found we had run our of time as we wanted to ride on the carousel.
Tomorrow, we're off to Blois but we're already planning our return to Nantes.
Basically we wanted to go to Nantes to ride in an elephant.
This elephant.
This is what it looks like in motion.
Llyn also went for a ride on a mechanical heron (a prototype for a new project - The Heron Tree - which is due for completion in 2018) and we saw their mechanical caterpillar.
Said arsenal was part of the Chateau Duc d'Bretagne where we wandered the ramparts overlooking the rest of Nantes before being absorbed by the museum. The museum not only covered the history of the original inhabitants of the Chateau but the history of Nantes itself, and we found we had run our of time as we wanted to ride on the carousel.
Tomorrow, we're off to Blois but we're already planning our return to Nantes.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Day 9 - more dead people / Day 10 - Aurevoir Paree, Bon Jour Nantes
Day 9
Our last full day in Paris and what better way to celebrate our joie de vivre then a visit to Pere Chaise Cemetery.
This was a completely different exercise to the Catacombs as:
- it was above ground (well, mostly)
- all the dead had names. Some of them very famous names.
Also Pere Chaise was a breath of fresh air. Literally. It was quiet and tree lined and a beautiful place to walk around.
Especially if you weren't scared of famous dead people.
After lunch at a nearby bistro we went back to St Michel to visit Shakespeare and Company - the legendary English language bookstore that was a home away from home for many expatriate writers. It is one of those marvelous places with books crammed into every possible space, a bit like our lounge room.
Upstairs is a reading library with a view of Notre Dame.
We had our last dinner in Paris around the corner from our flat. It was our last night there for we were off to Nantes the next day.
Day 10
We meet up with our landlady (who we found was an author) who offered the flat to us for the next time we're in Paris. An offer we plan on taking up where possible.
Our last breakfast at the Neo Cafe and then off to Montparnasse Station to catch the TGV to Nantes.
Only one barrier was in our way.
Lots and lots and lots of stairs. We believe that this is how the French stay fit despite their cuisine.
Stairs.
Fortunately we had given ourselves plenty of time to get to the train and soon we were able to wrangle our luggage onto the train and try for the two hour trip to Nantes. We were both impressed by the TGV, we're now firm supporters of a high speed train for Australia - it's like flying at ground level. The only problem was, we were moving so fast it was hard to take pictures out the window.
And then, suddenly, Nantes. We've come to Nantes for a very specific reason (which will be revealed in the next entry) so I wasn't sure how easy it would be to get around and he much of my appallingly stunted French I would have to emit in public.
It turns out Nantes is quite easy to get around (except for the point where we got lost walking home after dinner) and even if it appears that we don't share a common language it seems that every one still remembers a little Cro-Magnon.
Our last full day in Paris and what better way to celebrate our joie de vivre then a visit to Pere Chaise Cemetery.
This was a completely different exercise to the Catacombs as:
- it was above ground (well, mostly)
- all the dead had names. Some of them very famous names.
Also Pere Chaise was a breath of fresh air. Literally. It was quiet and tree lined and a beautiful place to walk around.
Especially if you weren't scared of famous dead people.
After lunch at a nearby bistro we went back to St Michel to visit Shakespeare and Company - the legendary English language bookstore that was a home away from home for many expatriate writers. It is one of those marvelous places with books crammed into every possible space, a bit like our lounge room.
Upstairs is a reading library with a view of Notre Dame.
We had our last dinner in Paris around the corner from our flat. It was our last night there for we were off to Nantes the next day.
Day 10
We meet up with our landlady (who we found was an author) who offered the flat to us for the next time we're in Paris. An offer we plan on taking up where possible.
Our last breakfast at the Neo Cafe and then off to Montparnasse Station to catch the TGV to Nantes.
Only one barrier was in our way.
Lots and lots and lots of stairs. We believe that this is how the French stay fit despite their cuisine.
Stairs.
Fortunately we had given ourselves plenty of time to get to the train and soon we were able to wrangle our luggage onto the train and try for the two hour trip to Nantes. We were both impressed by the TGV, we're now firm supporters of a high speed train for Australia - it's like flying at ground level. The only problem was, we were moving so fast it was hard to take pictures out the window.
And then, suddenly, Nantes. We've come to Nantes for a very specific reason (which will be revealed in the next entry) so I wasn't sure how easy it would be to get around and he much of my appallingly stunted French I would have to emit in public.
It turns out Nantes is quite easy to get around (except for the point where we got lost walking home after dinner) and even if it appears that we don't share a common language it seems that every one still remembers a little Cro-Magnon.
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