Paroissien’s in Paris

Ian up bright and early, ie 6am to try and get the Grand Final live on the Internet - unfortunately only the radio.      A great match between Geelong and Hawthorn - what a treat.   Whoever wins it’s fine by me, just great to see a few Melbourne teams in the finals.

It seems to be a weekend for visitors to Paris.   Yesterday I had lunch with Alan and Di Hall (Ian working!!), and we caught up on his work in Saudi Arabie - a bit different to Melbourne!!    They don’t have a tourist industry of any kind - and Di cannot even visit him until she has some sort of special visas.  We are so fortunate to have the freedoms we do.

And after showing Jenny and Amy around my favourite St Germain areas - Rue Jacob, Rue de Seine, Rue Bonaparte etc, they headed off to do some serious shopping at Galleries Lafayette etc.

Then last night we had dinner with Sally Schonfeld and Susie Embury - we were intending to go to our local bistrot, but not open, so decided in the end to have dinner at home - bought some beautiful salmon at the covered market in Passy, (remembered to ask him to remove the skin and scales!), lots of salad stuff,  had bought a macaroon each at Laduree - an old Parisian favourite, and enjoyed a great night of reminiscing and laughter - we’re getting to know the French reds now, and Jenny has just told me that she is on first name terms with the lady at the wine shop - Nicolas - and that only after 1 week!!!

And to finish off our evening, we all walked down to the river and across the walking bridge under the train line, to see the Eiffel tower sparkling - it is looking so stunning at the moment, lit up in blue with golden stars representing their presidency of the European Union.for 6 months.

Ian’s is just about to walk down to the Boulangerie to get croissants for breakfast, then we are all off to the wonderful food market in Rue President Wilson - full of fresh fish, luscious strawberries and raspberries, creamy cheeses - with names I will never remember, and the man who makes fabulous crepes with all sorts of interesting fillings.   
We are also meeting some friends from PwC in Indonesia - I Ching and Enny, so looking forward to catching up on Jakarta news.
Jenny’s last day - so Jen and Amy are off to Montmartre after the market to explore the old streets around the vineyard and the beautiful Basilique de Sacre Coeur - and  the best views of Paris.

Then dinner tonight at our local Italian restaurant before Amy heads back to London on the train and Jen leaves for Dubai.   
I have lots of little anecdotes but they will keep for a few days until I can sort through my notes.

Au revoir

Barb

Pictures:   Top right:   Capri from the chairlift          Top right:    the Marina Grande, Sorrento
            Bottom left:     Amy, Jen and Barb at dinner      Bottom right:    Barb at Pompei

ITALY AND THE AMALFI COAST -        with Jenny and Amy King

 

Sorrento was the chosen spot for us to explore this beautiful part of Italy.     It is a reasonable sized town, with lots of hotels and two harbours – the Marina Grande where we stayed and which had some terrific restaurants and delicious calamari, and the main harbour, Picolo from where all the boats leave for the Isle of Capri, Amalfi, Naples etc.

 

We stayed in the Hotel del Mare, with sea views, it was just a few steps from the fishing harbour and ideally placed for walking everywhere, albeit up lots of steps and stairs.    And luckily half way up all the steps, there was a small niche with the Ave Maria keeping watch – she was a great help in getting us to the top!!!     And by the end of the 6 days, we were whizzing up, without too much loss of breath!!!   (Amy said we had to get our hearts pumping, but we said we didn’t want to wear our hearts out!!!)

 

First day was a little cloudy, so we opted for Pompei – and the amazing historical record of the volcano which erupted in AD79.    We took the local train and spent a few hours wandering around this ancient area.     I was there probably about 40 years ago, and so much more has been excavated since then, and much more historical detail has been uncovered.  And the ruts in the big stone  roads, made by the chariots are still there to this day.      A great day and fortunately not too too hot.

So, next day, Isle of Capri was on the agenda.      Took the fast boat out, only 20 minutes and spent the next few hours taking buses to the old area, Ana Capri, then took the Chairlift up to the top of the island – a first for Jen who looked a little concerned.    So we just bought her the ticket and said ‘hop on’ – and of course it didn’t collapse and no one fell off, and the views were absolutely magnificent.

Happiness is:    a bunch of grapes hanging from an old vine;  an iced coffee – in a bowl; the peace of the chairlift slowly rising to the heavens; a view of azure blue seas surrounding this famous island;  whitewashed, flat roofed houses basking in the sun; and convertible taxis with canvas sunroofs – in olours to match the turquoise upholstery – amazing!!!

 

 

Next day off to Amalfi, Positano and Ravello in the local bus – that was an experience.  Generally speaking the French and English (and Aussies) are orderly queuers – but the Italians and tourists (English!!) seem to  take on a different character and just push.    Luckily however we have learned the art of being first on – elbows, the hip and handbag and small steps edging through the crowd till you get to the front – and then, dash for the seats.  

 

 The bus trip can only be described as ‘hairy’ – with hairpin bends and huge tourist buses at every turn.  The Great Ocean Road in Victoria pales into insignificance beside these roads.   And the bus drivers are amazing – it’s a wonder any cars/buses etc have door handles, they all pass to close to each other. But we made it and heaved a sigh of relief when we arrived in Ravello.     

 

Lovely little village with terraced vineyards of lime, lemon and orange trees in abundance, together with rows of luscious green vegetables.     The highlight here was the Gardens of the Villa Rufulo – an old villa now used for the Arts and overlooking the bay – lots of well kept flower beds and music coming from hidden speakers.  Quite magical.      Lunch at a café in the square,overlooking an old Duomo (cathedral) with an  unusual mosaic tiled altar and pulpit.   A little vino to pass the time, a little shopping for some of the local pottery (lemons on everything) and then back through Amalfi and Positano and home – Missed a seat on the bus from Ravello to Amalfi (only 20 minutes) so mad scramble to get one for the hour’s ride to Sorrento – ready for a sleep by then.

 

Back to Sorrento and another meal and vino – the local wine is very drinkable and with the small glass of Limoncello Cream at the end of the meal, we are much enjoying this part of the evening.

 

All in all a great few days – Amy found some sun to golden up her skin, while Jen and I found a few moreshops – lots of leather – handbags, shoes and belts, and of course one always has to have a tea towel – with lemons on it!!  

Jen and I flew back to Paris – with Eurofly … Eurowho!! – but they got us there and back with not too many delays although we were already to take off when there was much talk with the stewards at the back of the plane with a couple of passengers.   Result was that  they announced that one of the passengers was to leave the flight and his luggage was being unloaded – Jen looked around to see what was happening and in her usual fine form of keeping an eye on things, announced that he did indeed ‘look a bit furtive’.   I couldn’t stop laughing – I had to have a look to see what a furtive man looked like (Looked like any other harassed man to me!!)

Needless to say we made it safely back to Paris,  without the furtive man and his wife,Amy is back inn London,  and are now madly  making our plans for Jen’s next few days here.

Arrivaderci…
Barb and Co.

Last night we had the privilege of attending a performance of the ballet at the Opera Garnier - the most beautiful Opera house I have ever seen - the opulance defies description.     Built in the late 1860’s as part of Baron Haussman’s redesign and rebuilding of Paris, it was renovated in 2000.   The main  marble staircase leads to many small balconies - all marble, and the main ante room is filled with cherubs and angels and stunning paintings.   
The auditorium itself is all red velvet and whilst there is standard seating in the stalls area, the rest of the 3 circles comprise of boxes where patrons sit on confortable velvet covered chairs.
Jenny King and I were actually doing a tour of the Opera House a couple of weeks when she expressed a dream to see a performance there - so we went to the box office to see what was on - and managed to get 3 tickets for this ballet - a tribute to Jerome Robbins, a French Choreographer - more on the ballet itself in a moment.
Buying the tickets was interesting - we were informed there were only standing tickets or folding chairs in the aisle available - standing tickets were obviously not suitable for us (there are some age limits!!)  so okay, we will take folding chairs - our imagination ran wild - will they be directors chairs, or perhaps canvas stools, or those slatted wood picnic chairs.       The position looked okay - a few rows from the front in the stalls.
We arrived early to enjoy a glass of champagne and take a few photos, then proceeded to our seats - well, these folding seats where beautiful little velvet covered seats attached to the end of each row in the centre aisle.      You pulled it out and down - and there we sat - fantastic position.    But of course the seats when ’sat upon’ took up the whole aisle, so we had to go in last and leave first so everyone else could get out - can imagine the fire people in Australia having an apopletic fit if they saw how everyone was fitted in!!   But hey, who are we to argue.

And the ballet itself was fantastic.     First  danse was  in modern style to music by Ravel, the second piece a very modern dance.    After interval, Chopin was the composer with the first dance being in the true classical style - pas de deux’s, tulle dresses and much romanticism. And the last piece was also to chopin but a very light hearted dance where much fun and laughter was enjoyed by us all - it was certainly a new experience laughing during a ballet -  a great finale to a wonderful night in the most beautiful opera house - I haven’t been to Milan but Paris  would have to rate in the top two or three in the world for magnificence.

So, another ‘wow’ for Paris

Home on the metro - Jen’s daughter Amy had arrived from London for a few days so after a bite to eat, we went off to bed very happy and relaxed.

Firstly, the photos - the Blog people in their wisdom and efforts to ‘improve’ have made it a little bit more complicated to put on the pictures - hence the different sizes!!

The top picture is Treglisson, the B  & B of Heather and Steve Reeves in Hayle, just near St Ives on the west coast of Cornwall - it is just such a beautiful area - and I will put a picture of the marshes and wetlands on the next blog.     We can fully recommend this beautiful old home, full of atmosphere and a family of much fun and warmth.  (www.treglisson.co.uk )
We have been visiting andrew and his girlfriend Beth who are at present staying with her family in Cornwall - we drove down in the rain from Bristol airport - through lovely rolling hills and dales, bright green and lush.

Hayle is a town on a beautiful estuary - most of which is owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, so in its natural state - no development there thank you very much!!!
We arrived at Treglisson -after our 3 hour drive from Bristol, to a great welcome from all the family - Heather and Steve, Andrew and Beth, Ellie (Beth’s sister) and her 9 month old daughter Tolarno (yes, after the South Australian wine) but abbreviated to Tilly, and not to forget Josh, the younger son and of course Poppy the Border Collie.

We did much exploring - St Ives where parking is impossible so we caught this dear little train - so easy. Lots of tourists, being Sunday, and everyone seems to have a pushchair with a couple of toddlers attached!!  There were even a few hardy souls on the beach - and it was 16 degrees!!! Enjoyed  a Cornish Pasty for lunch -and even Cornish coffee - how they do this I can’t imagine when coffee only grows in the highlands of the tropics!!! 
Then went to the Tate Gallery - modern art and very interesting.  However the highlight was the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden - set high up overlooking St Ives, it is a serene garden full of flowers, trees and her stunning sculpture.  A great place for some food for the soul - and it was free day too!!
Beth and Andrew took us to Land’s End - a lot more touristy than when I was there - was it really 40 years ago!!! - but still the same windy and wild seas.
We also drove to Tintagel, of King Arthur fame and climbed over the castle ruins - so very very old - but the little village has grown and every shop is either a cafe or a shop selling ’stuff’.

Another highlight was going to see a play at the Minack Theatre - see photos above.     This is an outdoor natural amphitheatre set right above the ocean.   We packed up the picnic, a mountain of rugs, cushions and the wine and set off to watch a JB Priestly play - only thing was that it rained, and rained and rained!!!   Still, the red wine helped and with our rain jackets on we were cosy enough and so enjoyed the atmosphere of waves crashing on the rocks below.

We had lots of family meals - and Ian even did one of his special risottos as an entree for Sunday night family dinner - 10 of us and with Steve’s pork roast and Andrew’s apple crumble, we ate right royally.
The next night I did my latest dessert - in fact Yvonne Howie’s recipe - nectarines sliced in the ovenproof dish, covered with amaretto biscuits and then a thick layer of creme fraiche - in the fridge for a couple of hours, then sprinkled with brown sugar and under the hot grill - so delicious. Although must admit the Aga stove is not conducive to grilling - so it sort of melted - but the flavour was still there!!

had a drink one evening at the Angarack pub - the usual 16th century low ceilings and full of wonderful
‘things’ - an old pram full of fluffy toys, plates along the picture rail, 3 different types of crib boards, an old piana, etc. etc - a real treat - and the drinks were pretty good too.

All too soon time to say farewell.    Andrew and Beth will finish with the cafes shortly - the tourists are all going home, and they hope to work in the French alps during the winter season - they tell me they don’t get paid much much have a great time snowboarding etc.    Then next year they hope to go to South america - I thought it was supposed to be a Gap Year for Andrew - I think it’s turning into Gap Years, or Gap Life!!!  
A wonderful few days in cornwall,meeting Beth’s family and exploring all their special places.   Now back in Paris, Ian has some work to do, and  I am off to Italy - meeting Jenny King and daughter Amy for some sun in Sorrento - and exploring the Amalfi Coast - Pompei, Capri, Ravello etc. etc.

Will be back in Paris next Friday - more news then.

Hope you are all well and happy

Au revoir
Barb

PS    The website for Treglisson is:     www.treglisson.co.uk - do check it out if you are thinking of exploring Cornwall and south west England.

 

 

We are back in
Paris after our 3 weeks in Melbourne which it was pretty cold – and rainy.  However it was so lovely to see the lawns green again – and the garden looking terrific.

 

Jenny King arrived safely after her flight via Singapore and Dubai, and we have been walking and talking lots.       Walked through the Palais Royal where the gardens are looking fabulous – dahlias and Japanese wind flowers in gay abundance and lots of tiny sparrows.     And interestingly, the Horse chestnuts are starting to turn brown and the leaves are falling – there is a hint of Autumn in the air.

 

We visited the Opera yet again – the most stunning building imaginable, and of course St Chapelle with its stained glass and Galleries Lafayette with its beautiful stained glass dome.  And we have tickets for the ballet - very exciting.   Couldn’t get the best seats - all gone;  we are on folding chairs in the aisle - but right near the stage - we are so looking forward to sitting in this most grand of auditoriums - all red velvet.
 

We have had a great time although with a great deal of spluttering and coughing – courtesy of Melbourne’s weather and jet lag.

 Now Jen has gone to London to stay with Amy and Thelma and Peter from Sydney have arrived for a few days.

 I have just read the most amazing book “THREE CUPS OF TEA – One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time”     If you can get hold of a copy I can promise you a wonderful read.

 

And I am also reading “Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t be Wrong” – what makes the French so French.   It is so very interesting with great insights and explanations into the French character.

 

One particular segment caused me much amusement – about their annual sale in Paris – The Solde.  And I quote “

“Les Soldes is not a custom.   The police set the dates and supervise the sales across the country: Stores are only allowed to have sales from mid-January to mid-February and from mid-June to mid-July.   To hold a sale outside that period, merchants have to obtain special approval from the police.    The rest of the year, small shops and big retailers can’t so much as offer a rebate without facing the wrath of the law”.

Amongst other historical traditions, “… the practice of regulating sales predates the discovery of America by at least three hundred years”  -  quite amazing.

 

The food here is quite incredible – the French really care for their food which explains their patience with being served, standing in the inevitable queue and taking their time.      In Le Bon Marche’s food store yesterday, there were 18 different types of mushrooms for sale, and 10 different kinds of peppercorns – and I have of course previously mentioned all the cheeses.    

One of President Charles de Gaulle’s wonderful sayings was:  “How can anyone govern a country that has 246 kinds of cheese”. – how indeed!

 

Tomorrow Ian and I are flying to Bristol and then driving down to St Ives and Hayle in Cornwall to visit Andrew and Beth and meet Beth’s family.     Andrew and Beth have been working pretty hard in their various cafes – and Andrew has also been playing cricket for St Ives.     He took 3 wickets (caught and bowled) and took a few catches when wicket-keeping!! -  Sadly it was the last match of the season so we will not have the opportunity of watching a game on an English green. 

 

Au revoir – more after Cornwall

 

Barbara