Monday session was just OK finishing about even in IMPS. Tuesday back to San Sebastian to the store I wanted to go to and…..bought nothing. Back for lunch and bridge and the second session being the fifth session of very ordinary and luckless bridge. That night we go back to Chez Albert Seafood with the Brogelands and his sponsor partner’s family. Sitting next to Zia is always entertaining listening to his bridge and life stories.
Often when somebody unexpectedly insists of paying for dinner I comment “damn! Had I known I would have ordered the lobster”. That line wouldn’t have worked tonight as I did order the lobster and Simon Gillis insisted, after a knockdown argument I might add, on paying for the meal. The lobster was great and perfectly cooked – must have been as I cracked every morsel to get as much as I could.
I went to the casino with Zia and Paul deciding to play Poker as there were some bridge players in the game. I knew I would lose as I always do on my annual decision to play poker. I simply don’t have the patience. Mercifully I won back what I lost at Poker so finished a handsome winner from the Biarritz Casino which is a pretty shitty excuse for a Casino. Chris Brogeland went there at lunch time to enter the evening poker tournament and was told “oh no problem just be here at 20:00 and enter”. He turned up at 20:00 to be told no he was too late and would not be allowed to play. This was of course accompanied by the normal French passive resistance.
Wednesday morning and we, the Brogeland, Paul and I head towards Relais de la Poste in Magescq, a two star Michelin Restaurant. I don’t recall having previously gone to two star Michelin because it is a little like Hi-Fi systems – I can tell the difference between a $400 and $2000 system but anything beyond that and I can’t tell the difference. The meal, lobster bisque cappuccino style, foie gras, duck and dessert was outstanding but not amazingly memorable. Interestingly the restaurant is in a small village four star hotel and is exceptionally well appointed and incredibly overstaffed. For the second day, this time Boye insisted on paying but as his brother Chris has been my guest in our house I didn’t argue too much but the next one is mine. This is because our last meal in Nobu Las Vegas ended up being $180 per head and it was his turn to pay so I better make a mental note of this.
We get in the car which shows 60kms of fuel left and 55kms to travel. My car deal is that I need to return it empty so we make it back to the bridge for our only moderate session finishing the event at +15 (winners around +165) with zero being average.
We head back home for a home cooked meal of steak, salad and leftover items which need to be consumed before our departure the next day.
Next morning we clean everything up and the ‘landlord’ comes over for the check-out spending 15 minutes to make everything works and tat we haven’t ruined anything before returning my €1000 deposit.
With Paul’s not needing to be at the airport for two hours and me for three we drive down to St Jean de Luz which is a lovely looking seaside town 17kms south of Biarritz. We wander around before I drop Paul off at the airport and go down to Biarritz for a coffee before going back to the airport, returning the car and catching my flight to Nice.
Our landlord phones me while I am having my coffee to report that the dishwasher door is broken and it has been forced and must have been us and we will have to pay for it. After some to and fro discussion I asked her if she was a technician that she has been able to assess that it was our fault. Anyway she is expecting us to pay and I leave ti to you to decide what my expectation is.
I was semi-expecting a problem at the airport when my ticket was booked in my middle name last name so Alan Stern. The reason for this is that I use an auto-fill program and it must have misunderstood one of the fields. I had visions of turning up and being told that the ticket wasnt booked in my name but....nothing - immediate issue of boarding pass.
Arrive in Nice and go to the Novotel Airport Hotel but surprise surprise the Novotel hotel at the airport is NOT the Novotel airport hotel, that is the one 2kms away. I am not a happy camper so they call for a taxi and I get to the correct hotel to find that the taxi fare is $A23 because when you call for a taxi in Nice they turn on the meter from when they take the call. Now I am really angry and ready to leave France.
Anyway I check into my hotel and decide to deny the taxis of Nice any fares so go to the nearby railway station to take a train the 8kms into the centre of Nice as I have booked at a Japanese restaurant for dinner. The train is ‘retarde’ so I wait the 40 minutes till it arrives for the 10 minute ride and 10 minute walk to the restaurant. Excellent meal but when they call for the taxi, n taxis available. I find out why – there is a fireworks display for Bastille Day and the streets are closed. I watch the fireworks and walk about 2kms along the Promenade des Anglaise to a hotel where the streets aren’t barricaded and ask them to call for a taxi. They say that it would be almost impossibly but one of the workers offers to drive me there for €30 ($A40) which is about one third of what it would normally costs I am told.
Anyway good night’s sleep, a full repack and writing this blog. Off to the airport in an hour for a flight to Dubai, 10 hours in airport hotel and then A380 to Australia, home, kids, family, home and dogs.
Well it has been a great holiday of seven and a half weeks without any regrets on the itinerary and no incidents of note. The only minor disappointment was the bridge results but that contrasted with the wonderful location and tournaments I have played in and I am hoping to play in Biarritz and perhaps Deauville which follows immediately thereafter at some time in the future.
Thanks all for paying attention to my travels
Catch up with all of you soon
Love to all David
That night we head down to the town and the bridge venue and catch up with various people we know including Zia, Steve Hamoui, John Kranyak, “Pepsi” and many others. The Italians, who I know reasonably well, do what they do and simply walk by without acknowledging your presence – y-a-w-n!
Next morning (Thursday) Paul and I got a late start and headed down to San Sebastian. This is the northernmost city on the West Coast of Spain and is a 45 minute drive along the freeway from Biarritz. I had been there once before and was keen to see it again as the old historical part of town, the beach in the city proper and everything about the place is charming and inviting.
Some late lunch and we head down to Bilbao but were too late to see anything as we had agreed to pick up Boye, his family and step-brother Chris. We collect them from the airport and head back for the 1:45 drive to Biarritz. We get back to the house where we share a dinner of bits and pieces and then Paul and I take a walk around Biarritz.
I must say that Biarritz is one of the nicest towns I have seen in France. Its seaside location, Versailles style architecture, its small and intimate streets lined with quality shops make it so inviting. Boye and his family are staying at the Palais Hotel (Chris is sharing with Paul and I) which, despite being run by the city of Biarritz is one of the most stately hotels I have ever seen. I am guessing that the place may be quite bleak but in the summer it is simply fantastic. High recommendation.
Friday morning and I spend a few hours walking around the township sticking my head in various shops etc. and then buying some groceries before going back to our house which is located just 300 metres from the Casino, Beach and town proper.
An early dinner (18:30) where it was hard to find a restaurant open and off to bridge which started at 19:30 – sorry France - was scheduled to start at 19:30 but started close to 20:00 finishing at 23:15. We started very well but a few bad boards saw our score drop to 51%. That night we played against Erwin Otvosi, Marek Borewicz and Chris Lasocki – old home week really. I thought I played really well and that we deserved a better score but them’s the breaks.
As I arrive at the bridge, a friend of mine whom I had tried to have lunch with last time in Phoenix comes up to me and says “what are you doing here, you should have let me know you were coming!” Anyway we will catch up here I guess.
After bridge I hook up with Erwin and Keiko Otovosi for a late supper after which home to bed for a poor night’s sleep.
Next morning I wake late-ish and head down for a walk along the entire waterfront of Biarritz proper finishing up at the Palais Hotel where Paul, Chris, Boye and Anders and some kids are playing table tennis, soccer and golf in the beautiful gardens of the hotel. After about two hours of shooting the breeze all came back to our house for lunch and a short relax before the one session of bridge scheduled to start at 17:00.
That night I played one of the worst sessions I have played for a long time scoring 43%. My bad bids would fill this blog so moving right along. After bridge I have dinner with Erwin, Keiko, Keiko’s daughter Kaye as well as Jerry Stepinski (Erwin’s Partner) and Paul Gosney at Chez Albert a well-regarded seafood restaurant. Erwin orders two huge seafood platter with a wonderful assortment of langoustines, prawns, oysters, sea snails – which I must say I quite liked and other bits and pieces. Too hungry for a main I went straight to a dessert which was a reasonably good choc fondant.
The next morning I have lunch lined up with Perla Sultan, a lovely Jewish woman from Venezuela – well now Miami where her daughters live. She sees me at the tournament and her whole face lights up as though I was her long lost friend which is kind of lovely. We sat by the pool at the Palais Hotel and told each other about our lives, bridge and in her case everything else. I was not relishing the thought of this lunch but it turned out quite wonderful.
Off to bridge where I played a little better scoring 53% after giving Alfredo Versace and Madame Maria-Theresa Lavazza’s son two top boards. Bridge finished at 19:00 and Erwin took us to a restaurant called L’Atelier which is designated “expected” to be Michelin one star in the future. The meal was very good but not outstanding. Paul and I head to the Casino, my second since being here and after winning for the second time I left for a relatively early night.
Next morning I headed to San Sebastian (40 minutes South in Spain) to a shop I was interested in looking at only to find that they were, like about 50% of the shops in France, CLOSED ON MONDAY MORNINGS – FARKING HELL.
Anyway made the best of it then headed back to the house for lunch and here I am.
IMP Pairs – three days of one session a day starts at 17:00 and I am hoping for a better performance than the match pointed pairs – which shouldn’t be too hard.
For those interested table money is €25 ($A33) per session which isn’t too bad by European standards and the playing conditions are superb. In a double height convention area surrounded by glass overlooking the sea – quite excellent. There is another tournament in Deauville straight after this one and next time I come for the bridge I intend to perhaps play in both as my total holiday. We’ll see – not back from this one yet.
Anyway hope everybody is well
XD
Saturday morning and I go to St Remy de Provence and Avignon. I had wider plans including Arles and Nimes but simply didn’t get going early enough for all that.
That night cooked dinner and had a relatively early night – midnight. For some reason the days seem to be longer perhaps aided by the 22:00 sunset.
Sunday morning and I left around 13:00 towards Nice where I was picking up my bridge partner Paul Gosney (26 Australian living in London for 6 months) at Nice airport at 20:25. I stopped in at Boit which is a lovely village with a number of glass artists and many studios of various types. I saw a nice lamp I would have bought had I known how to get it back in one piece.
I have a nice dinner in Nice and head out to the airport having checked the arrival time. However it wasn’t till I arrived at the airport that I found out that the plane was an hour late – GRRR!!
Anyway collected Paul and drove around Nice to show him the city as he wasn’t going to get back here again and then to Monte Carlo for a late supper. Finally got back to Aix at 02:00 Monday morning.
Nor surprisingly we didn’t get going to fairly late and headed to Ilse Sur La Sorgue, Menerbe and Bonnieux followed by a lovely dinner at the Jules Cesar in Arles.
Tuesday we headed south after sitting in the traffic for close to an hour at one point alone in Aix. We lunched at Bastide St Antoine, a Michelin one star restaurant. The meal was superb but I guess I should have done better than order the John Dory. Sitting in the garden was stunningly beautiful and very relaxing.
We then headed to Tourettes Sur Loupe and St Paul de Vence (where somebody backs into my car but luckily no damage) which is probably my favourite village in the South of France - full of galleries with lovely pieces and all surrounded by the most charming of Village environments. I buy some steak and vegetables and we dine in the backyard in a beautiful sunset.
Next morning we pack up and head for Biarritz which is a 06:15 drive which takes 9:00 with stops at Toulouse and Lourdes – nope didn’t feel healed after being there.
Now came the fun and games. I wrote to the owner of an apartment to rent a two bedroom apartment for what was originally the two of us and made an offer for it. The response was: “offering j rent an apartment (Réf. 681010) to 0,7 km from casino, j can do 800 €/8 night”. What had not registered was that she was offering me a different property of just one bedroom at the same price I had offered for two. No sorry I cant let you have that one I’ll let you have this one I simply assumed she had accepted my offer. This all came to light when I told her there would now be three of us as Boye’s brother was coming to babysit and would be staying with us rather than paying €280 at the Palais where Boye is staying.
In the meantime I had tried to get another place fully prepared to write off my €250 deposit, sent emails etc. and nothing worked. When I arrived the owner and I had some direct words in different languages luckily for both of us and agreed that I would stay there for one night utilising my €250 deposit while I looked for somewhere else.
My luck was in when I found a five bedroom house which was ideal for our needs http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p663051a and she accepted an offer of €900 for the remaining seven days. It is better located and we each get separate bedrooms making it work perfectly. She asks me if I have an insurance policy in case I set fire to her house so I send her my travel insurance. She sends me a 9 page contract in French to sign which I will do not intending to cause any damage as she seems quite precious about her house.
After arriving and finding the new place from tomorrow we go to the bridge where I meet a number of people I know and finish up having dinner and walking back to our apartment for the night.
Well there you have the last four days in a nutshell. Am too tired for any more…..
Love to all
David
Sunday afternoon and it was in fact rooftop Jacuzzi – three sessions of 30 minutes each as the sun is strong and intensive. That night another two hour walk around town before returning to the hotel to cook myself dinner. I had a longing for a good salad with iceberg lettuce and as they say where there is a will there is a way. Found a Spanish (hopefully ecoli free iceberg lettuce and made a lovely salad with smoked salmon.
Next morning (Monday) I got started late and didn’t really do much for the day, a walk, some Jacuzzi and a lot of work on my computer catching up on banking, work and some overdue emails.
Tuesday and set off towards Aix-en-Provence. On the way I stopped in Grasse and had a look around and then to Mougin which together with Paul de Vence, is one of my favourite little towns in this part.
It is always interesting when you book a holiday apartment for a week as, unlike a hotel you can’t simply leave if it doesn’t suit. But I have to say this place is superb. It is everything that it was advertised to be and then some. A beautiful loft as Julie the host calls it but it is more like a garage converted into a two level apartment with living room and well fitted kitchen downstairs and a loft bedroom and bathroom upstairs. It ticks the two boxes of air-conditioning (the temp is 35+ degrees) and internet which wasn’t so important as I bought my own. Anyone visiting these parts and looking for such accommodation would be recommended to look at
http://www.provence.guideweb.com/location/loft52/indexa.html.
While on that note if you are looking for a week’s accommodation anywhere in the world try this website: http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/ I have had three good experiences through them.
Oh and the third box – a Nespresso Coffee Machine.
Wednesday morning and I head into Aix and spend much of the day simply walking up and down all the streets in the historical centre. Now I am an intrepid shopper and a person who, if there was a world shopping tour and a world museum tour would sign up for the former. But the internet has sort of spoiled that as there is almost nothing I can’t buy 50% cheaper on the internet so, apart from one sweater I bought at an outlet centre, I have bought almost nothing this trip – most unusual and very frustrating.
Back to the Gite for a rest and a 1:45 drive to Moustiere-St-Marie for dinner with Victor and Carol. The restaurant Las Bastide de Moustiers (http://www.bastide-moustiers.com) is located in a lovely hotel with superb gardens and olive trees. Seated on the balcony we had excellent if not slightly unusual meal. There was no a la carte simply two degustation menus to choose from. Luckily both were quite agreeable and together with the excellent service it was a special evening. Apart from the 1:30 minute drive back half of which was along narrow winding and unlit roads. Anyway survived that one.
Next day I got late start and headed for the one hour drive to Toulon which I would describe as a very ordinary city whose only redeeming feature was its location on the Mediterranean Sea. I gave it a chance by catching the tourist train around but…..
Off to the lovely fishing town of Cassis where I have been twice before. This town is simply what you imagine a fishing village to be plus a large marina of boats. A bit touristy but a nice part of the world to spend a few hours.
Then off to that Arabic Village called Marseilles. I had driven through Marseilles a couple of years ago and noted that it had been improved from when I was last here in 2003 with much of the waterfront being upgraded. Pity that is all they have done to the place. It is dirty, rubbish along every street and men simply sitting around studying everybody who walks past. The only language I heard spoken was Arabic and even the street vendors in the produce markets imploring you to buy their goods do so in Arabic. Couldn’t leave quick enough.
That night I cook dinner – lobster bisque from a carton and one I would be delighted to be served in any restaurant. I did add some crab meat and prawns and, together with my salad – superbe!
Next morning I take it very slow and easy and don’t leave ‘home’ till after lunch and even then just walk around for three hours as some therapeutic exercise more than anything else.
The temperatures have been between 30 and 35 but the Mistral has been quite blowy. The mistral is a strong, cold and usually dry wind coming from the north or northwest, which accelerates when it passes through the valleys of the Rhone and the Durance Rivers to the coast of the Mediterranean. The mistral is usually accompanied by clear and fresh weather, and it plays an important role in creating the climate of Provence. It can reach speeds of more than ninety kilometers an hour, particularly in the Rhone Valley. Its average speed during the day can reach about fifty kilometers an hour, calming noticeably at night. It sometimes lasts only one or two days, frequently lasts several days, and sometimes lasts more than a week.
I get back home and my host has set up the backyard for her 67 guests for this evening’s ‘festival’ as she calls it. I wish her good luck and she asks “am I not coming?’ I wasn’t planning to but she has seated me with her parents and clearly expected me to be there. So I will oblige.
As I write this the caterers are outside my door in the driveway preparing the Paella with mussels and all for this evening and darn if it doesn’t smell fantastic.
Off to buy a bottle of wine as a gift bet they don’t have any Australian.
The party kicks off at 20:30 with most people coming close to 21:00. All stand around till 23:00 with drinks and appetizers served. The party was for my host and her friends as well as her parents and their friends. Everybody was very warm and welcoming and were interested in me and my travels and Australia etc.
A young 33 year old woman came up to me and said I will talk to you because I know the French being French are probably ignoring you, which actually and perhaps surprisingly was not the case.
Everybody sat down and ate at 23:00 when the Paella was served followed by cheese and cake. I excused myself at 01:00 with the music playing loudly and the party in full swing. In Australia the Police would have been called but no thought of that here.
Anyway enough for now.
Love to all
D
Yesterday forgot to mention that I stumbled across a mass of people queued up to buy their Juventus Football Team season tickets.
I had planned to spend my morning in Torino but it started raining gently so I packed up my bags and headed for the 1:45 drive towards Como. Perhaps driving at 160kms in a 130 zone in the rain wasn’t my most brilliant idea but when the autostradas are dead straight for 30 kilometres at a time it is just so easy.
My GPS takes me 16kms off course and I finally arrive at my hotel in Moltrasio on Lake Como. The road down to the lake is barely wide enough for one car and it is two way. I manage to make it down to the hotel only to find out that there were other possibilities.
The hotel (Grand Imperiale) is a grand hotel which they claim was built in the 1700s. The lobby, like all Italian hotels is marble while the rooms are comfortable minimalist but I am good being very relaxed apart from the rain outside. Irritating of course is the $A27 a day for parking and the $A27 per day they ask for 24 hours of internet – lucky I paid $7 for the month to have my own – take that!!!
I have never been to Como but have heard many friends wax lyrical about the area and I can understand why. Beautiful 200+ year old houses and villas surround the lake with the backdrop of beautiful hills/mountains with houses set in them sporadically all the way down to the water. I would rate this as one of the most beautifully scenic places I have ever been to. I am planning my next European sojourn for 2014 (my 60th birthday) and certainly will consider renting an apartment here for a week.
I have lunch by the lake and pick up a brochure for a boat hire and while it is expensive it seems as though it may be the ideal way to see the lake, the Villas Carlotta and Balbianello and Bellagio which I am told are must see attractions here – may go down and try and negotiate a deal.
I get back to the room and while it rains I catch up on some work, emails and planning. I didn’t realise that I am only 30 minutes from Lugano so may go there for a dinner and then again maybe not = http://www.ristorante-santabbondio.ch/uploads/Menu_Inglese.pdf. I decide to go to Lugano for dinner and have a light meal overlooking the lake.
I head back to the hotel and note a 160 shop outlet centre including Armani and other great labels (http://www.foxtown.ch/docu/Guida_Shopping.zip) which may get my attention in the next few days. I arrive back and there is a wonderful scene of people dining and drinking on the patio in the garden with a pianist playing. I sit there for an hour taking in the 22:00 sunset and a cappuccino. Off to bed after I spend some time planning my last three days before Aix-en-Provence. Was thinking Lyon but this adds two hours to the drive so am thinking Cannes or Grasse, both have Accor hotels with good deals so will decide soon although the way I feel at the moment another night or two here may be a possibility, especially if the weather improves.
Next morning I decide to master the Lake Como ferry system and catch the 08:54 Rapido from Moltrasio to Bellagio. Arriving there about 35 minutes later (1.5 hours by normal ferry) I spent a few hours walking around this most charming Baroque town. In fact I think if I had known more about the area I might have chosen to stay closer to Bellagio.
Another Rapido to Lenno a coffee and a short wait for the Rapido to Como where I lunch and walk around yet another beautiful town. Finally, and with some rain starting I head back to the hotel, collect the car and drive to the Outlet Centre. Must say that this is the finest collection of shops I have ever seen but again I didn’t need anything so left for Milano empty handed. I did resist the Ferragamo shoes reduced......from 8920 Euros ($A12,000) to mere snip at 2754 ($A3600) - they were indeed alligator - didnt even like them that much.....
I was in Milano fleetingly in 1978 and didn’t think much of the city. I arrived around 5:30pm and spent three hours walking around and having dinner. I walked past La Scala which is less than imposing given its stature. Milano didn’t strike me as anything special but again I probably didn’t give it much chance with just three hours.
While there I took some cash from my Citibank ATM. Now normally when I do this my phone rings while I am just collecting my card but this time it took about 5 minutes so I told the young lady from Bangalore that I was disappointed with how long she took to call – I don’t think she understood my humour.
Back to the hotel and I am soooo tired. I had planned a poolside rest but the weather simply hasn’t been accommodating.
Next morning I wake to lovely sunshine – well actually to a very early phone call but with sunshine. I spend three hours catching up on my mail (thanks Danielle for scanning and emailing) and some work which requires attention so don’t get going till mid-morning. I head towards Lenno and Tremezzo to visit the two main villas in the area.
Now, so far I have driven 3,800 kilometres this trip and haven’t had too many problems but the road to these two Villas is a superb advertisement for the ferry system. The road is barely wide enough for two cars and at times not even that. It comprises blind turn after blind turn and the locals travel at great speed around these corners and pass you without a care in the world albeit missing you by millimetres.
Anyway I survived to see Villa Carlotta which was a wonderful but slightly sterile lakeside Villa with beautiful gardens. On the way to Carlotta I stopped at Lenno in an attempt to see the Villa Balbianello. Go figure that it is a twenty minute walk to the Villa but on Thursday and Friday they close off the walk and you must get a speedboat for €6 return. I guess this is one way to ensure fuller employment. Anyway I return to Lenno and lunch by the boat entry at an open restaurant which I swear I thought was set for a wedding.
Balbianello is such an interesting place. Until the 16th century the site housed Capuchin Monks and in the late 17th century Cardinal Durini built a church, Loggia and the Villa. Over the years it passed hands a few time until it was acquired in 1974 by Count (non -hereditary equivalent to a knighthood) Guido Monzino, an Italian explorer who was the first Italian to reach the peak of Everest and also reached the North Pole. The Villa was renovated over four years to become a testimony to his life and houses all of his mementos, medals, rare masks, statuettes and much more. The entire house is done with Naval furniture and it is surrounded by the most stunning gardens.
Anyway it is around 16:00 as I head back to the hotel and it looks like weather for the pool. However by the time I get back – overcast and I fall asleep on the bed until around 21:00 when I start to watch Andy Murray play tennis. Don’t know why but I never like to see Englishmen win at sport. I head downstairs for a coffee and hear the pianist who is now accompanied by a chanteuse who imagines she is an opera singer – not confirmed by the facts. A beautiful fireworks exhibition starts on the lake and I then enjoy a Spanish band at the adjacent bar/restaurant.
Back to the room where I get nervous about accommodation for the next three nights when I see just about every hotel room fully booked tomorrow (Saturday night) so I book at a hotel in Cannes and will burrow down there for the next three nights before taking possession of my apartment in Aix-en-Provence.
I am totally intoxicated with Lake Como and have a bit of a plan to have a family celebration of my 60th birthday here in 2014. There are plenty of places for rent of varying types and it would be so much fun to spend a week here and a week in Provence surrounded by family. Anyway for another day.
Next morning I leave around 08:00. With around 04:15 of driving I wanted to leave a lot of time for stops and walks etc. in places I have been to before like San Remo, Menton and Monte Carlo.
Well paid the bill and hit the road, narrow as it was for the first 6kms, around 09:00. It was supposed to be a four hour drive but it turned out to be 10 hours of which 2.5 hours was due to major traffic jams including one surrounding the Ironman the next day in Nice when I insisted on taking the ocean road from Menton to Cannes rather than the motorway which also likely added 1.5 hours.
On the way I stopped at Menton to enjoy a quiche and cappuccino and a further stop in that place described by W Somerset Maugham as “a sunny place for shady people” - Monte Carlo. I was revisiting place where Linda and I had spent two weeks each playing bridge.
For Anna and Danielle: I also stopped at the Casino Mini-Market in Eze and wore a disguise to buy a drink.
I finally reached the Excel-Suites hotel to find that I had booked an excellent one bedroom apartment for the three nights before I head to Aix-en-Provence. After checking in I walked to the supermarket to buy something to cook for dinner after which I walked the 15 minutes down to Croissette (the road along the water). The nightlife in Cannes is vibrant and even though tourist season doesn’t start in earnest till Bastille Day (14th July) there were people everywhere and the restaurants seemed to be doing very nicely thank you. A taxi back to the hotel after a two hour walk and a good night’s sleep.
Next morning I cooked breakfast and walked to the marketplace down near the water. It scares me that I have never stayed in Cannes but knew exactly how to get to the market which I have indeed visited by car on many occasions. The fruit, vegetables, cheeses, flowers and produce available at this market are truly remarkable. Fresh, unusual – four different types of zucchinis that I saw and one stall that sold nothing but mushrooms and seemingly an endless variety at that. I picked up some raspberries, baby gooseberries, red currants and cherries and walked down the main street winding up at a seaside coffee and lemon presse.
Back to the hotel to work out what I will do for the afternoon although the rooftop Jacuzzi does look tempting.
Oh well this blog is long enough for now and I don’t expect too much in the days to come so I will post it and keep looking for something to do for the rest of the day.
Love to all
XX David
Next morning I decide to go to the Jewish Museum at Camden Park. An exhibition of Jews in entertainment has some interest. The museum and exhibitions were just OK, well done but not very strong in content.
One thing that annoyed me was that at the end of the Holocaust section of the museum there was a section where you could write “what would you take” if it was you fleeing or being taken away. One idiot wrote my Playstation, Ipod etc. – clearly didn’t get it.
On the way to the Underground I stumble on the Camden Markets, something that stirred in my memory – probably from watching too much UKTV. Not much there except a T Shirt which says I don’t need any more sex, I get F&*(d by the government every day!
I head back to Leicester Street and Chinatown and had a great lunch. A bit strange were some young kids eating KFC on the street where there was so much excellent food around them – go figure.
On the way home I bought a birthday cake and decoration for Claudia which we shared at Helen’s parent’s place – her mum asked after Danielle.
Finished packing my bags and off to Gatwick. No problem getting to Victoria, selling my Oyster Card back to British Rail and hopping the Gatwick Express. I get to the airport with the intention of checking my bag in at 20:00 saving me some time in the morning, but the time is only 18:30 so I sit around having a coffee and at the allotted time I check my bag in and purchase Speedy Boarding which is offered to 30 if the 156 passengers at £11.50. While I had no intention of doing this my enquiry resulting in advice that the plane was overbooked prompted me to DO IT!
I ask after a taxi and am told to call a number that the taxi is much cheaper than from the airport. I later find out that Gatwick has 32 million passenger movements a year making it the 31st most busy airport in the world. Assuming half of those are leaving and that 14% (I am told) use a taxi then there are 2.25 million taxis being taken from the airport. Apparently the owners of the airport sold the franchise rights to book cabs for £350,000 per annum. Booking a cab involves going to a window making a booking and that person getting a cab to come from the holding pen to the airport – i.e. there is no taxi rank per se at the airport!!
Seems to me the owners would make a lot more than that if they simply charged each cab £1. Anyway the background is that a cab taken at the airport would cost £13 while the one I phoned cost £9 and only took five minutes to pick me up.
Anyway I get to the hotel get to bed and wake at 4:00am the next morning to get the 4:30am shuttle or so I thought. Got down to the front desk at 04:35 to pay the bill only to find that the Shuttle was full and had left. “Oh didn’t they tell you to be down fifteen minutes before” the Eastern European receptionist ask “No they f&*(g well didn’t. Anyway after expressing my disgust for the situation the hotel paid for taxi – score one for DS.
The cab drops me at the drop off point and it seems at least a 2km walk to reach the security point. No problems through to the plane – usual enquiry to check the size of my carry on – it passes.
I think that there is something on my plane booking which say “park at the furthest gate possible” as I walk some 2kms to make the flight. At least I get to board and choose an exit row. Now the broadest man you have ever seen doesn’t pick two petite ladies to sit between – no he sits between me and another larger than average person – spreads his legs and arms – déjà vu American trip all over again. Anyway only 2 hours.
For somebody that usually organises his life pretty much in advance I have 8 days on this trip with no itinerary or agenda. I was half planning to toss a coin when I picked up the car and decide where I would go Marseilles, Toulouse and Dodogne or Lake Como. The night before I could stand it no longer and decided for Lake Como. I booked a hotel in Torino for two nights.
Later in the day I booked what looks like a sensational hotel Grande Imperiale Hotel Lake Como (http://www.grand-hotel-imperiale-como-lake.com/)
The day was a little emotional for me. I picked up the car (a brand new Citroen C4) and after idiotically not being able to put the car into reverse and being shown (need to lift a ring around the gear shift) I drive to Savona and Turin (300kms 3 hours) On the way I pass Monte Carlo where I had spent two weeks with Linda, a Villa atop Menton where I had spent another two weeks with Linda and various other spots which bring thoughts flooding back to me.
I had meant to drive down to the morning fruit market at Menton, - knowing exactly where it was and how to get there - in order to buy some (French) white cherries that I resisted at Harrods’ asking price of $A45 a kilo, but I missed the turnoff and simply kept going.
To Anna and Danielle I resisted the urge to take the Pompeiana turnoff and yes there was one off the freeway believe it or not!!
Couldn’t resist stopping at an Outlet Centre 70kms from Turin which had beautiful shops I must say including Navigare, one of my favourite Knitwear companies. Of course I bought something I wanted but can’t really say I needed but given the weather reports from Sydney I certainly see myself using it.
I arrived in Turin and checked into the hotel which had changed its name and the new name appeared nowhere to be seen. Catch up on some emails to relax for an hour. I then go for a walk down the historical part of Turin to find a most wonderful city with a lot of charm and beauty.
Now I don’t want anybody reading this to die of shock but I am seriously thinking of going to Lucia Di Lammermoor tomorrow night. It hasn’t happened yet but I am thinking 75%. Tickets are available and I will decide tomorrow morning.
Dinner and some much needed sleep after waking at the equivalent of 05:00, flying for two hours and then driving for three more.
Next morning I wake, have the standard Italian Hotel breakfast and go for a very long walk and discover how truly lovely this city is. The Palazzo Castello, the many lovely buildings with beautiful forecourts – it truly is an amazing place. I walk to the Opera Theatre and yes even queued up for 45 minutes to get my ticket so yes I will be going tonight.
Some things in life want to make you grab somebody by the neck and shake some sense into them. I go into the Turin Tourist information office and ask for any tourist information in English. “Oh we have a tourist pack with five brochures in it for €5 ($A7). Who dreams up this stupidity??? Anyway I saved my five Euros and just kept walking finding one more beautiful Piazza after another.
Lunch at a local Asian (sorry but I have been in Italy for three weeks) restaurant and more afternoon mooching before my pre-opera nap. This city seems to be a series of extremely large buildings maybe 200 years old, most of which take up a city block. Within the centre of the buildings are beautiful courtyards with flowers etc.. Upstairs are apartments or offices with beautiful retail at street level. The size of the historic centre is unbelievably large and it is obvious that there is more disposable income here than in Sicily.
Italian lesson for the day – 21 letter alphabet no J K W X or Y. Oh and BTW they do have fresh milk on the mainland and lovely cappuccino as a result.
That night I hop the 10 minute ride to the Opera – yes I could have walked it but have been on my feet ALL day so I treat myself.
On a scale of 1-10 of my possibility of enjoying the Opera it was an 8. Note to self: next time read the story line before I go! Obviously it was in Italian and they had the libretto, two lines at a time coming on a letter board above the stage. Now if they are singing in Italian why not put it up in ANOTHER language (joking). To Donazetti’s credit I did manage to follow most of what was happening.
For the benefit of Jerome: Lucia: Elena Mosuc - Edgardo: Francesco Meli - Enrico: Fabio Maria Capitanucci - Arturo Bucklaw: Saverio Fiore - Bidebent: Vitalij Kowaljow - Alisa: Federica Giansanti - Norman: Cristiano Olivieri - Conductor: Bruno Campanella.
I try to get into a cab to avoid a 10-15 minute walk only to find that they all have their meters already turned on at around €9-10 so I decide to save the $A20 fare and take a very pleasant walk back. Interestingly, being 23:00 the streets are quite alive with young people many of whom seem to be school age.
If anybody is near Turin I would recommend a visit as it is a city which has the most wonderful relaxing and friendly feeling about it.
Hope everybody is well.
Love to all. XXXD
Arrive at Olbia airport where I regret not paying the twelve pound speedy check in early boarding premium as there is a long check in queue, a totally inefficient and time consuming security check, followed by a second security check and then queue to hoard for numbered seats. The flights is delayed by 45 minutes but nobody steps out of the queue afraid to miss their chance at a prime seat whatever that may be.
Anyway an uneventful flight and we are met at the airport by the car I had arranged for Robert/Kathy to get them to Heathrow and after a short negotiation from 45 down to 25 pounds to drop me after that at Hammersmith where I get a warm greeting from Helen Espen and the girls whose first question was "is Bailey still alive". They did live at my place for a month and looked after the dogs which may make the question more understandable.
Long chat with a beautiful Nespresso coffee and a very late dinner then off to bed.. Next morning up early showered and dressed I go with Espen to drop the girls a school and Eve grabs my hand and asks me to come and see her classroom and friends. I am so ready for grandchildren it's not funny.
Espen drops me on Chiswick Road and I buy some lovely fresh fruit and berries for breakfast. I head to the railway station to buy an Oyster Card and catch the train to town. They don't sell the cards at e station of course - five minute walk to the shop to buy one they say - I decide to buy a fare to Earl's Court and buy one there until I found out it is a £1.60 Oyster Card fare and £4.00 cash fare. Some quick maths and I work out I am being paid $48 an hour to walk and buy the card - so I do.
Note to self - West Kensington is not near Kensington which I found out after a lengthy walk. I wandered around Earl's Court and not one thing has changed there. I get on a tube and get off at Green Gate walking around a lovely part of town, Curzon Street Mayfair with lovely eateries. Pre-conceptions of London food should be forgotten as each one of about 20 places looks better than the one before. I stick my head in a few shops before settling on a light meal as far away from Italy as I could get - Sushi!!!'
Across to St Jermyn Street and St James for an hour of casual strolling, coffee, book shops (professional interest believe me). And a walk up towards Oxford Circus for a humorous interlude. I walk into what is the biggest Apple store I have ever seen. I would guess there were more than 700 customers and genii (plural genius) and I ask who is the best person in the store to out on a new screen protector for my iPhone. I get directed to a guy who puts on, sorry unsuccessfully puts on five repeat five protectors aft which he gives me two for free and says all too hard. We shared a laugh and. Left with a protector on my phone with a grain of dust under it and two more to try later.
I walk down the length of Oxford Street and get the tube back to Hammersmith when I reach Marble Arch. Six hours on my feet and the only thing I have bought is two packets of Godiva mint twigs which I thought they had stopped making but which are only available in Europe, oh and a small credit card holder.
I get back and change and we drive the five minutes to La Trompette a Michelin one star which Espen chose and booked for dinner at my request. I really wanted the mushroom soup for appetiser but who can go to a Michelin Restaurant and have mushroom soup. Anyway the host picked up on this and served the soup as an amuse Bouche which was well done. The lobster and lemon asparagus foam salad for entree was amazing as was the chocolate fondants dessert but the cod and salt cod main wasn't totally to my taste being a little oily and lacking in seasoning. All in all however a great meal. Don't let anybody tell you that Europe is expensive with this meal being three courses for $60 plus a $9 supplement for the lobster - try getting that in Sydney!
Next morning I am up and dressed early as Espen and I were due to go to the Wimbledon quailing tournament for him to inspect the horses in the saddling enclosure so to speak. London did what it does best starts pissing down with rain. Yesterday had started very sunny but finished overcast and grey by the end of the day so no surprises with today. Espen is devastated and even asks Helen whether the weather is likely to be better at Eastbourne where the lead up tournament is being played. No go!
I get the train to Kensington High Street somewhere I don't believe I have been before. From there I train to Knightsbridge for my usual tour of Harrods and the food areas before setting out by foot and walking to Earls Court. On the way I buy some shirts for Danz and Dave and post them from the nearby post office - all rather painless. I Lunch and mooch before heading home.
I sort of feel I should be doing something cultural while here in London but really I need the exercise and am enjoying doing nothing and mooching. Robkat recommended the Museum of Film which I may do tomorrow.
So next morning I leave early for the London Museum of Film which is located near the London Eye Ferris Wheel at Westminster. The museum was good but there was an extensive exhibition of the life and times of Charlie Chaplin which resparked my interest in his work. As a child I used to love watching him, Abott and Costello and Laurel and Hardy and this exhibition confirmed his true genius. He has been dead 34 years and there are 1.28 million references to him on YouTube.
I decide to go up to Piccadilly Circus and again walk up Regent Street to Oxford Street. The weather is shitty so being 14:00 I decide on playing some rubber bridge for the afternoon which proves profitable as I win £340 although with three rubbers to go I was up £570!!!
I am to meet Richard Sanig a friend of Justin’s for dinner in an hour and it is pissing down with rain so I have a genius idea – I go into the nearby Churchill Hyatt Hotel and ask for an umbrella which they give me no questions asked. I walk towards Connaught Street and see a Synagogue but as I approach the security guards don’t seem very interested in letting me in so I move on to Edgeware Rd and walk about 1km down the street into what could easily have been the downtown in any Middle Eastern city. Cafes with Turkish Pipes, every sign in Arabic it is such a different world.
I have a tasty Indian meal which lasts for three hours and I get home around 11:00pm and, armed with the key I thought I would activate the alarm only to have Espen run down and reset it for nighttime use….
Next morning a load of washing before I leave on Monday morning and I head down to the Harrods annual two day sale. My only comment is that the discounts they were offering were beyond my budget. I picked up a lovely handbag which I thought could be good for Danielle - £1550 but there was a 30% discount!!!
I hop on the Underground to Edgeware where I am to meet Linda’s Aunt Simone and her son (Linda’s Cousin) Phillip. We have a lovely lunch at a salt beef bar and I ask if it would be possible to meet Sandra, Linda’s Uncle’s second wife whom I am very fond of. We phone and she insists we come over for tea. We arrive ten minutes later to a table fully laden with food. An hour and half later Phillip drops me at Stanmore Station where I head back to Espen’s.
Greek dinner and bed before my last day in London.
Anyway nought more for now. Hope everybody is well.
Love to all. XXXD
