Dec 2001

Dec 27, 2001

Felice Navidad

¡Hola!

Am now in Barcelona and it is absolutely sweltering here....ok slight exaggeration, but it might be about 12 C right now....so pretty impressive Actually the internet cafe is about the hottest place i´ve been all week!

Since I last wrote.....I spent a couple days in Montpellier and have been in Barca since Saturday.

I stayed at a lady´s house in Monpellier - a girl from the hostel in Nimes recommended this student house so it was quite a fun and comfy place to stay. I had my own queen-sized bed, my own TV (only in French) and fantastic food included in price of accommodation. Oh and she had an adorable fat cat too. Didn´t do much sightseeing in Montpellier as I stumbled across Galleries Lafayette, and then Mango and Zara shops, so I did some damage to the credit card instead got some fantastic clothes though!

The train ride to Barca was great.....the scenery on the stretch of coast between Languedoc-Rousillon and Catalunya is quite spectacular - all this parched land on one side with snowcapped mountains in the background (partly Pyrenees) and then estuaries and the ocean on the other. I sat next to a gendarme for part of the trip....he looked insanely similar to the guy from the Wagon Wheel ad! I wound up getting a shoddy connection between Montpel and Barca and had to wait about at the train station in the border town of PortBou for 2 hours.....I had the delight of watching the annual Xmas lotto draw which went on for the duration of my time in the station cafetaria and then probably longer.....there were kids dressed in uniforms reading out the numbers in song......sounded like tellitubbies had taken too much ritalin! grrrrrr prime time viewing though it seems as the entire cafe was enthralled by it!

When I arrived here, I headed for a walk along La Ramblas - it´s a busy street lined with cafes, shops and home to lots of markets, street theatre, and animals! Also went for a walk along down to the port where there are more markets, shops, Imax theatre and the marina. Visited the Museum of Catalonian History.......It looked kinda ordinary but turned out to be quite fantastic as it not only gave you a crash course in Catalunyan history, but also had lots of hands on stuff.....you could grind corn, spin wool, practice spining a long gun like they do in the changing of the guard, and could press different buttons to hear different bell tolls or patriotic Catalonian songs.....for some reason you could also play Beatles music, Madonna and The Doors.... good stuff.

Denise arrived on Sunday morning and is having a bit of difficulty adapting to the cold.....fair enough when you come from 33 degree Aussie heat! I keep assuring her it will be warmer in the south, but she is still keen to invest in a divine winter coat......any excuses for shopping

What else- visited lots of Gaudi stuff here.......the guy was an absolute architectural genius....we went to La Sagrada Familia (a great big drip castle like church which is like nothing you have ever seen - it is a bit of a shame that they are continuing to construct the church - it has been in and out of construction for 100 years - because it is not in keeping with the original design....at least not at the moment so hopefully they will leave it be), Manzanas de la Discordias (block of discord), Casa Mila (A museum of Gaudi stuff, rather like a lollipop house), Parc Guell (huuuuge big parc designed by gaudi with lots of weird and wonderful buildings, seats, archways etc).

Have wandered round the Barri Gotic part of town and seen the old Cathedral, lots of markets and the Ajuntamiento (town hall). Also went through the Mercat de la Boqueria (food market just near where we are staying) where you can buy everything from divine looking olives to full pigs, live lobsters squirming about on ice, and whole chickens hanging from their beaks....it is a bit gross but i guess it is just depending on what one is used to. Where we are staying is right on teh middle of La Ramblas and there is a huge Miro mosaic on the pavement, a Gaudi designed side of a building with japanese paintings, a dragon and some umbrellas.....kinda weird.

A couple of days ago we decided to take the funicular up mount Tibidabo to see the Sagrat Cor (sacred heart church), tower and amusement park and get a good view over the city.....turned out the funicular was not running so we decided to walk it.....it is only 521m elevation but it took forever to get up there as the path winds and winds and bush bashing is inconceivable as we quickly discovered - blackberry bushes and privet etc all over the place. It was a good walk though - even saw some snow at the top!

We had a nice Xmas. Xmas eve we went for a wander down La Rambla and listened to a group of uni students playing miniature guitars singing Felice Navidad (apparently different faculties from the uni send out reps every year and they all dress up in their academic robes etc - quite fun), watched the mime artists and looked at the markets. There are some regular strange folks who are in the same places everyday.....there is a contortionist who is on the pavement for about 8 hours a day with his shirt off, a 70 + yr old man who has a stall of broken dolls, old toys and a mannequins leg who is there all the time, and two skanky american guys who ask everyone for money.

Of course practically everything was closed on xmas day.....but we went for a walk through the Parc Ciutadella and watched the old men play bocce (presumably their wives were at home cooking the lunch for Navidad) - i hadn´t noticed before, but just like when folks watch high jump, spectators for bocce also lift their leg when someone throws the bocce ball---- tres amusing ¨). Also had a look at the Cascada fountain, bought a great Miro t-shirt, Manzana de la Discorida, La Sagrada Familia and the Arc de Triomf. For Xmas dinner we found a place that served fantastic Italian food......quite cheap too! And we even managed to find a VIPS (book shop and cafe) which had churros con chocolat (Long deep fried doughnuts you dip in thick hot chocolate sauce). I love the food here...... you get incredibly large serves of fantastic tasting food and it is so cheeeeeeap. Had some nice paella the other night, lots of yummy pastries and tomorrow we will go back to the Xocalateria and see if they have more yummy foods

Today we went to the Miro Parc, Bull ring (inhabited, of course by feral cats), and to Montjuic, the olympic park. Saw the olympic stadium, olympic pool (which is quite green and has ducks swimming in it), the tiny tiny olympic flame and had a wander throught eh gardens. Also went to the Museum of National Art-----great collection of Romanesque and gothic art, as well as a temporary exhibit of photos on the spanish civil war.

Tomorrow hopefully off to Dali museum in Figueras and if time, to Montserrat Monestary.

Time is low, so gotta go.....

Adios
Love Belinda

20 December 2001

Bonjour

Am now back in France. At present I'm in Languedoc-Rousillion in the city of Nimes. It is quite a nice place but the hostel is a little quiet at the moment... the guy at reception told me a group of schoolies are arriving ce soir so thankfully i am leaving tomorrow. Apart from about 3 people, everyone speaks French and not much English! I think my french is getting slightly better though. A lady on the train today informed me that I spoke french very well. Hmmm...very kind she was.

I left Switzerland on Saturday and it was something crazy like -15!! All of Western Europe seems to be suffering from a cold snap at the moment though - it has even been snowing in Provence. One of the girls I am staying with said that on Friday the whole town basically closed down because of the cold and snow. It is getting a little warmer though and i am optimistic that Spain will be HOT - ok well relatively so.

I woke up Saturday with virtually no voice......a combination of aphonia, diplophonia, pitch and phonation breaks (for all you speechies out there)...mum is certain I'm borderline pneumoniac but it's not that bad. Hey but if I do get really sick, I will make sure you all have my address so you can send lots of flozers. Everyone at the hostel has been laughing at me cause i sound like a frog... but i am in France so that suits! I learnt a new word too.... gorge (throat). It's kinda hard to get assistance in the pharmacy when you can a) not speak much French, and b) not actually use your voice at all!

I spent Sunday exploring the city of Nimes...... quite a nice place...one of the girls from the hostel, Josephine showed me arounnd. We visited the Jardins de la Fontaines, Arena (old Roman arena zhere they used to have bull fights), the archaeological museum, natural history mseum, and a couple other things.

On Monday, I visited Arlés.....visited the archaeological museum on the site of the old Circus Maximus and next to a gypsy camp. Also went to the Roman Arena, amphiteatre and forum, roman baths, an art gallery with a couple of Picassos, and chased the feral cats around the town!

Yesterday I went to Pont du Gard. Very impressive......it used to be an aqueduct back when the area was settled nearly 2000 years ago - maybe longer even....it is quite huge and is in the middle of nowhere. I had planned to go to the village of Uzès in the afternoon but ended up hiking around the bush near Pont du Gard in the fresh air.....

Today I went to Avignon. I had wanted to go here since I was about 9 when my piano teacher told me about the people dancing on the bridge........it turned out to be quite an ordinary bridge but the city itself was really beautiful. I visited the old Holy See, the Palais du Papes, visited another archaeological museum, natural history museum, the gardens on the top of the hill (great view of the river), and Villeneuve dez Avignon; across the river, which were home to a colony of noisy geese, nice sculptures and fountains which had icicles dripping from them because of the cold. I found a fantastic pizza place for lunch.....mmm....

Tomorrow i am off to Montpellier on the coast. I had hoped to base myself in Narbonne and do a trip to Carcassone from there; but i donùt have a list of places to stay in Narbonne and there is no hostel there. I am booked in to stay in a guesthouse in Montpellier which is full of foreign students studying french. You get a room with private bathroom, breakfast and a hugggggggge dinner for FF150 - about $AUD40! good value..... not sure what there is to do there but it is on the coast so maybe it will be warmer

Am meeting Denise in Barcelona on Sunday and will be in Spain and Portugal for 4-5 weeks. Depends on how accessible some places are we are hoping to go. May head back to Suisse and Paris for a couple days if time. I had tried to change my flight to come back earlier but am still going via Thailand and wil be home Jan 30. Just in time for end of cricket ODIs!

The French are obsessed with their animals and take them everywhere....this afternoon on the way back from Avignon; my seatmate was a scruffy looking dog and across the aisle was a gorgeous chinchilla, just like caesar! Peoeple take their dogs into restaurants, on public transport. They actually put signs up outside museums to inform people that their petit chiens are not allowed in the building! Its nice having all the cute animals around but unlike the Parisiens; the folks down here donùt carry their doggie bags to clean up the mess so you have to watch your step.

Must get going

A bien tot

Belinda

December 12 and 14, 2001

Boudevilliers, Switzerland

I have made my way to Switzerland for a few days where I am staying with my cousin Kraig. He lives in a village called Boudevilliers, not far from Neuchatel (get out those maps!), and the Jura Mountains. La Chaux de Fonds is 5 mins drive from here and is the highest city in Europe. Cold too!! I think the local weather tonight predicted a top of -3 for tomorrow! All this cold and yet no snow! grrrr....perhaps in Lucerne or Interlaken.

Since last time I wrote, I visited Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel Tower and went to a concert at La Madeline. It was free so that was great . It's strange. In many places you can go to free concerts, but you have to pay to use the toilet! I had another day in Paris. Turned out to be a lazy day as I was tired and pretty much all of my friends from the hostel had left The only person I kinda knew that was still there had a hot date so also abandoned me...

Anzway, I checked out the Centre Pompidou, did a little (window) shopping along the Champs Elysées (decided not to buy that amazing jacket I had been eyeing all week, but am now regretting it), and wound up heading to La Bastille in the evening with some girls from the hostel. It was pretty spectacular at night. I hadn´t made it there all week, and as Xmas is approaching the whole area was beautifully lit up and there was a Luna Park type funfair there with acrobats and markets etc.

I had a nice train ride from Paris to Neuchatel. Being a Sunday morning, the train was virtually empty. I had a seat next to a Swiss Orthopaedic surgeon who gave me the crash course in Swiss Geography, Sociology and Politics. He enjoyed learning all about Aussie slang and native animals - I told him that only 5 000 people per year get taken by sharks in Australia, but some 10 000 die from spider bites. I also warned him about drop bears that may attack suddenly whilst one is on walkabout...

It's been great catching up with Kraig (my cousin) - haven´t seen him since about 1993 when we went to Movie World, Queensland - and he is still a tops bloke. Still got a great Aussie accent and great sense of humour. He has an adorable cat called Coca, who has adopted me - cats the world over seem to gravitate towards cat lovers and Coca is no exception. It's great having my own queen sized futon, a real bath (as opposed to push button hostel showers), and being able to leave my bag unpacked every day!

On Monday, I spent a couple of hours in the village of Merton, across the lake. It's a medieval village that still has its original wall around it. Very charming place, but rather like a ghost town when I was there. Europe all over has the habit of shutting down everything on Monday so there was basically no-one walking around anywhere. I was certainly the only tourist, but then, it is the middle of winter. Merton was exactly how I imagine Provençe will be - lots of little gardens, cobble-stone streets, and town water fountains - with icicles!

Yesterday I went to Montreux and Lausanne. Montreux is like a lakeside resort on Lake Genevé. The water there was this transluscent turquoise colour.....and lots of tiny fish swimming all over the place. There were lots of Xmas markets there selling hot wine and waffles and stuff like that. I visited the Chateau de Chillon, a castle built on the edge of the lake in (I think) the 1300s. Probably the most charming castle I have visited in Europe. Not full of all that ostentacious cacophony you find in Hofburg, Schönbrunn or Versailles. As I was walking around the lake, I came across a statue of Freddie Mercury! Apparently Montreux was his second home and he died there in 1991.

Later in the day I caught the train to Lausanne to visit the Olympic Museum. That was fantastic. It was kinda small but very interesting. It runs through the history of the ancient and modern Olympics, and has lots of memorabilia from both modern and ancient games on display - including Eric Mossambini's (sp?) Speedos!! haha..... Lots of clips of Aussies there too from 2000 and other Olympic games.

Todaz was a lazy daz as I'm coming down with bronchitis or something similarly nasty and I wound up sleeping most of the day. I didn´t even leave the house today except to walk to the busstop to check the times for tomorrow. I actually had to scrape the glass with my fingernails to get the ice off!

Tomorrow I'm off to Genevé to see the International Red Cross Museum, UN HQ, Jet d'eau and whatever else I have time for........

From there it's off to Lucerne, possibly for just a day, maybe for a few days. I'll decide tomorrow. Then to Provençe/Languedoc-Rousillon for a week.

At this stage, I'm hoping to head back to Paris or Amsterdam for a couple dazy. There is so much to see, especially in Paris, that I didnàt get time to do, and I don't know how long before I will come back. So if there is time, I'll probably head back that way for 4-5 days in a month's time. Who knows? Too many options, but the flexibility is great.

continued........14 December 2001.......Schnee!!

Ok......Well yesterday I wound up in Lucerne. I woke up at the crack of dawn.....well actually even earlier as the sun sleeps in til 8ish and thought I may as well just do a day trip there. It was snowing when I got off the train - extremely cold so i had to go shopping for some more clothes. Nothing exciting, though, just another scarf and ear warmers.

It is incredibly in Lucerne. Lots of natural beauty from the mountains and lakes and the old cobble stone streets. Churches I am almost sick of, but cobble stoned streets, especially with markets and the smell of waffles or croissants.....mmmmm. Speaking of croissants, I don't understand why there are no people with excess adipose tissue here. There are the most incredible patisseries, bakeries and chocolateries everywhere - but hardly any fat people. I guess in the Netherlands, it is because they all cycle everywhere......and perhaps because the French smoke so much (and by this I'm certainly not advocating smoking!!) Not sure about the Swiss...But still, all the cold makes me want to run into the nearest café and have hot chocolate and crépes or something sweet.

Ok...back to Lucerne. I visited a glacier museum there which was kinda interesting but without the ice sculpture garden I had read about. Also visited a Picasso museum there, which was fantastic! There was a series of photos taken by some of his colleagues that feature him at home with his family and at work on his paintings and sculptures. It's a nice change to see the artist for who he is (or at least how appears to be in moments of time), than just to see some weird and wonderful representation. He was certainly a runt of a fellow though......and he always wore really dodgy boxers when he painted! at least in these photos. I was hoping to head up Mt Pilatus (after Sus' recommendation) but the clouds were covering the peaks and I thought it maz not be worth the SF80 ($AUD90) to get up there, especially if nothing could be seen.

Switzerland is incredibly expensive....just as everyone says. Using the McEconomic scale, Switzerland tops the UK for the most expensive Maccas....SF9.90 for a meal......(about $AUD11). Ouch.....and it´s all the same crap anyway! Apparently in South Africa you can get a meal for about $AUD2.50, but I guess it´s all relative.

Today I spent in Genevé.....almost contemplated not going when I got outside though as it was -10!! Didn't warm up much during the daz either which made checking out the old town challenging! Quite windz and the chill factor makes the cold verz nasty.....Anyway, I really wanted to visit the UN and Int Red Cross Museum and that was indoors so that was great! There was a conference on at the UN for the International Disarmament Tribunal so there were people everywhere. The Jet d'eau is switched off in the winter so I didn´t see that, and the flower clock was extremely disappointing - I guess frozen flowers don´t quite work!

We had some Raclette for dinner last night- delicious! You melt cheese under this grill on the table, add onion and herbs or whatever to the top) and when it is all gooey, pour it over new potatoes.....hmmmmmm not the healthiest meal but it was delightful. All cheese is good cheese and Switzerland has a lot of it!

Tomorrow I'm heading to south to spend time in Nimes, Avignon, Arles, Aix-en-Provence and possibly Lyon. Hopefully it will be a little warmer there. The paper today said it was -2 in Nice and -1 in Marseille which is crazy for Mediterranean cities! Hopefully it warms up for me. Apparently there is also a foot of snow in Barcelona at the moment - fingers crossed it sticks around til Xmas!

Am still not 100% well. I have all but lost my voice for like the 5th time this year! But at least it isn't accompanying a cold or fever or anything...i just sound a bit daft...

Anyway, must head off to get some sleep.

Ciao

Belinda
xx

Bonjour!

At the moment I am in a cafe just near Notre DAME...in Paris!

Since I last wrote I have visited the Hague (International Peace Palace and Gemeente Museum for a Picasso to Tapies exhibition), and spent a few delightful days in Brugge. The main town square has an ice skating rink in the middle and Xmas markets. The waffles there- well, let´s just say they were quite heavenly...

I arrived in Paris on Monday and am having a great time. I visited the Louvre on my first day here....only got through about half a wing in about 4 hours.....plan on returning tomorrow though to see a little more, but I am certain I will never truly get to do it justice as an occasional visitor.

On Tuesday I went to one of the Museums of Modern Art - It has an interesting range of Cubist, Fauvist, Dadaist etc. works. I also did lots of walking along the Champs Elysees, and had a look at the Arc de Triomphe, Hotel Des Invalides, Le Saint Eustache Eglise (a lovely Cathedral), Jardin des Tuilleries and did some window shopping. I also went to dinner with an American guy from the hostel to sample escargots- aka SNAILS...they weren´t too bad at all - quite salty and a bit like mushrooms - doesn´t everything taste like mushrooms if its indescribable? The worst part was trying to get the mushy snail out of its shell without shooting the whole thing across the floor. I think we may give frogs legs a try in a couple of days...

I picked up a friend from the airport yesterdqy - Sam - and had to get up at the crack of dawn so i am very very tired still. It rained much of yesterday which was a shame, but we went up the Arc de Triomphe and laughed at all the cars below, visited the Madeleine, Musee D´Orsay, and God knows what else!

We have visited the Pantheon this morning and are just shortly heading to Notre Dame and then i think we will head to Monmartre, The Sacre Couer, Salvador Dali museum and to have a look at the Moulin Rouge. Tonight we are going to have dinner with some people from the hostel and head to the Champs Elysees for late night shopping. It is a nice sunny day and i don´t even have a coat on so it should be nice and clear later when we head up the Eiffel Tower.

I am in Paris for a few more days and then I head to Switzerland to stay with my cousin Kraig. It will be great to see him again after many years of him living abroad.

Hope all are well.

A bien tot

Belinda x