LALALAND

Firenze/Florence 17-22 Oct

romina — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 04:19:00 GMT

From Venice, we headed southeast to the Tuscan city of Florence (2 hrs by train and our base for the next 6 days). It’s a relatively small but fascinating, historical and rich city. Previously ruled by the powerful Medici family (from 14^th –18^th century) who supported the Renaissance art and architecture. The Medici dynasty basically started the banking industry, was involved in Tuscan politics & religion (‘produced’ 2 popes) and are patrons of the art. The last direct Medici heir (Anna Maria Luisa) willed all of the Medici wealth & possessions to the Tuscan state, with the condition that they never leave Florence (lucky for Firenze). I was actually fortunate enough to view some of the artworks (located at the Uffizi Gallery) that were commissioned and collected by the Medici family (artworks by Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonard da Vinci..to name a few). Going through Florence, you will easily stumble upon The Duomo (or cathedral). It easily dominates a few blocks of Firenze with its ‘grand’ green & white marble exterior. However, internally the Duomo is relatively bare and simple which was so inconsistent with its exterior. What is more inconsistent was the Basilica di San Lorenzo…once the Medici ‘chapel’ and close by is the burial place of some of the Medici grand dukes. Surprisingly, the church looked neglected and forgotten. It doesn’t seem to reflect the importance of its once powerful ‘parishioners’. (At one time, the Medicis employed half of Florence’s population)! I also managed to see the residences of the Medici (Palazzo Pitti and Palazzo Vecchio). Both are now museums and are connected by the Ponte Vecchio (the last remaining original bridge in Firenze). And of course in between the historical buildings are the upmarket stores and expensive cafes/restaurants. Where I sampled a traditional Tuscan dish called Ribollita, very thick vegetable soup…delizioso!

Photos: Venice

romina — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:55:00 GMT

Venice

Venizia/Venice 14-16 Oct

romina — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:51:00 GMT

Despite the 7hr train ride from Dijon France to Venice Italy, I couldn’t contain my excitement about Venice. We stayed in Venice Mestre (located in the mainland) and just took the local train to the ‘island’ (Venice Santa Maria)…only took us 10 minutes. There are better deals in terms of accommodation by staying in Mestre and we didn’t have to find our hotel through the island’s maze (with our backpacks).

It’s very easy to fall for Venice (the sinking city)…it has been a tourist destination for many centuries..it will probably take a few more lifetimes before the city half submerges under water. It’s still fascinating with its history, maze of alleyways, canals, bridges, architectures and friendly ‘inhabitants’. Yes, quite a few people still live in the ‘island’. You must inherit the place or be very well off in order to afford any square metres. Most of the Venetians live in the ‘mainland’. There are still a lot of tourists all over France and Venice but it’s not too bad. (Don’t people work?) We don’t have to elbow our way through anything and we haven’t really queued up for anything (apart from the Louvre Museum in Paris). Most of the people speak English (at least understand English) and I have been attempting Italian. They’ve all been really friendly and helpful (even the old folks I meet in the streets). Surprisingly, Italy is not as expensive as I anticipated…definitely cheaper than France.

Photos: Dijon

romina — Sun, 7 Nov 2010 10:21:00 GMT

Dijon

Dijon 11-13 Oct

romina — Sun, 7 Nov 2010 10:18:00 GMT

It took us 6.5 hrs (by train) to head back north to Dijon (Burgundy region). My first impression of Dijon wasn’t good as I exited the train station. Construction left, right and centre. However as I got to the city centre (10 minutes walking distance from the train station), I soon changed my mind. It’s my kind of town ..small, historical & friendly with a village atmosphere. If I am to study French in France for a few months, it will be a toss up between ‘Tours’ and Dijon. Both are university towns, close to Paris (1.5hrs by train) and are picturesque. Dijon may just win out… with its beef bourguignon, escargot and vineyards…I can also ‘study’ about wines! We did manage to do a wine tour of this region…which was fascinating and informative (Euro 55/person). Burgundy wine region is relatively small (10-15% of France’s wine regions) but it produces 25-30% of the top French wines (whereas the Bordeaux wine regions are the opposite…30% of the region but produces only 15% of the top French wines). The French wine rankings are: the Region (Euro 3-6/bottle), the Village (Euro 7-20 /bottle), 1^st Premier (Euro 20 & up) and the big daddy of them all is ranked as the ‘Grand Crus’ (Euro 100+/bottle). Dijon is our last French town, we will soon be heading to Venice Italy (7 hrs by train). As it turned out, it’s a great time to leave France as the rail/energy rolling strikes will soon recommence.

Photos: Nice

romina — Sun, 7 Nov 2010 10:12:00 GMT

Nice

Nice 9-10 Oct

romina — Sun, 7 Nov 2010 10:09:00 GMT

About 2.5 hrs (by train) east of Aix is the coastal city of Nice. It’s a tacky city with its heavily made-up ‘historical’ buildings. Their ‘old’ city cannot compare to the towns of Sarlat nor Carcassonne. Its hub seems to be the many clusters of restaurants and many souvenir stores that try to lure tourists. We took the trams to try to see the outside of the city centre, unfortunately there is nothing worthwhile to report. Many European tourists seem to flock to Nice for the ‘beaches’. The narrow pebbled beaches don’t quite have the same appeal as the beaches in Australia. However it’s a good base to see the other expensive coastal cities or Monte Carlo (if these places excite you). In general, I can easily bypass Nice. (One good point was the delicious Tiramisu I had in one of the restaurants…fantastic…it came close to beating my sister’s Tiramisu…Crystal your Tiramisu is still #1…guess what I want for my birthday when I return to OZ :-)

Photos: Aix-en-Provence

romina — Sun, 7 Nov 2010 09:58:00 GMT

Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence 8 Oct

romina — Sun, 7 Nov 2010 09:42:00 GMT

Just 1-hr by train southeast of Avignon is the town of Aix (pronounced ‘X’). It is another beautiful town with a maze of cobblestone alleyways lined with expensive stores and restaurants. Certain bars/restaurants justify the sky-high prices just because Cezanne (another classic ‘painter’) used to hang out in these places. Thanks but no thanks, I cannot justify paying $7-10 for a cup of cappuccino. However it is still a beautiful place to wander through... with its many elegantly maintained/restored buildings and to be amazed with its 17-18^th century history. There seems to be numerous schools and universities in the area, it’s certainly buzzing with all the students. For me it was worthwhile to finally sample an authentic French bouillabaisse (fish broth…I’ve never had fish that melted in my mouth before) and creme caramel to die for. Oink oink! We managed to pass 1 or 2 lavender fields Aix is famous for, with just a hint of the beautiful purple colours, it seems it’s no longer in season. It’s a place where you should hire a car to explore the countryside and possibly stay in the many rental farmhouses (…next time).

Photos: Arles

romina — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 12:28:00 GMT

Arles

Photos: Avignon

romina — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 12:14:00 GMT

Avignon

Avignon, Arles 6-7 Oct

romina — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 04:05:00 GMT

From Carcassone, we headed east to Avignon (in Provence). It is a town but with the elegance of Paris. Tree lined streets compliment the many elegantly maintained architectures and upmarket stores. The main attractions are the Papal Palace and Pont St Benezet (Avignon Bridge).

Arles is only 20 minutes (by train) south of Avignon. Its fame is linked to the earless artist Vincent Van Gogh, Arles was where he lived and worked. Apparently a lot of his painted works are of Arles unfortunately I didn’t get to see such beauty nor any of the colours. It’s quite run down and neglected compared to its richer Avignon neighbour. However, there is a very interesting life size Roman amphiteatre / colosseum that had been restored & maintained. Bullfights and cultural events are still held in the colosseum. (This southern part of France is known for its bullfighting tradition, where bulls are relatively small compared to its Spanish cousins however they fare better since they are not killed in the process).

Photos: Carcasonne

romina — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:51:00 GMT

Carcasonne

Carcassone (Old City) 4-5 Oct

romina — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:13:00 GMT

From Bordeaux, we headed south east to the town of Carcassone. A fortified medieval town dating back to 5^th century BC. The city is surrounded by walls, which once protected a castle, church and its many inhabitants. (There are approx 115 people still living within the old city)! This is the era of crusades and knights. The walls were quite effective in defending the city but of course it was not a match against the advent of gun powder and cannons. The city had been nearly destroyed numerous times but luckily restored by a few wealthy individuals.

Photos: Bordeaux, Sarlat-La-Caneda

romina — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:23:00 GMT

Bordeaux and Sarlat-La-Caneda

Bordeaux, Sarlat-La-Caneda 2-3 Oct

romina — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 07:48:00 GMT

We again headed southwest and took the train to Bordeaux (one of the world’s best wine regions). The city itself was unimpressive, a Paris wannabe but lacking the maintenance and care. It was a pity, the architecture of the buildings were actually lovely however their dilapidated states were not too attractive. There is not much to see in the city, all I can say is that it has an extensive tram network, it felt unsafe and it sells the best baguette I have tasted so far. (I’m becoming quite fussy with baguettes, now I understand why the French would walk a distance just to go to a decent boulangerie /bakery…even if there is one quite close to them). But of course, the many reasons why tourist would flock to this region is for the wines and vineyard tours. Unfortunately, on the days that we were scheduled at Bordeaux, all the tours were fully booked! (Oh well, we’ll just have to wait for the Burgundy region).

But another reason why we’re in this region is its close proximity to Sarlat-La-Caneda, a very well preserved medieval town located east of Bordeaux (2.5hrs by train). Surprisingly the train ride itself was enjoyable, seeing & stopping at the many villages (and vineyards…one of which is the famous Saint Emillion). We were also very fortunate to have met a very friendly old French couple sharing some information about Bordeaux region and its well known wines (Petrus, Cheval Blanc and Angelus). James and I may be able to share a sip of these wines, or we may need to mortgage the unit in order to buy a bottle of these wines.

We had a great time in Sarlat. It was the most relaxed I’ve been while in France. Maybe it was the bottle of Clos de Verdots cabernet sauvignon (from Bergerac) that we had at lunch, with foie gras, cassoulet (traditional cuisine –duck, sausage & white beans cooked as a rich casserole), strawberries, glace (ice cream) & café espresso to top off. Oh yes back to Sarlat…it is a beautifully preserved medieval city with cobbled stones lanes and elegantly restored buildings. What is amazing is that people live in this ‘cite’. Life goes on!

Photos: Chateaux (Loire Region)

romina — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 07:09:00 GMT

Chambord and Chenonceau Chateaux

Photos: Amboise (Loire Region)

romina — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 07:08:00 GMT

Amboise

Photos: Tours (Loire Region)

romina — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 07:07:00 GMT

Tours - Old City

Tours, Amboise, Blois, Chateaux/Castles 30-Sep to 1-Oct

romina — Fri, 8 Oct 2010 18:31:00 GMT

After Paris we headed southwest towards the region of the Loire Valley, about 1.5hrs by TGV (fast) train (…this is the 1^st of many train trips using my 2-month Eurail pass) and based ourselves in the city of Tours. The city was the launching pad for some of our chateaux/castle tours but I was pleasantly surprised about the city itself.

The ‘Old City’ of Tours snugly fits in with the modern city….with its narrow cobbled streets and old ‘patched-up’ buildings. As I was just getting comfortable with the small laneways, I stumbled upon the grand cathedral of Saint Gatien. I’m sure it will be the first of many grand churches, it was so unusual because this impressive 13^th century gothic cathedral dwarfed the surrounding low rise renaissance buildings. Funnily enough, had I not turned into this narrow alleyway, I would have missed it. It was a lovely surprise!

We also managed to visit the lovely town of Amboise and passed the town of Blois, both are great examples of 16^th century renaissance villages with their own fortified chateaux in the background. (Uncle Leonard da Vinci lived his last 3 years in Amboise). We visited ‘only’ 2 castles, Chateaux Chambord (the grandest, used as a ‘hunting lodge’ by the king Francois 1) and Chenonceau (typical castle with its moats, towers, turrets & beautiful gardens). Both are grand and full of history…I can’t imagine the upkeep of these castles back in those days (even in today’s terms) and the luxury with which the aristocrats are accustomed to live (…no wonder the French people revolted and got rid of them). By the end of the day, I’ve seen enough of castles to last me a lifetime, nonetheless it was great to experience and to imagine an aristocratic life in the 15^th –16^th century.