Friday 27 September - Singapore

What a slow start to the day .... .... ....

We woke at 10.30 am - and missed the breakfast that is included in our five-star hotel booking  :(

We caught a taxi to the Singapore Zoo.  What a fabulous place it is.  The animals are up so close and personal.

Any family resemblances?!

A cab ride back to the city and we ventured to Charles Quay for some tapas and a drink by the waterside at "Octapas".  We watched the sun go down and the lights of Singapore light up and the bumboats with their garish lights go by.

A quick shower and change and we did what "must" be done in Singapore - we went to Raffles for a Singapore Sling.  If you are ever in Singapore, don't bother doing the same thing.  Here's the bill!

We paid off the national debt (oops! we would have if they had one!) as you can see, it cost $63.55 for two drinks.  YES - $63.55 for two Singapore Slings and the hosties on the plane made ones that were far superior.

That price didn't include dinner - or tapas - it was just for two drinks. Here's me before we knew the slug.

So we headed for our hotel for an early night - but passed by the bar - and just had to have a couple of dances to the wailing singers.

John's grizzling that I'm keeping him awake - it's 1.00 am - so I'm off for some shuteye - we've got a big day tomorrow - the Grand Final!  Good luck everyone who is barracking for the Hawks.

Thursday 26th September - Singapore

Finally - we made it to Changi Airport.  I admit I did have thoughts for Van Tong Nguyen who was executed here (in ~ 2007).  I went to his funeral service at St Patrick's in Melbourne - I know, a drug dealer and all, but he was such a young man, and I feel that he just made a mistake.  I didn't want to come to Singapore in protest but ...

Pam and her daughter, Georgie, met us in a taxi at Starbucks at Raffles.  It was a beautiful morning when we arrived, about 29 degrees and a bit overcast, but a few hours later, it absolutely bucketed down and the rain set in for several hours.

After checking in to the Grand Park City Hall Hotel, we had a quick shower and change and headed out with our two personal tour guides to see the sights.  Pam and Graeme have just been posted to Chenai, India.  Georgie and Liam will be boarding at Caulfield Grammar - so they may have John as their maths teacher.  Who knows?!

We toured downtown Singapore, and ventured to the buildings with the big ship that sits atop - the MBS Skypark Observation Deck.  We had lunch at a little hole in the wall that's owned by a couple of Aussies.  We've booked a couple of pews for lunch and to watch the Grand Final on Saturday.


Pam and Georgie on the Skydeck

We took loads of piccies of Singapore - the views were fantastic.

A train back to the hotel - and we were all tucked up and fast asleep by 8 pm.


.

Wed 25th September - Paris - Singapore

Au Revoir Paris

Au Revoir France

We booked a taxi for 9.00 am to take us to the airport this morning - no pickpockets on the 'Charles De Gaulle' line for us today. (We should have done this the first time around, although John reckons it's better we had the experience with the urchins as it made us far more aware of the pickpockets during the rest of our time in Paris.)

We were all loaded up in the taxi, then about 100 metres down the road, John noticed the metre had a reading of 16 Euros.  He questioned the driver and was told, "It was because I had to wait for ten minutes for you" - well amazingly, this was ONE time when we were actually ready before schedule.  We were waiting for the taxi in the lobby.  So that answer didn't work.  And it was only 9.01 am anyway!

"No, it is the booking fee", he claimed.  No, it's not.

Then he came up with a third option that was just as lame.  "It is for the time it takes me to get to the hotel".

So John asked him to either remove the 16 Euros from the metre or pull over.  After much arguing, he eventually pulled over.  Not a happy driver, but we weren't getting taken for a ride - figuratively!

We got another taxi and paid just 45 Euros.

Safe and sound at the airport, we waited in the queue for Singapore Airlines for over an hour.  It was so slow.  In fact it took us till 11.55 am to board the plane - no shopping - no loos - just queuing.  The plane was due to depart at noon, but we were delayed by the long queues for checking in and security.

The flight was fabulous - long but a good flight.  The cabin crew made fabulous Singapore Slings, so that probably helped.  Three seats out of the four middle seats were occupied, but the third person commandeered the extra seat - even though I had all of my stuff on it!!!  John and I managed to wade through about five films each and got about an hours sleep.

An uneventful flight actually - I'm not really sure why I'm even bothering to blog it.  'Ooroo.

Tuesday 24 September - Versailles and Escargot!

We thought we were so smart working out the Met and train system here in Paris (the Met is the subway system and the train is the above-ground train system).  We headed for 'Port of Versailles' - then we had to retrace our steps and head for the "C" line for the Palais de Versailles.  So back on the Charles de Gaulle line and guess who we met?  Two of the little urchins who pickpocketed us on our way in to Paris last Friday!

They recognised me/us and we recognised them.  So I raised my arms high into the air and pointed to them both - one standing on either side of me and I warned everyone in our carriage and the next carriage and said, "Watch your bags everyone - these two are pickpockets".  "Watch your bags, watch your bags", they mimicked.  They jumped off at the next station - ready to jump back on another carriage or train and target some other poor unsuspecting tourist. We have heard they are targeting Asian tourists in particular as they don't complain, don't make a scene (unlike me), and wish to save face. 

So we got back onto the # 12 line then the #6 line, then the "C Line" to Versailles Rive Gauche and the Chateau de Versailles.  "An adventure" - that's what John called our morning - "Just look at it as an adventure" he said!

We finally arrived to the most spectacular view high up on the hill in front of us.  Gold glittered in the bright sunshine - gold upon gold upon gold. 

View of Palace of Versailles from inside the compound

We ventured inside and joined a queue - a long, long, long queue.  We had museum passes which get you to the front of the line - but not in this case - almost everyone else had a museum pass and the line snaked its way back and forth across the huge quadrangle. There would have been at least two thousand people in the queue. We surmised it would be hell on wheels once inside with so many people, so we went through a side gate to the museum gardens. Versailles and the gardens form one of the most famous world heritage monuments and they're considered to be one of the most complete achievements of French art in the 17th century. 

Anyway, for 7.50 euros it was a good call to catch a ride on a train, as it took us to various parts of the estate, which was huge. "Further building works took place in the 18th century under the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI until the monarchy left Versailles in 1789 after the first days of the French Revolution."

We visited Marie-Antoinette's garden and her village; her theatre and the Temple of Love with the statue of Cupid and his bow.  They have all been preserved and it was a thrill to walk the pathways around the Petit Trianon and the English and French gardens knowing she had walked those paths, as had Napoleon I.

The Temple of Love

Versailles - opulence in its extreme - it's no wonder that Louis XIV bankrupted the country which ultimately led to the downfall of the French monarchy.

We thought that the women must have been very, very short - the beds are quite small in length - but the royals slept sitting up - only the dead lie down.  A fascinating fact we didn't know.


Bedroom of Madame Du Barry - 1772.

The ceilings are simply stunning - painted by famous artists they reminded me of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.

There isn't a photo, amongst all of the photos we took that truly does Versailles justice.

Ceiling in the Grand Trianon

The brochure on the Grand Trianon says that, "One cannot help but fall under the charm of this building with its elegant proportions imbued with intimacy, gentleness and grandeur".  We felt totally overwhelmed with it all.

We departed with sore, tired feet and legs and found a bar that served nice big glasses of icy cold beer and tapas.  Just what we needed. 

After showers and frocking up we went in search of a table at "Lazare Restaurant". I decided that when in France, one should do the French thing regarding cuisine and it was time to try escargots.  We bought a nice bottle hermitage to help with the transition - and I very generously allowed John to eat an extra one of my share.

(Photo has gone missing :( for some reason.)



I did manage to get two down but a little bit of grit in the second snail did it for me.

(And this pic has gone AWOL too  :( not sure why.)

A glass of burgundy helped wash my escargot down the hatch.

A burgundy to wash down those snails!

An early-ish night - an early start in the morning - and a long, long flight ahead.

 

Monday 23rd September 2013

After a late night we had a sluggish morning ... but we managed to Skype Melanie and Michael and the kids which was great.  Olivia and Connor were obviously excited to hear from us - it's one of the few occasions we've been able to get a half decent connection via Skype so we had a bit of fun!

Then we headed off to the Louvre by the met.  We've become very adept at manoeuvring around via the subway here in Paris, it's really quite simple, and when compared with Melbourne's subway - it's far, far superior, hard to believe when you compare the years in which they were built.  The Paris subways have layer upon layer - it's a bit like a Sarah Lee cake.  On the way, I stopped at a shoe store, I know, quite unbelievable, but true and bought a pair of shoes.  Onwards we went towards the Louvre, and when we turned the corner ... WOW!!!

The Louvre Museum

At the Pyramid - the main entrance

The Louvre is all it's cracked up to be ... spectacular architecture, brilliant layout, amazing works of art ... it's all I thought it would be and more ...

A corner of the ceiling in the Rez-de-Chaussee

It's not possible to see it all of course, particularly in one day, or in just five hours, but it's a start.  As we say, you've got to leave something to come back to!  We did enjoy the Roman Empire exhibitions and the Greek and Etruscan antiquities.


The Mona Lisa by Leonardo de Vinci

The Mona Lisa was a struggle to photograph. There was a huge crowd around her and people were pushing and shoving - we weren't sure whether it was just the throng of the hustle and bustle or the Romanian urchins.  There were many messages given over the PA system to watch out for pick-pockets and we were surprised - we didn't think they'd have any problems in the Louvre, but we learnt afterwards that the staff of the Louvre recently went on strike due to the problem with pickpockets. But we were resilient - and we got our piccies of the lady!

We departed the Louvre after about five hours (there's always next time) and walked through the Tuileries Garden, the oldest and largest public garden in Paris, which is now part of the Louvre Museum.  The Gardens connect to the Musee De L'Orangerie.  Here we enjoyed the masters, Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse and Picasso.  There were others too ... but these were our favourites.

Monet's Water Lilies

Monet designed the vestibule where these works are displayed to create a space between the "hustle and bustle of the city and his works" and donated the Water Lilies to France after the First World War.

The brochure from the Museum states that Monet wrote, "Nerves strained by work would relax in its presence, following the restful example of its stagnant waters, and for he who would live in it, this room would offer a refuge for peaceful meditation in the midst of a flowering aquarium."

We were thrilled to see Renoirs works ... they are simply exquisite.

Renoir's "Two Fillies" c1890
(at least that what I think it's called)

From here we walked along the pavement and watched some locals enjoying a game of petanque.  I enquired as to whether it was petanque, boules or bocce, but of course we're in France so it was petanque. A woman was playing against four men and we enjoyed a bit of banter; in the end she lost and I claimed responsibility for "putting her off her game".  They all enjoyed that and some koalas were given as 'gifts' which they appreciated.  (Lame, I know, but they all seem to love receiving them.)

Then out of the blue, as we were enjoying some time looking at the Seine River a woman approached and said she'd found a ring that we'd dropped.  Here we go again!  We said, "No, merci".  But she persisted and wouldn't go away.  So I told her that she was a "bad woman" and told her to go away.  She slapped her bum, mocking punishment, and continued provoke us more and more, so in the end I yelled out to everyone that she was a pick-pocket.  She and her "mates" exposed their bums to us and made out like they were dogs peeing! They're classy these pick pockets! We continued to warn people but made sure they didn't upset out time there, along that beautiful part of the world.

We had some icecream at a vendor - exquisitely made to look like tulips.

"Tulip" icecreams at Tuileries Gardens

We then we made our way back to the hotel via Gare Saint-Lazare Restaurant for a cleansing beer or two.  The maitre'd remembered us from two days ago (we were very concerned then for two young women from the States who were not feeling any pain.) Anyway, as time was passing us by - we decided to have a meal there and an early night. 

Sunday 22 September - Paris

Silke and Jean Claude met us for breakfast at our hotel at 9 am and then we set off for some more of Paris' delights.

It's 2.15 am on Monday morning, and I've just finished yesterday's blog - so this will be a very quick post - till I get to update it later.


We went to Saint Lazare, Havre Caumartin and Trocadero - to the Eiffel Tower, and the Invalides Hotel  We went up the Tour Montparnasse - a building with 360 degree views.  We took three trains to the Galleria Lafeyette but it was closed - Sundays, Paris shops are closed - it brought back memories of decades ago in Melbourne and it warmed my heart somewhat.

Spectacular views from the top of Monparnasse

So we headed to the Opera House and had lunch at the Opera restaurant.  Roast lamb again - who's missing home?!

Silke and Jean Claude left at 4.30 pm to return home to Belgium.  What a wonderful time we've had with them - and how generous of them to come to Paris to show us the sights.  We feel very blessed.

We made our way back to our hotel and encountered a huge 'flock' of inline skaters who had taken over the street - there were hundreds of them, and then tagging along at the back were probably 50 cyclists.  Shame we didn't know about this - it would be the safest way to cycle the streets of Paris.

We ventured out again at 9 pm and headed for the Arc de Triomphe via the met.  It was a long, long way up the spiral staircase, but we made it and the effort was totally worthwhile. 

The spiral staircase of the Arc de Triomphe

Magnificent night views of Paris greeting us - and the Eiffel Tower was even more spectacular than during the day.

Eiffel Tower all sparkling

The Eiffel Tower is lit up with lights for ten minutes every hour - how fortunate we got to see it.

(We overheard some people speaking about pickpockets and we mentioned how we'd been pickpocketed earlier.  A young girl from Washington State, Megan, told us how she'd been caught a few days ago and lost 400 Euros.  She was clearly still shaken from the experience. The scam is from the same young people; this time they ask you to sign a piece of paper, like a petition, then while you're filling in your details, and you're concentrating on that, they ask for money.  When your wallet is open, they make their move and steal your money.  Megan realised what had happened, but another girl had already moved in to take the money away.  Megan yelled out and some French people came to help her, but the urchin threw an empty bottle on the ground as a signal for her accomplices to come to support her.  They created a huge diversion and they got away.  If you come to Europe, just be aware that these are the ways they try to trap you.  We've asked why the police don't do something about cleaning it up, and we've been told, "there are too many of them"!  Such a shame.)

We are thoroughly enjoying Paris - it's a stunning city, and simply beautiful.

Saturday 21 September - Paris

After trying to book the Eiffel Tower tour and the Jardine Musicale at the Palace of Versailles till the early hours of this morning without success we decided to try our luck at the FMAC - the sort of equivalent of 'Half Tix' in the States.  We bought a four-day museum pass which we reckon we'll put to good use.  A recent story in The Age stated that museum visits for the over 60's are free - not true! 

We headed for the Opera House figuring we'd purchase a ticket to a ballet or an opera whilst here in Paris.  And for 300 Euro, we could have bought a ticket to tonight's opening performance of a ballet - else, if we came back at 4.30 pm we could be in the line (hopefully at the start of the line) to buy the tickets they start to sell at 6.30 pm for a 7.30 pm performance.  We'll see.

We had arranged to meet Silke and Jean Claude, Myriam's parents at the front of the Opera House.  We were there - they were there - but we didn't see each other.  Why?

We were at the "front of the Opera House where the tickets are sold:

What we thought was the front of the Opera House

However, Silke and Jean Claude were AT the front of the Opera House:

Now, that's the front of the Opera House!

So we each waited for over half an hour, then Silke sent a text message saying we'd meet at our hotel at 6 pm.

John and I ventured to a huge store - Lafeyette Galleria - the true "fashion capital"!  What a gorgeous experience.  The ceilings are absolutely magnificent and it brought back memories of the Theatre de la Scala in Milan - each floor had beautiful gold embellishments and intricate ornate ... it's hard to explain.

Lafayette Gallerie

We went upstairs to the rooftop and saw the magnificent views of Paris.  It was simply spectacular.  And finally, I managed to buy a black evening clutch that I've been searching for since Prague. It's my birthday gift from Louise, Robert and Stephanie - thank you! 

We met Silke and Jean Claude at the hotel at 6 pm and we were off!  Silke made a booking for a restaurant at 10 pm, the earliest we could get in.  So in the interim, we went to the metro and trained to Mont Martre and saw the magnificent Sacre Coeur.

Sacre Couer

At the Sacre Coeur fountain

Back on the met line we headed to the Arc de Triomphe and saw a beautiful sunset through and under the Arc.  This is Paris! From there we walked to see the Eiffel Tower at night, all lit up like nothing on earth.  We walked to Mont Martre, we walked down the Champs Elysees past the exclusive shops; Louis Vuitton, Mont Blanc, Mercedes, Peugeot ... they were all there.

We walked along the Seine River - past the Grand Palace and the Petite Palance and the Charles de Gaulle statue.  On to the Metro line again to paris Central.

At 10 pm we made our way to "Le Train Bleu" which is in the Gare de Lyon Station and was built as part of the major building program that was launched for the Paris Exhibition in 1900 - as were the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais and the Bridge of Alexander III.  The façade of the old station building bears some of the features of the style of the "Belle Epoque", but the most striking of the period has been preserved inside the building in the dining rooms of the Buffet.


Le Train Bleu

Ceiling

The décor of the rooms is almost overwhelming, every detail including the chairs, seats and coat racks is in the vain of the "Belle Epoque" design and it's a bit over the top, but simply stunning.  The paintings are beautiful, brightly coloured, and they have been truly well preserved, especially when you consider the fumes from the old steam trains of those days. 

We enjoyed some roast lamb and potatoes and salad.  Then some blokes decided to hop through the window door onto a balcony.  They all seemed to be employees of the restaurant.  Then a dreadful noise - someone fell from the balcony, through the glass roof, onto the concrete below.  The blood drained from the maître's face and security people came running with phones to their ears.  What a shock.  When we asked later how the bloke was, we were told, "nothing to worry about, he's fine, just some scratches".  It reminded me of Brian - "it's just a flesh wound"!  We didn't hear an ambulance.  And Silke said she hadn't heard anything on the radio this morning but it's not what they want tourists to hear.

Three trains to get "home" to the Opera Hotel - we're definitely feeling like pros with the Met, but it's all the work of Silke and Jean Claude.

What a day we've had!

Friday 20th September - Amiens to Paris (Beware the Pickpockets!)

We left Amiens after a quick brekky this morning and we were on the road by 9.30 am - which is good for us!  We drove straight to Charles de Gaulle airport expecting to arrive, as we'd been told, about 1 1/2 hours later.  That's obviously with the French driving!  It took us nearly 2 1/2 hours to get there, then another 45 minutes to find the Avis car rental return. 

After ticking off all the boxes with Avis, we made our way very tentatively to find the train station which is at terminal 3.  We were at terminal 1.  We managed to locate it and got on a train to "somewhere".  The woman at the information booth told us three times the name of the stations and we still didn't understand her pronunciation; she got a bit impatient with us, so we nodded, smiled and said, "Merci". 

A bloke bumped me as he pushed in front of me boarding the train, and I made the comment, "No worries mate, you're obviously far more important", or words to that effect.  It turns out he's from Brisbane, but lacked manners anyway.  I thought this might be the French way - we had noticed that there was a lot of jostling for position going on, prior to getting on the train.

Anyway, several people on board were extremely helpful and tried to assist us with directions and attempting to work out which station we needed in order to get to our hotel.  And it turned out we needed to change trains.  One bloke actually got off the train and got it sorted and he then had to catch the next train himself! 

So ... when we changed trains there was a group of about eight young 13-15 year olds who were jostling and bumping us as we tried to get on the train.  After my earlier experience I was irritated and in a very loud voice said, "Stop pushing - just wait - you're being very rude"!  This obviously caught the attention of other travellers and a woman came forward and said to John, "Check your wallet".  It was gone! It had been pickpocketed by the young urchins.  One of the young girls realised they'd been caught and said to John, "Is this your wallet?" as she handed it back to him!

John couldn't believe it.  We'd been warned of pick pockets and there were announcements later about them but this really threw us.  I checked my handbag and the zip had been undone.  Thankfully they didn't get my wallet (with my passport inside) or my I-Pad.  How lucky!  The zip now has the lock engaged all the time.

Our hotel is lovely and we've got a little balcony with gorgeous views.

View from our balcony, Opera Saint-Lazare

We organised some glasses for John - amazingly the optometrists can do the lenses on the spot here - so no more Stevie Wonder.  I'll miss him not singing, "Isn't She Lovely", and "You are the Sunshine of my Life" tonight!!!

No privacy - the assessment is all done right out in the open!

We walked the neighbourhood to familiarise ourselves with our new surroundings for the next five days and got back to the hotel to a message that Myriam's Mum and Dad are arriving to see us tomorrow.  So till tomorrow ... stay well and happy.

Thursday 19th September: The Somme

We stayed last night in a hotel - one to be missed!  Boomer-Harvey and Millie had towels thrown out because they weren't good enough for them - I think after three years they've been found!  Here at L'Abbatiale Hotel.

We walked the town last night and bemoaned the loss of half of my upper molar.  I knew I should not have shared John's jubes ... anyway, hopefully the rest of the fang will hold out till we get home.

We sought some help from the tourist information bureau early this morning to find a gite. While John was checking that info, I braved a trip to the supermarket for some highlighter pens - I'm keen to mark where we've been on our trip on the various maps we've collected.  After having success with my supermarket purchases, I ventured to the local boulangerie to purchase "uno baguette, S'il vous plait".  And she obliged with a smile and I carried out one baguette and I had a huge smile on my dial.  I know it's only a very small achievement, but I'm sure I failed French in form three, so it was a bit of a thrill!

We travelled to the Villers-Bretonneux school to see the museum.  We had skipped brekky and lunch by this stage, so the baguette and some cheeses from our purchases at the market in Brugge the other day went down well - a picnic on our laps, sitting in the front seats of the car.

The museum wasn't really anything to speak of, but we took pictures of the sign, "Never Forget Australia" that is hung over the shelter-sheds in the kids' playground.  Two little girls were thrilled to get a crappy koala from us ... the ones you get from Swanston Street for about $5.00 for 24.  There were broad smiles from the kids and their teachers.

Villers-Bretonneux School

There is much love for Australia and Australians in this town and evidence of that can be seen everywhere.  Kangaroos are stencilled onto the sides of homes and playgrounds throughout the town and there are aboriginal paintings on poles and fences too.

French Museum

We went to "Hill 104" which was the most strategic hill to obtain in order for the allied forces to make their assault on Pozieres.  The Australian War Memorial monument was built here as it was felt that this was the most fitting spot as it's where so many Australians fought and died.   

The Australian War Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux

From Villers-Bretonneux we drove on to find the 3rd Australian Division memorial at Sailly-Le-Sec.  We were quite disturbed to find some ordnance but one of them had some tape tied to it, so we figured they'd been checked out and were not 'live'.


We were told by a couple of Poms we met in Ypres that the museum at Albert is "fantastic and not to be missed".  So we drove there this afternoon and it sure is TO BE MISSED.  It was a dreadful exhibition - it basically only mentioned the British soldiers, and the only mention of the Australian soldier - well, he had a bottle of wine in his hand.  The British soldier had a bayonet in his hand and the French soldier a book.  I spoke with the curator and said I was not impressed with that message. 

He said, "the Australians did smoke and drink". "Not all of them - and not my Great Uncle", I said. "But they did smoke and drink" he reiterated. "And they also died" said John.  He didn't have a comment for that apart from, "We're looking at changing the exhibition shortly".

So we left Albert very disappointed and then John realised that somewhere along the line he'd lost his prescription glasses, so we backtracked where we'd been earlier in the day, but didn't have any success finding them.  So John now has to wear his prescription sunglasses ... not a good look ... not unless you've got the white cane.

Needless to say, we pressed on towards Amiens, a little town we thought, quaint and with a few gites and B&B's.  We'd booked a B&B earlier in the day when we were in Corbie, however without a lift, going up to the 4th floor with our luggage was out of the question.  So we've satisfied ourselves with an Ibis hotel (or Ibb-iss as they call it here).  We'd been trying to book a gite since we were in Belgium, but they're apparently something French.  We tried to book one today, but they're only available if you wish to book for 4-5 days which we don't have.  So we've had to go with B&B's or hotels.

We had the most fabulous meal at a local restaurant, "Chez Rosa" tonight - so if you're ever in Amiens ...

love

Lorraine and "Stevie" xo

Wednesday 18th - Ypres - Villers Bretonneau - Corbie

Another stop off at the Menin Gate this morning to locate the Australian war plaque for the men "Known Unto God" who died in Ypres.  There was panel after panel ... it was very sobering.  From there we departed Ypres and headed south towards Pozieres.  We passed cemetery after cemetery, some dedicated to the British, others to the Canadians but all maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  The cemeteries are all in immaculate condition, freshly weeded, grass mown and flowers of all description are planted along the rows - row after row after row.

We stopped at Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery and saw rows and rows of headstones inscribed with the words, "Known Unto God". 

6826 Australians died in the battle of Pozieres of whom 4112 are still missing.

Poziers Windmill plaque

On the outskirts of Pozieres we passed a sign; I thought it was indicating the way to the trenches that have been retained and maintained, however, it was to the Trench Cemetery.  This cemetery is located about 5 km down a dirt track, potholed and unsealed.  Then in the midst of a farmers property, was Trench Cemetery.  A long stretch of grass, again beautifully edged and mown, led to the cemetery that had row after row of headstones with inscriptions like:

"A Soldier of the Great War ... Known Unto God"; "Died at Duty's Call"; "Not One Life Shall be Destroyed"; "A Loving Song, Gentle and King, Loyal and True"; "A Brother beloved a Big Hearted Loyal Friend"; "Their Glory shall not be Blotted Out"; "He Died the Helpless to Defend an Australian Soldier's Noble End".  Mothers and fathers and siblings denied their loved ones ...


Trench Cemetery

And at the Villers-Bretenneux School:  "This school building is the gift of the school children of Victoria, Australia, to the children of Villers-Bretonneux, as a proof of their love and goodwill towards France.  Twelve hundred Australian Soldiers, the fathers and brothers of these children, gave their lives in the heroic recapture of this town from the invader on 24th April 1918, and are buried near this spot.  May the memory of great sacrifices in a common cause keep France and Australia together forever in bonds of friendship and mutual esteem."

We visited the Australian 1st division AIF site near Pozieres. Just under 4,700 Australian soldiers lost their lives here.  It was also the first time tanks were brought into the war.

A tank sculpture on the monument that commemorates the Tank Division at Pozieres

We made our way to Villers-Bretonneux hoping to find some accommodation in a Gite but no one knew of one there.  The two women in the post office were very accommodating and together with a customer who offered to translate, they were all able to come up with two options. Sadly the gite ecommended was more like a motel so we opted to travel to Corbie, another quaint little town.  We'll stay tonight and head off to explore more of the Somme tomorrow.

Tuesday 17th September - Ypres

We planned to visit the "Flanders Field Museum" this morning and drive to some of the battle sites this afternoon.  We got to the museum just after 10 am and left just before 5 pm.  We didn't even have lunch. This museum is absolutely amazing.  It totally enthralled us for the entire time we were there.

Prior to the War, the skyline of Ypres was dominated by the medieval Cloth Hall, which the Belgians refer to as Lakenhalle, and the cathedral. Today, the Tourist Information Centre and the "Flanders Field Museum" are located within Cloth Hall. 

All of Ypres was totally destroyed to such an extent that by the end of 1917, not a single house or a single tree was still standing.  At the end of the war, Churchill felt that Ypres should remain in ruins as a memorial to those who fought and died here.  Others felt that the town should be rebuilt and be a modern example of the future.  The survivors of Ypres felt otherwise ... that the town should be rebuilt as it was prior to the war.  Fortunately, the town has been rebuilt as the inhabitants of Ypres wished.

The bell tower is offered as an extra with the purchase of a ticket to the Flanders Field Museum. We obligingly paid to be able to climb the bell tower: 243 steps to the top via a very, very tight spiral staircase.  Part of the staircase is concrete and part is steel, with "see through" holes punched through the steel so it gave a very clear view of the ground beneath.

Part of the 243 steps to the top of the bell tower

The bell tower was used as a watch tower in centuries past.  We stopped to listen to the chimes of the bells at 2 pm.  (Thankfully it gave a tinkle before starting to toll so my fingers blocked the din.)

 

The tower/belfry is 70 metres high and is capped with four turrets and a spire and houses a carillon of 49 bells. 

The bells of Cloth Hall



We were greeted at the top by spectacular views of Ypres.

View from top of Cloth Hall

Tyne Cot



The journey back down the Cloth Hall staircase.

The climb up the tower gave us some well needed respite from the horrors depicted in the various displays in the museum.

(Here's a strange note about Ypres. Ypres is a cat city.  Every three years on the second Sunday of May the "world famous" cat parade goes through the streets.  In the past (until 1817!) the "city fool threw living cats from the hall tower to chase away evil spirits.  Based on this historical fact, an annual parade was created in 1955.  Since 1991 the parade is held every three years. These days, a velvet cat is thrown by a jester from the tower and if you catch it, you can make a wish.)

We left Flanders Field Museum me with soggy tissue laden pockets and red eyes.  The displays are informative and moving; they are a real demonstration, explanation, and statement that war is hell and totally futile.  And unfortunately the lessons of war seem to be forgotten and they are repeated time and time again. 

We walked down to the Menin Gate after dinner and were amazed at the number of people paying respects just like us. A group of school kids from Mt Clear, Ballarat seemed very excited to be there and they had just arrived from France.  The Belgians perform this ceremony every evening at 8 pm and I thought they'd possibly just be going through the motions ... but nothing could be further from the truth.  It was so moving.  I spoke with a couple from the UK who were there last night too, and they said tonight's service was more impressive.  Some folk from Scotland were there, all kilted up, and a bagpipe player played for quite some time while people laid wreaths.

 

 

"To the Armies of the British Empire who stood here from 1914-1918 and to those of their dead who have no known grave."

 

Lest We Forget

 

 

 



Monday 16th September - Brugge

We passed through some lovely little towns along the way from Brugge to Ypres, as rather than taking the major highway; we decided to take the back roads.  We came across a school group doing their "Bicycle Education Program" - and apart from three kids - all were without helmets! 

 Bike Ed Program

We arrived in Ypres and organised accommodation at the 2-star "Ambrosia Hotel". It's comfortable and clean and ideally located to the town square and museums - and Cloth Hall.

Cloth Hall

We wandered the town centre and sought out the recommended restaurant, De Kollenbloeme and enjoyed a delicious meal of Flemish stew, served with what seems to be the norm here in Belgium, chips and salad.

We met a couple of British blokes on the way back to our hotel and they recommended we stay two nights at the Ibis Hotel in Albert (pronounced Al-bear) and visit the tunnels of Albert.


BlogSpot is being a pain in the bum ... I've spent the past two hours trying to blog this and yesterday's and today's blogs but it won't co-operate and get the spacing and font right for some reason.  So brick bats to BlogSpot.

 

 

Sunday 15th September - Haarlem to Brugge

We took a bus to the airport in Haarlem (no car rental places are open in Haarlem on a Sunday) and we rented a Citroen and took off for Brugge at 11.30 am.  We decided to start the sat nav, but no matter how many buttons we pushed, the sat nav did not appear on the screen.  A quick phone call back to the Avis depot, "Didn't they give you the portable sat nav?  I told them to", stated the service person.  So back to the airport we went.  Have you ever tried to navigate a U-turn on a motorway?  We exited to the right, and then went around and around and around ... we even went through a service station ... all in an effort to get back onto the ramp to take us back along the A4 in the opposite direction.  Hmmmmmm! 

 

So, one and a half hours later ... the roads were chock-a-block.  After being told by the lovely woman inside our sat nav that there were major road works ahead and we could cut 45 minutes off our trip, we decided to take her advice and detour.  “Keep right ... keep right ... keep right ... keep right ...” she said, and then suddenly, “turn hard left!” Who would tell you to do that?!  She’s the same bitch who’s in my car at home!  So John turned hard left, into what would have been oncoming traffic (thankfully there wasn't any) – and John’s a seasoned “drive on the wrong side of the road” person.  As if it isn’t hard enough to drive on the wrong side of the road, we had a manual car, squillions of bicycle riders to contend with ... then there was “the bitch”.  The stress levels were increasing ... who did John listen to?  The bitch inside the sat nav, or the one who occasionally occupies the passenger seat?!!!

 

We finally made our way into Brugge to find another quaint, beautiful, old city – that was celebrating some sort of, "once a year the city is closed to vehicles" festival.  So after checking with a copper that we wouldn’t be clamped or towed away (it’s impossible to read the road signs and traffic signs when they’re in the local language – but totally expected), we parked the car and trudged through the rain – and cyclists (did I mention the cyclists?  And that they’ve got total right of way – even when they’re facing red lights?!)  Anyway, we found a B&B part way along a narrow paved street overlooking a beautiful, green, lush, parkland that looked more like a forest, and for one hundred euro we got a room, “with wi-fi, a (very small) television, and a private bathroom”. 

We got ready for dinner and went out to explore this beautiful city, umbrellas at the ready. Martha, our new landlady, recommended a restaurant and we swear it was the, "Pork Belly Restaurant".  But try as hard as could, we couldn't find it.  No doubt it was nothing like pork or belly.  We had the misfortune to choose the 'T Putje Restaurant. Apart from every plate and bowl having a huge crack and chip in it, and two bowls including a fly (each!) I also got the addition of a hair.  "Manuel" was unimpressed that I complained.  "No problem" he said, and he whisked my plate away - only to return it about six seconds later, without the hair.  No doubt he'd stuck his stubby finger into my food to remove the hair.  I hardly felt like eating!  And we paid the princely sum of 60 Euros for the "pleasure" of dining here.  (I feel a TripAdvisor review coming on!)

Market Square

A wander into town revealed the most gorgeous of shops and buildings. Horse drawn carriages are plentiful here in the town square.  We stopped off at the Post Office to send a small package to Josh for his 15th birthday - which will be the day we arrive home on the 29th September.



The mood took us and we decided when in Belgium ... so we had a hot chocolate at a café overlooking the square.  The sun was shining and all was good in the world.  The hot chocolate was appalling - and at ten Euros, we nearly choked!

We deliberated as to whether to stay another night or head off and maybe stay a couple of nights in Ypres or Villers Bretonneux.  (Unfortunately we have to wing it a bit as all of Louise and Robert’s info and tips are still in one of the boxes at home – beautifully cleaned and ozoned though!)

So we visited a tourist information bureau to do some planning and decided to continue on to Ypres. 

 

Saturday 14th September – Haarlem

We took a train from Amsterdam to Haarlem with Helen and Ken and it was all uneventful – apart from the worry that we were in first class seats and should have been in second class such was the plushness and cleanliness of the train carriage – but there was no need to have worried, when we arrived in Haarlem and checked the rest of the carriages, they all had the same lush seats and seating area.

Our accommodation was out of the city, “just one stop on the bus” as had been reported on Trip Advisor – well it might be one stop in European circles, but one stop here equals about six-eight stops at home.  (Even getting to the airport this morning was only three stops and it was miles away!) 

We ‘lucked out’ in that there was a festival happening on 14/15 September in Haarlem and all of the major public buildings were open free to the public.  WOW!  We went to the "Great Church or St Bavo's Haarlem".  It is a magnificent church and we were provided with some statistics: 

 

*  1st October 653 St Bavo died, the patron saint of the church

*  1347 and 1351 town fires damaged the church

*  1559 the Bravo became a cathedral church

*  1572 was the Reformation

*  1735 the Christian Muller organ was constructed

 

The floor of the Bavo Church consists entirely of gravestones.  It felt very strange and wrong to be walking over the graves of long departed souls.  There are 1500 gravestones, the oldest of which date back as far as the fifteenth century.

Gravestones that are the floor of St Bavo's church



A gravestone - 1618

And - there is a special Chapel called the "Dog Whipper's Chapel" (I thought it was the Dog Whisperer's Chapel).  In the Middle Ages a dog whipper's task was to discipline unruly dogs and to maintain order in the church.

 

And grossly, on the reverse side of the communion board, a report of the siege of Haarlem in 1573 says: "dogs and cats were called roast game".

 

The town square was covered with a huge flower 'mural' depicting one of Van Gogh's works which was magnificent. 

Spectacular in flowers.

Have I mentioned the bicycles?! We are still amazed with the mode of transport here - it's basically all bicycles and the designs of them are truly ingenious.

Transport for the kids and shopping!

The Town Hall was another of the major buildings open to the public so we ventured in and were greeted by the “flower maidens”. We went into the chamber room overlooking the city square and it turns out that it is the mayor’s office.  John asked if it was the “Burgermeister’s office” and the guide was so excited that John knew that term, she engaged with him for ages.  There has never been a female Burgermeister and probably never will be, but John proclaimed her the Burgermeister for the day.  She was so thrilled!  He even got her to demonstrate what happens with the handles that hang from the mantles – they were/are used for the main man to hang from when he’s feeling a bit “emotional” after standing in front of the open fire  having a few sherberts solving the problems of the world – or his small empire at least. 

John's newly-appointed Burgermeister!

Our grandies would have loved the carousel in the city square – the rides ranged from a car pulling a caravan; horses pulling Ben Hurr’s chariot; a fireman’s engine; a police car; and of course Vespers.  It was simply stunning.


Carousel with Ben Hurr chariot, fire engine, caravan ...

We finished the evening off with a ‘farewell dinner’ for the four of us ... having met on the train from Prague to Budapest then our final journey together from Amsterdam to Haarlem.  We’ll be in touch when back in Melbourne.

Tomorrow we’ll start our journey from Haarlem to Brugges then freewheel through the WWI sites on our way to Paris.