acrossthearctic

[acrossthearctic]

Lyon-Sydney

A leisurely long breakfast begore i finished poacking and headed to Lyon airport via the. Rhone Express tram.

Brilliant quick check in - pays to be now on a higher level of Emirates Skywards Program. Over zealous scurity check though - had to have my < 100ml liquifs in a separate plastic bag to the toothbrush . This one bag has been through+++++ security checks in the last year.

Flight to Dubai was delayed 1 hour but I eneded upo with 4 seats to myself. The late deoparture made the transit time short particularly as i had to get from C to A in Dubai Airport ( a long way) . This meant I could not even attempot to go to the lounge as i just got to the departure lounge in time for the priority boarding.

Full flight on this leg and we arrived back in Sydney on time at 10.06 pm.

Great holiday with many memories.

[acrossthearctic]

Lyon

Despite the forecast of sunny weather, it was a cloudy cool day. i decided to buy a 24 hour travel pass which meant I could use metro, train,bus ,trams etc and see if I could do my mother proud and get > 4 uses of it over the day to make it pay for itself!!

As I had been in Lyon only last October , I decided I didn't need to travel up to Fourviere but as i did want to look down on the city , i decided to go up to ther Croix-Rousse area to have my morning coffee at the terrace cafe at Gros Caillou. As the day was cool, I resorted to the nearby cafe.Still I saw the view and the rock! This rock is is thought to have been displaced by glaciers over 200Km from the Alps.

Then it was time to head back to the centre of town . On my walk from the metro at Hotel de Ville , I stumbled upon a church , St Bonaventure that I had not seen before. I particularly liked one of the side altars and was amazed to see priest s, one getting ready to celebrate mass and another sitting there waiting to hear confession!

After walking through Hotel-Dieu de Lyon , a grand building which was once a hospital but now houses an Intercontinental Hotel and many high end shops and restaurants, I came to Place Bellecour, the largest pedestrian square in Europe. From here you can look up to Fourviere and see the basilica and the metallic tower which resembles the Eiffel Tower .

Next stop Vieux Lyon which is full of interesting boutiques and restaurants and the magnificent cathedral. Over coffee I met a delightful couple from North Carolina whao came to France because he was a fan of Edith Piaf. I think he thought she was still alive!!!

By this stage it was nearing lunchtime , so i journeyed across to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse to wander around the many stalls and had a seafood lunch and a glass of rose at one of the many restaurants / cafes.

I returned to the hotel for a quick refresh ( dodging the huge Westfield shopping mall) before travelling back to do a 1 hour cruise along the Saone and enjoy the view of some of the buildings of Vieux Lyon. I had hoped to do the hop on hop off 1 hour 20 cruise which includes the confluence i.e where the Saone and Rhone rivers meet but it was all booked out. Good excuse to come back to Lyon ?.

After this it was back by metro x2 and bus ( I was tired and didn't want to walk for 10 minutes but the bus took 15!) to my hotel and then a nearby bar for tapas and glass of carignan - getting to be my favourite red wine.

Tomorrow I head home

[acrossthearctic]

Montpellier to Lyon

After a coffee in the Place de la Comedie , I hopped on on of the wonderful Montpellier trams. There are 4 lines (and about to be a fifth )which cross the city. They are all so colorful and the different colours dfine the lines .

I caught a blue one (Line 1 ) to Antigone , a district east of the historic centre and on the river and is full of huge neo-classical buildings .It is dramatically different to the architecture of the old town.It was designed by a Catalonian architect. It has a number of large squares and a long esplanade leading to the river which is colloquislly known as the local Champos Elysee!!. All the streets and squares have Greek names .There are a number of restaurants and I found one on Rue Rhodes which has under its sign Foster Street!

I crossed the river which is pretty static although I am sure the littel poedestrian bridges wouldnt need to have much rain before they were impassable.

I then took the long route back to the centre on the brown tram route 4 to have an early lunch at Les Halles.I really love these market lunches having first been intriduced to them last year.

I have been in that area at least 4 times on this visit but today was the first day I had noticed these two buildings. My excuse - I was always going up the street rather than down !

Then it was a trip back to the hotel to freshen up before catching the TGV to Lyon.

While waiting for the gate " to open I was sitting next to a couple from North Sydney who were on their way to Gironne. They had had an exasperating morning firstly finding a petrol station that would take a non European credit card and then the one way streets to the car rental return. What was supposed to be a 1.5Km journey from the accommodation to the car rental return took them 1.5 hours and was in the end assisted by one of the municipale police who hopped in the car with them!

The train was empty until Nimes ( stop 1 ) where it filled up and a few extra hopped on at Valence (stop 2). A quick journey of 1 hr 50 min with only the two stops . The French are frustrating like Sydney people- they crowd the doors trying to get on while everyone is trying to get. off with bags etc .

I had booked a hotel about 5 minutes walk from the station so once I found the correct exit , it was east as .

A small brasserie nearby for wine and a meal finished off the day.

[acrossthearctic]

Montpellier

A beautiful sunny and warm (27) day without any wind .

I got asn early start as I wanted to explore a lot of the city before meeting up with people for lunch. After a coffee in the main square i made my way along the narrow streets of the old town past the churches of St Roh and St Anne to the Arc de Triomphe.

through the Arc is tghe wonderful space the Place Royal e de Peyrou with Watchtower from which tou can get a splendid view of the amazing SaintClement Aqueduct. built in the 18th century which spreads over 850 metres and has 53 arches on two levels .

I walked to the Jardin de Plantes only to find it did not open until midday so I changed my plans and headed to the Cathedral . It is an imposing building but really squashed in a very small space. As it was Sunday , Mass was being said and the church looked specialwith candles etc and light shing in through the stained glass windows.

By then time was getting short so I mad my way back past some old Roman rruins to meet the others for lunch at Les Halles.

After luch i headed to the Museum Fabre and the art collection .

After that a quick walk to the Agora which is now the dance academy but was in the 18th century an Ursuline convent.

By then i was weary and went back to my hotel for a quick refresh then to a local bar for a wine and snack.

There was some excitement as someone had let their dog off the leash in the nearby square/ park and it had attacked another dog and then run into the street causing trams to stop. Police were on the scene in no time . Free entertainment !

[acrossthearctic]

Olonzac to Montpellier

After breakfast it was time for our last van ride-this time back to Narbonne Railway Station . While Margaret and I were on the same train but to different destinations , the others had slightly different train times.

My trip to Montpellier was short ( just under an hour) in a fairly empty train. Montpellier station was very easy to navigate and my hotel very closeby. After dropping my bags at the hotel, i walked the short distance to the :historic " centre of Montpellier to meet some Sydney friends for lunch.

After lunch I did some exploring close by before heading back to the hotel and a glass of wine .

[acrossthearctic]

Olonzac and Surrounds

A visit to the lovely village of Minerve but on the way we were really fortunate to have a stop and see a megalothic dolmen.

Minerve is a lovely village we walked down into the village , wandering the cobbled streets and then Georgia , Bill , Mark and I took the walk further down onto the river bed and into the massive tunnel.

After we walked back up to the village we joined the others for a superb lunch at Relais Chantovent.

Next it was onto a one hour trip along the Canal Du Midi.

By this stage we were all exhausted and headed for home to do our packing for tomorrow morning's departutre and have a grazing table meal and of course more excellent wines.

[acrossthearctic]

Olonzac and surrounds

Our first adventure today was to L'Oulibo at Bize-Minervois , an Olive Oil co oerative where we were able to view the production of Olive Oil and taste the most amazing olives and oive oils.

After this we drove through lovely countryside to Gruissan on the coast to see the salt pans.

A longlunch at the nearby Chateau Capitoul was really spectacular.Unfortunately it was too windy and cool to have it on the terrace to take in the lovely views .The indoor area had lots of wonderful B&W photos of famous people and it was part of the :entertainment":\ to identify who they all were.

Time for a quick rest up before we travelled to Caunes for a extra special meal at L'Atelier. This is a restaurant owned by Marcel and Petra who have cooked for us over our visit. The tiny restaurant was opened just for us and we were treated to a 7 course degustation with matching wines prepared by their special chef Walter with Marcel as the sommelier. It was a treat indeed.

[acrossthearctic]

Olonzac-Lagrasse-Olonzac

Wendy. our wine expert drove us ti the Corbieres region and across the Alaric Mountainto vist a small boutique winery Roquenegade. This was only opened 4 years ago by two young engineers. We tasted 8 delicious wines .

Following the wine tasting we travelled to the beasutiful medieval village of Lagrasse for lunch . After lunch ( best arancini I have ever had) we walked around the cobbled streets and viisted the church of St Micheal nestled among the houses .We aklso viewed the former bakery where two Jewish children were hidden above the oven duriung WW2 and viewed the Abbey across the river.

Then it was time for a vinegar and balsamic tasting., We all agreed we will find it hard to buy suoermsrket balsamic again.

in the evening Petra, the chef wife of Marcel who prepared our "picnic" lunch yesterday came to the house and prepared us a wonderful dinner. the evening was a belated birthday celebration for me and an early one for Margaret.

[acrossthearctic]

Olonzac - Caunes-Olonzac

As it was Tuesday, the market day for Olonzac, the two Ms and I had a leisurely morning wandering the market and enjoying a coffee while listening to music and people watching in one of the cafes . Georgia and Bill had gone with Mark to Carcassonne as they had missed out the day before as Georgia has been unwell.

We then drove to join them in the lovely village of Caunes, the village from where the lovely marble seen in so many of the buildings and streets in this area.

We were supposed to have a gourmet picnic lunch in a picgturesque setting but as the day was so windy it was transferred to the house of the charming Marcel, the caterer.

After lunch we headed to the absolutely amazing Gouffre Geant de Cabrespine, the chasm and caves are one of the most spectacular sights I have seen in my travels. Everyone took so many pictures !!

We did have time for a rest before we walked to a delightful local restaurant Aux Petit Oignons for a wonderful meal.

[acrossthearctic]

Olonzac- Carcassonne-Olonzac

After brerakfast, Marie,Margaret, Kay and Mark travelled about 45 minutes to Carcassone . Margaret and I were licky to be able to tour the castle, the walls etc with Mark who has an excellent knowledhe of the history not only of the city but of all the crusades etc.

We were very fortunate that although it was quite windy while we were walking the walls , the rain came while we were inside the museum area and so we stayed dry. The views from the walls and towers were spectacular . Before the rain came ( fortunately while we were inside) you could see the Pyrenees in the distance.

TYhe museum was very interestiung with some lovely frescies ans sargophagus etc etc

We met up with Marie and Kay and visited the Basilica with its beautiful windows.

Then it was time for lunch and some retail therapy before our drive to Chateau de Villeneuve fin the quaint village of Montlieu ( full of bookstores) for our cooking lesson. Here we met the lvely Natalie who after a glass of bubble gave us our "duties'.

I had to make the "aperitif" as she called it . This was "Soupe froide de melon, brichettesde jambon et melon, tuile au parmesan" and the dessert "Moelleux au chocolat et coulis de peche". Lots of blending and mixing and taste testing. The raspberry vinegar being a winning addition to the soupe.!

Marie got to do the entree and Margaret the main. I tghink Margaret and I enjoyed the experience but not soi sure about Marie.

We then got to eat the meal accompanied by some lovely wine before the 45 minute drive home.

A long 12 hour day but most enjoyable.

[acrossthearctic]

Olonzac - Narbonne- Olonzac

After a wonderful breakfast , we set of to go and explore Narbonne. Yesterday I had been to not visit the sites we were likely to be taken to today.

We started off walking along the canal to the centre of the village ( which was lot quiter than yesterday) , stepped on the old Roman road and then through the Hotel de Ville to the Cathedral.

After that we visited the Narbonne Horreum which is an old Roman Granary Museum .We walked through the many underground tunnels where the grain , wine etc had been stored.

Then back along the Canal past the Sunday markets to Les Halles where wew wandered the aisles full of all wionderful food before having lunch in one of the litte bars/ restaurants . It reminded me of my similar lunch in Avignon last year. We shared a seafood platter, a meat platter and a couple of bottles of rose.

Next we ventured to the wonderful Fontfroide Abbey.a former Cistercian monastery about 15 Km south west of Narbonne (so close to Spanish border).

The premises were bought in 1908, by a couple of artists who bought it to protect the fabric of the buildings and restored it over a number of years and use it as a centre for artistic projects.We all loved the buildings and the grounds .

Some of the art/sculptures were interesting including a sculpture made of mousetraps.

A wonderful grazing table and some delicious wines at "home" to end the day

[acrossthearctic]

Narbonne to Olonzac

A late breakfast in a nearby cafe wth the rudest woman who just kept yelling at people to "take a seat" as you walked in .Most of the other customers were people who had just got off or were waiting for trains at the nearby station and were all quite taken aback. One young English guy wanted to buy his little girl an ice cream from the refrigerated cabinet and she would not unlock it! I did manage to catch to catch the Curt McGrath Gold medal paddle - I think i was the only person in the cafe watching the event.

After this entertaining interlude I walked into Narbonne . I didnt want to visit the museums etc as we will be doing that when the others arrive so i just wandered the little streets , watched a small boat go through the lock in the Canal du Robin which is an off shoot of Canal du Midi.

there was also a canal side exposition with stalls highlighting various charitable , sporting and recerational activities- even one from the local bridge club.

I had a lesiurely lunch at a canal side cafe before walking back to the station to meet Kay and Mark our hosts for the week and then the 4 travellers from the train from Lyon.

Our evening was spent at our accommodation in Olonzac . Wendy ,an English woman who lives in the village iand s a wine expert came in an gave us a wonderful wine tasting and tapas meal highlighging the wines and food of the Languedoc region. About 7 wines and 7 courses. Marie and Georgia didn't last the distance but Bill, Margaret and I were there to the end enjoying the cheese and desrt and the accompanying wines!

I went to my room and was following the Wallabies match untilk it became too embarassing.

[acrossthearctic]

Barcelona to Narbonne

A walk around the area nearthe hotel including this Park of Industry which used to be an industrial area and now has ssculptures ,tatues, chimney like structures to refelct the old industrial site and these ponds with very green water!

I then returned to the hotel to watch some Paralympics as one of my sporting heroes Curt McGrath was having his first event - he won his heat!

Then it was time to catch the train. You are not allowed access to the inner area of Barcelona Railway station or know the platform number until one hour before departure and then you have your bags scanned and then queue for about half an hour until you can go to the platform to get on the train.

Like all European train travel ,the space for luggage is at a premium and there is always a bit of a bun fight. One woman in my carriage had two large suitcases plus a full garbage size plastic bag and she proceeded to put it all on the luggage racks. This caused many arguments as those of us with one bag had to then find space for our bags . It reminded me of train travel in UK and France during the 2019 RWC. I also can't understand why these modern trains have steps in the carriage let alone "mind the gap".

The trip to Narbonne takes just over 2 hours and is the fourth stop on the way to Paris. I was fortunate to have two seats to myself .

Narbonne Railway Station is by no means modern and has lots of stairs. My very basic hotel is only 3 minutes walk away and I had surmised that there would be no elevator so I had packed my back pack for a one night stay however the hotel man insisted on taking my luggage up the winding staircase- hope he brings it down tomorrow!

As the hotel is close to the staion there are stacks of little cafes and bistros close by so I went down for a drink in one of the bars and then dinner in a bistro.

Tomorrow I meet up with the others for the stay in Olonzac

[acrossthearctic]

Barcelona

Finally a lovely sunny day after two days of mostly thunderstorms and heavy rain.

My day started off with a "bonus' as i went to the catch the metro there was a huge queue for tickets which was unusual. Apparently the machines were not accepting cash and some credit cards were not working either and this is still morning peak . An employee asked what typoe ofticket i was buying and when I said just a single , he just gave me one. Imagine getting excited to get a 2.55 Euro ticket free!!

My first stop of the day was the absolutely amazing Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site which was home to a hospital from 1916 to 2009. It consisted of separtate buidings linked by a network of underground tunnels and set in gardens.. The tunnels were certainly more glamoros than those at RPA!

The pharmacy in 1930!

Today the buildings house organisations with a major social impact devoted to areas of innovation, health,sustainability and culture.

Then it was time to get on the hop on hop off bus. Rosemary and Stuart would be proud of me as I think I even managed more stops and switches between the two routes than we did in Belfast .

My stops included La Pedrera and Casa Batilo, two Gauci buildings .

A stroill down Passeig Gracia to Placa de Catalunya and on to La Rambla showed some other interesting buidings and the wall to wall people on La Rambla showed what easy pickings it is for pick pocketers.

The trip up Montjuic affored some lovely views contratsed with yesterday. Monjuic is the area where the Olympics was held in 1992 and I was able to visit the site , see where the flame was lit etc

Then it was onto MNAC, the Art gallery which commands an amazing view oiverf the city and is itself a fabulous building.

There us a series if escalators which allow you to walk down to Placa D'Espanya rather than down the hundreds of stairs - I took the escalators!

I also visited the ports and marina area which are really buzzing as The Americas Cup is due to take place here very shortly.

I was quite tired by the time I returned to the hotel . The hotel lobby has complimentary bubbles each after noon form check in time 3pm to about 6pm soI just managed to get a glass upon my return.

Dinner was grilled chicken at one of the local eateries . I had to have chicken as the Spanish waiter at our local Italian tells us "Spanish chicken tastes different to Australian chicken". I thinkm it is a bit meatier!

[acrossthearctic]

Barcelona

Well a morning of thunderstorms . for at least a part of it I was inside Sagrada Familia but otherwise got quite wet.

Sagrada Familia is amazing and is filled with masses of people but at least they limit the numbers and you can move about relatibely freely. It is imposiible to photograph to capture the exterior .

Also the interior with its myriad of pillars and windows.

The rain was bad so instead of the boat trip I had oplanned i did a circuit on hop on bus - couldn't see s thing and then back to hotel.

Late in the afternoon the skies cleared for a while so got the bus again and did the "Orange Route".

Barcelona is full of roiadworks and traffic is chaotic. in the afternoon when I was sitting in the front seat of the bus I had my heart in my mouth so many times when motor cyclists just rode straight in front of the bus.

I managed to get out to a nearby restaurant for a meal before the rain came again.

[acrossthearctic]

Manchester to Barcelona

A day of travel. An early train trip to Manchester Airport to catch my Vueling flight to Barcelona.

Terminal 3 at Manchester was busy as but the check in with Vueling was very smooth. The flight was just over 2 hours and i was fortunate to have a spare seat next to me. Vueling is good in that if you pay for luggage rather than carry on ,you also get priority seatng & priority boarding - maybe something Virgin andJetstar could copy.

I managed to negotiate finding the train from the airport ( there was a 10 minute shuttle bus ride between the terminals) and then find my way to my hotel. WhenI am travelling on my own I try to stay in hotels close to transport hubs. The only problem is often finding which station exit to take , particularly in Japan but this one had signs in the station.

After checking in and waiting out a thunderstorm , I had a walk around the area and found a supermarket for supplies e.g. wine (with a cork!) .

After dinner at a local tapas bar I returned to the hotel to watch Paralympics. Interesting with Spanish commentary and such a relief from having to listen to "Paralympics GB" ommentary.

Tomorrow is a full on day of sightseeing

[acrossthearctic]

Tideswell to Manchester

A very misty morning- how lucky were we to have a sunny Saturday afternoon as the rest of my stay in Tideswell was cloudy gray and now misty and as Jim Maxwell would day "mizzle".

After i checked out of the pub, Greg and I met for coffee and then went up to the house. Jake had woken from a nap and he hjas to be one of the happiest babies ever.

Quite a lot of time was spent playing with him before lunch and the three other children arriving.George today favouring his Sheffield Wednesday outfit . Mille a Bluey tshist and Sophie looking glamorous but how she wasn't feeling cold. Mind you we did have the gas fire on!

The UK 3 wanted another kitchen photo before I left and it will be interested to compare it with the one from July 2023 .

Mind you no one wanted to accompany Greg and me on the drive to the station as baby Jake is a lot more exciting. I told Bianca they have obviously have now drop down the pecking order in the will!!

The train into Manchester was fine and within an hour i was settled into my hotel room and repacking for an early departure tomorrow . I am on the 5:57am train to airport for thr flight to Barcelona.

A Japanese meal at a nesarby restaurant then an early night.