Bordeaux

Quelle surprise! Quelle tres belle cite. We have thoroughly enjoyed our four days in Bordeaux - and not a wine trail to be taken. There is so much history here and because of its Catholic heritage, Bordeaux 'ville vieux' is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It  was on the direct route to the Way of St James [St Jacques de Compostelle] for pilgrims from Paris and as a stop off point its churches became very busy - and now protected. And there is almost one on every street corner [a bit of an exaggeration!] that provides a haven of solitude away from the busyness in the streets outside.
Bordeaux, apart from being the wine 'capital' of France, is a vibrant yet not seemingly rushed city - at least in the old town where we stayed and ventured around, Notre Dame [another!], St Andre's, St Michel St Paul and Francis Xavier, St Seurin's, St Pierre's - we saw them all, each with its own distinctive art and dedications through sculpture and side chapels. And Mass in the Chapel of Mary Magdalene inside St Andre's attracted us for the quick 6.00pm special.

St Andre's Cathedral from the Bell Tower [Tour Pey Berland]

And while history exudes on every street corner, there is still that essentially France feel about the tree lined 'rues' and squares and small gardens that are dotted around the block buildings of the old town. Like most older cities of Europe you can also see very clearly the juxtaposition of old and new - with the new created to blend in with the charm of the past.

A tram passes through the trees of Quinconces

A walk along the Quai Louis XVIII and Quai Richelieu attracts tourists and local alike: there is plenty for people to do here - outdoor concerts, skating ramps, playing in the mist of the waterfront sculpture.... good in summer, but likely to be cold in winter!

Waterfront activity on the Quai Richelieu

The Garonne River, on which the original town of Bordeaux was established as a trading post looks to be a dirty muddy brown - which it is yet, apparently, fish survive in this swirling mass of eddying current, to help fuel the local food industry. But whether its food, wine, history, religion or whatever it is, Bordeaux has very much been one of our most favoured destinations.

Pont de Pierre crosses the Garonne River at Bordeaux

St Francis Xavier in St Paul's Church

And finally a look at the area around our hotel Continental on Rue deMontesquieu with its older established facade looking doen the street from the Place Gambetta end towards the Carrefour Supermarket in the new dome of Marches des Grandes Hommes.

From hotel entrance to Marches des Grandes Hommes

Rennes to Mont St Michel

Rennes is the capital of Brittany. It was established at the confluence of three small rivers and became a centre of trade in the Middle Ages. Today it has a population of in excess of 400,000 - and it appeared almost 'closed' - particularly on Sunday - after the frenzy of Paris. We have continued to walk our 10km per day - it's almost a target now - and we have wandered round and round Centre Ville admiring the old housing and cathedrals that feature prominently in this part of the city. While there is the very old (such as the third century entrance through the walled city) there is also the very new  - the Science Planetarium piqued our fancy; however, despite the brilliant audiovisuals there was a soporific feel that sent Clive to sleep. Several times!

Third Century entrance - with some modern touches

Eating out has become a bit of a game as we try to try different foods - not for us frogs and snails [and nor for many French it seems from an online blog] - and beers. We had a nice 'blonde' beer in Paris and thought we'd try one here. Only it turned out to be white beer - Eidleweiss - which tasted a bit like an alcoholic soft drink, Not to be repeated. We have enjoyed stopping off during the walking for a beer at the many little bars that dine Al Fresco - sitting amongst locals [or French at least!] - in the cobbled streets of the old town, 

The square outside the Hotel de Ville and L'Opera was a great place to sit and watch the French World go by. It was almost like camping - laying back in loungers in the summer sun.

Summer in Centre Ville, Rennes

The walking took us to an old church, St Melaine, on the fringes of Parc du Thabor; a huge park loasis in the old city and which provides green relief from the grey cobbled city, the coloured walls of centuries old housing and the stone facades of old municipal buildings and churches, [we attended High Mass at the Cathedrale de St Pierre]. 

In the gardens of Parc du Thabor

Perhaps the highlight of our stay in Rennes was the trip we made to Mont St Michel. Only 1hr and 10 mins from Rennes, the bus went from our door to the Mont and back. This is a really amazing sight - and would have been moreso had the tide been in. Old, old Basilica built into the rock of the Mont and easily defended, Nowadays [in fact from 1975] it is run by the Jerusalem order of priests and nuns from Paris - and again we attended a Mass - lunch time this time. We watched from the ramparts as people waded through tidal mud flats on nature trips to outlying islands, only accessible at low tide and preferably, to be safe, with a guide. Wouyld like to have seen more - but the heatwave has finished - and it rained - showers over the past three days to end the endless heat and blue skies. Perhaps the'll make another appearance.

Mont St Michel from the causeway - rain clouds gathering

And from Mont St Michel and Rennes in Bretagne, we are heading to wine country - Bordeaux! PS It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Paris

Our second experience of Paris - and just as wonderful as on the first occasion; this time in summer and in what is being described as a heat wave, with daily temperatures up around the high 30's.
The accommodation this time was in Montmartre - a cute little hotel with 5 star class and within about 20 minutes of the Sacre Coeur. As we did the last time we were in Paris we attended Mass here the day we arrived and spent the evening re-orienting. This trip to the magical city included attractions and events we were not able to fit in in 2008. And so, we saw Moulin Rouge (Feerie) - and despite the instructive guide, smart casual is best - no need for suits and ties. An amazing spectacular with not only what looked like scores of semi-clothed, feathered dancers but also amazing acrobats and talent that looked like it had come straight out of Cirque de Soleil. The train from Montparnasse took us to Chartres Cathedral in the medieval city about an hour to the south west of Paris. Arguably, this Cathedral is larger than Notre Dame in Paris - but it certainly is an awesome sight and well worth making the effort to see. Would recommend to anyone with a day to spare in Paris!

Chartres Cathedral

The superstructure is just too large to be accommodated by a single photograph.

The following day we ventured to the Palace of Versailles - and even with the wait in the zig-zag queue, the Palace dominated the crowds in attendance. The gold gilt of the upper floors sparkled in the midday sun and while there were crowds moving through, there always seemed to be time to stop and listen to the audioguides which helped to bring to life the grandeur of Louis XIV, his family, Marie Antoinette and subsequent Louis'. The grounds too showed their splendour. It was difficult to imagine the popular movement of the people in the French Revolution forcing the royals to move to the Louvre [abandoning Versailles] in Paris for their own safety.

Inside the Palace of Versailles

A cruise on the Seine to view the skirts of The Eiffel Tower at one end to the old lady Cathedral, Notre Dame on the Isle de la Cite at the other end gave us a different view of Paris and served as a marker for places we then visited on foot.

La Tour Eiffel from the Seine Cruise

Notre Dame from the Seine Cruise

Paris was fair buzzing while we visited. Preparations for Bastille Day Celebrations were going on all over [scores of temporary seats in and around the Place de la Concorde] and never have we seen so many police and armed military moving freely amongst the populace going about its own thing. And while we waited outside of Versailles it was interesting to watch the illegal hawkers [many of whom would likely be illegal residents - although we don't know that!] scatter as the police made themselves present. As the police moved out - the hawkers moved in again. A sorry state for all really. And on the night of the 14th we waited amongst the crowd on the hill outside the Sacre Coeur to see the celebratory fireworks - but given our long day [in excess of 10km walked] and the fact that it wasn't getting dark until nearer 11.00pm, we trundled home to bed. The end of yet another long and eventful day.

Waiting among the crowd at Sacre Coeur for the July 14 Fireworks display

Frankfurt and around

We have been asked on at least two occasions: why would you want to go to Frankfurt? Well now we know the answer - at least as it relates to summer conditions.
Like other parts of Europe we experienced in an earlier life, many of the older churches are hidden behind fabric shrouds or the prison bars of reconstruction and restoration. However, we did manage to climb the 328 steps of the Cathedral Tower to extensive panoramic views of the old city, the new city and its hinterland. We have walked about 15km around the old city, soaking up the replica of an ancient past destroyed in WW 2 - it was not hard to sit in the 25* C sunshine and observe the comings and goings in Romerberg, the way it would have been as a market place in its medieval past.

And on to the following day - about three hours spent wandering through the art gallery in the Stadel Museum amongst the alte masters to the modern art. Then back to Romerberg  - and contemplated a stein [but contemplation was as far as it got]. We waited until we were enticed by the charms of an Italian Restaurateur into the Italian restaurant her served - where we finally had our German stein.
This is a lovely city... easy to walk around in and pleasant on the eye. Open air markets and food stalls and under canvas eateries all helped to provide a nostalgic charm which is a sign of summer relax.

The modern city of Frankfurt am Main

Dubai

Dubai, desert in the United Arab Emirates - city state on the Persian Gulf - and one of seven states making up the UAE. Now the passports are here, complete with Russian visas, the journey begins. First stop, Dubai. 5.30am and arrive ahead of schedule. Dubai International Airport is only 5 mins away from our hotel in Deira, the o;d sector of Dubai on the fringes of Dubai Creek. Most of Dubai is strung out along a strip of narrow irrigable land, nowadays supported through de-salinisation plants. Originally it was established as a trade centre based around  fishing and date harvesting from the oases of the region.
July is in the month of Ramadan and like locals, there is an expectation on tourists that they too show respect relating to fasting between the hours of sunrise and sundown. We turned up for dinner at a restaurant in the Deira City Centre immediately across the road from our hotel and were eventually enticed in by the young Filipino lady at the gate. Having ordered our meals we were asked to wait until prayer time before they were served. No problem! But then the countdown began. Staff watched their watches; guests watched their watches all the time listening for the prayer - and the cue to eat. And when it happened - so to did a flurry of eating around the restaurant.
Our second day was spent visiting old trading/mercantile areas of Dubai  - from the Burj Al Arab, luxury marine resort (water side views only!) to the Jumeirah Mosque, a drive by of the Zabeel Palace and on to the Dubai Museum. This was a really interesting experience as we were taken back into Dubai's heritage sharing a half hour or so with life size mannequins in role - the traders, the builders, the entertainers, the fishers - and the day to day lives of the people who lived here. From the Museum we crossed to a small enclosure of the sort of the early settlers in the Dubai Creek area - an enclosure built of local stone and fused with mortar made from coral. And finished to the style reminiscient of the Pashtin of northern Iraq who were among the original inhabitants of this area. We crossed Dubai Creek by Abra - water taxi - to the spice and gold souks of Deira, No purchases: spices  - well, we can't take those with us; and gold (we understand real and not fake!) - well we didn't have the funds... but it was worth looking at (in temperatures today in the low 40s) even if it did mean substantial amounts of sitting in order to cope with the temperatures. However, sitting made us targets for the touts - but they were all very pleasant and did not pester following the 'No' word.
A long half day made to seem stretched out by the need to sleep off the exhaustion from very high [for us] temperatures but short of the 50 figure that can be characteristic of this area of the UAE in summer.
And tomorrow...??? It's an early departure again as we head towards Frankfurt - and our doorway into Europe.

ANCIENTS ALIVE - REIGNITED

This is a tale of the finishing off. It is the story that follows from our European holiday of 2007-2008 and begins this time in Frankfurt (via Dubai) on July 6 2015 and ends in Phuket and Bangkok on October 8 - seven years after our last OE. The preparation is about over -  a couple of passports would come in real handy about now!

China 2014

Arrived in a very tired and grey looking Beijing morning with a pall of smog unfurled as the welcome banner. A one hour plus drive from the airport to the hotel - and still the smog (locally called fog and generated by the vast basin in which Beijing lies) hung heavy. Did so for the rest of the morning.