Macarons prenez duex

We were rushing to catch the bus to take us to the train but couldn't resist stopping to get some more macarons.

Mmmm....

Paris to London

Time to leave France - it's onto the Eurostar again. Train travel is so easy...in what seems like no time at all, we're in another country.
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostar

Tabitha chose our hotel off the internet and it's a real gem. The room is basic, the decore from the 1960's and we share a bathroom with the rest of the floor, but the staff are great, it's in a good area and best of all a full english breakfast is included in the price (yay..we get to eat).

This is me at some famous London landmark (I can't remember which one), there are so many well known streets and buildings, etc but not many of them look that remarkable.

Leicester Square where we go each morning to buy cheap tickets for shows.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leicester_Square

Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square; apparently they put him at the top so that he could see the sea.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson's_Column

Our first show in London is a matinee performance of Legally Blonde The Musical. Every
performance they sell 20 tickets at bargain prices. The catch is that you have to arrive 2 hours before the performance to get a ticket in a lottery. They draw out the names of 10 people, who can buy 2 tickets for 15 pounds each. Luckily Tabitha's name was drawn out. The show was great though I still prefer the movie.

Shakespeares Globe theatre is a reproduction of the original. It was built using as many of the original materials and construction techniques as possible, but it has the addition of modern lighting and rigging etc. It is located about 200 metres from where the original theatre stood.

www.shakespeares-globe.org

The Thames River with St Paul's cathedral in the background.

The entrance of the British Museum is spectacular, but the exhibits are beyond spectacular, so many artifacts and so much information and entrance is free. You could spend weeks, months here just reading and looking. In Tabitha's words "If you lived in a place like this you would have no exscuse for not being smart". We also loved the National Portrait Gallery where entrance is free too.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Portrait_Gallery_(London)

The mummy exhibit was very popular with numerous tourist bus loads of people all competing to get a look. In the end we had to leave...just too many people. But the museum is just across the road from our hotel so I hope to get back before I leave.

Finally, some protein!

The diet so far has consisted almost completely of carbohydrates. Lots of bread and some pasta. We thought we had picked a cheap restaurant, but the sign outside was their lunch menu, not dinner. This meal wasn't cheap, but at least I finally got some protein and I think it was only the third proper meal we've had since we left home. Pity was I could only eat a fraction of this 3 inch thick steak.

Tabitha's meal was interesting; chicken curry on a kebab with squeezy skewers of green banana flavoured syrup and soy sauce and a squiggle of ketchup.

All Chateux'd out

Chambord was built as a hunting lodge. There are still areas for hunting game around the chateau and next month there is an international hunting conference where they expect around 1.5 million delegates.


I thought these stone sinks were pretty clever, there is a hole at the back where the water can be drained out down the castle wall.


A major architectural feature of the chatea is a central staircase in the shape of a double helix. So there are actually two staircases that wrap around each other.

This is the central core of the double staircase that runs the height of the chateau.

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I just like this photo.

Thunder in Tours

It has been a wet thundery day in Tours. I had planned to hire a bike and ride along the river today.

But unfortunately I spent most of the day in my cell, I mean room at the hostel. It's not that bad I suppose, particularly now we've got used to it, but having my own bathroom would be nice. Instead I have to trot about 20 metres down a dark hall. They seem very keen on conserving power here and the few lights there are, are on timers, so once outside your room it's almost dark and I need to carry the little torch I brought with me to get my key in the door. All the shower roses have been removed in the communal showers, it's a bit like showering under a dribling hose and you can have hot water or cold water but not both at the same time. It all adds to the adventure I keep telling myself.

I miss my Paris apartment.

Once the rain stopped Tabitha and I walked around the town and had some fun window shopping up and down the numerous alley ways in the Tours township.

We found this great square near the hostel. It's surrounded by bars and cafes and full of locals.

The Loir Valley Chateauxs

We've arrived in the city of Tours in the Loire Valley south of Paris, but not before getting off at the wrong train station (could have been a million dollar mistake). In hindsight I think the announcement on the train was 'the next station is Tours' and not 'this station is Tours', still we got here.

The area is known for its many chateauxs and castles. Tabitha and I spent a day touring around four of the most famous.

Langeais built in 1465 by King Louis XI

Usse was the inspiration for the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty.

This grand hall spans a river, during WWII the river divided the allies from the Germans and the French resistance used the hallway to move people from one side of the river to the other.

My feet hurt!

One Australian dollar = 0.65 Euro. This is only my second cafe au lait since I left home. I ordered a grande and not a petit which would have been a little more affordable, but the grande is still only about half the size of a regular at home.

I've been deserted by Tabitha again as as she spends the day with her Les Mis friends, so I decide to spend the day wandering around Ile Saint Louis. Ile Saint Louis is another island in the Seine and as it is sunday a lot of roads around the area will be closed to cars.

Here are a few of my favourite pics and places from the day.

Every sunday there is a bird market at the flower market. It was interesting to note that it was almost exclusively middle aged men and it seemed to be a bit like a meeting place where they were all standing around in circles discussing birds of the feathered kind.

Homelessness is very evident in Paris, as I guess it is in all big cities, but here many of them have puppies. Sadly the puppies are as listless as their owners, I'm not sure if they have taken on the personality of their owners or they are hungry.

Throughout Paris there are racks of bikes and it all adds to the romantic image. However, when you look closely it is obvious that most of these bikes are unrideable. The wheels are warped and twisted and the tyres flat, some are missing seats or handle bars. You begin to feel like you're on a movie set and that not everything is as it seems.

That's a restaurant down there. The door is only about 4 foot high and there is no signage outside.

I had to get creative to get myself in some of the shots.

There are gypsies everywhere. A lot of them travel the metro playing the accordian and then taking the hat around asking for money. The Parisians ignore them with total disdain and I can imagine it would be annoying being asked for money all the time. But these gypsies were busking in the streets on the Ile St Louis and were getting good money from the tourists.




I'm in this pic too!

I really enjoyed listening to these two jazz players.

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Here's a short clip so you can enjoy them too.

"I don't think we're in Broken Hill anymore Cheryl"

An elegant frenchman enjoying his sunday paper and cigar, whilst sitting in the Square Jean XXIII.

Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris was inaugurated in 1607.

The conciergerie was a 14th century palace. I think this is one of the oldest medieval halls in Europe. The palace was later turned into a prison and torture chamber where 2780 condamnes were incarcerated before being sent to the guilotine.

Marie Antoinettes cell in the Conciergerie.