Back in Tasmania

I  am back to reality. Everything seems so far away. I had such a wonderful holiday with wonderful people and here  I am. Maybe this is the way that adventures go. It is impossible to continue an adventure and that is what makes the exercise so special. My thoughts are very geared towards all the people who made the whole thing so great and I believe that it was the people I met that made it amazing.
I have no great urge to go away again soon but I would love to see all those people again. I love being at home. But everyone needs an adventure.... it makes us great. I will be going to Vietnam again next year and I will have everything in place.
Thank you everyone!

Au revoir, Farvel, Hej Hej..... and goodbye ............

to the wonderful countries I have travelled through over the last nearly two months. It is time to regather reality , face the credit card and kiss the doggies!
My last day in Paris has been brilliant......... Roy, I found La PLace de Tetres and the artists are in full swing and I had my face drawn/sketched................... I can't wait to show you. It was Vittorio, and I have a pic of him tooooo! Montmartre is wonderful.......... regardless of wandering millions.............. It is placed around Sacre Couer.... which many years ago was supposed to have been the centre of druidism and paganism for that area. It is the highest hill in Paris and I know because I walked up all those steps to see the artists and to look over Paris. It was here, too that I was able to find wonderful mementos of Paris......... I didn't want Chanel etc..... they are all over the world..... but the hints of the cossacks who plundered that part of Paris and the martyrdom of St Dennis( who lost his head)..... it is all there.......
I imagined the artists of before... Dali and Picasso........... and I guess Toulouse Lautrec? The streets are narrow and the houses have small balconies with red geraniums............ If they could only see it now... packed with souvenir shops and so many eating places.... It would take me 50 years to eat at every one and I don't think I quite will have the time!!!!  
So, even though  there were so many people in Paris, I have come to think that this is the charm.....( in some parts it is not charming)..... but in most it is and I loved it. It is summer now and today , again, was so hot..........
So goodbye to the friends I found around the world........... To McBazza and Louise, to Jo, To Phillipe, To Unner, To Birgitte, To Osten, To Michael and to those wonderful Australians who I met in Vietnam at Halong Bay.
Thanks to Air France, I had better adventures than I would have even begun to suppose............... so Vive L'Air France! The waiting in line with Hank and the others... Enriquetta and Julietta............. and the tears!

Next year it will be..........???????
I will put up some photos when I get back to Australia. The flight tonight is 12 hours then I only have one and a half hours in Singapore......... 7 hours and back in Melbourne.

And so........

How fortunate am I! This morning I attended a mass in Notre Dame Cathedral. The enormous, cavernous ceilings echoed with the voices of two tenors who led us in the service of song. Such a feeling to sit where history caressed the air, where surely Quasimodo really did yearn for his woman, where kings and queens had worshipped..... when music wells in such spaces, it brings a level of spirituality that is hard to find.
For an hour I remained transfixed and silent..... it was only when the whisperings and the shuffling feet of those who were not at the service but who were spectators, became too much that I left.......

From there I wandered through the tiny streets near Bvde. St Germain, looking for un cafe creme and un croissant which I found very very easily. Sitting in the sun, I had time to contemplate the day......
So off I wandered along to the Fromagerie, another Patisserie and le Vignoiner(????) . I had decided that today would be spent observing  and contemplating and snoozing in a park.
To my enormous pleasure I was able to procure a superb Brie( suitably smelly), un baguette and a cold half bottle of Pol Roget.... but a glass?  Off I wandered to the bus stop and in a wonderful exclusive tourist shop ..... found a beer glass that would suit!

So.... , trembling with excitement, I caught the bus and headed to Le Jardin Du Luxembourg, where I found a beautiful little spot to sit on the grass. Making myself very comfortable, I was about to unpack whenle gendarme blew his whistle................. NO SITTING ON THE GRASS! Right, well, I wasn't going to argue with the gendarmerie de Paris!

So , I caught another bus and , filled with reluctance, cos I had been there before, I headed off to the Jardin du Tilleries... near Le CHamps Elysees..............

Forlornly gazing at the thousands already gathering, I gathered strength and soldiered on. Nothing was going to get in my way today!

And I found a spot.... by myself, in the sun but some shade, and settled in..................

A Glass

Pol Roget

Baguette et Fromage

Sleepy me..............................

But I awoke..... and continued on to go to the Eiffel Tower and make a huge trip around Paris..........

It is my last night tonight......

Tavelling in Paris

It is not always easy to know where to go and what to do... the trouble is that 1000000 tourists want to be int he same place as me if I wish to visit Le Louvre, Place de la Bastille, Sacre Coeur, Montparnasse...... and I have spent the day avoiding as many as possible.
I have used the Open Bus tour and through that, and a very early start, I was able  to miss most of the hordes until quite late in the day. The Open Bus travels over four different routes, each one allowing for a different part of Paris. From this day, I have decided how to best use the time remaining.......
I travelled around the streets today and you can hop off the bus wherever then just get back on when ready.
I did go to Gallerie Lafayette........... to the shops ! Sadly many of the shops are the same as in Australia and all the clothes are for summer........ plus, I think Paris is rather expensive. Coffee costs 4 Eur!!!!!!!!!! Le vin is rather good and I have found a beaut little place in Rue Monsieur le Prince where he has exquisite wines and I have forced myself to taste a few..........
The weather is beautiful.... real summer . With this, everyone is out and about. So many people! I have been wanting to go into Notre Dame but there was a Saints Day today and thus it was overflowing then this afternoon, I had thoughts but , really, you couldnt move for people! Not exactly spiritual gratification!

Tomorrow I am going to lie in the gardens at Place de Luxembourg as suggested by Fox and Amanda, drink a little champagne and eat baguette and pate............ just a little Sunday brunch! Then I will go to Sacre Couer and try again..... maybe I might get there!

Places to be......

There are some places in this world that every person should visit. I think perhaps that Paris is one of those places.... and at the moment it is full of every person in the world visiting it and it is not even tourist season yet!!!!
I had met the crowds of tourists on the day I arrived as I ventured out into Paris to get a quick orientation. Notre Dame oozed thousands and the other million was walking along the Seine.
I decided that it would be  better to get out early so that the beauty was not hidden by people.
Walking through cobbled streets towards the Seine, I saw the signs that spoke of stories long ago - Rue Voltaire, Rue Monsieur le Prince , and especially Boulevard St Michel.... cos we all know the song.
The Seine was calm... no boats and no people. The city was gradually coming to life as workers plodded to their daily job and cars were driven through quiet streets. I wandered into the Place de la Louvre... I was about first there.

The architecture is wonderful. The sheer beauty and splendour of the constructions is amazing and I guess it is really the grandeur

I spent ages wandering around the outside.... wondering how one actually got inside!!!!!!!

THEN... I went through an arch and saw across the place a line of people.. already!

The Louvre is amazing.. an awesome collection of beautiful and wonderful pieces. I can't possibly write about all of it... but yes Venus de Milo was there.... but I couldn't find Mona. One of the most awesome sights was the Napoleonic Apartments.. such absolute splendour. You can almost imagine the intrigue and the whisperings within those walls and amongst that wealth.

This was the sight that greeted me when I left!!!

And then came the hordes.. it became impossible to move as there were so many people. I know.. I had been told that there would be crowds but I still imagined some level of motion occurring! I had been there for three and a half hours.... and I had seen what I wanted to and could see.

It was beautiful to wander in the Jardin de Tuillieries and along the Place de la Concorde... along the Champs Elysees and towards the Arc de Triumphe... I thought of Hitler , when France surrendered and he had his troops drive up the Champs Elysses..........

By the time I wandered and so on I had done 6 hours so I figured it was time to have a little sleep........

Ah! I am truly in Paris........

I am at the last place of my trip..... Paris. Arrived at a good hour but by the time we traversed the traffic.... and the road to Lyons was very much fermee so the traffic was horrible............. but I am here at Cluny Sorbonne and what a wonderful hotel! I am right next to The Sorbonne University and have spent the latter part of the afternoon people watching at La Place de La Sorbonne.
My hotel actually has windows that open... first place in my travels that I have found that.

Tonight I dine at Le Restaurant Polidor......

Danish PICS

I was forced to eat a Danish icecream.The concrete bunkers washed into the sea.A volcanic ash sunset over Northern DenmarkThe bunker we climbed into.Danish sculptures  of three women waiting for their husbands to return from the sea at Hanstholm.

So many dead people today......

but the opportunity to go inside a Viking burial mound was to good to waste. It was a beautiful sunny day and travelling through the Danish countryside is so wonderful...... green fields, cows, yellow flowering plants covering the ground..... and the burial mounds rise from their midst.
At Heltborg ( meaning stronghold of the heroes) a large mound stood on top of a hill, in the middle of a field. This was our goal........
So we walked over to it along the path. It is situated on a farm, and we got a key to the door and two candles to light our way in the mound......
I had seen so many of these large mounds across the fields. I had seen them in Sweden but I had never been inside one.....
There is a path into the mound with large rocks on the side.... a gate bars entrance but we had a key. It was dark inside, and damp..... we crawled into the structure on hands and knees and lit the candles. The height inside varied and in one section we could stand up but int eh chamber where the body would have been  it was quite low and we needed to crouch. The chamber was constructed of enormous granite rocks, some weighing in at 10 tons...... two rooms.
This place was dated at 3000B.C.... and I was crawling inside where ancient peoples had been to bury their hero. I was humbled by the antiquity.
From there , we drove to a church first constructed in 1120 and where beautiful ancient artwork was gradually being uncovered on the white covered walls. It was the largest church in Northern Denmark and from there we went to the smallest. It was modern by comparison,,, built in 1500.

I leave here tomorrow and am flying from Aalborg to København.....It is with sadness that I leave here.....

A Little Taste of Denmark

We found the bunkers! It is impossible to miss them! On the first beach we went to, Vigsø, large concrete structures that have been dragged by the waves and moving sand, tumbling into the sea. We climbed into one... that stretched the body a little! Dark, cold and eerie... while the booming of the sea, crashing against the concreted walls, echoed  and reverberated. Ten or so fallen concrete soldiers, still facing Norway.
The largest of the bunkers was high on a hill, where a gun that could fire half way to Norway was situated... this engineered mechanical monster was manned by 90 men who lived underneath in a concrete maze.
Along the coast is a town of bunkers... all in the dunes... and all that can be seen is the hole where the guns would be..... bunkers are in the town, in backyards.  Rommel, the German general, stated that the Atlantic wall was weak and would be easily conquered..... the Germans retreated in 1945 when the war ended and the town , Hanstholm, returned to a very different place. The people had all been evacuated in 1941.

The amber? The locals know when to find it and where...... wandering along he beach at Vigsø yeilded nothing but interesting rocks.... and mounds of fishing line and nets.
We dined at Birgitte,s mother,s home..... and what a wonderful feast....... those pastries are sooooooo excellent!!!!!!!
Onto the  beach again.... raining, windy, cold. We searched     . I stood a little close to the water.... you can guess the rest........ yes .... very wet jeans and feet! But no amber..... I know i is here and I wanted the largest chunk!
Do you know that I could have walked all the way to Germany on that beach? Huge, windswept and barren...... such a landscape!

A Danish Day.........

Many of you will have known that Germany, during the Second World War, took over Denmark. As a strategic part of the whole process, and integrated with the desire to take over Norway, they built along the northern coastline, bunkers and gun turrets, all designed to attack and protect.
This afternoon, we are going to a town composed of these buildings and to view, in some detail, the extent to which Germany built these structures. They are virtually indestructable and a real eyesore!
Will get pics but as I am not using my computer, these will not be posted until I get to Paris.
I do love the shopping here. The clothes are different and stylish.... a small town , close to here, has one of the best known shops in the whole area and people come from everywhere..... even from Tasmania! I have found a whole section of amazing leather jackets, coats, boots and dresses! ha!
It is a very agricultural area and growing pigs is the largest industry here. The pigs , however, never see daylight. They are born and grown in huge buildings where they live out their lives... I don,t want to see inside one of the buildings. Everyday, the aroma of eau de cochon(Conchon?) invades the senses.... as the farmers fertilize the fields with the contents of enormous tanks of pigsh......
This afternoon , also, we are going amber hunting on the beach. This area is widely known for its amber which is found on the beaches,,, sometimes buried and sometimes on the surface. Last time I went Amber hunting , it was on a beach near Skagen, ten years ago, and I have never been so cold. The wind whipped my face and I froze! Today looks better though.....

Land of Princess Mary and other lesser known Vikings

Yes, I am here. I have yet to see Princess Mary and I am guessing that she hasn,t learned of a new Tasmanian presence. I will visit Copenhagen next wednesday and let her know!
I am living in a beautiful little house, built in the 1930,s , garden allowing for an overview of ggreen hills and wind turbines. In Denmark there are many many wind turbines.... maybe this tells you something about the wind that can happen here!
There are Viking burial mounds in many of the fields around..... so many but most have been looted over the years so they are now protected.
Where I am is about 5 or so km out of Thisted in Northern Denmark....  today was Birgitte,s birthday celebration..... mmmnnnnnnnn great time
Tomorrow I will begin to creep out of my lethargy.... will let you all know

Back to Sweden

There was one especially amazing experience in Riga...... I sat in a very old church with many other people. IN this Gothic styled building, constructed of stone, with towering ceilings I listened to an organ recital... a recital? The music filled the ceilings and the final notes echoed throughout the walls.... a truly wonderful time! 
There were so many other views, and memorable things...... I cannot make a list! See the pics!

So... I have returned to Sweden after a wonderful tour and view of Riga in Latvia. You have all seen the photos? Am having a few days rest now but ....
While in Riga, I was fortunate to get down to a beach area called Jurmala. Here it was that all aristocratic people had their summer holidays  from Riga. The houses that were built and the ones that have been renovated are so different from the architecture that we have in Australia. I don't  know how to describe these buildings but maybe the idea of a Russian daccha springs to mind.... The old houses are so run down, dilapidated , rotting wood, broken roof,overgrown gardens..... and the winter is harsh and so cold.
The new houses have the colours of terracotta and yellows and blue........

Then to the beach and dinner.......... exquisite. Out on the deck , wrapped in rugs because it was so cold and windy. A Russian birthday party was in progress on the beach, so with fireworks, we celebrated just being in this place!

The next day it was back to Sweden with my personal guide and chauffeur !
I am not using my flash hot pink netbook here as I do not have wireless access.......
Next report will be from Denmark in Thisted.....

Random Photos of Riga

Riga, a city of contrast, pigeons and flowers

Strange city this..... I went into a beautiful and spiritual Orthodox Church this morning. It was filled with icons and golden ornaments, decorated in blue and gold and white. Paintings of saints decorated various pillars and were lit by small candles , placed carefully in front of the pictures in candle holders.Small candles for large requests, heralded by a the sign of the cross. Incense hung throught he atmosphere, colouring my senses and heightening the emotion of awe and maybe some sadness. It was a short time of utter beauty striking my emotions.........

We walked through the city.... such buildings ! Some streets had ornate decorations across entrances, windows and arches.... angels, dragons, female faces.... even a monkey. The detail was picked carefully out in contrasting colours..... yellows and cream, peach and cream, blue, burgundy, terracotta..... all designed to impress with the importance of whoever owned that building..... The house next to it is derilict, broken, dirty, decaying....... you can look through the doorway that leads to a courtyard and see the dirt, the sad remonders of what once was.... and it is grey, brown and dark,  and across the walls are words, names, graffitti..... someone's home

There is wealth and there is poverty... I would prefer to beon the side of wealth in this city. The access for the wealthy is to everything- health, education, culture, food entertainment, holidays............. the poor don't get that. It is the same in any city where there is a level of corrupt very important people. Which side would we want to be on though?

The parks are beautiful - birch trees gradually coming in to leaf, green grass, flowers....

There are flower stalls of the most exquisite types of flower- tulips, roses, lillies...... eveyrthing.... very very beautiful

And the beer is good.... and the food is good... potatoes, bacon, meat.... beetroot ... and the pastries entice and seduce.... ah! heaven! I love the coffee... invigorating, scintillating............ bam!

But I am going into the church again..... I want to see if I still see it the same way tomorrow......

Walking on the cobbled streets is hard.. but there is not ice at this time.... it could be a nasty sight in winter....

Sweden...... one day, Latvia the next

Yes I am in Riga,,, Latvia. I feel slightly overwhelmed as I was in Norway, then Sweden and now..... Latvia... zoooooommmmmm. It feels like that!
Great to be in Sweden again... and in Bullsang- country Sweden. Will put up a pic when I develop some energy.

i haven't really caught the idea of flying into Riga this afternoon but I am here. The streets are cobbled and the buildings are old. We are staying in the Old City of Riga... the part built by the Hanseatic Group many years ago and tomorrow I am going to get a full idea of just how this city is.

It is raining and the walking in the rain is cold....

More on this tomorrow..... need a little nanna nap

Islands Born and that Volcanic Ash still is there

On Monday morning , it was my one and only chance to get to Vestermaijyer. Everyone knows of these islands so I am sure I don't need to explain their importance.........
These islands are about 100km off the mainland and are in line with the volcano that is still growing... and with Katla...... in fact, there is a direct line here of volcanic activity and it is all situated on the Icelandic Rift... where two continents are moving ...... same as Rift Valley....
I was supposed to leave at 8.15, but due to the volcanic ash blowing again... an update woud be announced at 8.15. Well, I wasn't going to miss out, If the plane f;ew at 8.20, I would be there so caught a cab before 8 . Fortunately the plane flew at 9.15.

What a sight as we approached the island !
The isalnd seemed to be a tiny collection of craters... will put the pics up and that way you can actually see what it was like.
Turns out, that I was the only one booked on this llittle trip so, modified it a bit but suited me.... personal guided tour..... until two german men joined us. They make documentaries and advertising material for world tours etc, and theye were in Vestman Islands to make one there................ so the trip had them.......... and had to star as one does.

Anyway, it was fascinating ot hear the stories of the eruptions that made the island... last one was 1973, when 400 houses were buried and the harbour almost destroyed due to the volcanic eruption..

I walked up the volcano, over the lava fields... and stood gazing down upon the town..... and imagined the fear that night when suddenly the earth developed a fissure, 2km long and spewing hot rocks and fire, it began its reign of terror.....
Ten years earlier Surtsey had risen from the sea... I could see her in the distance, in a direct line with all the other volcanic islands that had risen on the rift.....................
I heard the stories of the survivors... it is a tough life on such an island

I stood on huge cliffs, seeking the puffins..... those funny faced birds that migrate for winter and spend their time floating on the sea..... bizzare birdies.....

Iwas awed, by the power of the earth and by the calibre of person who would return to this place, to rebuild, never knowing when it would happen again and whether next time, the whole island could be blown up.
Standing on the cliffs, my fear of heights came full blown and I felt as if I would fall right off..... so I stepped way away form them. The filming men, wanted repeat actions often..... walk there again, and again............... I should have been paid!
Walking on a volcano isn't much fun... beside there still being hot rocks, the actual volcano is a huge spewed out pile of miniature scoria rocks.... very difficult to walk on, believe me......
Then the volcanic ash started again........
So my flight off the island was cancelled............................
BUT..... there is a ferry.... so 3 hours later, I sailed in to the harour on the mainland... and finally back to Reykjavik. Was quite late and was pretty tired. Knew I had to get up at 3.45 next morning to catch the 7.50. plane to Oslo from Keflavik Airport...

So I left... but I have done everything and more that I wanted to...I have seen Surtsey and I have almost been right on the rift................. but I did not eat puffin or whale.

So I flew into Oslo this morning and it was snowing...... and the snow covered the ground and it was cold cold cold... snow???? yes lots of it............................

Gothenburg tomorrow................ I am really looking forward to this

Icelandic Horses and me!

Because of that volcano, I had to change plans..... consequently I went horse riding. The ash cloud was blowing right across Vestamann Island and the airport was closed. I have rebooked for tomorrow so hopefully I get there. Otherwise I will have to miss out on a most amazing opportunity as I have to leave from here at 4.30 on Tuesday morning to get to Keflavik.
That said, I had a great afternoon. After indulgin myself in a little shopping in the morning.... which reminds me! Icelandic fashion is excellent , really individual and very very out there! I am so impressed with what I have seen that I might just have to make a little expedition tomorrow morning before I hopefully go to Vestamann.

So I rode horses... Icelandic Horses.

They are sturdy little horses, long manes and , by many standards, I suppose unkempt. But the wonderful thing is that they are allowed to live as free horses. They have so much freedom to roam within the farm and noone keeps them in stables unless it is for some show which is rare. these horses are beautiful and their genetics are supposedly pure.
And I have the memories...... on my joggers, and the olfactory reminders.......

The riding was a great way to feel a part of Iceland and it would have been good to go for longer rides...... Maybe next time?