Mauritius

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Australia Visit

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New York

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Portugal: Surf Camp

Sat June 30 - Sun July 8, 2007

We spent a couple of beautiful warm days exploring Lisbon before heading to Peniche for surf camp!!

A typical day in surf camp:

7am - Start waking up and determining which parts of my body are a) sore or b) sunburnt...

730am - Nic rises routinely to kickstart the Australian surf team in to action and while I can't resist stretching my arms and prodding my sunburnt hands, feet and nose, no amount of bag rustling and clothes gathering motivates Pink (aka Scott) from his bed until the last possible moment. We all apply after-sun together... awwww...

915am - The Australian surf team meet at their favourite cafe to compare burns, sore muscles, rashes (Shannon) and injuries (Nic's stitches in his head being the worst) over coffee, omelettes and chocolate au pains. Sun screen is applied...

10am - Surf camp meeting to collect wetsuits, boards and discuss the all important surf location for the day!

1015am - Wetsuits on. Stretching. Pretend surfing on the beach. Tips from hot instructors.

1030am - 1230pm Wipeouts from Nic. I fight going out to sea with the waves, swear a lot, get towed out by Todd, eventually catch a wave in but I'm too tired to stand. Todd waits and waits and waits and waits for that perfect wave.... Scott stands knee deep in the water with a hoodie and camera, cursing his sensitive Danish (?) skin. Shannon tries to reduce sunburn and rash by wearing socks surfing, only to have them swallowed by the sea. We all watch Nic in wonder and fear as his body and feet get thrown to the ocean floor while his board tried to constantly escape his wipeouts by popping violently in to the air... until it eventually attacked him and left him with stitches in his head!

1230pm - 2pm Lunch and much needed rest to discuss additional injuries, sunburn and tactics.

2pm - 4pm Repeat of earlier session!

4pm Return to camp, eat icecream, watch video of us looking ridiculous in the surf, play ping pong, drink beer and eat dinner... exhausted we all go to bed at 10pm!

The last day in Peniche we did a day trip to the beautiful medieval walled village of Obidos.

Devon & Gloucester

Sat May 26 - Mon May 28, 2007
What a packed long weekend! It left me quite exhausted but satisfied. Asha organised the tour for herself, Nic and me through a company called RoadTrip which I was pleasantly surprised by as our leader, Dave, was relaxed and flexible in his approach to dealing with the 16 people in the group, taking away the stresses of decision making and organising but leaving things open enough to feel a bit independent. He was also an excellent source of information, as he knew far more than I could read in my trusty Lonely Planet :)

We were based in a clean and friendly B&B in Exeter, where the three of us shared a room with a lovely Kiwi girl, Nic. The four of us explored Exeter together Saturday morning, taking in the ruins of a Norman Castle, Exeter Cathedral and the Quay. The Norman Castle was built in 1068 by William the Conqueror and apparently one was built in every town conquered to maintain control. This one had a plaque listing the 3 last women in Exeter hanged for being witches in around 1685.

Dave then drove us through Dartmoor National Park where we tasted cider at a 400 year old farm. We were shown through the whole process which seemed rather old fashioned with a straw press, dark and dingy rooms and cob webs everywhere. The 'Scrumpy' itself was too tart for me, but others in the group seemed to like the sweet vintage one and the one brewed in a rum barrel so they bought attractive 5L plastic bottles of it to take home.

Next we climbed up the beautiful Hound Tor, which is a peak of rocky hill, for serene views over Dartmoor that would help clear anyone's head, before briefly seeing a clapper bridge, which is an ancient style of bridge in Devon.

After dinner at a pub Nic, Ash and myself settled in to our B&B to play our own version of Taboo while the rest of the group hit the university town of Exeter for a night out, only to end up in a Walkabout.... :)

Sunday morning was spent getting lost in the beautiful narrow country lanes surrounding Berry Pomeroy Castle before actually exploring England's most haunted castle for a while. I'm not sure how they measure it's the most haunted, but I didn't care as the weather had improved, the sky was blue and the sun was out, shining through the ruins and making the moss covering its walls a stunning green colour!

We then dropped a few group members off in the Dartmouth harbour town before going caving... this was definitely a highlight of the weekend for me... kitted up in strange suits, wellies, hard hats and head torches, we climbed in to the dark depths of a limestone cave covered in mud and stalactites to eventually reach an underwater lake that has depths of up to 19feet (I think that's what the caving guy said anyway...). Exhausted but thrilled with the experience, we all went back to our B&B in Exeter for an evening of much laughter over dinner, drinks and Asha's version of Trivial Pursuit.

Our last day, Monday, was spent making our way to Gloucester to see the hilarious and crazy Cheese Rolling Contest. Check out the video below....


Our trip back to London was through Gloucester and the Cotswold's beautiful countryside and stunning villages where Dave stopped to collect some Elderflower to make some of his home made wine. All up a fantastic weekend of varied activities, music and personalities... enough to satisfy anyone!

Paris

Sat May 5 - Mon May 7, 2007
I was so excited about going to Paris for the weekend but as the date approached I became a little apprehensive thinking about how most people visit The City of Light for a romantic weekend and I was going alone! But, alas, the romance of Paris won my heart through her beautiful open parks, sculptures, architecture, people, travellers, buskers and art.

My first day was spent with an architect named Ega, who works in Fiji, checking out Saint Chapelle, the beautiful Notre Dame, the overwhelming Louvre (home of the Mona Lisa), sipping wine on the av des Champs-Elysees and seeing the Arc de Triomphe before spending hours in the park watching the changing colours of the Eiffel Tower as the sun set behind it and it started to sparkle with a million lights.






I spent the second day contemplating works at the Musee Rodin where I saw famous works like The Thinker and The Gates of Hell, the Picasso museum where I saw many of his famous works and sculptures and the amazing Musee d'Orsay where I was regularly close to tears by the incredible works of the impressionists like Monet, Renoir, Manet, Pissaro, Boudin, Degas, Van Gogh, Signac, Seurat, Bonnard, Gaugin, Cezanne and so on. That night I went out with a large group of travellers from the hostel to drink in the Latin Quarter.

My last day was spent with 3 boys from Florida I met at the hostel, exploring the beautiful winding streets of Montmartre and climbing up the tower in the Sacre Couer to overlook the whole of Paris. I had a wonderful day with them... very relaxed with lovely discussions and views! I was so fortunate to meet the people I did on my weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the polite attitude of the Parisians... it seems they aren't as rude as their reputation suggests. I can't wait to go back :)

Kent: Day Trip with Asha and Liz

Sat April 21, 2007
I drove the lovely Asha and Liz around Kent for a day. We made the most of the gorgeous weather, blue skies and bright yellow canola fields to visit quaint medieval villages like Chilhem, check out the delicious produce at the French market in Canterbury, visit the amazing Canterbury Cathedral, taste some British wine and get educated on the wine making process at a cute vineyard, stop off at Sandwich's pebble beach and catch a glimpse of the white cliffs of Dover before wearily driving back to London. All up a wonderful day with the girls :)

France

Fri March 30 - Tues April 10, 2007
Frantic French Holiday: 10 days Calais to Nice!

Cossel and I started our Easter break by catching a ferry from Dover, England to Calais, France where we picked up our small, black Renault that was to see practically the length of France in 10 days on our journey to Nice whilst becoming our portable suitcase, kitchen, engineering forum, psychologist’s office, traveller pickup and French tutor. After getting lost, meandering through many small villages and practicing our French to an introductory language CD (thanks mum! “Parlez-vous anglais?”) for a couple of hours we arrived in our first seaside town, Dieppe. Set between two limestone cliffs the town’s port is lined with bistros where we treated ourselves to delicious French meals of fish, mussels, soup and crème brulee. The first of my photography themes began here too with the discovery of a beautiful carousel.

After lunch we headed inland to Rouen, where we admired the Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame and wandered the medieval streets of timber houses, seeing an early 16th Century gatehouse with a beautiful clock called the Gros Horloge. I also enjoyed the unusual shapes and style of the Eglise Jeanne d’Arc, which was intriguing and beautiful with its stain glass windows and contemporary looking peaks. It marks where Joan of Arc was executed in 1431 during the Hundred Years’ War when the English occupied the city. In an effort to see the rock formations of Etrat on the coast, we left Rouen before nightfall but with a heavy fog setting in, we changed route to go straight to Honfleur.

With the fog and night truly set in and Pont de Tancarville closed, the mysterious Pont de Normandie tested our spirits by seemingly disappearing and it took us far too long to cross to Honfleur but we were rewarded with a quaint town lit up by its interesting shops and galleries and inviting restaurants, cafes and creperies. Unfortunately kitchens were closing as we arrived so after a healthy meal of a port and chocolate crepe, we wandered the town by night, peering in to boats and then the galleries amongst the warren of streets rising in to the hills around the old harbour. Honfleur is definitely amongst my favourite towns from this holiday and I would have loved to stay longer than a day to soak up its picturesque views, try the myriad of restaurants and contemplate the array of interesting art works.

Next were the D Day beaches on the Normandy coastline where Operation Overlord took place 6 June 1944, which lead to the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation. We started at Sword beach where the British contingent landed and followed the coastline to Juno beach and Gold beach. We saw the Mulberry Harbours in Arromanches, which provided a bizarre sea view of massive cement caissons sitting in the ocean – they sit there as an eerie reminder of what went on and you can’t help but be amazed that they were towed from England.

Nearby was Bayeaux, where I was thrilled to see the Bayeaux Tapestry and check out the gargoyles on the Cathedrale Notre Dame. The 70m long Tapestry tells the story of William the Conqueror’s Norman invasion of 1066. It was finished in 1077 and even though it is close to 1000 years old the colours and condition of the tapestry are amazing. It was fascinating to see how the story unfolded in pictorial form and the commentary they made on the times… for example, one scene has Le Mont St Michelle in it while another shows Halley’s comet passing overhead while the Norman soldiers are depicted with shaved heads and the Saxons with moustaches.

Le Mont Saint Michel was our next stop. This rocky tidal island out from the Normandy region captivated me with its impressive Benedictine abbey whose village of winding streets filled with houses and shops seem to cling to its foundations, cradling in for protection within the fortifications of crenellated ramparts and towers. It has a mystical quality about it with its isolation and fort like qualities, but it still maintains a communal feel with residents and businesses sustaining there as if it is just another village. The history here is astounding and far too much for me to delve in to here, but it was named after the Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Aubert of Avranges in the early 8th Century. I hope you appreciate this photo in the meadows nearby, as it was only possible because I somehow convinced Cossel to round up the local sheep for me! :)

Blois was next on our changing itinerary as we decided it would be an ideal place to base ourselves for a few days to explore the Loire Valley. Here we visited impressive Chateaux, drove through quaint country roads and sampled local wines. My favourite Chateaux was the ultimate in castles for its size and maze of corridors and rooms, Chambord Chateaux. It was owned by an almost-king of France, and it has an incredible central double helix staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The beauty and history of this region was amazing. I would love to revisit in grape season!

The links in order: Chenonceau Chateaux, Chiverny Chateaux, Chambord Chateaux, the beautiful views throughout the Loire Valley.

We drove a mammoth 650km from the Loire Valley down to the south of France in one day, seeing everything from flat expanses of fields through to snow blizzards in mountain ranges. To Cossel's delight and my fascination, we stopped to contemplate two famous bridges, the Millau Viaduct built in 2004 and the 2000 year old Pont du Gard. The Millau Viaduct is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, and looks impressive spanning the beautiful valley of the River Tarn whilst the Pont du Gard's exceptional life span and construction of massive stones and no mortar (it is held together with iron clamps) is bewildering and magnificent.

Avignon was a wonderful place to sample some superb restaurants, patisseries, boulangeries and cafes. We enjoyed a truly delicious three course meal one evening in a square near the Palais des Papes which is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. The city is surrounded by ramparts built by the popes in the 14th century. Along the ramparts are interesting towers and large gateways inviting you to explore the myriad of small, ancient lanes filled with interesting galleries, shops and patisseries, all exquisitely displaying their produce or wares. I was in constant awe of the attention to detail the French apply to all things they display and sell, from simple wedges of cheese to expensive pieces of homeware or art. The photo of the bridge is the Pont d'Avignon which is famous and recognisable as only four of the eighteen piles are left. Avignon also stays in my memory for the characters we met - the busker dancing and whistling in the square and our hostel owner who's reply to "Parlez vous anglais?" was "No, but can you speak French?".

We stopped in Aix en Provence (photolink 1) to check out the city of fountains, visit the Cezanne gallery (which was still under construction unfortunately), eat lunch, sip coffee on a boulevard, wander around the old town and visit a couple of galleries, before heading on to Marseille (photolink 2). At our hostel in Marseille we met a beautiful French Candanian girl named Caroline who was travelling through Europe on a tight budget for 6 months and had just had 180 Euros stolen :( As she was feeling a little shaken from her experience and wanted company I took her under my wing and before we knew it we were 3 until the end of the trip. I was thrilled to have her company, enthusiasm and suggestions and within a day we were chattering endlessly. Now a group of 3, we set out to explore Marseille, starting by checking out the fresh (and still alive) seafood at the harbour market on the way to catch a ferry to Chateau d'If which was the setting for Dumas' novel, Count of Monte Cristo. Caroline was so excited about seeing this famous place and we spent ages wandering the grounds with poppies growing and seagull eggs in nests before exploring the fortress jail that had amazing views of the blue ocean. Back on the mainland, we climbed the hill to view the cathedral Notre Dame and panorama over the entire city before heading off on our drive along the Cote d'Azur.

Our first stop after Marseille was Cassis (photolink 1) which, along with picturesque views of the ocean and its cliff, Cap Canaille, has a quaint ancient fishing port lined with old buildings painted in colourful pastels. With Easter so close finding accommodation was impossible and we luckily snapped up the last beds in the region in a lovely motel in the middle of nowhere. Moving on from Cassis, we continued along the Cote d'Azur stopping for photographs and picnics to appreciate the brilliant weather and breath taking scenery of the red cliffs dropping in to the contrasting bright blue ocean (photolink 2). We also stopped for an over priced coffee in one of the terrace cafes on the promenade in St Tropez to ogle the luxury yachts in the harbour and the slowly cruising sports cars going by. With our curiosities satisfied and not feeling like this was the sort of place worth staying in, we admired the myriad of art works nearby before continuing along the coastal road with its more soul rewarding vistas.

We headed inland to Grasse to check out the region where all the world's perfumes (bases) are made to learn about the perfume making process and the role of the Noses. There are only 200 Noses in the world who have a special genetic skill and are trained for at least 10 years to distinguish different smells blind folded (including, such subtleties as, for example, what country the jasmine flower they are smelling is from!).

We based ourselves in Nice for a couple of days where we stayed in a pretty cool, old monastery that had been converted to a hostel. We visited the colourful flower market that excited my senses with colours, smells and food in all directions. It was here that we all tried fresh sea urchins... mm mmmmm! Unfortunately the combination of renovations and the Easter break prevented us from visiting a few places with missing the Matisse Museum being the most disappointing. However, the Chagall museum of biblical works was still open and I was thrilled to see these large, colourful works in person! The other photos in this section are varied as they are from all over Nice during our wanderings and explorations.

With Cossel eager to check out a major project he'd been involved in off the coast of Monte Carlo, the famous Monte Carlo casino and Grand Prix track, we all drove via the mountain top village of Eze (photolink 1) to Monaco (photolink 2) for a day trip. While I felt I had seen enough huge marinas with over-the-top yachts and cars everywhere, I thought I'd regret it if I didn't go, so I was glad to occupy my time whilst there in the incredible Oceanographic Museum (aquarium), where I was captivated by the animals and sea life there... especially the eggs I could see the baby fish moving around inside!!

All up, the holiday was a bit frantic but thoroughly worth while. We hadn't really planned anything aside from the arrival and departure points, expecting we could plan everything in between en route with the guidance of the Lonely Planet. However, the itinerary recommendations for the suggested time period were very unrealistic and at times we were very exhausted and perhaps a little rushed. However, I feel I have experienced a wide range of France and it has made me realise that there is so much within every small segment of this rich country worth exploring.

Windsor and Eton: Day trip with Nicholas

Sat February 17, 2007
Nicholas and I decided to visit the Queen by popping in to Windsor Castle and the nearby famous college town of Eton.

At the end of a pretty standard high street, unpon a hill overlooking the Thames, sits the largest and oldest occupied fortress in the world. The contrast is incredible as we imagined the Queen popping down from her 5 hectare home decorated vastly with famous art, antiques, royal gifts and assortments of strange olde crockery to M&S to appease an impulsive Royal urge.... maltesers? doritos?

In the grounds of Windsor Castle is Queen Mary's Dolls' House. This amazing dolls' house (castle) was built in 1923 to have everything scaled 1:12 and was fitted out with the latest in appliances for the day. All the mechanical, electrical and engineering equipment works, including the plumbing, lights and lifts. All the furnishings, towels, cutlery etc. were made by the leading artisans and manufacturers of the day while every miniature book on the bookshelves are authentic and were carefully chosen. I was absolutely stunned by the detail and size of this dolls' castle. Next up was the Windsor Collection of paper works where we got to ogle fantastic originals of Leonardo da Vinci's studies and marvel at the characteristic backward writing he used to take notes.

The State Apartments were impressive. It displayed amazing paintings by artists like Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Rubens and I was captivated by the grandeur of the architecture, decor and evident lifestyle behind these walls. St George's Hall, still used for state dinners, was massive and I could only begin to imagine what it would be like to sit at a table that large, surrounded by royalty with every plate, glass and object lined up to perfection (with rulers).

Before heading off for lunch, we visited the beautiful St George's Chapel with its wonderful Gothic architecture. We then crossed the Thames to visit the exclusive Eton college, but as visitors weren't allowed that day, we decided to end the day by admiring the expensive range of small shops and boutiques in the area before settling down with tea and scones.

Horsham: Visiting Yvonne

Sun February 4, 2007
I finally made it down to Horsham to spend the day with the lovely Yvonne Gills, relative and pen pal of my Gran's. As they have never met but stay in regular contact via phone calls and letter writing (Gran TYPES hers on her computer!!!) they were both thrilled that I made the link between them a bit closer. Yvonne was gorgeous and talkative, making sure I stayed for lunch and had plenty of biscuits and tea while I was there :) Mum, make sure you show Gran this entry please...