Three years ago, we had a stopover in Hong Kong on our way to Australia. Our hotel – Causeway Bay – was on Hong Kong Island and that is where we mainly stayed. There are very few traditional buildings left on the island now, unlike my first experience 30 years ago!
The French love Egypt. They study it at school several times during their scolarity which means that they end up knowing quite a lot about it. Ancient Egypt, I mean, with the mummies and pharoahs. As a result, Black Cat had her heart set on going to Egypt so when she was about 12, I promised I’d take her there for her 18th birthday. Due to the political situation at the time, we didn’t go until the following year but when we did, she absolutely loved it.
We started in Cairo with the Pyramids, which disappointed me a little – I found them overrated – then went to Abu Simbel which I thought was absolutely magnificent. The absolutely collossal statues suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the edge of Lake Nasser.
However, not knowing anything about Egyptian history at all, it took me a while to soak it in. After a week on the lake which was created as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam across the waters of the Nile between 1958 and 1971, visiting many historical sites that had been relocated when the valley was flooded to form the lake, I was ready to go back to Abu Simbel and see it all again. But we were scheduled to go to Luxor then up the Nile to the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Abu Simbel remains my favourite, particularly in the late afternoon when there are fewer tourists. I’m sure you can see why from the photos.
I have to confess that Vienna is not one of my favourite cities. I found it too clean and stark. But I still think it’s worth a visit. We went there in early June 2008 just when the World Football Cup was starting, without realising the date. The town hall was topped with a huge soccer ball and there were giant screens up everywhere. We had difficulty finding a good restaurant for our wedding anniversary and finally settled on an excellent Italian ristorante called Barbaro in Schauflergasse. We did enjoy having an aperitif at Zum Schwarzen Kameel with the rest of Vienna though.
Amboise in the Loire Valley is probably the best-known town in the region. Its lovely mediaeval castle and grounds are on the world heritage list and offer an exceptional view of the Loire and surrounding area. In 1516, François I invited Leonardo da Vinci to live in a little château down the road called Le Clos Lucé, used by royalty as a summer residence. Today, visitors can see mock-ups of Leonardo’s incredibly modern inventions. In the summer in particular, Amboise is very animated with lots of eating places along the main street. The best view is from Le Shaker on a little island in the middle of the Loire.
Saint Paul de Vence in Provence, 12 k west of nice and 26 k from Cannes, can be seen from afar. It’s the sort of village that is so well known that you imagine it will be chock-a-block with tourists and craft shops. But in fact, it’s really lovely and well worth a visit. The views are quite stunning and the ramparts ordered by François I and built from 1537 to 1547 are still intact. More recently, it was a favourite haunt of Matisse and Modigliani; Chagall lived there for 20 years and is buried in the cemetary. There is a also a well-organised parking system.
We’re gradually working our way around Italy by car which means that each time, we try and go by a different route so we’ve started visiting the less touristy places. Last time, we went to Parma, famous for its cheese – parmeggiano-reggiano, known in English as Parmesan. We also visited a balsamic vinegar works and stayed in a wonderful B&B nearby called Corte Bebbi. The city itself has several monuments worth visiting, particularly the duomo with its lovely fresques and gold-leaved capitals and baptisry which unfortunately was closed when we got there. We had an uninteresting meal at the Gran Caffè on Piazza Garibaldi with its mixture of Renaissance and more recent buildings but it was fun to watch the world go by.
Last week, I posted photos of Saint Petersburg but after a reader’s comment, I realised that I hadn’t included much of the city’s architecture. Most of the buildings today are neoclassical built, in the second half of the 18th century after the Commission of Stone Buildings of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, established in 1762, decreed that no structure in the city could be higher than the Winter Palace and prohibited spacing between buildings. The result is an extremely harmonious whole which I personally find somewhat overwhelming and massive, very similar to Vienna in fact. But I have chosen the buildings I found the most attractive. You’ll notice that the most popular colours are yellow and green.
One of my greatest travel dreams was to visit Saint Petersburg to see the paintings from Picasso’s blue period in the Hermitage Museum. I finally got there in July 2007 but only one of his paintings was on display! I actually preferred the Russian Museum, much less crowded with far fewer tourists. I enjoyed discovering Russian art and I adored the museum itself with its beautiful painted rooms. I’ll never forget the midnight sun over the Volga.
The summer holidays in France are about to happen. Most people go away sometime in July or August. One of the closest seaside areas is Normandy. The only problem is that it’s not very warm! However, there are some lovely places to go and Bains-les-Mains, with its beautiful painted façades is one of my favourites, particularly when we’re cycling. And don’t you just love the little white beach huts? These photos were taken last year on 1st August.
I have already posted photos of the Rheinfall, the beautiful natural waterfalls on the Rhein River. Stein am Rhein is a charming little village close by. The first two photos are taken from the bridge that we cycled across from the waterfalls, followed by some of the beautiful painted façades in the centre. Not easy to photograph, particularly with so many tourists but it was a Saturday in mid-August and Stein is a very popular venue. The last hoto shows the more mediaeval side of the little town.
