Safely Home in High Wycombe

26th Friday July

After a late night the only thing to do was to sleep in as check out was 12.00 which was great. Mary had had plans to go walking locally but her feet are shot, so she stayed in and tied up her blog ready to publish when we got back to England.

The park we were overlooking from our hotel was called  Place Louis Armstrong.

 This is the view from our bedroom on the fourth floor. it was immaculate and there was someone picking up the overnight rubbish in it early each morning.

 

Safe drinking water flows in fountains in the streets at many of the parks.

We set out on foot at around 12.15 to give ourselves plenty of time to get to Gard Du Nord. We did not want a repeat of Monday. Hamish and Lou had not got upi n time for Breakfast at the hotel aso we stopped locally and had a snack and coffee. The Metro took us all the way to Garde d'East and it was a small walk to Gard Du Nord. We actually needed all the time as there seemed to be a lot more to checking in in Paris than in Ashford. We certainly could not have cut it fine this side.

Alan and Mary had to fill in arrival cards as they were foreigners. Hamish and Louise are on British passports so they are free to travcl within the European union.

Louise and Mary wandered off to spend the surplus euros in the perfume store and missed hearing the boarding call. Alan and Hamsih were thinking they would have to go and find them. However all was well and everyone was sitting in the train by 3pm. Eurostar waits for no one pulled out of the station right on 3.13pm. We gained an hour by going back to England so we were be back in Ashford by 4.07.  The trip back was a lot more relaxed than the trip there.

So it was back to Heidi's for dinner and to pick up Bella who was overjoyed to see Hamish and Louise again.

Where have you all been? 

The Longest Day Ever

Thurday July 25

This turned out to be the longest day ever! The night before all the big people made a plan to get up early. I thought this was pretty funny when they said they would have breakfast at 7am and leave just before 8am by taxi to the Eiffel tower but that is exactly what they did. I could not see where we were going but they sure enjoyed being whisked across Paris in daylight instead of under the ground on the Metro. It was sunny but not too warm when we arrived at an already growing queue at 8.15am. Now the tower does not open till 9am but by the time it opened a huge queue had formed and snaked all around below the tower. There are queuing lines when you get closer to the ticket office, but the initial line forms as people please and it was like trying to find the end of a ball of string as the end of the queue ended up inside itself like a spirial. 

The early start was rewarded by getting onto the second lift up and being at the top by 9.10am. The views over Paris were wonderful. Last time we came Paris they took me up at night which was great because we could see all the lights, but this time it was in daylight and we could see all over Paris. 

 Don't let me go it's a long way down there!

 New Zealand has the sky Tower in Auckland and Auckland was the furtherest place away.

Montmartre from the Eiffel Tower.

The river Seine from the tower.

Hamish and Louise had bought a lock to padlock on the Des Arts bridge over the Seine but we hadn't got back there. Alan noticed that people had started to put their locks on one side of the top level of the Eiffel tower and suggested they put their lock there. They decided to do this. (the bridge is pretty full now and people are starting to fine new places to start putting locks) Howver they still wanted to throw their keys in the Seine and had to find a way to do this. More on this later.

After leaving the tower, (it had become increasingly crowded) Alan got us up to Montmartre on the Metro.  He had planned it all out the night before.  This is quite a long way so it took a while and Hamish was hungry again after that early breakfast. After a nice break in a pavement cafe we found the petite train in the street parked and ready to go in the direction of the Sacre-Coeur Cathedral.

This was a great way to see the famous streets of Montmartre and getting up the hill without having to walk. There was also a good commentary in English so we all knew what we were looking at. The train stops at the top to allow you to get out and view the cathedral and then rejoin the train for the rest of the tour which takes you back to where it started.

July is tourist month in Paris and everywhere you go there are crowds and queues. Last time they brought me here it was May and there were not so many people crowding the steets and tourist sites. This time there have been walls of people and eveything has to be queued for. To get into the Sacre Coeur we had to queue and once inside you really need to keep moving in the direction of the traffic flow. Outside the cathedral there were loads of very black africans selling souvineers and bottles of water. Suddenly they gathered everything up and ran flat tack out of the area. The police had arrived and they were selling illegally. They had all the stuff they had for sale on mats in front of them and these colud be gathered up into a bundle really fast and they could leave as soon as they saw the police coming. They were all young, fit and street wiseand made a hasty exit, Likewise the gamblers in the lanes. These guys all play various games involving 3 articles they swap around and people have to watch and guess which cup has the ball under it. They all have “a plant “that takes part to start and supposedly wins 50 – 100 euros and then the tourists foolishly believe they can get it right and start bidding big notes with the hope of doubling their money and then loosing it as it is all slight of hand. They too were cleared out by the police in the main souvineer alley. There would have been a dozen illegal games going on at any one time. They know how to make a quick exit as well. They use the upturned empty boxes used to deliver clothes as tables and aboandom them quickly once the police arrive. They seem to have a lookout warning them one to run as well.

Rejoining the petite train, we made our way down the hill back to the area of the Moulin Rouge where they were going tonight. A metro ride 2 stops took them back to touristy part of Montmartre at the foot of the steps leading up to the cathedral. 

Here we did some tourist shops and purchased a few gifts. When I had been here in 2001 Mary and Alan had been to this exact same spot where there were loads of cheap clothes out in the street in boxes every now and then a truck would arrive with another box and tip more out on the street. That was still happening today and there were still crowds of people chasing a bargain. Ast empyting s it was for Mary, it was too hot and there was just too much stuff to look through, although she did have a quick look as she couldn't help herself but managed not to buy. 

 Moulin Rouge by day.

Because we were booked for the 11pm show back at the Moulin Rouge we took ourselves back to the hotel for a rest as it would have been too long a day otherwise.

At 7.45 we set out again for Montmartre to go for dinner at a cafe and then onto the show. We found a little cafe off the main street where there was man playing live piano. It was all very French sitting out on the pavement in the evening in Paris. Every evening we have eaten outdoors like this. they have all been great experiences.

 Dinner on our last night in Paris.

This time we noticed that the elctric cars that are parked in the streets to charge up were right where we were sitting. People seemed to come and go with swipe cards and plug them in and walk away. It seems to be like the “Boris Bikes” in London. People have a keyless entry system. They have obvioulsy paid some money and can get in these cars and use them and then they return them to a charging station which weem to be strategically placed all over Paris. There are about 5 plug in and parks at any one place. While we were sitting there we saw several people return or take cars and also some tryng to return cars but there were no free spaces. 

http://www.treehugger.com/cars/new-paris-car-rental-autolib-success-so-far.html

At 10.30 pm we made out way to the queue for the Moulin Rouge. The tickets said that we had booked for the 11pm show. This really meant they started letting you in at 11pm. The show actually started at 11.30pm, so we had over an hour to wait in the queue. By the time 11pm came the queue stretched right down the road and around the block. Some people tried to negoitiate getting further up the queue with two burly doormen. They tried repeatdly but were told to go to the back of the queue.

 Moulin Rouge by Night

Once you did get in they asked how many were in your party and took you to a suitable table so wherever you were in the queue had little bearing on where you finally got to sit anyway. We got great seats in the centre near the front. It was a huge stage and all the seats would have been good. Our tickets included chanpagne and Alan was surprised when the waiter arrived with an icebucket and two bottles for the four of us. He thought it was a glass of champagne each not half a bottle each!

The show was on on a lavish scale with no expense spared on set or costumes. It was vibrant, full of vatiety and very entertaining. To allow the girls to change the big production numbers were indispursed with solo acts, a juggler, a ventriloquist and a skating acrobatic couple. Every minute of the show was enjoyable and action packed and it was all over too soon. We realise it was 1.30 am and there was no way we were going back on the Metro. So it was into a taxi for a long drive from the North of Paris to the South. On the way Hamish and Louise asked the driver if they could stop and throw their padlock keys into the river, which he kindly stopped and let them do. Well Lousie got hers in but Hamish's landed on a boat! But as they had been unconventional with their lock who cares?

We finally got to bed at 2.30am so it was the longest day ever but it was our last full day in Paris and we all enjoyed every bit of it.

The Big Three

Wednesday July 24

Having bought a two day museum pass the tourists made their way to Louvre this morning. With 16 km of corridors they were only ever going to have a once over lightly viewing. They decided to cherry pick the greats using the museum map. Even this proved difficult at times as there are up and down stairs all over the place and all the corridors were crowded.

 We did get to see the Venus de Milo.

  Leonardo de Vinci's Mona Lisa 

 The Lacemaker by Jan Vermmer

However the place was teaming with tourists and it was hard to get a close up look at any of these. The Louvre is a place where photos are allowed to be taken so there were tourists with cameras all over the main sights. 

They  stayed long enough to need lunch and spent another hour after that looking at the Napolean 1st appartments and some of the Fleimsh and Dutch painters works.

it was  then over to Notre Dame Cathedral. It is the 850 anniversary of the Cathedral and they have built a special temporary entrance way with some stained glass windows that have never been on show before. 

 A free tour was offered  in English. The guide was Italian and she spoke excellent English. She was on a month long volunteer tourist programme where she gave tours free along with lots of other people fro other European countries. She apologised for her English but she not have as she spoke perfect English. She had come to France to practice her French and English. 

After a rest we went and had a meal in our local area. We then caught a train over to to the Eiffel tower. We thought it woud be great to go up on the evening and see Paris by night. Well so had every other tourist in Paris it seems. It was a blamy evening and when we arrived there was a huge queue waiting to go up. We were offerred to go to queue at another tower so we left the queue we were in and when we got there it was a smaller queue but it ws for the Stairs! Well none of us was keen to climb the first two levels by stairs so we went and joined a lift tower queue. We estimated that we woule have to wait at least an hour to get on the first lift and they were advertising a 45 min wait to get to the top level. Then a sign flashed up to say that warning, they were at saturation on the top level. Quick family meeting and we hatched a new plan. We would go home and come back early in the morning. Louise asked at the information what time they opened and they told her 9am but said be here by 8.30. So we headed home and stared to time the journey.It took overan hour with the walking each end. It looked like a really early start so Mary sugested a taxi would probably be best on this occasion. Eveyone was happy about this as the trip involved two changes and lots of walking.

For everyone this ended up as a reasonably early night, which was a good idea as we were going to have make an early start the next day.

Experiencing the Culture of Paris

Tuesday 23 July

Today the big people headed out to buy a two day museum pass so that they could visit some of the best monuments Paris has to offer. The plan had been to go to the Louvre today but on checking it is not open on Tuesday so they went straight to Saint Chapelle. Mary and Alan were really surpised to see a huge gift shop in the lower chapel and ropes and barriers everywhere, When they brough me here in 2001 it was just an open space and you could sit down in the bays around the edges, Not any more, it is very touristy now. It is still impressive but even the upstairs had lost some of the wow factor, Several of the windows were covered for restoration and once again there were now ropes and barriers. Most of the windows have been conserved and cleaned and they are much clearer and brighter. The cost of the whole window restoration project is 10 million Euros and is the most expensive conservation project undertaken to date. It is one of the most beautiful chapels in the world. The sheer height of the upper chapel is amazing.

Exterior of St Chappelle .

 

Detail of one of the huge windows.

Interior of St Chapelle.

From there we went to the Concierge which is part of the whole complex. It had once been a royal palace but was used as a prison during the revolution. Marie Antoinette was held here until she was executed by guillotine. 

 Recreation of Marie Antoinette's cell.

The clock on the Concierge.

After lunch Mary spied an advert for the Vienna ballet. She had been secretly planning a visit to this as she had noticed the posters on the metro stations. They were right outside the theatre. So they followed the signs to the box office and decided against the top priced tickets at 80 euros and took the 30 euro tickets in the ampitheatre, When they arrived there we had to walk up six flights of stairs and we were in the top tier of five! It was very hot but they had a close up view of the chandelier in the dome. Just before the ballet was about to start the usher came and said something in French and all the people up there stood up and started to move.They  looked sort of puzzled but she said in broken English go down Orchestra. This meant she was telling them to go down to the stall and sit in the best seats. Mary could not run down those stairs quickly enough. They were now in the 80 euro seats with a wonderful view of the stage and it was cool down there. The dancers would have been tiny dots from where they were sitting and we would have seen right into the orchestra pit which could have ended up being a distraction for a couple of the  big people. The ballet was Don Quixote. It was very colourful with a wonderful score played by a huge orchestra that had most spacious orchestra pit they had ever seen. It was a long ballet and they didn't get out till nearly 11pm. They certainly got their money's worth.

In the afternoon they had decided to walk to the Orsay from a nearby metro. This is Mary's favourite museum in Paris.

The history of the museum, of its building is quite unusual. In the centre of Paris on the banks of the Seine, opposite the Tuileries Gardens, the museum was installed in the former Orsay railway station, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. So the building itself could be seen as the first "work of art" in the Musee d'Orsay, which displays collections of art from the period 1848 to 1914.

No sooner had they got out from underground when the rain started and there was an enormous thunderstorm. They took cover in a bus shelter with many other tourists but they  had got soaked getting there. The gutters were rapidly filling with running water and it was too tempting for one motorist. He just had to drive up hard against the curb and soak everyone all a bit more.

They made it down to the Orsay when the rain eased off but it took all of the visit to actually dry out. That was apart from their shoes which were never going to dry while they were wearing them.

You could not take photos in the Orsay but this was a view out of one of the windows.

After a rest back at the hotel to get dry clothes, they headed out for a meal and the ballet.

We Made it to Paris. JUST!

Monday July 22nd

Today we got up bright and early to drive to Ashford to catch Euro star. The check in time was before 9.25. That meant you had to be checked in before that time otherwise you would need to buy another ticket as Mary had taken the cheapest option, non refundable and non transferable.

Hamish had taken good advice from Louise's family the night before and they had said we would need to leave to 7.30am. It was only about 30 – 40 min away but they suggested you needed to build in time for possible dealys on the motorway at that hour of the day.

So we set out at about that time and Louise looked at the directions on the piece of paper she had got when she paid for the parking. It said to take the M2 to the M20 and that would be the quickest route. We hit the M2 and had to go in the direction of London for one junction. As soon as we got on we were crawling and then we ground to a halt. Shortly after that we heard sirens and up the service lane came police, fire engines and ambulances. Lou checked her phone and there had been an accident just around the next bend. suddenly the air ambulance appeared above us and we knew it was very serious and they must have stopped the traffic so that the helicopter could land on the motorway.

We then sat there with the engine turned off until 9.10 when we suddenly started moving. It was a pretty grim time with gradual acceptance that our chances of making it to Paris on the 9.55 train were rapidly fading.

In the mean time  the big people we were hurridly making alternative plans. Hamish rang Eurostar to see if there was anything we could do. Obvioulsy they knew we had non transferable tickets but did say there were two seats on the 4.40 train.  Only two Eurostar services a day actually stop to pick up passengers in Ashford. Most people go straight out of St Pancras in London . It sounded as if they might consider our plight but it didn't really solve the problem, as there were four of us.

So they came up with a number of scenarios.

1. Two of them could buy tickets to go on the later train, but that left two behind.
2. They could go down to Dover and catch a boat and drive up to Paris. Problem 1. Where do you park in Paris? Problem 2 Hamish was not insured to drive abroad. Both could be solved but would be expensive. Hamish googled and found there was a parking building near the hotel that we could park in for 60 euros but who in their right mind really wants to drive to Paris?
3. They could leave the car in the parking already paid for in Ashford and get a train down to the port and go across as foot passengers and then get a train up to Paris. Louise looked at this and it would have been possible but could have taken a long time. But they could have used our return Eusrostar tickets to get back.
    

As the time went by they sort of gave up but never entirely. At 9.10 the we started moving. Well it was a white knuckle ride in the Beamer. I think Hamish thought he was on the autobauns in Germany. He did a 30 min drive in 20 mins. There could be a letter waiting for him in the post when he gets back home!

While they were travelling they revamped the plans. Alan andMary would get out with their bags and try and talk themselves onto the train while Hamish and Lou parked the car and followed them up. They ran up the stairs and were met by the nicest of women who reassured them that we would make the train. They printed out the tickets and said they would hold Hamish and Lousie's at the desk, and that they should go through passport control. This they relcutantly did but they had only rounded the corner when Hamish and Louise caught them up. There was  no time to waste as an announcemnet said that all Eurostar passengers were to go to Platform 4 immediately. They found the part of the platform where carriage 16 would stop and got there as the train drew into the station. They had to kick people out of their seats, and finally  sat down the train pulled out of the station. 

Safely aboard Eurostar with hardly a minute to spare with a very relieved Hamish  and Louise. So here we  are now sitting in Eurostar driving through rural France on the way to Paris. I must admit that I was curled up in my rugby ball as we made that mad dash down the motorway. It was too scary for me.

How they made it onto the train on time was a miracle. Lou had checked the price of buying new Eurotsar tickets for the next train or even the next day and they were over 200 pounds each. This was a bit of a shock as the whole package for the 4 of them was just under 250 pounds each and that included accomodation.( (I sneaked on for free.) Louise had also booked and paid for parking and tickets to the Moulin Rouge so they really needed to go. Well what ever happened They were going to problem solve and find a way!

Stepping off the train at Gard Du Nord they were met by a wall of heat, It had been airconditioned on the train so they had no idea what they were in for. England had been hot but this was something else. Big people were all hungry so grabbed a bite at the station. They then bought  five day rail passes and headed to the hotel which right at the other end of Paris. They were able to do it in two changes. A friendly local helped them outside the station but sent them on rather a long walk, but in the end they found the hotel which is very nice. They all needed a shower and a rest.

At 4.30 they took me out  to explore Paris. They  still couldn't believe they had got here but were all feeling quite upbeat about splashing out on doing stuff since they hadn't had to spend another lot of money to get here. 

Here I am finally in Paris at the Arc de Triomphe.

They took the metro over to the Arc de Triomphe to see the traffic driving crazily around it. It was bizzare as there are no lanes and there are at least 6 random lanes of cars jsotling for position. 

 Unsurprisingly we saw a crash and the two parties stopped and got out in the midlle of all the traffic to discuss the damage.

While this was happening the others avoided them and the madness continued.

Golden dinosaur  window display inLouis Vuitton

They walked the wonderful wide Champs Elysees but stayed out of the designer shops. Dinner was at an outdoor cafe and  we all watched the world go by. They wandered on down towards the river and ended the day with a beautiful evening boat cruise on Seine which took us to all the sights along the river.

A Lazy weekend

Friday 19th

Today we got to have a look around the local shops High Wycombe. It is an historic market town in the Chiltern Hills.

Friday was actually market day so we had a look around the market stalls and bought a few things.

Mary noticed this shop.(Mary was a Cutler before she was a Dean.)

 All Saints Church in High Wycombe. This is a Norman church the largest church in Buckinghamshire. It was refashioned in the 13 century on a lavish scale.  We did not go in as there was a funeral on, but we will get back to it.  Look at the blue sky.  We are in sunny England!  This is quite something, not a cloud in the sky. This weather is expected to last well into August as well.  Just what you need to escape a cold winter in NZ.

We had to return home around 4.30 to check on Bella as Hamish and Louise had gone off to a evening gig. We caught a taxi up the hill as we had no idea how to get home. The taxi driver asked us where we came from and when we said New Zealand he immediately said, Oh All Blacks and Haka. He was very friendly and chatty but I think he took us the long was as it cost more than Hamish and Louise usually pay, but he was entertaining.

Saturday 20th

Lazy day at home as this was the first day of the holidays for Hamish and Louise. So we had a wonderful brunch cooked by Hamish when he got up and then we went into town to look at few shops. 

Hamish took us to the local Brewery at Marlow, where he gets a keg refilled and you can sample before you buy. It was full of people and they were sampling alright.

In the evening we went to a restaurant that does stone grills using exotic meets. You could be boring and have usual steaks, but you could also have, bison, kangaroo, horse, zebra, wild boar, reindeer, springbok,

Mary decided to eat Skippy and Rudloph. Amy is very cross with her for eating Rudolph. She says she ahd ruined christmas forever!

Caught another taxi home with another character who was disappointed we were only going local. He was hoping we were wanting to go to London. Hamish said he was being a bit optimistic trying to pick up a fare to London at the railway station as that is where the train goes. He then said Reading would have been okay. Well he got Hunt Road. Tough. He now had to go back in the queue, but he thought he might just go home.

Sunday July 21st

Big pack and sort today to get ready to go to Paris on Monday. We were off to stay the night at Heidi's (Louise's mum). She is going to look after Bella while we are away. Lots to pack for Bella as well as the rest of us. Thank goodness Hamish bought a new car that we can get everything in.

We had a lovely evening with all of Louise's family. Bella got really adventureous near the pond and fell in. Next time she falls into a pond Hamish and Louise are not fishing her out. She has to learn how to get out herself if she is going to be so adventurous. The only reason they pulled her out of this one was that it was polythene and she could have put a hole in it with her claws.

A visit to Maidenhead

Thursday July 18th

Today was our last day with Sue and she suggested we go somewhere towards Maidenhead where we going to end up at a RAF concert in the evening.  So  she got out the National Trust book and found Cliveden which was a place she had never been to and somewhere that everyone could get in using cards.  NZ Historic Places Trust cards allow access to the National Trust Properties in the UK.

Cliveden is a country retreat on a grand scale. It is now a luxury hotel and serves the most expensive club sandwiches in the world at 100 pounds!  We got to do a special guided tour of part of the hotel. The people eating and drinking in the main lounge were seriously rich.

 Cliveden’s magnificent gardens and breath-taking views have been admired for centuries.  ^You have to get up onto the terrace to really get the effect of the formal gardens.

Cliveden was once the glittering hub of society,  visited by virtually every British Monarch since George I and home to Waldorf and Nancy Astor in the early 20th century.

During WW1 Cliveden was used as a Canadian hospital.  There is a small area of wall graves of soldiers who died there. 

 Amongst all the Canadians we found this kiwi grave.

Cliveden was renowned for hosting exclusive parties and political gatherings, and later became infamously associated with the Profumo Affair.

In the evening Phil managed to get a train right across London to join everyone at the only RAF concert that Mary and Alan are going to get this time. We all managed to meet at a reaturant in the village near the church for a meal before the concert.

It was the hottest night imaginable in a church with very little ventilation and unlike most English churches that are big and old this one was small and modern.  The conductor told the audience if they were wondering why he hadn't invited the band to take their jackets off it was because most of them had chopped the sleeves out.  Louise had already said she couldn't take her's off becasue she had only ironed the front. the music was so good that you soon forgot about the heat.  Everyone welcomed the fresh air at half time though.

Mary, Louise, Hamish holding me and Alan at half time.  Aren't Alan's shoes dirty!

 The concert had all the favourites including the Dam Busters March and RAF March past.  The Brass quintet played amazing Grace with Hamish's kiwi mate Mike playing a killer jazz solo on his trumpet.  It was a great concert that was greatly appreciated by the audience and the kiwi visitors.