| Madam Zebra |
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May 1988
Spring in Europe & Autumn in Australia Sunday 1st May Metroed to Vincennes late on a mild and interesting feeling morning lit by golden clouds. The Chateau de Vincennes very quiet, peaceful, set in large open courtyards with crumbling walls, a chalky clay ground rather nice to walk on, and some beautiful tall horse chestnuts in bloom, pleasantly random in alleys between the courtyards. Before we had a chance to properly take in the relaxed and almost rustic (if they were not so perfect) proportions of this delightful place, heavy drops of warm rain (at first) began to fall. By the time we had taken in the ruins of the 'Donjon', walked around the squat but lovely cathedral, and glimpsed the trees and perhaps woodland of the hazy Bois below and across, it was raining so heavily that we had to return home for a moderately successful siesta but a completely washed out, and by now, cold day. POSTCARD: PARIS – ' Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral'
[Written 1st May] Thank you for your letters and for the birthday present. We have been having excellent weather here for a week now, very warm after Edinburgh with spring in full bloom. We have done most of the tourist trails and have gone out of our way to get off those well trodden tracks for the more pleasant market going, people watching and park walking activities. There are some marked changes since last I was here – notably more tourists (1/10 of France's population!!!) and less native wealth. TV is 100% imported programs dubbed into French, compared with more like 30% 13 years ago. American culture is all over the world. Some sights which I had not seen before have been very rewarding, such as the Bois de Boulogne – truly a wild forest, the church as St Sulpice with its “egg” altar, and the Ronde Parc and late romantic palace at the beginning of the Champs Elysees – French people as always, very charming and helpful, tres gentils. Notre Dame’s windows as beautiful as ever. Monday 2nd May Were to go to Versailles today and Jeu de Paume tomorrow but Versailles was closed and Jeu de Paume was closed tomorrow so we had to reverse the order. C's feet in a bit of a mess due to overtight shoes, tinea and an infected quick. Lovely bright big fleecy clouds on a bright azure blue backdrop under a radiantly beaming sun in the early afternoon as we reached the Jeu de Paume to find it boarded up. Went instead to the nearby Orangerie and were not disappointed. Here work from the early Impressionists, Monet and Renoir right through the Avant Garde Paris School, Matisse, Utrillo to Picasso and the early French Modernists, all absolutely fantastic, including Cezanne at his most colourful, poetic and brilliant. Neither were we disappointed with the incredibly large Monet panoramas in the basement below, his famous 'Waterlillies' series, which demand the onlooker to participate in the creative act. Also in the idea of the delicate and robust, solid and reflected forms, and in the colour of forms, before finally in the process of visual and artistic construction. Discovered tonight the little suburb of interlocking streets where every single window is a cheap restaurant. Metro St. Michel, rue de la Harpe, rue de St. Severin, bounded by boulevards St. Michel and St. Germaine. Gorgeous meal of Tunisian 'cous cous' (cracked wheat) with vegetables cooked in a tomoto-paprika soup, chilli and the meat of your choice, all for less than $10. Incredible value since you can eat as much of this as you like. Unfortunately, another dreadful night's sleep with incessant noise. Tuesday 3rd May Versailles. C hobbling about on an infected toe - it took about half an hour just to get to our metro! Despite this and the obvious difficulty of adverse weather, we had an absolutely magnificent day at Versailles under a very changeable but always dramatic sky. Lots of tourists but not unpleasantly packed out. The highlights were:
Saw Agatha Christies 'Appointment with Death' starring Peter Ustinov - very entertaining. Wednesday 4th May Moved to 'Hotel Claude Bernard', still noisy but comfortably so and much more relaxed apartment and attractively decorated. C unable to move about much. I spent a pleasant afternoon at the Pompidou Centre exploring its fabulous modern art collections including an exhibition of Picasso's later paintings and etchings. Thursday 5th May C now with a fever and continual pain from foot infection. Doctor visited for 350FF leaving a prescription for six medications including antibiotics. Unable to move about at all today. Friday 6th May Much better night's sleep here at the 'Hotel Claude Bernard'. What a relief and gorgeous coffee, orange juice and fresh croissants brought up to our room and placed on C's lap (who was still half asleep) by a very nice chambermaid. View of Notre Dame from our balcony in pleasant though hazy sunlight. Went out briefly with C to buy him some new Reebok shoes, flexible, casual and roomy. Infection still incapacitating, if anything slightly worse although the dizziness not so marked. Dinner in the room for the second night running. Very pleasant melange of pizza, salad and 'sandwich'. Saturday 7th May The day we were supposed to meet A at the Champs Elysees. In fact I ended waiting at the hotel with C until 7pm, which A had suggested as a second point of rendezvous - he must have forgotten to bring the address with him. While we waited, we watched Pat Cash win the French Open on our TV - what a coinicidence. By this time C was feeling very slightly better so was able to slowly hobble to St. Severin for an unforgettably delicious couscous at Yasmins. Not such a good nights sleep tonight, riotous celebrations and beeping of horns as Mitterand had won the Presidential election. Luckily there was a great film on late in English, 'The Runaway Train' starring Jon Voight in which there is the unforgettable verbal exchange: "What are you, some kind of animal?" His reply, "No lady, much much worse - we're humans." Sunday 8th May Woken up at 7am by bells peeling in the Greek Orthodox Church across the road. Very beautiful and distinctive cadences in the bell ringing, slightly oriental, and heavenly singing filtering up to our room. Took our laundry to St. Paul and ate strawberries while it completed its cycle, also took another short look at the Column in the Place de la Bastille. Then metroed to Gare d'Austerlitz to buy tickets and reserve seats for tomorrow's trip to the Loire Valley. Beautiful roast pork at the Gare Restaurant, as good as most we have encountered. A simple French dinner right next to St. Severin Church, very cheap but pleasant. Monday 9th May Our first train trip in France on the 'Grandes Lignes' through hill country south of Paris, then up onto a flat grassy plateau before descending to the Loire at Orleans. Baggage heavy and difficult, so we were lucky to be sharing a spacious compartment for 8 with only 2 others, one an eccentric old mum with plenty of spirit and lots to say on her way down to Tarbes. She told us the English were "tres severe" and "tres grave". Magnificent scenery in the Loire Valley, rich dense forests with lots of vines and creepers not unlike jungle. Countryside a patchwork quilt, sometimes with extensive vistas of maize or corn to the horizon, sometimes variegated squares of rich, red-brown earth, of waving grass, and of fields of flowers, each square bordered by the most superb rows of ancient trees, set against a constant backdrop of wild woodland never far away. Houses and villages also very attractive, well kept but very old and earthy. Our hotel room at Tours a little plain but with extraordinary panorama of the main railway square below. In late afternoon walked through the 17th and 18th century quarter to St. Gatien's Cathedral, with its superb late Gothic spires. Some beautiful gardens in spring bloom and lots of narrow, winding, sleepy, cobbled streets. After walking to the river, very wide and fast flowing here, we visited old Tours near the ruins of the huge cathedral, St. Julien begun by Charlemagne in the early (Byzantine) Middle Ages, wandering through ancient rambling alleys flanked by medieval townhouses, mud and beam construction, mostly 3 or 4 storeys and in very good condition though with amazing tilts and leans!. Delicious meal of Poulet Normandy at Restaurant Normandie near the station. Tuesday 10th May After a very poor night's sleep due to traffic whirling around the station square, went up to the station restaurant for delicious local variety "straight" croissants and very strong coffee, then took late morning train down river to the sleepy village of Langeais with its imposing fortress chateau, Château d'Ussé. Before visiting the chateau however, we had to pay a visit to a local village doctor because C had a bad reaction to penicillin this morning, coming up in red weals and some difficulty with breathing. After a very lively consultation in French, an antihistamine injection and iodine and silver nitrate treatment for the infected toe, we hobbled up to the chateau. This turned out to be absolutely fantastic. It is a lordly residence famed for its elaborate furnishings and formal gardens, a vast meandering maze of sumptuous rooms and stairways with gorgeous 15th century tapestries, a disarmingly lifelike array of wax figures in equally gorgeous medieval apparel (representing a frieze of a wedding that took place here between Anne of Brittany and Louis VIII), and magnificent views of the lovely old town below, a bevy of terracotta roofs. Our guide was a lively brown-eyed, straight black-haired elfin type, intelligent and sensitive and who reminded us both very much of my niece, S. Although her guided tour was completely in French, she spoke so beautifully that most of it was quite intelligible and extremely interesting. It did help having an excellent English, room by room book as well. Is this the Gothic type that settled the Loire and Burgundy? After visiting the chateau we took a picnic lunch to the station, a very sleepy place indeed, then walked beside the river looking very rustic and pictureresque here. Returned to the old town quarter of Tour near Place Plumereau for a superb dinner which was ridiculously the cheapest in six weeks of travel. Being the Pay du Vin, the waiter (and host) was not content to give us a superb veal in white wine sauce, pate lapine terrine and sorbet meal (all local specialities), but also shouted us two full to the brim glasses of the best local Vouvray! Incredibly, we had change left from 40FF, meaning that this banquet for two cost (with two glasses each of wine), a mere $10 in Australian currency!!! Wednesday 11th May C already much better after starting the new treatment prescribed by the eccentric village doctor yesterday, although we both had a pretty bad nights sleep again due to noise and so changed to a much better and truly delightful room - very quiet with elegant chateau style antique furniture and charming views over the untidy back streets. Very nice management here, warm and friendly though formal and courteous. Took a mid-morning train through a wild, densely wooded part of the Loire Valley to a point where the road from Tours to Chinon is intersected by the Indre near the town named Azay-le-Rideau. Arriving at midday rather famished, we decided to lunch at the nearby 'Care de la Gare', about 1.5 kms from the town and surrounded by fields, wooded hills and pretty low lying swampland. This was once again a true find as every lunchtime, a banquet is prepared here for the local railway workers and farm labourers, including as much wine as you care to drink, a selection of delicious entrees, gourmet hot lunch of veal, potatoes and onion (a very popular local dish this), cheese board with a selection of gorgeous cheeses, four pieces of fruit (or dessert) plus coffee, all for a fixed price of 36FF for the two of us. A most enjoyable, rather long walk along a rustic tree lined road, flanked on one side by steeply wooded hills, on the other by low lying fields, giving way to reedy swamps with some scattered magnificent huge and ancient trees. Lots of birds in full song. Outskirts of the town deliciously rustic yet elegant, including the home of dramatist poet Rabelais. Very slow pace here, very sunny atmosphere. Château d'Azay was built by Phippa Lesbahy, wife of financier Gilles Bertholet, while her husband was away between 1518 and 1529, and is notable for its beautiful setting surrounded by a small lake (or large moat) in whose still waters its fairytale turrets are mirrored. It is one of the great c hâteaux of Francis I and contains accordingly, a fine Musee of Renaissance furniture which we could easily have spent an entire day, or perhaps a week delighting in. A truly magnificent Renaissance interior, splendid timber ceilings and heraldically carved fireplaces, every room exquisitely proportioned and with its own unique constellation of characteristics and colours perfectly offsetting the others. Thinking we had plenty of time to get back to the station, we bought some delicious home-made yoghurt and went for an increasingly boggy walk down an ancient avenue of giant trees evidently for public use since a sign "pur la chasse" (literally, for hunting) was placed at its entrance. Some very beautiful flowers amidst river reeds and scattered trees in wetlands supporting much birdlife. However, on reaching the station, were told by the rail attendant that the return trip was a bus from town - we ran all the way back collecting two English girls on the way who had made the same mistake. Dreadful dinner, our first in France, at a very cheap and nasty cafeteria near the station run by a scar-faced character with an infectious grin who reminded us acutely of caricatures depicting the French Revolution, e.g. smiling or even leering peasant guardsmen dispatching aristocrats to Madame Guillotine. A delightful uninterrupted sleep in our charming new room at 'Hotel de l'Europe'. Thursday 12th May Fantastic breakfasts here, the best we have had in France with lots of fresh orange juice, croissants, bread rolls and lovely coffee complete with starched linen napkins. Decided to take a bus tour today in view of yesterdays nearly appalling consequences by train. An excellent decision as we were able to fit in an enormous amount of sightseeing without any logistical worries, including guided tours in English of three superlative c hâteaux at a ridiculously cheap price. Another excellent reason for taking these tour buses in France is that here they work out their routes in a way calculated to give maximum aesthetic pleasure from sights, countryside and wilderness along the road. Nor were we disappointed this morning as the bus took us through some of the most exquisitely beautiful parts of Touraine, following the Indre between densely wooded hills from Montbazon to Loches. Built on steep hillside overlooking some of the prettiest pastoral countryside in France, now beginning to be dotted here and there with bright red poppies, the cobbled, walled and ancient village of Loches offers the tourist from its high terraces within the chateau, some glorious vistas. It was in Loches Château that Joan of Arc incited Charles VII to leave the beseiged castle for Rheims where he was crowned. Afterwards he returned to his residence in Loches where he spent his happiest years "ravishing" Agnes Sorel, Frances most favoured royal mistress who encouraged a lavish and sumptuous court of her own in an individual stye between High Gothic and Early Renaissance. Marvellous flamboyant fireplaces, gorgeous tapestries, rooms of perfect proportions and fine paintings, not to mention the extraordinary view from the battlements, made this a memorable visit. The most spectacular dungeons in Europe are also at Loches built by France's last truly Gothic King, Louis XI (1461-1483), who made a prison out of the very rooms where his father Charles VII had led such an ostentatious life. Here we saw dank, dark, damp, dripping corridors hewn from the stone cavities that yielded the building material for the old chateau, now given up to torture and detention, in some places, 50 feet beneath the earth. Some of these rooms and passageways actually had a kind of sad beauty, a perfection of form and craftsmanship strange in such a dark place, and especially evident in the beautifully arched subterranean dome in which an Archbishop, fallen from favour with the King, was suspended in a wooden cage (which we also saw). Coming out into the dazzling sunlight we descended through the narrow cobbled, but very stately streets of old Loches, for a brilliant lunch of Pate de Campagne, local trout a la Touraine, gorgeous Prune Tart and simply astounding bottle of local sparkling wine Mousseau, which we shared with an American friend, Norman, a doctor from San Francisco writing plays in his spare time. From Loches we then headed north and a little east across wider hills growing what appeared to be corn, and punctuated every now and then by rustic villages and wild forests, until we descended again after not many miles to the valley of the Cher, and the fairytale castle of Chenonceau (often known as the Château of the Six Women). Coming down into the Touraine from the hills of Poitu, the rich, brown, fast flowing waters of the Cher are over spanned by the six perfect arches of this, the most beautiful c hâteau, which became a royal castle in 1531 but is now owned by an absentee 'Chocolate Baron' industrialist. This was the most crowded of all the c hâteaux that we had visited, and on a balmy, hot golden afternoon these milling throngs added to, oddly, the colour of an already most colourful Renaissance marvel. Although some of the decoration reflects the magnificence and taste of Francis I, the truly splendid alterations and furnishings were mainly due to first, Diane de Poitiers, to whom Chenonceau was offered by Henri II as "his perfect friend", and secondly, due to the brilliant and artistic Catherine de Medici, wife of Henri II, who envied her husband's mistress and eventually chased her from the c hâteau. Nothing more serene or dreamlike could be imagined than standing here in one of these most beautiful rooms on earth watching the Cher rushing inexorably below - and not far below either. After a brief walk in the bois near the c hâteau, and watching incessantly falling blossom blown in the warm mid-afternoon breeze and forming a white dew on one of the pretty canals, we left for Amboise on the Loire, a short 10km drive through lazy countryside. 
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After marrying Anne of Brittany at Longeais, Charles VIII, son of Louis XI, the first Renaissance King, spent most of his life at Amboise employing the best architects and craftsmen to construct the St. Hubert chapel and to transform the fortress into the most attractive post-Gothic residence for his discerning wife, herself a learned artist and patron of the Arts. His life's work was devoted to making her stay here more pleasant, and in the process it has been said that the pre-Renaissance was conceived at Amboise at the court of Charles and Anne. On his return from a victorious Italian campaign, the King brought back painters, Italian artisans and gardeners, and everything was set in motion to make Amboise the most beautiful palace in France (and a setting for magical celebrations) when the young King accidently knocked his forehead against the lintel of the great gate whilst riding in, killing himself and Anne of Brittany (who also married the next King, Louis XII) moved her court and attentions to Blois, never to look on Amboise again. After this, Amboise fell into gloom and decay, except for brief and tragic episodes, such as the hanging of the French Protestants (Huguenots) from the terrace battlements by Catherine de Medici. However its beauty persisted as we saw today especially the cobbled entrance ramp leading from the town, the delicate and petite Gothic Chapel in which Leonardo da Vinci is entombed, the glorious royal apartments and terraces with views miraculously high above the Loire flowing broad and fast below, the superbly proportioned tower and spiral ramp with its perfectly restored great gate and lastly, the wild garden of ancient trees high up within the walled battlements with views to distant parts of Touraine in all directions. On our trip back along the Loire to Tours, we passed many caves used for wine storage, some very high up on the precipitous south bank and obviously quite extensive. A full and interesting day, and for dinner wer simply bought a pizza rond and patisserie, some fruit, and flaked out in our room. Friday 13th May Raced to Banque de Change to get some money as our hotel didn't accept credit cards, then ran to just catch our train to Amboise where we had a very friendly taxi ride to 'Hotel Choiseul', our best hotel in France - rather expensive but very aristocratic and lovely with our bedroom overlooking the Loire and close enough to catch its rushing sounds from the nearby sandbanks and bridge. As I was just getting over and C was just getting, a very bad head cold and cough, we decided to have a nice, easy, relaxing day, pottering up to the Château d'Amboise again, this time mainly for more time to drink in the atmosphere. We sat at the top of the battlements overlooking the town away from the river after walking through the truly beautiful and ancient trees of the c hâteau garden, basking in a quite hot sun which is now bringing out red poppies everywhere, including the crevices of the tall battlement walls above the old town. Very hazy today and becoming hazier although always sunny. 
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Absolutely sumptuous banquet at Le Choiseul next to a huge window 30 feet from the Loire, watching every eddying ripple passing by. Afterwards went for a gorgeous twilight walk to the Loire bridge after a delicate sunset. Colour of the sky looking up the river toward Bourges, the deepest of dark purple, to the west toward Pays-de-la-Loire and Anjou-Maritime, just the slightest hint of pale golden orange in a slowly silvering and beautifully textured sky - these colours the more beautiful because reflected in the river, which is very broad, and through the arches of the great bridge to our west. Saturday 14th May Last night we made the mistake of leaving our windows open to listen to the gurgling sounds of the river below. A thick fog descended over the river, cold and very damp, and accordingly a poor nights sleep and C's cold turning into bronchitis. Despite this we rose early to catch the train to Blois, the next major station along the Loire line, putting together a delicious breakfast of cold local salmon in a white sauce from a local charcuterie. From the station at Blois it was a pleasant sunny walk (about 1.5 km) to the glorious Italianate c hâteau, on the way stopping for coffee and croissants. No c hâteau has a longer history associated with the fortunes of the Kings of France than Blois, nor such a rich, varied or successful architectural history, including the most perfect ktichen and the most perfect staircase (Leonardo da Vinci). All of the most brilliant Courts prior to Louis XIV were held here including those of Anne of Brittany (after the tragedy at Amboise), Francis I, Catherine de Medici and Henry III, each brilliantly building on the work of their predecessors until Blois became (before Versailles and excluding the palace at Fontainbleu), the jewel of France. A very interesting guided tour here through the gorgeous rooms of Francis I, Catherine de Medici and Henry III with very spirited historical commentary in French. 
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Disappointing lunch although with much conversation in French and a good local wine suggestion from an ex-patriot Valencian. Then a fascinating walk through the Saturday markets of old Blois to wile away some time on the grassy verges of this huge, sunny, sleepy river with a good view of the most beautiful stone bridge over its wide waters. Before returning on what had now become quite a hot late spring afternoon, we also paid a visit to the marvellous Gothic Cathedral in the heart of the old town, and were not disappointed - slightly foggy inside with shafts of sunlight, diagonal pillars of gold setting off the dark perpendiculars. Wonderful little local train for the return trip, nice and slow stopping at every little village to drink in the atmosphere of a perfect afternoon in rural France. Put together our own banquet tonight from local shops, and dined in our room after getting the hotel bar waiter to bring up a beautiful bottle of the best Chinon red, opened and tasted and served with extraordinary graciousness. Sunday 15th May A fabulous, almost mythical day which was for me at least, the best day of our entire trip so far. It is difficult to determine exactly what it was that made it so heavenly, except to say that the weather was pleasantly hot and relaxed, yet also with a dramatic humidity, almost tropical in intensity with equally dramatic thunderclouds developing. The river was even more luxurious than ever; the old cobbled town even lovelier, slower and more tranquil than usual; the fields, the gardens and untidy hedges ablaze with sun, flowers, insects and timelessness. Picnicked in the grass by the river today, very brown and warm at the moment, fast flowing and noisy yet with an intangible languidness - superbly timeless and restful. After a brief semi-siesta in the mid afternoon, with our gorgeous hotel room windows wide open to catch the tranquil fluttering of the warm breeze, and to continue watching in a casual sort of way the river rushing by, we set off on our most lovely walk since we climbed the mountain in the Lakes District. Our aim was to traverse the tall riverside hill on which the c hâteau is built, via a narrow and winding path to its east, and then to descend to the Clos-Luce, home of Leonardo da Vinci but built as a country home of Anne of Brittany. No lovelier country lanes could be imagined than the ones we traversed today, beginning on a cobbled path beneath the wine catacombs beside the river, then quickly climbing in haphazard fashion to a tranquil track verged by long green grass and thorny hedges bordering serene market gardens. Near the c hâteau under a hot bright sun and in incredible humidity we began to descend again via narrow zig zagging stone alleyways and steep staircases into the heart of the old town which has a very mediterranean flavour. Stumbling on the nearby Clos-Luce villa and gardens not long before closing time, we were quite spellbound by the highly unusual but relaxing, almost informal design of this pre-Renaissance villa with numerous alterations by Leonardo himself, some practical such as his light, airy studio overlooking the garden, some experimental such as his balcony wing and spiral staircase, others purely aesthetic such as his addition of numerous classical arches. Also fascinating were Anne of Brittany's tiny chapel, Leonardo's machines (brilliant, radical engineering plans mostly fulfilled centuries after their conception), an absolutely beautiful wine cellar comprising magically proportioned arches, and a very magical and extensive garden through which a stream runs flanked by reeds and spanned by a lovely arched bridge. Returned via the same heavenly route this time under soaring thunderclouds, dimly rumbling, and with some warm heavy drops beginning to fall on the sun-warmed clay of our path. Another banquet at Le Choiseul, this time preceeded by Pernod with Cinzano as an appetite stimulant ("apperitif"), which the waiter thought looked rather disgusting but which tasted nice. Then another twilight walk before a restful sleep. Monday 16th May PIGALLE Returned to Paris and much lower temperatures. Not a good day. Spent most of it muddling with difficult railway bureaucrats trying to book seats. Did however have a very nice, simple lunch of fruit, wine and chevre (goat) cheese - delicious, next to the radiantly lovely fountains, lit by clear afternoon sun in a park in front of Trinite Church - a Rococo church in the very best tradition right in the heart of Pigalle. 'Hotel Navarin d'Angleterre' nice and quiet, our room with views over inner courtyard with two giant acacia trees full of birds chirping. Both feeling rather unwell (hangover from last night????) so an early night. Tuesday 17th May A terrible day, out of heaven in the Loire into the hell of Pigalle. This was in fact the worst day of our entire trip, after C's coughing precluded any possibility of a restful nights sleep. After breakfast with the Damned, no one spoke a word, we left our strangely unnerving hotel with its respectable veneer but seedy atmosphere, for a day of sheer hell trying once more, unsuccessfully, to book seats. Eventually we were thrown out of the booking office by the ogre who managed it after a point blank refusal to do any bookings for us at all on the basis that it would take up too much time! C with symptoms of flu at this stage on a stifling hot afternoon. High point of the day was a brief late visit to Sacre-Coeur and Montmatre, a delicious but dirt cheap Tunisian souvlake and salad "sandwich" and glass of house red from a corner cafe in Pigalle, sitting, watching this seedy but bustling (some of the bustle quite innocent) area from a park bench in the middle of Pigalle's Quai d'Orsay. Slightly better but still bad night's sleep. Wednesday 18th May Raced to Gare de Lyon, just managing to catch the last morning train to Fontainbleu. A pleasant train trip through some extensive and rich forests, very dark and misty on this grey day in weather that quite suits them. Different from the warmer Loire forests, darker, taller, more variegated, more continental in appearance but still very lush. On arrival at Fontainbleu, had to walk some distance to the c hâteau, perhaps 5 kms, buying ingredients for lunch at a supermarket on the way. This took some time and in this lousy and increasingly severely cold weather (our coldest in France), we really would have been better off eating in a cosy restaurant and bussing to the palace. Ate at a carrefour (crossroads) under a huge tree in the beautiful but freezing cold park near the chateau. Spent several hours in this ornate, colourful and enormous palace concentrating on the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical rooms exquisitely restored to their former splendour by the Emperor Napoleon I, King Louis-Philippe, and Napoleon III. Incredible maze of rooms, some so beautiful and intricate that they completely overawe. Returned late, cold and very tired. Another Tunisian dish for C, a simple middle-eastern salad comprising tuna, salad, olives and green chilli in a bread roll, then another early night with poor sleep as C's head cold had got worse at Fontainbleu. Thursday 19th May Simple, pleasant day revisiting the Pont-Neuf for breakfast at our cafe near the river then walked to Notre-Dame, St. Michel, and metroed to Parc Montsouris for another charming picnic on our park bench there. Dinner at Montmatre at Chez Eugene Restaurant, desserts truly magnificent, chocolate ice cream for me, Peach Melba for C astounding, but these desserts radically expensive - $20 each! We also bought a watercolour from a fellow who had been painting there for 35 years. 
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Friday 20th May One of the main features of Pigalle which we forgot to mention before, apart from its very elegant, sometimes exquisitely beautiful apartment buildings which are, whether rich or poor, in the most elegant, charming Parisien style (all with shutters and balconies) is that this is the middle-eastern quarter with Tunisians and Algerians along Quai d'Orsay, Turks on the east side and a large Jewish population. Because it is one of the poorest areas of Paris, it is also the quarter for prostitutes, pick-pockets, mercenary shop-keepers, and fleecing hoteliers as we discovered this morning when knowing that we had a train to catch and had no time to argue, our beady-eyed landlady grossly overcharged. Also the quarter for music students and musicians (a conservatoire nearby and there is much cheap student accommodation) and some very rich, well-to-do Jewish gentry living in elegant, Baroque style townhouse apartments. A dear old Jewish gentleman, immaculately dressed, held us up for over 15 minutes extolling Paris' virtues and also those of the Italians, "very kind" he said. Running late with dreadfully heavy suitcases (despite unloading some weight at the Post Office this morning), and battling with them through the metro on a very long trip to Gare de Lyon, we finally arrived at our train hot and flustered in the nick of time. Had to fight with the entire carriage however, to get our luggage on the rack above the seats we had reserved - we were most unpopular. Extremely fast two hour TGV train to Lyon through picturesque, sunny hill country, many of the hills crowned with woodland, south of Ile-de-France, then ascending steeply south of the Seine valley to the broader hills and rolling high country, much of it very rich and some of it quite wild, of Burgundy. Very low clouds and some areas in thick mist until we reached the end of this hill country descending to the Saône Valley at Macon and crossing a barrier of hills marking the beginning of its flood plain toward Lyon where its waters join these of the Rhône. Despite its size, we both like Lyon very much, an ancient (known as Lugdunum to the Ancient Romans, it was their capital in Gaul), interestingly situated and vast city built around the two rivers. Lots of golden hazy sun this afternoon and more than a hint of the mediterranean in the buildings and street plans, and especially the friendly cobblestones underfoot, mass of friendly terracotta roofs, and delightful Italianate-Baroque fountains. Our cheap Michelin hotel opposite the lovely Place Bellecour offering exceptional value and comfort, and sheer aesthetic pleasure with its cordoban and medieval furnishings, spaciousness and tranquillity due to double-glazed windows. Gothic cathedral and Old Town with pedestrian precinct absolutely fantastic nestled between the great river and a precipitous hill. Lots of mediterranean alleys, dark corridors, medieval plazas, superb stone arches and sandstone stairways leading away and up to the Roman ruins atop the hill. We were both sorry not to be able to spend more time here. Saturday 21st May Beautiful, sunny breakfast in the lovely 'Hotel Bayard', hot chocolate and croissants served up on an ancient carved oak table in our bedroom. Slept very well last night. Ravishingly beautiful train trip through the idyllic lyonnais and the spectacular Rhône Alps on a brisk clean morning with low fleecy clouds and white mist yet lots of sunshine. The train followed the Rhône Valley all the way up to Geneva, a beautiful river of constantly changing character. Until Amberieu it is a rich floodplain with occasional steep volcanic hills, densely wooded, suddenly springing from the plain. foreshadowing the vast high marches of the southern Jura and Rhône Alps which almost magically loom up just a few miles east of Amberieu. Wide meadows of grasslands and flowers, especially poppies, in these lowlands giving way suddenly to a wild rugged country of soaring rocks including walls of white sandstone with incredibly gnarled, densely packed trees above and below, the river becoming a fast flowing, boulder strewn channel of pale turquoise waters flanked by reedy marshes. At Culoz, the mountains to the north are particularly dramatic, discreet rugged masses of great altitude bearing down on the imagination with great force, giants holding back the southern uplands of Burgundy. Finally the train, following the river, passes up through a narrow gap onto the low plateau of Geneva flanked to the north by the southern Jura, to the south by the Pre-Alps. This plateau after Geneva widens considerably to become the vast 'Mittelland' of Switzerland. SWITZERLAND Customs at Geneva very quick and efficient, and we noticed spotlessly clean (sterilised?) floors everywhere at the station. Following the north shore of Lake Geneva, almost an inland sea whose southern side barely visible on a hazy morning in spring, is dominated by the spectacular alpine massif of Mont Blanc (4807 metres), past lovely vineyards and holiday villas on the gentler northern shores to Lausanne. Very nice student hotel accommodation in a light and airy, sunny and extremely quiet room of an old building just up the hill from the station. Lausanne a rather sleepy, quiet little town built on a very steep slope above the lake which is sufficiently wide at this point to give something of a seaside atmosphere. Very pleasant afternoon exploring Lausanne's three major attractions. First the winding cobbled streets and alleys of the extensive medieval town, very steep with beautiful classical squares and cobbled plazas. Today being a Saturday, there is a carnival market atmosphere complete with bottle jugglers, contortionists and other medieval sideshows attracting much attention. Secondly we visited the huge Gothic Cathedral built high up on a ledge overlooking the city and the lake, magnificent proportions though interior decoration much simplified since the reformation. Thirdly, after a rudimentary dinner of spaghetti flavoured with some admittedly delicious 'saumon fume' (horse was also on the menu at this filthy, dirty but interesting establishment in a very sleepy corner of town), we went for a steep walk down a winding tree lined boulevard to the lake shores. Very romantic in a sunset glow. Fantastically beautiful gardens and parklands full of rich displays of rhododendrons, azaleas and camileas amidst towering trees of countless species, some in rather theatrical wild looking groves, and the most gorgeous sloping lawns of lush green grass perfect for rolling on. Also some magnificent modern Neo-Classical sculptures in this idyllic garden (in which we saw hardly a living soul except ourselves), and a beautiful and very romantic promenade by the lake complete with classical stone coves at regular intervals and a delightful c hâteau silhouetted against the sunset glow at its westernhead. Across the wide waters in a slight but constant, pleasant breeze, we watched the myriad of lights appear in the deepening twilight, now making out unmistakeably the dark silhouette of Mont Blanc. Lights seemed to twinkle even up to about half way from the summit of its huge dark form, and as the sky turned a darker purple we decided to slowly walk back to our peaceful room. An excellent and undisturbed night's sleep. Sunday 22nd May After a delicious early breakfast, Lausanne very peaceful on a Sunday morning, relaxing in crisp full sunshine outside the charming breakfast cafe opposite the Gare, we continued our rail trip up the Rhône River. Some magnificent views at the end of Lake Geneva towards the Vaud-Alps on the left, and then following the Rhône towards St. Maurice through a beautiful sun drenched valley thick with vineyards and forests with excellent views to the right towards Mont Blanc. The two mountain massifs almost meet at Martigny where the Rhône flowing rapidly through a gap, turns abruptly north towards Lake Geneva from its upper course in the Valais-Alps. This also marks a boundary between the Protestant Vaud and Catholic Valais cantons, the former, French speaking, the latter bilingual with German predominating in the valleys east of Siere. Made friends and exchanged addresses with a delightful old Romanche couple, the Butty's, retired to Gland on the shores of Lake Geneva. Monsieur Butty who could speak only French and Romanche, originally came from the Grisons, a tough, stocky former red-head with freckled skin who seemed to have climbed the summit of nearly every mountain in Switzerland, and who became especially familiar with the spectacular Valais-Alps we were now passing, during his service in the second world war. Both extremely charming and friendly and waved us goodbye vigorously when we left the train at Visp, having given us an excellent road map of Switzerland and a standing invitation to stay with them at Lake Geneva. The soaring sublime beauty of the snow capped peaks in the rugged and permanently glaciated Walliser Alps is indescribable, the upper Rhône Valley one of the most romantic places on earth. From Visp it is a breathtaking 1.5km steep climb by rack-railway to the picturesque village of Zermatt under the ever watchful eye of the exquisitely beautiful towering form of Europe's most spectacular mountain, the Matterhorn (4477 metres). As Zermatt is reached only by rail from Brig or Visp, the resort is traffic free and exceptionally tranquil and serene. Our room at 'Hotel Mischabel' right in the middle of town, a gorgeous old, rambling place in the best Swiss style, has the most perfect permanent panorama from its balcony on the 5th floor of the mighty Matterhorn, today against a blue sky, a jagged dazzling white. Also from our room we look directly across to the Parish church with its typical and lovely Swiss spire and beautiful set of bells pealing loudly every 15 minutes and today with bell-ringers for services. Having booked in and discovered that neither of us knew much German, we went for a walk up the street of hotels and shops in Valais timber style, past the tragic Monte-Rosa Hotel where Whymper stayed (Englishman who first conquered Matterhorn but losing most of his party in June 1865), to Old Zermatt on a little hill past the Church with its true Valais chalets and delightful burnished mazots, a kind of small barn. At the south end of Zermatt we then crossed a bridge over the Vispa Matter, a rushing torrent over a bed of smooth pale boulders, and followed a steep winding track through lush mountain pastures and rocky woodland, to the Gorner Gorges, spectacular gorges which are viewed from a ledge platform built out precariously from the sheer rock faces - at the foot of the ravine, a ferocious, surging mass of white water. Magnificent clear blue sky and a very warm sun as we continued our walk from the gorge to Blatten, a little village of mazots and a small whitewashed chapel built in the 1600's, nestled amongst the old timber huts with slate roofs surrounded by very fertile green pastures sprinkled with spring wildflowers just beginning to bloom. An exquisite, relaxing walk to finish of a perfect day in this wonderful place. Monday 23rd May Woke up to another brilliant blue sky with a breathtaking look at the Matterhorn from our balcony before descending four floors to breakfast - delicious ham and old swiss fiume (cheese). Main trip today took us on the highest open air, rack-railway in Europe to Gornergrat (altitude 3131 metres). Very slow, steep climb on the way up with incredible views of Zermatt in the valley below moving further away as the snow capped mountain peaks drew closer. The Matterhorn of course, more stunning than ever perched against a brilliant blue backdrop. Saw a beaver type animal running on the snow which we found out was called a "marmot". Gornergrat absolutely stupendous with its glaciers, snow and mountain peaks all around and a warm sun shining down on this expansive snow country so high up. Both of us had some difficulty with shortness of breath at this high altitude and felt a little light headed. Very tranquil, peaceful scenery which made you want to take up skiing, mind you, not being in the height of the tourist season helped also as there weren't many people around. POSTCARD 1: ZERMATT 1616 m – 'Matterhorn 4478 m Mt. Cervin'
[Written 23rd May] A further note to say that we loved Lyon and Laussanne! But had an awful 3 days in Pigalle, no longer old quarter now given up to very seedy types indeed! We walked up the “Gorner” gorges yesterday to a lovely alpine meadows and still dotted with spring flowers. Poppies everywhere in France over the last fortnight, especially in Loire Valley. We had real heat wave, several days over 30 degrees C, and one cold spell less than 6 degrees C at Fontainbleau five days ago, which did not do my cold much good. Cold but very healthy air and sunshine here. Every language spoken! Very expensive place to eat though cheap to stay. Mountains unbelievably tall and beautiful all under thick snow.
POSTCARD 2: ZERMATT - 'Stellisee 1627 m, Ried 2503 m'
[Written 23rd May] Just to let you know a very relaxing sunny few days in Zermatt although I went up too quickly to the Gornergrat (1313 metres) on the rack railway – highest railway in the world – and felt a bit light headed. The snowline is still quite low, extending down to not far above Zermatt. Hotel Mischabel is quite cheap and very tranquil with a balcony opening out to a staggering view of the Matterhorn. Not that you have to do anything much to see it, just lookup. The DMark exchange rate is terrible, an effective loss to us of 28% of the original value of our traveller’s cheques (in DM) so I have been using American Express and Mastercard to maximise our savings – they operate directly with Aus$ which are quite good at the moment. Tuesday 24th May Decided to take a picnic lunch and go for a walk today. Intended to go to Furi but decided that the track leading the Schönbielhϋtte (2694 metres) looked more interesting. Humidity quite high in Zermatt at 1616 metres and the sun felt very hot. A steep climb at first until we reached Zmutt, a small village on the edge of green pastures, looking down onto the Matter Vispa. We basically took our time and had a lovely relaxing hike. On the higher side past Zmutt, the track became narrower and twisted its way closer to the edge of the steep ravine which fell away sharply towards the water. Once we were up in the high pastures with the goat's bells clanging and tinkling away with every move and looking at the snow capped peaks above them, the story of "Heidi" came to life before our eyes, a most idyllic scene. This was the closest we got to the Matterhorn staring straight at it from across the river (aprroximately 2400 metre altitude). We would have gone most of the way to Schönbielhϋtte except that the track was still covered in snow in many sections and we did not fancy slipping and sliding all the way down into the Matter Vispa. By the time we returned to Zermatt, five and a half hours of walking was pretty good going. The day was wonderfully romantic and relaxing. Wednesday 25th May This was going to be our cable-car trip to the Klein Matterhorn (3886 metres - 12,684 feet). The main reason for going up was because of Schwarzsee where the Matterhorn is reflected in a small lake in a rocky verdant basin. This section was closed until mid-June however, and not having enough cash anyway, we walked back into town and took the Gornergrat train again. Just as beautiful this time around, possibly more dramatic with fantastic white clouds billowing behind the Matterhorn. On the way down, we only went as far as Riffelalp where we continued the last part on foot. A picturesque walk descending quite steeply through forests of fir, larch and spruce trees with views of the Matterhorn at various points and the sun shining through the branches with so much warmth, all we felt like doing was to flake out on a patch of beautiful grass soaking up the sun, the smell of the countryside and the trees and the lovely clean air. Finished the day with a gorgeous meal in a local Taverna* style restaurant - very cheap but beautifully presented, especially the dessert. Our last night in Zermatt and feeling sad that we cannot stay a bit longer. *"Jungerstube", usually parly a cellar, often with underground basenent and bench-type seats. Thursday 26th May After arriving at Brig for early lunch (or late breakfast), we left Switzerland via the Simplon Pass through one of the longest tunnels in the world, and descended into the beautiful post-glacial valleys of Northern Lombardy. Following a broad but cascading river down through some incredibly steep, beautiful and densely forested ravines, most peaked with sharp volcanic pinnacles, we immediately noticed an intense increase in humidity and warmth and also in the variety and richness of the vegetation, clearly a very much wetter and warmer climate prevailed. ITALY As we descended, still in ravines but now less sheer than before, we noticed palm trees and citrus fruits together with all manner of vines around the first little Italian villages (very isolated) through which the line passed. Sitting in front of us a little old Italian redhead in an oversized hat and tartan coat, offered the lady next to him a sip of red wine from a bottle he was carrying for the journey. As we descended further, the valley we were following flattened out somewhat and a thick warm haze rose up before us, growing thicker as we reached the the little town of Stresa beside the glorious shores of magical Lake Maggiore. This was one of the nicest towns we visited in Europe, rustic yet elegant, eccentric yet homely, relaxed with no need to hurry. Many of the older houses or "villas" are in a style virtually unchanged since ancient Romans built their villa resorts in what they called Cisalpine Gaul, straight classical lines and generous proportions, elegant often carved overhanging eaves, warm earth-coloured stucco walls, sometimes decorated under the eaves with a classical geometric pattern painted in a ribbon (and always at the front a cross, crucifix or "virgin enshrined"). The walk from the station in a sunny, winding, cobbled alley under parrot palms and past quiet country gardens full of virginia creeper, roses, wisteria, and citrus groves made us feel very much at home. After unpacking in our lovely fourth storey luxury room with huge windows and balcony overlooking the spectacular lake dotted with tropical islands, we decided to go for a lakeside walk to explore and within two minutes flat were sitting in an otherwise empty cruise launch being taken for visits to the major islands -an absolutely fantastic afternoon. Most beautiful of these was Isola Bella, where the Borromea Palace and gardens are one of the most spectacularly wonderful sights of Europe, both eccentric and artistic beyond comparison, a flavour to be savoured for many hours although we had but one and a half. As the island of Isola Bella can only be visited by boat from Stresa, it has a deliciously isolated feeling, especially today in this intense close heat and humidity, and under a gathering and very mighty thunderstorm. We found the palace and gardens of the Borromea family as stunningly beautiful and also as strange as anything we have seen with its hundreds of rooms, multitude of grotto rooms built from shells, and its beautiful Baroque-Italianate banqueting halls, all with superb views over the lake from generous, though sometimes haunting, windows and balconies. The town, although tiny, very beautiful with its fishing villas, cobbled alleys and tropical outdoor tavernas with lakeside vistas. Just arrived back in Stresa as the storm was breaking and watched it, complete with forked lightning, all around and on the lake itself, with heavy drops of warm rain falling from a very dark sky. Reached the hotel just in time to hear an American lady on being told that dinner was at 7.30pm, exclaiming "Gosh that's incredibly LATE!" and being told in reply, "You ARE in Italy now Madam!!!" After some initial difficulties with the new language, managed to order a very nice meal at the hotel, finishing with the best item of all - magnficently decomposing Gorgonzola cheese - tons and tons of it!! After dinner we were able to fit in a warm evening walk beside the lake where we saw lots of fireflies (actually beetles and also known as 'lightning bugs') in the lakeside bushes. Friday 27th May In Stresa as in the rest of Italy, we found a dualism between impatience and serenity: a charming, romantic courtesy and chivalry on the one hand, and a vulgar, brutal rudeness, sharp or sloppy, on the other hand, not infrequently in the same person. This morning we decided to take the train to Milano, ancient capital of Lombardia where we found these qualities and this dualism in abundance. Lomardy, known to the Romans as Cialpine Gaul, has been a well defined area of political, cultural and racial identity since Pagan times, and before 1848, was for many centuries a separate country with its own rulers. Its population of Italicised Celts or Celticised Italians, was hemmed in and defined by the Swiss Alps to the north and mountains of Liguria to the south, to the west by the war-like hill country of Piedmont and to the east by field marshes west of Venice. We found this morning's train trip from Stresa to Milan very enjoyable and interesting at first, along the idyllic shores of the lake then down into a smiling sunny, undulating country of forest, gardens and plantations (mostly poplar). Very tranquil and inviting,, something of an earthly paradise in fact and reminding us both of Vivaldi's "Seasons". Closer to Milan in late morning the train entered the flat plain of Lombardy, growing appreciably hotter and hazier on an airless, stifling day, and we began passing mile after mile of factories and poor high density housing, humanised to some extent by the colourful, haphazard sight of countless loads of washing strung out to dry between windows and balconies. Milanese on the train, rich and humble alike, very respectably turned out in generally beautiful clothes. Magnificent looking creatures too, if somewhat haughty, as evidenced by the princely looking fellow in our compartment who walked out every time an American lady opened her mouth. Very much like Lawrence Olivier in 'Pride and Prejudice' we thought! At Milan we walked from Mussolini's Neo-Romantic railway station's modern classical lines with Romantic references to ancient Roman architecture, a fine building despite the Fascist connotations, to the magnificent Duomo (cathedral) in the centre of town. As the city was severely polluted, the air close and stifling, we had to take many stops and at first detoured through some beautiful public gardens with glimpses of utterly superb gardens not unlike rainforest walled in near the Villa Belgioso, now a Gallery of Modern Art. Finally arriving after nearly passing out from petrol fumes, we were not disappointed with this marvellous white marble cathedral (affectionately referred to as the "Wedding Cake") with its countless delicate spires bristling from a broad Gothic hall commenced in 1386 under Duke Visconti. Very dark and rather oppressive inside - perhaps too broad after French cathedrals. Ridiculously long bus trip back to the station which took us all through the city, and then stony-faced bureaucrats impatient and unhelpful at the station. Missed our train and had to wait hours for another, in the intervening period, noting the aristocratic beauty and pleasant speaking voices of the locals, many of whom have dark red wavy hair and serenely beautiful features - almost lithe and elfin like. Returned to our deliciously peaceful lakeside hotel for another devastatingly dramatic thunderstorm with lashing rain, forked lightning and booming thunder under a black sky - all watched from the huge window of the dining room where we once again had an elegant dinner finishing with Gorgonzola cheese. Saturday 28th May A long but fascinating day of train travel today, changing at Milan after a hasty railway pizza, for a beautiful trip through increasingly sunny land across the Ticino and the Po rivers into the gentle north sloping vineyards and pleasantly untidy pastures clotted with red poppies of southern Lombardy, bounded by the sudden wall of the Ligurian mountains. Also saw much lowland, some flooded and all very beautiful and green, given over to rice fields, especially in the area between the Ticino and the Po. This time shared our cabin with a very serious looking older pair of Italian women and in complete contrast, a pair of very high-spirited, wild tomgirls heading for a weekend by the sea, one with the wild, youthful beauty of a gypsy waif, the other with a more ordinary, classical Italian beauty. Both more full of mischievious energy than anyone we had encountered in two months of travel, yet also with a sunny, Italian helpfulness. After crossing the mountains it is a vey sudden, steep and short descent through the terraces of Liguria and some very long tunnels to the salt smelling port of Genoa, at the head of the Italian Riviera. This ancient seafaring town was once a powerful city state which numerous colonies and its people still have an air of proud independence about them. A lovely old town with rambling streets and a beautiful harbour, reminding us a little of Sydney's Rocks area due to its mouldy, cobbled alleyways, some quite steep, between well built but crowded terraces. In one such winding alley we discovered a damp and deteriorating little trattoria offering an excellent and highly distinctive local "green" minestrone (tasting like Genoa's harbour). At another table in a corner the curly headed, crusty natured and rather swarthy proprietor was engaged in animated conversation with his family over their own lunch, pleasantly oblivious to us. The trip from Genoa to Pisa along the mediterranean coast is absolutely and spectacularly magnificent, particularly the Ligurian section along a very rugged coast to La Spezia. Grey turquoise waters, rocky promontories, numerous tunnels and rich, warm vegetation. Soon after La Spezia, a range of mountains marches down to and then away from the coast and the coastal plains of Tuscany begin, surrounded by high ranges and rimmed with peaks. Here we began to see many olive trees and also a type of cane grass not unlike sugar cane. After the densely forested Apuan Alps of southern Liguria, Tuscan countryside around Pisa is strangely flat and sandy, although closer to the Arno a harmonious mixture of vineyards, cypresses, olives and Tuscan pines meet the surrounding wheat fields in a very pleasing way, and the leaning tower of Pisa rises up in union with this scene to be viewed from the train for some miles before the town itself is visible. We were greeted at the station by a deluge of rain and a storm which passed over during our taxi trip (some distance) to our incredibly beautiful, dusty, rundown hotel right next to the piazza adjoining the tower. Overjoyed with our superb room in this former palazzo and now a budget hotel, and after dinner, a marvellous evening walk to photograph the tower against colourful post-storm and sunset sky. We returned to our room and fell asleep looking at the marvellous hand painted frescoes on our Renaissance ceiling. Very quiet, dark and peaceful, hence a fantastic night's sleep. Sunday 29th May A clearer morning after yesterday's rain and our first goal was to climb the stairs to the top of the leaning tower before catching our early afternoon train to Florence. Extraordinary feeling walking up the spiral staircase inside the tower as you perpetually felt your weight being drawn towards the downhill slope which changed constantly as you circled your way around. Magnificent views of Pisa from the top. Looking at the tower from outside, the structure was also a strange sensation as your eyes felt as though they were playing tricks on you with your mind trying desperately to straighten the lean or the landscape. Finally dragged ourselves away from the tower and briefly looked into the cathedral, confronted by a beautiful sound of Italians singing in Mass on Sunday morning. POSTCARD: PISA – 'The leaning Tower seen from the Museum of "The Opera del Duomo"' [Written 1st June] Thank you very much for your letter sent to Zermatt. Zermatt and Stresa both absolutely magnificent and in great contrast – from ice and snow to palm trees, wisteria and today in Pisa sugar cane (!) and olive trees. Milano beautiful but unbelievably stifling and polluted. More red hair in Milan and Lombardy than in Scotland and lots of Welsh looking people with fair skin and freckles.
Returned to our budget (yet magnificent) hotel hoping to have a taxi ordered for us. The proprietor instead giving directions to C for a taxi phone, 500 metres down the road where we could phone for one ourselves. No luck with this as the phones were not connected. We were then told to wait across the road where we could hail one down as it came around the corner. As I stood there for one hour or more, C tried across the road at another hotel but our proprietor refused to let them ring!!! The proprietor then resorted to riding his bicycle down the road to see if he could find one but to no avail. Eventually we had wasted so much time without any success that the proprietor (feeling his honour was at stake), was prepared to drive us to the station himself. Meanwhile, C had been to another hotel who rang immediately for us. Just as the car had been reversed out of the garage, the taxi rolled up. We thanked the hotel owner for all his trouble and managed, one and a half hours later, to reach the station in time to catch our train!!! Fast train through increasingly pleasant Tuscan landscapes at the zenith of their beauty in transition from spring to summer, in some places a mass of wildflowers, in others, fields of waving grass bordered by tall poplars under a hot sun. Increasingly undulating. Florence on the Arno, a flat dish of ancient buildings surrounded by verdant hills and ridges. Dragged our suitcases through this ancient city of narrow cobbled streets to the delightful 'Morandi Hotel' and a lovely room with classical proportions. This afternoon visited the huge Renaissance Cathedral with its glorious dome and climbed to the top of the campanile (bell tower), some 400 steps and the equivalent of an eighteen storey building with a marvellous sunset panorama of Florence and the surrounding hills. Our first suspicious experience involving my camera occured while taking photos of the Duomo. Two Italian boys came up to me begging me take their photo in front of the Baptistry. We had some difficulty shaking them off until a photo was taken so I took one, and then they wanted to take a photo of us. Intuition told me to hang on to my camera and when we discovered they weren't Florentines but Neopolitans, C explained that we only had one photo left and we wanted a picture of the cathedral. Eventually they walked off much to our relief. They appeared very friendly which is also a cunning trick to run off with your camera as soon as it is in their hands!!!! You were hard pressed to tell if they were genuine or not. Thank goodness for intuition! Monday 30th May Ran out of steam to some degree today and spent a leisurely day meandering our way around Florence, stopping at various sculptures and buildings for closer inspection. Lunch was in a small restaurant, pleasant and uneventful until two American girls arrived. The waiter immediately handed them a menu and asked them what they wanted to order. When they said they weren't ready to order in Italian, the waiter replied in English as he turned and stomped back to the kitchen, "No need to hurry - take all the time you want. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow morning." A true example of an Italian waiter. Tuesday 31st May Because of our lazy day yesterday, we had some catching up to do with sightseeing and laundry. First stop was the Piazza San Marco with its cathedral, Fra Angelico Museum and Galleria dell Academia containing Michelangelo's 'David' and his magnificent series of monolithic studies in marble and his staircase in the Lorenzo Library. Spent the afternoon in the Uffizi Palace built by the Medici's for their civil administration and now housing Florence's most celebrated, extensive and brilliant galleria of paintings from Early Gothic right through to Romantic, and particularly notable for its Renaissance collection (arguably the best in Europe and perhaps in the world). We concentrated on the Botticelli room and that of Leonardo da Vinci with some time also spent with Lippi, Tintoretto and, as a diversion, the corridor of Julio-Claudian heads (ancient Roman). The tourist season has well and truly begun with e.g. the loud American in the Fra Angelico museum, proclaiming that the 'Coronation of the Virgin' was "just another christmas card"; a yound GI (crewcut) type having hands on experience of every painting he passed; and Japanese taking flash photographs especially when they were specifically told not to. It is a wonder that there is anything left for us to see. Bought some interesting watercolours from a Gypsy girl which reminded us of Chagall and also of 'Madeleine and the Bad Hat' (circus figures). This evening I developed a headache so C had dinner alone at an outdoor taverna near the Uffizi with the first stars just coming out, reporting a particularly clear, deep purple night sky with comparatively clean, brisk air. Next: June 1988 |
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