Journal Entries
Visiting Vence, France
Posted Jul 3, 2007
Vence, in Provence, is just far enough away from the coast to be comfortable. It's perhaps an hour by car north of Antibes and Cannes, a little bit nearer to Nice.
The old town is surrounded by its ancient walls and there are gates through which to enter the more or less traffic free zone. It's a charming, olde worlde, quaint and very lively town with lots of small shops and many local traders. Lively, is the word for Vence.
To the north, the Col de Vence beckons. And a walk up there is a walk into what I imagine heaven must be like. As we strolled through the gorse and the butterflies I was assailed on all sides by the the scent of lovely flowers which grow there in abundance. After all, this is not so surprising since we are not far from the town of Grasse, the capital of the French perfume industry. Up there on those hills we were checked-out by 3 dogs on patrol, a warning notice told us to expect them; one was a Pyrenean mountain dog, the others a beagle and a terrier. They were friendly enough but when we approached they quickly ran off, barking to warn the farmer of our presence.
From our rooftop terrace in Vence we had a wonderful view of the coast, including the infamous sunny place for shady people, and when we visited there we drew the attention of a suspicious guard who rudely informed us that we were on private property although we were proceeding on the public road and had merely stopped to consult our map. Such is the fear and angst which follows the life of the ordinary Riviera billionaire.
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Latest reply: Jul 3, 2007
Visiting Vence, France
Posted Jul 3, 2007
Vence, in Provence, is just far enough away from the coast to be comfortable. It's perhaps an hour by car north of Antibes and Cannes, a little bit nearer to Nice.
The old town is surrounded by its ancient walls and there are gates through which to enter the more or less traffic free zone. It's a charming, olde worlde, quaint and very lively town with lots of small shops and many local traders. Lively, is the word for Vence.
To the north, the Col de Vence beckons. And a walk up there is a walk into what I imagine heaven must be like. As we strolled through the gorse and the butterflies I was assailed on all sides by the the scent of lovely flowers which grow there in abundance. After all, this is not so surprising since we are not far from the town of Grasse, the capital of the French perfume industry. Up there on those hills we were checked-out by 3 dogs on patrol, a warning notice told us to expect them; one was a Pyrenean mountain dog, the others a beagle and a terrier. They were friendly enough but when we approached they quickly ran off, barking to warn the farmer of our presence.
From our rooftop terrace in Vence we had a wonderful view of the coast, including the infamous sunny place for shady people, and when we visited there we drew the attention of a suspicious guard who rudely informed us that we were on private property although we were proceeding on the public road and had merely stopped to consult our map. Such is the fear and angst which follows the life of the ordinary wealthy Riviera billionaire.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Jul 3, 2007
Visiting Ostrava & The Ash Mountains, Czech Republic
Posted May 15, 2007
Ostrava, a 350,000 population city is a down-at-heel mining town in Northern Moravia near to the Polish border. The scars left by Nazism and Communism still show. One saving grace is the fine Theater named after Dvorak; he was incidentally the composer of the New World Symphony which became famous as the first piece of music to be played on the moon.
There is a reasonable hotel on the outskirts of the metropolis and it is the 4-star Hotel Atom, where British PM John Major once stayed, and which is where we stayed for 3 nights; all 25 of us and our bus driver.
Visiting Ostrava I recalled a 1960s poem about the City of Leeds by Irish Poet Christie Brown who observed that Leeds was "between standing up and falling down". It rather captures the Ostrava mood.
One excursion worth mentioning was the visit to the not too distant birthplace of Sigmund Freud. Oustide the front door of the old Freud residence I relaxed on a bronze full-size psychiatrist's couch complete with the Freudian quip - sit down and think, stand up and act - inscribed along its base.
The Ash Mountains Region (a 13th century gold rush attracted the first settlers) is only a little over an hour or so's journey to the west of Ostrava. And so we went to look. And there, an abundance of pure nature; cool fresh air, greenery, wild flowers, sparkling brooks and rivers, quiet lanes, walking trails and so on, all situated amid the pleasant mountain scenery rising gently to 1,300 mtrs was just the tonic! I may well return.
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Latest reply: May 15, 2007
Visiting Bad Ischl, Austria
Posted May 6, 2007
The small town of Bad Ischl is situated in the Austrian Lake District, the Salzkammergut, and is about an hour by bus from Salzburg. There is no lake at Bad Ischl itself but there are several within easy reach by road and rail, mountain bike or on foot. Ischl is an historical town for it's here that Kaiser Franz Joseph signed his famous 'letter to my people' which kicked off the sequence of treaties and alliances that led to the Great War. You can see the actual letter on the Emperor's desk if you take a guided tour through his summer residence a short gallop from the villa of Frau Schratt and Austrian actress with whom he was romantically 'involved'.
Many notable personages used to holiday in Bad Ischl in the glorious days of old - Alfred Nobel and Johannes Brahms being two of the most famous, apart from the Austrian Kaiser of course. A couple of nearby spots worth exploring are Lake Wolfgangsee, made famous by the song of the White Horse Inn, and Lake Halstattersee one of the most scenic spots in all Austria, flanked by the Dachstein Massif.
As the name implies Bad Ischl is the site of a thermal bath and in winter you can swim outside in a steaming pool and admire the snow all around.
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Latest reply: May 6, 2007
Visiting Venezia, Italia
Posted Apr 23, 2007
Venice is a precious gem and it's always great to be there even if it is expensive and impossible to get a decent meal. It stinks a little, it's mostly very crumbly and pink above water, and there's a lot of rubbish lying around. All a little bit like me really.
No cars is really great!
We had a great week and even went to the Lido where Mrs. LL put her toes into the waves. On the cultur front we attended two rather expensive but enjoyable performances, The Barber of Seville and La Traviata, both held in a private Palazzo. There was nothing on at the Fenice while we were there.
Another highlight was a performance by an English Girls School (from somewhere in Derbyshire) at the English Church in Venice. It was a charity event to raise money for some reconstruction work that's going on there. The scaffolding is up anyway. The roof has been done. Now they're on with the walls.
Is Venice sinking? Well, cracks are certainly appearing! Crumbling into the lagoon more than going under I'd say. She may finally sink slowly and painfully, rather like an old lady going to bed.
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Latest reply: Apr 23, 2007
Lucky Llareggub - no more cannibals in our village, we ate the last one yesterday..
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