Archive for the ‘Journal’ Category

Lyon: Croix-Rousse and Vieux Lyon

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

In many ways, Lyon is like a smaller version of Paris, with avenues and avenues of lined boulevards at its heart, and a business district in a separate part of the city. We boarded the TGV in Paris this morning, and since then have enjoyed warmer temperatures and sunnier skies. The city is shaped by the Rhône and Saône rivers that converge to the south of the centre forming a peninsula.

Staying on the ‘island’, we’ve had the ‘Part Dieu’ business district to the east, ‘Vieux Lyon’ old town to the west and the hills of ‘Croix-Rousse’ to the north. Dominating the skyline is the Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica and the TV tower, which replicates the last part of the Eifel Tower in Paris. Both Vieux Lyon and Croix-Rousse are UNESCO Word Heritage sites, and the ancient architecture is clear to see.

This afternoon saw us discover the slopes of Croix-Rousse. The part of the city that once housed all the silk workers, it’s not as pretty as the medieval Vieux Lyon across the river. The French have a great outdoor eating evening tradition, and here it’s arguably even more visible than in Paris, the doors of the old restaurants in the ancient town flung open, with chairs and tables crammed together on wobbly cobbles. And, with Lyon’s reputation as the gastromic capital of France, this evening’s meal in the ancient town was just as good as you would expect of a city with such a reputation.

Paris: Printemps, La Défense and Parcs des
Buttes Chamont

Monday, May 31st, 2010

One of the joys of Paris is its eternal beauty, and nowhere is this better seen from than the ninth floor rooftop of Printemps, one of the two Grand Magasins which can trace their history back to the 1930s. The panoramic vistas span the whole city, with landmarks at every turn. To the south west the Eifel Tower, to the north west the Sacré Coeur, to the west the Arc de Triomphe and directly south, the Opera Garnier. One of the best finds of Monday morning, it really is worth making the trip up the endless escalators to the open terrace. If you’re at all interested in photography, your efforts will be rewarded.

A Metro out to La Défense provided photographic opportunities of a different kind. The largest purpose-built business district in Europe, the site traces it roots back to 1958, and with the exception of the Montparnasse Tower, all of Paris’ skyscrapers are out in the 400-acre area.

The Grande Arche is of course the centrepiece; the 108m-high structure is so placed that it forms a secondary axis with the two highest buildings in Paris, the Eiffel Tower and the Montparnasse Tower, while the top of the building houses an exhibition gallery. The sides house government offices. With such a stunning and imposing yet impossibly modern landmark, the La Défense site is yet another area of Paris worth a visit.

From north west to north east, this afternoon was spent in Parcs des Buttes Chamont, a public garden which is the third largest of its kind in the city. Established in the 1860s, the 61-acre historic park boasts several cliffs and bridges, a grotto with a 20-metre high waterfall, a lake, and several English and Chinese gardens.

At its centre is the belvedere of Sybil, a temple homage which sits on top of a 30-metre high rocky island peak, surrounded by a lake. Vastly different in nature to the most well-known public space in Paris – the Tuileries near the Louvre – plenty of Parisians use the park for recreational activities. From lounging on the lakeside to jogging though the tree-lined avenues, it’s all done here.

It was back to Printemps to end the daylight hours as we started them. Tea under the shop’s 1920s cupola has long been a Paris highlight, and although Nik and Geoff assured me that it was better when the restaurant concession was under previous ownership, it still felt special.

It’s not cheap, but with mirrors strategically-placed on the tables, the stained glass dome shines in its ornate setting. You wouldn’t believe it was taken away in 1939 for fear of war damage, and restored back to its former glory in 1973. Understated beauty and glamour shimmering in the spring sunshine, it sums up Paris perfectly, and was a fitting end to our two-day dash around the city.

Paris: Musee du Louvre, Opera Garnier and
Citroën C42

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

‘Paris has woven its magical spell on me, and I can’t wait for us to go back.’ That’s how I concluded my last Paris entry, and back we are for a relaxing two-and-a-bit days before we head south to Lyon. A mix-up over some ballet tickets mean that we won’t see any performances at Charles Garnier’s beautiful and grand opera house, but it won’t matter.

We’ve already seen so much more and so many different parts of this beautiful city than we did two years ago. Arriving Saturday, we sped across the city after dumping our bags at the hotel to watch Eurovision 2010 in the Happi Bar, in Beaubourg (Israel got the biggest cheer of the night), before shooting back to the hotel to catch the scoring and a late night.

This morning dawned cloudy, and a morning walk to meet Geoff took us through meandering streets and passageways lined with market stalls on the way from Gare du Nord. The Parisians seem to love setting up makeshift stalls and selling their unwanted possessions in the back street boulevards – the areas really do look like garage sales but on a bigger scale.

Vintage Kylie records were bypassed due to restrictions carrying them around the city and getting them home in a full bag, but it was a bustling and charming diversion. Even though we had no ballet tickets, we still made it to the opera house in time to admire yet another piece of stunning Paris architecture, before settling into Brioche Dorée for a pastry and coffee breakfast.

Meeting Geoff at the Louvre, we decided to cross the river and walk up the hill on the east of the city passing St Germain des Pres and the Pantheon to find some lunch. Rue Mouffetard was the destination, and after walking for what seemed like ages in ill-fitting and new shoes, we found La Bistrot Gourmand, where we feasted on three courses for €9.

A bargain, and heartily full and rested, we walked back through the Latin Quarter and the Left Bank, passing the Musee D’Orsay, en route to Citroën’s C42 flagship showroom on the Champs Elysees. Neighbouring Renault a few doors away got a visit, too, and after a quick freshen up back at the hotel, we ventured out for an evening supper.

Chartier proved to be too good to be true, and an awful lot of people had heard good reports about it, too. The queue for the restaurant was out onto the street, so we abandoned plans to eat well but cheaply, and found a local pizzeria instead. Pizzeria Valponi was buzzy, its food was tasty, and nestled in the shadow of the Grand Magazins, it was only a short Metro ride back to the hotel. A busy first day, and one that my feet concluded we’d done too much walking for, but it feels good to be back.

Birthdays, Battlesbridge and Best Buy

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Primarily as we’re there all week for work, we rarely want to journey into London at the weekend, but we made an exception on Saturday for Pippa’s birthday. Celebrating her 30th yet again, she’s back from a four-year long residency in Jersey, and though it perfect to celebrate her special day with friends, some who had visited her across the Channel and some of us who hadn’t.

It was a fun affair, with copious amounts of sparkly stuff to drink, lots of warm finger nibbles and dips, and as her living room filled up, lots of varied people and conversation. The journey to Island Gardens on the DLR was surprisingly easy, while a lack of engineering works on our line meant that we might not be quite so wary next time.

One of the many highlights of the afternoon was Poppi (above), the 10-month old Jack Russell, who can jump as high as a small child, and whose excitement knew no bounds. Another memorable moment came when the same young Nathan asked Steven if he had a girlfriend (clue: he doesn’t, and isn’t interested in females in the slightest). All in all, a fun way to spend an afternoon.

And quite different to the way we spent the latter half of yesterday. In the morning, we walked around a grassy field and took in the Battlesbridge VW Weekend Show at Battlesbridge Antiques Centre (full report at PoloDriver, picture above), while in the afternoon, we headed down to the shopping centre behemoth that is Lakeside, off the M25 at Thurrock.

The main reason for our impromptu visit was a mooch around IKEA, but on the way, we meandered around Decathlon, What! (exactly what we asked ourselves when we saw some the rubbish it sold) and Best Buy, which has only just opened at the Essex retail park. The US-based retailer isn’t as ground-breaking as you might have been led to believe from all the advertising, and we left the store disappointed. The only downside to both a social and busy weekend.

Barbara had a good life

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Yes, I know she was only a chicken, but it’s sad nonetheless. Barbara, our white Sussex Ranger died on Friday morning in the coop, after we think, a short-ish illness. Apparently, all the signs were there (dirty back-end, pale-coloured comb), and the inevitable was, well, inevitable. I don’t think there’s much we could have done for her. We cleaned her up a few weeks ago, and thought we’d sorted out whatever the problem was, but obviously we hadn’t.

She went quietly, though, and looked much the same as she had done for the past few weeks, eyes closed and peacefully asleep. She’s been very quiet recently, seemingly spending most of the daylight hours asleep and resting away from our five other chickens, moving occasionally to peck at the scraps that were thrown in. On Friday, once she’d gone, I moved her to the greenhouse where she was collected by Vic (who was at the house with Andrew cutting a tree down), who disposed of her for us.

Gerry and Margot (who arrived with Barbara two years ago this coming August) seem fine, as do the newer three laying ladies. It’s strange not seeing a white bird in the coop, though. Barbara always let the world happen round her and whether the new arrivals stressed her out, we’ll never know. We do know that we’ve had five eggs a day for the past few weeks and we’re still getting the same number now; Barbara had obviously stopped laying some time ago.