Apr 15 2019

Streak, Storm and Brexit

As I write this in early May, memories of all the events since my arrival in the UK are starting to fade and unless I capture them now they will be lost in mists of my synapses forever.

After two relaxing days with friends in Fort Worth, Texas, it’s wheels down at Heathrow after an uneventful flight from Atlanta on probably the last A340-600 I will travel on as the days of the four engined passenger jet is rapidly coming to an end. The A340 and B747 are gradually being retired. I must admit I still like four engines 4-1 = 3 whereas 2-1 = 1. But technology, efficiency and fuel economy rule the day.

With only two days ‘til Brexit, I am not sure what to expect – queues at the airport waiting to leave, empty shelves at the supermarkets? The next few days may be an interesting experience. In 1997, Anne and I flew into Hong Kong ahead of the handover of the former British Colony to China. We followed each of the ceremonies and were there on the docks at midnight as the Royal yacht Britannia sailed into the night. An interesting experience to be part of History. Will this be a repeat performance?

The Hilton Doubletree had me in my room by 9:30am, a real early check in! Great staff and the benefits of Diamond Status with Hilton Honours, which expires at the end of the month, but that is another story. We have found that staying at an airport hotel for the first night allows us to recover from the overnight flight better before we start catching up with family and friends.

Everything seems very normal. No panic buying, or people fleeing the country. Has it been cancelled? No, it seems that all the activity is within Parliament at Westminster but the MPs cannot reach a consensus on anything. Those freeze dried breakfast meals I purchased at REI in Salt Lake City for emergency rations will be for the next motorcycle trip after all.

A trip to Oxford street, which is very normal, sees me secure a new mobile phone for 0.99 pence and two bottles of Anne’s favourite perfume which is no longer available in Australia! So back to Brexit and I make my way to the centre of everything, Westminster. The crowds are there, but mostly tourists. A few hardy souls, appropriately dressed according to their Brexit belief are outside the gates of Parliament. Slogans are shouted, but it is very cold and these must be the most hard core and enthusiastic of people to be here. A car covered in fresh snow goes by to emphasise the cold. I head back to the warmth of the London Underground.

The Remain supporters

I think they support Brexit

Parliamentary debate with no agreement

Streak and Storm. The reason why I am back in the UK. Since engines off in October 2017, Streak and Storm have slumbered quietly in storage. My cataract surgery in 2018 precluded any adventures that year, but now 2019 the feet are starting to itch again. With the last service in Almaty in Kazakstan, the first item of business is to have the bikes serviced and obtain an MOT so we can put them on the road again. With Matt, the service manager at BMW Mottorad in Oxford having left and the warranty period well and truly expired, we decide to use a local motorcycle business who had previously worked on Anne’s side-stand, to undertake the work.

I arrive at the location where we store the bikes, equipment and clothing. Alan has the bikes out and ready, I pull out my motorcycle clothing, which has travelled twice around the world – all those memories it evokes! I am back on Storm, engine splutters to life and dies, probably the fuel stabiliser, it needs a few revs but I am off. The weather has been kind to me and although cool, the sun is shining and blue sky prevails. I am riding again through the New Forest in Hampshire, avoiding the ponies, watching the dappled light stripe the road as all those great feelings that motorcycling evoke in me flood back. This is glorious, bring on the summer.

Unlike Jack, a friend’s son who rides two horses standing up in the Australian Outback Spectacular, I have no such way to ride two motorcycles, so it takes most of the day to move both bikes, since the only local taxi has existing bookings, but it all works out in the end.

Streak heading for an MOT and Service

The full service for both bikes will take a week as they need to be fitted around other work being undertaken. No problem as I have a few things I would like to do amongst catching up with family and friends.

I have followed Chelsea FC since returning from South Africa as an 8 year old in 1963. While not a fanatical die hard supporter, I have kept abreast of what is happening and watch games on TV when I can. On our many times in the UK in the past decades, I have looked for tickets, but always found them sold out to members. I would love to go to a game but the prices for the ‘special packages’ are AU$ 400-500. I am not paying that price. Purchase of tickets on the secondary market is illegal in the UK, and those tickets are over AU$ 200 each.

I suddenly find tickets are available for a Premier League match against Brighton and Hove Albion in a couple of days. Brighton’s progression in the FA Cub has meant a rescheduled midweek date. I get a ticket in the fourth row for AU$100, Stamford Bridge here I come! Match night sees me heading south from Olympia, spotting a Chelsea blue scarf ahead, I follow, winding my way towards the ground, merging with the ever-growing stream of supporters. The stadium looms large and in a form I do not recognise, except from pictures.

Stamford Bridge April 2019 Chelsea vs Brighton.

I realise that I was last here for a soccer match in 1977, some 42 years ago, Chelsea vs Millwall. Wow time really does fly! In those days, grounds had standing sections and I would be in “the Shed” where the Chelsea faithful & hard core supporters would gather under what was a real shed, posts and a roof only. All that remains today is the old back of wall, which has become a monument to great players of the past. A fitting tribute I think to the “Shed”.

Back at the Bridge after 42 years!

It’s great to be inside, I grab a drink bottle before heading to my seat, the first time I will have ever sat at a football match. No you cannot keep the lid of the drink bottle as you may want to throw it on the pitch, Health and Safety, How far can you throw the top anyway? What a great match 3-0 to Chelsea. I could see all those names from the TV match right there in front of me and loved the atmosphere and chants – not sure about away supporters in the Shed area, but that is progress I guess. Yes I will go again, probably in another 42 years if I can get a ticket at a reasonable price. Note to owner, please get on with building bigger capacity stadium.

The Shuttleworth Collection is an amazing aeronautical museum with both civilian and military aircraft, cars and motorcycles from the 1900’s to the 1950’s, located at Old Warden aerodrome some 50 ml./ 80 km. north of London. I had heard of the collection but knew nothing about it. The collection was started in 1928 by Richard Shuttleworth, an avid aviation enthusiast who later died in a plane crash in 1940. His mother established the Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Remembrance Trust in 1944 and the trust has continued on since that time.

The DH88, Winner of the 1934 England to Australia air race in 70 hrs 54 mins.

1904 Aurora, the origin of the motorcycle is clearly evident

What differentiates this aviation museum from many others I have visited is the fact that the trust aims to maintain the aircraft collection in flying condition and a number of times year they hold flying displays of part of the collection. There is is a huge engineering effort to keep these historic aircraft flying, some require detailed engine overhaul every 20 hours! One is able to see this work undertaken and talk to those involved.

Supermarine Spitfire Vc – allocated to 310 Czech Sqn in 1942

I was fortunate to meet a former trustee and pilot, who I understood from others at the Shuttleworth Trust, was instrumental in keeping the Shuttleworth Trust as a flying rather than static museum concern. He and a friend were kind enough to let me tag along with them as he provided anecdotal information from flight characteristics to acquisitions on the various planes we walked past. A big thank you to both of them for sharing this experience with me. I see the Shuttleworth Trust via its website does capture some such information. I hope they and others continue to do so as sadly, with the passing of time, this is lost if not recorded and provides a direct link to the planes and the lives of those who flew them.

The most vivid memories I have of historical sights I have visited, such has Pearl Harbour or Monument Valley was being guided by someone with an intimate connection, a retired US Marine who was on a battleship in Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941 or a day long private tour off the beaten track, just the two of us with a Navajo guide discussing their culture. We were lucky to have such experiences.

Back to the matters at hand, I was looking forward to riding Streak and Storm back to storage, but they were not ready before my departure from the UK so I had to forgo that pleasure. An overnight stop in Hong Kong to soak up the local atmosphere, then back to Brisbane, home & Anne. Good to be home.

– Anthony

Mar 23 2019

One more Cherry Pie for the Road

My last day skiing and in front of me as is a slice of our favourite Cherry Pie. Sadly only one slice, Anne’s smiling face is thousands of miles away back in Australia working hard while I feast at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Utah for the last time after two weeks of skiing with Australian friends. So unfair you say and I agree, it is not nice to eat cherry pie alone.

Deer Valley’s famous (in my view) cherry pie

How did we get into this strange predicament you may well ask. Are we not the 2slowspeeds, not a single version? In mid 2018 we agreed with good friends David and Marianne that we would ski together in Utah in March 2019, nothing on the horizon could cloud this excellent plan, accomodation booked, flight tickets booked, all we needed to do was sit back and wait for the powder snow to fall on the Wasatch mountains, however it was suggested to Anne shortly afterwards that she apply for a short term Project Management role on a health project in Queensland. Low and behold she secured a contract and returned to the workforce after 5 years of frivolous travelling the world enjoying herself and 12 years prior running her own business. Yours truly used some pitiful excuse about keeping the home fires burning to avoid undertaking such a similar arduous future.

With the project not concluding until April 2019, Anne said that I should still go and our friends believed that they could survive just my presence although Anne would be sorely missed, which she was. Still the skiing has to go on.

We have spent two enjoyable weeks skiing a number of locations around Salt Lake City, including Deer Valley, Park City, Alta, Snowbird and Solitude, the last two of which I had not skied before. We were blessed with a number of Bluebird days and even though US Colleges’ ‘Spring Break’ was in full swing, we were able to find less crowded slopes. I have included a few pictures for those who like snowy outlooks.

Atop the divide at Snowbird, Utah

Aussies ready to go at Alta

First time in Solitude, worth the visit

What about Anne languishing back in Brisbane? Well not exactly. On the day of my departure Anne transferred and flew to a new role based in Cairns with responsibilities in the Cape and Torres Straight, which will extend her contract until the end of June 2019. When I return to Australia at Easter I will look to spend some time in Cairns and we are thinking of maybe take both Australian motorcycles, “The Bird” and “The Bee” up to Cairns to do some riding in the region, which neither of us has done before.

Between now and Easter, I will be in the UK, both to visit family and friends plus look at getting ‘Streak’ & ‘Storm’ roadworthy for our next adventure(s). The precise format of the adventure(s) has not been determined but no doubt we will be poring over maps and blogs to identify possible opportunities for a number of shorter journeys to focus, as we said previously, on spending more time in a country or region.

– Anthony

Oct 27 2018

38-22

Six months have elapsed since the last blog entry and my fingers feel a little rusty as a type away back home in Australia. While I was drafting this blog, Anne had a friend on Facebook ask what were were doing as they had not heard from us for months. So this is timely.

New York seems a distant memory as all our adventures do with the passage of time. So what have we been doing you may ask, planning the next trip, writing our book, sadly not, but our time has been filled with other activities.

My first act upon returning was to seek an eye examination. It had become apparent to me that towards the end of our travels in 2017 my eyesight was deteriorating, especially in low light conditions. Tests revealed that cataracts were the cause and while we all get them gradually, in some cases like mine, the change can come on more quickly. With each eye needing about four weeks’ recovery time after surgery, the whole process would take over three months. We also had our niece, Deanna, coming to visit in July from the UK. The decision was then made that it would be nice to spend the rest of 2018 at home here in Brisbane.

Anthony making friends with the nurse before his op!

Right eye first

Anthony’s cousin Inger and niece Deanna meet for the first time

One must remember that it has been five years since we set off for Europe in September 2013 for what we thought was a nine month stay in Europe, to spend more time visiting our families. We calculated that in those five years we spent 38 months overseas in Europe and travelling on Streak and Storm and only 22 months in Australia, hence the title of this blog.

Since we were to stay in Brisbane for an extended period, we cast an eye over our home and found that a refresh was in order. We had not undertaken any such activity in the 20 years we have owned the place. My pathetic attempts at painting made the decision to bring in the professionals that much easier. Electricians, painters, carpet layers and window shutter fitters have transformed our home and we are very happy with the outcome and completed in a very short timeframe allowing us to enjoy the results so much sooner. Another reason to bring in the professionals.

Renovating called for more decluttering!

I guess by this time you are falling asleep, not a motorcycle or travel adventure in sight – have the 2slowspeeds become domesticated and settling into their couch and hanging up their helmets and leathers? Well, no not quite. As we do not ride pillion with each other and only have one motorcycle, the 2010 Triumph Thunderbird, riding options for both of us were limited. Anne had also found that while riding the Thunderbird was fine, the weight of the motorcycle while parking and manoeuvring a 350 kg/770 lb motorcycle on gravel less than enjoyable. A second motorcycle was needed. With Anne looking for an upright riding position similar to ‘Streak’s’ and after much due diligence, Anne whittled it down to a few interesting choices to test ride. With the BMW F700GS in runout and not available in Australia ahead of the introduction of its replacement early in 2019, the shortlist consisted of the:

– Royal Enfield Himalayan,

– BMWR1200R,

– Honda CB500X and the

– Moto Guzzi V7.

Quite a mixture. We both test rode the Royal Enfield Himalayan and while the bike was fun, the buzz at highway speeds and service intervals concerned us. With my first eye operation taking place, my test riding days were over. Anne found the Moto Guzzi V7 was too front heavy thus eliminating it. Anne enjoyed the BMWR1200R with all the high tech features that she tried but at three times the price of the Honda CB500X, so the decision was made. Anne describes the CB500X as a “Sweet Ride”, and nicknamed it “The Bee” due to the grey and yellow paint scheme. Over a couple of thousand kilometres have been ridden since purchase and the smile on Anne’s face is barely contained in her new Shoei Neotec1 helmet.

Anne riding off with her new Bee

The Bird and The Bee in northern NSW

Carr’s Lookout

Lesson: don’t ride behind a sugar cane truck!

Had a great ride to Tyalgum

Celebrating our anniversary outside Ballandean – it is cold donw there in the middle of winter

Our little cottage for our anniversary – decided it was too cold to camp

Girraween National Park

Girraween National Park

So are we off across Australia next week? Well, no, not quite, Anne has returned to full time employment! Well that was a surprise to both of us. After looking for a little part time work at the local hardware chain “Bunnings”, Anne saw an opportunity to apply for a Project Management role at Queensland Health for a eight month contract. Anne had to dust off her CV which had lain unused for 18 years and undertake a gruelling series of interviews and personality tests over a six week period. The result of which was a job offer as a Project Manager at Queensland health. The end of August saw a boost in business clothing sales in Brisbane as Anne realised the her previous business outfits purchased in the last century were a little dated. With her fashion adviser, me, alongside, we have Anne looking professional and business like.

Anne started work in mid September and will finish the contract in April 2019. She is very brave after being retired for five years and working for herself for the 12 years prior to that with the art business. I do not think that I could go back and work full time with all that it entails, I am very proud of her. I have my own list of tasks that seems to hover in the mid 20’s regardless of how many I complete. Hopefully the list will be finished before the end of Anne’s contract and I can just relax with my feet up.

Had a trip to Alice Springs before Anne started work

Enjoying being home in Manly

Sun going down in Manly

Same time looking the other way in Manly

Our focus for travel has now moved on to 2019. Streak and Storm are sitting in the UK waiting for us. They will need a little work after the exertions of 2017, new tyres are probably just the start. We have a number of ideas but nothing that has coalesced into a trip we want to undertake yet. For now we will just enjoy being in our refurbished home catching up with friends and refilling the coffers with Anne’s hard work for the rest of the year. Let’s see what 2019 will bring, the call of the road for both of us is still out there and will likely only grow stronger with the passage of time.

– Anthony

Mar 28 2018

New York! New York!

Our return trip to Oz coincided perfectly with an art fair in New York which I have participated in many times – time to see if the economic climate is good for me to hold another exhibition there sometime and great excuse to catch up with many friends.

Our timing was perfect as we got to New York the night before most airports on the east coast were closed for a whole day due to a massive snow storm. Luckily, we had our “moon boots” which we had used in Iceland. Just pity our ski bag with Anthony’s skis and most of our winter clothing did not make our flight for some reason, then it could not be sent the next day as the US airports were closed, then there was a strike at French airports! Anyway, Anthony would have enjoyed skiing down the streets of Brooklyn – the ski goggles came in handy though.

Time for ski googles, Brooklyn

Snow is always so magical:

Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Being retirees, with more time but less $$, we decided to stay in an Airbnb in Brooklyn as hotel accommodation in Manhattan has become prohibitive for us. It was a different New York experience for us. The subway is so easy and handy.

Brooklyn braiding stores

Subway Brooklyn to Manhattan

Manhattan

It was worthwhile visiting the art fair every day over the duration of the exhibition, seeing our friends and meeting other gallerists, and checking out the galleries in Chelsea to get a full picture of the New York art scene. Based on what we saw, I won’t be exhibiting there again, not for the forseable future anyway – never say never!

Artwork at the Affordable Art Fair, New York

Close up of the above

After a lovely lunch with our dear friend Suzun, she and I visited a few exhbitions in Chelsea and walked along the fabulous High Line walk, and checked Zaha Hadid’s first building in New York. I’ve always loved Zaha Hadid’s work but I don’t understand why you would choose to spend millions on an apartment that High Line visitors can peer into…

At a Robert Ryman exhibition, Chelsea, New York

Zaha Hadid building, New York

Foyer of Zaha Hadid building, New York

A highlight of this New York trip was a tour of the Rockefeller Centre, the first time in my 11 visits to this city. As an art deco fan, what an absolute feast, made all the more enjoyable by having a very knowlegeable and passionate guide.

You will recognise this iconic, albeit staged, photo of real iron workmen taken in September 1932 to promote its new skyscraper – “Lunch atop a skyscraper”.

Lunch atop a skyscraper, photo taken for the Rockefeller Centre

A bit of background on the Rockefeller Centre for those interested:

Although John D. Rockefeller Jr. spent most of his life engaged in philanthropy, his defining business venture was the creation of the “city within a city”. The largest US project during the Great Depression’s worst years, built on 22 acres, the Rockefeller Centre construction started in 1931, employed over 40,000 people and opened in May 1933. Originally envisioned as the site for a new Metropolitan Opera building, the current Rockefeller Center came about after the Met could not afford to move to the proposed new building. The Rockefeller Center has two main parts: the original center (Radio City, for RCA’s radio-related enterprises such as the Music Hall and 30 Rockefeller Plaza) and the later International-style buildings (for foreign tenants).

Rockefeller believed that art should be an act of good citizenship: despite his priviledge and wealth, he never represented his class in any of the art, but wanted people who saw the building to relate to the people and scenes depicted – such as the long mosaic depicting farmers in simple singlets which was deliberately built at a level that could be seen by workers travelling past in the Elevated train line.

The Rockfeller Centre, New York

The art deco throughout the complex is exquisite:

Handrail, Rockfeller Centre

Floor, the Rockfeller Centre, New York

Mosaic by Barry Faulkner, the Rockfeller Centre, New York

The Rockfeller Centre, New York

The British Empire building, where Ian Flemming wrote James Bond – and, we are told is still the first building to be secured whenever a security threat is apparent – is a mirror image of La Maison Française with the “Channel” running between them.

British Empire works by Carl Paul Jennewien, The Rockfeller Centre, New York

Maison Francaise relief by Alfred Jannoit, The Rockfeller Centre, New York

The Chanel between the British and French buildings, the Rockfeller Centre

British Empire works by Carl Paul Jennewien, The Rockfeller Centre, New York
Maison Francaise relief by Alfred Jannoit, The Rockfeller Centre, New York

The Rockfeller Centre, New York

The Rockfeller Centre, New York

I left a trip up to the Top of the Rock as something to do with Anthony – that will now have to wait for another trip to NYC.

Our visit also coincided with March for Our Lives, a student-led demonstration in support of tighter gun control following the deadly school shooting in Parkland Florida, which took place in major cities across the US and many places around the world March 25th, 2018. Gun control is such a sensitive issue in the US to say the least… It is inspiring to see that school students managed to finally start a serious dialogue on this sensitive issue and fascinating to chat with people at the rally, students, people who had flown to New York for the rally and local residents.

17 year old students from Pensylvania at March for Our Lifes, New York

New Yorker Nicole

March for Our Lives, New York

March for our Lives, New York

March for our Lives, New York

Our last exhibition was such a treat for me. The local Brooklyn museum deserves to be on the list of places to visit by any visitor to New York – it has some exquisite Syrian murals, Egyptian mummies and a copy of the Book of the Dead.

Assyrian alabaster reliefs (circa 883-859BC), Brooklyn Museum

The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago – symbolic history of famous women

Rodin, Brooklyn Museum

And then, we saw “David Bowie Is” – an incredible exhibiton for any David Bowie fan, on its final leg of a 5 year tour (it ends on July 15, 2018). All tickets include bluetooth Sennheiser headphones for a immersive audiovisual experience – the music, dialogue automatically changes as you move around the exhibition – or repeats if you feel like hearing something again. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/davidbowieis. Together with Pink Floyd and Yes, David Bowie has remained a favourite of mine since my teens. What a feast it was.

David Bowie is with Anne

Bye bye Brooklyn.

The next day, we made our long tedious journey home. What an amazing 7 weeks we have had – family, friends, exhibitions, experiences, and discovered (and fell in love) with a new country, Iceland. Now, it’s time to stay home for a while, get that redecorating done, continue the decluttering, catch up with friends, get fit again and welcome several overseas visitors. Ok, yes, and time to plan the next trip, which won’t happen until next year now…

– Anne

Mar 19 2018

Paris – revisiting my birthplace

Where have we been for the past few weeks? UK, France, the US then home for the past 3 weeks, desperately trying to get over nasty bugs we caught. We are on our 3rd batch of drugs and stilll coughing… That’s why we have been so unsociable and have hardly spoken to anyone. Anyway, rewind back to early March.

Anthony’s last ski week, in the French Alps this time, suddenly got cancelled when a friend with whom we were going to ski changed his plans. So we started looking at other places including Chamonix which was on his ski pass. Last minute accommodation was horrendously expensive. But then I had a brilliant idea. While we have returned to the UK and France, where our families live, on average once a year since we emigrated to Australia 30 years ago, time there has pretty much been limited to seeing family for 2-3 days. How about spending a whole week in Paris, revisiting places I hadn’t seen since my last holiday in Paris in 1975 and showing Anthony places he had never seen? He liked the idea too.

First, we spent some precious time with my mum in Kent (it was great to spend a few days away with her, especially after her nasty fall, and be able to cook for my mum for a change), saw Anthony’s sister, our nieces and friends in the UK before seeing my dad, more family and friends in Paris. I am blessed with still having my parents in their late 80s and early 90s, time with them becomes more special every time… Paris is where Anthony first went down with his bug so I ended up wandering the streets of Paris on my own most of the time after a brief outing together in the mornings.

I picked a hotel in the Sorbone, literally across the road from the Sorbone university, perfectly located in the heart of the Latin Quarter to go to most places I wanted to revisit on foot. This area is where I used to sneek to between my 2 trains back home from my Paris boarding school on a Friday afternoon, zipping in and out of so many tiny art galleries, meeting and chatting to artists. Little did I know then I would end up working in the art world!

View from our hotel room window of the Sorbonne

It snowed!

WARNING: this is a long blog and designed for future or past visitors to Paris. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list – just my personal preferences. I hope it is helpful.

So that anyone planning to visit Paris sometime may find some tips here, I’ll list where I chose to go this week, followed by a list of not to be missed places for first time visitors.

My week in Paris:

1. La Tour Eiffel – I cannot visit Paris without spending time admiring La Dame de Fer de Paris, the Eiffel Tower, either during the day or at night. Built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, it was going to be brought down at the end of the exhibition – can you imagine Paris without it?! A great spot to relax and admire this structure is the Champs de Mars, with a picnic or a bottle of wine (or as I did, chatting with Nicole for an hour, a fascinating street lady I came across on a bench with all her wordly possesions). For another fantastic view, walk up to the Esplanade du Trocadero. The Musée de l’Homme (Museum of Mankind) nearby has a cafe/restaurant with another perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Your plastic (credit card) will melt with just drinks, but the location is worth it if you feel like a drink in the evening. Alternatively, for something very French, which I always do when in the area, have a glass of champagne at the Cafe du Trocadero across the place du Trocadero.

La Tour Eiffel

Another bad but mandatory selfie!

2. Berges de Seine – 7kms of roads have been converted into pedestrian and exercise areas on both the right and left bank – we walked along the latest stretch from Pont Notre-Dame up to the Tuileries. Talk about the Berges de Seine to Parisians, be warned most won’t be as enthusiastic about this scheme as it has worsened the traffic jams, pollution and noise levels for locals. The views the ancient buildings and numerous magnificient bridges across the Seine are breathtaking – a perfect place for a gentle stroll. The best way to see Paris!

Berges de Seine, Paris – notice all the bridges

Outdoor exercise activities along the Berges de Seine

3. Les Tuileries – before entering the Tuileries gardens from the Berges de Seine, look back and admire the Louvre courtyard with the glass pyramid. We enjoyed a stop by one of the ponds in the Tuileries gardens, sitting on some of the chairs and recliners set up all around the ponds, enjoying the winter sun, watching ducks, seaguls and even a moorhen. It is amazing to think that my father used to come to this very pond, a few hundred metres from his home, when he was a little boy to play with his toy sailing boat. If you go there, you won’t want to miss the Musée de l’Orangerie – a museum that houses some major impressionist and post-impressionists including Cézanne, Matisse, Renoir and Monet’s “Water Lillies” masterpiece.

The Louvre courtyard from the Tuileries, Paris

Enjoying the sun by a pond in the Tuileries garden, Paris

Question: why are our seaguls in Manly Qld silent. Everytime we hear seaguls, it reminds us of the seaside, but it also reminds us that it is a sound we never hear at home despite being by the sea and all the seaguls there.

4. Musée du Quai Branly – opened in 2006 and dedicated to featuring the indigenous art and cultures of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. There are always interesting exhibitions – I saw two this time, one on art from the pre-Inca period and one titled “Peintures des Lointains” on paintings depicting newly discovered lands and cultures. A few years back I saw a fantastic exhibition on tatoos! Different but fantastic works of art. The museum is surrounded by gardens. Don’t miss the green wall on the Quai Branly street itself: a wall of greenery covers 800 m2 of the facades of the museum, and 150 m2 of the interior walls. It includes 15,000 plants of 150 different varieties, coming from Japan, China, the Americas and Central Europe. Do not miss this Jean-Nouvel creation.

The new Russian cathedral is nearby. Beautiful architecture and also has a museum of icons.

1702 icon of the Metropolites of Moscow

New Paris skyline with the Russian cathedral

5. Pont Bir Hakeim – Being an art deco fan, I wanted to walk across this one of kind, double storey, bridge. You can take the metro and have fabulous views of the Eiffel Tower, but I preferred walking under the elegant art deco arches. This bridge has appeared in a few movies including Inception, Our Kind of Traitor and Le Pont du Nord. Half across the bridge, you can access the Allée des Cygnes, an artificial island leading to a Statue de la Liberté whose cast was used to create the model of New York one.

Pont de Bir Hakeim

6. Les Invalides – I have always admired the fabulous dome of the Invalides, especially at night, but had never spent much time there. The majestic building was built as a shelter for returning injured servicemen. It is situated just down from the pont Alexandre III. The Invalides now consists of the Musée de l’Armée whish has a fabulous multi-media exhibition on the Général Charles de Gaule, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, the Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine as well as the Dome des Invalides and the Panthéon Militaire, a large church containing the tombs of French war heroes such as Napoleon Bonaparte. I hadn’t expected to spend as many hours as I did, and I missed so much.

Pont Alexandre III looking towards the Grand Palais, Paris

Les Invalides

Napoleon’s grave, Les Invalides

7. La Saint-Chapelle – a stunning little gothic chapel which was originally built to house valuable Christian relics such as Christ’s crown of Thorns. The upstairs chapel will take your breath away with its exquisite 15 stained glass windows, each 15 metres high, the stained glass panes depicting 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments recounting the history of the world until the arrival of the relics in Paris.

Sainte-Chapelle entrance level

Sainte-Chapelle stained glass windows

A short walk from the Sainte Chapelle, the Conciergerie was a medieval royal palace that became a revolutionary tribunal and prison where Marie-Antoinette was held is worth a visit.

La conciergerie from the Berges de Seine

La Conciergerie, Paris

8. Le Panthéon – completed in 1790, the Pantheon was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve. It now functions as a mausoleum for the internment of great Frenchmen (72 men and 4 women) such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Voltaire, Emile Zola and Pierre & Marie Curie. It was somehow moving to be in the ‘presence’ of so many great people! The Panthéon is also where physicist Léon Foucault installed a 67 metre long pendulum beneath the dome in 1851 to demonstrate the rotation of the earth.

Le Panthéon, Paris

Graves of Vistor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Émile Zola

Foucault’s pendulum, Panthéon

9. Notre-Dame – the most famous church in France, Notre Dame was completed in 1365 and is a stunning example of French Gothic architecture, beautiful inside and out – take the time to walk down the south side along the Seine which has fewer people than outside the front of the cathedral. I gather the Sunday evensong sound is simply beautiful.

Notre-Dame, east side

10. Le Marais – a historic district in Paris, it is a fabulous place to stroll through on a Sunday when it is bustling with activity: cobbled streets such as Rue des Barres, rue des Rosiers, many outstanding buildings of historic and architectural importance and museums such as the Picasso museum and the house Victor Hugo lived in, and of course lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. A favourite square of mine is the Place des Vosges.

Rue des Barres, Paris

Places des Vosges, Paris

Place des Vosges, Paris

One painting, two views depending on the angle it is viewed from – art gallery Place des Vosges

11. Passages: there are many covered passages in Paris, built mostly in the 19th century, usually covered with glass roofs. Most have many small shops and tea rooms and each one has a distinctive character. We visited the oldest one first, the Passages des Panaromas, built in 1799. This passage leads to Passage Jouffroy and Passage Verdeau.

Passage des Panoramas, Paris

12. L’Institut du Monde Arabe – another favourite museums of mine, dedicated to the Arab world and another Jean-Nouvel masterpiece especially the façade. Inspired by the Arabic architecute, the mashrabiya, a lattice work designed to protect the occupants from the sun and provide privacy, the façade is made of a system incorporating several hundred light sensitive diaphragms that regulate the amount of light that is allowed to enter the building. Interior spaces are dramatically modified, along with the exterior appearance.

Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris

Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris

13. Le Quartier Latin – this where we were based and I walked to all those places from or took a bus to the Invalides. One of the oldest parts of Paris, the Sorbonne University in the Middle-Ages attracted scholars who learned Latin from the world over, hence its name. It is vibrant, artsy, eclectic, has the most number of bookshops imaginable. Its narrow streets, pedestrian lanes, ancient churches, quirky restaurants and vibrant feel makes it the best place in Paris to stay in my opinion. Unfortunately the musée de Cluny, musée national du Moyen-age, at the bottom of our street, was temporarily closed. Worth visit if you can if only to see the Dame à la Licorne tappisery – a middle ages masterpiece. However, amazingly, and only the third time The lady and the unicorn tapestry series has left France in 500 years, it is currently displayed at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney until 24 June 2018!

Quartier Latin, Paris

Musée de Cluny, Quartier Latin, Paris

14. Rue Mouffetard. One of the oldest streets in Paris in the Latin Quarter is beautiful, cobbled and brimming with little restaurants, bars and shops! The best time to visit is at night when the street is buzzing with activity.

Rue Mouffetard, Paris

Here are some must see places for Paris first time visitors, but which I didn’t see this time:

1. Le Louvre – The Louvre is the world’s largest and most visited art museum, and home to the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Be prepared to be overwhelmed – you will not see everything in a single visit. If you don’t go in, enjoy the stunning architecture outside including the striking glass pyramid in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace.

2. River cruise – a beautiful way of seeing Paris. There are many options but I particular like the night ones as the bridges and buildings are so beautifully lit.

3. Montmatre (Sacré Cœur and Moulin Rouge) – a area of cobbled streets, tiny cafes, steep hill with many many steps and stunning view. The Place du Tertre buzzes with life and colour in the evening, packed with artists offering to draw a sketch of you. If you head to the Moulin Rouge you’ll also come across the café from the movie Amélie, the Café des Deux Moulins.

4. Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. The top of the Arc de Triomphe in the middle of the Étoile (star) roundabout offers fabulous views over Paris and towards the Eiffel Tower. From there, enjoy a walk down the famed Champs Elysées but beware of the prices charged in cafés and restaurants. You will pay a fraction of those and have a fabulous meal if you just walk down a few back streets.

5. Musée D’Orsay – This museum is housed in the old Gare d’Orsay train station, another fabulous piece of architecture, this one dating back to 1898, with a magnificent large glass atrium. Do not miss the large clocks which you can climb up to and get fabulous views of Paris (and some cool arty photos). The museum houses the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces, which used to be housed in the Jeu de Paume, by painters including Cezanne, Degas, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh.

6. Petit Palais – Built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition (like the Eiffel Tower) it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts. Get off at Les Invalides to admire the majestic Pont Alexandre III and the architecture of both the Grand & Petit Palais. Don’t miss the Jardin du Petit Palais cafe and enjoy the oasis of its garden.

7. Galeries La Fayette (Blvd Hausmann) – the inner atrium of this department store is breathtakingly beautiful. And the terrace on the rooftop offers fabulous views across Paris rooftops. Worth a visit even if you’re not shopping.

8. Jardin de Luxembourg – beautiful treed public garden created in 1612, with a big pond where kids pay with their toy boats. Look out for the view of the Pantheon dome.

9. Bastille – check out another little gem of a cobbled street, the Passage Lhomme, tucked away off 26. rue Charrone or accessible from the Passage Josset. South of the Bastille is the rue Cremieux, the most colourful street in Paris, lined with different coloured houses.

10. Opéra de Paris – Palais Garnier – one of my favourite buildings in Paris! Try and catch either a ballet or opera while you are in Paris, but if you can’t, at least take a tour of this absolute treasure. The Palais Garnier is a truly magnificient building, and the gorgeous ceiling painted by Chagal will take your breath away, once more.

11. Buttes Chaumont – Last but not least, if you have time, and enjoy nature, you won’t be disappointed! This 61 acre park situared in North eastern Paris has a different feel to the usual perfectly manicured and geometrically layed out parks: this one is hilly, rocky, and you can sit on the grassy banks there unlike other Paris city parks.

There is also the Tour Montparnasse for another great view, the Pompidou Centre (museum), the Canal Saint-Martin & Canal de l’Ourcq, the Halles de la Villette and its Géode IMAX, the musée Bourdelle, musée Jacquemart-André, musée Marmottan Monet and of course Versailles!

My top tips when visiting Paris:
– Check out museum opening times – it used to be easy when all museums in France closed on Tuesdays, now it is either Mondays or Tuesdays
– Wander off the main streets, down twisted narrow alleys and you will discover the best cafes and restaurants and little treed squares and old churches.
– Use buses (get bus and metro map from any metro station) if you can’t walk to your destination and look up – the architecture throughout Paris is gorgeous
– Go out at night for the lighting and different atmosphere
– Allow yourself to meander, get lost, stop often and simply enjoy beautiful Paris!

Bitterly cold in Paris but wonderful seeing an old school friend again

Oh there are so many gems in Paris… Give yourself at least a week to discover this beautiful city, two if you can. I am so happy to have spent that week in Paris, where I was born those short 6 decades + ago. With thanks to my parents. Merci Paris!

– Anne

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