Europe Adventure 2007

5 September

Flying early to Paris was great as it gave us the rest of the day doing what Parisians do, live life without a care in the world. Delighted to be back on familiar soil with our turtle homes on our backs we strolled the streets of the Latin Quarter in search of our favourite kebab shop. After lunch we headed behind Notre Dame and came to a rest in a cafe outside the Pompidou centre. As the hours passed writing in our journal and discussing the past months we decided to make the effort and change venues for the grand distance of 2 blocks for a drink.

In the early evening we made our way on the RER to Perreaux to meet again with our friends Philippe and Emilie, sharing pizza and chatting before finally crashing for the night.

6 September

With only days of the trip left up our sleeve we made the most of our time in Paris. Starting at the Moulin Rouge we bought tickets for the evening show and shopped like crazy for hours, and hours, and hours (not to mention Steve's addition... HOURS). With a short hissy fit stop at Sacre Coeur only minutes into the shopping marathon Camilla was finally relieved to end in Zara. After months of daydreaming, window shopping and an occassional glance inside we made some much needed clothing replacement decisions.

Our shopping trip was not complete as Camilla made it clear she would be remaining behind unless a suitable birthday present for Mum was found. The shopping (and sightseeing) continued with visits to old favourites including a stroll outside the Louvre, visit to Place de Concorde, shopping up the entire length of the Champs Elysee before a second Steve style shopping related hissy fit completed the shopping day.

Back in the Pigalle district with all the red lights we entered the Moulin Rouge to find a full house buzzing with anticipation. The show was full of energy and a real feast for the eyes and ears with wonderful costumes (many of which were very small), feathers everywhere, a balancing duo, comedian juggler / drummer, ventriloquist, swimming pool complete with 3 m long pythons and half naked bather, song, dance and our first bottle of real French champagne for the trip.

7 September

Still in search of the perfect present we commenced our day with a walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg where we stopped for a goats cheese sandwich we continued towards Montparnasse via every boutique store along the way. Finally, we came across just the right gift... it's a suprise.

Under the Eiffel tower we finished the rest of the cheese before ending up in a little typical cafe / bar / brasserie for dinner. Waiting for the sun to set we emerged later for a final view of the Eiffel Tower at night. Underneath the structure is a huge rugby ball and thousands of fans watching the opening ceremony via big screens filling the air with intermittant cheers and crys.

Saying farewell to the icon we walked to the Arc de Triumphe for a look at night then finally retired from being a tourist for the day.

8 September

Catching the train in with Emilie we parted ways at Nation station and headed to the Saturday markets under the Eiffel Tower. What a great display of colour with all the fresh food, clothing, flowers and jewellery on such a sunny morning. Setting ourselves up in the gardens around Hotel de Invalide we ate fresh roasted ham and chicken before walking across the stunning Alexander III bridge, via the souvenir stores outside the Louvre then onto the pond at Jardin du Luxembourg to meet Emilie. Children were playing with hired sailing boats in the larger ponds around town and pushing them off the walls with long wooden sticks. Of course it was difficult to resist but due to a lack of time it will have to wait until next visit.

We returned to Perreaux with Emilie to meet Philippe and have an aparatif before returning to St Germain des Prix for our final evening meal together. Munching through confit of duck, marine salad and roasted bass fish we had a wonderful night in an extremely busy restaurant tucked away in a covered alleyway. The vibrance and life around eating out in Paris is so evident when you can find these little gems and share them with friends.

9 September

Today we were all going to be tourists. Philippe and Emilie were our guides and selected Fountainbleau Forest for a picnic lunch. Stocking up on supplies of cheese (6 varieties), baguette and fruit we headed to Barbizon village for a quick visit before eating. Coincidently the art focussed village was holding a street fair with traditional folk music, sculpture, clay turning and glass blowing exhibits and taste testing of local cuisine. Deep into the forest we cleared a space between the rocks and settled into a couple of hours of eating, making bridges out of fallen branches and generally having a great day out.

After lunch we visited the grounds of Fontainbleau Palace, a truly immaculate estate then returned for an eveing of playing Nintendo WII and laughing into the night. We will miss our friends and hope to either return or see them in Australia soon.

22 - 24 July

After a heavy night of rain our campsite now resembled an extension of lake Geneva. Undeterred we set about organising ourselves out of the mud with our sights firmly set on a chateau in the Burgundy region of France.

In the lovely town of Beaune we found the tourist office to be helpful yet the attendant staunchly refused to make a few calls on our behalf to secure accommodation. It was left to Steve to again practise his french and was warmly laughed at by our chosen receptionist. Although many of the local establishments were full (or exorbitantly pricey) thankfully our first choice from the brochure was free, well available at least...

Chateau Challanges is a resplendent 18th century manor house set on 15 acres of parkland and gardens. To our great delight our room was decked out in typical french period furniture, upholstery and wall paper. We felt more french than ever just standing in the room.

It was a very hot afternoon so our first priority was to have a swim, before a classic impoverished backpacker selfcatered meal of soup, bread and tea overlooking the vineyards at sunset. Over the coming 2 days we spent our time reading LOTR, exploring Beaune, indulging in regional wine and filling ourselves with buffet breakfasts.

This was a magical last fling to send off our time in continental Europe topped off by receiving phonecalls from Camilla's best friend and parents.

We have been to many mountain environments yet cannot get enough so we decided to make a short detour via Chamonix in France before heading to Geneva. This may have been influenced by the fact that we have been craving the food a little, in part the ease of using the little French we know and most importantly because we are here anyway so why not.

Chamonix - Vallee Blanche est tres formidable - 18 - 20 July

Regardless of our surrounds, once we arrived in Chamonix we were interested in little else than relaxing by our perfect campsite in the forest, going shopping for muesli, cheese and salmon and most importantly admiring the glaciers which can be seen from every avenue. Day 1 was spent as mentioned above without variation except for an incredibly loud thunder storm to lullaby us to slumber. Today, 20 July we topped our mountain experiences yet again with a magical adventure.

We started our walk from Le Mont in the valley at 1054m aiming our sights at Les Pyramides on the Bosson Glacier at 1890m. This seems like a reasonable stroll up the mountain path for around 2.5 hours, yet the most difficult aspect of the walk was peeling ourselves away from each vantage point as they appeared between the trees.

Climbing higher we were enjoying the sting of exercise after yesterday evenings indulgence of beer, wine and smoked salmon and blue cheese sandwiches (the later prepared out of the back of the car under another spectacular glacial further up the valley). Our destination at Les Pyramids was reached in the good company of a German teacher living in France teaching German (if you catch our drift). Steve spent his final gasps of breath trying to establish what small-talk basics his language skills allowed. In the meantime Camilla had selected the perfect lunch position to have a stunning view of the sheer cracks and crevasses in the glacier.

During our time near the ice stream we were lucky enough to witness the marvel of a car sized hunk of ice breaking from the mass and crashing into the rock below. As if this environment does not present itself as a hostile place, a thunder storm erupted as suddenly as the fall of ice and we found ourselves surrounded by the rolling sounds as we descended through the clouds, sun shower and forest back to the safety of the internet cafe where we now sit. Chamonix has been the sophisticated, beautiful and challenging finale to our alpine experiences on this trip, and what a finale it has been, bravo bravo.

Note: To all readers, we are ecstatic to be featured on the front page of the Travellerspoint website, thanks for your interest in our escapades and kind comments during the trip so far.

Driving the Cote d'Azur - 2 May

Driving from Cannes to Menton (on the Italian border) can be completed in two or three different ways. Autobarn - 30 minutes, Freeway - 1 hour, every single little cove, bay, marina, avenue and lookout - 4.5 hours +. Our choice should by now be obviouse to all of you.

Arriving in Menton we had brought with us a pair of numb bums, fresh stocks of tea, tomatos and pasta, around 200 extra photos and glorious recollections of the amazing coastline. Our days to come were solely dedicated to exploring the coast, in particular the seaside principality of Monaco, Nice and our local refuge, Menton.

To add to our excitement, Camilla had selected a campsite high on the hill overlooking Menton and the mediterranean.

Day 1 - Monaco - 3 May

There are a few good reasons to either visit or live in Monaco. The benefits of a tax haven, a casino which is known to lose, a castle and real live prince, and a grand prix circuit that closes down the entire country each year.

Our exploration of this enormous country (less than two square kilometres) began at the casino.

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ARE NOT OPEN AT 10am IN THE MORNING'. Aghast at how they could make any money at all we stormed off around the perfectly manicured gardens complete with scaffolding, holes and workmen setting up for grand prix to the tourist office. 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CANT DRIVE FAST AROUND THE RACETRACK!' Aghast we took their advice and our issues to the palace.

Glamourous living is one thing, then there is being the ruling family of Monaco. Like being the boss of a roast chicken shop there are only 20,000 citizens to keep happy, heaps of Casino income (who knows how) and tourist dollars everywhere. The castle holds a commanding view in all directions over the little empire below. It seemed fitting from this position that we gorge on delicious pastries for a while.

Changing of the guards was our first induction into the formalities of being in a principality. With the throngs of other tourists we clustered around the entrance to the palace to see a parade of fluffy headed muskiteers (alright guardspersons). A marching band and a couple of dozen salutes later and it was time for us to make a bee line to the visitors entrance.

Our visit to the palace grand apartments was guided by an english audiotour which proved both interesting and comical. At one point it was clear that the author of the dialogue was trying to impress the 'Family' with comments such as 'resplendant, divine, exquisite...' and most memorably a single request; 'don't be distracted by the splendour of the throne room and forget to press the green button'. Disappointed to not have seen the royal toilet around the corner we were only marginally distracted by the Palace Throne and thankfully remembered to press the green button just in time for more haughty taughty commentary.

Lunch in a principality is a difficult choice but at last we decided to turn down the personal invitation of the Prince and order a couple of mouthwatering woodfired pizzas. On our way back to the car we stopped off at the post office to get a post card sent home then out onto the promatory for a closer look at the Museo Oceanigraphique. Feeling that the palace was sufficient entertainment for today we did not go into the museum, instead we grasped the handrails tight in the gale forced winds to appreciate this great building.

Time to find out how Monaco looks from the track. The most exciting part about our one hot lap of the grand prix circuit was Steve making formula one car noise as he approached and departed every turn. We don't need to go into detail about the pitch he could reach at the end of the straight so let us just say it was hilarious.

Our betting budget set (AUD$20 - hey big spenders) we strode confidently through the sea of Bentleys, Ferraris, Jaguars and Rolls Royce to stand bewildered at the door. Our entire betting budget would be blown if we paid the 20 euro entry fee (probably in place to ensure they don't go broke again). The casino is a beautiful building so we admired the architecture, watched a few hundred tourists eagerly fork out their daily betting budgets from a distance.

Driving back through the stunning towns along the coast we huddled under the ramparts at Menton for a warm brew. As the rain teased with splatters of gusto we stood firm and felt all the better for it.

Day 2 - Nice - 4 May

The capital city of the Maritime Coast in the south of France is around 1 hours winding drive past road works and buses from Menton. We started late (which basically means we are even more enthusiastic about life if that is possible) only to find out that having a car is a real burden. Unfortunately, the 'beast' needs more than just apple cores and grass to keep it going. As we rounded the Port East into Nice the red petrol light had been on for a good 10 kms.

Finally we snaked our way into a parking station, ran for the toilets (30 centimes), put on our wet weather gear and strode off persistant in our quest to see Nice. 5 minutes later and the wet weather gear came off, our waiter came over to take our order and we sat watching the rain over the rims of our teacups. Adventurous we may be but silly we are not.

Rewarding our diligence the sun came out and lit up the wet pavement, market umbrellas and rocks on the beach. Nice is gorgeous but not our first choice for lying on the beach sunbaking as it is made up of some of Europe's finest skimming rocks. As the waves break they drag pebbles down the bank rattling, and air pops below the surface which sounds like clinking of chains. Very peaceful, add some dolphin sounds and a few waterfalls and you have a relaxation cd to market.

Our walking tour of Nice was more of an amble through the historic streets and stretched as far as the headland overlooking the busy East Port. It is great seeing the maritime activity such as Nice where the large passenger ferries to Corsica depart.

On our way back across the coast to Menton we stopped overlooking a bay for gourmet cafe Hall style sandwiches (Blue Cheese, Avocado and Salami). Tucked neatly inside the bay where two cruiseships actively ferrying passengers to the shore. The smaller of the two was a glamourous yesteryear model while the Galaxy 2 liner (almost as big as Queen Mary) sat proud.

A short 2km detour (totally on purpose) took us into Italy and back again.

Goodbyes are always difficult, first Loustic now the Beast. It was not clear how affectionate we had become towards Toyotas little baby until we were trudging (and puffing) up the 317 stairs to our campsite on the hill.

Day 3 - Menton - 5 May

It has become apparent that there are luxury items we take for granted in Australia. The following list has been composed for your review:

[/list]LUXURY ITEMS WE CRAVE
[*]STEAK (big red juicy slabs of medium well bbq meat)
[*]Peanut Butter - AUD$10 per 400grm jar seems a little steep
[*]Pillows, queen sized bed
[*]English written and spoken language
[*]Wardrobe consisting of more than 4 items
[*]Washing machine, dryer and iron
[*]Free internet
[*]Hair dryer / straightener (Steve is very upset)
[*]Butter, sweet delectable butter
[*]Shower and taps that don't need to be pushed every 2 seconds
[*]Eating at a table with chairs

Today was a thong day. Please note there are only 4 thongs between us and they only go on our feet. We are in need of rest and relaxation so the reference above has become law within the team to ensure the toes do not permanent mold to the shape of our boots.

On Thong Day we spent a large proportion of time on lunch, sitting drinking tea, internet and general louping around. Thankfully the luxury items list was addressed. We ate in a seat twice, wow, consumed a whole stick of butter between us and cooked up bangers (that is as close to steak as we can justify) and mash.

Since we had time up our sleeves we wrote up the following tally for our own reference throughout the trip but thought you might enjoy a giggle. At the end you may realise that independant travel (the only way to go) is not all roses.

TALLY OF BITS AND PIECES (as of 12 May)

[*]CUPS OF TEA - 110 cups (55 boil and mash) in 30 days
[*]ACCOMMODATION - 27 Nights Camping, 19 Hotel, 7 Friends
[*]TRANSPORT (Main Legs) - 3 Planes, 13 Trains, 8 Buses, 5 Metro Systems, 1 donkey, 7 days car (France 450km, Italy 2km), 1 small tourist train, Hiked 84 kms and counting (does not include approximately 10km/p day sightseeing), Kayak 6km
[*]MEALS (Self Catered) - 33 cooked and numerous cold
[*]BAGUETTES - greater than 100
[*]ESCARGOT - 2 meals
[*]NAUGHTY PASTRY TREATS - we will never tell
[*]ICE CREAM - 8 times (just hit Italy so keep an eye on this one)
[*]MACDONALDS - 1 snack (big mac), 2x icecream, 3 toilet breaks
[*]DOG POO - 1 known step in (Steve)
[*]INJURIES - Steve: finger cut from 'knife of death', foot cut from climbing rocks barefoot in Verdon Gorge, Hayfever every second day - Camilla: sore foot/almost blister from hiking 28km in one day, rolled ankle down stairs in Florence
[*]LOADS OF WASHING - 1 (not a typo)
[*]WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS - Steve, whole cut in jumper and since discarded, set fire to sleeve of softshell; Camilla, cut out of wet weather jacket due to zipper catching
[*]LONELY PLANET - Steve used it as a mallet to put in tent pegs, hence large hole in the back cover (Camilla suitably not impressed)
[*]LEFT BEHIND - shampoo in Cannes, floss in Marseille, compass in Moustiers
[*]MONEY FOUND - 1.50 euros (score)

As you can see we had plenty of time to navel gaze. Menton is a fabulous base for exploring the Cote d'Azur, heaps less crowded than the bigger neighbours and interesting in its own right. Although we opted for the car on both our excursions it would be easy (if not easier) to use the regular bus or train service to any of the famous destinations. To top off a great few days worth of holiday we had the most commanding view from the embassy, a great luxury that could not be topped.

Our day begins with a drive of around 30kms through the winding valley of Verdon before snaking our way down to the Cote d'Azur planned for midday. On route it was necessary to have breakfast as we had not yet eaten and let the poor little stove stretch its legs for a cup of tea.

Hiding from the wind in an open valley would ordinarily be difficult had it not been for a small forgotten church standing out in the field. Leaning against the cold rock wall with the wind whistling past our shoulder we devoured around 3000 kjoules of nutella, bananas and bread (purchased by the kilo). Admiring our little 'beast' we remarked what a great experience it has been to make our own way through this exciting landscape.

Cannes - 1 May

What a great way to start the month Camilla will roll over the half way to fifty mark. Approach Cannes in a car from the north is like driving into the 1960s Surfers Paradise, Queensland. Similarly, the inhabitants of Cannes also look like they were in their prime in this era.

Doing the classic beach cruise up the esplanade in the 'beast' we felt a million cents. A quick glance up from the beachfront scene proved helpful as we simultaneously found the tourist information bureau and the last parking spot on the Cote d'Azur.

Our campsite was easily found only minutes from the action. We erected the Chateau (now known as the Embassy due to religious flying of the Aussie flag) between 4 (probably dozen) gigantic motor homes. If we could be seen from space in our tent already, it would be even easier now that we are bordered by big white satellites.

As if we have not yet learnt our lesson about French and their holidays (always applicable to the public transport system) we learnt quickly that the bus to Cannes was not running. Sucking up the strength to drive off aimlessly in a crowded resort town we found yet another convenient parking spot only a moments walk to the first of a series of marinas and the strip.

The taste of asphalt is not all that appealing yet it was difficult to drag our tongues off the pavement looking at the series of megayachts, classic sailing vessels and power mansions. In chorus we sang 'yep I'd probably be happy with that one but would get sick and tired of landing the leare jet on the jacuzzi, what a stupid design - no I would prefer the helipad to be painted pink to match my shoes... nausiating really. Really, it is a little disturbing seeing so much wealth (Example: two Ferraris under covers by the marina with personal security guard...) all sitting in Cannes unused.

A Tour and lesson 101 - French Kiss, The Movie

Starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline the movie French Kiss is one of those classics that due to our marriage is now an integral part of our trip. Camilla spontaneously recites various quotes and has often gasped at random places around France which are recognisable should you watch the movie more than a 1000 times.

Cannes is the location of the movie finale where 'Kate' and 'Luke' figure it out and fall in love. If you think that gives away the ending and you are upset, it is definitely time you hired every single romantic comedy with Meg Ryan in it and realise it was inevitable.

First Stop - Carlton Hotel

Classy, rediculously beautiful and with a price tag to match. Kate finds her cheating rat of a fiancé dining with his younger girlfriend and winds up crawling through the corridors of the foyer covered in cake. We didn't have any cake but the rest of the scene was reenacted as closely as possible.

Second Stop - Cartier Shopfront

Kate exchanges the necklace Luke gave her for her life savings to the cops because they knew Luke stole it. Are you keeping up with this??? Camilla is currently sitting in front of the computer unable to explain the intricacies of the storyline sufficiently to transpose onto the blog, therefore please see the movie. Cartier was unfortunately closed today as they are probably off funding the bbq for the bus drivers, so we just stood outside instead.

Third Stop - Park and Marina

Luke finds out that Kate gave him her life savings instead of him being arrested by the cops...? We ate ice cream as they did and kissed a little bit too (because we wanted to, not just because they did in the movie) while overlooking the marina. A lovely day in Cannes and a great place to explore in the sun.

Back at the embassy we ate like movie stars with an assorted tomato pasta (including tomato and pasta) followed by cold showers (not our choice) and a sniffiling night due to the pollen.

Day 2 - A productive day in the rain

Waking up refreshed to a glorious sunny day was planned. Instead we enjoyed the heaviest downpour and clapping great thunderstorm all night, dulled down by the noise of the freeway behind the site which was not heard previously as you well know there were not any busses.

What to do in the rain? With no clean clothes left and depleating supplies of tomato, pasta and cooking gas we headed straight to the laundramat. Please note that all washing to date has been completed by hand, therefore under the 'luxury items or entertainment' budget there is now journalled two loads of washing and drying. Almost $25 and 2 hours later having sat in our swimmers in the cold we left hugging a warm dry bag of sweeeeeet clothing. Ahh the high life.

So how do you dry thick brown locks of hair in a downpour without a hairdryer. Drag husband to camping store, indicate there is no time limit to browse, promise lunch of roast chicken once hair is dry. Easy.

Our day in the rain passed with plenty of laughs. Although we had planned two nights in Cannes, as the sun started peaking through we decided it was time to leave the cold showers and noisy freeway for greener pastures immediately. Twenty minutes later and we were in the car heading for the famous drive along the Cote d'Azur.