A Long Weekend in Paris

This last weekend saw a return to Paris for some red wine, shopping, strolling along the Seine, balcony picnics with views of the Louvre & Sacre Coeur and some all important T-Time.

Lady of her own Manor(tjie)

Yep, finally took the plunge and joined the ranks of the responsible ones and purchased a little shoebox to call my own. In Morningside, Johannesburg with one bedroom and a loft study. Whether or not I tell you there will be a sleeper couch in the loft depends on how much wine you bring when I finally move in. Cunning plan, I tell you!

Soweto Gospel Choir at St Pauls' Cathedral

Every now and then, London does something different and as part of the City of London Festival, the Soweto Gospel Choir came over to sing at St Pauls' Cathedral. At only £10 a ticket (being virtually the price to get into St Pauls' anyway), my mom, Ju and I headed there to hear them. The 24 strong Soweto Gospel Choir, complete with African drums literally rocked the hallowed halls of St Pauls and I think I had goose bumps for the entire hour and a half. They sang Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho songs as well as a few well known English songs for the Brits, namely 'Amazing grace' and 'This little light'. It was fabulous to see them get such standing ovations at the end from a cathedral bursting at it's seams. Definately a 'Proudly South african' moment.

The Lake District

Heading out of a rather wet and rainy London on Friday night with my sister and Mom, we caught the train to Windermere in the Lake District. The next morning we headed to Beatrix Potter's Hilltop Farm (and home of Peter Rabbit) and had a wonderful (although slightly wet) time exploring the region, not to mention Derwentwater, Tarn Hows, Hawkshead and Ullswater. Highlights (breath taking scenery aside) were definately the Cruise on Lake Coniston and little pub lunch in the village of Grasmere.

Champagne Tea at the Ritz

Not that one needs an excuse for some indulgent fun, I thought that while my Mom was in town, I'd give her an early birthday present and take he for the Champagne Tea at the Ritz. Opulence, Cucumber sandwiches and Clotted Cream scones (not to mention the bubbly) were a delicious alternative to dinner. As they say, life is too uncertain, so eat dessert first!

Mediterranean Magic

Amidst great excitement, hair blowing in the wind and a glass of red, my Mom and I set sail on the Royal Carribbean 'Splendours of the Sea' from Venice on Saturday, 16 June 2007. It may have been 17h00 'Romantic Standard Time', but Casanova was no where in sight. Not theat either of us would have noticed. The thought of the 7 nights' cruise to come and chill time in the sun was definately at the forefront of our minds.

Being an American cruise line, the majority of the passengers were American or Canadian and our table of 10 at dinner was definately entertaining: 2 from South Carolina (with stories of their neighbours akin to something out of Jerry Springer - an inbred niece and Uncle couple who call each other 'Him' and 'Her' and their inventive outfits as they had no luggage for the first 4 days of the cruise); a couple from Minnesota; a rather rowdy couple from Vancouver and a divine Mom and daughter from Houston, Texas. Lots of Laughter and our Romanian waiter, Lawrence, kept trying to join in the fun with some of the oddest jokes I have ever heard. 10 out of 10 for trying though. The first full day was spent at sea sailing past Dalmatian Coast, lounging up on deck with a Cosmopolitan in hand and enjoying the fact that the sun was out and I was in the middle of no where! That being said, we did have e-mail in the little internet cafe and coffee shop, in the midst of on board mall and self contained modern conveniences. I did manage to avoid the shops (for the most part) and spent most of my time on board reading, relaxing and running in the mornings. The runs were one of my favourite times as the sun was rising as we sailed into port - blissful.

Day 2 found us arriving at the island of Mykonos. We caught a boat out to the small, uninhabited island of Delos, which was once the religious center of the entire Aegean area. Today, its archaeological ruins are one of the most important historical sites in Greecebeing touted as the birthplace of Apollo. After exploring the ruins, we headed back to explore Mykonos, wander the winding streets and have a much needed drink at a local Taverna. Along the way we encountered the local resident pelicans who wander the streets in search of tasty tit-bits left by the tourists.

The next day, we docked in the port of Pireaus, Athens. We first headed out to Cape Sounion along the grogeous Grecian coastline before stopping on a gorgeous peninsula where the remains of the Temple of Posiedon still stand. Gorgeous views of the crystal blue water and little yachts bobbing about definately made it worthwhile. next we headed to a traditional Greek Taverna for Mousakka and Baklava (not to mention a touch of Greek wine - although it was a bit watery for the South African palate). After lunch, we headed past the temple of Zeus to the Acropolis where we explored the Parthenon and climbed way too many stairs in the hot summer sun!!

That night I was very relieved to get nack on board the ship and we had another great evening, filled with a Motown Jazz show, which had us up in dancing in the aisles. The next day we arrived at Katakolon, a charming fishing village on the Ionian Coast, before heading to Ancient Olympia, which is the archaeological site of the first Olympic Games in 776 BC. Ancient starting blocks, the old gymnasium, and the site where the flame was lit were all very interesting, although I think that after I learned that the ancient Olympians competed naked intruiged me the most. You learn something new every day! The next day we arrived at Corfu and enjoyed a gorgeous drive through the Corfiot countryside, full of olive groves, pine, cypress, lemon and orange trees. The Bay of Paleokastritsa; known as the “Capri of Greece.” was breathtaking and we also stopped briefly at the Byzantine Monastery, and resident monks aside, the views were breath taking. Meze, watery Greek wine and some Greek dancing completed the day. Our last stop before heading back to Vencie was Split and Trogir in Croatia. Gothic Chapels (best viewed from the outside) and an intriguing warren of narrow cobblestone streets of the historic quarter set the scene and some scrumptious local delicacies were sampled before heading back on board for some much needed chill time and packing of bags before the final supper and docking in Venice early the next morning.

Upon arrival in Venice, we caught a water taxi (what a way to travel) to the stop right near our hotel. After quickly depositing our bags, we took a short walk past the Bridge of Sighs to St Marks Sqaure to feed the pigeons and find a cafe for a cup of coffee. We spent most of our time, in cafes, shopping (Italian Leather mm..), wandering the little winding streets and bridges over the canals and hopping on a Gondola to wind our way up to Rialto bridge and the Grand Canal.

Serious Happy Snaps

I just finished a two day Digital SLR (35mm) camera course with a professional photographer here in London. Great to finally demystify my new camera, but I think a substantial amount of practice is required before some of the techniques become habit.

The Italian Job

What better way to spend a Bank Holiday weekend, than in the sunshine in Rome. Especially when London was being her usual wet grey blanket. Lana, Dave, Iain and I headed off to Rome on Friday amidst a few flight delays (Italian time = African time) and some glasses of red wine to arrive late in the night for a hellish cab ride to our hotel. Who ever said women were bad drivers, needs to go to Rome. That being said, I'd hate to know what a woman Italian driver is like. Lanes mean nothing and over taking is considered a challenge or a test of man hood and should only be done when there are numerous vehicles oncoming. And at speeds well in excess of those capable of the little Fiat Panda we were in. Thank goodness Iain and Dave were gentleman enough to let me get in on the drivers side. There were a few instances where eyes were closed and a "Hail Mary" was said. When in Rome..

The next morning, after we had found Dave his caffiene and nicotine fix, we set out with our walking shoes on. Rome, having only two metro lines, is a place you walk around. But it's a good thing as you never know when you're going to stumble on a quaint little piazza or round a corner and find a cafe that makes the best brushetta or espresso (and these were two of our benchmarks for a good cafe.. the litmus test as it were). Iain, having proven himself as tour guide extrordanaire in New York, took ownership of the map and next thing we knew we had stumbled upon the Trevi fountain, complete with gorgeous rennasiance figures and crystal clear water. Not to mention the obligatory American tourists. Given that only 10% of Americans apparently have passports, I think most of them were in Rome this last weekend. The warm sunshine made the clear, blue water all the more inviting but instead we threw in a few cents for luck. We then wound our way through some side streets to the Spanish steps. On the way down the steps, I spotted a gorgeous little roof top Garden and restaurant. If I ever get tired of the corporate world.. maybe one day!

From there we headed to the Piazza del Popollo, the intact Cathedral of Maria del Popolo and the beautiful gardens nearby. Beautiful vistas, some of the cleanest public toilets in Rome and knocking over cones used by roller balders were among the highlights. With grumbling tummies, we then headed for a stroll down Via Condotti, Rome's answer to 5th Avenue. Iain was kind enough to restrain me, remove my credit cards and reassure me that I could go shopping wiuth Dave when we go to support him in the NY Marathon in November. We then found a gorgeous little cafe oin via della croce for Penne Arribiata and a much needed espresso help put a spring back in our steps after a lot of walking. Sated and satisfied, we headed for the Pantheon and the Piazza Navona, complete with quaint window boxes, cafes and a perfect spot for people watching. And the Italians are nothing if not interesting. Dragging ourselves away, we headed for the river Tiber to cross the Ponte Sant' Angelo to the Castel Sant' Angelo. Complete with the worst public toilets in Rome and beautiful views of Saint Peters Bascillica from a little cafe, we settled down to a glass of vinno rosso. We had great fun watching some nuns scurrying about on roof tops, while Iain and Dave recounted from memory, the history of the Roman Aqueduct (a la History channel). Suffering from, as Dave would say, "Dry mouth", we made our way through some Oompa Loompah band parade to the cafes just off the Piazza Navona for a bottle and a bit of Prossecco, whilst being serenaded by a Saxaphanist and watching tourists try and get their mouths around some of the biggest Gelatis known to man. After much merriment, we found another spot for Gnocchi a la Gorgonzola, and more bruschetta. The waiter, being friendly and looking for a tip, spent much time discussing wine choices and convinced us to try a Tuscan wine. Good advice, which had us hooked for the rest of the wine and to the extent that we cleaned out the duty free stock of that wine at the airport on the way out.

The next morning we arose early again in search of a double espresso before heading to the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. Amazing to see what they once built and the thoughts of the ‘sport’ that took place there was not as amazing. Luckily I have my comic book visions of Asterix & Obelix to liven it up a bit. Some American tourist next to me that due to the Roman’s importing animals from conquered countries, that the dungeons below had the most diverse plant life found anywhere in the world. Hmm.. I suppose the Amazon doesn’t count? Later that afternoon, after strolling along the river, we made it back to a little café near the Piazza Navona for many glasses of Prossecco and a few other things. Dave mastered his Italian after a few rounds and simplified his life by ordering new rounds with the twist of a wrist and two words: “Same, More”. Simple, but it works! Well, it worked until we heard what sounded like a splattering of rain, only to find out that a massive pigeon had flown overhead and blessed Dave and Iain. Lana and I were very thankful to be sitting under the umbrella at the streetside café. After spending a few hours there, we moved two doors down to a recommended café for pesto linguine, a few more bottles of wine, grappa topped espresso before winding our way home. We had planned on taking the metro line that was closest, but lo and behold it was closed. So, but some stroke of genius (or bird poo) I managed to flag a cab down in the middle of no where. I did however say a small prayer of thanks the next morning for our luck, which continued when we made it inside St Peters Bascillica with no queue. We climbed right to the top, over 333 steps, skew staircases and all, but the view from inside the dome and at the top over Rome was amazing. Dave and I spent a good 5 minutes trying to decide which big house in the Vatican city the Pope lived in. Finally exiting the massive bascillica, we joined the hour long queue, which snaked along the streets, for the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum. The frescos, Raphael rooms and roof of the Sistine chapel made the irritating masses of tourists worth it. But I won’t be queueing for a while, I can tell you that. As we left, a light rain started and only really started to pour when we made our way into a Pizzeria for a last Italian Lunch, some Chianti and of course, Tiramisu. Perfect way to end a perfect 3 days.