MARCH 2019 : PARIS : DAY 2 : A walk to the Louvre

From outside our window - a quiet, traditional Parisian Street

Today we decided to tick another item from our bucket list and spend time at the Louvre. It was about 5 kms in a direct route from where we are staying. After a delicious hotel breakfast, we walked up and around the Arc de Triomphe.

We saw evidence of some of the weekend violence caused by ‘gilets jaunes’(yellow vests)

Spring flowers in large and small gardens

Our first view of the Seine with the Alexander the Third Bridge in the foreground.

Exquisite decoration and fixtures on the bridge

Looking towards Les Invalides, now a military museum

Place de la Concorde

Walking in the Jardin des Tuileries which leads to the Louvre

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel with the Louvre pyramid in the background

What impressed us about the Louvre, apart from its vast collections, was the creative use of space to suit the range of materials.

Mona Lisa has a room all to herself

Here she is quietly accepting all the attention with her serene smile

Pasta and fromage plate for lunch at a cafe nearby

We headed home through the backstreets of the 2nd arrondissement midst the lunchtime crowds

Lunch time crowds in the parks as well

Le Grande Palais

A family meal to start off the birthday weekend celebrations, with family from England, US and Australia.

Andrew and Ebba’s daughter, Annika and fiancé, Jerome, who have just announced their engagement.

A very happy evening!

M&M

MARCH 2019 : PARIS : DAY 1 : Arrival

Despite a full travel program this year we had the wonderful surprise of a family birthday invitation in Paris. Mark’s cousin, Andrew, is turning 70. With the incentive of a fabulous flight deal with China Eastern airways, we left Canberra on a Murray’s bus early on Wednesday morning and caught a midday flight to Paris via Shanghai (10 hours).

A five hour stopover in Shanghai in the middle of the night - our virtual city experience!

The Shanghai- Paris section (12 hours) was over Russia, unfortunately for us no views of landmarks as we flew through the night.Both full flights but China Eastern was clean, safe, efficient and modern. No frills but good value.

We arrived about 6am and were able to catch an airport bus to Porte Maillot in the 17th arrondissement, minutes from Mark’s cousin’s apartment and our hotel. First stop coffee and pastries at a friendly traditional cafe. It was a bracing 6 degrees C when we arrived but sunny. A bit of a shock arriving from Canberra and our late summer temperatures.

Our larger-than-life waiter, welcomed us and gave us some advice on how to survive in Paris, with your wallet and valuables in tact.

Less than 5 minutes away was Andrew and Ebba’s apartment. Both retired now but they have worked, and raised their family in Paris for the last 35+ years. We had another wonderful welcome from them as we discussed the activities of the next few days.

As it was still early and our room was not ready at our hotel, Andrew suggested we walk to a recently opened exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois de Boulogne, 15 minutes from their apartment. So off we set in the Spring sunshine..

Past a memorial to Charles de Gaulle

Small parks with early Spring flowers

Our first view of the Fondation Louis Vuitton with long queues waiting to get into The Courtauld Collection exhibition. The building, opened in 2014, was designed by Frank Gehry, who, it wouldn’t surprise you to know, also designed the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

It was an hour and a half wait but we enjoyed the sunshine, the company and appreciating the impressive structure as we moved up the queue. The Coulthauds were English collectors of Impressionist art, which after their deaths, became the Courthauld Galley. While the gallery is undergoing some renovations the collection has been loaned to the Fondation Louis Vuitton. And a very impressive collection it is.

Outside in the foyer there was a lot of activity with visitors enjoying the building as much as the paintings. Here, in the gallery shop, pumpkins - now in permanent exhibition at our gallery in Canberra.

We left the building, unaware that there further delights in the precinct. The Fondation is situated in the historic Le Jardin d’Acclimation.

Here are some of the highlights ..and we did not get everything, including rides and a virtual zoo.

Exotic geese and ducks

Rapunzel’s castle? No, a dovecote from the 1870  Franco-Prussian war. Before the siege of Paris 1,500 carrier pigeons were sent to the dovecote from Northern France and then released with messages with seige updates.

Leaving the precinct

Walking back we had a glimpse of the Arc de Triomphe.

A simple lunch at a basic cafe

Then we checked into our hotel, Etoile Saint-Ferdinand, when jet lag began to set in.

And bath..

M&M

MARCH 2019 : NORTHERN NSW : A trip to Armidale : 840 kms

A car trip to visit friends in Armidale, NSW. 

An 11 hour drive via Mudgee through very dry, drought-ridden countryside.

We set off early on an unexplored route - Canberra /Goulburn / Oberon / Mudgee - having lunch at the excellent Alby & Esther’s Cafe on Market Street. Mudgee was like an oasis in the parched landscape.

The last section of the trip was a further five hours.

This section had large areas devoted to open cut coal mines. There were occasional crops on the Liverpool Plains - wheat, barley and cotton. This over-sized vehicle was carrying a bucket or scoop for the Ulan Coal Mine.

Armidale - another oasis town - green and full of life.

We visited the local art gallery. There is a permanent exhibition of Australian works from the 1920s -1940s, donated by an avid collector, Howard Hinton.

We also enjoyed another exhibition of Christine Porter’s works, centred around the theme of shearing sheds.

Inspired by the exhibition we took a tourist drive to look at the actual Deeargee shearing shed. This shed was originally built in 1872.

Nearby in a neighbouring property we found the  picturesque Gostwyck Chapel, built in 1921.

We then returned to our friend’s property, welcomed by their alpacas, Priscilla, Harrison, Mariette and Matilda.

Such a happy day with Jenny, Pete, my goddaughter, Sophie, and her little boy, Ollie.

M&M