Day 6 London - Day 2 Induction

Last night we wandered down to Battersea Square for dinner at a little Italian restaurant.  There are about four restaurants to choose from plus a lovely little sandwich shop which is where I buy lunch each day.

Day two is still proving challenging.  I haven't accessed the readings so feeling a little 'out to sea' but I manage to fumble my way through and, as with any course, there are always one or two participants who love to hold the floor, so all is good.  Margie and Elena, who is from Ireland, have become confidantes and assure me that my feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty are completely normal!  Unfortunately I'm having a couple of 'meltdowns' but thankfully they are when I'm back at the hotel.  Yesterday on my return to the hotel I went straight to the bar and ordered a Sav Blanc......today when the barman sees me coming, he has the wine on the bar waiting for me!  I must be looking really frazzled.

Tonight we take the hotel shuttle, which leaves for Clapham Junction every 30 minutes, then after a few navigational issues manage to find our way to Battersea Rise where we have booked to dine at "Entree".  What a surprise!  We are greeted with a taster of asparagus soup with fresh baked baby bread rolls.  We then share two entrees - pork rillette and crab cakes with caviar.  This is followed by sea bass, swordfish and lamb, which is all delicious.  Chocolate fondant with honeycomb ice cream (two to share) finishes off the night.  The cost is GBP120 which includes a cocktail, two glasses of wine and a tip....definitely recommend!  Our driver picks us up from the station and we are soon home in bed.

Day 5 in London - Day 1 induction

Fifteen women of varying ages.....OK....so I'm the eldest......from various backgrounds.  Most from London or around England, one from Ireland, India, Canada and then me.......Oz!

I am feeling sick for most of the day.......what am I doing here?

Day 4 - Bank Holiday

Another fabulous day!  The weather has been very kind to us while we have been visiting London.  Blue skies, mild temperatures....the odd spot of rain but all in all, very welcoming.

Today we are off to see the "Changing of the Horse Guard".  These beautiful Irish draft horses, in all their regalia are a sight worth seeing.  All the pomp and ceremony that is associated with this type of spectacle is exactly what you expect to see in London.  We continue on our way to the shopping heart and end at Selfridges.   We take "high tea" on the rooftop and are booked to play Mini Golf on a course that has been constructed to look like cakes, jellies and other assorted sweets.....Ash wins.

We go back to the Chancery to pick up our bags as we are moving hotels over to The Rafayel at Battersea.  As the RAD is only about 500 metres down the road I had decided that it was easier to be staying close by.  The Rafayel isn't quite the Chancery and I'm beginning to think we should have stayed on the other side and I could have "taxied" each day, but here we are.  The room is adequate and the bathroom is clean and tidy....always an important feature for me, so it's not that bad.

Tonight we caught the train to Victoria and spent the night at "Billy Elliott".  I have seen this before but the girls hadn't and they thoroughly enjoyed it!

Taxi home and straight to bed to prepare for the first day of my induction!

London Day 3

We started our day by walking from our hotel to Barbican.  Jordan had found a café for breakfast there called ”The Workshop Coffee Company”.  Interesting food and they produce their own coffee blends. 

From there we headed to Barbican tube or the train to Paddington……we were off to Windsor Castle. 

The train from Paddington takes approximately 15 minutes to Slough where you change to another (these trains leave every 20 minutes) for the five minute trip to Windsor Central/Eton.  At Windsor you find yourself in a little shopping/dining mecca which is quite a surprise.  The castle looms in the background and, although it’s hard to imagine HRH popping down to the village, I’m sure the younger royals do so regularly.

Armed with our “info handsets” we set off on our tour of Windsor Castle, which has been the home of monarchs for 900 years and is still considered to be “home” for Elizabeth.   The tour also covers the famous “Queen Mary’s Doll House” and the State Rooms, where you can see where the Queen to this day holds her special receptions.  The grandeur and opulence is extraordinary from the original masters adorning the walls to magnificent chandeliers in every room.

There is only so much grandeur we can handle for one day so we head back out to the village, which is now teeming with people, and settle on a Greek Restaurant for lunch.  A wedding is taking place while we dine and the array of guests in their ‘far too short and far too tight’ dresses is cause for a flurry of comments by surrounding diners and staff alike. 

We are soon back at Paddington station (our return tickets were GBP17.50 each and weren’t required once!)  Changing to the Central Line for Notting Hill the idea is to then board the Red Line for Holborn…..we hadn’t considered that today marks the biggest street party in Europe……the trains were cancelled and we were pushed along in a ‘mosh pit’ style crowd out of the station where we finally gave up any further idea of train travel and paid the GBP31 taxi ride back to the hotel.

We have a 6 o’clock reservation at The Wolseley….not very salubrious but an iconic eating spot in London.  We then venture across the road to the Ritz Hotel.  Another iconic hotel  spot but these days a very tired ‘mish mash’ of styles and the bright ‘baby pink’ bathrooms were a sight to behold!

Day 2 London

Truth is, the show was great last night but it was a struggle to make it through to the end.......sleep depravation was setting in for all of us.

Today we set off to Portobello Road Market.  Holborn Tube is a five minute walk so we bought the One day pass (GBP7 each) and were on our way.

"All Saints" is an amazing store that we stumble upon.  Sewing machines adorn the wall and the lighting is supplied by industrial style 'stage' lights.  The theme is carried through in the colours of the clothes.....muted greys, beige, caramel.....

The Market is a favourite of locals and tourists alike with store after store of antique furniture, silver, jewellery.......and on the street tents overflowing with bric-a-brac of all description.  I make my first purchase..... a bell!  Our examiners from now on will be ringing my students in with English style!

Fresh produce

                              

One of the many Jamie Oliver eateries

Oooops!

Back on the tube and off for the obligatory visit to Harrods.  The most amazing store in the world, however we didn't actually get out of the "Food Court"!

I was in need of a pick-me-up (for 'medicinal' reasons only) by this stage, so we found a cafe to chill out.  Just in time as it turned out, as the heavens opened and it poured.  The weather has been quite good so far ....dry and mild.

Back to the hotel, as our jet lag is still an issue.  Jordan stayed in bed while Ash and I headed out for dinner.  We walked to Covent Gardens, where you will find plenty of restaurants, and although we tried to get into Jamie Oliver's Italian, there was about a half hour wait so we opted for his opposition, across the road - "Rossopomodoro" which was quite nice.  They must be thrilled that Jamie opened his restaurant there......I'm sure they pick up a lot of overflow trade.

London calling!

No matter which way you look at it.....29 hours is a bitch!  We left Brisbane on a 10am flight to Sydney, then Sydney bound for London via Hong Kong, arriving 5.30am London time!  We travelled Virgin Atlantic and, although I couldn't justify "Business" for this trip, we travelled Premium Economy, which is like a Business class seat in Qantas, so at least we could stretch our legs out and have a bit more room.

I attempted to do some of my 'readings' on the HKG flight but academic work is so dry it wasn't all that successful.  Oh well....caught a couple of movies instead :)

I had arranged for  car to pick us up at the airport and half an hour later we were at the Chancery Court Hotel.

Thankfully we were able to check into our room early so it was a race to the shower for a quick recovery.  The Chancery is quite beautiful with good sized, newly refurbished rooms.  Only about 150 metres to the Tube and a 15 minute walk to Covent Gardens or Oxford St where we spent the better part of the day shopping.  Zara, H&M, Top Shop....the girls scoured them all making various purchases.  We then headed down Regent Street and into the Liberty shop which is an absolute treasure trove of delights!

 London Pub with Shakespeare watching from his window.

In chocolate heaven! The flavours were amazing........

Best graffiti ever!

Off to see "Matilda the Musical" tonight.  Great show....the kids were amazing! Such energy and polish!  Tim Minchin's lyrics quirky (as you would expect)  

7th January 2008

After breakfast we head out to explore Old Nice and our first stop is Molinard, a shop exploding with delicious perfumes made from natural plants of the Cote D’Azur.  Unable to resist this treasure trove both Gordy and I select various products including miniature bottles of a perfume which was their original scent made in the 1920s and containing over 600 ingredients.  The shop assistant, Laura, seems to warm to us during our visit and by the time we are completing our purchases she is chatting away keen to learn all she can about Australia and throwing samples into our bag. 

We continue down to the Cours Saleya which is normally a huge flower and vegetable market, but today, being Monday, it is an enormous brocante – selling antiques of all descriptions.It is not hard to spend a couple of hours wandering through the many tables stacked with antique laces, clothes, silver cutlery, porcelain, watches, handbags and jewellery. None of it really a bargain for a weary traveller!  We are amused to see some stall holders sitting down to a table set with baguettes, red wine, salad…..all the trimmings for what looked to be a delicious lunch.  Hard to imagine Aussies treating themselves to much more than a meat pie from a paper bag under the same situation!

 A friendly local!

Once more we stop at one of the many cafes for lunch before setting off again for more sightseeing down the many tiny lanes lined with shops and cafes. Nice is an interesting mix of French and Italian with many leather shops, gelaterias and pizza cafes.  We stop by the Palais Lascaris, a baroque 17^th century aristocratic mansion now a period museum and quite beautiful.  

On our walk I stumble upon a gorgeous dress shop stocking “Save the Queen” (one of my favourite labels) along with other fabulous gear.  I can’t resist trying on a couple of outfits and instantly regret all the French pastries I have been stuffing down my throat!  I’ve narrowed it down to two dresses, with a promise to myself that I will seriously diet on my return, but knowing the sales will start on Wednesday I decide to take my chances and be back on the doorstep at 10am when the store opens and if they are still there, then they are meant to be mine!  I also visit the little shop our waitress from the night before works at and discover they have some great gear for the girls, but again, I will wait till Wednesday. 

Gordy and I are both feeling slightly off-colour – DO NOT drink water unless bottled! Tonight we are playing it low key with a bottle of delicious burgundy, for medicinal purposes only, and tomorrow we are picking up our hire car and are off to Monaco.

Farewell once more Beaune.....Hello Nice!

Penny picks us up from the apartment by 8.30am and we are soon on the 8.54 train to Chalon Sur Saone.  Arriving 20 minutes later we board the next train, the TGV, departing at 9.54am which will wind down through France via various ports including Lyon, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseilles, Cannes, Antibes, finally arriving in Nice at approximately 4pm.  The trains in Europe are wonderfully efficient and a relaxing way to travel.    

We arrive at Palais De La Mediterranee, a beautiful hotel on the Promenade with a fabulous view across the ocean from our 8^th floor room.  We do our usual reconnaissance of the area, walking along the Promenade to the point for a breathtaking view back over the French Riviera.  The weather is clear and people sit at the many bars on the beach enjoying the last rays of sun.  On our return walk we stop at one of the many bistros for dinner and get into some lively conversation with the waitress who is from Corsica – she gives me the inside information that the sales start on Wednesday!

 View from our room.

 A beautiful balmy night in Nice

 Our view.

5th January 2008

I bought croissants the day before so after washing them down with freshly brewed coffee we head out to visit the markets which have been set up early in the morning from the end of Rue de Maizieres, and will trade until about 12pm.  Although it is raining softly everybody seems to be doing a brisk trade.  This is a major shopping venture for not only locals but also for people who live in the surrounding townships and everything from oysters, meats, chickens and ducks (still with their heads on) rabbits, all varieties of fruit, dried fruits, nuts, lollies, honey, clothes even beds is for sale!  And lets not forget the truffles – Euros1995 per kg so the little one I inspect (that looks somewhat like a nasty little dropping you would find in a field of sheep!) is in fact 50 euros!  We purchase a selection of sweet biscuits and head back to the apartment by around 11.30am.

 As most of the shops close between 12 and 2pm we stay indoors out of the rain and rest. I have seen a place called Patriarche Pere et Fils and decide that it is our destination when we venture out again.  We pay our 10euro entry and are given a delicate silver tasting bowl and sent on our way.  What we encounter next is nothing short of amazing!  Two hectares in area, five kilometres of walkways and four million bottles of wine!  We wind our way through the somewhat eerie passageways, deep underground, surrounded on both sides by endless rows of bottles, some dating back to the 1860s. After what seems to be an endless journey, made even more ghostly by the fact that we appear to be quite alone in this subterranean maze of stone, we finally come upon our first sign of life! ‘La guide’ materializes through the next archway and tells us that we will find various ‘tasting stations’ along the way, three white wines and twelve reds to be sampled at our leisure and that if we enjoy any we can collect them in our basket along the way………. A couple of hours later we (almost) stagger out with a dozen different wines we simply must have!!  No doubt we’ll have to drink a few along the way as transport back to Australia may be an issue!  A great adventure.

 

We have made a booking at Le Relais de Saulx for dinner tonight. (Bookings are advised at most restaurants as many are quite small and you can easily miss out).  This restaurant boasts tables and an area somewhat larger than many of the typical French restaurants where you tend to be seated within elbow reach of other diners.  I choose the 24euro plat and enjoy half a dozen escargots, beef bourgoine and end with a sublime chocolate pudding with a heart of rich gooey sauce accompanied by white chocolate ice cream…..yum!  Gordy has the same but chooses the crepes with mandarin sorbet to which he gives the thumbs.  We have chosen a local red, naturelement, and finish with a refreshing verre de champagne.