Graham's Travel Diary

Leaving Canada

2008-11-24T23:05:00.006+11:00

Here's the gas station near Halifax Airport where the hire car got a top up before we left for the States.

The trip from Amherst to Halifax Airport involved driving through heavy snow, especially thick across the Cobequid Pass where conditions reached almost total white-out and it was impossible to discern where the road was. We stopped under an overpass allowing two other cars to pass, and then came two trucks, the trucks making a track we could follow out of the impasse; within a kilometre, we passed the other two cars stranded in deep snow at varying angles to the side of the road.

Canada and Ireland operate systems whereby travelers complete their US immigration before departure - this greatly expedites entry into the the US through its busier airports.

We had good views of the coast and islands off Maine and Massachusetts - we flew directly over Boston and had good views out to Cape Cod, we saw many snowy ski fields across Connecticut, and the the usual holding pattern before descent into Newark enabled us to see lakes beginning to freeze in New Jersey. Manhattan's skyline was spectacularly clear.

Saint John, New Brunswick

2008-11-22T23:52:00.004+11:00

Clear skies Friday but Saturday morning we awoke to snow, probably 2-3 inches, and it is still snowing. This has made getting around slower, but we'll get to see a few things. Nice to be back here after several years.

The historic market is charming.

Canada

2008-11-22T00:42:00.004+11:00

We're being made feel very welcome on Prince Edward Island where we're discovering the delights of the local artisans.

The whole Anne of Green Gables experience was rewarding as we saw how Lucy Maud Montgomery had used her own surroundings and experiences to create the world of Anne. Anne's tenacity and appreciation of everything around her still capture the imagination of millions of readers.

There's a strong Celtic tradition here as evidenced by the College of Piping and Performing Arts Center of Canada.

Moose

2008-11-17T23:53:00.000+11:00

We watched moose grazing in the marshes near Antigonish in the bottom of a valley lined with Yellow Birch, Sugar Maple, American Beech and Balsam Fir.

2008-11-16T12:43:00.005+11:00

New York on Remembrance Day hosted a huge street parade on 5th Avenue - school marching bands, veterans, army, navy and air force, as well as community groups made a colourful and sometimes noisy showing.

At Rockerfeller Plaza the day was celebrated with a ring of American flags around the skating rink under the Prometheus statue.

Later that night we joined the audience at one of Broadway's hottest tickets, 'Jersey Boys', the story of Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons. The show was slick, and and it was easy to see why the crowds are flocking to it.

Basel - Binningen

2008-11-14T23:10:00.006+11:00

This is a view of the northern part of Basel across the Rhine.

Basel is Switzerland's second largest city and its many museums are testament to the high value its citizens have traditionally placed on art and scholarship.

The geographical curve in the river here is known as the Rhine knee - the river changes its east-west direction to flow north-south, where it flows along the borders of France and Germany.

I'm in Basel during the first of a 2-week Autumn Fair. This has been run for over 500 years and the ancient squares come alive with all kinds of festive activities.

I've enjoyed seeing the masters Basel's public art gallery, the Kunstmuseum where I looked particularly at Picasso, Cézanne, and some very early religious icons.

There's a nicely-placed Rodin in the entrance.

At the Münster, the painstaking work of restoration goes on, preserving tombstones and memorials to the city's famous residents.

Zürich Airport

2007-10-12T19:28:00.003+10:00

I'm in the elegant surroundings of Zürich Airport catching up on some emails.

Last night I went up to the Heilig Kreuz church to take more pictures of the organ, and ended up having coffee in the chapter house with Theo and some of the some people who work with children including Ursula, a vivacious young lady who said one day she would love to come to Australia.

Some futher last minute shopping around Basel; lunch at Zum Isaak on Münsterplatz, and then we took some more pictures which Alec believed would provide further evidence of an earlier date for the case of the organ at Roskilde.

David has chosen not to release these recordings - the music isn't quite ready. He thinks it will take a further 2 months of work, and he'll come back to it in a couple of years.

Friday

Alec and David left at 5.45am to get their tram and a train on to Naples.

My flight from Zürich isn't until 1.30pm so I can have breakfast at the hotel before getting a train to Zürich.

Arlesheim

2007-10-11T22:12:00.001+10:00

What a fabulous-looking organ - this one dates from 1750, and shows fine Rococo decoration. We even got to hear it played thanks to a visit by a group of organ fanciers from Munich.

Off to the Mountains

2007-10-10T16:00:00.001+10:00

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Today I'm going to try to take a picture that is representative of that statement which comes from the Sermon on the Mount. You'll see how it works when the CD comes out!

Looks like it is going to be clear again. A bit crisp in the morning, but I'm sitting outside and a t-shirt and long-sleeved shirt is enough, so it can't be that cold. It gets to about 15° during the day.

Over breakfast

2007-10-09T18:21:00.001+10:00

Here's a view of the Rhine from just behind the Münster. It is fast-flowing, but I've heard that people swim in it. It is a matter of getting in and being carried downstream I think.

There's a curious behaviour one can observe at any bed and breakfast establishment. The breakfast room is usually quiet and people drift, select the table the greatest distance from any other party already breakfasting, they make selections from the range of foodstuffs laid out, and place their order for tea of coffee. Invariabley I have found that milk is provided with the coffee, even though you replied in the negative when the host made a point of asking if you would care for milk with your coffee.

Anyway, the scene is now set for the very peculiar behaviour. Each of the couples in the breakfast room begin speaking to each other sotto voce, presumably so that other parties in the room will not be able to hear what they have to say. The trouble is, the person across the table can't hear what they have to say either, and every 2nd or 3rd phrase is greeted with "Hmm?". This expression seems to be the same in any language. I really felt for the mumbling couple across the room from me this morning. We three were the only ones there, and I felt like telling them it was OK for them to speak up, my German isn't good enough for me to understand anything they are telling each other anyway!

After getting some fruit (including raspberries of course!) I spent a while around the Münster today. It is a fabulous square, and from drawings I've seen from the 1400s, it looks much the same today as it did then!

I've made a ticket change today - it will be more convenient to fly home from Zurich than Copenhagen. It would have been nice to go back to Copenhagen, however we need the extra days here, and there's not much point going back there to spend an hour in transit!

More Swiss sights

2007-10-08T18:41:00.001+10:00

Taken at sunrise, this shows the Holy Cross (Heilig Kreuz) church in Binningen. I met Theo Ettlin tonight - he's the organist here in Binningen. Very energetic and an excellent musician.

Binningen

2007-10-07T02:02:00.002+10:00

No recording today. The city is quiet with shops closed. David told me that when he lived here 40 years ago he and his flatmate were doing some work in the attick where they lived on a Sunday, and they came down to find a note on the door asking them not to work on a Sunday.

So stalls are open - there's a man selling lovely roast chestnuts.

Got a good picture of the Holy Cross church this morning with lovely lighting created by the rising sun behind it.

Basel

2007-10-05T23:38:00.000+10:00

What lovely city! The Outside the main cathedral, the Münster, there is a fabulous square, Münsterplatz. Photos coming.

On Friday I started out doing a walking tour of the greater old city, and explored spots along the Rhine, starting with St. Alban-Kirche built around 1270. This millwheel is nearby.

The dates given for these posts can be a day later than here in Switzerland. It is Saturday evening as I type this, but because this blog is registered in Australian time, when I create a new post it is atuomatically dated as Sunday 7 October.

These are pictures from Saturday . . .

This is Basel Spanlentor, a gate which was part of the walled city. It dates from 1370, but the walls themselves were destroyed in the 19th century.

The Rathaus is on square normally occupied by stall-holders selling everthing from cheese to trinkets. There's a busy tram stop here too.

The Historisches Museum Barfusserplatz is Basel’s history museum. It is housed in what was a Franciscan church built in the 1300s. Amongst the relics and sculptures on display is a series of stained glass windows. This one show a portative organ. David tells me he's having one made. Basel has a wonderful academy of music at which David specialised in ancient music, particularly that which would have been played on the clavicytherium.

David took me to the University library where he was keen to see an exibition featuring a woman he knew when livig in Basel 40 years ago, the Swiss mezzo-soprano Elsa Cavelti. She's made her debut in Poland in 1936, and worked with the State Theatre of Beuthen (Silesia, near Bytom, Poland), in Düsseldorf and at the National Opera of Dresden, City Theatre of Zürich as dramatic alto. She sang on the principal European and American stages and was know for her premiers of the works of Swiss composers like Paul Huber, Othmar Schoek, Frank Martin, Willy Burkhard and Rudolf Kelterborn. She became a highly respected teacher and died in Basel in 2001.

Switzerland

2007-10-05T01:23:00.000+10:00

It stayed warm and muggy all day.

Wall sockets for electricity in Switzerland are not compatible with those in the rest of Europe. Fortunately I could borrow an adapter from the hotel. There is a socket in my room that will take the European plugs, but no such luck at the Holy Cross Church.

I did (for me) a great deal of walking, so an afternoon soaking in the tub in my room was just what the doctor ordered.

Thursday night David played about one third of the program, then in the hotel restaurant he spoke of some of the history of Basel, and its Catholic and Protestant heritage. I wish I'd taken notes! The organ pre-dates the churches - it was used at the head of an army as they went into battle. These large steam-driven calliopes must have been frightening.

Norway

2007-10-04T06:51:00.001+10:00

Spent Wednesday in Årnes with Jim Stirling and family - great to see them again. Pictures of Stirling Station coming.

I flew to Oslo. It was 3°C when we landed and some fog had developed. Jim picked me up at Gardemoen Airport and said that the day before has started foggy but cleared into a beautiful day. Well, it did so again, and I had the chance to relax on Stirling Station with Jim and Edel, Espen and Tina who was home from school for the 'potato harvest', a week in atumn when it was traditional for all hands to help lift the potato harvest from the ground. They are not growing potatoes on Stirling Station, but there's no shortage of animals! I've seen some changes since last time I was there - the place has so many things to do and see - a wonderful day out especially for kids.

Jim ran me back to Gardermoen, but not before he had a chance encounter with an excavator and a truckload of topsoil it had lifted from the roadside. The topsoil will come in handy for projects Jim has going on around the farm.

I wore the hat through the airport at Oslo - there may be a picture. It has an effect on people.

Had 30 minutes to check some email for NOK 59 while waiting for the flight. I love the wooden floors of the Scandinavian airports - the lighting is stylish and effecting, and the leather-upholstered seats I was sitting on were made of wood mounted by a matt stainless steel on some rendered concrete stands. Lovely effect. And of course tastefully framed billboards of Mads Mikkelson wearing the latet H&M gear were visible through most of the airport.

From the airport at Oslo back to Copenhagen is a 60 minute flight, and within 10 minutes I had my return train ticket to Malmö where I caught up with Ross who'd had found time amongst his meetings to go shopping at H&M!

Set the alarm for 6am. My flight was at 8.15 - I'd not checked and seemed to recall that it left at 8.30, so was cutting it fine because the trained pulled out of Malmö at 7.02am - they do run precisely on time fortunately - and by the time I got to Kastrup it was 7.30am. I saw on the board that my flight could check in at positions 32-39, each being fed by the one long line snaking its way back and forth in front of 4 open check-in positions. I stood in line for 10 minutes knowing that my flight would have left before I got to the head of the line, so I pulled out of the line and went straight to the Business Class check-in (I'd not been able to see this for the sea of people lined up in front of Economy, but my Star Alliance Premier status affords me this option.) I'm sure I'd have missed my flight if I'd had to wait in Economy. As it was, there was still a long way to go - there was a sign at security advising that the wait in that line would be 7 minutes; and from there, once unbelted jeans are rebelted and the laptop is back in the backpack, there was a long walk to what must be the furthermost gate at Kastrup, D104. The flight was boarding when I got there.

I'm typing this onboard a Spanair MD-83 - the flight is nowhere near full and I have an empty seat either side of me. I hadn't realised that this would be a codeshare flight with a Spanish airline, so it was a pleasant cultural surprise to read of fabulous Latino destinations in the Spanorama magazine whilst being served breakfast by the Spanish crew.

The magazine also has a feature on Aging rock stars - Los viejos rockeros nunca mueren - Old rock singers die hard. The article rounds up the usual suspects to say what? I'm not sure, apart from the fact that the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, The Doors (albeit without Jim Morrison) were still going strong. It draws a bit of a long bow inluding Sting in there - he's only in his early 50s. But it points out that we have a group of musicians who don't retire in this business - after the death of Johnny Cash we had James Brown, and Ray Charles about whom there was a recent bio-pic. It finishes bup by saying " . . . the most relevant in rock history aren't its heroes, either dead or alive, but the freeing attitudes the injected to successive generations of fans. Their haircuts and jeans, but also their young spirit and pacifism, under that motto: "Make love, not war". A picture of a bare-footed guitar-playing Sting is captioned: "Sting says he makes love daily thanks to yoga".

It is beautiful weather in Basel - about 20°C and it looks like there has been rain recently. The conductor on the train spoke in French, though most people in this region speak German.

I met up with David and Alec at the hotel where they were having lunch. The church is pleasant and we'll hear how good the organ sounds tonight!

Malmö Castle

2007-10-02T15:14:00.000+10:00

Visting the castle today - and some shopping of course!

Tuesday I walked to the castle in Malmö - it wasn't going to be open for another hour, but it the courtyard there were some large photographs captioned with lines from the words of a song by Bob Dylan, "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall". The exhibition contains photos by Mark Edwards had opened on September 15th, and is there until next year. Very powerful.

In the afternoon I went to a famous sauna - were you can sit and look south across the ocean towards Denmark. You'd need to almost press you face to the window to see but in the distance off to your left is the huge bridge that connects Denmark with Sweden, while off to the right you'd be able to see Sweden's tallest building, the Twisted Torso tower. I went there later, but first I had to put some clothes on. You see I'm sitting naked on a little square of cloth which prevents my bum being burnt by the hot wooden stands - and this is the cooler of the two saunas! I walked into the other one, and felt my feet burning so walked out again - so that's why some of the chaps were in fact wearing something - footwear!

Sweden

2007-10-01T18:25:00.000+10:00

I love the designs created by Bo Bendixen - bold, bright and a good sense of fun. His headquarters are at Aarhus north of Copenhagen, but you can find some t-shirts, postcards and coffe cups at Atrium in Copenhagen. Most of his other stores are in beachside towns around Denmark. I'm looking forward to seeing his shop at the airport too, now that it is reopened after re-developments.

Today we took the train to Malmö in Sweden, and looked around the old city, had lunch on Lilla Torg (Little Square), some of the buidlings around it dating from the 16th century. Not to be put off by cooler days, the Swedes dine al fresco sometimes wrapping themselves in the blanket provided at each seat by the restaurant!

There are many pedestrian malls where bicycles are the only vehicular traffic. And pedestrians are out in force - this must be healthier for business - and the pedestrians.

The Sankt Petri Kyrka (St. Peter Church) is the oldest structure in Malmö, and I ws fascinated to see many carvings from the mid 1600s there very similar to the carvings on the organ at Roskilde which dates from the same time. The oldest part of the Sankt Petri Kyrka is the Krämarkapellett, or Tradesmen's chapel, which is decorated with frescos from the 1400s. These had been whitewashed during the Reformation, but were uncovered in the earth 20th century.

København - Roskilde

2007-10-01T05:42:00.000+10:00

Took the train to Kastrup airport to see if my SAS vouchers could get us a flight to Oslo. Unfortunately, it was going to be over DKR 4,000 return, the internet fares last night were DKR 1,400 for the two of us to go, but the vouchers can't be used online. I made a booking for Wednesday, and then we headed back for breakfast in Copenhagen. Danish pastries of course, and coffee at a little place attached to an information centre across the road from the Tivoli.

We got the train for Roskilde, spending until early afternoon there. The caretaker at Roskilde Domkirke recognised me and let us in part way through a church service - lovely to hear the organ and the congregation singing.

After that we hit the waterfront, the home of the Vikingships museum, had another coffee and watched a blacksmith at work making nails. The old Viking traditions of ship building are kept alive there, At the museum I bought a CD of what musicologists presume the musical instruments of the Vikings must have sounded like. Quite tuneful, though some very strange sounds are emitted from horns.

I called back afterwards to thank him - he said he was on the second of four services there today. Thence to Bryggegårten for lunch - it wasn't open until midday, but we had only 5 minutes to wait. Some of the nicest pasta and smoked salmon I could hope to taste anywhere! Made Skype contact with Christopher, and found the signal persisted out in the street so were able to give him a front row seat at a performance by a hat-wearing gambler who gave me a treatise on how the only computer system worth operating was linix because it was free.

The Danish trains are efficient - clean, quiet and frequent. This is being written on the train heading back to Copenhagen. Back in Copenhagen we explored the waterfront around Nyhavn and saw the new opera house just across from the Danish Admiral Hotel.

From there to the palace!

København again

2007-09-30T01:27:00.000+10:00

It is lovely to be back in Copenhagen! The flight from Sydney to Babngkok's new Suvarnabhumi airport took 9 hours and 25 minutes aboard a Boeing 474. The seats are spaced further apart than those on Singapore airlines, and they recline further. The flight staff are excellent, so it made for a good flight even though the plane was full.

I had the aisle seat and the man sitting net to me and the woman next to him were all over each other, though the fact that he didn't know if she took milk and sugar in her tea made me think that perhaps they hadn't been together very long. Still, that provided no impediments to them being all over each other, though they were closer to 60 than 50. On their way to Greece after Bangkok, they were rehearsing a few words that might come in handy. I know - it was drilled into me! I couldn't help overhear it! She speaks with a deliberate whine, every word very precise, though overly sibilent - it would drive me nuts. He is easy going and cuts to the chase: "Can I take that for you?" he asks me about the tray of food I've begun to eat, which impedes his way to the middle seat after his ill-timed visit to the lavatory (as they are called on planes).

There were three movies screended on the common cabin screens: Fantastic Four, Oceans 13, and Mr. Bean's Holiday. Thai doesn't appear to go in for 60 movie streams acessible from the back of each seat aboard Singapore Airlines.

2 hours in the new airport gave me time to view some of the many shops, and to find a place to have a shower. This latter is difficult, there being no advertising or signage pointing one in the right direction. Foot, neck and shoulder massages are popular, so thinking I'd at least freshen up a bit if I had one of these, I showed up at such a place and asked what I could have. They showed me a card listing some more services that I'd not seen displayed on the sign beside their front counter. I was delighted to see that 'Shower' was listed, and it didn't matter that it would cost 400 Bhat, at least I could have one. I began to feel fresher immediately. But, apparently I couldn't have a shower, unless I had it as part of the aromatherapy treatment. This turned out to be a full body massage with aromatic oil - after taking a shower. Once expertly massaged, you then take another shower and run for the plane, hoping not to find the gate closed. (The young lady in whose hands I'd placed myself, found it fifficult to understand that I didn't have all night, and that my flight was to depart at 1.20am. She seemd to be going to continue until 1.20, so I had to force the point, and have her finish up without her completing the whole routine.)

I just made it, with a change of clothes, and tucking some of them in as I reached the gate, I settled back for the 11 hour 5 minute flight to Copenhagen.

Copenhagen is such a civilised place to arrive into - they make so little fuss. An electronic display tells you how long before your baggage is due to arrive out of a certain carousel - ours was to take 19 minutes, so I went to the carousel where baggage from the flight from Newark had already arrived but Ross had collected his and cleared customs already.

We took a train from Kastrup to Copenhagen, found the Country Comfort hotel, left out baggage and then set out for the Strøget, the world's longest shopping mall. We stopped along the way at the Hans Christian Andersen Coffee shop - the pastries are every bit as good as they were during a previous visit during winter. Today is was 16°C, though most people had jackets on, and sure enough the temperature fell later, and with it the rain. That wasn't until we'd reached Nyhavn where we sampled local delicacies for lunch.

What four young men could do with carefully measured amouts of water in bottles had to be heard to be believed! A real crowd pleaser on the Strøget.

København

2007-03-23T23:50:00.000+11:00

The Tivoli is a hive of activity, but doesn't open again until April. Still, it seems to keep Hans Christian Anderson's attention.

Set out early this morning with a view to strolling on the Strøget, and did so just before 10am when the shops opened and went on to Nyhavn - such a pretty place.

Then back to Roskilde for lunch at Bryggergården.

The Roskilde Jars looked good in the bright sun when I got back from København about midday.

Roskilde

2007-03-23T02:00:00.000+11:00

Warmer today with a top of 8 degrees.

Got some more photos from the Domkirke. There are many wood carvings depicting the stages of the life of Christ, and the alter consists of more elaborate carvings.

Many tour groups come to the Domkirke, interesting to see groups of kindergarten children (swishing along in their winter jump-suits) being shown their country's history.

Fredriksborg and Malmø

2007-03-23T01:37:00.000+11:00

Spent the day sight-seeing. First we took a local bus to Hillerød, the home of Frederiksborg Castle, which was started in 1560 by Frederik II.

From there a train to Copenhagen and then another train to Malmø, crossing via Øresundsbron, the bridge which Sweden's ruling Social Democrats gave the nod to in April 1990, upon which contruction began 5 years later, and it was completed in 1999.

You have to do a double take when entering one of the cafes at the station in Copenhagen - there's a man sitting at one of the table looking straight ahead all the time! Go there any time and he'll always be there. Very difficult to have a conversation with him though.

Tuesday in Roskilde

2007-03-21T04:41:00.000+11:00

A beautiful day - cold, though mostly sunny. Spring has certainly made a brave effort to take hold, though there are still some wintery blasts.

Spent a lot of the day looking at the detail in the Domkirken - centuries of history are on display there.

The night was clear, and Venus was blazing at twilight with a fine crescent moon to the right.

Roskilde

2007-03-19T23:07:00.000+11:00

A snow flurry at around midday today - it was short-lived, but there may be more. I've been looking at the lovely botiques this morning after visting the Domkirke for a while.

Copenhagen

2007-03-19T09:11:00.000+11:00

Arrived in Copenhagen a few hours later than expected - in Paris SAS told me the flight I was on was over-booked and would I mind if they re-routed me via Munich on Lufthansa - they'd also give me a travel voucher to make it worth my while. So I've been to sunny Munich today.

Now I'm in Roskilde at the Prinsden Hotel - just by this computer in the lobby, there's a sign that tells me Anderson was here - Hans Christian that is.

Snow was forecast for today and tomorrow - it may now only be wind and rain. It would ne bnice to see snow, and certainly feels cold enough for it when the wind blows.

Bayonne to Paris

2007-03-17T19:43:00.000+11:00

The main reason for going back to La Bastide Clairence is that it is the headquarters of the perfume maker Christian Louis of Parfums et Senteurs. He has recently opened a store in Paris, but when I first encountered his fabulous creations, you could get them only in the Basque country.

We left La Bastide Clairence on a very foggy morning, driving through some more delightful villages surrounded by farms of long-haired sheep and chestnut horses.

We left the car at Bayonne/Biarritz airport, and flew Air France to Paris. Once there, we installed ourselves in the Hotel du Levant in the Latin Quater, and set out to soak up some more of the atmosphere.

The highlight of the day was dining at Les Fous de l'Ile - we are treated like family, and the food is superb!

I enjoyed this sign seen on the streets of Paris - the reference to the fab four is clever.

Andorra to La Bastide-Clairence

2007-03-15T19:05:00.000+11:00

Today we have to head out through the wonderfully scenic Pyrenees and down towards the Atlantic coast and La Bastide-Clairence.

Andorra

2007-03-14T19:57:00.000+11:00

We made such good progress using many peage roads, and got in to the capital, Andorra la Vella, at about 7pm just as it getting dark. The access to the place is via a high mountain pass where there was still lots of snow and it was about 3 degrees, but down in the valley it is about 10 degrees and there's no snow. After dinner it was nice to relax in the Crowne Plaza's spa and sauna.

The local language is Catalan. Lots of Spanish-speaking people are dressed in ski gear in the hotel, and all over Andorra are ski resorts, some with lovely shops attached.

Today is the national holiday of Andorra, so all shops were closed – a window shopper’s paradise! Of course, we’ll have to go back when the stores are open tomorrow to purchase a few choice goddies.

We wandered around the extensive network of shopping streets in the morning, and I was interested to see this local radio station was using Dalet!

In the afternoon, we went driving up to the snow line and above, where it seemed most visitors to Andorra were spending the day.

There’s still plenty of snow for skiing, and we had lunch at one of the resorts. It was nice to feel the crispness of the air, and though we didn’t bother making a snow person to clad elegantly in tax-free attire to compliment the wealth and sheer beauty of this principality, we did have fun in the snow, and enjoyed the spectacle of the snow-capped Pyrénèes all around.

Ross enjoying the sun.

The day ended with a huge fireworks display, and I've never heard such loud explosions - the mountians all around created an amphitheatre and it seemed that every explosion was given more punch as it echoed around the valley.

L'Occitane

2007-03-14T19:51:00.000+11:00

The factory visit at L'Occitane near Manosque in Provence was a triumph! The shop offers a 10% dicount, and in addition, there's a 15% tax refund upon leaving the European Union.

At L’Occitane the tour began in a small lecture room where our hostess relayed some of the company’s 30 year history. It seems the discovery of shea butter in a nut from Africa was the driving force in the development of some of the skin care products, and the rich abundance of lavander, olive oil, oranges and almonds in Provence give the L’Occitane people a fabulous palate of fine natural sources for ingredients. As we toured through the factory, the aromas varied – all very agreeable.

Quality control is applied to every aspect of the product: only the finest ingredients are used and even the packaging is subjected to multiple tests for colour, thickness and clarity.

We were allowed to sample several of the products at the end of the tour, and were each given a cake of soap stamped with a logo to mark our visit to the factory.

Driving through Nîmes, we wondered what the city was famous for. It seems that it is the home of the serge fabric used to make jeans. The fabric was developed in Nîmes by local Protestants, who, because of their religion, were denied access to any activity of the Catholic ruling classes. Instead, they turned their hand to industry, and one thing they created was a hard-wearing fabric that would make comfortable working clothes.

The resulting fabric (serge de Nîmes) was taken to America by the Jewish-Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss who found its strength and utility ideal for making jeans. The entomology of the word becomes easy to follow: I guess you could say that serge de Nîmes became known in its ‘dressed-down’ form - denim!

We left L'Occitane about midday then set out for Andorra, the plan being to get near there, then drive up the next morning.

The villages of Provence

2007-03-13T07:54:00.000+11:00

Visited several of the main villages of Provence today. Streets are a very tight fit even for a small car, and they are steep to do on foot - but we did both, and enjoyed it all. Chatting with the locals at a market was a highlight. More about the character of each village to come, but for now, here are some pictures from today.

We visted Lacoste, a village associated infamously with the Marquis de Sade. In more recent history, Pierre Cardin has established a festival there.

Aix-en-Provence

2007-03-12T17:55:00.000+11:00

Sunday consisted of a TGV journey from Paris to Aix-en-Provence, a visit to an exhibition of the painting of Marc Chagall, strolling along a street full of markets selling antiques and exploring the old city of Aix.

In Paris again

2007-03-11T06:12:00.000+11:00

Some photographs of Paris at the end of winter. 3 degrees C when I arrived here at 6.30am. It has been sunny and picture perfect all day.

It was great to arrive in Paris again this morning after flight of nearly 7 hours from Sydney, the 2 hours of refreshment in Singapore, then a 9 hour flight aboard the one of the lavishly appointed 777 fleet Singapore airlines is running.

Ross arrived from Newark a couple of hours after me so I met him at Terminal 2A, then we set out for some of our favourite Paris haunts!

Les Fous was a must for lunch, and Lionel asked whether I lived here now or was on vacation. He made the usual welcoming fuss, and we felt right at home. His wife is a chanteuse, so I asked him if he knew where I could buy classical music, and he suggested some markets - lots of music there, but none of it the printed variety. Plenty of reggae, rap, and practically anything 'alternative' on vinyl.

Protest

2006-10-03T19:22:00.000+10:00

There was a protest in Orléans this morning.

As far as I can gather, there are moves afoot to centralise the the role of Customs in autonomous regions, and this protest is a move to stop it. The flyer handed to me as I walked through the group of noisy protesters states 'Votre sécurité est menacée! Les bureaux de Douanes sur 6 supprimés". Then three places are named: Blois, Chatres and Chateauroux.

I'll be back at St; Marceau this afternoon with Alec for some more tuning - the change in weather appears to affect the vox humana particularly, and it seems we'll finish the recording tonight. (In fact, we finished the recording the next morning.)

Il pleut

2006-10-03T19:21:00.000+10:00

I really don't mind the rain - it even gives me the chance to interact in French with the lady in the umbrella shop! The, having spent so much on the latest sprung-opening gadgetry, it is only right that the continuing rain gives me so many opportunities to use the thing!

Olivier Latry (from Notre-Dame in Paris) and Marie-Claire Alain are two famous organists of whom there are pictures in the organ loft from the times they gave recitals on the Aubertain organ at St. Marceau.

Le Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur

2006-10-01T18:33:00.000+10:00

It is Sunday morning here and raining gently.

Last night we went to see the comédie by Molière, 'La Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur' - this is one his most famous plays apparently, so it was good to see - a big theatre, and nearly full.

This is St. Marceau where we are recording.

This afternoon, Alec and I did some work on the tuning of the vox humana, a stop which featured in one of the works recorded tonight.

Orléans encore fois

2006-09-29T22:19:00.000+10:00

Back in Orléans - it is warm, T-shirt weather, and nice to be here again. This picture is one I took that may end up on the new CD.

Austrian Air

2006-09-29T22:18:00.000+10:00

Nice to experience Austrian Air, though less than an hour in Kuala Lumpur gave me no time to explore the much-acclaimed airport.

Spent 4 hours in Vienna, so of it in the Austrian Air Business lounge where the shower is complimentary, so arrive in Paris after a 2-hour Air France (Austrian code share) relatively refreshed. A further four hours and several trains later, I was in Orléans.

April in Singapore

2006-04-02T09:03:00.000+10:00

It looks like it always does - calm, and efficient. Changi is a wonderful airport, and I've booked a massage 90 minutes before my flight - had lots of excercise wandering the shops at this huge aireport.

Danish hospitality

2006-04-01T00:12:00.000+11:00

Lovely to meet with the Neilsens in their home and enjoy some traditional Danish fare.

Loose ends

2006-03-31T01:52:00.000+11:00

Today we took some more pictures around the Domkirke while David practised some more. He says this instrument is particularly demanding and thinks he may have enough strength this afternoon to record one more fugue, basically everything else it there.

Tonight we're going to enjoy some Danish hospitality in the home of one of the Domkirke's 3 staff organists, Mr. Neilsen and his wife. He has been riding his bicycle in from his home each night when we finish recording in order to secure the building. Roskilde is particularly suited to bike riding and has lots of bicycle tracks. In Denmark, it is unwise for pedestrians to walk on the bike tracks.

Roskilde Domkirke

2006-03-29T23:23:00.000+11:00

Right behind the organ at Roskilde Domkirke is the entrance to the cathedral museum. It traces the cathedral's history right back to the foundation in the Catholic peiod about 985. The Protestant period begins with the reformation in 1536.

On this site there have been at least three churches - Harald Bluetooth built the first in about 985 as a mausoleum for himself, and it is thought a second church was begun about 1040 by Queen Estrid and completed by Svend Normand who was bishop from 1074-88.

The story of the fire in 1968 is quite dramatic with a fire brigade from Copenhagen reaching the fire in 25 minutes.

Directly opposite the organ is a Royal box and this is a shot of some detail showing carvings from the time of Christian the 4th (1588-1648).

The Vikings

2006-03-29T19:39:00.000+11:00

While walking into the library this morning I noticed some men outside taking turns with a pair of protective glasses to look at the sun - the eclipse Col Maybury has gone to Turkey to see (in totality) is obviously partially visible here. The park across from the library has in it several ponds, some of them still looking like they are in the grip of winter.

On the way to visit the Viking ship museum, I walked past another Mediaeval church - Skt. Ibs Kirke, the Church of St. James, but it no longer used as a church. It is protected, and the grounds and surrounding graves are kept impeccably.

The Viking ship museum is situated right at the waterfront at the head of Roskilde Fjord. The largest exhibition comprises 5 ships which were discovered in Roskilde fjord in the 1950s. They were painstakingly brought to the surface during the 1960s, and after years of work - not the least of which was replacing the water with a compound which would preserve the timber once it was out of water - the ships have provided much information about how the Vikings lived including their wars, their fishing, and trade.

I also visited a Gasworks gallery - now a modern art gallery, and I saw some glass-blowing there - very attractive pieces were being created, and it was warm!

The Roskilde Jars by Peter Brandes are just outside the railway station. At first the look like they are covered in graffiti, but they are inscribed with the names of all who took part in their production, including the names of all members of Stryhn's Leverpostej, the company that presented the jars to commemorate Roskilde's 1000-year jubilee in 1998.

Rødgrød med fløde

2006-03-28T21:35:00.001+11:00

Rødgrød med fløde is a Danish desert made with red berries and cream - it is also a tongue twister which I've gone some way to mastering, much to the hilarity of David and Alec who dare me to ask waiters and waitresses if it is on their menu. Last night I asked our waitress, and she didn't bat an eyelid when she said they didn't have it on the menu. Still, it continues to amuse, and the Danes apparently don't expect foreigners to be able to pronounce it correctly. Jeanette was the waitress at Raadhuskælderen beneath Roskilde's old city hall. She even did a great performance of the expression for my video!

Earlier today, Alec was lucky enough to find some workmen who let us into Gl. Vor Frue Kirke, Church of our Lady, Fruegade. Normally it is open only from June to August. During the Middle Ages it belonged to the Cistercian Convent, and at the end of the 11th century a mausoleum was added to honour Margaret of Højelse.

The clock and the dragon

2006-03-28T02:18:00.000+11:00

Today David is practising again, so I have the chance to explore Roskilde some more. Earlier we had a look at the mechanism for the bell tower at Roskilde Domkirke, and saw how the 3 pipes are blown to make the sound of the dragon being slain on the hour each hour. This is turned off at night (and when we are recording). David feels it might be nice to put it on the CD however. It seems Buxtehude would have known about it. The clock mechanism allows the woman to strike her bell once, twice or three times each quarter hour and on the hour, after the dragon shrieks, she strikes her bell four times, and the man then strikes his bell once for each hour. The whole thing is mechanised - the woman's head turns back and forth and the knight strikes the dragon. Our guide noticed that the clock was running a few seconds fast, so he stopped the pendulum for about 40 seconds to bring the time into line with his wrist watch. The clock dates from 1640.

Roskilde

2006-03-27T20:03:00.000+11:00

In Roskilde to record at the Cathedral, a fabulous space with one of the best organs in Europe - a royal box is directly opposite the organ.

All of Denmark's former Kings and most of its Queens are buried here. It has 3 full-time organists, one of whom took a group of choir boys on a tour of New Zealand. When he gave the cost of the jump as his excuse for not bungy jumping at Queenstown, the boys had a whip round, handed him the money and insisted he jump. He obliged, survived, and now his stakes with the boys are sky high!

Denmark is efficient, modern, and expensive. I'm at the public library in Roskilde - the internet access is free. It is considerably colder than anywhere else I've been on this trip, but the cathedral in which we are recording is heated from under the floor. There's still some snow on the ground and 0 degrees yesterday gave it no hope of melting. This morning when I stepped out it was 7 degrees so it feels quite warm.

We have a lay day today while David practices - Roskilde Cathedral is magnificent - the organ sounds fabulous, and Buxtehude's music very colourful. I've been taking some photos in the Cathedral, and David plans to use some of them on the CD booklet.

I walked down to the waterfront - Roskilde is at the head of a fijord. There's still ice on the water, though the thaw is well and truly underway. It is thought King Ro named the city (now some 50,000 people live here) and 'kilde' is the Danish word for spring. There are many still to be found at various locations around the city.

Liverpool

2006-03-27T19:51:00.000+11:00

Got to Liverpool OK and it was nice to catch up with Roger and Maggie.

I rode a horse called Molly along the common at Wirral looking across towards Liverpool and further across the water towards North Wales. Lots of people brave the cold to walk their dogs, one of which came scapering twards Molly giving me a nervous moment, but a pretty good ride all round.

Seeing that I'd given Radio Merseyside as my contact details, the customs official asked if I was working there - I said I'd be sitting in with Roger Lyon, to which she replied, 'Oh good, I'll have to listen!'

Back to Paris

2006-03-24T03:33:00.000+11:00

St. Pierre du Corps is the TGV station to the east of Tours and we had planned to go there later in the day in order for me to get the train back to Paris. We decided to go there early in the day so I could get a ticket, and then we'd be able to explore around that region before heading back to the Gare in time for the train. As it happened, getting there was complicated, so to spare them the hassle, I thought it best to leave the party once we got there just after 1pm, and come on to Paris earlier. Strike action had delayed most trains, and although 1 hour of the journey (to Massy) was by TGV, I had several flights of stairs an a good walk to transfer to the RER train which brough me to St. Michel-Notre Dame. So here i am in Paris again, and it is lovely to be here!

Mont Saint Michel to Les Marionettes

2006-03-19T09:23:00.000+11:00

It had rained through the night and when we went back to Mont Saint Michel it had eased off enough not to need an umbrella as we explored the little village there. We walked all the way up to the Abbey and took a tour through some wonderful spaces ranging from a grand cathedral with high vaulted ceilings, a dining room where the monks used to sit in silence eating, and smaller spaces where they meditated or worked.

We drove from there to Les Marionettes just out of Mouleheirne and set up cooked our own roast! Delicious.

To Mont Saint Michel

2006-03-18T18:40:00.000+11:00

This is a fabulous place - quite dramatic even spotting it for the first time through the mist. We braved the biting cold and looked in the first of the shops and restaurants before heading off to dinner at the Mecure to taste the famous salty lamb.

Chambord

2006-03-18T03:08:00.000+11:00

Not far from Orléans at Chambord is a châteaux Grahame knew much about having taught his French students its history. It took centuries to complete, and around it there are vast forests in which the royals hunted.

To Orléans

2006-03-17T17:54:00.000+11:00

Ross left for the States on Sunday, and around midday the rest of us picked up the hire car at Montparnasse. We scooted around the péripherique and headed for Orléans. Getting to our hotel there - the Hôtel Joan d'Arc in la rue Adolphe Crespin was easy since I'd stayed there before. Now under new management, some decorating upgrades have been made, and the service is as attentive and friendly. We walked to St. Marceau where I talked to a monk about whether or not there was a service on that night - also there wasn't.

We enjoyed sitting in the afternoon sun having a drink with the locals on the square, and plotting to visit Chambourg the next day.

Last glimpses of Paris

2006-03-17T17:26:00.000+11:00

These are some shots Ross and I took at the Field of Mars. It is a great place to stroll and experiment with perspective!

It is also a great place to enjoy Portuguese rasperries!

Shopping

2006-03-17T03:34:00.000+11:00

This page is a work in progress as I get the time (and the pictures) to tell the story.

Started out this morning to see what had happened last night at La Place de la Sorbonne, the site of protests against the new legislation to make it easier for employers to lay-off young workers, the theory being that the easy out-clause will encourage employers to take on more young people thereby reducing France's very high unemployment.

As you can see by the pictures, the students are not happy about it, and as a result of the recent protests, the government and the vice-chancellors are to sit down and work out a better solution. Mostly the evidence of what had happened the night before had been cleaned up, though the cracked windows and grafitti said it all.

Visited St Eustace near Forum Les Halles - nice to see it being so beautifully restored and I was interested in the Baroque organ.

Enjoyed having a coffee at Café Victor Hugo in Place des Vosges.

Otherwise it has been a quiet day shopping mostly. Nice to sit in a café by the Seine just near Notre-Dame and write a few postcards.

Enjoyed wandering around les Halles, St. Eustace which - like Notre Dame - is getting a lovely makeover, the Pompidou Centre and City Hall.

Tasted some fabulous tea - seems such a nice touch to visit a tea shop on be offered tea while you shop.

Back on L'Île Saint Louis in the afternoon we visited some more favourite haunts inluding L'Occitane - the leg balm is heaven for aching feet!

The Protests

2006-03-17T03:32:00.000+11:00

Last night we ate at Les Bouquiniste, serving modern French cuisine on the left bank. The meal was not the most memorable part of the night as the student riots stepped up a gear. We'd been seeing Police in force all day, but when about 150 rioters, some of them weiling batons, ran past the restaurant, metal shutters came down over the windows within seconds. I'd been keeping an eye on an almost-full moon rising, thinking what a spectacular photo it would make poised above the West wall of Notre-Dame, and now, through the restaurant's only uncovered window I could see police vehicles, and curious onlookers.

The door was locked, and the diners carried on unperturbed. Were they used to this? Used to it enough I thought - those shutters were employed within seconds and would have cost a euro or two.

The centre of the protests was the main square of the Sorbonne, and we could see thousands of people and flashing police lights just a few blocks from us down the Boulevard St. Michel. The protest is against new labour laws, especially a new for of job contract which will allow employers to sack young people within two years without giving a reason.

Restaurants closed early; we were advised by security people to get indoors and our hotel doors were locked behind us.

Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to control the angry crowd, as cars were overturned and a bookshop set alight.

Shopping

2006-03-16T17:38:00.000+11:00

Shopping in Paris is always a joy! Got in some sight-seeing as well.

Reims

2006-03-15T04:01:00.000+11:00

Today we took a train from Gare de L'Est to Reims in the heart of the Champagne district, and walked from the station throught to wide sopping Mall to the Cathedral. The nearby tourist office gave us information about the cave tours of the local champagne houses, and we chose Piper Heidsiek which seems to have been the favourite of most American movie stars, and even some British Royals!

Dinner back on L'Île St. Louis.

Mont Martre

2006-03-14T18:40:00.000+11:00

Today we braved the icicles and visited Mont Martre, Le Sacre Coeur and enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere of la Place du Tertre. The cooler weather made for fewer artists, but they were no less enthusiastic to sell their wares.

L'Opéra Bastille

2006-03-13T17:48:00.000+11:00

Georgie and Grahame enjoy the atmosphere at Les Namours near Le Palais Royale after a rigorous stroll around the Louvre.

It has been -7° overnight and will reach 6° today. I noticed that Paris has the movie with a strong Invercargill connection - this movie being about the non-assuming Invercargill man who broke - and still holds - the land speed record for a motorcycle. This billboard is near the Louvre on the rue de Rivoli.

Went to the Bastille Opéra to see Verdi's Rigoletto - we all enjoyed the performance, and the sound is spectacular in that very modern hall.

Champs Elysées

2006-03-13T07:28:00.000+11:00

We took the métro to the Champs Elysées. Starting with the Arc de Triomphe in the bright morning sun, we enjoyed strolling this famous boulevard, stopping for coffee and various shops including the Peugeot centre, the Virgin Megastore and the Sephora perfume store. By the time we reached Tuilerie Gardens, it was time for lunch and the salmon was delicious!.

On to the Luxemborg Gardens, the grounds of the Louvre, then to the métro from Palais Royale back to St. Michel, then headed for L'église à St. Louis-en-l'Île for the 1700hrs concert featuring music from the time of Buxtehude - the Aubertin organ being featured along with four vocalists and and ensemble of period instruments.

The Seine is flowing fast and looking muddy as the Spring melt gushes to the sea, so some of the walks very near the waterline aare flooded.

We dined at another restaurant on l'Île, Les Fous being closed on Sunday and Monday.

Paris encore fois

2006-03-12T18:50:00.000+11:00

Nice to be back in Paris and soaking up the atmosphere at Les Fous de l'Île. Lionel remembers me from last year, and asked about the Buxtehude CD (about to be released). The flight in from Singapore was perfect.

Back home

2005-10-16T11:13:00.000+10:00

Back from France. I'll add some more pictures as they come to hand, and look forward to the next trip!

Returning from Dax

2005-10-14T05:48:00.000+10:00

We had breakfast at home today, the went to Orthez for coffee; checked out a local clothing outlet where some very good clothes can be bought quite inexpensively for France. Then we had lunch in a very chic cafeteria at E. Lecerc - a large hypermarchet. All such cafeterias could learn something from this one - the food and atmosphere were so good.

While in Orthez Andrea had helped me change my train ticket after we thought it might be a good idea to visit Dax or Pau, and board the TGV from there. Dax won the day. It was also nice to get back into Paris earlier because the Métro stops running at 12.30am and the later TGV into Montparnasse wouldn't have left me much time to get back to Porte de Vincennes.

It was lovely to see Andrea and Kevin again - they are such good friends and great hosts, always so generous in sharing their local knowledge and experiences of a "maison secondaire" in France.

A word or two about the TGV, if I may. 30 minutes before arriving back in Paris, I made a note to never again get the seats in the middle of the car - your knees thouch those of the person facing you and there's no room to stretch at all. Also, as fabulous as the TGV are, perhaps SNCF needs to look at a couple of details: on outward and inward bound trains, no water remained in les toilettes for the washing of hands, and I noticed on the train back to Paris today, that the person before me had discovered there wasn't even any for flushing! Perhaps it is all a sign of overcrowding, which was further evident all the way from Dax when a man carrying walking poles and a pack who also got on at Dax sat directly behind me. He'd not availed himself of the great French tradition of cologne - nor water it seemed - for several days: the stench for 5 hours was such an unwelcome contrast in an otherwise fragrant country. So, SNCF - look please to les toilettes, and perhaps a bit more space for comfort when the TGV cars get a refit!

Bayonne, Pays Basque

2005-10-13T03:41:00.000+10:00

The peace around Maison Cabanne, Andrea and Kevin's place just out of Orthez, is disturbed only by the sound of rural enterprise: a cow bellowing on the way to milking in the morning, a shot ringing out from the rifle of a deer hunter, or a tractor driving past towing a load of corn. As I type now, I can hear a few birds, a gentle shower on the tiled roof, and the distant tinkling of a cow bell. It is a wonderful place and the house is on the market - it can be viewed online at www.centry21france.fr - Century 21, Orthez.

While we were having breakfast at home today, we were paid a visit by Mr. Lafleur, and Artisan Peintre who was trying to use up a small quality of left-over chemicals used for cleaning the moss of roof tiles. We left him to finish the job, and we drove down the peage to Bayonne in the Basque country.

This charming city on the river Nive is also home to a branch of Christian Louis' Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque. His fragrances are made from ingredients as diverse as leather, tobacco, tangerine and black pepper. The result is very special.

I tasted for the first time today the much-prized cêpes mushrooms which have a short season this time of year - very flavoursome, and worked well in the omlette I had at lunch.

Looking around the narrow streets at some promising place for lunch, we spotted this little red scooter riden by a young man and his girlfriend a pillion passenger - we watched to see if this particularly European sight would take on a more definite French flavour as they pulled up in front of the boulangerie. He emerged from the shop having snapped the baguette in two, but we enjoyed the show as they headed the wrong direction across a one-way bridge over the Nive, waving the baguette at the oncoming protesting motorists!

After lunch we wandered around looking at beautiful shops, many of them selling products unique to this region. Our umbrellas got a workout, the heavy shower of rain even bouncing on the swiftly-flowing river. The main city area with many narrow streets is serviced by a free bus service and the little electric buses (Les Navettes) make hardly any noise.

The Bayonne Cathedral (Notre-Dame) which stands atop a hill looking over the Adour and Nive rivers was the heart of the old city. The ancient structures gone, the buidling of the present cathedral started in the 13th century and is essentially a gothic buidling. Today it houses an organ built in 1865 which looks like it would be perfect for the music or Bach and Buxtehude which David has been playing. The cloisters are impressive, although most of the tombs and statues have some damage and are gradually being restored.

The French poet Péguy described this cathedral as a place of pilgrimage in these lines:

O Queen; here is, after a long journey,
And before taking the same road back again,
The only refuge open in the hollow of your hand,
And the secret garden where one's soul can bloom.

This could also aply to this whole visit to the sud-ouest!

Orthez

2005-10-12T01:04:00.000+10:00

In Balancen with Andrea and Kevin - the TGV got in at 10.34pm and they do believe in running on time! It is about 500km from Paris here.

We visited a usual haunt for coffee, and Tuesday is Market Day in Orthez.

It seems the whole town is out on the street chatting - the buying of anything is secondary! I bought much-needed socks.

There's a great hall of fresh produce - chestnuts, long green beans, strawberries, cêpes and other varieties of mushroom, and the tomatoes looked particularly rosy. Of course there were the specialties for France - the wide range of cheese, the horse-meat stall, and Andrea made a selection for dinner from the display of confit de cannard and foire gras - she tells me the fat on the confit doesn't increase cholesterol.

Then we went to lunch at Morlaas. The attractions included 4 courses for €10, an exhibition of local art at the Mayor's office, and this remarkable church in the town square.

Tonight we'll dine at home of course - that confit de cannard will be delicious!

Cimitière du Père-Lachaise

2005-10-10T21:30:00.000+10:00

A warm day on which a T-shirt keeps one warm enough. The atumn leaves are beginning to fall creating a lovely atmosphere at the cemetry Père-Lachaise where it seems most tourists go to visit the graves of Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison of The Doors fame. I saw the former two.

Oscar Wilde's tomb has been recently rebuilt and a plaque on it requests that people not deface it. However they still do, though I wonder if the lipstick left from kisses all over it can be seen as defacing - it almost seems like a ritual now, and me there without my lippie!

On the back of the tombstone, there is in English a brief historical sketch stating where he was born in Ireland, that he wrote many beautiful works, and that he died in Paris, having been fortified by the sacrements of the church.

Whereas I had Oscar all to myself for some time, I could snatch only a brief moment alone with Edith. Unlike Oscar's, her tomb is one row removed from the cobble-stoned boulevard, and therefore much less space for people to stand around paying their respects.

Off to Orthez tonight.

Au revoir David et Alec

2005-10-10T07:41:00.000+10:00

A breakfast of bread and honey from the bees of the king. The bees have busied themselves collecting nectar from Lavander flowers and the taste is as delicious as any honey I'va had - it may even rival Southland clover honey!

Feeling a bit stiff and sore today so didn't venture out early, but I did get to see the area around the Panthéon and St. Etiènne-du-mont, not far from the hotel where David and Alec are staying.

The Panthéon was orginally erected as a church when Luois XV recovered from a serious illness. Now it is secular and honours the contribution of all the gentle men of France. It contains the tombs of some eminent French people including Voltaire, Rousseau Victor Hugo and Marie Curie.

Sasha joined us for dinner at a chic restaurant, lavishly decorated; we had confit de cannard avec froi gras and I had an entree consisting of leeks and curry.

Bétuhune et L'Opéra Bastille

2005-10-09T06:29:00.000+10:00

Today David, Alec and I took a TGV ride of just over 1 hour to Béthune up to the north of Paris where David thought the organ at St. Vaast may be up to speed for a Bach CD.

We enjoyed the town's 14th century square where we had an excellent coffee (trés importante!) before walking on to St. Vaast where we met two of its organists who were tuning for a recital tomorrow; David was scheduled to test the organ at 2pm so we went back to the square for lunch.

Its clock tower had delicate-sounding bells that rang on the hour, a tune bearing a striking resemblace to that of 'The Scottish Soldier'! The entire centre of the square is fenced off for restoration work, and were it not for the gate which allows access to the tourist office in the bottom of the clocktower, the high fences would prevent you seeing inside at all.

David played some Buxtehude and some early Bach on the organ; it sounded very well, though didn't have the 'guts' (to quote David) of the Abertin organ in Paris. I worked out where to place microphones in the event that we record here some time.

That journey complete, Alec went off to meet friends for dinner while David and I went to Opéra Bastille to see the Paul Hindemith work, Cardillac, a psychodrama which premiered in 1926 based on the whodunit 'Das Fraulein von Scuderi' by E.T.A. Hoffmann.

It was in German with French surtitles and I got the gist most of the time. Basically it was about a goldsmith who couldn't bear to part with his creations and went around murdering those who had bought them. Of course once you understand the language, there's the further hurdle of understanding the symbolism - we thought it might be about the society's conflict with the artistic process.

Kent Nagano was the musical director of the work which played for 90 minutes without intervals and was stunning - no problem hearing anything in there. The orchestra with lots of wind and percussion also featured a piano, and just 18 strings, 4 of them double basses. I'm looking forward to seeing Rigoletto here next year.

I really am enjoying being in France. I have to pinch myself when I wake up in the morning - I'm beginning to bruise!

The recording is finished!

2005-10-08T08:41:00.000+10:00

We finished at 11pm Friday, and I think it will sound great.
Stopped in at Les Fous again to return some borrowed equipment. We've enjoyed coming here to eat every day- they create such a warm atmosphere and the food is fabulous.

Off tomorrow on the TGV to look at another organ so have to get to bed before 1am.

Standby for more excitement from Paris later . . .

I love Paris!

2005-10-07T08:45:00.000+10:00

The day started, and stayed, mostly foggy. This view from Eugène's 10th floor apartment gives some idea. This morning I returned the masks and coveralls to the hardware store - great not to have to use them for climbing around in the centuries-old pigeon merde! The great thing was doing it all in French. Well, it was a thrill for me! In the local Printemps, encounters with sales staff keen to assit were similarly rewarding linguistically!

Alec's friend Sasha joined us for lunch today - he arrived from London by train this morning. His first language is Ukranian, his English is fluent and now he is learning French. Nice opportunity to get aquainted before David and Alec arrived after rehearsal. Lunch was as magnificent as ever - we've reserved the round table again for 2.30pm tomorrow - and today I had carrot and ginger soup, followed by salmon.

David went off to rest while we explored more of the 4e arrondissement; Sasha was keen to find Mariage Frêres, a tea house he'd once enjoyed. Eugène's morning coffee cups at home are the same Mariage Frêres cups we used at the salon.

Parking is intimate here in Paris!
You would wonder how this car could get in or out. No problem for a Paris driver. I even saw swatch car parked rear to the kerb in a line of parallell-parked cars because the space wasn't wide enough to park the other way.

Yes that was Daniel Auteuil in the boucherie across the street from the church. I've seen him in so many enjoyable films and to see him shopping in Paris was a real treat. After the butcher, he went to the fromagerie; I'm sure you're glad to know that. To gather more information about his movements would be tantamount to stalking!

After our recordings, David likes to relax at a local café bar and tonight we went back to our usual where there was live music playing - to about 10 people if you include us! The place is so small that if you swelled the numbers to 40 there'd be standing room only. We sat outside while Charlie Zoomerique's lead singer cruised through the Carpenter's song 'This Masquerade'. Kisses all round as the lead guitarist joing them and things got funky with Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition'. It was very good, but I wonder how they make a living - musicians and bar owner. The band consisted of female lead singer, sometimes joined by the drummer Charlie; a lead-guitarist who knew his stuff, the 6-string bass player could really get around her instrument, and David was certain the keyboard player must have been classically trained, his virtuosity so evident.

L'Opéra etcetera

2005-10-06T17:52:00.000+10:00

Lunch was my first appointment today! We frequent a place that makes us feel like part of the family and serves wonderful food, Les Fous de l'Île. It is at 33 rue des deux ponts just off the pont marie. Over lunch we take stock of where we're up to. Tonight we'll record the pièce de resistance for the Buxtehude album. Just wonderful music which displays everything from the most delicate sounds to the full power of this organ.

After lunch, David did some more practice, now without stops because the church is open to the public for meditation and it wouldn't do to have such moments of tranquility shattered by a 32 foot stop and its shorter siblings speaking at the top of their voices!

Stopping only to see if the latest L'Occitane stock had arrived, Alec and I took the Métro from Cité up to Les Galleries Lafayette, spending most time in the food hall where we bought some comestabules on which to munch in the evening. I think this food hall could rival the one at Harrod's for sheer varity, but Harrod's takes the gâteau for oppulence.

Tours of L'Opéra nearby were called off for the day, but we did look around the foyer and the botique of this sumptuous building, then took the Métro back to the island. As it happens we could have stayed on: there was a mass in progress when we got back just before 7pm, so we sat on the steps of l'église to eat while watching some sort of street party gather pace across the narrow street. A good job most of the later music was loud or we would have heard the voices from the street on the recording. Following the mass, there was a private service for 6 people which lasted an hour - so we could have continued the retail therapy until nearly 8pm, but I'm sure the meditation was better for me!

Afterwards we visited a little jazz bar on la rue des deux ponts. Very smooth jazz.

Paris tour

2005-10-05T19:27:00.000+10:00

Spent the morning doing some domestic chores which take on another dimension in another language; the Meile Top Electronic and I are now friends!

I dropped in a film for processing at Photo Service near the St. Paul Métro, then walked up to l'Hôtel de Ville looking for somewhere to have the shoulder strap on my bag repaired, but to no avail.

Judging by the number of vehicles full of Gendamerie, there seemed to be a protest shaping up at the Town Hall Square, but I had to get across to l'Île Saint-Louis stopping to get some shots around Notre-Dame.

Lunch again on la rue des duex ponts with David and Alec - the staff there treat us like family and the food is delicious. Only two dogs in the restaurant today; one of them on a leash!

While David swam and rested, Alec and I explored more of the 4ème Arrondissement. After collecting my photographs, we visitied l'Hôtel de Sully, one of the grand houses of Paris, which is now a museum and the square nearby is home to many fine boutiques including Issey Miyake, then walked lots more before settling in a café bar to check out the photos and the passing parade of locals - very few tourists in this area.

I may be overdoing the walking - I'm hobbling a bit but I can lie on the floor of the cathedral to do my recording at the end of the day! This has another advantage - the wicker chairs are apt to squeak - the floor doesn't.

The recording is going well. This picture shows Alec at the console while David is taking a break. The music is fabulous and the sound sumptuous. Should be a good disque! We have two 2-hour sessions left to go. The church affords a very long decay in the sound and you can really wallow in it - as did the contralto I heard sing there on Sunday evening!

http://www.parisnet.net/parismap.html net/parismap.html is a good site which summarises the attributes of each arrondissement in Paris.

The organ

2005-10-04T17:27:00.000+10:00

The Bernard Aubertin organ we're recording in Paris. A fabulous instrument - both in sound an appearance. Watch out for David's recording on http://www.organo.com.au/

The eclipse

2005-10-04T07:57:00.000+10:00

Today's priority is mounting a mic on something tall or getting up in the roof and dangling same on something that will be hit and miss to get stright. Spoke with Ron at Radio 74 and Lawrence in London, neither of whom had ever had the need to use tall mic stands, so I bought disposible coveralls in readiness for the suspension job.

Annular Eclipse of the Sun

Crossing the Pont Saint Marie onto l'Île St. Louis, I espied 3 people holding what looked like large X-ray charts to their eyes and looking at the sun; I realised that it was today when the solar eclipse takes place, so dived into my bag for the viewing glasses Col had sent me, and sure enough, the eclipse was at its height. I covered the lens of my Nikon with one of the glasses and took several photos, then rang Col to tell him what I'd seen.

Met David and Alec as they were leaving the church about 10am; they had never seen an eclipse before and as they were taking delight at the view, a local Gallery owner, Edith, came by and wondered what we were looking at. I gave her one of the two sets of glasses and she expressed great joy at seeing the elipse, she said it had made her day and that she'd never seen anything like that before. She thought the sun and moon were making love! That's the French for you.

Lunch was special; David then went off to swim/rest while Alec and I tracked down a tall rod to attach to a lighting stand lent us by our waiter from lunch. We got it all working by 5 - great relief - then wandered around the Notre-Dame area, sat in a restautrant and watched the world go by until heading back to the church for 7pm and recording and continued until 10pm.

Explorer le lieu

2005-10-03T15:56:00.000+10:00

Il y a beaucoup de la merde des l'oisseaux dans la toit de l'église!! Zut alors!!!! The things a recording engineer has to contend with; I suppose it has been there since the 16th century, so why wouldn't there be large deposits! Looking for a very tall mic stand today to obviate the need of climbing all those stairs!

Graham's Travel Diary

2005-10-02T20:55:00.000+10:00

Ceci est mon première blog! Merci Christopher!! Lunch smells good - I might have to continue this later . . .

Paris Lunch

2005-10-02T20:13:00.000+10:00

Before lunch I rang my buddy Chrrrristopher who was delighted to receive my call and set up this blog for me!