• Home and hosed

    2023年5月1日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Back in Australia, and time to reflect, we’ve been thoroughly fortunate to have the trip that we did.

    To see the cities, sites, people and cultures that we did and experience a little slice of life in those places is an invaluable experience for the boys and hopefully sews a seed in them that grows into a blossom of curiosity.

    The confidence to join in a game of soccer with kids at the park that don’t speak English, or order your third Currywurst but try to do it in German, or figure out what changes we need to make on the tube in order to get from West Kensington to Euston Station are all skills the boys have unknowingly picked up along the way. They also now have an unrealistic expectation of hotel breakfast buffets!

    We caught up with Richard, Elise, Charlie, Sam and Teddy, Provan and Erin, Lucy, Dickie, Fabs and Trix, Zoe, Ant, Chris and his family, Glenn and Merro.

    We saw so much, but know it’s barely scratched the surface. There’s so much more to see. Until next time……
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  • Last hurrah

    2023年4月30日, カタール ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Our final day abroad was bittersweet. Bitter because our journey was coming to an end, but sweet because we got to go nuts at the breakfast buffet one last time.

    Full of waffles, pancakes, omelettes and coco pops, we needed to check out one or two landmarks in Doha before leaving. We headed out into the mid-morning sun. By 10am it was 30 degrees, set to get close to 40 by the time we got back.

    We walked past the souk and down to the water’s edge. Near the old Harbour where traditional boats take tourists on trips around the bay, is a giant pearl in an oyster, a nod to the country’s pre-oil days when it was a small pearling and fishing outpost in the Persian Gulf. I don’t know if there’s a Big Pearl anywhere in Australia, but perhaps Broome can make an offer to the Qartaris.

    The temperature was rising, but there was one last thing we wanted to check out. A few hundred meters further along the Corniche (the kilometers long grass lawn along the waterfront of the Harbour), stands a flag monument, a piazza containing a flagpole for almost every flag in the world. The boys have taken a particular interest in countries and flags over the past few months. Jack in particular has a keen memory for such. In fact, one of the regular phrases we found ourselves calling out over the past month as we passed embassies, travel shops or restaurants, was “hey Jack, what flag is that?” Like we were asking Siri or Alexa.

    Jack and the boys enjoyed finding different countries and comparing the similarities and differences. Eventually though, the heat won out and we made our way back towards home, via a servo to top up on water and Powerade.

    Our last stop before we made it to the hotel was the Souk, for one last poke around. The boys must have scrounged a few final Qatar Riyals from their pockets and the three young ones managed to find a bargain on their favourite soccer kits - Campbell with a Barcelona kit, Jack with a Real Madrid and Fred with Paris st Germain. I think their birthday presents this year might be a little light on… I was also keen to see one more thing at the souk - the falcon hospital. We wound our way through the lanes and came across the Falcon Souk, where you can buy a falcon or accessories. We opened the door and saw half a dozen kites looking at us, tied to their perches. The gentleman acknowledged us and nodded his approval to enter and look further within the store. Around the corner we found 5 beautiful falcons, each sitting quietly on their perches, rope tied to their leg. They were amazing specimens, with razor sharp talons and beaks and eyes that really looked at you. They were pretty cool.

    Once home, Sarah snoozed while the boys took one last swim in the pool. It was good to again have not much to do for a few hours. We packed our bags and left them at reception while we ate lunch in the hotel restaurant. It was then time to update journals and reflect as we waited for our car to arrive.

    Our flight departed at 6pm. We had 13 hours ahead, and I think Fred had his head on my lap for 9 of those. Oh to be young, flexible and be able to sleep anywhere.

    We touched down at Sydney airport in good time, around 4:30pm on Sunday May 30. While we had planned to stay in Sydney that evening, thinking we were to land a few hours later, the lure of our own bed was too much and we decided to grab a quick bite and jump straight on the train.

    Outside, Sydney rushed by through the window of the train, and eventually the Central Coast. We neared Cardiff station after nightfall. Grandma Julie was there to greet us, a friendly face after a long trip.

    It wasn’t long after a cup of tea at the kitchen table before we were all pushing out zzzzz’s, not sure what timezone we were in, but sure that we had made it home after a mighty adventure.
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  • Camels, sandboarding and the Inland Sea

    2023年4月28日, カタール ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    We had only one full day in Doha and we were keen to spend some time poolside. Before that though, the boys have come to love breakfast buffets. They didn’t miss out!

    We then made our way to the rooftop pool overlooking the city. It was nice to just sit and relax, read a few pages of a book and let the boys just muck around.

    We had booked a half day tour in the afternoon/evening which included some pretty exciting sounding activities. We were all keen to get going. At 2pm we were collected from the hotel and began heading south from the city. Sarah asked a million questions of the driver, who patiently and competently answered each and every one. After an hour or so, we reached a compound where we were confronted with a mass of camels. Here we go…

    One of the most bizarre experiences we’ve ever had was mounting and riding a camel. We were all shepherded to our beast and asked to hop on. After my camel stood up, I was a little concerned about how well Fred would hold on, but he managed it easily and we were soon on our way. We were led up a nearby sand dune where we had a great view out to the Persian Gulf. Campbell’s camel seemingly had the biggest hump to contend with and Cam needed to stretch himself out fully on his front to be able to hold the reigns.

    With lots of laughter and a few shrieks, we made our way back down the hill. The camels slowly sat down, first leaning all the way forward and kneeling, holding that position for a seeming eternity before finally dropping their hind legs and allowing us to alight. We all need a cup of tea after that.

    Back in the 4WD, we continued south and into the dunes. Our driver had let the air out of the tyres to allow for some serious dune bashing. Our first hair raiser was as we were heading along the spine of a dune with a severe drop to our left. Sure enough our driver suddenly pulled the steering wheel and we were almost vertical, with sand blasting all over the vehicle. Our stomachs were all still at the top of the dune, and visions of Fred’s vomit in Crete popped into our collective minds.

    We continued to expertly navigate the dunes, picking a path, tearing down the side and then blasting up the next one. It was pretty cool.

    After a time, we arrived at a dune that was ripe for sand boarding. A group was already there and we watched as they careened down the hill.

    Campbell was keen to go, and he sat down on the board. He made it 3/4 of the way down before crashing to one side, getting a mouthful and eyeful of sand. He also tangled himself up with the board and grazed the back of his leg.

    To his credit it wasn’t long before he had another go, this time with Tom, and again with Rowan. Fred and Tom paired up as well and Jack went again. Rowan needed to test himself standing up, calling on all his snowboarding experience of 25 years ago. It was a moderate success, however after the fifth time having to trudge back up the dune, his legs were absolutely spent. The boys had one more go each before we jumped back in the car.

    It was nearly sunset as we arrived at the inland sea. It’s an impressive body of water that marks the border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and empties into the Persian Gulf. The foot of the dunes meet the water and we happily cooled off in the crystal clear water. Jack felt a nip at his toes and we quickly discovered a host of crabs walking around us!

    Sarah enjoyed the sunset over the dunes. It was our last evening overseas (apart from tomorrow evening when we depart for home) and we quietly reflected on our trip. Before the light completely disappeared, we hopped back into the car and made our way back through the desert towards the bright lights of Doha.

    After returning home we showered and made our way back to the Souk for dinner. We found a table at Damasca, a Syrian inspired restaurant and ordered just about everything on the menu. The TV on the wall was showing the local football final and we were engrossed as it went to 13-12 penalty shootout.

    We got a dinner and show as well, as the restaurant puts on a music and dance display. This progressed to two men having a sword fight right in front of us and one of the men making his way around the tables interacting with guests. The boys all had swords held to their throats… that’s one way to get them to eat their greens!

    After a huge day, we all hit the pillow for our final time.
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  • Doha Heat

    2023年4月27日, カタール ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    With a hint of sadness, we packed our bags and shut the door one last time on our Athens apartment. We made our way down the tiny elevator and got yelled at one last time by the angry Greek resident for being too loud (we were nearly silent).

    On the walk home the previous evening we’d stopped for ice creams at a patisserie/cafe and the woman had advised us that they do wonderful breakfasts, so we made our way there before we headed for the train station. The boys loaded up on waffles and pancakes while the grown ups had eggs. The food throughout Europe has been outstanding, one of the real highlights, particularly for the gastro-focused Jack, so this was a fitting last meal.

    We made our way onto the train and through the outer suburbs of Athens to the airport. Our flight left at around 2pm, so we grabbed a bite before boarding. A relatively short flight, but a spectacular view throughout. We headed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea and crossed land over Egypt and the Sinai Peninsular. The landscape showed ancient river beds, dried inland seas and rolling sand dunes. We crossed Saudi Arabia before landing in Doha.

    Our driver from the airport was happy to tell us about the recent World Cup, pointing out a range of landmarks on route to our hotel. Doha was the only leg that we stayed in a hotel, and boy did we pick a good one. We stayed at the Al Najada, a 4-5 star establishment perfectly located across the road from the Souk Waqif, the main bustling market place.

    By the time we checked in and decided who was getting which gigantic bed, it was dinner time. We walked out into the evening heat and over to the market, which was full of energy. Fred found a giant golden thumb, and needed to compare his thumb size. We found a table up a laneway and sat down. Soon enough the boys were up again, joining in a game of soccer with some other young lads. Tick. With bellies full of lamb, hummus and pita, we headed home and crashed into bed.
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  • Last day in Europe!

    2023年4月26日, ギリシャ ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Our final day in Europe, and again, we decided on a fairly quiet one. We had not yet checked out the Ancient Agora of Athens, a site that, back in the day contained a host of temples, stoas, village houses and even a jail.

    It’s housed in a park at the foot of the Acropolis and it’s main thoroughfare the Panathenaic Way, was once the main road leading to the Acropolis.
    The Temple of Hephaestus is the best preserved temple in the whole Acropolis area and gives an excellent understanding of how these buildings were used. It’s namesake, Hephaestus was the patron god of metal working and pottery, and a number of blacksmiths workshops and potters shops in the same area, hence his temple being nearby.

    The other major landmark is the reconstructed stoa. A stoa is a large, long building, two storey in this instance, built for the people to have an open space to come and congregate out of the heat of the sun, or from the rain. It’s a communal space for catching up with friends. It also contained a number of shops and stores, so it’s effectively a precursor to Westfields, just without a movie theatre. It was fully reconstructed in the 1950’s and now houses the museum for the Agora site.

    Our last walk through Plaka allowed the boys to have one more quick game of hopscotch, before we went home to face the task of packing suitcases… we were on the move again in the morning…
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  • Anzac Day in Athens

    2023年4月25日, ギリシャ ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    In previous years, the Australian Embassy in Greece had acknowledged Anzac Day and the connection between Greece and the Anzacs in previous wars with a memorial service in Athens. We had hoped they would do similar this year, however my enquiries with the embassy were unsuccessful. Eventually they announced they would hold a ceremony on May 2 on the island on Lemnos, a key site from WWI near the entrance to the Dardanelles of Turkey.

    No matter, we decided it would be an appropriate day to get to the tomb of the unknown soldier, which sits outside the Greek Parliament. Two Greek soldiers guard the space. My understanding is that they are graduates of John Cleese’s Academy of Silly Walks. The boys were really excited to see it. (Refer photo of excited looking boys).

    We all know Sarah loves to chat to strangers, and she found one in the young soldier who was walking around in regular military uniform not the ‘original’ uniform. She quizzed him on what era the unknown soldier was from and also chatted to him about Australia ‘the other Greek country’. This connection than allowed her to get a photo of him next to Tom.

    We had previously missed our stop on the bus and overshot the parliament building. It was a fortunate misadventure as we ended up exiting the bus right in front of the Athens Academy. A beautiful neoclassical building with two large columns topped with Athena and Apollo.

    Guarding the entrance staircase is none other than Socrates and Plato. In fact, while the current building dates to the 1800’s, it is often referred to as Plato’s Academy and believed to be the oldest educational facility in the world, dating back to around 400BC. The text books need a bit of updating since then though…

    It was a small day in sightseeing compared to others. We were all getting a little tourist weary, and could see the end of our journey getting closer. However, Rowan had wanted to enter a small church whilst in Greece to compare it to the large one we had visited in Crete, we found one as we slowly made our way back to our apartment - it was beautiful inside and whilst it was a Greek Orthodox Church now, it had been an Islamic place of worship during the Ottoman period.

    After ‘dragging the kids into a church’ we promised them a drink and chips to give them energy to make it home. It must be pointed out that Jack has turned into a major ‘tea drinker’, he drank it before we left Australia but really fell in love with it whilst travelling, to the point that he would order that over anything else. Sarah liked to call him ‘the 80 year old in an 8 year old's body.

    Tomorrow would be our last day in Europe. Tom’s efforts at having pizza in every location continued at dinner, at a restaurant called Grandpas. I’m sure they were all cooked in a Thermomix with the recipes followed to the letter.
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  • Up the hill to the Acropolis

    2023年4月24日, ギリシャ ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    When in Athens, you must head up the Acropolis to see the Parthenon. Or is it the Pantheon? We continuously got ourselves in knots over which one was the Greek temple and which the Roman. At least, I got myself in knots....

    Whichever one it was, we were checking it out today. We had our tickets booked online, however families of six don't always fit the standard definition of family in ticketing websites, so we arrived and explained we couldn't "buy" the two free under ten tickets online. The lady at the turnstile said "No problem. Go to the front of that line and she will give you two tickets for the young ones."

    "That line" was a 50m queue of impatient tourists waiting to buy tickets. I sheepishly went to the front and, apologising to the gentleman that was next, asked if I could get two free tickets for our youngest. The process took longer than it should have, and I felt more and more eyes on me as we waited. Eventually however, we got ourselves inside.

    We made our way up the southern slope, stopping occasionally to read about the various buildings and ruins on the slopes of the rock. The Theatre of Dionysus, the world's first temple, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a theatre that still hosts performances today, 2000 years after it's first showing

    By the time we reached the main platform of the Acropolis, we felt a little like sheep being herded through a stockyard. We reached the small Temple of Athena Nike and made our way through the imposing Propylaea, the entrance to the main platform of the rock. It was a little difficult to stop and admire the structure, but we did our best. The Parthenon appeared in front of us and we took it in as we walked past. While restoration and reconstruction works continue and have done for the past 40 years, it's not hard to imagine the building in its glory, a huge imposing structure casting its great shadow over the city.

    We continued to check out the various temples, statues and sculptures. eventually, we had made our way around the space and started to head for the stairs. On our way down we encountered a Spartan. Fortunately Fred and Cam were on hand with their swords ready to defend us. At a cost of 5 euros....

    After seeing the Acropolis in the flesh, we made our way to the Acropolis Museum, located just south of the hill. It's an extremely well presented museum with the majority of artefacts, recovered sculptures and frescos from the acropolis now housed there. Perhaps most impressive was the full reconstruction of the two pediments from the Parthenon. The pediments are the triangular groups of sculptures that sit over the eastern and western entrances to the temple. One depicts the birth of Athena who emerged fully grown from the mouth of her father, Zeus. The other depicts the battle between Athena and Poseidon for the affection of the people of Greece. Legend has it that Poseidon struck the ground on top of the Acropolis with his Trident and formed a spring for the people, however it produced salty sea water, which the people were none too pleased about. Athena's gift to the people was the first olive tree, from which all olive trees in Greece descend (and there's a lot). The people approved. They appointed Athena as their patron and named the city in her honour.

    Culturally satisfied, we left the museum and walked home. The boys had a play and a kick at the park before we made our way to Geor. Olimidou, a tree-lined pedestrian strip near our apartment with a bustling cafe and restaurant scene. Dinner was again fantastic and nicely finished off with a few shots of raki to help the digestion as the locals will readily tell you.
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  • Panathenaic Stadium

    2023年4月23日, ギリシャ ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    We decided to brave the Athens bus network, and jumped on the 15 northbound on Siggrou Ave, heading towards the Panathenaic Stadium. This was a site that we were very keen to see, and I must say, was a bit of a hidden gem.

    The stadium was originally built some 2300 years ago, but went through various periods of disrepair and rebuilt. It is the world's only stadium built of marble which makes for a stunning contrast to the black running track in the centre. We followed the audio guide supplied to us and sat on the thrones where kings and dignitaries sat at various events over the years, including in 1896, where the site held the first Modern Olympic Games.

    Making our way into a cave-like tunnel, we heard about the ancient women that would dance naked around flames in the hopes of being blessed with fertility by the Goddess Demeter. No naked women appeared during our tour.

    After viewing the posters and olympic torches for each of the Games over the past 130 years, we walked back down the tunnel and back onto the arena. It was fun to imagine the roar of the crowd as you emerge onto the track, ready to compete. The boys did exactly that, having a series of 100m handicap races, although someone always complained that I didn't get the handicaps right.

    Inspired by the Olympic spirit, we left the stadium and headed over the road to the National Botanic Gardens. We found a huge playground and the boys enjoyed an hour or more running around, meeting other kids and spending their energy.

    It was close to dinner time by the time we left, and we made our way back over to Plaka to find a suitable establishment. Walking up alleyways, we came across a restaurant in the shadow of the Parthenon and settled in. The food and and wine were terrific, the view was outstanding. We were living the life.
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  • Welcome to Athens!

    2023年4月22日, ギリシャ ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Our ship docked in Pireas Harbour at approximately 6am. We all slept well and were ready to check out the Cradle of Democracy.

    We couldn't check in straight away, so we left our bags at the reception of the apartment and headed out to stretch our legs. We hadn't walked far before coming across the Temple of Zeus, and Hadrian's Archway. Some pretty amazing monuments dating back nearly 3000 years. We continued up into the Plaka district and got ourselves lost in the winding, narrow, enchanting laneways. Fred needed to make a phone call, and we eventually found somewhere for breakfast.

    We continued wandering without a fixed destination before we got to an area for the kids to have a play. Tom thought it would be a good idea to spin Fred on the play equipment until he had whiplash... It was getting closer to check in time, so we started to head back to the apartment to get our bags and settle in. Our apartment was in the Koukaki district, just south of the main attractions. It's not the most glamourous suburb, but it had a cool vibe of an area that's being gentrified, with nice cafes, shops, old men spending hours solving the world's problems over thick coffee and thicker cigars. Our apartment was a spacious three-bedder across the road from a playground and basketball court. The afternoon and evening were spent relaxing and a home cooked pasta meal and a movie finished our day off nicely.
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  • Final Day in Chania

    2023年4月21日, ギリシャ ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Our final day in Chania was a Friday. We had a boat to catch in the evening from the nearby port of Souda which would take us overnight to Athens. Crete had been a highlight of the trip, and we spent our last day wandering the streets of the old town one more time.

    After we checked out of the apartment, the boys wanted to head back to the Athletic track to run around, so while Row took them there, I was craving a fresh juice so headed towards a small group of shops in the hopes of finding one - I was in luck and came back to the track with three different concoctions and 6 straws. After we slowly made our way down to the harbour again and had some lunch. We ordered way too much food (if that's even a thing) and enjoyed the view across the water. The Chania Maritime Museum was just next door, so we checked it out. It was an amazing account of Chania's history, from Alexander the Great, the Battle of Crete during WWII, right through to the 2004 Athens Olympics.

    We had a few hours to kill before we needed to catch our ferry, so naturally the boys wanted to find somewhere to kick a ball. We headed to the main stadium again and gatecrashed a few more local kids' game of football.

    Finally, we made our way to the port. We weren't quite sure what to expect from this ferry but it was far more impressive than we allowed ourselves to think. Fred's comment summed it up. "Why don't we just have our whole holiday on this boat?"

    After checking into our cabins, we went to the dining room and had dinner. The boat pulled out of Souda port at 10pm, and we enjoyed the cool air as we made our way out of the harbour and north towards Athens. The ride was smooth sailing, and we were all rocked gently to sleep, dreaming about Athens to come.
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  • Sfakia, Aradena Gorge and Marmara Beach

    2023年4月20日, ギリシャ ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    This was a day we were all looking forward to. Our second day trip in Crete would take us to the south coast. I don’t think any coastal town would have been a bad option, but we chose the right option for us.

    Sfakia is a small town thst looks out over the Mediterranean towards Libya in North Africa. It played a role in WWII and the Battle of Crete, being the final departure point for Allied soldiers when the Germans captured the strategically significant island. There is a memorial to Australian, Kiwi and British soldiers in the tiny port that we were keen to see.

    We were meant to have an hour or so wondering around the port, however we made one or two stops for Fred along the way, along the mountain pass, as his breakfast decided to come up and say hello again. We had puréed strawberry through the back seat of the hire van. The driver was very good, and stopped again ten minutes later when Fred went off like a fountain again…

    We eventually made it to Sfakia, just in time to jump on our water taxi. We left the port and headed out into open waters. The sun was warm and the boys loved the wind in their hair. Eventually the even tinier port of Marmara came into view, and we slowly pulled into port. It was essentially a cafe overlooking an isolated beach with one or two local houses. Perfect.

    We alighted and made our way up the Aradena Gorge. Tom had quipped a few weeks ago that photos of the gorge looked like ‘the bumcrack of Crete.” It was hard to argue. However, once you enter the crack, it was pretty spectacular.

    We walked up the gorge for 2-3km, admiring the rocky walls that towered either side of us. Mountain goats perched delicately on ledges they had no right balancing on. We explored caves and were fortunate to not see the dreaded Gorge Monster.

    Eventually the path took a steep incline, and hikers heading the other direction spoke of metal ladders and gangways. We felt we’d hiked enough for the day and turned around in search of a swim.

    We returned to Marmara and stripped off. Despite having the beach almost exclusively to ourselves, Tom was conscious getting changed. The water was aqua in colour, like a postcard. A little cooler than ideal, but nevertheless refreshing and fine once you were in. Tom and I explored some caves that were only accessible by swimming, and eventually the other boys found an alternative route across the rocks. The only way back though was to jump from a big rock back into the cold water. Something both Tom and Jack found a big challenge. Sarah, happily helped when needed to get Fred there and back from the rocks, but spent the rest of the time just swimming in the water, I think she could have stayed in the water all afternoon.

    Once we’d all had our swim, we warmed up again in the sun before walking to the top of the cliff for lunch. It was really an idyllic spot to eat octopus, prawns and an assortment of other equally tasty Greek offerings, all accompanied by a bottle of local white. Bliss.

    Eventually, we needed to call our taxi again and sail back to Sfakia. The drive home was far less eventful (thankfully) than the first drive. We arrived home that afternoon spent, but full of memories. This was one of the best days of the whole trip.
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  • Chania

    2023年4月19日, ギリシャ ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Today was a down day without much activity. Last night’s movie night encouraged everyone to have a sleep in. Rowan was the first to wake and grabbed a towel and made his way down to the city beach. With only one other man in the water, it wasn’t a great advertisement for the temperature. A quick dip in the refreshing water was all that was required.

    The location we had picked for our apartment was half a block from the Chania National Stadium. I use those words lightly. A reasonable running track surrounded an average soccer field.

    As always, the boys were keen to spend their energy, so we took the Ampelman football over and tried to find some kids to have a kick with. We were unsuccessful in that venture, however the boys had fun running 400’s and 800’s around the track. Campbell has set his sites on the Olympics for 800’s and Fred surprised us all, completing two full laps without stopping. He didn’t break any world records, but he kept at it and got it done in reasonable time. Good effort.

    We also went back into the ‘old town’ of Chania and went shopping. I bought a beautiful ring and earring set - early Mother’s Day present. The ring shows a copy of the Phaistos Disc - from a Minoan Palace in Crete. Campbell spent some of his birthday money and Fred used the last of his money to buy a bracelet of ‘protecting eyes’ - protection against curses.

    We then let the boys head back to the apartment and Row and I went to a local cafe, to enjoy the sun and a beer.
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  • Palace of Knossos

    2023年4月18日, ギリシャ ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    To satisfy Campbell's fascination, we needed to check out some Greek Mythology. The beauty about Greek Mythology (and I'm sure many other cultures' myths and legends) is that it is myths, legends, fiction and stories all intertwined with reality. The part that I find so fascinating is the long-lasting impact these legends have on our lives today.

    For instance, there's the story of Theseus, who was the son of the King of Athens, Aegeus. He had many adventures; one saw him sail across the seas at the request of his father. He sailed south to Crete to slay the Minotaur which was trapped in the labyrinth below Knossos (that's a whole other story). Chicks dig guys who can slay Minotaurs, and as such, the Cretan Princess Ariadne fell hard for Theseus. She was the daughter of King Minos, and Theseus promised to take her back to Athens and marry her. However, he left her stranded on the island of Naxos. What a jerk. Dionysus, another character, found Ariadne and married her. He threw her crown into the sky and that's how we got the constellation the Corona Borealis.

    Meanwhile, Theseus continues back to Athens, victorious after his bullfight. His old man is waiting for him, but forgetful Theseus forgot to change the sails on his ship from black to white, a prearranged signal to his father that he was returning in good health. Aegeus saw the black sails approach over the horizon and assumed his son had died on the expedition. With no other explanation obviously apparent to Aegeus, he hurled himself off the palace clifftop and into the ocean to his death. A bit of an over-exaggeration, maybe just wait until the ship docks??

    And that is where the name the Aegean Sea comes from. Pretty cool. Side note, Theseus went on to build the Acropolis in Athens. More on that in a few days.

    Back to present day, we set off early and jumped on a bus which would take us along the Cretan coast to the town of Heraklion and the Palace of Knossos. The scenery along the journey was stunning. When we arrived we spent a good few hours touring the site with our tour guide and heard all about the fact and fiction. Campbell, and the other boys, lapped it up. We walked down the oldest paved road in Greece (and possibly in Europe) and then were dropped back into the main town for an hour's free time.

    We wandered through the ancient streets of Heraklion, capital of Crete and stumbled upon a lane with a small restaurant called Made with Love. We found a few seats inside and hungrily accepted the home cooked food from the Greek Nonna's inside. It was arguably the best food we experienced in Greece.

    With full bellies, we checked out the town's museum with artefacts from thousands of years ago. Sarah took her time in the museum while the boys and Rowan flowed through a little quicker. We headed across the road to a playground for the boys to expel some energy before the long bus ride back to Chania.

    Exhausted, we got some takeaway pizza from around the corner. Tom's run of having pizza in each country continues....
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  • Greek Islands!

    2023年4月17日, ギリシャ ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The hurly burly of the holiday is behind us, we've had such a good time catching up with family and friends, but we'd deliberately made the second half of our trip less involved, so we could relax and focus on ourselves and our surroundings.

    We'd had a beautiful welcome from Thodoris when we arrived at his apartment the night before. Today was just about checking out the ancient town on Chania. We walked down to the old town and soaked in the view across the walled harbour. We walked along the protective wall sheltering the harbour out to the lighthouse.

    Chania is known for its 14th-century Venetian harbour, narrow streets and waterfront restaurants. At the harbour entrance is a 16th-century lighthouse with Venetian, Egyptian and Ottoman influences. The city has a long history, and many flags have flown over the city. Examples of ancient Greek, mythology, Islamic and Christian influences can be seen throughout the city.

    The sun was shining and we were soaking up the warmth. We grabbed a table overlooking the water and enjoyed the Greek fare. After a slow walk back up the hill to our apartment, we did exactly what we planned for this part of the trip, relaxed. An early night and ready for tomorrow's adventures!
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  • Trifecta of Dinosaurs and off to Crete!

    2023年4月16日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Our final day in London, before our flight out to Crete. We were unable to get into the British Museum of Natural History the other day, so we booked early tickets on the Sunday in order to tick off a big wish list item for Campbell. The Natural History Museum is another stunning building within London, and Sarah and I continually marvel at the architecture, sometimes forgetting to admire the actual exhibits.

    It was a rushed trip through the museum, however Campbell had been keen to tick off the Big Three dinosaurs - the Triceratops in Melbourne, the T-Rex in Berlin and the Stegosaurus in London. These three were the most complete skeletons of their types around the world, and we were pleased to be able to see it.

    The museum had some other interesting exhibits as well, including a huge globe earth that you travel through on an escalator in the Geography section, before making your way to an earthquake room. Tom had experienced an earthquake room in New Zealand, which was, pretty cool. When he saw this one, we needed to check it out. We made our way into a replica supermarket before watching footage from the original supermarket in Kyoto. Suddenly our room started to shake. We moved side to side, a little clumsily (as I guess you would in an earthquake). It was a little underwhelming...

    We were on a tight schedule, needing to get to Gatwick airport in order to catch our 4pm flight. One more Tube ride through the crowded Underground before jumping on the overground from Euston Station.

    Side note - we managed to tick off a lot of Monopoly squares - we covered:

    Kings Cross Station, Euston, Pall Mall, Whitehall, Northumberland, Vine, Marlborough, The Strand, Fleet St, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, Regent, Oxford, Bond, Liverpool St Station, Park Lane & Mayfair. And, considering some of the historical uses of The Tower of London, we'll tick off the gaol as well. I didn't get my $200 though...

    We boarded our Easyjet flight and took off into the night. Tom and I had the pleasure of window seats and enjoyed our time guessing where over Europe we were at any given time.

    Eventually we landed in Chania, and were greeted by a lovely driver who took us to our apartment. When we arrived, nearly 11pm, our host was waiting for us and greeted us warmly, as if we were family. He showed us through his amazing apartment, explaining where everything was, how it worked and what facilities were available to us. He presented us with a bottle of wine from his own vineyard and toasted us with a glass of his own Raki, a take-your-breath-away spirit enjoyed by the Greeks at any occasion. It was a wonderful reception and set the tone for our stay on Greece's biggest island.
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  • Trip Down Memory Lane

    2023年4月15日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Saturday was an opportunity to visit our old haunt, check out our neighbourhood and remember some good times. We walked from our apartment in West Kensington to Hammersmith, where Sarah and I had enjoyed lock ins, being crowned King and Queen of the Wildcat Ball, theatre, music shows, garlic mussels and Primark. We trod our familiar path on the Hammersmith and City line, two stops north to Shepherd's Bush.

    The Walky is no longer there but we wandered passed and said things like "remember when you..." and "where was it that I..." and "look, isn't that where we..."

    It was a nice trip down memory lane. We crossed the Green and down passed Belushi's (still up and running, and probably serving Snakies) down the footpath onto Richmond Way. The boys were not overly excited at seeing our old house, but it was a day for us.

    We then started to make our way to Goldhawk Rd where we were to meet a host of friends. We arrived a little early so took some time to play at Ravenscourt Park where Fred conquered the playground at about 20ft high. Jack and Cam again found some local friends to play soccer with. It's a real skill they've picked up along the way, the ability to introduce themselves, fight their nervousness and make a new friend. It's a skill that will be very beneficial through life. Their foot skills have improved too!

    Back across the road to the Eagle. Rowan had his 21st birthday dinner with good friends nearly 20 years ago, so it was nice to walk through the doors again. We had booked a table out the back and had fingers crossed for a warm spring afternoon. It didn't start that way, but by the end the beer garden was packed and full of sun.

    A number of people had been invited, and first to arrive was Rowan's cousin Glenn. He has been living in London for around 10 years and manages a pub in Pimlico. He needs to call his mum more often.

    Next was Rowan's workmate Ant, who had made the trek to Sydney for our wedding. It was great to see Ant, who's been having a bit of a tough time of late. It was a shame not to have his two girls with him, but his brother Chris was able to come along as well with his wife and their one year old daughter as well. Chris admitted to being intimidated by Sarah back in the day. It must have been her tequila drinking ability...

    Zoe also headed down for the afternoon. It's been great being able to spend this time with Zoe, the boys have a wonderful relationship with her and she was able to provide great advice on where to go, what to see. We can't wait for her to come back to Australia again, but hope she has an amazing time on her future travels!

    Lastly, we were waiting for Merro, our Irish mate from the Wildcats to arrive. He couldn't bring his family along but arrived at around 5pm looking very dapper. He was on his way to dinner with a friend for his birthday. It turns out his friend was Gerode, a one-time acquaintance of ours. He turned up to Rowan's 21st birthday party and drank the pub out of champagne.

    It was a wonderful afternoon catching up with old friends and family. The boys managed to make some friends with the other kids in the beer garden and experience a traditional London family day out!
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  • Lucy, Dicky and some Clever Design

    2023年4月14日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    After a big day yesterday testing our wands, we needed a quieter day. We had a slow start to the morning before heading in to Westminster to poke around. Tom and Sarah were very keen to head to the Churchill War Rooms, while I took the younger boys down to the river. We walked passed Big Ben and agreed that it was quite big. We strolled through St James' Park towards Buckingham Palace. We were fortunate enough to see a horse brigade and platoon of the Queen's Guard practicing their marching up and down the Mall. We spied Buckingham Palace, admired the bloody big gates, and headed for the pub.

    Sarah and Tom had escaped the apartment early and lined up to see Churchills War Rooms, something Sarah had missed when we were living in London and swore she wasn't missing out this time. The entrance fee into this museum came with an audio device and gave you extra information about Churchills time during WWII and his life prior and after. They both thought it was great to get an inside look into how Churchill and his team operated during the war...and also agreed it was nice to get the chance to take their time without the sounds from Jack & Fred 'are we finished yet!'

    Sarah and Tom joined us for lunch, where Sarah finally got to have fish ’n’ chips with mushy peas before we headed to the Design Museum to meet Lucy, Dicky, Trix and Fabs. It was a cool little museum, highlighting the importance of design in our everyday lives. After a slightly shy start, the kids were soon getting along very well. We left the museum and headed around the back to Holland Park. Rowan trained here many moons ago for the Wildcats, so it was cool to come back and kick a footy with the kids. Dicky's frisbee got a solid workout and, as would become routine for the trip, Jack and Cam found some local kids to kick a football with. Fred and Fabs hit it off famously, creating their own little world, and for a good time kept each other thoroughly entertained. Zoe also came and met us again, and it was lovely to introduce her to Lucy, Dicky and the kids.

    It was great to chat to Lucy and Dicky and hear about their lives which are quickly about to change with Lucy due in a few months.

    We said our goodbyes and hope that we get to see Trix, Fabs and the little nugget in the not-too-distant future down in Australia. The boys really enjoyed their time together.

    Zoe came back to our place for dinner. We all love spending as much time as we can with her…in two days we are leaving London bound for warmer shores.
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  • Harry Potter Studios

    2023年4月13日, イングランド ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    The boys have been involved with the planning of this trip. It's encouraged them to research our destinations and help come up with plans and itineraries. One activity that we wanted to keep a secret however, was the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. It was Gabba's contribution to our trip, and the boys had no idea....

    The tour wasn't until the afternoon, so we spent the morning strolling around town. We walked up to Hyde Park. Tom found some more squirrels, but was less impressed with the grey variety. We made our way to Marble Arch and then up towards Baker St. A cursory walk by 221B had us deducing that it was Sherlock Holmes' residence. Elementary.

    After a quick bite it was on the train to Watford Junction. As we stepped out of the station and waited for the shuttle bus emblazoned with Harry Potter signage, the penny finally dropped for the boys about where we were heading.

    The tour is pretty impressive. The majority of the films were produced in these studios and the sets have all been recreated using the original set pieces. We made our way into the Grand Dining Hall and watched the lights and smoke show, similar to the pizazz that would have been used when filming the scene when the Weasley's flew their brooms through the Hall. The next room showcased a number of sets, as well as hundreds of genuine props and costumes. The detail in set design was amazing. In the halls of Hogwarts, the oil paintings that adorned the walls were all hand painted and were generally paintings of film crew and their families. Some of the moving pictures on the walls were film crew as well, but to think they had dozens and dozens of these pictures, all requiring their own set, and they may end up on camera for a second. It's pretty impressive.

    The boys enjoyed finding the snitches that were hidden throughout the tour, Sarah found the elusive snitch in the Gringott's Bank. We stopped halfway for a Butter Beer and then continued through the Dursley's house, into the forest, on the Hogwarts Express, up Diagon Alley and finally to the 1:20 scale model of Hogwarts Castle. This model is uber-impressive, the detail is unbelievable. It was used for fly-by scenes and you can almost see miniature Harry, Hermione and Ron walking through the corridors.

    We tiredly got back on the bus and train, back into Euston Station. We were tired but hungry, and it was decided that a good curry would hit the spot. It was too much for poor Fred, who fell asleep at the curry house, however the rest of us managed to eat his share. A tired journey across town eventually had us back in our beds dreaming of witchcraft and wizardry.
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  • London Calling

    2023年4月12日, イングランド ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    The trip from Paris to London was largely uneventful. A pleasant train ride through the French countryside before dipping into a tunnel for half an hour and emerging on the other side of the Channel. From there we snaked our way through the outskirts of the city, and glided into St Pancras station. It was evening rush hour, but we headed across the road to Kings Cross Station to see platform 9 3/4. It was pretty packed, so we made our way onto the tube and across town to our apartment in West Kensington. It's been a long day, and the pizza shop below our apartment was calling. It didn't disappoint.

    The following day we were up early and at it. We headed into the East End and emerged at the stunning Tower of London. It's an impressive building. After stopping so the kids could have a chat with the Beefeater, we walked inside and decided to head straight for the Crown Jewels. London is busily preparing for the Coronation of King Charles III, which meant a number of things around town are in preparation mode. This includes some of the relevant Crown Jewels, which are currently at the crown shop being prepared. It's where I always take my crown for repairs.... Fortunately, the British monarchy is not short of a jewel or two and there were plenty of crowns, sceptres, gold dishes and orbs to go around. Including the impressive Cullinan Diamond, the largest cut diamond in the world, found in Pretoria, South Africa over 100 years ago. I'm sure it was humanely sourced.

    We wandered further through the former palace, gaol, fortress and explored the many rooms, dungeons and walls. One delightful story that caught our attention was that of Alice Wolf. Convicted of piracy she was hung by manacles from the exterior walls of the palace while the Thames tide was low. As the tide came in, she was gradually swallowed up by the river and drowned. So inventive.

    We departed the Tower and cross the beautiful Tower Bridge to the south bank where we found a spot of lunch. From there, back across the river towards the Bank region where Sarah worked, once upon a time. As the clouds rolled in and the rain set in, we caught the Number 9 bus, which was a cheap way to get home via most of the major sites in town. We sat at the top of the double decker bus and drove past St Paul's Cathedral, The Strand, Australia House, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Downing St, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and St James' Park.

    Eventually we found our way back to West Kensington. For dinner, we had a surprise guest come and meet us. Zoe had finished work and headed for our house. The boys were very excited to see her. We enjoyed a game of Go Nuts for Donuts and a meal, it was good to have a friendly face at the dinner table.
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  • Last day in Paris

    2023年4月11日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Our last day in Paris saw us farewell Elise at home before she headed off to the office. It was then off to the school to drop Charlie, Sam and Teddy off at their respective schools. We managed one game of Go Nuts for Donuts, although I'm not sure we had a winner, there was a bit of angst amongst the cousins over who had more Red Velvets!

    Sam was gracious enough to show the boys his classroom and some of his artwork. It was beautiful for his cousins to be able to see how the French do school, and see how their cousins' daily life unfolds in the City of Lights.

    By the time Richard delivered us to Gare du Nord, we said our final farewells and made our way through customs. Once we were through, some tired boys made good use of the lounges in the terminal as we waited for our Eurostar train to whisk us under the sea to our next destination.... London!
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  • Quiet day in Paris

    2023年4月10日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After the festivities of yesterday, it was decided that today should be a ‘quiet day’. I wish I could say that we managed to convince the boys to all have a sleep-in but alas NO! Rowan and Tom both weren’t feeling great, so Richard, Elise and I thought we’d brave the cold and head out to a park to give them ‘the quiet’. Rowan promised that after he’d slept he’d cook a baked dinner as a final farewell meal.

    Just like Berlin, Paris also has a lot of green space, some of it hidden between buildings. A short distance from the Paris Bilkeys' home were quite a selection of little parks. The boys decided they wanted to head back to one that had options - basketball, space to kick a football, a play area and a garden and seats for the parents.

    The boys played soccer, basketball, climbed the play equipment and the parents all managed to join in at some point.

    Richard and I then surprised Campbell, Charlie, Fred, Jack & Sam, by taking them to see the Mario Movie - it was the first time that Sam went to a movie theatre - I love ‘firsts’ so I was glad I could share that with him.

    Happy to report, Rowan kept his promise and cooked an amazing baked chicken dinner - yum yum.
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  • Cam's Birthday Part 2

    2023年4月9日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After returning home from our trip up the Eiffel Tower, we didn't have long before we needed to head out again. Richard and Elise's friends were in town with their kids and we were to meet them in a French Bistro around the corner from the apartment.

    Before departing for dinner though, Elise had scoured Paris for the best eclairs in the land and we sang Happy Birthday to the 11 year old. A gift of Go Nuts for Donuts for Cam from the Paris Bilkey's hit the mark.

    We then made our way to the Bistro. On the menu was the usual burgers, risotto, steaks etc, but a little surprise was the escargot. We ordered half a dozen, thinking that there would be one each for the Bilkey 6. However, the younger three all chickened out, so Tom, Sarah and Rowan all had two each. Rubbery chicken with a strong garlic sauce. Tom was a trooper, although none of us are worried if we don't see a snail again for a while.
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  • Eiffel Tower - Cam's Birthday Part 1

    2023年4月9日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Happy Birthday Campbell! When we planned this trip, we asked Cam where he wanted to be for his birthday. His first response was with his cousins in Paris, then more specifically up on top of the Eiffel Tower. It was an early start to get there and we queued for nearly 2 hours before finally making it into the lift. The tour guide we were with filled in the time however with some interesting facts and history about the tower, one of the more interesting is that the French Government paid for only two thirds of the construction. Gustave Eiffel, the owner of the engineering company commissioned to create the structure, needed to fund the rest. In the negotiations, he had the government agree to his ownership of the tower. The tower remains in the Eiffel family estate to this day.

    Eventually, we made it onto the lift and up to level 2. Jack's aversion to heights kicked in and he felt quite uncomfortable, however to his credit, he made it all the way to the top and can tick it off his list. At level 2, we wandered around and took in the open air view of the city.

    After a while, we made our way (via another extensive queue) to the lift to head to the top of the tower. Some 300m above the Champs de Mars, we are afforded spectacular views of the city. Fred found exactly how high we were, 280m, and the wait was all worth it.
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  • Canal Saint-Martin to La Villette

    2023年4月8日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Today's adventure was a boat ride up the Canal Saint Martin from the Siene, up to La Villette. The Canal runs south, however we made our way upstream, to the north. To do this, we first enter a series of voutes, or tunnels which takes us underneath Bastille. After coming out of the nearly 2km tunnels, we then needed to proceed through a number of locks to rise up water levels throughout the journey. The process of the lock was fascinating and the boys enjoyed watching the water flood through the doors. After the 8th lock, perhaps it lost its appeal, but a cool thing to do in any case.

    We ended at La Villette, a huge park in the north of town. Freddy, Teddy and Sam enjoyed a spin on the Carousel before heading across with the big boys to the main play equipment. We then had dinner at the Paname pub on the water.

    It was a beautiful evening and we strolled back down the canal, past crowds of people enjoying the spring air with a beer on the canal, or playing boules with friends. We even saw a few games of Finska and felt we could have jumped in and dominated.

    The boys wanted some ice cream, so we stopped at a creme glacee shop and enjoyed the local fair. By the time we made it back to the apartment, our feet were sore, but our bellies were full and the kids' heads full of memories of play and fun with their cousins.
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  • Wandering Paris

    2023年4月7日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Today was a quiet stroll around some of the lesser seen sites of Paris. We rolled down to the Siene and across onto Ile Saint-Louis. We were reliably informed by our guide (Richard) that the island in the Siene is the smaller of the two, it's bigger sister being the more famous Ile de la Cite which houses the imposing Palais de Justice de Paris as well as, of course, the Notre Dame. The Notre Dame is under busy repairs following the fire that destroyed the steeple and large swathes of the building four years ago. The French are aiming to have it repaired and open for business by the time the Olympians somersault into town in 2024.

    Ile Saint-Louis is smaller, but no less impressive. It is home to the rich and famous, some of the most expensive real estate in Paris is here, and the people are the epitome of style. We stuck out just a little bit...

    We didn't stay long, as we crossed the river again and up the hill towards Arenes de Lutece. This 2000-year old amphitheater once housed gladiatorial battles in Roman days and the cages which housed lions and other animals can still be seen. We kicked a footy and felt every bit the gladiator.

    A short walk around the corner brought us to the beautiful Jardin Des Plantes, a huge garden complex that houses, amongst other things a labyrinth, a mob of kangaroos, red pandas, a queue of taxidermied animals to rival Noah's Ark, and a life size stegosaurus statue. We couldn't see it all, but enjoyed walking through the gardens and having a good play on the playground.
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  • Le Louvre et Notre Dame

    2023年4月6日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We started the day taking Charlie, Sam and Teddy to their respective schools. None of the boys were happy to say goodbye, however there'd be plenty of time to come, to kick the ball with the cousins. We wandered down to the Siene and a rather heated match of soccer ensued in an upside down boat. Of course.

    As we continued our walk, Richard was most informative, giving information on the regions we were walking through, the buildings we were passing and the history of the city. We happened upon the Notre Dame, and Sarah and I recreated a photo that we took some 18 years prior. I don't think either of us had changed in all that time... much.

    The Louvre was next, as the boys had to see the Mona Lisa. We had a tip from Richard's mate at Le Peleton Cafe on where to go to skip the 2 hour queues to get in. Within 20 minutes of arriving we were inside and walking the halls. We viewed the Venus de Milo, before making our way to see the main attraction. We spent 2 minutes in the room, and the attitude from the boys was best summed up by Jack's reaction: "Meh."

    We wandered through for the next few hours and found the rooms, art, historical artefacts most interesting.

    On our way home I saw that a friend of mine, Michael was also in Paris. We hastily arranged a catch up and Sarah and I were able to leave the boys at home and head out for a nice beer at a cafe.

    Richard had also received an invitation from a friend to his restaurant for a supper club. Elise was not feeling 100% so I was fortunate enough to stand in. A wonderful degustation menu met us in a wonderful location, overlooking Jardin du Palais Royal.
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