Europe 2019

A 49-day adventure by Phil Read more

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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 14
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 10:41 AM
⛅ 18 °C
Altitude: 271 m
France Lyon 04 45.77378, 4.8286145°46’26” N 4°49’43” E
7 Rue Sainte Clotilde
September 25, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Our Airbnb apartment is located in an old building which has been converted at some stage into living quarters. It's located in an old section of Lyon called Crois Rousse and is fairly typical of such rentals with quirks to spare. A toilet that sits crooked in its little space flushed by pulling a chain - except that would be a bit too rustic so there is a cute little attachment so that you push a little button which in turn pulls the chain. Hiiiigh ceilings with correspondingly tall doorways and huge windows over the street. It's in a good spot though accessible to many of the nice places to visit as well as a metro station. Its crowning glory however has to be the market that is open every day of the week from early morning to early afternoon. The high ceilings and large windows are a hold over from the silk weaving formed a big part of Lyon's past. The loom that was used to weave the wool - the Jacquard Loom - was invented in Lyon and it was so big that the rooms were built to accommodate, and light was pretty important as well. This apartment building would have been built in that period.Read more
Sounds a bit of my living style except in Hervey Bay with nobody to impress--Beau
9/27/19Reply
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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 14
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 11:50 AM
☁️ 19 °C
Altitude: 295 m
France Notre-Dame de Fourvière 45.76188, 4.8222145°45’43” N 4°49’20” E
Basilica Notre Dame Fourviere
September 25, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Lyon may not have the seven hills of Rome, but it's hills still play an important role in its settlement due to the the various conflicts to control them. Together with the confluence of two major rivers, the Rhone and the Soane they have given Lyon a long and sometimes bumpy history. At least they provide a funicular to get us up the hills for a look around.
At the top of this hill is an area called Fourviere. And what do you put on top of a hill? A basilica of course. This one was built after the Prussians had been at the gates threatening to take the the town. The people promised that if the city were spared they would build a great basilica - it was and they did.Read more
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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 14
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 1:06 PM
☁️ 19 °C
Altitude: 191 m
France Lyon 05 45.76224, 4.8265845°45’44” N 4°49’36” E
Vieux Lyon
September 25, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 14
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 3:00 PM
⛅ 20 °C
Altitude: 262 m
France Vieux Lyon 45.75702, 4.8198245°45’25” N 4°49’11” E
Roman ruins
September 25, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
What else would you expect at the top of a hill - Roman ruins perhaps? Those handy Romans were here long before the Prussians were pushing their weight around. I think it was 43 bc they decided that this looked a likely spot and built a settlement. All that have survived are a pair of amphitheatres which with a bit of sticky tape are still in use. At the peak time one held 60,000 and was one of the earliest places Christians were tortured and killed back in the good old days.Read more
Yep--The Romans were certainly great for many reasons besides Roman Baths--Beau
9/27/19Reply
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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 15
Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 3:58 PM
⛅ 23 °C
Altitude: 267 m
France Lyon 04 45.7781, 4.8280545°46’41” N 4°49’41” E
Mur Les Canuts
September 26, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
This amazing mural is what you get if you look at a blank wall and see a tourist attraction. It was painted for the first time in 1987 and it was such a huge success that they decided to update it in the 90s to reflect the changes in the Croix Rousse area. Then in 2013 they did it all over again. The detail is delightful and the perspective is so good that it takes a while to convince yourself that it is really all painted. We were there for quite a while discovering little bits of detail. The illusion of a stairwell with a man leaning over the rail is particularly good.Read more
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Day 15
Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 9:08 PM
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 269 m
France Lyon 04 45.77759, 4.8339845°46’39” N 4°50’2” E
Aromatic
September 26, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Ok, we picked this restaurant because it was near our apartment, had reasonable prices and had good reviews putting it number 6 out of well over 2000 restaurants in Lyon.

Nothing to do with that Michelin star shining on the wall.

Luckily, it was a very nice, casual place and we had a lovely time dining on the footpath.Read more
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Day 16
Friday, September 27, 2019 at 9:35 AM
⛅ 18 °C
Altitude: 270 m
France Lyon 04 45.77409, 4.8287245°46’27” N 4°49’43” E
The market
September 27, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Markets can be very frustrating when you are travelling. They are always on a Sunday when you leave on Saturday, or so far from where you are staying that you can't really make use of them. So how about having a market maybe a hundred metres down the road, on every morning except Monday (when you arrive on Tuesday!) and with everything you need (and more). I reckon at least 200 metres of stalls with fruit and veggies, cheese, meat, fish, flowers, wine and more. This morning we bought a couple of pre cooked meals - one rabbit dish and one pheasant dish - sort of a French take away. A little rest for the budget tonight.Read more
RABBIT--How often do we see that on our Menu here my friends--Brings back my poor Childhood days up in Tennessee--How was it--Beau
9/27/19Reply
Now the WILD BIRD dish was Eaten also back then--Beau
9/27/19Reply
How were the beautiful Cheeses as only The French can produce--Beau
9/27/19Reply
Phil DouglasWe have had rabbit a couple of times and it was fine. I'm not a big cheese appreciator, but Bronwyn has been enjoying when possible.
10/1/19Reply
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Day 16
Friday, September 27, 2019 at 2:00 PM
⛅ 25 °C
Altitude: 177 m
France Lyon 05 45.76101, 4.8307645°45’40” N 4°49’51” E
Boat cruise
September 27, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
A bit of a cruise up and down the Rhone - not exactly flash but easy and fun. One girl was handling the French and English commentary. She was working pretty hard to fit it all in.
.
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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 17
Saturday, September 28, 2019 at 11:20 AM
⛅ 19 °C
Altitude: 164 m
France Parc de la Tête d'Or 45.77622, 4.8558845°46’34” N 4°51’21” E
Parc de la Tête d'Or
September 28, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Final day in Lyon and the plan is for an easy day, starting off with a walk to a park down a rather steep hill over the river and along a bit. It's a large, beautiful park with a lake botanical garden and lots of family stuff including a zoo. The zoo appeared to be free. We weren't planning on going, but we ended up walking through it anyway. We were hoping to see flamingos - now we have.Read more
An absolute beautiful way to start a morning after a Cuppa at Elvin's Esplanade Cafe--Beau
9/28/19Reply
Did we walk up all those steps--Beau
9/28/19Reply
What was for a beautiful French Breakfast in Lyon--Beau
9/28/19Reply
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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 18
Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 11:15 AM
☀️ 19 °C
Altitude: 167 m
France Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu 45.76027, 4.8613645°45’37” N 4°51’41” E
Gare Part-Dieu
September 29, 2019 in France ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Time's up in Lyon and we are heading south - on the train to Arles in Provence. The decision to spend some time in Lyon came partly from a discussion on a long flight with a business guy who lived there and wished he could be home more and partly from the fact it is about half way between Paris and Arles.
It proved to be a good choice though and we enjoyed our time. Back into a hotel room in Arles, but it sounds like a nice place to stay, so we'll see how we go.Read more
It all looks lovely!
10/1/19Reply
Stay safe and enjoy all that great wandering and eating! Helen & Cj
10/1/19Reply
Phil DouglasThanks y'all, we'll do our best.
10/1/19Reply
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Day 18
Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 5:01 PM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 18 m
France UFR Civilisations et Humanités 43.67908, 4.6279943°40’45” N 4°37’41” E
Hotel du Musee, Arles
September 29, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
First day in Arles and things are looking good. We may be back in a hotel room, but it is a very nice one in a very promising hotel. The building is old but they have done an excellent job of creating spacious, airy rooms in it without destroying its character. And what bliss, a shower with enough space that I can wash below my knees! We checked in and had a little ramble around town and a quick stop at the information centre.
Many of the restaurants were closed on Sunday so we just set off to see what we could find and ended up stopping at a place with an actual live piano player. Now truth be told my meal wasn't that good, but the music was. The pianist was pretty good and he could sing - kind of a Tom Waits/Nick Cave growl style that I liked. And to top it off some a very passable jazz songstress happened to be passing by and joined in for some old standards. A table outside in a courtyard - I was in heaven.Read more
You certainly have done your research and advance Planning to be spending such pleasurable moments in beautiful places my friends--Totally enjoy a wonderful holiday--Beau
9/29/19Reply
We will hold down the fort at Elvin's beautiful Cafe--Beau
9/29/19Reply
I have been keeping all informed of your Holiday events--Beau
9/29/19Reply
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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 19
Monday, September 30, 2019 at 11:41 AM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 21 m
France Arènes d'Arles 43.67809, 4.6301343°40’41” N 4°37’48” E
Amphitheatre
September 30, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We didn't actually go into the Coliseum in Rome when we visited. A combination of so much to see in so little time, a tight budget and the number of other people lining up for a look led to a couple of photos of the exterior being our only involvement. So it was nice to have a look around the 20th largest Roman amphitheatre here in Arles. In the middle ages the structure have been completely taken over by people and it wad jammed full of houses and shops and a significant amount of stone had been carted of for other uses. It once held 20,000,but since the restoration process, which began in the 19th century, it has only been returned to a capacity of 12,000. It is still used for the French version of bullfighting - somewhat less traumatic for the build then the Spanish version.Read more
The Romans certainly left their footprints anywhere they travelled in Europe--Beau
9/30/19Reply
BTW--It just began raining here this morning around 5AM-- 1 OCT--Beau
9/30/19Reply
Phil DouglasI guess that rain fizzled out?
10/1/19Reply
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Day 19
Monday, September 30, 2019 at 2:04 PM
⛅ 26 °C
Altitude: 23 m
France UFR Civilisations et Humanités 43.67889, 4.627243°40’44” N 4°37’38” E
1
Thermes de Constatin
September 30, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
The Roman baths in Arles, as with the amphitheatre, were thoroughly remodeled by people looking for space to live or a shop to the point they more or less disappeared completely and people forgot they were even there. They have been excavated and restored to a point where you can get an idea of how they fit together.Read more
The Romans certainly knew how to enjoy a beautiful Bath with friends--Beau
9/30/19Reply
Did we by any chance get to visit the cages where the Lions were housed before they were turned loose to eat the Christians--Beau
9/30/19Reply
Phil DouglasIt was pretty much geared towards the use they make of it now - mainly for the bullfights.
10/1/19Reply
Traveler Ma lookin so cute!
10/10/19Reply
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Day 20
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 11:20 AM
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 14 m
France Arles 43.67256, 4.6337443°40’21” N 4°38’1” E
Alyscamps
October 1, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
We often find that churches are more interesting when they are damaged beyond repair and are just offered in a take it as you lfind it state. And when you put one in an abandoned burial ground and then give it the name Alyscamps (reported as 'champs- ely ' in the local dialect) who could resist.
We weren't disappointed. Aside of being the site of one of the many paintings Van Gough completed in the region, it proved a treasure trove of nooks and crannies to explore.
The church building is the remains of Eglise Saint-Honorat à Arles or Saint Honorat's Church. Saint Honorat became a Saint in the usual manner. The reason for his martyrdom was that he refused to keep signing death notices.Read more
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Day 20
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 12:23 PM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 31 m
France UFR Civilisations et Humanités 43.67582, 4.6294143°40’33” N 4°37’46” E
Le Jardin d'ete
October 1, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Small park just on the edge of the old town of Arles. We passed through a few times and it always seemed to cry out for a photo.
All those amazing photo opportunities!! What a feast for the eyes, hey? Helen
10/3/19Reply
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Europe 2019 Phil Douglas
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Day 20
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 2:06 PM
⛅ 26 °C
Altitude: 17 m
France UFR Civilisations et Humanités 43.67571, 4.6254443°40’33” N 4°37’32” E
Van Gough
October 1, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Van Gough had his artistic breakout and perhaps his most productive and significant period here in and around Arles. Unfortunately for Arles, none of his paintings were left behind, but they take what credit they can. We did a walk connecting the sites of some of his most famous paintings including Starry Night.Read more
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Day 20
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 3:00 PM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 21 m
France Arles 43.67238, 4.6162443°40’21” N 4°36’58” E
Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence antiq
October 1, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
That's some name! This is a sleek, modern museum housing many archaeological artifacts found in the local region. We liked the simple layout and that the displays were all from the local area. While there wasn't a lot of English provided, what there was generally covered as much as we wanted. We also liked the fact that you could follow along a single progression and work your way through in between one and two hours depending on how thorough you were.

I did particularly like the mosaics on display. I just can't imagine the patience required to put these back together again.Read more
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Day 21
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 11:34 AM
⛅ 21 °C
Altitude: 39 m
France Ancien Collège de Cisterciens de Sénanque 43.9496, 4.8068543°56’59” N 4°48’25” E
Avignon
October 2, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
After scooting around Arles for a couple of days it's time for a visit to Avignon, probably the most well known of the Provencal towns (except for Marseille). Return tickets for two on the regional train cost 32 euro and the trains were pretty regular.
When we were planning the trip it was a toss up between Avignon and Arles to use as home base, so it was interesting to look around and whether we made a good choice.
Avignon proved a fairly easy day trip. We got off the train, walked straight up the road to the information centre, picked up a map with some suggested walking tours and set off. Lots to see in a reasonably contained area.Read more
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Day 21
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 11:45 AM
⛅ 21 °C
Altitude: 35 m
France Palais des papes 43.95055, 4.8084143°57’2” N 4°48’30” E
Palais des Papes
October 2, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
The Palais des Papes is an historical palace located in Avignon, Southern France. It is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. We didn't actually go in and in fact there isn't much inside to see, but I can confirm that it is big! And I'm sure there would have been some interesting corners inside.Read more
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Day 21
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 1:12 PM
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 40 m
France Abbaye Sainte-Catherine d'Avignon 43.95186, 4.8073443°57’7” N 4°48’26” E
Jardin des doms
October 2, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
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Day 22
Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 11:32 AM
⛅ 16 °C
Altitude: 29 m
France Mont de Cordes 43.70534, 4.6635943°42’19” N 4°39’49” E
Abbaye de Montmajuer
October 3, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We tried to find a tour to take us off to see a bit of the country side but we couldn't find a good fit. Either they were in French or they were going too many places we weren't interested in and not enough we were. The downside of travelling at this quieter time of year is that the range of options is reduced. So we decided to gird our loins and brave the local buses. Fontvieille seemed a good option - well out of town (but not too far) - serviced by a local bus - sounded interesting. We managed to find the bus stop we could leave from and between what was posted there, what the hotel concierge could find out and what we could find online the bus left somewhere between 10:30 and 11. In the end the bus came about 10:45.
The concierge came up with one extra idea for us, we could get off the bus along the way and visit this Abbey and so we did. It was pretty impressive.Read more
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Day 22
Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 2:29 PM
⛅ 19 °C
Altitude: 28 m
France Fontvieille 43.72579, 4.7095843°43’33” N 4°42’34” E
Fontvieille
October 3, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
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Day 23
Friday, October 4, 2019 at 10:00 AM
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 31 m
France UFR Civilisations et Humanités 43.6765, 4.6299343°40’35” N 4°37’48” E
Roman Theatre of Arles
October 4, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
This Roman Theatre was built before the nearby arena, somewhere around the year 0. Like the arena it is still being used, in this case for theatre and other showds. It was a great place to poke about, full of little surprises. And what a great day for the photos.Read more
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Day 23
Friday, October 4, 2019 at 3:58 PM
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 8 m
France Petit Plan du Bourg 43.63438, 4.6252243°38’4” N 4°37’31” E
The Camargue
October 4, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Last day in Arles and we are off to visit the Camargue. Just before Arles the Rhone splits with a smaller but significant branch cutting to the right towards the sea. Between them has developed a kind of enormous delta with quite a unique ecology. We took a tour through the region in an open topped four wheel drive. It was an interesting area with an even more interesting history. Rice grown at first just to dry it out - a story that they first tried eating it without taking off the husk and went blind and needing to bring in people from south East Asia to show them how. But the main points of interest are the white horses, the black bulls and the flamingoes.Read more
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Day 24
Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 11:39 AM
⛅ 20 °C
Altitude: 26 m
France Arles Railway Station 43.68479, 4.6323943°41’5” N 4°37’57” E
Gare d'Arles
October 5, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Moving day - time to leave Arles behind. It has proved a good home base for our stay in Provence. Just time for our breakfast and a stroll through a small section of the enormous Saturday morning market.
We are headed to Marseilles today - for a quick look around. It seems that Arles and Marseilles have some history. Arles has an unusual number of Roman ruins and artefacts. The reason given is that Julius Caesar was having a spot of bother with a military rival, Pompey the great, who had a strong base in Marseilles. Caesar asked the people of Arles to build him a dozen warships and they came through in a remarkably short time. He rewarded them by giving his retiring generals and other buddies land in Arles which meant money and infrastructure and general prosperity.Read more
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