French Riviera (Cote d'Azur)

Just came back from visiting a few cities on the Cote d'Azur including Nice, Grasse, Monaco and Cannes. Weather was pretty crappy on the day we arrived into Nice and travelled to Cannes for our first night. As the hotel reception said it was very unusual for it to be raining. We were both so tired we ended up taking a nap before heading out to walk around Cannes and visit the Cannes Film Festival Hall (Palais des Festivals) and Boulevard de la Croisette.

Cannes very pristine with its small sandy beach and streets lined with luxury hotels and stores. Plenty of casinos are dotted around town in case you are interested. Its a nice place to visit to get away from the busy french cities like Paris and Nice.

The next stop for us for Grasse, home to the perfume industry that is built on the side of hill inland on the coast of the French Riviera. There are a number of perfumeries that you can visit but its more difficult towards the end of the summer season as we found alot of shops were closed or operating limited hours. We did manage to take a tour in Fragonard which has shops outside of Grasse selling its own range of perfumes. Tour was good since we learnt about 'the nose' who is basically in charge of developing new perfumes which takes a minimum 10 years training before they are able to recognise over a few thousand scents. Ordinary people recognise about 50-60. Not an easy job to get either since there's only so many of them - all in France (Grasse and Venice).

The best way to travel around the coast is by train and make sure you have your card handy as its easier to use the ticket machines then to line up and wait for a ticket operator. You need to validate your ticket in a yellow ticket box before heading onto the station.

After Grasse we headed to Nice where we were for that evening. We arrived in Nice Central Station and it was very very busy. The atmosphere was completely different to Grasse and Cannes - alot more people but also alot more shops, restaurants, bars and cafes.

Waking down the main high street towards Promenade des Anglais, there was a great view of the waterfront and the Colline du Chateau above the hill. Not much is left of this ruined castle besides some of its original walls. Its a steep climb up to the Castle but its worth it for the views of the waterfront. The beach itself was all pebbles.

The old town (Vieux Nice) beneath the hill is a maze of streets and alleys with picturesque houses, boutiques and home to a huge street of restaurants. We chose to eat Italian!

Monte Carlo (Monaco) was our last stop on this trip. The Monte Carlo casino made famous in the old James Bond movies wasn't open when we arrived in the early afternoon. I was thinking it'll be open 24/7 but obviously not. Doesn't take too long to explore this part of town - a couple of hours. The casino was nice but other than that its a pretty hard trek up and down hills and roads to get to places. Better off getting the tourist train that takes you around the main sites including the Palace.

We've decided to come back to the French Riviera again when we get the chance but hopefully in the summer season next time.

Until our next trip (Stockholm!) 

Kat & Will.

Istanbul

Istanbul is one of those cities which you have to visit to really experience the rich culture, vibrant old town feel, astonishing architecture, cuisine, history and fascinating metropolis. The city is located on two continents with one side reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe. The Bosphorus runs in between and you should take the 1 1/2 hour Bosphorus Cruise from Eminonu to visit the old castle and an old fishing village (Anadolukavagi).

We stayed in the Old City which was a good place to be as the shops don't close everyday until at least 11pm...plenty of markets, doner kebab shops, souvenir shops, restaurants and sites to explore around the old city. We visited popular tourist sites in the old city including the Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque) which was the former heart of the Ottoman Empire. Opposite the Blue Mosque is an earthy red colour musuem called Hagia Sophia Musuem which was a former mosque. We also visited the Topkapi Palace which had many displays of the Ottoman period including valuable pieces of gold artifacts and tapestries. All these places are walking distance from each other but bear in mind you will pass by numerous kebab shops, ice cream sellers, turkish restaurants, dessert houses... which will take up time ;) (if not fill your stomach up).

If you want to buy souvenirs including turkish lamps, plates, bowls or spices, then there are two must go to places - Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar which are not too far from on another. Grand Bazaar is huge and contains everything you can imagine including turkish tapestries, ornaments, souvenirs, jewellery, wedding outfits, bags, shoes, clothes, etc... you can buy plenty of cheap 'fakes' such as Lascoste, Polo Ralph from market stalls outside the Bazaar...I was amazed at the quality of some of these fakes but didn't get any knowing I see enough of them in China anyways.

 

The Spice Bazaar isn't very big but they sell spices (of course), as well as Baklava, Turkish Nougat, teas, etc. The Bazaar is right near the port on Golden Horn (Halic) where you can catch day tour cruises out to the Bosphorus.


One evening we visited the Basilica Cistern which is an amazing underground palace that opens until 11pm. This is near the Topaki Palace (well at the bottom entrance of it) and it is definitely worth visiting.

Taking a couple hours one afternoon/evening, we went on the IDO Full Bosphorus Cruise cruising past a number of landmarks including the Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Ortakoy Mosque, The Bosphorus Bridge, Beylerbeyi Palace, Goksu Pavilion, Rumelikavagi and Anadolukavagi. This is where Kat tried her Sardine Sandwich.


We did find time to visit the Asian side of Istanbul around Beyoglu which is basically the only place away from the old city that you can find western food and not just kebabs, meat, turkish desserts. You can take the tram all the way from the old city to Beyoglu and then you need to catch a Funicular up to the top of the main high street called Istiklal Caddessi. You buy a token for the tram from one of the shops nearby each tram stop. It is the same cost no matter how far you are travelling. Of course my review wouldn't be a review if I didn't comment on the tram system...its efficient and clean but and I mean BUT it is very crowded and there are alot of really bad smells from people on the tram (get a seat if you can... if won't take the smell away but at you are seated and not swaying towards someone's armpit!).


Beyoglu is close to the Galata Tower and the high street has a very old tram that runs occasionally up the high street which is closed to cars (except for the odd Police cars that plough through the crowds). This is the place to come to if you want to do some brand shopping (not fakes) and have some western food.


Istanbul is a fantastic place to visit and you need to spend a couple of days at least to enjoy what it has to offer. There's so much food but its not just doner kebabs... we did eat alot including gozleme (hand make pancakes with mince meat & mushrooms), baked peppers and eggplants, Baklava, Chocolate Nougat, plenty of Rice Pudding (Firin Sutlac), Krem Karamel, Tavul Gogsulu Kazandibi and lotsa fresh orange juice. A common drink was Ayran which is basically water & yoghurt. All the restaurants vary in terms of price and surcharges... some charge you for the bread & water that is provided, some didn't... we particularly liked one outside the Grand Bazaar called SAR Restaurant (near the Beyazit Mosque).


We didn't get to see everything but we did manage to spend enough time to soak in the atmosphere and cultures. There are many locals who try to persuade you to buy things but its part of the experience and we definitely recommend it.

Until our next trip (French Riviera!)


Kat & Will.

Charting our trips after our cruise

We've arrived back from our 2 week Adriatic, Greece & Turkey, Greek Isles cruise on the fantastic Norwegian Gem. The places we visited in the two weeks were stunning examples of nature, architecture, engineering and modern wonders at their best. The weather was sunny the whole time so it made visiting the landmarks even more interesting. We visited Venice (I can see why the city has been voted the most beautiful city in the world), Corfu, Iraklion (Crete), Mykonos, Santorini, Napflion, Athens, Izmir, Ephesus, Dubrovnik & Split.

So many experiences to talk about that it'll take a while before I get to putting this together. I can imagine it'll be a couple of weeks before I get onto writing it. Meanwhile, I thought it might be good to chart on a map places we've visited so far since we started exploring the endless wonders of the world.

Paris & Roland Garros

Our third trip to Paris in two years. We visited to attend the French Open (Roland Garros 2010). This is the third Grand Slam we have been to and we now have to go to Flushing Meadows in New York to cap off the last Tennis Grand Slam that we haven't visited. 

We travelled straight from the airport to our hotel and then straight to Roland Garros the day we arrived in Paris. We were both very very tired having caught our flight at 6am which meant having to wake up before 3am. I think it was about mid-way during the final match for the day that we got so tired we headed back to the Hotel. We saw a couple of matches on Court One and some of the outdoor courts. Our tickets were for Court One and we saw a couple of matches including the match between Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Robby Ginepri. Robby Ginepri won in straight sets.

Having visited Paris previously we still visited the main attractions but also went to a few parks/gardens including the Jardin de Tuileries where we walked from the entrance facing the Lourve all the way to the exit at Concorde at Champs de Elysee. We also visited the Jardin de Lumberbourg. Other places we ventured to included the Napoleon's Tomb,  Army Musuem and the location of the Statue of Liberty.

                          

On one of the evenings we saw the famous Moulin Rouge and it was an experience. The show was good but the seating arrangements were pretty stupid considering 50% of the seats have the back to the stage due to the configuration for people dining as well. You get some free champagne with certain tickets. 

We visited a number of restaurants around Grand Boulevard for dinner and the busiest one was called Chartier. There was a queue onto the footpath and so we decided to return the next night just after 6pm when there was no crowd to try the restaurant. Its an old established and recommended restaurant in Paris which opened in 1896. Scores and scores of reviews about how good it is. Its a typical old french bistro serving mainly french fries and steak (or chicken). I order a pork chop with spaghetti and Kat had steak and frites. I can tell you the unfortunate review of this place was a thumbs down. The meat had no taste nor did the spaghetti. It was like chewing boiled meat. I honestly didn't see what all the fuss was about...but hey each to their own.

Still we tried a few other restaurants which were good.. can't remember the names but they served nice hearty meals. We went back to St. Michels as well to have greek giros....mmmmm that was nice... real tasty meat with chilli sauce.. YUM!

I think thats all and so until our next trip... its a big one as we take a 2 week cruise from Venice to Greece, Turkey & Croatia!

Kat & Will.

Salzburg

 


We arrived late in the evening in Salzburg after catching the train from Munich that afternoon. The area around our hotel and the train station was fairly quiet as the town centre (Altstadt) was located on the other side. After getting to the hotel we walked into town to find some dinner. There was a huge variety of places to choose from as it seemed like alot of places were already closed. We ended up eating at a random restaurant which served german cuisine. 

Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria and in 1997 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located in an Alpine setting and buildings are baroque architecture. 18th century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in this town (his old house is on the left located on the shopping street - Getreidegasse). The setting of much of the Sound of Music was also done around Salzburg.

The next morning we travelled out of Salzburg to a couple of lake districts by train. The tickets are fairly cheap if you choose to travel in large groups as one ticket covers up to 4 people. We caught the train from Salzburg station out to Hallstatt which was about 1 1/2 hours with a change required. Once we were at Halstatt we had to get on a boat to cross the river to get into the small town. The scenery here was extremely picturesque. You see all these colourful hours surrounded by a reflective lake around it. The weather was on our side and so this made the place even more picture perfect. 

  

 

The town wasn't very big but we took our time to explore the place and after a while finally found a nice little joint for lunch. Pretty much german cuisine as well...frankfurts and beef goulash was lunch for us. The served a non-alcoholic beer called Schlossgold which tasted ok.

After finishing exploring the town of Halstatt we went back on the ferry and caught the train to a town called Bad Ischl which is known as a spa town of Austria. We arrived pretty late in the afternoon so by the time we managed to walk into town most places were already closed. There were a couple of places we visited including the Kongresshaus (which is now a health resort). Of course we only managed to see the outside of it. We then quickly had dinner before running to catch the last train back to our connecting station for Salzburg. We made it on the train out of Bas Ischl but when we got to the connecting station we didn't end up getting on the next train. As it was a weekend and we had got specific type tickets we had to wait 2 hours for the next train....so what did we end up doing? We went to a coffee shop which closed 30 mins after we arrived and the rest of the town was deserted so there was nothing to do. We ended up running around in the rain back to the train station and sat in the waiting room for about 1.5 hours... boring!... we did eventually get back to Salzburg sometime before Midnight...

Of course when in Salzburg you do the Sound of Music Tour. Our tour guide was a lady called Trudy who sang and talked like Julie Andrews... actually should be more like talked like her... her singing wasn't bad but wasn't excellent. The sound of music tour took us to basically all the places which have some link to the Sound of Music movie. We visited the house and lake where they filmed the supposedly famous boat scene, the trees which the lil kids climbed up, the church where they got married, the dome where they had their 'love' scene and you get the drift.... it was a good tour if you are interested in the movie or know what the tour was talking about... the tour ended after about 3.5 hours back at the Mirabell Gardens and Palace (which was built by the then Prince for his mistress apparently).

 

After the Sound of Music Tour, we walked around the Mirabell Gardens and had a look around town before catching our train back to Munich for dinner at HB (see Munich post). 


Salzburg was a fascinating place to visit except when it poured down raining. You need at least 2 nights minimum to enjoy the town. We didn't get a chance to visit the fortress which sat above the old town but it was probably worth going to Halstatt instead for its lake views and relaxing feel.


Until our next trip, we will write again (think its Paris for Roland Garros 2010!).


Kat & Will.

Munich

Munich was our next travel destination. It is the capital of Bavaria, Germany and located on the River Isar. It is considered the third largest city behind Hamburg and Berlin. We arrived at Muchen International Airport and the easiest way into town is definitely by train. We took the train from the airport to Central Station where we caught a connecting train to Marienplatz to join our walking tour. There was a concert happening in Marienplatz so it was very crowded. Marienplatz offers many examples of the effort that has been taken to reconstruct the city. More than 80% of the inner city of Munich was destroyed during WW2.

The tour covered all the main city sights of Munich and it was a good way for us to see the sights and learn some history as we were heading to Salzburg on an afternoon train later. The tour started from Marienplatz and then headed to the Frauenkirche (the Church of Our Lady) - the twin towers which dominate the Munich skyline, Altes Rathaus and St. Jacobsplatz, with a brief stop at Viktualienmarkt (outdoor markets)

After walking down Munich’s answer to Rodeo Drive , Maximillianstr., we followed the path Adolf Hitler took in 1923 when he tried to shoot his way into power during the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. Some interesting stories of how he came to power were told especially from his beginnings as a messenger boy and the many times he managed to avoid being killed.

We then visited the royal residence, a few town halls, the National Theatre and the world's most famous beer hall - Hofbräuhaus. The beer hall was once a men's only pub where back then all the men went outside to go to the toilet until someone decided it would be a good idea to put urinals underneath the tables. Of course that idea didn't last very long...due to 'splash-back' and smell of course and once women were allowed into the hall, that idea was left behind.

We discovered that the National Theatre was in fact reconstructed after a fire and the tour guide spoke about the origins of Oktoberfest.

Later that afternoon we travelled by DB Bahn up to Salzburg for two nights before coming back to Munich to catch our flight back home.

On our returning from visiting Salzburg over the weekend, we visited the Hofbräuhaus for dinner before heading to the airport. The place was huge and can probably fit about 1,000+ ppl. Just look at the size of the beers that serve! Good place for nice grub and beer and very reasonably priced.