We're moving to Italy

The big concrete box that has kept us in Spain over the last 18 months is sailing away to Italy....so we go too. With just over 3 weeks to go, we are deep into the process of packing up gear to go into storage, clothes to take to Italy and sorting all those things we have picked up and don't really need (and furthermore can't work out why we collected/bought them in the first place).

To ensure we actually have somewhere to live when we arrive, we headed off to Italy a few weeks ago - house hunting. It was actually difficult coming up with options on the internet (which was a bit surprizing)....so using the great forums on traveladvisor.com I asked some of the locals for suggestions. One of the recommendations was for a place called Castel Venezze. This wonderful old villa (dating from the 1400s) has been "done up" as a hotel with the associated buildings converted to apartments.

We stayed at this wonderful place, got to know the fantastic lady who owns and manages it - Contessa Maria Giustiniani, and eventually arranged to make one of the apartments our home for the next .....well however long it ends up being. The gardens are really impressive and just to top it all off....Maria runs cooking classes focusing on the local Italian cuisine. So far there doesn't seem to be much down side - other than Ian will have about 40 minutes travel each day - but he seems very happy and looking forward to the experience.

The next few weeks will be flat out - what with study, shifting, the work requirements of the Paris contract, and finding time to watch the Olympics - but we are both looking forward to the next adventure - even though we will be sad to leave Spain.

Weekend in Brussels - March

Giving up waiting at home for Ian to get back from his latest trip, I decided to meet up with him in Brussels for the weekend before he headed off for his next Oslo meeting and I headed back for sunny Spain. We had spent a couple of days in Brussels a few years ago....but that was part of an organized tour...and as much as you travel through a heap of countries, you don't necessarily see everything you might like to. So...this time we were "doing our own thing". And of course, THERE WAS THE CHOCOLATES.

Our hotel was centrally located and we were able to walk to all the main tourist features. The first being the beautiful La Bourse (the stock exchange) which was just around the corner. Almost directly behind was the Grand Place square. This was the old heart of Brussels and is filled with the most stunning architecture from Maison Du Roi to La Maison Des Ducs de Brarant and the Hotel de Ville (the building was started in 1401 and was used as the town hall - fantastic). Furthermore the path between the stock exchange and the square is filled with chocolate shops....Ummmm Chocolate.......The square is still used for a flower market on Sunday mornings.

From here we followed the tourist crowd down to the statue of the "piddling boy". This famous little 18" or so statue has been presented with costumes from heads of state.......go figure.......Along with other famous small tourist features, it was almost impossible to get a photo without having "tom, jane and bill" also in the photo.

So we took a couple of quick snaps and headed along to the doomed glass roof of Galaries St Hubert where a great cup of coffee was available - right next to the ....you guessed it - the chocolate shop

We spent the rest of day looking around the lower town area; walking the Rue Neuve shopping street and along the Rue des Bouchers with its colourful stalls. The following day was spent in the Upper Town where the Palais Royal and the wonderful Royal gardens are situated. We headed towards the 12th century tower and the remains of the wall that had protected the old city and then along Rue de Rollerbeek towards the famous Wittamer cafe (which Ian conveniently walked straight past and we totally missed.....maybe next time.

Eventually reaching the place du Petit Sablon where lovely formal gardens include a series of bronze statues and looks back towards the Notre-Dame du Sablon. We had to go and find the statue of Gerhard Mercator as his 16th century map work became the basis of most modern maps of today (and Ian is an engineer - which I think explains all)

This beautiful Gothic church is famous for its stained glass windows which are lit from the inside at night and are part of the Brussels illumination tour.
The story goes that a young girl had a vision of the Virgin Mary which instructed her to take the Virgin's statue to the chapel which stood on the spot. The chapel became a place of pilgrimage and was enlarged between 1400 and 1550 - however the statue is question was lost in 1556.

From there we walked around the palace towards the building where Anne of Cleves was born and then along towards the Cathedral St Michel et Gudule which is Belgium's national church. There has been a church on this site since the 11th century and this particular cathedral is considered to be the finest surviving example of Brabant Gothic architecture.

At the time of year we visited Brussels the daffodils were out and the little part in front of the cathedral was filled with yellow flowers - really adding to the overall visit.

Brussels is a wonderful city with great sights, lovely gardens and fabulous chocolates. At some stage in the future I will investigate the history of Belgium and find out a little more about the catholic/protestant regional divisions and the development of the language focus of the various regions.

Weekend in Oslo - February 2nd 2008

Once again we were able to add a weekend being tourist onto a business trip. This time to Oslo, Norway. Whilst the weather is Spain is reasonably warm - sitting in the mid-teens, Oslo would be our first seriously cold venture whilst in Europe. With suitcases loaded with coats, parkas, scarves and gloves we headed to the cold north........and were not disappointed. We arrived on Saturday evening - after spending the entire day in various airports (we could just about have flown from Singapore in the same time frame), so woke up to our first views of the city on Sunday morning.

To our delight it had snowed overnight. This might not be exciting for most people - but for a couple of Aussies who have seen snow a couple of times in our lives (and me only once and never really been "in the snow" - this was great. So we crunched our way through the new snow to the tram stop and headed up to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. This beautiful park contains dozens of large sculptures portraying the human body in all its moods, ages, and relationships.

From little kids having temper tantrums or being piggy backed by parents; elderly lovers; men fighting; individuals contemplating and dreaming......really impressive. The park was magnificent with bare trees covered in snow; ducks swimming in nearly frozen lakes; park benches lined up dark against the clean snow.





After spending a couple of hours at the park watching the kids on sleds and the families out enjoying the snow, we headed off towards the main city centre and walked through the central promenade- past the university, museums, ice skating rink (where this little toddler (about 3) put everyone else to shame with his skating prowess - future Olympic for sure) and up the hill towards the Royal Palace. Unlike the Buckingham Palace in London, we were able to get right up close to the Palace and were even able to watch the changing of the guard from about 2 meters away.

The views of the Palace through the park were spectacular.

We headed up to the lounge on the top of our hotel which had views over the Palace park and out towards the fjord. A magic day.
Unfortunately the snow mostly melted over night and the city was not as impressive without its white covering. So the Monday was spent searching out the shops and finding my way around the commercial part of the city - as well as tryhing to find a coffee shop which would actually serve me (not sure what I was doing wrong - but there seemed to be a lack of service for those that were tourists). In summary, a great day on Sunday with the beauty of the new snow, Monday was not as impressive - however we did not spend any time near the water - that will be a spring/summer venue.

Long Weekend in Florence - January 4th 2008

Florence is a city that I have wanted to visit since I read the historical novel "The Agony and the Ecstasy" as a teenager back in Adelaide (a very long time ago). I had read that the entire city was a museum and now that I have finally been able to get there totally agree. We had landed in Venice and taken the 3 hour train trip down to Florence which was nice break from the normal flights. We had booked into the Grand Medici Hotel which was reasonably central and provided the old world charm with is so "Europe". Rather than try to see it all in 3 days, we had decided to see the Michelangelo Florence.
Starting from the square where his original formal training had started, we headed through the lovely streets and plazas to the S Lorenzo Piazza. Here, the Basilica of S Lorenzo, a rather ordinary looking building was well worth a visit. Michelangelo had hoped to decorate the facade of this church but never succeeded in fulfilling that ambition. He did however, design and build the Medici-Laurentian Library which is accessed from the wonderful old cloisters. The Basilica was beautiful and the apse vault in the Old Sacristy was interesting showing the star pattern from the night of July 4 1442. From here we made our way to the Accademia Gallery. Main objective here was to view the carving of David, which was every bit as impressive as expected.

We were not able to take any photos at the Gallery so the following day we (along with just about every other tourist) took photos of the copy of David which is found in the Piazza Della Signoria. Back to the Accademia - we were also able to view the partly finished sculptures of slaves that were intended to line to mausoleum of Pope Julius II and St Matthew. Of particular interest to me was the sculpture of Pieta di Palestrina.

Continuing to the Duomo (or Basilica of Saint Maria Del Fiore), we were able to spend some time looking around this exquisite building. There was a service underway which limited our ability to see all the interior - but it was still magnificent. The paintings on the interior of the dome,detailing the last judgement, were outstanding. During excavations in 1966, the ruins of an earlier Church was located beneath the Basilica which we were able to visit through the crypt.

In front of the Duomo was the Baptistery. This octagonal building is famous for its bronze doors which displayed stories from the New Testament. The Giotto's Bell Tower and S Zanobi's column were also located in the square next tot he Duomo.






The story goes that an elm tree which was located in the position of the column, suddenly flowered when it came in contact with the corpse of S Zanobu who was the Bishop of Florence.

Heading towards the river we were able to have a "proper" cafe latte in a wonderful old cafe. Home town of Melbourne has spoilt us with its Italian coffee shops - and it was great to have a "real deal" again. Over the river we found the Ponte Vecchio - the bridge which has been around since the 1300s originally housed the butchers of the city but since the 1500s has been home to many of the city's goldsmiths - so I had a great time looking (not sure Ian enjoyed it quite as much)

The next day we headed off to the Medici Chapel. This was spectacular and very unexpected. The initial rooms were interesting and set up as a museum housing many of the relics of the Medici family including the various Popes and Bishops who were family members. However, once we had stepped into the main Church area we were overwhelmed. The room opens up into the three story high marble hall. Totally unexpected and almost "over the top". From here we were able to enter the new sacristy which was designed and built by Michelangelo. The room contains a series of sculptures which were designed into the architecture of the room - The Madonna and Child, Dawn and Dusk, Night and Day and the Monument to Lorenzo - all magnificent.

From here we headed back towards the river to find the Basilica of Saint Croce. This Florentine Gothic building houses the tombs of Michelangelo and Machiavelli. Additional works by Michelangelo were housed at the Casa Buonarroti. The house was the residence of Michelangelo from 1516 and 1525 and was left in his will to his nephew who developed his private collection and designed the interior of the house around the pieces. The museum was opened to the public in 1859 and includes over 200 drawings, designs and paintings by Michelangelo as well as some of his very early marble pieces done as a teenager.


There is just so much to see in this city. Wonderful historic buildings, traditional lanes and streetscapes, magnificent works of art.......there is no way we could do it justice in a weekend. This is definitely one city where we will return - next time to spend at least a fortnight and see at least the rest of the major sights Florence has on offer.

Christmas in Madrid - Part 3 Christmas Day

The main meal of the Christmas season is usually held on Christmas Eve in Spain and as we had determined to "do what the Spaniards do" we had arranged for this meal to be taken at the Ritz Hotel. Therefore we packed up our bags and shifted across the square into the majestic Ritz Hotel for a couple of days. Our room was on the 1st floor - the window to the left of the flags. A lovely room,in a wonderful old hotel which truly had the best service we had so far encountered in our many hotel visits around the world.

Just to make you all very jealous Christmas Eve Gala Dinner menu was: Goose liver brochette and scampi wrapped with bacon and Boletus Edulis for appetizers; Toasted almond cream with marinated salmon for soup; Wild mushroom raviolis with its emulsion and Black Truffle from Soria; Grouper fillet with potato crust and basil puree; Traditional Ritz stuffed turkey; Apricot and yogurt gelatin with a sweet wine sauce, nuts and raspberries for desert; finally followed by Coffee and Traditional Christmas Delights. This was accompanied by Cattier Antique Champagne, Electio 05 (Xarel -lo) - D.O. Penedes, Dominio de Atauta 04 (Tinta del Pais) - D.O. Ribera del Duero, Quinta do Portal Vintage 00. Altogether a magnificent meal and one which we will remember for some time to come.
After such a meal, there was a need to exercise the following day - so we headed off to the Parque Del Buen Retiro. We had thought we would be the only people wandering around, but it seemed that many of the Spanish residents of Madrid also planned to spend some time on Christmas day looking around these lovely gardens. Brass bands played, the modern version of Punch and Judy were set up in several strategic places around the wide promenades, families followed children playing on new toys, and we just wandered around taking it all in.

The Crystal Palace with its reflective lake, hanging trees, fountain and wild ducks was well worth finding. As was the centre lake with its very impressive monument. As it is winter here, the trees were bare and have a beauty that is almost eerie - particularly when the day was so bright and crisp.

By mid afternoon we had walked off most of the morning's breakfast and some of last nights meal and decided it was time to head back to the hotel for hot coffee. The hotel had left a delightful surprise in our room of Christmas chocolate log, various other Christmas sweets and a bottle of Spanish sherry - so much for the coffee. That evening there was a very talented singing quartet who performed for a couple of hours in the Ritz Bar, which really topped the day off perfectly.

Whilst Christmas overseas, away from family will never seem to be a "real Christmas", Madrid certainly provided us with some memorable experiences and wonderful sights. The Ritz and the Western Palace Hotels were both great and the Christmas season lights and fireworks dazzling. A great way to spend the festive season if you cannot get home

Christmas in Madrid - Part 2 Day Trip to Toledo

A trip to Madrid, we had been told, should include a day trip to Toledo. So we arranged for a tour company to pick us up and take us about 1 hour out of Madrid and show us around this city. Historically, Toledo was the first capital city of Spain from the invasion of the Goths in the 6th century - up until 1560. With various groups conquering Spain during this period, the architecture of the city displays influences ranging from medieval, moorish, arabian, and gothic. It is a little like stepping back into a time-warp.

The city also boasts of a multi-cultural / multi-religious population made of the Christian majority with Jewish and Islamic members which has also influenced the buildings of the region.

The Cathedral was magnificent with its beautiful tower providing a wonderful balance to the main square which included the Bishop's residence. From this initial stopping point the tour took us through lovely old streets which have retained the cultural and historical character - partially through its World Heritage Listing in 1986 - but also because of the obvious pride its residents have for the place. Whilst it must be maddening for the locals to have bus loads of tourists wondering all over the roads....blocking traffic....and getting in the way, local drivers were extremely patient and accomodating.

The monastery was another wonderful gothic building, with an amazing internal cloister.

The day of our tour was extermely foggy. We had been told that the views from the old walled city were fantastic - unfortunately we did not see them. Therefore we missed seeing the famous bridges and and the views from the various outlooks on the old city walls.

We were able to enter into the old Jewish synagogues, with its lovely ceiling and its surprising christian altar. The most impressive interior was found in the City's church.

Carved stonework, a fabulous altar, and really impressive windows meant that this stop was one of the highlights of the tour.

The tour did come with the inevitable stop at the local jewlery stop and souvenir rest stop - but I suppose these are to be expected on the typical bus tour.
If we were making the trip again, we would hire a car and spend the day looking around on our own. The design of the city is such that it is almost impossible to get lost and if it is entered on one side - it is possible to walk through the historical area and exit the opposite side through the very imposing city gates.

Christmas in Madrid - Part 1

With only a few days of annual leave left after our long trip to Australia in September, we decided to have a European Christmas for 2007. With our regular Australian Christmas being warm to hot we are used to Christmas holidays soaking up the sun at the beach, picnics and bbqs with a seafood and salad Christmas lunch - so this year promised to be very different.
Taking the train from Malaga to Madrid allowed us to see a little of the country side during the three hour trip. We had booked into the Western Palace hotel for the first few days and the Ritz for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Both hotels were ideally placed - close to museums, major city squares, parks and transport.

The night we arrived we headed to a little restaurant "Botin" founded in 1725 and claiming to be the oldest in Europe.

Situated just off Plaza Mayor, it did not look much from the outside - however inside was great.....downstairs to a low roof cavern where the food and the service was memorable. Plus it is just one of those places you have to go to - just to say you have been.
The walk back to the hotel was through lovely little dark allyways and local squares which were lit up for Christmas with lots of families and couples around looking at the lights.

The next day was where we tried to take in some culture (and for those that know us well - we do occasionally attempt this - not always successfully - but we try). The Prada art museum beckoned and Ian went over and purchased tickets at 9am. We had been told that there would be a long wait......he was not sure if he just lucked out or if being early was the answer - but he was the only one there and had his tickets immediately - so we spent the day browsing the various sections of the museum, including a special exhibition dedicated to Velazquez. Neither of us know much about the art world but we do enjoy spending time at exhibitions and trying to get a handle on what the artist was attempting to portray.

I think both of us find the 16th to the 20th century traditional artists easier to understand than some of the modern pieces. However, we have spent some time over the last few years viewing Picasso and some of his contemporaries and are gradually learning a bit about them. Therefore the following afternoon we also trooped off to the Musea Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia - which is focused on Spanish modern artists. Ian was keen to see Picasso's Guernica which was painted in 1937 and included a series of sketches which demonstrated the development of the piece.

The evening was spent looking at the Christmas lights and having dinner at a nice little bistro we found on our walk. Once back in the Hotel, I "veged" whilst Ian went out to view the fireworks which were released over the Palace de Commicationes. Our window looked towards the square so I received a pretty good view of them also.

Madrid is a beautiful city with wonderful buildings, lovely parks and interesting little squares and laneways. The Plaza Mayor is known for its Christmas Markets which are set up each year in December. The square is lovely in its own right - but add the Christmas decorations and stalls and it was a nice way to spend the morning browsing.
The square is surrounded with wonderful cafes and small good shops which specialise in the hams and cheeses from Spain. Being Christmas weekend, they were busy with wives selecting the food for the Christmas Eve meal. The husbands, in the meantime, kept themselves busy either minding the kids at the stalls or stamp swapping, which seemed to occur at every light post in the square.

It was a great way to spend a morning and with the art museums from the day before and in the afternoon, left us very tired and foot sore but glad we had come.