The Jube is Coming!

You know something's going on when there is a giant photograph of the Royal Family completely covering the Sea Containers House (not a small building!).  Yup, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations are coming up very soon!  

I had no idea that the Jubilee would coincide with my trip and up until last week, I didn't know what it signified.  A lot of pomp and pageantry it seems!  More cynically so, it is the celebration of person who descended from inbreeding plunderers and by her birthright ('better blood') inherited the privilege of sitting on a throne as the Head of State of several countries all over the world.  We're celebrating that she's managed to sit there for 60 years and only the second monarch after Queen Victoria to do so.  Yippee!!  It is really quite an offensive concept, isn't it!?

Just like the Royal Wedding last year, in the face of an offensive concept, I question why I have any interest in the Royal Family.  I know the answer now - I love kitsch.  I can't help but get into the mood when I see the shops full of Union jacks, bunting, corgi and QEII themed biscuits, cakes, mugs, plates and rubbishy knick knacks.  I'm a sucker for useless knick knacks.  

There's a bonus four day weekend in June too!  I'm on holidays so that doesn't matter much to me though.  

Hermès: Leather Forever

The Hermès: Leather Forever exhibit was recommended to me by Mimsta had visited twice already and mentioned that for a free event, it was very interesting.  I had never really given Hermes much thought but I can appreciate a behind the scenes production and so I thought I'd catch it before it shut up shop on Sunday.  

Walking up the grand staircase of Burlington Gardens. 

A ostrich leather rhino greets me at the entrance. 

Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside.  Boo, but you can see some pics here.  What I hadn't realised before is that each Hermès bag is handmade and handstitched by a long-serving single artisan, not merely 'just another employee'.  They even had two women sitting there, each making a handbag in front of us answering any queries we had.  I stood there fascinated for about 20 minutes.  I wasn't being weird!  There were other women who had clearly been watching for much longer.  I continued on peering at old and new handbags along with other leathergoods.  Most impressive was a winged leather saddle made specifically for a Japanese rock band.

The worst part about this exhibit was how much it made me want a Hermès bag!  I left really, really pining for one.  Good advertising Hermès!  (Or maybe I'm just another woman who loves handbags.  Yeah, that's probably it.)  

Leisure Time In London

And poof!  I'm back in London.  What's even better is that Summer seems to have kicked in early (don't worry, I know this is temporary) and I thought it be best I take advantage of this while it lasts.  I shuffled over to the Tate Modern, undecided about paying for the Damien Hirst exhibit.  I mean, I don't really appreciate modern art so I thought I would just wander inside the Tate and make up my mind while there. 

Move out of the way people!!  One of Hirst's works outside, Hymn.   

In the end I saw that they were exhibiting For the Love of God for free so I lined up for that, ooh-ed and aah-ed at all it's sparkleness and decided, 'Yep, I've had my Hirst fix so I won't go into the paying exhibit'.  Unfortunately, no photos of the diamond skull were allowed.  I did end up wandering around on the floor though.  

A very phallic piece indeed.  Louise Bourgeois' Fillette. 

 Something that reminded me of poo-poo.  I can't remember what it was called.

Hymn enjoying the view.  Luvely! 

Now to enjoy the rest of my time in London! 

Poor Monopoly Man

The Occupy London protest has set up on the steps of St. Paul's and while it's now even more crowded in an ever-crowded bit of tourist/work/public space, it's good see the space is being used efficiently for displays like this:

A broke Monopoly man!  Hehehe.  Look there's even a silver boot.

Buckingham Palace

Whilst serving a self-induced banishment in Rad-City, I came across something that tickled my excitement - Kate Middleton's dress going on display!  In the same way I was confused about how much I cared for the British monarchy, I was again a little confused about my excitement for Kate Middleton's dress.  The whole concept of royalty is outdated and based on battles and plundering!  But.. but... I couldn't shake off The Royal Wedding fever!  

Having lived in London for three years, it was never my priority to tour inside Buckingham Palace.  But now with the dress on display, hey, why not?  I had initially try to book tickets online on the day of release but the server crashed and I was left a bit disappointed.  Knowing that tickets are limited, I figured I missed my opportunity.  However, the drive from Heathrow to London home, passes the palace and I thought, 'Hey, I'm gonna try to get tickets again!'  Yay.  Ticket purchase successful!  Smee and I opted for the full works ticket which included access to the palace state rooms, Queen's gallery and mews.  The importance of pre-booking tickets was shown when we turned up at the palace gates.  So many other tourists were turned away as the daily quota for ticket sales had been reached.  

First stop, the Queen's Gallery.  

The Queen's stuff... for public adoration!  

Appreciating the stuff.

Next stop, the State Rooms within the palace.  No photography was allowed indoors - boo.  But it's as grand as one would expect.  Detailed decals, gold plated staircase, all that stuff.  I had the audio tour but I've pretty much forgotten everything that was said.  Kate's dress looked as it did on TV but even more impressive up close (or more like, as close as the general public were allowed).  Her shoes looked unworn and more importantly - my size!  Also on display were Kate's earrings, a replica of her bouquet and part of the original wedding cake.  The tradition is that the newlyweds keep the top two layers of the cake aside t o serve at their first child's christening.  Wedding cake can last that long?  

The only photo I was allowed inside Buckingham Palace was actually outside the palace back entrance.  

Next up, the Royal Mews.  This shows how poor my English is - I had no idea what was a mews.  In my defence, I've never come across a real mews in my life because living in Oz, they probably never built any!  Anyway, it's where the horsies and their handlers reside.  

The Glass Coach.  Wow so much history!  I'm so close, I can almost touch it!  Believe it or not, there weren't any security personnel in close range either. 

The Gold State Coach.  Even older!!  That wheel is massive. 

A brown horsey.  The youngest of them all.  *pat pat*  Smee got a lucky shot because when it was my turn to pose with the horsey, he turned around and showed it's bum.  

This is a Royal Watcher's delight but for everyone else, it's just an optional touristy activity.  For those interested in tickets, just be aware that the palace is only open over the Summer months.  As I said before, try to book your tickets at least the night before and avoid the lottery of trying to purchase them on the same day.  

Bilbao

For the Bank Holiday weekend, Smee and I went on an eating fest in Spain.  What we specifically wanted to do was overdose on pinxtos.  Now, don't you dare confuse pintxos with tapas or refer to pintxos as a type of tapas - I find that offensive!  We originally only wanted to go to San Sebastian but it appeared that it is not well serviced from/to London.  Weird!  There were more options for Bilbao which is located just over an hour from San Seb so we decided to hit the two cities in one shot.  

From Bilbao airport, the Bizkaibus A3247 takes you to the city centre in about 30 minutes for less than €2!  There isn't very good signage when you exit the airport but head towards the right and there should be a small sign or at least a small crowd.  After checking in to Hotel Ercilla (don't let the modern exterior fool you, the room are in dire need of renovation) we caught the metro to the Old Town. 

The Kukuxumusu shop.  

Mmmmm... jamon legs.  

Plaza Nueva

The 'problem' with Spain is that it's just tooooo relaxed at times.  They take their siesta seriously.  People shut up shop and the streets become deserted.  If you didn't know any better, you'd think it was a public holiday.  Smee and I were hungry so we searched for 'anything open' and found Berton.  Our first of many pintxos stops to come!  

Pintxos on display.  You are allowed to just pick them up and pop them into your mouth.  If prefer a plate just ask for one.  The custom goes that you walk into a bar, grab a pintxo or few, order a drink if you want and when you're done, tell the waiter how many you had and then pay for it.  The honour system works!  Please don't be a tightass tourist and rip off the owners.  You'll ruin it for everyone!  People don't tend to eat heaps of pintxos in any one bar, most of the time it's just two or three and then you bar hop.  

 Jamon tortilla, scallop (I think, can't remember) on bread, grilled prawns and jamon croquettes.  

There's always the chance that the pintxos on display have been sitting there for hours.  You just have to make a judgement call and take the risk.  Most bars however also offer a hot, cooked to order pintxos selection and the menu is either written on a board or printed on a menu card.  

What the hell!?!?! Foie a la plancha (grilled foie gras) for just €2.70!!!!!  The Basque Country totally kicks ass.   

Making our way to the main market, we saw some feet and hands in a hedge.   

On the banks of the estuary, we saw some interesting machines.  We realised they were for exercising!  That's pretty cool.  

Yup back in time for the market to re-open.   

Little piglets with no eyes on display.  Oh those poor little piglets.  I feel sorry for you..... even though I know you are very tasty and have will have awesome crackling skin after you're roasted.  

Outside the very famous Guggenheim Museum.   

Yes, this building is certainly a masterpiece.  A giant spider.  Hey!  This used to be in the Tate Modern turbine hall!  

Smee and I got confused about the location of the entrance and ended up walking around the entire building.  Disappointingly, it was about 30 minutes to closing time by the time we found it so we didn't go in.

I had a feeling the giant puppy was telling us 'Here is the entrance!!'   

We found a supermarket in our local metro station and stocked up on some basics.  It was very tempting to buy a jamon leg.  

Dinner time rolled around and so what to do?  Pintxos bar hop, of course!

First stop - Bar Jvantxv.  Don't be put off by the scrunched up serviettes on the floor.  It's the locals way of saying 'This place is good.'  It felt weird to litter at first, but then Smee and I got into the groove and starting taking great joy throwing our used serviettes on the floor.  

Jamon and some spread on bread.  Baby eels (angulas) on top of some salmon and bread.  Although it's not real eels anymore, it's surimi-based.  

Next up, Bar Bvsterri.   

Smee had seen some young locals in Bar Jvantxv ordering a red wine/coke mix over ice and asked them what it was.  Luckily for him, they actually understood English and told him it was kalimotxo and so we ordered a glass each.  It sounds like a weird mix but it works!  It totally WORKS!  I don't usually drink coke at all but I couldn't help myself but order myself one again at Bar Bvsterri.  

Octopus with paprika.  An egg and jamon bocadillo.   

Our final stop - Bar Sotero.  More bread-topped pintxos.  Even the cheap house wine was great.  It's bit more white bread than I would usually eat but we have plenty of time to correct for that with some a la carte items from the pintxos city of San Sebastian.  :D

Paris - Musee D'Orsay and Montmartre

Today was the final day for the Bro and the Dad in Paris.  Moo was joining us later in the day so we had to fit in a few more activites.  First stop - Musee D'Orsay.

We got there at the reasonable hour of 10.15am-ish.  The queue was no longer than what Moo and I encountered back in 2007 where I recall being in line for about 20 minutes.  Today we queued for nearly an hour.  Wtf.  I soon realised it was Inefficiency Day at Musee D'Orsay with only two screening devices available and security staff, I dunno, going on coffee breaks, sometimes leaving only one person working.  It definitely wasn't the zoom-zoom I remembered.  If there is a next time, I'll be pre-booking my tickets thanks.

After being agitated at having to queue for so long, I was confused to see 'No photography' signs in the gallery.  Huh?  Since when?  Too many tourists spoil the gallery, I guess.  Parts of the musee were undergoing renovation and so a lot the works I'd seen last time were on loan to other galleries.  Boo.  

Next on the list - Montmartre and a crepe break.

What an epic street name.

Hang on this cafe looks familiar...

It's the cafe where Amelie worked! Café des 2 Moulins is just metres from the Moulin Rouge at 15 Rue Lepic, on the corner of Rue Cauchois.  

Next up the basilica. This was going to be my first time in the crypt (boring and not worth the extra fee) and the dome (exciting).

Me pointing at some random piece of architecture.. a towery, Eiffel-y structure.

By now Moo had choo-chooed into town.  Leaving the Dad at the hotel to mind our stuff, we trotted off to St Germain for some Pierre Herme macarons and cakes.

Moo found Babar on the way. 

So purdy especially with the gritty Gare de l'Est in the background.

.

Yummy!! I've forgotten what they were but Moo's was something along the lines of a giant raspberry macaron with lychee and rose petal ganache/cream.  On further interwebz googling, I found that Mooey had the Ispahan.  Mine was the Tarte Vanille Infiniment.  Mousse-y, vanilla-y goodness.  So smooth, so num but...cake overload! 

Tonight was also the night for me to move into the apartment Moo booked.   It had a most odd arrangement in the main bedroom. 

A bath (not a bathroom) behind the bedhead.  This makeshift 'bathroom' was tiled mirrors.  Weird.  A basin awkwardly placed in the opposite corner with errrr unicorn-shaped hot and cold taps.  What were these people smoking when they decided this?  What kind of weird shit used to go on in this room?  Swingers, we finks.  

Tomorrow more fun in Paris, my new home :D

Paris - Les Catacombes

Today, we ventured on different paths - the Bro to the Lourve, the Dad to see some more long lost friends.  Me?  I was heading to Les Catacombes!  

I've wanted to visit an ossuary for some time now.  I don't think I have a morbid fascination with bones but I'm just not freaked out by them.  Seeing a neatly stacked display wouldn't make me lose sleep.   Not that I'm trying to be insensitive to the remains of those who may have died under violent and political circumstances e.g the displays of The Killing Fields.  Of course that is very sad.  

The Paris Catacombs are not associated with any such aforementioned activity.  Rather, they contain the bones of those who were unable to afford a proper burial and back in Medieval times that pretty much was everyone except for the obscenely wealthy.  No less deserving of respect but that's how things were done back then.  Mass graves were the norm for centuries but as you can imagine, sanitation wasn't up to scratch and decomposing bodies weren't exactly the best addition to the water collected from a well.  Destroying the bones wasn't an option so the government in the 1700s decided to relocate the remains of six million or so people to the outskirts of Paris. The city has since grown and this is now in arr 14, right outside Denfert-Rochereau station.

The official website doesn't exactly allude to the fact that the entrance took the form of a not very official looking, non-descript green shed.   Finding the catacombs isn't hard but the entrance can be easily missed if you're not observant.

 My task was made easier when I saw people queuing outside the all important shed.

Entrance to the catacombs is staggered to only allow 200 ppl at a time. The temperature is a cool 14 degrees so it's the place to go to get some respite from warm summer days. I smartly brought my jacket.

After queuing for about 20 minutes (short by Parisian standards) I paid my €8 entrance fee and made my way down the stairs.

Down we go.  No toilets from here on in.

The catacombs consist of many kilometres of tunnels but only 2km is open to the public. It's a one way walk so there's no chance of getting lost/trapped unless you purposely try and find an alternative track.

No alternative track here.

After descending the stairs, you still need to walk through a long tunnel before reaching the ossuary.  I was on my own for the most part of this section - other tourists came in packs.  It's a bit slippery with water dripping from who knows where, so wear good grippy shoes.  

Just me and my footsteps.

 Not the most exciting job but good on him!

No flash photography is allowed and the dSLR folk were out in full force.  Another lone tourist took this photo of me.  I thinking too hard about whether to smile, remain stoic or put on a sad face.

So my face ended up like this. 

 I realised that I had accidentally touched a skull while positioning myself. :-S

I had skipped the offer of an audio tour at the entrance on the assumption there would be lots of information plaques to read.  Alas there were only a few and after a while (it sounds a bit insensitive to say this) I kinda got bored.  I thought there would be displays of bone chandeliers and errrr artistic arrangments.  But no, for the most part, femurs and tibias were stacked in a neat, concise and space efficient manner.

Very neat piles. 

A skull stick man. 

Make a wish!

The bell tower. The bell shaped forms as the quarry ceiling collapses around weakened areas. It has since been reinforced.

The catacombs exit opens on to a back street with no clear instructions how to get back to the station.  That is what maps are for.  I wouldn't put the catacombs on the must-see list.  It's definitely not for everyone but for those who do go, read up about the history and take an audio tour for a better appreciation.  

The Dad, the Bro and I all reconvene back the hotel set off to visit one of our fake-relatives.  He had the the biggest puddy-tat with the biggest eyes I've ever seen.

 Meow, meow. 

Dinner was where else but downtown Chinatown!  True to my declaration.  I wasn't getting sick of it either.

Bun Bo Hue.

Durian thickshake!

Tomorrow... more Parisian fun in the sun :D