Day 21:
Monday, 30 September
2013: Paris (Montmartre & Sacre-Coeur)
An
officially designated historic district, Montmartre is one of the most
colourful neighbourhoods in. A hill that reaches a height of about 130 meters
(427 feet), located in the north of Paris, Montmartre has long been known as
the premier artist's enclave in the city. The word Montmartre is translated to
mean "mountain of the martyr" and was derived from the martyrdom of
Saint Denis - the bishop of Paris - who was decapitated atop the hill in 250
AD. This hill outside the city was settled because, during the 19th century,
the emperor Napoleon III had given much of the prime land inside the city to
his wealthy friends, who were charged with the task of developing it. The
original inhabitants were forced to move to Paris's outskirts where they
quickly established their own "town" sans the rules and regulations
of the city. That's part of the reason why Montmartre quickly became a popular
drinking area, and by the late 18th century, along with the liquor came a
number of entertainment establishments that were less than reputable, like
Moulin Rouge and Le Chat Noir (The Black Cat). During the mid to late 1800s,
artists also began calling Montmartre home. Pissarro and Jongkind were two of
the first to live there, followed by such greats as Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse,
Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Pablo Picasso, just to name a few.
Composers, like Erik Satie, also lived in the area. As a designated historic
area, little development is allowed in Montmartre so, thankfully, it has
retained much of its character and village-like charm. Above all, Montmartre is
known for its many artists who have been omnipresent since 1880. The name
Montmartre is said to be derived from either Mount of Martyrs or from Mount of
Mars. Until 1873, when the Sacré-Coeur was built on top of the hill, Montmartre
was a small village, inhabited by a mostly farming community. The project to
build the Sacré-Coeur Basilica (Basilica of the Sacred Heart) was initiated by
a group of influential people. Their reasons to build this monument were
two-fold: they had pledged to build a church if Paris escaped unscathed from
the war with the Prussians and they saw the defeat of the French at the hands
of the Prussian army in 1870 as a moral condemnation of the sins of Paris. The
project was authorized by the National Assembly in 1873, and a competition was
organized. The goal was to build an imposing basilica true to Christian
traditions. The winner of the competition was Paul Abadie, who had already
restored two cathedrals in France. He designed an immense basilica in a
Roman-Byzantyne style. This architectural style stands in sharp contrast with
other contemporary buildings in France, which were mostly built in a Romanesque
style. Construction of the Basilica started in 1876 with Abadie as the lead
architect. When Paul Abadie died in 1884, he was succeeded by Lucien Magne, who
added an 83 meter (272 ft) tall clock tower. The Savoyarde clock installed here
is one of the worlds largest. Due to its location on the Montmartre hill, the
basilica towers over the city; its highest point is even higher than the top of
the Eiffel Tower. Thanks to this prominent location the Sacré-Coeur Basilica is
one of the most noticeable landmarks in Paris. The Sacré-Coeur Basilica has
managed to keep its beaming white colour even in the polluted air of a big city
like Paris. This can be attributed to the Château-Landon stones which were used
for the construction of the Sacré-Coeur. When it rains, the stones react to the
water and secrete calcite, which acts like a bleacher.
After
a guided walking tour around the Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre, we had some free
time to wander by ourselves and do some shopping and get a bite to eat. We were
warned that some of the local artists would want to draw Alison – being a young
girl. The guide was right! I was approached by about 10 different artists who
wanted her to be a “model” for their drawings. We didn’t oblige (Alison did not
want anything to do with being drawn)!
We found Alison’s pins for her collection and she also purchased a
jacket. We wanted to get some lunch, so ended up going to Starbucks for a
sandwich and muffin and coffee before meeting the “Choo Choo Train” to return
to the bottom of the hill and meet our buses to get back to the hotel. We were
back at the hotel by about 2.00pm, but decided to stay in and get packed ready
to leave tomorrow and just relax. We booked a taxi to take us to Disneyland
tomorrow.
Our
last evening of the “Magnificent Europe” tour was at a farewell dinner and “Illumination”
tour of Paris. We were transferred by coach to our dinner cruise on the River
Seine. The cruise started at the Eiffel Tower and went up past the Notre Dame
and a bit further on before turning around and going back to where we started.
We enjoyed a 3 course meal and some wine and good company while we cruised. At
the end of the cruise (it finished just before 9.00pm) we went up on to the
bridge near where we started and got ready to see the Eiffel Tower “sparkle”.
Every night from sunset on the hour, over 20,000 lights over the tower light up
and “sparkle” for about 5 minutes. It was a fabulous sight to see! Afterwards,
we went back to the hotel via a scenic route (Illumination Tour).
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| The Eiffel Tower lit up |
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| The Eiffel Tower sparkling |
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| the Champs Elysees at night driving toward the Arc de Triomphe |
It was a
fabulous end to a fabulous 3 weeks of cruising the Danube, Main & Rhine
Rivers, and all the great places we visited and sightseeing in Prague and
Paris. Our tour group were a great group! Once back at the hotel we did our final
packing for our move tomorrow to Disneyland where we are going to stay for one
night at the Disney Newport Bay Club Hotel.
Day 22:
Tuesday, 1st
October 2013: Disneyland Paris
After
our last breakfast at the L’Hotel du Collectionneur, we got a taxi to
Disneyland – to our hotel (the Disney Newport Bay Club Hotel). Cathy and Bec
travelled with us to Disneyland because they were spending the day there too!
Bec planned to take Alison on all the “scary” rides as Cathy is not a rides
person. We were able to check straight into our hotel, so we just dropped our
luggage and walked the 10 minutes (or less) to Disneyland. We started in
Disneyland Park first and headed to the Big Thunder Mountain ride. Bec and Ali
convinced Cathy to go on the ride too! They all enjoyed it. They also went on
the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril ride, then Keith & I joined the
girls on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride – it is pretty tame. Later the girls
went through Alice’s Curious Labyrinth – a maze, then Space Mountain: Mission 2
ride. Alison felt a little unwell after that, but after a break she was ready
for more. After lunch we went to Walt Disney Studios where all three girls went
on the “Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop”
then Alison and Bec went on “Crusher’s Cruiser” (my nightmare from our previous
visit to Disneyland). Bec also went on the “Tower of Terror” couldn’t convince
Ali or Cathy to join her.
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| Bec, Ali & Cathy with Winnie the Pooh |
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| Ali gets Winnie's autograph |
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| The first ride that Ali, Cathy & Bec went on was 'Thunder Mountain' |
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| This was their reaction at the end of the ride |
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| the next ride was Indianna Jones and the Temple of Peril |
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| something a little more tame - Alice's Curious Labyrinth |
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| Toy Soldier's Parachute Drop |
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| Bec's favourite Disney character is Pluto |
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| Pluto wanted a kiss from Ali and Bec |
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| sometimes a big nose is useful - Pluto used his to rest Ali's autograph book on |
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| Ali with Minnie |
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| "what do you want me to do, Mickey" - Ali with Mickey and Minnie |
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| A kiss for Ali from Mickey |
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| Cathy, Bec & Ali with Mickey and Minnie |
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| Bec, Ali & Cathy near the entrance to Crusher's Coaster |
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| Bec & Ali on Crusher's Coaster - my nightmare from our last trip to Disneyland Paris |
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| Disneyland Castle |
We
had a great day and Alison really enjoyed herself – especially because she had
Cathy and Bec to go on rides with her. And the girls were happy to have Ali tag
along with them. At the end of the day, we walked to the railway station with
the girls, then went to the Rainforest Café in Disneyland Village for dinner.
Our plan then was to wander back to the Disneyland Park to watch the Disney
Dreams Spectacular – a combination of fireworks, lights, lasers, water and
fire. I was not feeling well so I went back to the hotel, while Keith and
Alison went to watch the show. They really enjoyed it and I was disappointed
not to see it, but I now have the cold that many of our fellow travellers on
the ship had! I thought we had missed out on getting it!
Day 23:
Wednesday, 2nd
October 2013: Disneyland, Eurostar to Ashford, England
After
breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and caught the shuttle bus to the railway
station where we checked our bags in for the day. It was then time to wander
around Disneyland again, shopping and just enjoying the slower pace. We are all
very tired, so didn’t feel like doing much. We did go and watch an animation
show that tells how characters are developed. Later in the day, we watched the
Moteurs Action show – it shows how car stunts are done.
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| Disney Parade |
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| Disney Parade |
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| Disney Parade |
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| Disney Parade |
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| Moteurs Show Stunt rider |
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| Stunt cars in the show |
After that we headed
Disneyland Village to get some food to take on the train with us, then to the
station to get our luggage, go through customs, then board the train for our 2
hour trip to Ashford. Once at Ashford we got a taxi to our hotel, where we
checked in and all fell into bed! The hotel had mucked up our booking and had
Alison on one floor and Keith & I on another. In the end, Alison & I
shared a room and Keith had one to himself.
Day 24:
Thursday, 3rd
October 2013: Ashford to Brighton via Leeds Castle
Today
we picked up our hire car = a black VW Passat – back at the railway station,
but that was not straight forward! The instructions on where to pick the car up
were unclear, so Keith rang customer service and they said to go to a car park
at the station, but when we got there, we found out that we were meant to go to
the station itself and would be met there with the car. It seems that Avis don’t
have an office in Ashford – or at least nowhere near where the cars are. We did
eventually get the car and headed off on our way. Our first stop was at a small
village = Sissinghurst = where we had a coffee at the local hotel, before going
just a few miles down the road to Cranbrook where we found a chemist to get
some cold medication. We then headed to Leeds castle! By this time it was
pouring with rain so out came the rain jackets and umbrellas. We caught a
little “train” from the entrance to the castle where we went to one of the
restaurants for lunch. After lunch, we went through the castle. It was quite
interesting!
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| Leeds Castle |
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| Leeds Castle |
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| Leeds Castle |
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| Leeds Castle |
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| Alison near the maze at Leeds Castle |
Keith and Alison finished
our visit to Leeds Castle by going through a maze.
Built
in 1119 by Robert de Crevecoeur as a Norman stronghold, Leeds Castle descended
through the de Crevecoeur family until the 1260s. What form this first castle
took is uncertain because it was rebuilt and transformed in the following
centuries. Adrian Pettifer speculates that it may have been a motte and bailey.
In
1278, the castle became the property of King Edward 1. As a favoured residence
of Edward's, it saw considerable investment. The king enhanced its defences,
and it was probably Edward who created the lake that surrounds the castle. A
barbican spanning three islands was also built. A gloriette with apartments for
the king and queen was added. In the Late Middle Ages, the growth of the royal
household meant fewer residences could accommodate the monarchy when they
visited. As a result, expenditure on royal residences in south east England
generally decreased except for the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. The
activity at Leeds Castle during the reign of Edward I was a notable
exception to this pattern. The castle was captured on 31 October 1321 by the
forces of Edward 11 from Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere, wife of the
castle's constable, Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere,
who had left her in charge during his absence. The King had besieged Leeds
after she had refused Edward's consort Isabella of France admittance in her
husband's absence; when the latter sought to force an entry, Lady Badlesmere
instructed her archers to fire upon Isabella and her party, six of whom were
killed. Lady Badlesmere was kept prisoner in the Tower of London until November
1322. After Edward II died in 1327 his widow took over Leeds Castle as her
primary residence. Richard 11’s first
wife, Anne of Bohemia, spent the winter of 1381 at the castle on her way to be
married to the king. In 1395, Richard received the French chronicler Jean
Froissart there, as described in Froissart’s Chronicles. Henry V111 transformed
the castle in 1519 for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. A painting
commemorating his meeting with Francis 1 of France still hangs there. In 1552
Leeds Castle was granted to Anthony St Leger. Thee castle escaped destruction
during the English Civil War because its owner, Sir Cheney Culpeper, sided with
the Parliamentarians. The castle was used as both an arsenal and a prison
during the war. Other members of the Culpeper family had sided with the
Royalists, John, 1st Lord Culpeper, having been granted more than 5,000,000
acres (20,000 km2) of land in Virginia in reward for assisting
the escape of the Prince of Wales. This legacy was to prove vital for the
castle's fortunes. Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was
born at the castle in 1693 and settled in North America to oversee the Culpeper
estates, cementing an ongoing connection between the castle and America. There
is a commemorative sundial at the castle telling the time in Belvoir, Virginia
and a corresponding sundial in America. Fairfax was the great grandson of
Thomas Fairfax who led the parliamentarian attack at the nearby Battle of
Maidstone in 1648. The new castle was completed in 1823 in the Tudor style. Robert
Fairfax owned the castle for 46 years until 1793 when it passed to the Wykeham
Martins. Sale of the family estates in Virginia released a large sum of money
that allowed extensive repair and the remodeling of the castle in a Tudor
style, completed in 1823, that resulted in the appearance today. The last
private owner of the castle was the Hon Olive, Lady Baillie, daughter of
Almeric Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough and his first wife, Pauline
Payne Whitney, an American heiress. Lady Baillie bought the castle in 1926. She
redecorated the interior, first working with the French architect and designer
Armand-Albert Rateau, who oversaw exterior alterations and added interior
features such as a 16th-century-style carved-oak staircase), then with the
Paris decorator Stephane Boudin. During the early part of World War 11 the
castle was used as a hospital where Lady Baillie and her daughters hosted
burned Commonwealth airmen as part of their recovery. Survivors remember the
experience with fondness. Upon her death in 1974, Lady Baillie left the castle
to the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust whose aim is to
preserve the castle and grounds for the benefit of the public. The castle was
opened to the public in 1976.
After
leaving Leeds Castle, we headed to Brighton via Tunbridge Wells (to avoid the
motorway), arriving at around 6.00pm. We had no idea where we were going to
stay as our original plan was to go to Canterbury for tonight, but we would
then have an 8 hour drive tomorrow to get to our cottage near Plymouth and that
drive did not appeal to any of us. We are pleased we changed our plans, because
we have had a great day. As we were driving through Brighton looking for a
hotel, I checked what was recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide and found the
Una Hotel that sounded ok. We got here and were very impressed! The service
from the minute we walked in the door was fabulous! The manager carried our
cases – that weigh a ton – into the hotel, recommended some places for dinner
and generally made us feel very welcome! We are a stone’s throw away from the
beach and about 10 minute (or so) walk from lots of restaurants. One of the
manager’s recommendations was Jamie Oliver’s restaurant – Jamie’s Italian, so
that was where we decided to go. We were lucky enough to get a table as soon as
we arrived, but the restaurant soon filled up. We enjoyed our meal, and then
walked back to the hotel where we organised ourselves, caught up on some
writing and relaxed.
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| Sunset at Brighton |
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| the menu at Jamie's Italian Restaurant - Brighton |
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| Keith & Alison enjoy their dinner |
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| one of the views from our hotel room at Brighton |
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