London, Brighton and the Yorkshire Moors

Outside Once

After the Cotswolds I headed to London to spend time with Cryssie. We had a wicked time. We went to a show called Once which was incredible, we attended a Jamie Oliver cooking class which was heaps of fun, and explored the local markets which were funky.

Jamie's cooking lesson, and the results

At Spitalfields markets

On our last day before heading north for Christmas, we decided to do a day trip to Brighton. It was such a cool little city. We went first to the Royal Pavillion, expecting it to take us an hour, maybe two, and came out more than three hours later in the dark. Aside from being a fascinating tour in itself, we buddied up with a couple of the guides who took us into rooms and places unrestored and not open to the public. It was wicked! We saw behind secret doors and climbed up inside the tallest dome to see the 360 degree views across Brighton and out to the sea. Frustratingly, we couldn't take any photos at all inside the palace, so we will have to count on our memories to hold on tight to the places we explored.

The Royal Pavillion with its heavy Oriental influence

Christmas onesie!

We then trained up to Yorkshire, which was a hectic experience, as most of the trains had been cancelled due to a forecasted storm and the overflow of passengers were told to get our train. While I was waiting to board I was ambushed by Sky News who interviewed me about going away for Christmas. I was rather flustered and surprised by the spontaneous interview, much too early in the morning for me.

Up in Yorkshire we went to Scarborough for Mel's birthday on the 24th, and then before we knew it, Christmas had arrived. We've spent the week exploring local villages and towns, going to the beach, playing games, chatting and laughing, and eating lovely food. Sadly, we didn't get the snowy white Christmas we had hoped for, but as the fog was so low and thick one day, and everything seemed like a large white canvas, I'm claiming it.

Scarborough

Doing yoga poses on the rocks

Walking through the mist at sunset in the Yorkshire countryside

The remains of Whitby Abbey, on the clifftop overlooking the sea.

Whitby beach, wrapped up against the crazy English winter weather!

Adventures in the Cotswolds

There's even a maypole in the village! 

After a sad goodbye to the beautiful Paris, we caught the Eurostar across to London and then made our way up into the Cotswolds. We arrived just after the sun had set behind our cute terraced Rose Cottage. Welford-on-Avon is a gorgeous little village of thatched black and white Tudor cottages and red-brick terraces, an iconic English community.

On Sunday we walked past two cottages to the little Methodist church. It was interesting to participate in such a traditional service, with the other 12 or so congregation members of which the average age was 70. Hehe exactly what I had imagined a village church service to be like - think Vicar of Dibley-esque.

We then visited Charlecote Park, and estate belonging to the Lucy family and closely linked to Shakespeare. It is rumoured that he was caught and prosecuted for poaching deer from the estate. The house was originally Tudor but had been extended and redecorated in the Victorian era. It was such a shame that they only had 4 rooms open for the winter, and none of them upstairs. At least we got to see where Queen Elizabeth I stayed when she visited. There was a brass band playing Christmas carols in the garden, and surprisingly plenty of families playing in the grounds. The working Victorian kitchen and carriage collection was also a highlight. I even found people trying to master an apparently Victorian style of napkin folding - the rose that I've been doing for Christmas for years! How funny.

Charlecote Park - gorgeous

Shakespeare's birthplace

Monday we ventured into Stratford-upon-Avon with Shakespeare on the brain. First to his birthplace, and watching two actors performing one of his songs from Much Ado About Nothing in his old bedroom.

Then lunch in a tea room across from the house, scones obviously, and I ordered a Christmasy (at least that's my excuse) Baileys hot chocolate. I'm pretty sure the mug was half hot chocolate half Baileys. I couldn't finish it!

Shakespeare's grave

We then drove out to Anne Hathaway's family house (Shakespeare's wife). We had a brilliant guide there who was clearly passionate about the history of the town, and it was infectious! She told us the origins behind 'crossing the threshold', 'chair of the board', 'upper-crust' and 'cut above the rest'. I had no idea that Anne was 26 and 3 months pregnant when she married the 18 year old William, who needed his parents permission as he was still a minor! Then off to Holy Trinity church which holds the Shakespeare family graves. Beautiful church and fascinating to read the 'curse' carved into William's tomb "Good frend for Jesus sake forebeare, To digg the dust encloased heare, Bleste be the man that spares thes stones, And curst be he that moves my bones". 



On Tuesday, a beautifully clear blue skied day, we decided to explore the beautiful Cotswold villages that we'd read about. First off was Chipping Campden, a pretty little village with a mile-long high street filled with an antique fair and little boutiques. The cobbled flooring in the Market Hall was so bumpy that I could hardly walk along it. It made me wonder whether it had always been like that, or if I was experiencing extreme erosion from centuries of feet walking the same path.

Then on to Broadway, a bigger village which had even more beautiful old-world cottages, and plenty of tea rooms for lunch. There are now probably a lot of English people in the Cotswolds who wonder what weird tourists were doing photographing their homes. Mum even snuck through the gates in a stone wall to get a snap of a particularly beautiful house! 

The castle-church with leper holes

Wednesday morning we decided to go for a walk before the rain set in again. Down the bridleway beside the Avon river for about half an hour before we came out at a lovely little hamlet with a castle-styled church and graveyard. The church has holes in the walls that are perfectly angled so that lepers could participate in the service and take communion without mingling with the rest of the congregation. Is this gorgeous little hamlet there is also an unmanned farm shop with an honesty box. Love it! You couldn't do that where I grew up! Thoroughly unaware of where we were, we asked locals for directions and were pointed in the direction of a public footpath back to Welford-on-Avon. This 'footpath' was merely a farmer's field that you could walk across. I felt so bad walking across the churned up sown land, not to mention my boots became caked in mud. Eventually we found our way out again and stumbled onto the road, two doors down from our house!

After a late lunch we decided to head out to the Fleece Inn, a 16th century pub loaded with history. We sat by the open fire, and had to duck to get under warped doorways 2 feet too short, as well as in between the large ceiling beams. Love it! It's exactly the sort of place I wanted to see; it's so completely different to anything in NZ. Although, it did bring back memories of the Jolly Farmer in Drury.

The Fleece Inn

I've packed my things, ready to catch the train to London for a show and sibling time tomorrow. This week has been a restful time completely contrasting from the culture and activities of Paris. I look forward to the change but have been glad for the break.

21! Birthday weekend in Paris

What a crazy 6 days we've had here.

Mel and Ali arrived on Thursday lunch time, and that night we went to a wicked jazz gig in a little bar. The band was in the cellar, so we were surrounded by curved stone walls in an odd shaped room, it was so cool. We sat with some French people who were super friendly, and included us in their game of guessing the songs and artists. They even asked if Ali wanted to get up and have a jam with the band. The music was great, and apart from a super affectionate couple almost lying in my lap sucking each others' faces, it was really fun.




Friday Mel, Ali and I went to the Louvre so that they could see the Mona Lisa, and I showed them the grand masters, as well as the super cool video portrait of Lady Gaga replicating a famous painting. We took them to Place des Vosges, my favourite place here, and then went for drinks. Dave arrived late that night in time for the dinner the next day.

About to eat the snail

Saturday I checked Facebook to find that Cryssie was sitting next to my friend Stacey from Palmy on the Eurostar to Paris! What are the chances, huh? My birthday dinner was Saturday night, and we headed over to the Eiffel Tower early to take family photos in front of it. It was heaps of fun, and we stopped for drinks on the way to the restaurant. The restaurant was on Rue Amelie, and was a gorgeous typical French restaurant that must have seated 20 people at most. It was perfect. I even ate a snail! They put a lit candle in my crêpes for dessert, and overall it was a really fun evening.

Sacre Coeur with Stacey

Sunday morning was a lazy one, and I managed to get in touch with Stacey and her mum. Jess, Mel's friend, joined us and we all headed up to the outskirts of northern Paris to the famous Marché aux Puces (flea market). There were lovely things there, but out of my price range, and we decided that since we were so close we would walk to Sacre Coeur. What a steep climb! It was worth it though, as we came up the back way and through the Christmas markets. What a beautiful church, and an amazing view. We then headed home and Stacey found a beautiful dress for her graduation at Acquarêves, where I bought my birthday dress; she looks absolutely stunning in it. It was so much fun sharing Paris with Stacey and her mum, as well as having Jess, a local, to show us around the less touristy places. That night we played the most hilarious game, Heads Up, a very Mawhinney family game (loud and energetic).



Monday was my actual birthday, and I woke up to find Mel and Ali had prepared a lovely champagne breakfast with croissants and fruit. It was perfect! I was given some lovely presents and it was a nice slow start to the day. Mel was left at 3, and then we headed out for a boat ride on the Seine. It was brilliant but absolutely freezing! So neat to see Paris from a different point of view. Pizza for dinner at the Italian restaurant downstairs, and games afterwards ended my birthday.

Today (Tuesday) the girls went shopping while the boys went to the Champs Elysées. Crys and Ali have now left on the evening Eurostar and we have the apartment to ourselves once more.




I do love this city, and I can't believe I have to leave it in a couple of days.


 

Versailles

Wow, what an AMAZING day!

I was up at 6.30am while it was still very dark to get ready to get the bus to the Château de Versailles, the Sun King's (Louis XIV) life project. Naturally I was running late, so I ran-walked to the metro to get to the bus terminal in time. Waiting for the bus we saw the sunrise over the Tuileries gardens in front of the Louvre. One of the very rare occasions I have ever seen a sunrise, mornings are not my thing, and to see one here was magical. It doesn't induce me to wake up early tomorrow though!

The sun rose into brilliantly clear blue skies as the double-decker bus weaved its way through the Parisian rush hour traffic. Slowly we left the built up city behind and came to almost countryside before entering the old city of Versailles. Built up to house the courtiers of Louis XIV, the city was once the capital of France, and now boasts 90,000 inhabitants. 

Tapestries line the walls of the Palace

On arriving at the palace, I was surprised at the lack of grandeur that greeted me. Apart from the black and gold fencing and gates, the building seemed quite plain, and not as ornate as I was expecting. It was huge, of course, much bigger than any family could possibly need surely, but the stone was quite simple. I later discovered how much this exterior greatly contrasts with the over-the-top interior more familiar to me as a royal household. 

The famous Hall of Mirrors

We made our way through with our tour guide, Joelle, who filled us in on all the historical contexts and explained what we were seeing. Her knowledge was amazing, and her ability to fluently speak immediately in three languages incredible. I can only aspire to be that comfortable in two! I was surprised at how packed the palace was, much more crowded than we have experienced anywhere in Paris, including the Louvre.



After the tour we were given free time to wander around the gardens. In the souvenir store I found a poster of Bonaparte's family tree, Gran - I found Elizabeth Paterson on it!!!! (although they spelt her name wrong) And her son Jêrome, and his child. I will show you when I get home. With the family connection I naturally had to buy it. (My ancestor Elizabeth married Napoleon's brother Jêrome Bonaparte, but was forced to divorce her while she was pregnant with their son in order to marry a princess of Napoleon's choosing).

Queen/Amelia's bedroom ;)

Don't you hate it when you forget your keys and have to stand outside your golden gates like a tourist?

A quick wander through the gardens with amazing views before catching the petit train (little train) to the restaurant for lunch. The chocolate cake for dessert was the best bit, and the fresh bread of course. Our table consisted of the three of us (native language English), a lovely brother and sister from Peru (native language Spanish and very little English spoken), and a sweet elder man from Japan (native language Japanese, obviously, and even less English and no Spanish). It made for a very interesting meal, but we managed to keep a conversation going, and again I was embarrassed at how well other language speakers can speak English and feel inadequate not being able to speak theirs. 

Finally a brief (literally just for this photo) sit down by the Grand Canal after hours of non-stop walking!

Another boutique and purchases made of books (again, oops), before we walked back to the Grand Trianon. This was made as the summer holiday home for the royal family, and therefore was much simpler in style and more appealing.  

The Gallerie des Cotelle in the Grand Trianon

What a beautiful setting

Cute family shot outside the Grand Trianon

Marie Antoinette's sitting room in the Petit Trianon. The shutters
across the windows could either have a mirror facing into the room,
or be wound down to cover the windows of the floor underneath.

Onto the Petit Trianon, my personal favourite, the house built for the King's mistress which then belonged to Marie Antoinette and was decorated in her style. The colours were soft pastels and the walls were generally plain white. It felt very feminine and homely. Apparently, when the trianon belonged to the King's mistress, there was a spiral staircase leading directly to her bedroom, for obvious reasons. However, when King Louis XVI gave it to Marie Antoinette, along with the comment "this was built for the King's favourite [mistress], but you are my only favourite, I want to give it to you", she had the spiral staircase removed so that she could refuse the King if she so chose. It was one of the very few places where she could control everything. As the guide said, she was a very Revolutionary woman. 

M and A for Marie Antoinette... or Amelia Mawhinney?

Just chilling in front of my summer house, the Petit Trianon haha

The Temple of Love, cue forever alone meme haha

We then walked through the gorgeous gardens, past all the little summer houses, lakes and statues, to Marie Antoinette's Hamlet. She had her favourite artist go up to Normady and find beautiful villages and paint them, in order to recreate one in the palace grounds. What resulted was a gorgeous collection of buildings, reminiscent of Marie's native Austria, where she was able to play 'milk-maid' and teach her children about more average everyday life things. She even famously had a cow cleaned before showing her children how to milk it!

Marie Antoinette's Hamlet

Cute little cottage in the Hamlet

It was a lovely end to a fascinating day, in fact the last two places in the tour were my favourite; much more so than the palace. I led the long walk back to the bus in order to get the best seats upstairs, an Australian man and daughter started trying to discreetly sneak past me nearer the end for the same reason, so I merely lengthened my strides while they had to half-jog and eventually gave up. Muahaha, the seats were mine, God bless my long legs. They were worth it too. The views of not only the sunset in Versailles but of Paris lit up were beautiful, and I may have snapped a gazillion more photos of the illuminated Eiffel tower. Hey, it was my tourist day. 

Now my legs and feet are very tired, and I'm on the couch with a hottie (bottle, not guy sadly haha) and my laptop, but it wont be long before I hit the sack.     

Musée de Cluny

The entrance to Musée de Cluny

This morning it was off to Musée de Cluny, the medieval Paris museum housed in the former abbots of Cluny's townhouse. The architecture of the museum itself was as impressive as the extensive collection inside.
Words can't do justice for the fascinating exhibits, and my photos probably don't either, but they can try.

The other end of the courtyard. Just your average, medieval townhouse/mini castle.

Gorgeous ivory carved horn instrument (feat. my reflection taking the photo, while listening to the audio guide haha)

The first wooden depiction of Christ on the cross that I've ever seen. The ability of the carver to still achieve such detail, and the survival of such a soft material in this kind of condition is amazing.

Intricate ivory carving showing scenes from Jesus' life. Apparently ivory carvings such as these were very common in households in the middle ages, as ivory was so easy (and reasonably cheap) to come by. There were hundreds of similar carvings throughout the museum.

The tapestries were huge and absolutely stunning. It was easy to imagine the original vividness of the colours, and appreciate the skill that went into weaving them. The thickness of such a piece also depicted how effective they would have been to keep out drafts, as they were designed to do.
Popular themes among the statues were Mary holding baby Jesus (as seen here in most of the pieces) and (Saint) John.

The colours in the stained glass windows were incredibly vivid and striking. The detail created by then removing layers of the colours with needles to create texture and depth was very effective. Here the window depicts Jesus carrying the cross to Mount Calvary.

An example of the amazing architecture in the museum, this is the vaulted ceiling in the chapel. I still can't comprehend how people made such intricate, beautiful and huge buildings without the aid of cranes or machines. The ability of man, huh?

Lunch at a café on Place Saint-Michel (yay, crêpes!)

 After soaking in all we could about the medieval history of Paris, we headed off to find a late lunch. It was lovely to have lunch at around 2pm, as all the crowds had left and we were able to completely relax with the café looking out onto a busy square almost entirely to ourselves. As I left the café, the waiter winked at me. I had to laugh, the flirtatiousness of French waiters is becoming a joke in our family now. We decided to train to the Musée d'Orsay as we'd heard that the guillotine is there, and Dad would really like to see it. When we got there we realised that maybe we should have found out a bit more, as it is closed on Mondays! Ah well, a long walk home along the Seine was refreshing (to say the least). We had to stop halfway for a hot chocolate to thaw out! Calling in at this brilliant little store with a random assortment of beauty, cooking, and baby things so I could pick up a few bits and pieces, I headed back to the apartment while Mum and Dad went to the Monoprix. Into a relaxing hot bath until I started to fall asleep. Hoping for a good sleep tonight after having shocking ones for the last week or so, especially as it's a very early rise for Versailles tomorrow.

Just chilling by the Seine, surrounded by the autumnal leaves.
Heaven.