Whilst a rather important place for the French, for us visitors, it has a convenient hotel located just behind the square, and an underground, or Metro station, underneath.
Added to that was equally convenient cafes, one of which, The Cafe Republique, we had dinner every night. The service and food were excellent, and we had no problems with the language barriers.
At the top of the monument is a bronze statue of Marianne, said to be the personification of France.
Surrounding Marianne is three more statues, representing liberty, equality, and fraternity.
At the base is a lion guarding what is said to be a ballot box.
Through this window, which wasn’t one of those floor to ceiling, walk out onto a balcony type windows, we saw big ships, little ships, small boats, and then huge ocean liners.And when that wasn’t enough, sunrise and sunset, or just the sight of Venice in the sunshine
The many vaporettos that came and went
It was simply a matter of watching ships go by, or watching the Venetians go about the daily business Ferries that would arrive in the morning, and leave at night, small
Through this window, which wasn’t one of those floor to ceiling, walk out onto a balcony type windows, we saw big ships, little ships, small boats, and then huge ocean liners.And when that wasn’t enough, sunrise and sunset, or just the sight of Venice in the sunshine
The many vaporettos that came and went
It was simply a matter of watching ships go by, or watching the Venetians go about the daily business Ferries that would arrive in the morning, and leave at night, small
The working title of the project is ‘A Score To Settle’, though like all titles, it may change once the editor has read the first draft.
I have had this story in the back of my mind for some time, and every now and then, wrote a piece when an idea came to me. I had the general outline of what was going to happen, it’s now time to flesh out the plot points into a story.
What’s it about?
Coming back from a rest-induced hiatus, our main character is sent on what, at first, seems to be a simple mission, but when was anything simple?
And what could be more interesting than a human rights conference being held in a country that had been known for committing such violations, while trying to show the world it’s moving towards a more progressive and liberated government.
And intelligence advises that it is possible revolutionaries might try to use the conference to stage a coup de grace, ensuring that there will be no shortage of shadowy goings-on.
More will be revealed over the next month as the story progresses.
The working title of the project is ‘A Score To Settle’, though like all titles, it may change once the editor has read the first draft.
I have had this story in the back of my mind for some time, and every now and then, wrote a piece when an idea came to me. I had the general outline of what was going to happen, it’s now time to flesh out the plot points into a story.
What’s it about?
Coming back from a rest-induced hiatus, our main character is sent on what, at first, seems to be a simple mission, but when was anything simple?
And what could be more interesting than a human rights conference being held in a country that had been known for committing such violations, while trying to show the world it’s moving towards a more progressive and liberated government.
And intelligence advises that it is possible revolutionaries might try to use the conference to stage a coup de grace, ensuring that there will be no shortage of shadowy goings-on.
More will be revealed over the next month as the story progresses.
You would think it is a relatively simple thing to get to the snow.
Of course, there are a few necessities like skis, boots, poles, and warm dry clothing, but that can all be bought or rented when you get there, or if you are an enthusiast, you already have the gear.
So, you get in the car, set the navigator, and off you go. Till you get within 20 k of the ski field, it’s all plain sailing, everyone is excited, and mentally preparing.
Then it all starts to go sideways.
Those last few kilometers to the top are going to be arduous particularly if it’s been snowing and the roads are icy, but the weather is fine with blue skies and no recent snow falls. Were expecting a slow drive and a parking spot.
The road is open.
But…
So late in the morning, a sign at the bottom of the mountain warns all the car parks at the ski field are full, but we venture on anyway.
As you can see, the cars are parked so far away from the ski fields, the prospective skiers have to almost run a marathon before they get there!
And for some odd reason, we picked the very day everyone in New Zealand also wanted to go up to the ski fields so parking, even near the Chateau Tongariro was gone and there were endless cars looking for parking spots and traffic wardens had their hands full trying to keep traffic moving So, for us and everyone else, everything stops at Chateau Tongariro, and from there the only vehicles allowed up are buses.
It’s about 10:30 and we are advised the only way we were getting to see snow was to take a bus
Now, there are two types of busses. You can go up on a local bus, from Whakapapa Village that costs $20 a person which in the context of the cost of skiing not very much, but if you’re not, it’s quite expensive.
The second, one we were advised to use, operates from a place called National Park, about 9 km away, a snow shuttle that costs $6 each. The trouble is by the time we were ready to go there, to catch a shuttle, there were no more shuttles.
We did not know what to expect when we got to ‘National Park’, but being a railway station makes sense. It’s the only place with a very large carpark!
You would think it is a relatively simple thing to get to the snow.
Of course, there are a few necessities like skis, boots, poles, and warm dry clothing, but that can all be bought or rented when you get there, or if you are an enthusiast, you already have the gear.
So, you get in the car, set the navigator, and off you go. Till you get within 20 k of the ski field, it’s all plain sailing, everyone is excited, and mentally preparing.
Then it all starts to go sideways.
Those last few kilometers to the top are going to be arduous particularly if it’s been snowing and the roads are icy, but the weather is fine with blue skies and no recent snow falls. Were expecting a slow drive and a parking spot.
The road is open.
But…
So late in the morning, a sign at the bottom of the mountain warns all the car parks at the ski field are full, but we venture on anyway.
As you can see, the cars are parked so far away from the ski fields, the prospective skiers have to almost run a marathon before they get there!
And for some odd reason, we picked the very day everyone in New Zealand also wanted to go up to the ski fields so parking, even near the Chateau Tongariro was gone and there were endless cars looking for parking spots and traffic wardens had their hands full trying to keep traffic moving So, for us and everyone else, everything stops at Chateau Tongariro, and from there the only vehicles allowed up are buses.
It’s about 10:30 and we are advised the only way we were getting to see snow was to take a bus
Now, there are two types of busses. You can go up on a local bus, from Whakapapa Village that costs $20 a person which in the context of the cost of skiing not very much, but if you’re not, it’s quite expensive.
The second, one we were advised to use, operates from a place called National Park, about 9 km away, a snow shuttle that costs $6 each. The trouble is by the time we were ready to go there, to catch a shuttle, there were no more shuttles.
We did not know what to expect when we got to ‘National Park’, but being a railway station makes sense. It’s the only place with a very large carpark!
It is hard to comprehend the scale and the effect the war to end all wars had on the men and women who fought in it.
Certainly, in the European sector, it was a nightmare in the trenches.
We Australians are no strangers to wars and have answered the call, first from the mother country, England, from the Boar war, through to world war two, and latterly the USA as a post-war ally.
But this is not about us.
This is about two ordinary men, two soldiers who are given a job, some think impossible.
They have to go over the top, through no man’s land, through enemy-held territory, ie, behind enemy lines, to warn another group of soldiers not to attack the front line in their sector, as it is a well-disguised trap the Germans have set. What was it called, a strategic withdrawal by the Germans?
From the moment they went over the top, and out into the bleakest of landscapes, we spend all of the time waiting for something bad to happen.
And it does.
And your heart is literally in your mouth the whole time, just waiting for the next setback.
There are moments where the unrelenting suspense is broken by poignancy, revealing the depth of comradeship needed just to survive, and in an instant, how quickly that can disappear.
Then there is the scenes of a French town in ruins, and some who are barely existing there. How could they with endless bombardment by a merciless enemy? It shows the difference between the British and the Germans, one merciful, but often paying a very dear price for being so, and the other merciless in the extreme.
And then we reach an almost surreal end, where it felt like I’d been holding my breath for nearly two hours, and, at the same time, it didn’t feel all that long since it started.
It was an uplifting end after fighting against insurmountable odds. If only half of what we saw was true then it’s surprising any man or woman came back from that war sane.
Considering that we are in the midst of a pandemic, going to a movie theatre seems like the least like thing to do.
Hundreds of people packed into a small space for a few hours, just the sort of environment the Coronavirus loves.
Well, we may have zero cases and zero local transmission, ans the theatres can open, theses just a few details first.
Social distancing means areas of seating are blocked of so you and your partner are like sitting on an island. So limited seating. Social distancing in all queues, rubber gloves and masks on all attendants, and hand sanitiser at the door, in passageways and in theatres.
Overkill? Maybe.
But despite the fact there are no blockbusters coming out, there a few interesting films about, one of which was ‘Honest Thief’
It has Liam Neeson in it so how bad could it be?
Actually for starters there were four of us watching the movie in what we designated Gold Class, very comfortable recliner seats and waiter service. And by the way the food cost more than the movie tickets
But back to the movie. Like I said, i came expecting a kick ass movie and that’s just what I got.
The premise is a man who returns from the war, used to being in high risk situations not knowing if the next day is your last, finds he doesn’t fit in, so as all similar people do, you rob banks, and very successfully.
Until you fall in love
Of course you may, by the end of it decide that being in love is not all that it’s cracked up to be, but it’s certainly a good reason to stop.
Until things get serious and you want to fess up.
The bad guys, well they’re bad, and the one man wrecking ball, well, he does what Liam Neeson does best. Think Taken and take it from there.
I always take notice of the others in the film, and was a welcome sight to see the actor who made Michael Weston in Burn Notice famous, playing such a different role. Loved the dog, too. Then there was the bad Terminator guy who just seems to get older, and now playing what might be called character roles. The love interest I didn’t recognise, but later discovered was Kate Walsh, who, I think, once graced Grey’s Anatomy.
As for everyone else, I didn’t recognise them, but no doubt they’ll turn up on TV soon enough.
For me, any Liam Neeson kick ass film gets five stars, and a pity perhaps that it will not get a chance to be seen by more people.
We have been to this palace several times, the last being with our granddaughters.
Anyone can take a photo of the front door, I think I have done one better, and taken a picture of the back door, hidden behind an ice cream vendor.
Excellent security measures in place!
But after visiting the palace for as long as the children could retain interest, which was beginning to wane after an hour or so, we came out to go to the Orangery and see if we could treat them to afternoon tea.
The Orangery is at the end of this walkway. More on this experience below.
Moving on…
It was a few minutes looking at round trees and squirrels which seemed to be in abundance. Maybe the squirrels were being spoiled by eating leftovers from the Orangery.
But the gardens beckoned.
Lots of green and color. This was in winter so the sun was a bonus.
We were expecting snow, but no such luck!
Not even the pond was frozen over.
Such was the good weather in the middle of winter, a great many people turned out to bask in what little sun there was.
Don’t worry, the next day it started raining again, and didn’t end till we left.
But, there’s only so much sun one can handle in London, and we were getting hungry. Whilst not expecting it would be available, or the girls would actually like cucumber sandwiches, we were hoping for them to, at the very least, have a new culinary experience.
As for us, we have a quest of sorts, depending on which country we’re in, and in London, it is a quest to find new places to have high tea as we had exhausted the favorites like Selfridges, Harrods, and Fortnum and Mason.
We had our fingers crossed.
There are a number of stops on the tour bus, you know the one, or two, with the word Highlights in its name. It’s easier to get on one of these than try to navigate your own way around, and it took us to Kensington Palace.
The weather had improved, we were hoping it would be one of those days with a surprise or two left in it.
We saw this white building tucked away near Kensington Palace and after doing the regulation tour we were up for a cup of tea and a cake.
Instead, we found they had High Tea and that was it.
The English seem to have a knack for pulling off some of the best sandwiches, particularly those of the cucumber variety, and definitely my absolute favorite.
Here we had the Queen’s tea.
In fact, at each of the establishments mentioned above, we had their signature tea, served in fine bone china cups.
Ah, what it must have been like in the olden days of the British Empire!
Thrills, Spills, and just a dash of Romance 