Sidi Bou Said

Our lunch stop at Sidi Bou Said

Tunis

Our first day was spent exploring the medina which included a view of the Great Mosque from the roof of a nearby carpet shop. The roof itself was interesting in that it was beautifully tiled. We then headed to Carthage via tram, stopping first at the seaside suburb of Sidi Bou Said. It is very beautiful with it s white washed houses with blue window trims and variously coloured doors. We had mint tea with pine nuts on a balcony overlooking the Med. We then headed to the Carthage Archeological museum and site of and unearthed Carthaginian town and the site of an enormous Roman city. It is up on a headland where the rest of Tunis is quite flat and its huge temple must have looked incredibly imposing as the Romans and others sailed in. We had a very enthusiastic guide. It was incredibly hot so after a look at the magnificent Roman mosaics we limped back to the hotel for a shower and some tea.

Kate gets to Tunis

I had to wait on the roof for Kates phone call because my phone had no reception in the room. At about 12 am I decided to make one last phone call to Kate before going to the gendarmes. I already had Kate written off for the white slave trade, abducted en route from the airport. My relief was great when I heard Kates voice on the other end, She had, in fact, just arrived at the hotel and was in the foyer. Rejoicing I went to descend the stairs to the foyer and found the door locked. I had to call Kate again to rescue me.

Tunis..We got There

The good news is that Chris arrived in Lyon as planned then we caught the plane and got here mid afternoon, by the time we taxi'd from the airport. The other good news is that the hotel is gorgeous, old , beautifully restored has roof top terrases from which you can see over the old city. Also Chris got a hair cut and shave from a barber in the medina who had worked in the same shop for 40 years. It was a work of art!

The bad news is that Kate 's flight from Melbourne was delayed for 4 hours, she got rerouted and the last time I spoke to her , she was still in Paris ready to board at 6.30 pm. Its 10.40 and I am still waiting to get a phone call so I can nip up to the Place de Kasbah and guide her into the hotel which is just inside the Medina.

While waiting we had a good look round the medina or old city. It is a hive of small alleys with lots of souvenirs and clothes and those pointy slippers for sale. Residences are interspersed and have yellow painted studded doors leading into tiled courtyards. I know whats behind the doors because from the roof top I can see into next door. They have blue patterned tile and blur doors.

I asked the hotel manager if he could recommend a restaurant. I'm glad I did because I would never have found this one. It was down an unlit alley behind a closed door but as we were struggling to find it a man in traditional dress with a candle lamp who heard us trying to figure out where to go guided us to the door and rapped very hard. Inside it was a "thousand and one knights". Ornate columns around a courtyard with a dome...I think it was perspex...gorgeous tiling and cornices and a man who played a fretless guitar like instrument mandolin looking thing. He puffed on his cigarette between stanzas and sang songs with lots of long notes . Couscous was great according to Chris. I had lamb stew with chesnuts, prunes, raisons and liberal quantities of almonds. No alcohol was served making it a very economical meal. Got to go now to search for Kate.

Last Day in Lyon

I'm starting to like Lyon. I think it has in common with Melbourne being very liveable whilst not having sensational tourist attractions. Yesterday ,being warm , after returning from Perouge I went to the botanical gardens where you can sit on the grass, ride bikes, rollerblade and check out the deer, giraffes, elephants and several other incarerated African species. There was a nice pond with many pedalos , a minimum of drunks and it was altogether pleasant . The banks of the Rhone are in the process of being rehabilitated with bike paths and strips of gardens and a very large developement next to Interpol headquarters (I didn't take any photos of it ...for obvious reasons) called the Cite Internationale. It is all the one colour ..orange brick and has hotels, residential towers, restaurants and a huge auditorium. It is also enclosed by a big fence so I think they are aiming at the big international conferences like OPEC, G8 etc. This morning i headed south along the east bank of the Rhone where a long bike path heads to Parc Gerland and the big football stadum. There is a huge skate park and lots of grass. On the way back thru the streets of Monplaisir i came across a clothes market and have acquired yet another pair of Indian pants with a huge gusset. forecast is for 40degrees tomorrow in Tunis.

Hanging About in Lyon

Wifi is not working on my computer in the hotel so no pictures. Yesterday in Lyon it rained so I sought out the "Biggest Shopping Mall in Europe" Layfayette Galleries, to get a pack for the ongoing travel. I dont think its as big as Doncaster Shopping town. After doing the mall thing the rain eased off and I set forth again to the city to master the Metro, visit the Musee Des Beaux Artes and find some novels in English. I am now reading Maria Lewica's first novel " A Short History of Tractors in th Ukraine" after reading "Two Caravans". Both are highly recommended for a laugh and some wise observations on family and migration. The Musee doesn't open on Tuesdays, I found out when I got there. After Bryan's phone call to advise me of the enormous phone bill I couldn't justify a meal out so I bought some dry biscuits and cream cheese.. and a 250 ml bottle of red wine. Only 5 euro's. Consumed the lot while watching highlights from the J.O. Not much about Australia. Don't know what was in the wine but it was 10.30 in the morning when I awoke!

I think I'm just happy riding the bike. I headed of for a little ride to the medieval tourist town of Perougues 35 km east of Lyon. It was cute and had beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. I the distance you could just glimpse the towers of the local nuclear power station. To the east were the alps and I found myself longing to get my gear and head in that direction and just keep going. Theres Switzerland ,Germany and beyond. Caught the train back because of a lack of interesting things on the way then just for fun rode up the steep hill to the plateau on the east side of the Croix Rouge for the view over Lyon.

Tommorrow is the last day before Tunisia. I have bought 2 pairs of long , white cotton pants to conceal the attractiveness of my legs from Tunisian men but not sure what to wear on the top. It will be a great relief to meet up with Kate and Chris and be able to have a chat.

A Lost Day

Missed the bus to Cassis so I hung round Aix in various squares sittiing in the shade drinking perrier and ice tea. Ventured a few biscuits , some beautiful boat shaped "navettes" I bought from the street market. They are like shortbread with ground almond. Read Balzac's "Old Goriot" in one day as I felt that I should read some French literature and having passed thru the town where he went to bludge off a noble and write. It was very Dicken's, ridiculous hyperbole, but dealing with Parisian society mid 19th century. I bought it from the English Bookshop in Aix which also stocks Heinz baked beans and vegemite amongst other English products !

Today I finally said goodby to the useless, torn sleeping bag and flat sleeping mat. They went into the rubbish. Rode to the TGV along the back roads without difficulty and arrived in Lyon.

I found the Tourist Info this time and got a great booklet on walk and rides in and around Lyon. As the rain had ceased I set off at 5 pm to ride the walk described in the booklet that goes right round Lyon. Didn't get back til 8.30 so I imagine it would take a good 6 hours to walk. It took me round all the great places I'd missed last time when I tried to randomly ride around. I rode thru fantastic streets of restaurants, little parks with amazing views over Lyon (though in one park a guy was screaming at another guy and I rode off very quickly). I got to see the interior of the basilica which was opulent, gilded, ornate over the top renaissance . The church really vied with royalty for power and this was a great show of it. From the Basilica I could see across the Rhone valley to the alps. The other amazing thing was the huge church on the banks of the Saone had 2 ruined churches beside it and one was commenced in 150AD. Apparently there were a small group of Christians who were persecuted. St Blandine was a martyr who was thrown to the wild beasts and tamed them??? Then how did she die, you ask? There is a huge Roman amphitheatre still in use for concerts. Some of the areas I rode through look look like they've seen better days in other centuries . Lyon is promoting itself as the contender for the "European Cultural Capital"in 2013....sounds like a cultural Olympic bid. I wonder if that is because commercially it has lost its ground. It also touts itself as the gormand capital so I need to check that out further.

After starving for 3 days I decide to eat and found a brilliant restaurant near the hotel. I had duck breast with a glaze and crushed sugar coated almonds sprinkled on top accompanied by polenta , mushrooms and ratatouille. Sounds tacky but it was extremely nice. No photos as it would have been a bit difficult to do discreetly.

Today in Aix.

I figured that I should have a rest today but tis difficult to stay with in the confines of a one person tent which is gradually heating up for another hot day or sit outside it in the dust so I've installed myself in a bar which has free wifi and a good view of the coming and goings of Rue d'Italie. I hope that the free wifi does not mean someone is hacking into the bank account!

I've also just seen the mens pairs Crawshaw and Jansen and now the men's 4 win their heats at the Olympics which did not seem to cause the same response as mine by other people in the bar. Actually, I must have missed the opening ceremony somewhere along the line.

This is me yesterday enjoying the boat ride and the smell of the sea for the first time in 2 months ...before disgracing myself at the yacht club de cassis. Any way thought it was such a nice place that I'd head back again tomorrow and see the rest of the Calanques and maybe have a swim. I saw Marseilles briefly en route yesterday. It is quite a magnificent setting with an church up on a high hill above it . It looked, in the brief time, I had there very old without the benefit of an update! also correction: it is the second biggest city in France, not Lyon. I think that despite the input of Le Corbusier to functional architecture in the mid last century , concrete does not age well and the many concrete boxes, both residential and commercial look horribly grimy detracting from the ambience of the city.

The trip to Cassis

Yesterday had a very exciting day...sort of. I decided to go to Cassis on the coast as it looked very nice in the real estate rags that I amuse myself by browsing and also I love the creme de cassis liqueur..black current liqueur. Its a little coastal resort in a cove over looked by a huge cape Cannielle on the eastern side and on the west there are the Calanques. These are huge fingers of limestone that go out into the sea and are very deep. Historically they have been strategic because boats could conceal themselves and some how they played a part in thwarting the British from capturing Marseilles. They have tiny beaches at the ends and beautiful green blue water where its shallow. I caught the bus to Marseilles then rode to the other bus station to catch the bus..which didn't take bikes , to Cassis. I was rather annoyed when I got there to find a bus goes direct from Aix and would have taken the bike. Never the less it was what a Mediterranean beach resort should be. Magnificent setting, marina with cute little fishing boats and yachts, a swanky yacht club and heat. I went in a boat to the Calaques and saw 3 of them. The were big yachts moored stern in swinging from steel loops bored into the rocks and a bow anchor, completely sheltered from the 20kt breeze outside. It was truly idyllic and in an area where it is quite heavily populated and I'm not sure that it is a national park. Its should be. I though the next stop should be the yacht club for lunch. I had been a bit nauseated in the last few days but managed a reason lunch the day before with no repercussions. Needless to say after the salad I was vomiting in the toilets and well...groaning just a bit.. the alarmed staff called the ambulance. The 2 ambo guys were very spunky and I got carted off to a hospital in another town. Thankfully the intern spoke english and after a bit of a rest I was OK. I did make it back to Marseilles to pick up the bike and got on the wrong bus. It went to Aix but via every village on the way swaying and lurching and I was very glad that the gut held out.

Arles

I went to Arles yesterday by bus. Saw lots of dust and villages in an essentially flat part of Provence but still no lavender. It was amazingly hot . Lots of old buildings and churches and galleries named after Van Gogh but not actually with any of his paintings. My favorites are the ones he painted at Arles so I was a bit dissapointed. Its on the Rhone and there were 3 of those large tourist river boats so the town was chockas with Americans and even heard an Australian twang. The startling thing was the colliseum which C/- EU money is having a makeover. Its in good nick and used for bullfighting but had all the grime scraped off one side and looked quite white and magnificent. Came back early as it was not terribly enthralling and had a nice North African couscous.

Today slept in as my body has at last and perhap too late adjusted to the sleeping mat with the leak and it was a bit cooler. Met up with my English friend and her compatriates had lunch and found a book shop that sells books in English. I bought a phrase book as recommended by Caitlin . Also discovered that Decathalon sells compasses one of which I have bought. Talk about too late. On the count down until I send the tent back to Oz and dispose of the ripped sleeping bag and useless mat.

Cezannes Studio

Aix en Provence has taken wholesale possession of the life of Cezanne who lived there most of his life . You can do a trip in the city observing where he was born, ate and drank, his family lived and died and there are sites outside the city where he painted such as the quarries. I confess that I spent the whole day just mucking about , buying a tail light for the bike then chasing up the batteries which are rare and of not supplied and waiting around foro the tour in English of his studio at 5pm. It is up a big hill . His studio did not have air conditioning and was stuffed with 30 hot people and a french lady without microphone struggling with English. It was built in 1902 in his late life and had on wall, thankfully on the north side, of window..to bring in the natural light. It was painted grey due to the colour being good for light . It also had a long thin floor to ceiling door to get the big canvases in and the finished ones out. After the initial explanation she went on and on about the collection of small items in th studio being Cezannes and being in this picture or that. Photos were not permitted but some wiley poms snuck in a few while she was extolling the virtue the ginger pot. Its a bit sad because the house which originally stood in the "countryside " is now surrounded by appartment buildings. I only got a picture of the cat which was obviously not Cezanne's. I think that the thing that struck me most is actually seeing the countryside in Aix, the beautiful Mt Victoire and how Cezanne really captured its essence. The houses in the villages in Provence and else where do sit like little red topped cubes in green angular countryside.

Lyon Pictures

Pictures of Oinght

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C'est tres jolie , n'est pas

LYON

Got to Lyon late in the day. it is quite a nice looking city if you like old and grimy. The best thing was sitting in the enormous square watching 2 opposing groups of dancers one doing Tango and the other Salsa with Hifi blaring and the donging of the bells from the churches. My salsa was clearly insufficient to join in. Its at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone and obviously historically significant in terms of commerce..but I don't now about now. It has a bit of a run down feel about it. its the 2nd largest city after Paris. Nice walk ways along both the rivers. Will check it out more when I get back there on the 11th. Battery crashing Bye

A Long Way From Cluny

I am sitting in McDonalds in Aix en Provence waiting for the batteries to pack it in. The only plug I could find doesn't work and the manager told me politely, but with a hint of smugness that there are no others.."desolee"even though the wifi is "gratuit et illimite". OK how do they plug in the vacuum cleaner!!!I sat in this spot because it was by the plug but it was also in front of the kung fu panda display of toys for the happy meal and I have had to endure the glares of the jeunesse for getting between them and the kung fu panda and his gang. I am not enjoying Aix en Provence and I know this is churlish because as we speak it is 35 degrees outside. But , well, I got off to a bad start and I surmise that they are so overrun by tourists that they don't have to make any effort. The first unpleasant surprise was that the TGV station is in fact 10 km out of town. At the TGV station there was no map and certainly no veloroute. The only road was a freeway which was exremely dangerous and scary. I arrived at the tourist information shattered and dehydrated. They sent me off to the camping with a glass of water which was kind but reasonable considering my dramatics." Je suis pres du mort parce que le seul route est un freeway. Il est tres dangerous." no idea if this is french. They weren't at all concerned though for the overall issue of the velotouriste. C"est la vie ...ou mort! Then at the camping the lass, who on the phone from Paris assured me that there was an immense camping area and no need to book sent me on a wild goose chase up this enormous hill to find a non existent camp site AND a spanish man on a bike nicked the last one! Betrayed by one's own. Any way I returned to the office where she assured me that there was a site just back up the hill. I voted for a look see in the "little car" before trudging back up the hill. Indeed there was a site concealed by a Dutch couple who were having their lunch on it. It was high up with a lovely breeze , bringing cool and dust with the delightful roar of the freeway day and night. I wont go into the humiliation at the Office of Tourisme by Jerome 2 days in a row. I gave Jerome a second chance but today I asked him for places I could onto wifi. He sent me to a bar which was the definition of sleazy (no I was not mistaken because Jerome drew the spot on my map himself and the bar owner checked it was correct) and where the owner had never heard the term weefee and referred me to one of his customers ...a young man in dreadlocks who was really too stoned to assist though he did speak english and was very pleasant.

Well, got that off my chest. After Cluny I headed down the rest of the Voie Verte to Macon. The ride was beautiful and high above the valley of the Saone in the vine covered hills. The are a few huge rocky outcrops, Vergison and La Solutre (which look rather like Chamber's Pillar) and lovely villages clinging to the side of hills. Unfortunately the veloroute ends outside Macon so I went to Macon to see if there was one along the Saone but alas no and alas the valley is much less attractive so after spending one night at a friendly but grimy artificial lake for watersports...like pedalo riding.. I headed back to the other side of the Saone and into the hills. It rained. Well, it often rains for a while and if you stop you will never get anywhere. That actually is Damian from Holland's rationale for the Dutch riding rain , hail or snow. It didn't stop but neither did I because it was cool and I had my Dutch trousers covers, so I ended up high in the hills at a blessed restaurant eating steak with morello mushrooms. It was a stupendous little restaurant with beautiful views even in the rain and it lifted my drowned spirits. I ended up in Beaujeau at the Anne de Beaujeu hotel a drowned rat ..but the room had a bath. I hope it wasn't the mushrooms but I had gastro and the ride the next day which I got started on before the gastro manifested was very slow. I pushed on because there was no alternative through pine forests , farms villages edging closer to Lyon and conked out at Oinght. The spelling is correct. Look it up on the internet . It is gorgeous. Pierre and Monique run a B&B there . They dont affiliate with the Gites of France organization as Monique explained because too much red tape. I think also because they charge a little more than the usual. Monique explained that after all the bed is electric and the view out the window is rather special. Besides Monique makes all the breakfast jams. I was just interested in lying down and sleeping . I totally recommend the place though. The view, the town the area. Monique spoke French to me. I probably understood 20% but it was confidence building and she attempted to understand my French. The breakfast was scrumptious , what I ate of it but I was still queasy. Then I had the lovely ride DOWNHILL all the way to Lyon

CLuny

Waiting for the concert I amused myself by going tothe National Equestrian Championships being held at the Haras Nationaux. These stables and arenas in Cluny are significant as they were originally Napoleon B's stables for training horses for the army. It was shady in the heat , had nice seating with a bar and restaurant and watching showjumping is quite interesting. Also the blokes have extremely nice bums and look very alluring in their white jodpurs..was that me talking or the pitchet of rose I consumed while looking on. I'll let you judge.