Okay, the next lot is a bit random, but Michelle helped me pick them, so I'm gonna blame her!
The first photo comes from France, specifically Normandy. We had just picked up the hire car that day and were getting used to the crazy French drivers and their zany road rules when we came across some road works. It all looked very serious and they even had a guy out waving a flag to slow everyone down. Well, at least that's what it looked like. Apparently they are a bit lazy in France and rather than have someone stand there to wave down traffic (and miss out on valuable poodle kissing time) they have instead employed a robot to do the work - complete with his own water bottle! It might miss something in the translation but it had us laughing for a long time. Only in France!
From the ridiculous to the sublime; Mont-St-Michel at night. We arrived just before sunset and wandered over for dinner. Afterwards we ambled around the ramparts until the sun had well and truly set before setting off back to our hotel. It was bitterly cold, but the views were stunning. It was times like these that I was glad for my Gorillapod (even if I did set it up a little wonky).
Next we are off to Barcelona and to the La Boqueria markets where we had two fantastic meals. The cafes in the market make a fresh menu each day from produce that they source from around the market. We had some excellent squid, baby clams, sea bass and fresh vegetables, all cooked right in front of you and served with a great house wine. Some of the best value food we had came from here!
Next stop is the Sagrada Familia, which is still under construction after all these years. The columns in the photo were designed by Gaudi, but it took modern equipment to be able to build them quickly and safely. Once completed the church will dominate the Barcelona skyline, and with all the cranes and spires already completed you could argue that it already does.
Finally, we are back in France with a view of Carcassonne at night. We stayed in a wonderful B&B and spent a few nights resting and recuperating after several full-on weeks. The castle is amazing fun to run around, and at night it just gets better as all the tour groups leave. We had the castle to ourselves on most nights and took full advantage, storming the walls, shooting arrows at invaders and then sneaking out the back entrance!
Thats it for tonight, I have hogged the computer for over an hour now! We spent a busy day in Florence today, visiting the Accademia (to see Michelangelo's David) , a precious stone museum, The Uffizi Gallery (with Botticelli's Birth of Venus and so much more), the Santa Croce Basilica (with the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli...) and then up-and-down the Duomo Dome (the view was worth each of the 428 steps). It was a hectic day and we are pretty tired. There is still so much of Florence to see, but we are off to Rome tomorrow. Then the real madness begins!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
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