PARIS

By the time we got off the plane and collected our baggage it was almost 8 pm. We managed to find our way onto the express train into the centre of Paris then had to walk a fair way to catch the Metro to Arts et Metiers where our hotel was located. We managed to find the correct exit and after a little looking around we found our hotel, Hôtel Ecole Centrale, quite easily. The guy on duty was from Portugal and he was really great, giving us lots of useful information and helping us get our bags up to our room on the top floor. The lift was quite small so it took a couple of trips. Our room however, was lovely – tres chic with lovely lighting and a spa tub as well. John was a bit shy though about the lack of a door between the bedroom and the bathroom.

 

As soon as we got settled in we headed off to find a restaurant for some dinner. We wandered in the general direction we had been told at the hotel and found a nice little sidewalk café. By the time we got back to our room it was after 11, so it was a quick shower then into bed. We didn’t expect the fantastic light show we were treated to through the open skylights. Horizontal lightning flashed across the sky for at least an hour and it was spectacular, especially since we could lay in bed and watch it. Even though we were both really tired we spent quite a while watching it.

 

Next morning we were up bright and early and off down to the centre of Paris to take in the sights. We headed down Rue Beaubourg/Rue du Renard toward City Hall, passing the Pompidou Centre, which John assures me looks just like an offshore oil rig. It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information, a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research.

 

City Hall itself (or Hotel de Ville) stands on the site from which Paris’ local administration has operated since 1357. The building which stands there now was finished in 1628. It was the stage for several famous events during the French Revolution (notably the murder of the last provost of the merchants Jacques de Flesselles by an angry crowd on 14 July 1789 and the coup when Robespierre was shot in the jaw and arrested in the Hôtel de Ville with his followers.  In 1871 the whole building was gutted by fire. Its reconstruction in its original French Renaissance style took 19 years (from 1873 to 1892)  and is quite impressive with it many statues and lovely fountains.

 

We then walked across Pont d’Arcole to Notre Dame Cathedral.

The River Seine from Pont d'Arcole

There was a bit of a line-up to get in (or so we thought). The interior of the cathedral is as beautiful as the outside and it certainly lived up to my expectations after all I had learnt of it in art lessons at school.

 

We also took a look at an extra exhibit inside the cathedral which houses all the holy treasures of the cathedral. Boy were they impressive! They must be worth millions.

 

On our way down to the Louvre we noticed several banners outside a beautiful old building and decided to investigate. The building turned out to be Hotel-Dieu, the oldest hospital in Paris and the banners were protesting its imminent closure because the building is too old and most of its services have already been transferred to other hospitals. It really is a beautiful building. Perhaps they will find another use for it.

The courtyard in l'Hotel Dieu

Our next stop was the Tower of Saint-Jacques, where we spent a while sitting in the lovely surrounding park.

Tower of Saint-Jacques

Then it was off to Pont des Arts, where thousands of “love” locks have been attached to the railings of the bridge. While we were there we saw several couples including a pair of newlyweds attaching their locks. We also noticed on section of the railings was missing, replaced by timber and plywood. That night on the news we saw that that section of the bridge had collapsed because of the weight of the locks. It didn’t surprise us. They are now very concerned for the safety of the rest of the bridge and there is talk of removing all the locks there.

Pont des Arts

 

From Pont des Arts it was just a short walk to the Louvre and its iconic glass pyramid. It really is impressive and obviously popular with locals and tourists alike. The latest craze is to stand on the special blocks provided and get your photo taken so that it looks like you have your hand on the top of the pyramid or are holding it up.

 

Beneath the courtyard where the pyramid is located is an enormous shopping centre which was absolutely crowded with people. We ran the gauntlet though because here were the only toilets we knew of in the area. As in Liverpool, the toilets were tended by a “looky, looky man/lady” and of course you had to pay. It was quite strange because they went into every toilet after it was used to check it was clean and you had to wait in line until they ushered you in. Very different to what we are used to in Oz!

We really enjoyed our stroll down the obelisk at Place du Concord and the Avenue des Champs Elysees. The gardens, fountains and statues were totally different to what we usually see in good old Bowen and there were lots of people about. We later learned that it was a public holiday which probably explained why there were so many people about.

 

 

The Eiffel Tower was easy to see in the background but we decided that we were too tired to walk there and it looked like rain, so we headed home and managed to get there without getting wet.

We could see rain clouds looming in the background as we headed back.

 

We were going to have dinner at one of the many Chinese restaurants which are prevalent in this part of Paris. However, we quickly changed our minds. John sat down while I ventured into the toilet, only to discover a tap which had no water and toilets which were far from hygienic. We decided to go elsewhere and found a nice little bistro not far away. Walking through the little side alleys here is a real eye-opener. You never know what you will see and the buildings themselves are interesting to say the least. None seem to be in alignment, with peeling plaster, crooked windows and wonky roofs.  It is amazing that most of them are still standing. It is apparent that lots of the infrastructure in Paris in at breaking point and we noticed that many of the locals were not particularly excited by the influx of Chinese in particular to this particular area of the city.

 

One thing we couldn’t help but notice was the proliferation of graffiti here. Almost everywhere you look, there it is. Not even vehicles are safe.

 

We really enjoyed our spa tub that night after our day exploring the sights of Paris.

 

On Tuesday we caught the Metro to Denfert Rochereau station where it was just a short walk across the road to the entrance to the famous catacombs. We though we were being clever by getting there right on 10 am which is when they open. However, we arrived to find a line 200 metres long which stretched right around Square de l’Abbe Migne, where the entrance is located. 2 ½ hours later, half of which was spent standing in drizzling rain, we got to the entrance and began our tour. I have to say it was worth the wait although I think they really should do something about the long wait.

The Catacombs are only a small part of what were originally the quarries for Paris, formed during the quarrying of stone from which the buildings of Paris were constructed. There is no definitive map of the underground quarries, but it is estimated that there is about 300 kilometres of galleries.

The bones of generations of Parisians have been stored here to solve the problem of overcrowding in the cemeteries. The relocation of bones began in 1786, just as momentum for the Revolution was building in Paris. Land was becoming increasingly scarce and at the same time the cemeteries were becoming overcrowded. So the government of the time decided to move the remains of the dead to the empty limestone quarries, so freeing up the land presently being used as cemeteries for other use. Engineers were assigned to excavate and sure up the tunnels, each leaving a plaque indicating what section it was, the name of the engineer and the year the work was done.



Engineers plaque



These scenes from a port in the Mediterranean were carved from memory by one of the workers excavating the tunnels.

A cast of one of many pre-historic fossils found during excavation.
It was about 500 mm long.

While moving the remains from the cemeteries, no attempt was made to identify or separate individual bodies, but each section of bones was marked with a plaque specifying the cemetery they came from and the year when they were moved. The work was completed in 1860. It is estimated that five to six million skeletons had been relocated.

Some of the workers relocating the bones got very creative.

Plaque indicating where these bones were relocated from and when.

This archway was built to sure up the roof of an area
which had begun to cave in from above.

We seemed to walk for ages in the tunnels and we only saw a very small fraction of the bones deposited in the catacombs.

On our way home we again explored some of the backstreets and discovered lots of very interesting and unusual shops. John was particularly taken with the Leather and Rubber shop but he wouldn’t let me go in for a look. Spoil sport! It also started raining again and we were both a bit wet and bedraggled by the time we got back to our hotel.

 

That night we decided to look for an Indian restaurant and with a little research on Tripadvisor we discovered Passage Brady. We thought there was one Indian restaurant here but we discovered that this one lane had about a dozen of them and the whole area was full of restaurants including hallal, and other middle eastern cuisines. We had a hard time deciding which one to go to but I think they would all have been much the same. The meal was OK but nothing to rave about and not nearly as good as the Indian meal we had had in Moffat in Scotland.

Scenes encountered while walking back from Passage Brady.

 

We were scheduled to pick up our hire car at Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday morning but our plan to take the airport express train were foiled because there was a strike by all train workers so we had to take a taxi which fortunately we had ordered the day before. It took us almost 1 ½ hours to get to the airport and then we had a further half hour wait at the Europcar desk for our car before we could set off on the next part of our European adventure.

While we really enjoyed our sightseeing in Paris, it must be said that most of what we have been told about the attitude of the French is unfortunately true. Most have an arrogance about them, as if they are doing you a favour by serving you (forget about the fact that tourism is probably one of the city’s most important industries). We were to discover that this arrogant, laissez faire attitude can also come back and bite you, even after you have left the place.

ISLE OF MAN TT

We spent our last night in England at an unusual hotel in Liverpool called The Liner. The whole place is themed along the lines of an ocean liner, with windows like portholes and everything is named as it would be on a ship. While the nightly rate is quite reasonable, the place has stuffiness  about it. There was no air-conditioning, just a fan and the bar fridge was set us with new electronic monitoring which automatically charges your account if anything is picked up. It was really annoying that we couldn’t put anything of our own in there to keep cool, but as I said it was quite good value, especially as it was a short walk down the street to Lime Street Railway station.

 

Beware the electronic all-seeing fridge!!!

We took a stroll that evening down into the main shopping area of Liverpool and on to the docks area, which was, we’re told not such a nice place in the past. It is now a vibrant tourist area with pubs, exhibitions and other entertainment.



Not all things at the docks have been modified.

Next morning our son Lach notified us that he was arriving quite early from London on the Virgin train so we strolled down there, met him and took his bags up to the hotel and left them there in the cloak room with our bags. Then we headed back down to the docks to the Beatles museum, which was interesting but a little disappointing. While it was very well done, I thought the entry charge was a bit high.

 

Then we went to another of the local pubs for a drink and then another stroll through the mall, where we were entertained by a couple of excellent buskers.

We were just a little excited to jump into a taxi that afternoon and head down to the dock to catch the ferry across to the Isle of Mann. Standing on board watching the almost endless line of bikes lining up to board added to our sense of excitement and anticipation.

 

 

It took quite a while to get everyone one board and after about an hour and a half we were under way. We didn’t quite know what kind of trip to expect as we had been told by one acquaintance on our travels that the Irish Sea can be extremely rough. However, we were lucky enough to strike good weather and apart from one short period of rolling seas, the trip was quite smooth and we arrived at Douglas at around 9 pm.

As we pulled into Douglas Harbour we passed the Tower of Refuge which was built on St Mary's Isle, a reef in Douglas Bay, in 1832. After several shipwrecks upon the semi-submerged rock,  a refuge was built to provide shelter for survivors until help could arrive.

The guy from whom we were renting our accommodation met us and took us to our digs after a quick tour up to the track and pit area. Of course we were all pretty tired so we were in bed early, anticipating the next day and the week of racing ahead.

The first two days of our stay on the Island, Thursday and Friday, were dedicated to qualifying sessions, so we took advantage of this time to do a bit of a reckie of the track and also check out the pit and main straight area. We walked up to Glencrutchery Road which forms the finishing straight for the TT.

The whole community gets into the spirit of the TT.
We saw these in a florist's window on our way out to the track.

Imagine our delight as Guy Martin rode past us on his trusty pushbike. He was headed to the public toilet block would you believe, and we patiently waited ‘til he came out then approached him for a photo. I don’t think he was too keen as he was on his way to a nearby tent for a book signing session but he took it gracefully and made our day by smiling for the photo. Thanks Guy! You made our day.

 

We then spent the next few hours just hangin’ out around the pit area. It is so different to the GP here. The teams’ work areas are all set up in tents which are open to public view whenever there are people in there working. It was great to be able to just stroll around and see all the bikes and occasionally, if you’re lucky, catch a glimpse of riders and other well known ‘bike’ celebrities such as Steve Parish and Milky Quayle who was explaining to a group of primary school students how tyres were changed, balanced etc in the Dunlop tyre tent.

John and Lach enjoyed checking out the bikes parked in pit lane.

It really is a totally different atmosphere to the GP. The average Joe Blo is made to feel included and welcome in the whole phenomenon that is the TT.

That afternoon, John and Lach wandered back to the track at the bottom of Bray Hill to watch some of the qualifying. It was their first taste of viewing high speed racing at close quarters.

 

They also checked out the beer and view from Quarterbridge, a bit further round the track.

On Friday  we took advantage of our 7 day bus pass which cost £23, to take a ride around the island and check out the best viewing points for the races. Our first stop was the A.R.E. Motorcycle Museum at Kirk Michael. There are over 100 bikes here but the collector obviously loves Triumphs and Nortons. Entry is free but they do ask for donations for local charities relating to the TT. There is a particular focus on machines from the 1930s and all of the bikes are kept running and in pristine condition. The collection is quite impressive and if you want to see more click here.

 

It was great to see this Laverda at the museum. This same model was
John's first road bike purchase after we met. We both loved riding it
although Mt Isa didn't provide ideal riding conditions.

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was Ballaugh Bridge to check out one of the more popular viewing spots for the TT. We had a couple of drinks while sitting in the makeshift grandstand and enjoyed watching the comings and goings of dozens of bikers. Then it was on to Ramsey, probably the second biggest town on the island. The bus trip round the island took us over some truly amazing roads and it is easy to see why so many people love to come here and ride them during the TT. It is not a very big island but it is beautiful.

Saturday was an early start as the first race proper, the Superbike race started at 11 am. We had to get up early to get around to our chosen viewing spot and because it was so early we decided to walk around to Quarterbridge, a 15 minute walk from our flat. There is a pub on one corner where you can get drinks if you want them and across the road is a good little viewing area with a grassed hill, toilet and food van which costs only  £3 to get into. You get quite a good view of the approaches and the corner itself and as with most viewing places on the course, it is right beside the track.

 

Michael Dunlop was the first of the 2014 TT winners, taking out the Superbike race and his eighth win at the TT, with our favourite, Guy Martin and the local lad, Connor Cummins third.

That night we headed down to Loch Promenade and Bushy’s bar, which is really just a big tent set up on the esplanade. Most of the non-TT entertainment takes place here and there is a real party atmosphere, with fair rides and several other interesting bars along the street which runs parallel to Douglas Bay. We met lots of locals as well as overseas visitors and generally had a great time until midnight when it was obvious that the only priority for the establishment at Bushy’s was to get everyone out, no questions asked. Anyway we had a good time and got home safely with Jeanette in a taxi. Jeanette is a local lady who we met earlier in the night and as with most people we have met here, she was a lovely lady.

Naturally, boating is a popular pastime on the island,
as witnessed by the crowded marina at Douglas.

Lach just couldn't resist trying out the wild bull ride.

Most people who come to the island on motorbikes look forward to Mad Sunday, when the general public can assemble on the finishing straight and then do a lap of the iconic Mountain Race Track. It was quite a sight to stand up on the Grandstand and watch hundreds of bikes fill the track waiting for the police to give them the go ahead. The atmosphere was fantastic, especially when the assembled bikers did their own style of mexican wave – a slow moving revving of engines which progressed from the front of the assembly right down to the back-markers, probably a mile further down the straight. It just brought a huge smile to your face.

 

Then we took the opportunity to take another stroll around the pits before heading home to rest up for a big day of racing on Monday.

The TT Zero class was introduced in 2010 for two wheeled vehicles powered without the use of carbon based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions. This is a Japanese entry ridden by John McGuinness. 

We caught the bus round to Braddan Bridge to watch Monday’s races. It was a great little spot with really good seating so we didn’t mind paying the £7 charge for a spot. We got there nice and early and due to mist etc up on the mountain we had to wait a couple of hours for racing to start. It was worth the wait though. First up was Race 1 of the Supersports and Gary Johnson’s win on the 675 Triumph was a bit of a surprise. Kiwi Bruce Anstey got second and Michael Dunlop third, both on Honda 600s. Aussie Josh Brooks had bike trouble and came in second last but David Johnson finished a creditable sixteenth.
 

Michael Dunlop leads Guy Martin over Braddan Bridge.



Guy Martin



A J Ventor - South Africa

 

Behind our vantage point was a church and graveyard. At front is a scene we have seen regularly on fences etc. - we mean the guy in the blue hoodie.

 

After sidecar qualifying the weather closed in again up on the mountain and the Superstock Race was postponed until Tuesday. We didn’t mind really. It just meant that we would get an extra day of racing. That night we were really saddened to see on the news that 65 year old Supersport rider Bob Price had been killed in a crash near Ballaugh. While you love the racing it does make you wonder at the guys who race here and also feel for their families and friends.

The weather on Tuesday was fantastic so we decided to head up to Laxey on the bus and catch the electric train up the mountain to Bungalow. What a beautiful spot to watch a bike race. Again, the start was delayed for over an hour, this time due to a traffic accident on the track just before it was closed for racing. Michael Dunlop again dominated, taking out TT win number nine. Bruce Anstey again got onto the podium with a third on the Honda while Dean Harrison came in second on the Kawasaki 1000.

 

This fantastic sculpture stands overlooking the track at the Bungalow.

 

Statue of Joey Dunlop at the Bungalow

 

 

 

The view from the other side of the track.

 

After the race we jumped on the train and went right up to the top of Mt Snaefell. The 360⁰ views were impressive. We could even see Scotland, England and Ireland.

This giant wheel at Laxey is the world's largest working waterwheel at over
72 feet high. The wheel was built in 1854 to pump water from the Glen Mooar part of the ‘Great Laxey Mines’ industrial complex.

That night we strolled down to Douglas Promenade to watch the Royal Airforce’s Red Arrows aerial display. It was quite impressive and the bay looked lovely in the twilight. Unfortunately, the day was marred by another tragedy when we learned that young racer, Karl Harris, had crashed just after the gooseneck near Ramsey and was also killed. So so sad! We were all a bit flat that night. Yes the race is dangerous but nobody expected two deaths in two days.

Douglas Promenade

Wednesday was another busy day of racing, with the TT Zero Race for electric bikes, Race 2 of the Supersports and sidecars as well as solo qualifying. We went round to Quarterbridge again as the viewing here was good and it was an easy walk from our flat. It was nice to see John McGuinness get a win in the TT Zero race. He came to the TT with an injury to his hand and struggled all week. Michael Dunlop took out his tenth TT victory in the Supersports with Anstey again second, and William Dunlop, Michael’s brother third. Again, bad weather caused the sidecar race to be postponed until Thursday afternoon.

Quarter Bridge corner

On Thursday morning Lach and I took the opportunity to catch a bus out to the Home for Old Horses which is a charity run farm just south of Douglas. Entry is free but they appreciate donations. It is a lovely place with over 60 horses, ponies and donkeys being cared for. We had a lovely time feeding all the horses as did the dozens of other visitors who took advantage of another beautiful sunny day to visit.

This horse would have to be one of the tallest I've ever seen.

Ex tram horses

Horse farm with Douglas in the background.

Then we got off the bus near Quarterbridge and met John to watch the sidecars.

The fence here is typical of most fences around the course -
they just vary in height.

Lots of the fences have flowers like these growing on them.
They really are quite beautiful.

What the riders would see approaching Quarter Bridge corner.

We knew Friday would be a big day so we decided on an early night. While here you tend to be up early so you can catch a bus or walk to your chosen viewing spot before the roads are closed each day. We didn’t even get down to watch the fireworks but we certainly heard them as well as all the local dogs barking.

As well as the funfair at Douglas each night there are lots of other entertainments on the island. There was a stunt team performing regularly at all the major towns on the island and most of the towns also held beach days with races etc on non-race days. Many of the pubs on the island also had live bands playing so there is plenty of entertainment if you want it outside race time.

On Friday, the last day of racing, we again caught the bus and went round to Crosby, between the 4 and 5 mile markers of the track. We settled in at the Crosby pub which was a great spot to watch one of the fastest sections of the track. It really was amazing to be sitting so close to bikes which must have been doing at least 260 mph. The atmosphere was really great and everyone very friendly.

A fellow Aussie provided some entertainment

First race was the Lightweight class and with the withdrawal of Michael Dunlop, Gary Johnson and Guy Martin it was a chance for some of the other guys to grab some glory. All three podium winners were Brits on 650 Kawasakis, with Dean Harrison 1^st, James Hillier 2^nd and James Cowton 3^rd.

Aussie David Johnson in the Lightweights

After laps from three British GP riders and some very speedy Subaru cars came the big race – the 6 lap Senior race. It was excellent and mishap free apart from William Dunlop crashing his bike and breaking his leg. As was probably expected Michael Dunlop also took out this race and his 11^th TT win. Second was Connor Cummins and Guy Martin was third.

 

As we waited for the bus afterwards, we were feeling sad that the week was coming to an end but it has been fantastic ten days of racing, entirely different to anything we have experienced before.

Saturday night was our last night on the island so we thought we should go for one last stroll down the promenade. We were glad we did as we got to see "The Straightliners" - a stunt group who were unlike any other we had ever seen. A few examples of their 'stunts' are shown below.

'Roll-over' man.

The great wheelie bin race - they weren't going slowly either!

And the winner is - 'Sausage Wallet'



At the front of this bike was a giant can of baked beans
but I couldn't manage a head shot!

Pole dancer

The bikes were - how can I describe them?

We loved the architecture on the island - so much nicer than the skyscrapers in most cities today.



The town centre of Douglas at 10 pm - it was still twilight when
we arrived back at our flat.

And now a little on The Isle of Man and its history.

The Tynwald (Manx: Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald  is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council. This is the office of the Clerk of Tynwald. Tynwald comes from the norse word.

 

This is the Coat of Arms of the Isle of Man. The birds are a peregrine and a falcon. The three legged symbol means "Whichever way you throw, it will stand"

The island offers much more than just the TT. It really is a beautiful place and provided the weather is kind, I think it would be a lovely place just to take a holiday. We certainly enjoyed our stay. If you'd like to find out more about the place just click here. 

Click here to see all of the 2014 TT schedule and results.

On Saturday morning the weather was terrible. It was rainy and cold and we again thought how lucky we had been on this trip. We got on the ferry at around 3 pm and the trip back to Liverpool seemed a lot shorter than the one over. Locals tell us that the new ferry, which was built in Tasmania by the way, is a lot better than the old one which used to take hours. Lachy, our son, headed straight up to the railway station to get the train back to London.

The ferry put out quite a wake, even with one engine on the blink.

 

As well as several oil rigs, it was hard to miss the wind-farm in the middle of the Irish Sea. These structures went for miles.

We had already bought tickets for the Cavern online and we just had enough time to get off the ferry, walk to our hotel, Jurys Inn (it was quite a hike mind you with all our luggage) and get settled before grabbing a pizza next door and heading off to the Club. It wasn’t very far to walk and it was easy to find. Once inside the atmosphere is catching. Everyone who goes to The Cavern Club is obviously a Beatles fan and the musos who play there do lots of Beatles covers. The Club opens at 8 pm and entry just for the club is only £3. There is also a tribute show for £17 but you need to book online beforehand because it sells out most nights.

 

Anyway, a few Desperados later and we were having a great time. Anyone can get up on stage and sing with the band and lots did. We were really surprised at how many “Hens parties” we saw as we walked to the club and I think half of them were at the Cavern. Liverpool would have to be the “Hen Party” capital of England.

 

 

The music was great and I had a great time with some other ladies around my age who were there celebrating a couple of their 60^th birthdays.  John and I both really enjoyed the night. The Cavern is a must if you visit Liverpool.  While at the Cavern we also had our first encounters with the "looky looky man/lady". These are people who sit in the toilets and offer a range of services and products to patrons including cologne, deodorant, lollipops etc for a donation. Apparently they make quite a good living out of it and it certainly provided a lot of amusement for John. Walking back to our hotel was really pleasant as the night was balmy and we discovered a great little snack van just near our hotel where we enjoyed a lovely hot pork roll with apple sauce and gravy.

If someone could invent a way to recycle chewing gum for profit they should base themselves in Liverpool. Unfortunately, I have never seen so much chewing gum on the ground, stairs, seats etc as I’ve seen in this city. It was also obvious just walking around the streets that there are plenty of people over here doing it very hard - lots of evidence of homeless people with several asking for money, cigarettes etc.

Next morning it was really easy to catch a cab out to John Lennon Airport for our flight to Paris. Cabs are quite reasonable in Britain. We also found flying to Paris was about half the price of the train so we decided to risk taking an EasyJet flight (they do have a reputation for cancelling, changing etc.). It was a good choice and we arrived in Paris at around 7pm after a 1 ¼ hour flight.