The Last Post

We bribed our friend Colin to collect us from the airport in the early hours of Sunday 6th June.  We’ve had a fantastic 96 day holiday that we will cherish forever.  We are very appreciative of all the followers of our blog, the support and emails of encouragement we’ve received on our journey.  We would like to thank everyone for coming along with us and sharing our adventure.

Home Sweet Home

Pen-Ultimate Post

Do you remember my post on 1st April entitled “Nearly Lost In Translation” about my precious lost calligraphy pen???

I am pleased to say, that when I arrived home, there on the top of the huge pile of mail was the self addressed envelope I had sent to the Tabac in Italy, and inside, lo and behold, my pen!  Happiness and joy.  It might not look important to anyone else, but it is to me, and it was a major challenge to get it back.  Result.  Joyous.

Where The Big Jet Engines Roar …..

Now, if you are someone who is terrified of flying, (moi) what’s the last thing you want to know when you are about to spend 12 hours on a flight? 

As our Air New Zealand homebound jumbo jet started reversing away from the terminal at L.A. International Airport, the Captain’s voice came on the intercom and he did the usual “welcome on board blah blah speech”   - all good so far I am thinking.  Then he says  “Well folks, we will be heading out to the furthermost runway.  We need the long runway as the plane is heavy tonight”.  Mother of Mary.   Terror and tears.   Tears and nails digging into Lindsay’s hand as we taxied for 25 minutes out to the runway, and breath holding while I waited for that baby to get itself airborne.  Then there is the turning blue while I count out the first two minutes in flight because someone once told me that’s the most critical time.  After a rough night of turbulence (or was it all the “heavyness” shifting around downstairs?), half a bottle of French champagne and a sleeping tablet, we made it to Auckland.   I don’t recommend being me on any flight and I’ve never been so happy to see Auckland Airport’s runway, even though it was cold and raining.

The City of Angels

Most people know that me and flying don’t go, so Instead of subjecting me to 3 flights on one day, including our 12 hour flight home, Linz decided we should hole up at the 500 room Sheraton Hotel by the airport for the night.  Good decision, it was excellent.  We had plenty of time the next day to take the hotel’s shuttle bus to a delightful nearby shopping mall, with a glimpse of Manhattan Beach along the way, albeit out of the bus window.

Our L.A. Sheraton Hotel is on the very right side of the picture.  A bit of a 9/11 moment as the plane appeared from nowhere	It didn’t take Dot & Lenny long to find the Hotel’s heated pool, but after much deliberation, Lenny just did not want to unpack his togs	Manhattan Beach from the bus	Manhattan Beach Pier
Don’t worry honey, ‘aint no way I’m going backwards	I’m still everywhere	Can’t you just be a hydrant?  All I see is an odd faced teddy directing traffic.	When I saw this in the hotel’s driveway I thought it might be my birthday present, but no.

Hangin’ in Atlanta

Our visit to Atlanta was only 3 days long and specifically to catch up with my buddy from schooldays, Judy Vargas (nee Ambler), as well as my friend James Vieira. We didn’t get to see Atlanta city, but that wasn’t the point.  It had been 15 years since I’d seen both of them and isn’t it cool how so much time can pass, but once you get together it just seems like yesterday.  James was kind enough to put himself at our beck and call and drive us everywhere, including a 3 hour trip to the mall to buy new luggage after Continental Airlines wrecked ours.   Jude and her husband Rene whisked us up to their beautiful home in Monroe, an hour and a bit East of Atlanta where we yapped so solidly for hours that the boys couldn’t get a word in edgeways.  We had a truly wonderful time in Atlanta thanks to my friends and found it quite refreshing after New York and a very pleasant  stint before our long trip home. 

Old mates Haven’t changed a bit we reckon	I instantly fell in love with Jude’s 8 week old adorable miniature Daschund, Ginger	Jude & Rene
Everything is big in the States!  Jude & Rene’s 38 foot luxury “trailer”.  The little brown blob on the lawn is Ginger.	Linz & Rene at the kitchen bench of the trailer.  8 tonnes of luxury. Couldn’t get over the size of it.	Jude & Linz being silly with a neck pillow
Linz & James at Starbucks while I decide on new luggage	James’ beautiful Mom, in amazing shape for 92	Good mates

Atlanta Travel Mishap ** Update **

After our first booked flight from NY to Atlanta leaving without us we had to wait another hour and a half till the next flight departed.  We were first in the queue!  I ‘phoned James in Atlanta and told him we’d be late and that our bags had already gone and I was really worried about them and I described them.  The Continental plane to Atlanta was tiny and I was beside myself when we hit turbulence.  To my delight, we arrived safely and James was there to meet us.  We were about to head off to Baggage Claim to see if we could locate our bags, but James smiled and said “I already have your bags in my trunk” !!!!!!!!!  I was unbelievably thankful and mortified at the same time.  James had still gone to the airport at the arrival time of the first flight, identified and removed our bags from the carousel.  I’m so, so pleased for that, but at the same time it’s scary that just anyone can walk into baggage claim and take whatever they like.  Linz’s suitcase has been badly damaged, and the shuttle driver to NY airport ripped my new suitcase, but hey, at least we have our stuff.  James had found us an amazing motel to stay in so we dumped our gear and went out for a very pleasant meal and then to a bar for a well needed few drinks to relieve the stress of our day.

*** Breaking News ***

Please hold your hands together for us – we are in the midst of an airport mishap.  We are in the lounge at Newark Airport, New York.  Our flight to Atlanta was due to leave at 1.26pm and the queue for security was an hour long and snaking right through the terminal.  When we got to the desk to board, we were informed that the flight had gone without us.  Tears.  We are rebooked on another flight leaving at 2.50pm but our bags went on the previous flight. 

My friend who is meeting us off the flight informs us that Atlanta airport is bad for people just walking up and taking other people’s luggage.  He’s going to try and find our bags before we get there, but we need all the help we can get right now.

New York

Some of us have been sick, all of us are tired, but what we like so far about New York is a)  they speak an almost comprehensible form of English and  b)   we feel thin all of a sudden. 

We managed a few things: Times Square day & night / Toys ’r Us / F.A.O. Schwarz Toystore / Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue / MoMa Design Store / World Trade Centre / Wall Street / Sex And The City movie / Staten Island Ferry / Statue of Liberty / Greenwich Village / SOHO / Century 21 / Prince St shopping / Blick’s Art Materials / NY Central Art Supply / West Side Story musical show on Broadway / Metropolitan Museum of Art / Central Park / Guggenheim Museum

Taxi !!!!!!!!!!!	Muppet Wall at F.A.O. Schwarz Toy Store in Times Square	Street view of the area we stayed in	Liberty makes a quick call between tourists
Times Square by day - manageable	Times Square on Saturday night – Mental	We were on one Ferry looking at the other one – it’s on a lean because all the tourists are on the Statue of Liberty side of the boat	Plaza Hotel

Paris Phenomena

Some lasting images of Paris as we say goodbye to the city, and sadly, to France.   But wait, we’re off to New York~~~

Paris apartments: Who’d want the corner ones?	Serendipity	Paris rooftops – imagine all those smokin’ chimneys in Winter!	Space is at a premium: Precise Paris Parking
”Protect your private life with Windows Explorer 8” NOT	One of Monet’s large  waterlily paintings at the Orangerie gallery	This Joan of Arc statue is brilliant – makes you feel as if it’s you on the horse	Hmmm … this could almost be a “Send Your Best Caption” competition

Paris Night 3: the delights of the Arc de Triomphe

After our day trip to Montmartre, we had a well needed rest  then headed up to the Arc de Triomphe to see the view and night lights from its top terrace.  We did not know the Farmers Agricultural awareness campaign was on, so we were surprised to find thousands more people in the area at 9.30pm on a Sunday night than we anticipated.

The Champs Elysees as you’ve never seen it – the French Farmers filled it with trees & animals to raise awareness of their plight. For just 2 days only!

Same angle, but a bit later on the same night

Eiffel Tower, once again at 10.01pm and blinking.  It’s simply entrancing

Looking west to the business district after dark  Same view as above, but with a bit of creative camera work

The internal staircase of the Arc de Triomphe. 284 steps with no stopping, no lift and no choice: heart attack material

This does not do the  A. de T. justice.  The front sculptures are covered with flat panels while restoration goes on.  It is also very much bigger than it looks here.

Paris Day 3: Montmartre & Sacre Coeur

A trip on a hot humid day up to the area I was really interested in seeing.  Loved seeing the artists at work, and Sacre Coeur, but the Con men made our day – we secretly watched them setting up unsuspecting tourists to relieve them of €50 a time playing a game called “La Blanche” (White Spot) i.e. swap the discs around and guess which one the spot’s under.  Oldest trick in the book.  After 10 minutes, when they’d made a fistful of dosh, one of them scurried their cardboard box table away, the rest dispersed to a meeting spot round the corner, and they joked about the idiots who had just parted with so much money.  And there were half a dozen different groups of guys doing the same thing all the way up that crowded street in Montmartre.  Incredible.

Montmartre: wall to wall tourists in 30 degree heat – not fun

The Con Men: the 3 men bending over the box are part of the setup.  The woman behind the guy in the blue shirt parted with about €200 while we watched, till her husband dragged her away.

One of the few street entertainers we gave money to for her decorative and musical ability

Sacre Coeur was one of the most attractive cathedrals both structurally and decoratively

another bit of Sacre Coeur

The Place du Tertre is famous for all the working artists & painting sales

Oo la la, ze French artiste