FR.IT~es!

2005-10-21T02:17:00.000+08:00

Take your time to read my travelog. It contains some 300 photos that I selected from my collection. I promise that I will not test your memory.

2005-10-08T08:20:00.000+08:00

17 Sep 2005

My trip started with a midnight flight from Hong Kong and waiting in Heathrow airport for 3 hours [Heathrow Airport. London]

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When I arrived Paris finally by 3pm, after checking in hotel, went to check out the Louvre, my big-time favourite in Paris. [The Louvre. Paris]

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My most favourite amongst favourites - the inverted pyramid inside. [Louvre Carrousel. Paris]

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The sun is very strong, sky very blue, but there is a tinge of coolness in the air - Paris in fall. [The Louvre. Paris]

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Strolling along the river, the earliest signs of dusk appeared. [River Seine. Paris]

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Not long after, we actually approached Ile de la Cite, thus took a small detour to pay Notre Dame Cathedral a visit. [Notre Dame. Paris]

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Details, details, details. What is noted on the facade aside from the famous twin towers. We eventually did not go in because it was closed, but took a lot of pictures outside. [Notre Dame. Paris]

2005-10-08T08:03:00.000+08:00

Time for dinner because guess what?! It's already around 8:22pm when I took this picture. En route to Champs-Elysees, we were greeted by this stunning view of Louvre against sunset. [The Louvre. Paris]

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... not to mention I believe the digicam lens only captured like 50% of the original atmosphere. [Louvre. Paris]

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We were not able find the desired restaurant, thus took the Metro to another one close to our hotel. Authentic subway, nothing like the MTR, as we learn to crawl through its web-like maze. [Metro at Concorde. Paris]

2005-10-07T19:56:00.000+08:00

18 Sep 2005

Today was a Paris city day tour for us as we shall be leaving for the Provence tomorrow morning. First stop- Montmartre. Walked through these typical side streets to reach there after getting off the Metro at Lamarck-Caulaincourt. [Montmartre. Paris]

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Little shoes that French kings and queens wore adorning the shopping windows. [Montmartre. Paris]

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Can you imagine the bakery selling all sorts of cheesy toasts and bread? And can you imagine a cheesy hotdog cost 4 Euros (~HK$40). But I must admit the warm cheesy toast was yummy. [Montmartre. Paris]

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The famous Montmartre marketplace, with many artists showing off their works, many painting on the spot. [Montmartre. Paris]

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The pictures were very typical Paris scenes. There were even some "artists" who cut out silhouettes with their nimble fingers. [Montmartre. Paris]

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East to Place du Tertre, the market place, is the famous white church frequented by tourists. [Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Montmartre. Paris]

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Candles donated by Christians...

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Beautiful glass-stained windows...

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Statues...

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Angels...

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Starking colour contrast of church vs the clear blue sky. [Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Montmartre. Paris]

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Church seen at a distance [Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Montmartre. Paris]

2005-10-07T19:39:00.000+08:00

The good... now the bad. After having lunch, strolled along a street full of sex shops which lead us to Moulin Rouge - guess it is only full-house during the evenings. [Moulin Rouge. Paris]

2005-10-07T19:36:00.000+08:00

... where it starts at Place de la Concorde, and ends at L'Arc de Triomphe, or the other way round. [L'Arc de Triomphe. Paris]

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Nice carvings as seen underneath the monument. [L'Arc de Triomphe. Paris]

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Champs Elysees actually starts from L'Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde. Shops of top labels, roadside cafes line up along the famous route. [Avenue des Champs Elysees. Paris]

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They have this nice Peugeot showroom in the avenue which featured one of their first models. [Peugeot showroom. Champs Elysees. Paris]

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... and a beetle-like concept car, Peugeot 4002, attracting all the attention it deserves. [Peugeot showroom. Champs Elysees. Paris]

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Le Tour Eiffel was a bit further off across the river. [Tour Eiffel. Paris]

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A closer shot. [Tour Eiffel. Paris]

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Looking at Tour Montparnasse at a distance. [Tour Eiffel. Paris]

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In the Metro subways, occasionally there are amateur singers demonstrating their talents or trying to earn a buck or two. [Metro. Paris]

2005-10-07T19:26:00.000+08:00

We couldn't resist going back to the Louvre again to take some night shots because it is so beautiful. [The Louvre. Paris]

2005-10-07T19:25:00.000+08:00

Returning to Champs Elysees at night, we had dinner at Leon du Bruxelles, belgian cuisine. Ate a full course which consisted of grilled cheese as appetizer, a pot full of moussels, french fries, ending with a creme brulee. Here's their website: http://www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr/. Recommended to one of my colleague as well. [Leon du Bruxelles. Paris]

2005-10-07T19:20:00.000+08:00

19 Sep 2005

Morning trip for us via TGV to... the Provence finally! [TGV. France]

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Enjoying sunrise while heading south. [TGV. Paris]

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This is the TGV that gave us a ride. [Marseille St Charles Station. Marseille]

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The place that made Marseille a famous port in history since 600BC. [Vieux Port. Marseille]

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Arriving Marseille [Marseille St Charles Station. Marseille]

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Me overlooking Marseille. [Vieux Port. Marseille]

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Nice mirror images of boats aligning the harbour. [Vieux Port. Marseille]

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Lunch with shrimp risotto. [Vieux Port. Marseille]

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After lunch, we drove around Marseille in our rented car and went to the highest point in Marseilles to visit the church and have the best view of Marseille. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

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You see... moussels again! Since Marseille is famous for seafood... [Vieux Port. Marseille]

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Mimicking the small sweet angel. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

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The interior is less elaborate than Notre Dame in Paris, but still the solemn religious atmosphere overwhelms the place. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

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"This wall bears marks for the liberation of Marseille." referring to World War II. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

2005-10-07T19:07:00.000+08:00

On the bridge overlooking the city. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

2005-10-07T19:05:00.000+08:00

Sweet angel guarding the city. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

2005-10-07T19:04:00.000+08:00

Vieux Port in full view - where all the boats are anchored. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

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After some light showers, the sky portrayed a glamorous blend of cloud, light and sea found in Renaissance paintings. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

2005-10-07T19:02:00.000+08:00

Beyond Marseille lies Iles du Frioul, a group of islands. The middle islands contains Chateau d'If, which was used as a detention center for political prisoners from 1634. It's most famous and romantic prisoner is the fictional inmate Edmond Dantes, the hero in Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo". [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

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To illustrate, the islands actually contain a quarantine port and a hospital, besides the chateau. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

2005-10-07T19:00:00.000+08:00

We drove to Aix-en-Provence at twilight hours. Stunning street view as we searched for a restaurant to fill our stomachs. [Aix-en-Provence]

2005-10-06T19:20:00.000+08:00

20 Sep 2005

Aix-en-Provence is famous for its university, and the fountains. Here's the first one we saw at a huge roundabout. [Place du General de Gaulle. Aix-en-Provence]

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Another one, looking like moss over a potato. [Aix-en-Provence]

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The Cezanne trail, leading to landmarks of Aix's famous artist. [Aix-en-Provence]

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We visited a marketplace just off Palais de Justice. [Aix-en-Provence]

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Selling lentils and beans...

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and spices...

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and snacks / appetizers like Spanish tapas...

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Not to mention the different types of olives...

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and cheese...

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and mushrooms...

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and tomatoes... the kind that we immediately want to take a bite.

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and sausages... which look like they are coated with mould (maybe preservatives)

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and different kinds of bread... but they do look sort of hard...

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and fruits... the William Rouge looked like a crossover between a pear and a Fiji apple...

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We passed the fountain with three dolphins on it.

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Cute dolphins...! [Aix-en-Provence]

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These were some really huge burges, fries and salad. [Aix-en-Provence]

2005-10-06T18:58:00.000+08:00

We were on N7 highway leaving Aix for Arles, an old town with long Roman history. [En route to Arles]

2005-10-06T18:57:00.000+08:00

Vast plains with houses here and there were a common sight in Provence. [En route to Arles]

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Even military jets...

2005-10-06T18:55:00.000+08:00

Along the way, there were interesting statues...

2005-10-06T18:54:00.000+08:00

Finally arriving at Arles. After entering its old city compound as defined by city walls, we immediately found our hotel. [Arles]

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Here's supposedly the old city entrance. [Arles]

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Having settled down, we took a stroll for 5 minutes, and the Amphitheatre already appeared before our eyes. What a small town! [Amphitheatre. Arles]

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The giant structure dated back 2,000 years ago where gladiators fought with the fiercest animals. [Amphitheatre. Arles]

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A typical Arles apartment. [Amphitheatre. Arles]

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Following an ancient trail from Amphitheatre to Place du Forum, where the bars and restaurants were. [Arles]

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An authentic window. Note: Vines attaching to windows is a popular sight here. [Arles]

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In the Place du Forum, here's the famous Van Gogh Cafe, well-known because Van Gogh supposedly frequented this cafe when he was staying in Arles, and that he produced the most work in this town during his stay. [Cafe Van Gogh. Arles]

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The Van Gogh painting associated with the cafe on display - fake one of course. [Cafe Van Gogh. Arles]

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Strolled along the River Rhone awaiting sunset. [La Rhone. Arles]

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"All directions" this sign was commonly seen in Provence, as if it really pointed to "some" direction at all. [La Rhone. Arles]

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Along the riverbank. [La Rhone. Arles]

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Another Van Gogh paintings referring to this river. [La Rhone. Arles]

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Some Roman structure we detected along the river. Actually these structures were everywhere. [La Rhone. Arles]

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Interesting lamp posts, making the whole walk more interesting. [La Rhone. Arles]

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Sunset over the river. [La Rhone. Arles]

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Another sunset view. Just love the contrast it projects on the photo. [La Rhone. Arles]

2005-10-06T18:34:00.000+08:00

Returning to the centre-ville, took some nice pictures of a chapel...

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... and hotel de ville.

2005-10-06T18:32:00.000+08:00

We didn't manage to try out Bouillabaisse in Marseilles, but we succeeded in Arles! A specialty in Provencal cuisine, it consisted of a heavy fish and seafood soup cooked with three types of fish, and on top we put a piece of crouton (stale baguette) which was spread with raw garlic juice and some cheese). The French emphasized it took a lot of hours to brew a true-blue bouillabaise. Here's a recipe I found in BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/bouillabaisse_6973.shtml [A Provencal restaurant near Roman Arena. Arles]

2005-10-06T18:31:00.000+08:00

Amphitheatre at night was impressive with the lights. [Amphitheatre. Arles]

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21 Sep 2005

Enjoying my morning coffee while studying the LonelyPlanet bible on France. [Arles]

2005-10-06T18:29:00.001+08:00

Avignon, guarded by a city wall all around, with many access points though. [Avignon]

2005-10-06T18:29:00.000+08:00

Off to Avignon. The French also had got roadworks in France... [Enroute to Avignon]