Several people have warned me about how bad the German train system is. When we arrived at 5.30pm to get our train from Paris to Berlin, the noticeboard said the train was delayed by an hour! Helene knew a nice cafe just outside Gare du Nord station. We went to it and had drinks. The … Continue reading / view photos Paris-Berlin night train
Musée d’Orsay
Musée d’Orsay is one of the best known museums in Paris and possibly the world. I wasn’t sure if I’d been there to see its impressionist collection on a previous visit to Paris. I looked at photos of the museum online and realised I hadn’t been there. All the timed slots were booked on the … Continue reading / view photos Musée d’Orsay
Belleville Park, National Library, and a concert
Having been to Paris about six times, I asked ChatGPT for some suggestions for quirky things to do in Paris when you’ve been before. One suggested place was Belleville Park, which I could walk to from my hotel. This morning, I set off early. There was a good chance the baguette de campagne hadn’t sold … Continue reading / view photos Belleville Park, National Library, and a concert
Notre-Dame Cathedral
After the early start yesterday to catch the Eurostar train, I had a lie-in. When I eventually left the hotel, I walked to a nearby bakery. I wanted to buy a baguette de campagne (“country bread”), which is a sort of sourdough bread. It was sold out. I settled for half a plain baguette. On … Continue reading / view photos Notre-Dame Cathedral
Art and fashion in Paris
Boarding Eurostar in London and getting off in Paris is still a minor miracle. And it takes only about 2½ hours, which is quicker than going to many parts of the UK by train. Getting off the train, we immediately felt the heat, which contrasted with a chilly spell in London. At Gare du Nord, … Continue reading / view photos Art and fashion in Paris
Cromford, Holmbridge and Buxton
Last year we went to Cromford in the Peak District. We liked it so much we decided to return to the area. This year we stayed further north, in Hombridge, just outside the Peak District. On the way to our accommodation, we popped into Cromford. We repeated our short walk along the canal before returning … Continue reading / view photos Cromford, Holmbridge and Buxton
Ludlow, Shropshire
On the return journey from Presteigne, we stopped in Ludlow, Shropshire. We had not been to Ludlow, despite it being close to Birmingham. The first thing you notice is the large church, St Laurance’s, which I initially thought was a cathedral. Only cities have cathedrals and Ludlow, it turned out, was not a city. Upon … Continue reading / view photos Ludlow, Shropshire
Sidney Nolan in Presteigne
Whilst looking for a place to stay near Wales, we found a beautiful cottage rented out by the Sidney Nolan Trust. We didn’t know who Sidney Nolan was but we learnt a lot whilst we stayed in the cottage. Sidney Nolan was a major Australian artist in the 20th century. He was, we learnt, most … Continue reading / view photos Sidney Nolan in Presteigne
Kew Gardens Orchid Festival
You used to be able to just turn up at Kew Gardens and expect to get into the annual Orchid Festival. This is no longer the case. Although free for members, the slots fill up quickly, especially over the weekend. So I booked this year. We arrived in good time. There was a large queue … Continue reading / view photos Kew Gardens Orchid Festival
Cromford — Peak District
One of the delights of the UK is that there are so many historical places to visit. I’ve been hiking in the Peak District National Park many times but I’ve never been to Cromford. It was almost by accident that three of us discovered Cromford. It’s a village in the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire. The … Continue reading / view photos Cromford — Peak District