Fred's zoom lens hard at work as we sailed up the European coast of Istanbul and back down the Asian coast. A vast, sprawling city heaving with people. Loved the perspective of the city from the sea.
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| Istanbul from the Bosphorus Strait |
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| Majesty of the Hagia Sophia |
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| Galata Tower |
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| Detail of the vast Dolmabahce Palace |
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| Maiden Tower off the Asian coast of the Strait |
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| The Blue Mosque from the Bosphorus Strait |
The At Meydani Park reveals the fascinating blend of the history of Istanbul reflected in the Egyptian Obelisk, the Delphi Serpent Column and the minarets of the mosques. A history that spans many centuries, from Roman Emperors to Ottoman Sultans to modern day Turkey. A history of religions that have shaped this city.
As I sit Fred talks about the history in detail, I sort of listen but mostly I am just observing the ebb and flow around me.
What a surprising tourist attraction. This huge, palace-like underground hall, supported by 336 columns in 12 rows is a marvel! The cistern stored 100 000 tonnes of water for the Byzantine emperors. Istanbul, surrounded by sea wherever you look, is fresh water poor.
And like all good tourist attractions the intriguing Medusa stones at the base of two columns, one Medusa upside down and the other on her side, made a focal point that is fascinating and rather quirky.
The sculptures that 'float' in the water are quite beautiful. Having seen the jellyfish of the Bosporous, these blown glass and scrap metal sculptures were my favourite.
And I feel like we have landed, the call to prayer ringing out across the Sultanahmet Square, the late afternoon light on the Aya Sofya, carpet sales hustlers, street food vendors with corn on the cob, roasted chestnuts, and of course the ring-shaped Turkish bagels called simits, which are on the menu for tomorrow.
"Winter is not a season, it's a celebration" -Anamika Mishra
"We have made it to the end of the year. The colder weather reminds us that we are in the winter season. You need no better reason to curl up with a book, a blanket, and a warm beverage. This is the season of celebrating holidays, family, friends and sharing gifts."
When I was thinking of a title for our winter trip to the USA, this piece by Anamika Mishra resonated. I find winter quite magical and there is something rather subversive about sneaking away from summer here at home and venturing into the Northern Hemisphere winter for three months.
It's been a year since we spent time with our little family in France, swimming, exploring, finding the best ice-cream, shopping at the French markets and exploring Paris, and of course the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
So how about walking the littley's to school, reading books with James and Kirstie; a ghoulish Halloween evening; an NFL game; an Ice-Hockey game; a ballet for Xmas; a road trip into Utah; Thanksgiving in the Rockies; trendy Bend, Oregon for a week; Shawni turning 40; Xmas lights in Seattle; Christmas morning with our grandchildren; discovering the coffee culture of Seattle; exploring a new city; a revisit to the Pike Place Market; a harbour cruise; bracing walks and hikes; knitting, reading and keeping cosy; searching for owls to add to my bird list; a visit to the majestic Mount Rainier; and just easing into family life...
It is a celebration indeed.
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| Des Cheveux and des Poils, Paris, summer 2023. |
Hair and Hairs, or Des Cheveux and des Poils, was Nikki and my choice for an exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris when we visited in August. It felt so right, Nikki is a stylist and loves all things hair. The exhibition looked at the long history and trends of hairstyles, facial and body hair as well as celebrating the relationship between art, fashion and hair over the centuries.
It was completely absorbing, just a little bit quirky and at times totally wierd too.
Here I am back in Eindhoven, nine weeks since we were in Paris, at Nikki's studio in the trendy Plan B complex focusing on my hair which has taken a beating over the last three months. A gentle wash and conditioning, a little mousse and wax, and a lot pampering by Niks.
It got me recalling the exhibition and remembering how much fun we had! Thanks Niks for good days.
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| Having a good hair day! #hairbynikolakersten |
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| A fitting image to round off our RWC road trip in France |
It's been a while since I have felt completely joyful in a city and today I fell in love with Lille. And no one is more surprised than me either. It started with this "Colonne de la Deesse" statue on the Place du General-de-Gaulle holding a massive rugby ball which made us smile and appreciate a city with both attitude and a sense of humour.
What a fitting image to close off our road trip to France for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
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| The Old Stock Exchange, old city of Lille from the mid-1600's |
The old town is beautifully restored, and its prosperous past is reflected now in a fabulous rambling shopping precinct and its a foodie heaven too. We admired the chocolate Halloween masterpieces, behaved like the youngsters and queued for frites, browsed jewellery stores for the right colour earrings and bought a delicious brioche for morning coffee.
It's school holidays here and the city was bustling and I found the crowds were energising as we happily walked the cobbled pedestrian streets of Vieux Lille for hours.
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| The bustle of the Vieux-Lille. |
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| Signature red brick buildings of Lille with gold embellishment |
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| Le Vieux Bassin, Honfleur |
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| Love the colours and the black and white so lets have both! |
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| Entrecote and frites, Normandy style! |
Our visit to Honfleur today for lunch was an easy choice of galettes for Sally and me. Fred, however, was almost hesitant about ordering steak and chips in case it tarnished his special memory. The photo says it all, the meat barely fitting on the huge oval platter, chips and even salad.
My delicious galette - rebluchon cheese, potatoes, onions, grilled courgettes...
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| Sally and Sharon - still smiling. |
Sally and I met in France in 1986. And as is so often the case we meet the right people at the right time in life and so it was with John and Sally. I remember Sally being bemused by the my 'lostness', with our two babies under 18 month, barely speaking any French and they both helped us navigate the foreignness of having left South Africa for Fred to have a work experience in Paris.
It was a special connection for me and over the decades we have travelled back to France to visit and they also came over to South Africa. Here we are again in Normandy and reconnecting, so much has changed for all of us but its a quiet pleasure to sit at Sally's table, to have her cook for me again, to natter, to recall, to update and to stroll arm in arm through the streets of Honfleur.
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| The lava cone looming large over the landscape |
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| Train ride up the Puy - so touristy and so much fun. |
Our target to experience the Chaine des Puy of the Massif Central and specially to take the panoramic train up the Puy de Dome. The entire region contains hundreds of extinct volcanoes and the Puy de Dome (1465m) is a lava cone that dominates the landscape around Clermont-Ferrand.
And of course the fascination was this year's Tour de France where we were amazed to see the cyclists going up this fierce climb with the train alongside them brightly decorated to celebrate le Tour.
And we loved the train - certainly a whole lot easier than walking up. The weather at the summit was as fierce as the climb would be, gale force winds, moody dark skies and eventually the mist rolled in and it rained.
Luckily we braved it all and were able to take in the vastness of this plain of about 80 volcanic before we headed indoors watching the mist swirl around the roman ruins - the quiche and French fries were soo good!
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| Original Roman carving and reconstruction on site |
Reconstruction of the temple is underway, the scale would have been vast, I am in awe of the workmanship and the effort it would have taken. Fred was impressed with the little museum on the summit as he is endlessly fascinated with Roman history.
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| Even in the wild weather, still a real spectacle to see the chain of volcanoes |
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| Panorama of the Ravins de Corboeuf |
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| 2014, Death Valley and the searing heat of its iconic Badlands. |
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| Colour detail. |
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| Beautiful eroded forms |
