To the cathedrals and churches of France

04.30.2013 by Trish // Leave a Comment

I am sure that you are all very impressive with your gothic towers, sumptuous knaves and altars, your tombs of saints and kings, your stained-glass windows, and your statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
It’s not that I have anything against you. A rainy day visit to Notre Dame in Paris is one I will always remember, and Sacre Coeur in Montmatre at dawn is particularly beautiful.

But you see I have just spent 6 weeks in Spain and I have seen an awful lot of cathedrals and churches. Every tourist guide to every place we visited has an impressive list of inglesias y catedrales you must visit. It is usually quite easy to find the cathedral, the gothic spires dominate the skyline; and like plazas in Spain, you only have to turn a corner to find a church. There is no disputing they range from quaint to impressive.

I totally fell in love with the fairy tale spires of Burgos Cathedral. One of the first stops for pilgrims on the El Camino Santiago de Compestella, the plaza in front of the cathedral has many cafes advertising the Pilgrim’s menu.

The stained glass windows in the Leon Cathedral are gorgoeous and I enjoyed watching the pilgrims, now over halfway on their pilgrimage to Sandiago de Compestella, striding across the plaza to the cathedral to get their passport stamped.

The shrine on the mountainside overlooking the village of Mijas is said to only be opened on Good Friday, and I climbed there twice only to find its heavy doors firmly closed both times. Nevertheless the views of the coast were spectacular.

In León we enjoyed sitting in the square in front of a church, watching the elderly Spanish men and women sitting and chatting for a while before going to evening mass. This church is also home to a pair of storks who have built their huge nest on the belfry.

Although I do not attend church I enjoyed the peace and calm of sitting inside each one I visited, often lighting a candle to keep my loved ones safe while I am away.

Lots of churches, lots of memories……lots of photos

But to be honest, I am quite over visiting houses of worship of any shape, size or religion.

So to the churches and cathedrals of France I apologize if I don’t put you at the top of the list of Must See While I’m in France. Please don’t take it personally.

Things you need to know about Spain – Siesta

04.29.2013 by Trish // Leave a Comment

Siesta? It’s not a myth. Many shops and cafes close after lunch and open again late afternoon. In smaller towns in particular there appears to be no rhyme nor reason to opening and closing times, so my advice is, if you see something you want, buy it. Even if you have to carry it around all day…..you may never see the shop open again!

No popping out for an onion and some carrots in the afternoon!

Siesta in Cambrils, not a soul in sight... — Siesta in Cambrils, not a soul in sight…

I wanted an excuse to use this photo of a gorgeous shop window in León - if you look in the reflection you can see the closed shutters! — I wanted an excuse to use this photo of a gorgeous shop window in León – if you look in the reflection you can see the closed shutters!

It is a good idea to learn how to ask the following questions in Spanish

What time do you open?
¿A qué hora está abierto?

What time do you close?
¿A qué hora cierran?
(It’s also good to learn the numbers, but you can get by using fingers.)

Apart from “Dos vasos de vino tinto de la casa por favor”, they were my most commonly used phrases

A snack, a sip and a snooze, I have to admit there is a lot of merit in siesta!

ANZAC Day 25th April 2013

04.25.2013 by Trish // Leave a Comment

At midnight last night I was tucked up in my bed in a hotel on a mountain top overlooking the sea in Spain.
It would have been 6:00am in WA, and in Geraldton people would have been gathering at Birdwood House for the Anzac Day dawn service. I can see the picture in my mind, the parade of servicemen and women and family members marching solemnly down Chapman Rd, the Guides and Scouts guarding the memorial, the elderly men and women with their own memories of the two world wars, increasingly frail but still determined to honour their memories, middle-aged folks like me who remember the Vietnam war, younger members of the crowd to whom our involvement in the Middle East and Afghanistan has more meaning, young families with their babies and toddlers rugged up against the morning chill. How wonderful that these young children will grow up honouring the ANZAC tradition. So many different people with different memories but all there with common purpose of remembering the men and women who served our wonderful country through the years, and our brave troops still overseas now.
There is no ANZAC day service here in Spain for me to pay my respects. But as I sit in the garden overlooking the Pyrenees, enjoying my coffee, I reflect on the men and women over the years who have kept Australia safe and free and who have enabled me to live the very lucky life I have lived.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Lest we forget

Things you need to know about Spain – Going places

04.18.2013 by Trish // Leave a Comment

If you are driving in France or Spain, get a GPS gadget. We have Thomasina, our trusty TomTom, and couldn’t do without her. We might still be driving around Charles de Gaulle airport if we didn’t have her!

"After 60 metres you have reached your destination" — “After 60 metres you have reached your destination”

Roundabouts are tricky in Spain. If you want to turn left on a roundabout you need to go all the way around the roundabout. Do not tell the driver to go right around the roundabout, it confuses him and things get tense.
Many roundabouts have lots of roads coming in and out of them because of the large numbers of one way streets. When Thomasina tells you take the third exit, does she mean exit or street? Because a road that is coming one way into a roundabout is not technically an exit. If you think it is confusing reading this, try driving it!

Give way to your left……to your left dear…..GIVE WAY TO YOUR LEFT!!

Whoever is in charge of roads in Spain obviously doesn’t have much faith in drivers’ ability to know what side of the road they should be driving, love these cute signs painted on the road

The relationship between tourist maps of towns and cities, where streets are, and where they go, bears little resemblance to reality. This applies to walking and driving. Do not expect to read the map before you set off and actually get there in a reasonable amount of time. You will get lost at least once a day. This can cause great angst to the guardian of the map.

I think this is the way we go....... — I think this is the way we go…….

Thomasina does not recognize bollards across streets and insists on sending you down said streets.

Many streets are paved and narrow and look like a pavement,

This is a street, not a pavement with little posts for resting on the way home

street names are on the side of buildings, not conveniently marked on a sign post, so it can be very difficult to work out where the bloody hell you are (or words to that effect!)

Calle Las Cercas - Fences Street — Calle Las Cercas – Fences Street

If at all possible, check things out before driving in large towns. Otherwise park when you get there and don’t get back into the car until it is time to leave. Walking gives you an excuse for patatas bravas and a bucket of beer.