An SOS of sorts

Save our Souls? Nah, more like Shaping our Sojourn! We are using these few days in Southampton to take a pause in our sightseeing and re-gather our energies. We are also planning the next leg of our journey as we are now entering the tourist high season in Europe and will have to book our accommodation ahead for a while.

The apartment is wonderful - Michael was able to sit up very late and chat with Judith and Gordon back home on Skype while I hit the land of nodzzzzzz! I can sleep anywhere, most times, but at least this time, he did not feel the need to turn the sound on the TV or the computer down!

And the SOS bit? Well, the RMS Titanic set out her ill-fated maiden voyage from Southampton before picking up more passengers in Cherbourg (France) and Cobh (then known as Queenstown, Ireland). There were 943 passengers who joined in Southampton. Our apartment in the South Western Hotel building is certainly befitting of the calibre of first class passengers - many of whom may have stayed right in this building. Last night the horns of another ship belted out to sea in two repeats of three looong hoots before it sailed out around 10 pm.
We look out of one of the bedroom windows right down the docks where there is a liner berthed taking on its passengers for another voyage. It is the Queen Mary II! She sailed out this afternoon to two shorter toots from her horn. Rather dignified old boy.
And guess what? Tomorrow the Norwegian Jade sails out of Southampton - we saw her before in dock in Madrid when we did a harbour cruise!!! Cool, very cool!!!

Today is very lazy , although we have planned a route through to the end of the month through France and made accommodation bookings most of the way.
We thought that you might like to see some photos of this amazing building, so here they are.

Tonight we throw caution to the wind and go to the movies to see The Hangover. This is a spoof all around a buck's night in Las Vegas. Quite hilarious but stupid! James would just love it (does that tell you what it was like?!)

Liverpool MkII

Hooray. Hurrah!
We are now the proud owners of a TomTom GO 730 - 31 countries - UK and Ireland, Western Europe and Eastern Europe.
As I sit here typing, it sits proudly beside me plugged into the PC receiving its first full charge.
When we set the defaults it does not present me with the option for 'home' in Australia, so Bracknell it is for the moment!

And although I will still use Earth Google to get an advance of our route wherever I can, and we can still use our beloved Atlas to navigate across the countries, this will no doubt come in very handy for finding our way to specific addresses - especially in the capital or large cities (on reflection I wish we had had it for Madrid!)

Very quiet day - Michael took a stroll to an ATM cos we had almost no sterling currency. He washed, I slept.

We are appalled that many intersections here do not have any pedestrian crossing facilities - even really major ones. We were waiting to turn right at this intersection (twice) and saw about 15 people take their lives into their hands to get across.

Tonight we went down to the local Cinema to see Angels and Demons. Again, we got lost en-route - thanks to the road being blocked and the diversion running into a massive industrial estate. Backtracked (twice) and we eventually found it. As soon as we had got our tickets for the 8 pm show (although we had left the apartment intending to go to the 6:15 pm show) we went into Currys, an electrical and electronics store where we picked up our latest 'baby' for £269. We could have bought cheaper versions, but this one has all the European countries loaded - so for the time being we will not need to purchase any add-ons.

Then it was across the road to Frankie & Benny's. Predictable but great food and we knew we could be through in the hour we had before the movie started. We started with a Mozzarella Cheese Garlic Pizza followed by:
Finest strip sirloin steak (served with a whole oven baked tomato, flat mushroom, spicy onion rings, coleslaw and herb potatoes) Michael. This was ordered rare as they "will not cook it blue" but luckily was delivered to the table very blue indeed!
New York Chicken (grilled fresh chicken breast topped with crispy bacon and Monterey Jack cheese, smothered in our famous BBQ sauce. Served with spicy onion rings, corn on the cob and herb potatoes) Maria

We also caught up by phone with Mick's sister Muriel who has invited us for dinner tomorrow night with them in Stoke-on-Trent, only an hour from Liverpool. We shall be able to put Tom (or Kate as the voice is named) to the test for the first time.

So then it was off to the movies. Angels and Demons was written before, and is the prequel to, The Da Vinci Code. We saw an interview with Ron Howard (director) and Tom Hanks on TV the other day where they talked about some of the challenges they had because they get no support from the Vatican for these movies. It was a little disappointing after the Da Vinci Code and at one point Michael even fell asleep (hmm, like mother, like son!!). But even though it did not quite have the bang of the Da Vinci Code, the Angels and Demons story is still thought provoking and the movie keeps the plot moving along. Funny though, I did pick up on one statement where I don't agree the church does enough. The head of the Swiss Guards challenges Prof. Robert Langdon (Hanks' character) with "My church ... feeds the poor. What does yours do?" Hmmm - shall we start a discussion on that note? Maybe we had better not!

Back to the unit without event. At least we could have plugged in Kate if we needed to!

It's elementary !

Although these words so famously attributed to that erstwhile character Sherlock Holmes were never actually written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (but were introduced in the movie 'Pursuit to Algiers' with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce), they nevertheless bring the character straight to mind!

After a few days of relaxing, doing the car 'stuff' and trying to get the camera repaired, doing long yearned for home cooking with loads and loads of veges, this morning we coated up and set forth into the big smoke! Well, OK, the bigger smoke - the City proper.

We were meeting my brother Michael (who is visiting London from the US) for lunch at the Sherlock Holmes Pub which had been approved by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and who gave a number of items to their museum display. We made a booking as their website suggested and drooled over their menu even before we got there (veges with everything!).

It is wonderfully easy to travel around London thanks to the very efficient metro and overground rail system. At Stratford, we have the choice of two lines into the City with 8 stops to the centre. Today, we alight initially at Tottenham Court Road and changed for Charing Cross and then walked down Craven Passage to our rendezvous on Northumberland Street.

We arrive just before 12 to find Michael pacing around a red London postbox, unaware that we had arrived. As we are a little early for the restaurant, we take a seat in the bar downstairs where Michael and I enjoy a very refreshing Traditional Lemonade (with ginger and herb extracts) over ice and Michael has an ale.

We were offered our choice of tables as the first ones in, and so gleefully sat directly outside the study recreated behind a wall of glass. The decor of the whole pub is a shrine to the character and his exploits and in the bar downstairs, they play the old black and white movies.

There is enough choice to keep the fussiest of eaters pleased! If you click on the link above you can see the menu. And the delightful Barbara from northern Austria (near Salzberg where we will head one day in this year) waited upon us so beautifully, verbally trading jokes with the two Michael's' with ease! She even managed to get us some information on the history of the building and a small version of the menu. Of course, out came the card and an invitation to visit us back in Queensland - which she assures us she will take up in a couple of years - "don't expect me to call", she said, "I'll just turn up with a bottle or three of wine!" Hey Barbara - bring it on!!!

So, what were our choices? All are named for either Sherlock Holmes' stories. Well, some might seem foregone!
Entrees
Abbey Grange (Homemade bubble and squeak with a salad garnish) Michael and Maria
A Case of Identity (Chicken Liver pate served with a salad garnish and buttered toast) brother Michael who joked with Barbara that it was because he wasn't sure yet who he was!
Mains
Mycroft's Favourite (Tender lamb shank with a hint of mint, served on a bed of mash potatoes and seasonal vegetables) for the two Michael's
The Noble Bachelor (Medallions of chicken breast with scallion, carrot, sage and onion stuffing and a creamy mushroom sauce, served with fresh vegetables and scalloped potatoes) Maria
Dessert
Spotted Dick with Custard (what else!) Michael
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Ice Cream - Maria
Apple Pie with custard, custard and ice cream Michael (brother) - and no, its not a typo!

After lunch, we walked with Michael to Leister Square Station (on the Piccadilly line) via Trafalgar Square and the Church of St Martin in the Fields where an orchestral ensemble were ready to practice for a Mozart Concert tonight. This is the parish church of the Royal Family and their crest is set in the ceiling above the large leadlight window in an unusual stylised cross shape.

We parted company at the platforms - Michael heading off to the north and us to the south for Knightsbridge station and H A R R O D S. I just had to show Michael the food hall with its ornate tiled ceilings and showcases filled with delicacies from home and abroad - and not one of them bargain basement. They have further developed their food halls since my 2006 visit and there is now a Tapas Bar as well as a Dim Sum and Sushi Bar. At 3pm on a the last winter Saturday all were full as were the Oyster Bar, the Caviar Bar, the Pizza Bar and the Coffee Bar! Altogether it was extremely busy with jostling and elbowing all round. To be honest, we couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Round the block battling the anti-fur protestors who position themselves outside Harrods regularly, and back into the tube and off to Baker Street. I mean, on the day we dined with the spirit of Sherlock, how could we not go over to 221b Baker Street - the fictional (though real) address of the detective that has been purchased by the Sherlock Holmes Society and made into a museum and souvenir outlet.

"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?" - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes: 'The Sign of Four')

To enter the museum, is to enter the world of Arthur Conan Doyle. Entry is by way of a souvenir and gift shop, and where the museum tickets are purchased. The Sherlock Holmes Society has endeavoured to maintain an Victorian atmosphere within the complex. In fact, society members are dressed in period costume, from a Commissionaire to housemaids who are actually performing cleaning duties!

The gift shop has an array of the usual memorabilia, which includes cups, plates, Deerstalker caps, curios and even Meerschaum pipes and Sherlock Holmes pipe tobacco! The shop is a curiosity in itself, and any visitor could be excused for spending as much time here as in the museum.

Ah, the museum... It is apparent, the Society has taken great care in attending to details and accuracy in designing the fictional address 221b Baker Street London NW1, as described by Doyle and the line drawings provided by Sidney Paget. The museum occupies a three storey Georgian dwelling, in Baker Street with each storey dedicated to some aspect of the Sherlock Holmes adventures. To put a finer point on the address; when Doyle invented the character 'Sherlock Holmes', the street numbers in the real Baker Street only went as high as 100. Where the museum is located, was originally gazetted as "Upper Baker Street" which Doyle used initially. However, he invented the street number '221b' purely to add credibilty to his characters' growing popularity.

One enters the museum by a dimly lit hallway leading to a flight of stairs, which takes the visitor to Holmes' sitting room and bedroom. Eerily mirroring Sidney Paget's drawings, one gets the feeling of a habitation occupied by an historical figure - right down to Dr John H Watson's desk, the tobacco slipper hanging from the mantelpiece and the initials of "VR" shot into one wall, by Holmes during an episode of boredom!

Taking the stairs to the second level, one enters the rooms of Watson and the ever suffering landlady, Mrs Hudson. Although, Doyle had never described the habitation of either of these two characters, credit must be given to the Society for providing Watson and Hudson substance based upon their descriptions gleaned from Doyle's' stories.

The third storey presents a montage of the sleuth's best known adventures. This montage consists of mannequins dressed in period costume and set in the pose of a particular situation. I suppose it is a game of testing ones knowledge of Sherlock Holmes.

'Silver Blaze', 'The Copper Beeches', 'Gloria Scott', 'The Man with the Twisted Lip', 'Abbey Grange', 'A Scandal in Bohemia'... just to name a few.

However, as in the 'Final Problem', the last exhibit is meeting Holmes' nemesis, Professor James Moriarty the architect of many of the crimes perpetrated within London.

And then we finish the day with a train trip back to Stratford and over to the local movie house to a movie - the only one showing for an hour and a half was The Unborn. A thriller / horror - if you have not yet seen it, don't bother - a few good jumps for Michael but overall very predictable and yawnworthy - absolutely nothing like a good Holmes mystery !

Théâtres Romains de Fourvière, Lyon

"Ad augusta per angusta." (To high places by narrow roads) - Horace

One truly has to admire the richness of European history; and France is no exception. Where ever I have observed, or explored, there are constant reminders of Roman influence. Whether you admire, despise or have no particular interest in Roman civilisation/expansionism, one has to agree they certainly had style - however eclectic.

Lyon, France is no exception when it comes to absorbing the chronological legacy of the Roman juggernaut which has been permitted to survive.

I cannot describe my initial reaction upon seeing the Antique theatre of Fourvière, Lyon for the first time. I must stress, this is my first contact with any Roman-Greco artefact in situ, other than what I have studied throughout the past decades. Albeit, I was left literally (excuse the pun) speechless!

However, for the benefit of those purists in 'Blogland' I shall add, the Roman theatre (structure) was a direct influence from Hellenistic Greece.

Under the watchful eye of the Fourvière Basilica, this living time capsule returns its stony glare, to remind its descendants of its own greatness. Bunkum?... maybe!

Upon entering the site, the vista before you is one of expanse. The Roman patrons (only those sitting in the dress circle) would have had a stupendous view of Lugdunum (the first name for Lyon given by the Romans) whist watching and listening to those plays by Lucian, Plautus, Novius in the Lyrium (large amphitheatre) or music/singing within the Odeon (small amphitheatre).

You just have to sit, with closed eyes, and indulge in your imagination. Faintly you hear the whisperings; shouts; jeers; heckling, mixed with the onomatopoeic sounds of footfalls. The bartering from the snack-bar in the back area of the theatre, mixed with requests shouted by impatient patrons immersed in their hot baths. Then, a hushed silence, as the acoustics of this masterful Greek design commanded attentiveness. The ingenuity of Roman engineering and design is no less lauded than here at Fourvière.

The amphitheatres are Hellenic; however the infrastructure of adjoining streets, sewerage systems and the incorporation of the flushing and distribution of water via the aqua/viaduct system is very Roman and mind boggling.

The hilled area was not only a theatrical precinct; it was part of the major settlement of Lugdunum, which cascaded towards and across the Saône River into the area of modern Bellecour, Lyon. The view from Bellecour towards Fourvière would have been most impressive, indeed.

The chronology of the site was provided by a myriad of plinths, column segments, stele, epitaphs and announcements in marble. These examples were placed in cordoned areas, and visible to the visitor. There was even a partial pronouncement regarding Caesar Septimus.

This assumption was impressed upon me as I ambled - no, scurried - through the worn flag stoned streets and peering into every nook and cranny! As I hoisted my way towards the summit of the precinct, my effort was rewarded by a magical panorama. As I suggested, the Romans knew how to build with style. However, dear reader, I was yet to once again 'gob-smacked....

When I had reached the summit, (defined by the street where patrons gained entry into the Lyrium) further advancement was prevented by a high fence erected by the museum. This fence separated the existing ruins from what appeared to be excavations taking place. Beyond this boundary lay foundations of additional buildings and exposed underground passages. These passages appear to have been thoroughfares for patrons, to gain access to the amphitheatres from other locations.

Throughout the site lay evidence of exposed viaducts linked as an overall and intricate water conveyance. There was even a water sluice for the dunny, which was indication that both genders had to sit for number 1's!

Folks, I could have spent days here... and I don't know what I am going to do when we arrive at Antalya in Turkey?

I will add one observation, in that it is such a relief to enter museums without having to 'assume the position', bag inspections and the ubiquitous sentinels as in the States!

The museum at Fourvière, (regrettably, photography was not permitted,) was as fascinating and as engrossing as the precinct. Again, time was at a premium so it was absorbing as much as I could in a glance. Immediately, you are made aware of Rome's dedication to expanding the Empire - SPQR - SENATUS POPULESQUE ROMANUS (Senate People Rome).

There were examples of daily life in the form of utensils, funerary artefacts, mosaics and statuary. Architectural styles were also represented in many forms, from the informal to the grotesque; not too dissimilar with modern day interpretations? The floor mosaics, when recovered, conserved and consolidated, are an impressive indictment to Roman life... if one had it to flaunt it! There was even one we could walk over - imagine that - walking the floors that had been trod for thousands of years!

Abundant in the examples of sculpture: Classical and Hellenistic. This is not restricted to the human figure only, also towards sarcophagi and proclamations, such as Bachian and Sapphic celebrations.

I could go on; however, here endeth the lesson. See you in Marseilles!

As a special treat, please take the time to have a look at this video footage - fresh from the old ruins in Lyon! Sorry folks - at 98.5 MB this is too large to add so you will have to wait until I learn how to edit it! Anyone with suggestions, please email me!!