Author: awaywiththebirds
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Merhaba, nasılsın?
June 27-28: Istanbul Travel day today….Charles de Gaulle airport is very difficult to navigate and un-airconditioned. Istanbul’s airport is SO large, I almost did a Sunday walk to get from the plane to the exit. Traffic chaos in Istanbul, so didn’t get to the hotel until 9 pm. One of the things you see everywhere…
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Comment allez-vous?
June 26: the Normandy beaches Warren, you may think the coat of arms are lions not leopards ..their manes would indicate this. However there is a subtlety in heraldic terminology used to describe coats of arms. When the feline is shown entirely in profile, it is called a “lion”, but when its head faces forward,…
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Comment allez-vous?
June 25: Caen You know how February 14, 1966 is seared into your brain as the date when decimal currency began in Australia. Well, I bet 1066 is another such date, but you can’t quite remember why (after all, those school history lessons were decades ago). Let me help you out…. In 1066, William, then…
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Comment allez-vous?
June 24: Rouen Rouen is the capital of Normandy and lies along the river Seine about 125 km from Paris. It has a population of around 120,000 and was a major textile area in the past. It’s often called the city of a hundred spires, because of its dense concentration of historic buildings and churches . Rouen’s history stretches…
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Comment allez-vous?
June 23: La Roche Guyon to Vernon, and then Rouen Sammy, the ship is air conditioned as are the coaches we take to places. However, by the time I have been outside for an hour or two, I am like a wet rag….all part of the experience. Today was cooler than yesterday at 37 deg,…
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Comment allez-vous?
June 22: From Mantes-La-Jolie to La Roche Guyon Today sees the temperature reach 41 degrees, the highest ever recorded in France, apparently. Our first visit was to a bee farm, after a stroll through the narrow streets of Mantes-la-Jolie. This little village has a distinctive Gothic collegiate church of Notre Dame, which is referred to…
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Jak się masz dzisiaj? and Comment allez-vous
June 20-21: Bye bye Poland, hello France Flew from Krakow to Paris on Easyjet (note to self: Easyjet is miles better than RyanAir), and then taxi to the Port de Javel Bas to join AmaDante river cruise. The cruise ship is located within site of the Eiffel Tower. It’s a relatively old ship (2008) but…
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Jak się masz dzisiaj?
June 19: Tatra National Park Left Slovakia and crossed the border to Poland…. There’s a nice story about Pope John Paul II, linking him to an iconic Polish treat, napoleonka. This layered puff pastry is filled with whipped cream, creamy buttercream and vanilla pastry cream. It’s usually sprinkled with powdered sugar and sometimes decorated with…
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Jak się masz dzisiaj?
June 18: High Tatra mountains Today we hiked in the High Tatra mountains, about 10 kms with a couple of ascents and descents.We walked through the stunning alpine landscape of the High Tatras, walking past snow-fed streams and up to Popradske Lake. There were a number of options for walking back from the lake, and…
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Jak się masz dzisiaj?
June 17: Around Grand Hotel Kempinski For those who asked, there are 20 in our group and 17 of them are Americans. So we have to mind our Ps and Qs. Have talked to one rapid anti Trumper so far! Today I gave my knees a well deserved rest and didn’t join today’s walk, which…