Smyths in Europe

Wednesday September 14th

We had an early start in order to get to the Eiffel Tower reasonably early to try and avoid the queues. We essentially achieved this and didn't have to wait too long. The view from the top is certainly worth the effort. After that...it was nearly midday we went for a walk along the Champes Ellysees and then in the afternoon went to see the area around the opera house - in particular the shopping areas - not that we bought very much....most things were a bit out of our league.

At the top of the tower

Part of the view from the top

Night View

Thursday September 15th

An even earlier start so that we could get out to the golf. It was a little way out of Paris and although we thought we were beginning to understand the Paris rail system, we actually found out about another system today...fortunately we had a bit of spare time.

It was a really great day - wandering around watching some of the top world players. We even got a little sunburnt today!! It was a great day but fairly tiring and we were glad to get home to have a chance to put our feet up. Now have to pack for the last time.

The Seve Viendi Golf

So from the Smyth's....au revoir as they say over here. Thanks for taking the time to read our blog. Hopefully we will be able to either bore or enthrall you with our photos at a later date.
!

Paris – a place to see

Sunday 11th September

Off to a reasonably early start to catch the train to Paris. The train travels at a fair speed and was reasonably comfortable. The actual chunnel bit only takes 20mins and it is really just like going through the underground except when you come out the other side you have changed countries. That was the easy bit. Arriving at a busy station where they don’t speak the same language can be a bit daunting. I had done all the homework but the chaos was still there. Eventually found the right way to go and bought tickets. Had to change trains at one spot but finally found our way to the exit station. Fortunately I had also mapped out where we had to go once we got out of the underground. We pulled our cases along as usual and all was going well until we realised the French numbering system for streets is different to ours. We were walking on the correct side of the street, watching the numbers on the other side…..problem was that one side was 200 and the other side was 300. Eventually found our apartment and dragged our cases up 3 ½ flights of stairs and collapsed.

We were so excited by the train system, that we decided to try them again so we could go and pick up our Paris pass. Second time round was much easier!

Had an early night because mot of the TV channels are in French!!

Monday 12th September

We started the day with culture by going to the Louvre – along with thousands of other people. Saw Mona, and 1000’s of other paintings and sculptures. Certainly a huge (very huge) place. We then got on hop on hop off bus and went to the Arc de Triomphe. Shirley doesn’t like steps but once we started she had to keep going as the traffic is one way only. She counted over 260 steps but certainly getting to the top is worth the effort with great views. It was actually starting to sprinkle and so we came down again, had some lunch and then headed off again on the bus. Next stop was Notre Dame – we have seen lots of churches since we have been away, but they all have their unique bits about them and this one is no different. Then got on the bus again and completed the circuit and then came back to the flat for a short break. Then off again to go on a cruise along the Seine and then felt very energetic (at the start anyway) and walked back from the Eiffel Tower….had tea at about 9.30pm.

Tuesday 13th September

Today we went to the Palace of Versaille. Now this is a place to behold. Only trouble was there were 10000 other people beholding it at the same time as us!! None the less it was really worth seeing it. The opulence around the time of King Loius XIV is amazing and it is not hard to understand why there was a revolution. The palace and the gardens are just amazing.

Then came back and came back and went to the tomb of Napoleon which is in another huge building – he never did things by halves. Then off to the Grevin Wax Museum which was very interesting and well laid out. Then did a little shopping and came back to the flat. We were going to go out again but exhaustion said we would take it easy.

Tomorrow is Eiffel Tower, Thursday is golf and then we start the trip home. Has gone quickly and has been really enjoyable but there is never really any place like home…may get one more blog before we get back.

London Continues

Wednesday 7th September

After the excitement of Tuesday and the late night, we had a bit of a leisurely start to Wednesday. While in Belfast, we were looking for a book relating to family history stuff but they told us the only copy was in the London Library. So first stop on Wednesday was the library….that was the easy bit. Reading a book at the library, especially if it is old, is like getting into Fort Knox. After much to do…we finally found that the book was offsite and it would take two days to get it onsite and only one person is allowed to read the book….can both look at it, so they know that if it is damaged, then they can more easily point the finger!! So hopefully when we go back on Saturday, I might be able to read the book. After all that excitement, we wandered around Covent Gardens before going to “The Lion King” which was really well done, amazing scenery, costumes and effects. Then we continued on to our third Prom, which was OK but not as good as the first two – a lot more modern and a bit less musical.

Thursday 8th September

Today we had to unfortunately change our B & B….didn’t have to go very far and our first host offered to drive us which was very kind of her. So once we arrived there, we made our way into London proper and when to the Winston Churchill War Rooms….an amazing place – easily spend many hours there especially if history was ones interest. They have a café conveniently located half way round…shows how long it takes to get around! Then we wandered around and had a look at Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and the Westminster Abbey….but they wanted a fortune to go inside that, so decided that we had seen plenty of churches in Rome and so could pass on it. We then came back to our new B&B for an hour or so to put our feet up before we head out again to go to the Mousetrap….has been running for 59 years… the original cast have probably all retired or died by now.

As it turned out we saw the 24400+ performance of the show – was really good live play….worth seeing.

Friday 9th September

Today we went to Wimbledon to do a tour of the grounds and go through the museum. It took us nearly 2 hours to get there but it was worth the effort. Was great to be able to see the place so that when Wimbledon is next on we will be able to appreciate the layout of the place. Had a really good guide. The tour took 90minutes and then you get to go through the museum which takes another hour or so. It was a great day out. At night we took it easy and didn’t go anywhere – just watched TV.

Saturday 10th September

Our last day in London. We started off by going back to the library where I spent over an hour looking through this 1874 book – it was over 600 pages and there was no index so it made for fun – wasn’t able to find too much of interest – win some, lose some – this was definitely the latter. After that we walked a short distance to the London Museum – said to be the most popular tourist destination in London. Possibly part of the reason is that it is FREE – uncommon for London! However, it is certainly an amazing place….as they turned out there was an Australian display that was being featured at present – we learnt quite a lot. We were there for quite a few hours and really only touched the surface – I am sure you could spend days there. Tonight we are watching the final night of the Proms, live on TV, unfortunately not at the Royal Albert Hall but still enjoyable.

Next report will come from France. Unfortunately all our internet connections have been pathetically slow and so attempting to put pictures on the site have been almost impossible and not worth the effort.

The next stage

Saturday 3rd September

Today was all at sea. We had a pretty relaxing day. In the morning, we sat on the deck and read kindle books which was quite a pleasant way of spending the time. Can’t remember what we did for the rest of the day other than eat. Just remembered we did play mini golf but the rest is a blur. There was a live show on at night time. Prior to that we had to pack our cases and have them outside the door before 11pm, so that they would be ready for our departure the next morning. The ship docked at 5am, we had to be at the airport by 10.45am which sounds fine but life is not that simple. We were going to catch the train, but with 4 cruise ships all arriving at the same time, the train would have been chaos….Les later confirmed this. So we arranged a direct bus trip from ship to airport which was really stress free and worth the money. So we said goodbye to Les and Lucy after having really enjoyed our time together. Boat cruises are certainly better when done with friends.

Sunday 4th September

The flight to London was uneventful – even if it was about an hour late. Took us an hour to get through customs….the British still specialise in queues!!! We caught the underground from Heathrow to or B & B which is a delightful English house in Arnos Grove – the hosts are a lovely couple with a gift of hospitality.

We no sooner arrived, than we were off again to the first of our BBC proms. The place was packed and we snuck in just as they were closing the doors. The concert was good and then we went and found a restaurant to have some tea at about 9pm.

Monday 5th September

The morning was spent catching up on some washing – really exciting stuff. Then we caught the train to Covent Gardens and did a bit of a wander. Booked to go to the Lion King on Wednesday. Then we eventually ended up at Royal Albert Hall for our second concert and I enjoyed this one much more than the first. They had an amazing pianist – Helene Grimaud….she was outstanding…was really special.

Tuesday 6th September

After an early morning start…5 am!!, we then had a fantastic day in Northern Ireland…one of the highlights of our trip. The purpose for going was to follow up on some new family tree information. We found the grave of the earliest Smyth that we knew about but the exciting part is that next to it was the grave of his father and grandfather and so we now have information going back another two generations and also a brother to our previously earliest ancestor.

Colin standing next to the family gravestones

We have a lot more other information that we still have not processed so hopefully this will eventually give us more information. Won’t bore everyone with more details, other than to say it was a really memorable day for us. Unfortunately, the plane coming back was an hour late and so by the time we caught the train back to our B & B, it was after midnight. A very long but really enjoyable day.

The cruise continues

Thursday 1st September

Early morning start after arriving at Kusadasi in Turkey. It promised to be another hot day. We were booked on a 7 hour tour. Had an amazing tour guide who really helped to make the day fascinating. We travelled to the ancient city of Ephesus, now just a town in ruins but previously an incredibly busy financial and trade area with amazing architecture and engineering. To walk down the marble paths that the Apostle Paul once walked and possibly the apostle John and perhaps other heroes from the Bible is just amazing and awe inspiring. The town of Ephesus was a town of many different aspects and cultures. Initially a port, it is now 6 km from the ocean, the area silted up after a major earthquake had a dramatic effect on the river. To think that Paul landed at the port of Ephesus and we travelled 6km in a bus to get to it, is just hard to imagine in just under 2000 years.

There are some amazing scenes, such as the public toilets, the great theatre, the red light area of the town, the streets of marble and much all – will show some, once we can add some photos when we get a proper internet connection.

From Ephesus, we went to a site that was apparently the place where Mary, the mother of Mary lived out her final years (having been taken there by the Apostle John who also lived in Ephesus). This has now become a shrine type of place – apparently a special place for both Catholics and Muslims….Turkey is basically a Muslim country now.

We visited a museum which was quite interesting with a lot of artefacts from Ephesus and surrounding areas, another ruins of an early church and then finished with a demonstration of Turkish carpet making which was fascinating. Then there was the big pressure to buy something…..we didn’t even ask for a price, probably the ones that we have liked the most were the most expensive, so wasn’t worth the effort.

As part of this tour was lunch at a 5 star hotel which was excellent and helped to keep up our calories, seeing as we weren’t on the boat to be able to do this. The food on the boat is never ending and really good and an amazing variety to cater for all the different nationalities that are on board – in fact I think a total of 60 different nations.

Friday 2nd September

The cruise is quickly running out. Has been really relaxing and very enjoyable. Having Les and Lucy to share it with us has also been very special.

Today we were in Crete – at a port of Chenai – if you have never heard of it, don’t worry, neither had we prior to the cruise. We had decided to take it more quietly today and so just caught the local bus into the city and did a bit of a wander around this very quaint town…..many of the buildings date back to the 1200’s which is always hard for us as Australians to appreciate when our history is so short.

We are now back on the boat and will not go ashore again until we disembark at Rome.

We are shortly off of play golf….mini golf that is – there is a nine hole golf course on the back of the boat. It is a little windy at present so it might be a bit of a challenge.