A Pinay in Europe

Christmas is around the corner and Santa Claus will soon come to town so a topic about chimneys is just about timely.
A chimney is a structure where smoke passes from a fireplace through a pipe onto the outside atmosphere. In order for the smoke to flow smoothly, chimneys are usually vertical.

The vertical structures sticking out of roofs are the chimney pots.

Chimney cowls are those things they put on top to prevent rain and wind from getting in and birds from nesting inside.

Different designs of cowls have flourished, each depending on the taste, personality, purpose or budget of the house owner

That’s a lot of chimneys in one house!

A chimney using the stones indigenous of the valley

“Hey, Chimneeta, where did you get your antenna?  I’d like to have one , too!”

Which is the odd one out?

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As is typical in the UK, before sitting down for a meal, drinks are ordered at the counter and consumed at a table or place entirely different from where you will have your food.  This is called bar service, something which is not practiced in other parts of Western Europe.  The hotel restaurant where we had our meal has two reception areas.  We took our drinks in one of them.

Starter:  Welsh mussels with a creamy garlic and white wine sauce 

We expected the mussels to come with their shells which would have made it more visually, if not gastronomically, delightful.

Another Starter (which I ordered):  King Prawns with garlic butter

The prawns are a winner!  They melt in the mouth.  Lovely! 

 Main Course:  Hake in butter sauce.

Another Main Course (which I ordered): Welsh steak, medium rare. 

That thing on top is fried battered onion.

I’m always wary about steaks because they could be very tough and chewy.  The one above confirmed my suspicion.

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One thing that strikes us about Whitby is the proliferation of fish and chips shops.  Every corner we turned to, we saw these establishments getting queued up for up to a hundred meters, or sometimes more, especially at lunchtime.  We expected these queues as this is not the first time we went to Whitby.  As early as 11:30am, we were already seated inside one shop that has a big sign on the door ”Voted by the Whitby Gazette and its readers as the Best Fish and Chips in Whitby, 2008-2009″. 

The food was okay,  service was fast and everything was served in neat china and cutlery.  The only thing that beats the hell out of us is the presence of CCTVs in every corner and in every 2 meter distance of each side of the ceiling.   How can you truly enjoy your food if you know that you are being watched everytime you pick your chips or cut your fish? 

“Maybe they are observing if you will pocket the vinegar ceramic jar or the silver knife!”, I said to H. 

Anyway, let me show you the fish and chips scenes in Whitby.

Coming down  from the carpark up on the hill, we saw this banner posted at the back of a building. 

Boards displayed infront of a shop.

The meal.  There’s not even a single leaf of lettuce on the side, good grief!

They start eating them at a very young age.

Takeaway

Awards have to be mentioned or displayed to attract more customers.

This shop has been described by Rick Stein as the best fish and chip shop in Britain.  No wonder the queues are that long!

Errr….can you explain it in simple words, please?

They eat them everywhere

and with crossed knees, did you notice?

Savouring it slowly

He’s really enjoying it!  His body language says it so.

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Never have I seen a large population of dogs in one town, in one day, than in Whitby in North Yorkshire, England.   This historic place is one of the most visited seaside towns in the UK for many reasons.  And I thought I should start my tale by talking about its dogs. 

Sit back, relax and enjoy reading!

“I can see better, smell better than a CCTV camera”, says this dog who have chosen to sit on the roof of his master’s car.
A flea market on the way to Whitby town

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Watch for more photologs of Whitby.  Coming soon on this site!

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Saorge, one of the most beautiful villages in France, suspended on the heights of the Roya mountain range, is one that only the fit and the adventurous can enjoy. Why? because one has to climb up very steep steps, a maze of alleys and arched passageways in order to discover more jaw-dropping sights! It’s like walking in an open air museum where you can trace how mountain people learned how to innovate in order to survive harsh conditions, and where facilities are not easily accessible.

I just kept getting blown away by what I saw and thought I should share them with you so that this hidden gem can be enjoyed by those who cannot have the chance to come here.

That house seems to be built on top of a fortified wall

This one is for sale. There’s a space to park a vespa truck so it’s not bad.

In case you want to know what is a vespa truck, that’s the one on the left

They use stone tiles for the roof. These red slates come from the rocky mountains of the Roya

Aside from the red slates, there are also the green ones which are also indigenous in the region.

The houses are put together like pieces of lego

Cars cannot get through the village so imagine lifting a newly-bought washing machine to the top

New houses keep getting added over the centuries

And new terraces, too. I just hope they are strong enough not to collapse

This fountain water comes from the mountains and it’s drinkable. There are a lot of fountains in the village as well as “lavaries” or washing areas where villagers in earlier days congregate to do the washing by hand.

Despite the steepness of the steps, a lot of old people live here. They look fit, by the way.

Living here is just a continuous going up and down the steps

If you have fear of heights, then you cannot live here

The village as seen from the carpark

The village of Saorge

A postcard beauty!

Two American tourists hesitating to enter the arched passageway leading to the center of the village.
Tourist #1: “Oh no, I’m not going up there!”
Tourist #2: Yeah, let’s just stay here..”
Mariadams overhearing them: “It’s beautiful out there! It’s the kind of scenery that you will not forget for the rest of your life!”
Tourist #1: How high is the climb?
H: “Just like this (pointing to the footpath’s incline)”

I wonder if they did go, but since they have come this far (the village is 1hour 20minutes to Nice), it would be silly not to see the place inside and out.

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The Church Road on a Sunday afternoon.

We stumbled upon this quaint ceramic shop in Whitby while elbowing our way through the hustle and bustle of Church Street.

Church Street, I must say is the busiest pedestrian road in this most famous fishing town of Whitby because it is there where the highest concentration of old shops, museums, exhibition halls, cafes and even a coffin store are found. One has to explore the street slowly, scrutinizing the shops for their old English charm, and peeking at every hidden alley which is abound with jaw-dropping surprises!

I had the ball of my life photographing all the ceramic displays in this pottery shop. There is something about designer tiles that fascinates me.

The atelier where the artist is nowhere to be found.  If he was there, I don’t think I could have this photo though

So simple yet so charming - the rectangular plant container!

Shells for the bathroom, fruits for the kitchen..What about the hen and the cat?

So much to choose from, I wish I can buy them all

I could have a plate done with my website name written on it:  mariadams.com!  In green perhaps?

That pitcher on the left will look great with a bouquet of red roses on it!

Lovely for hanging plants

Shades of burgundy.  They will look great on my porch!

“Can I have one tile for each number please?” 

I will have to pass on this one.  It reminds me of Valentina, the snake haired villainess

Here’s a charming ceramic wall I’ve seen in another shop at Church Street.

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Author’s Note:
From the “Driving through the Yorkshire Moors (Whitby)” which is still under construction. Trip taken on 27th September 2009

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The Montparnasse District

26 February 2009

Everytime I see the building icon of Montparnasse in the Metro map, I always ticked it off mentally as “seen-it, climbed-up the 56th floor, no need to do a repeat” kind of thing. But yesterday, we stumbled upon a very interesting road just a stone’s throw away from the tallest building in Paris, that which gave us the feeling that we were walking through the “Edith Piaf” era of cabarets, theaters, bars and all.The truth is, never have I seen a single road with a high concentration of theatres, bars, a 4-star hotel on the side and establishments that cater to the sensual delights of the Parisian, i.e., turkish spa, peep shows, sex shops, massage clinics. But you would say, how about the Boulevard de Clichy where the famous Moulin Rouge is! There must be close to a hundred similar establishments: sex supermarket, sex shops, peep shows, sex so and so…but this is a boulevard, mind you..and I am talking only of a road, the rue de la Gaite! Besides, there is a very “Parisian of old” feel in this road! Take for example the facades of the theatres:La Comedie Italienne, founded in 1980, is the only Italian theatre in France. Shows are exclusively of Italian origin - classic and contemporary - majority of which have not been shown in France. Performances are in French.

Theatre de la Gaite-Montparnasse founded in 1867.

A drinking soda seller recovered the materials from the demolished Exhibition theater of 1867, to put up a Cafe-concert hall in the very popular road at the time, the rue de la Gaite. The Concert de la Gaite, or now called Theatre de la Gaite-Montparnasse opened its doors in September 1868 with the grand performance of divas and dancers a la folies bergere.

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I have been arranging, re-arranging, boxing and unboxing old clothes, tired bedsheets and craft materials that I have accumulated for donkeys’ years.  While they are cramping my cupboards and cluttering my home, I am not keen to throw them away.  I don’t have the heart to give them to charity either as it is just shameful to give something that I am shameful to use myself.  This is Recession time so the most I could do is to recycle them into something usable, nice and trendy.

Ideas?  Luckily, I have a modest photo collection of recycled art and things which I took from my travels. 

Who thinks that plastic water bottles cannot be turned into decorative art?
A shop in Paris

Just-bang-them-all Art
An art gallery in Paris

Save your carton rolls for something artistic
Art en Capital 2008, Paris

Save-your-cardboard-and-everything Art
Art en Capital 2008, Paris

Glad I didn’t throw my old stockings!
Art en Capital 2008, Paris

Paper bags
Paris

Even your old paintbrush can be recycled
Paris

No need to worry about feeds and mess
Paris

Now-that’s-getting-too-far Art
Louis Vuitton, Paris

Don’t laugh…that costs 90euros!
Paris

I like her style!
Breil sur Roya

Velcro Art
Paris

Don’t-throw-your-telephone-directory Art
Paris

An-empty-can-of-sardines Art
Jacques Prévert, “Paris la Belle” exhibition, Paris

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We commemmorate our dear departed today so let’s take a trip to the tombs and shrines of Paris.

Montmarte Cemetery

Guardian angel till after life

Passionate about rocks…

Tomb of a Russian countess

A Jewish tomb in mosaic

Edgar Degas, French impressionist painter

Son of Alexander Dumas, the author of “Count of Monte Cristo”. 
The son was also a renowned author like his father

 
Jean Baptiste Greuze, French painter.

Pere Lachaise cemetery

 
Even death will not make them part. Tomb of husband and wife.

Pharaohs are not the only ones who can be buried in pyramids

Catacombs of Paris

Here are some very interesting facts about the catacombs of Paris:

- The portion of the catacombs open to the public is only a small part of an extensive network of underground tunnels, which spans more than 300km (about 186 miles) in length.

- Secret entrances do exist throughout Paris and it is possible to enter the catacombs via the sewers, metro, and certain manholes.

- Some unofficial visitors also hold keys to certain official entrances. On rare occasions people do make use of these access points and illegally enter the catacombs — for example, to meet clandestinely, to hold unusual parties, or simply as urban explorers. (Specifically, those who have an affinity for exploring the catacombs are known as cataphiles.)

- In September 2004, an underground movie theater run by the Mexican Perforation — a French artistic movement that seeks to convey their ideas using underground places — was discovered by the French police.
skulls.

Posing next to tombs
While sightseeing at the Pére Lachaise cemetery two years ago, I saw with my own two eyes two ladies in their early twenties photographing each other, posing like models next to, on top of or sitting on a tomb or sepulcher. If not for the spooky background, you would think their purpose in doing so was to produce stock photos for a magazine selling tombs or sepulchers.

Either they both have a necrophiliac tendency or they are really into the business of advertising cemeteries to distribute to Homes for the Aged or Care Homes.

Well, before I criticize others, I should start asking myself why the fascination in visiting two cemeteries and catacombs in Paris. But maybe I am just a natural lover of the arts in all its forms (like tomb architecture or bone arrangement).

The Shrine of Princess Diana

The Flame of Liberty is a monument offered by the United States to France in 1989 in gratitude for the restauration of the Statue of Liberty in New York. This memorial is a reproduction of the torch held by the statue which was created by Bartholdi, French architect and sculptor.

Today, it serves as a temporary shrine for Princess Diana who died of car crash on the tunnel below it (Pont de l’Alma).

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Did you know that the Haute Savoie or “Upper Savoy” did not use to be a part of France? It was in 1858 when the House of Savoy (Kingdom of Italy) relinquished it to France in exchange for Emperor Napoleon III’s aid to Italy in its war against Austria.

Lucky for France because this region is world famous for its ski resorts (Chamonix is one), its mineral waters (Evian) and its tallest mountains (Mont Blanc at 4,807 meters).  It is bordered by Switzerland to the north and Italy to the east. 

I adore the Haute Savoie because it is like little Switzerland with its lakes, snow-capped mountains and picturesque towns.  We have been to Annecy 5 years ago and it left me bewildered by its medieval beauty.  Truly one of the most stunning French towns I’ve ever seen.  I also became an instant and now a devoted fan of its Tomme de Savoie cheese, perfect as pizza topping despite the strong smell. 

So when we were in Geneva early October, we were determined to take a sidetrip to the Haute Savoie, particularly Evian, as it is only an hour drive from the former.

The crescent shaped Lake Lehman (”Lake Geneva” in English) is bordered by France and Switzerland. 

From Geneva, we drove through Douvaine, Messery, Thonon les Bains and Evian les Bains.

DOUVAINE  

The  colours of autumn are everywhere to be seen in Douvaine. 

A UFO look-alike building, in technicolour! 

The public carpark

Lovely colours!

The Town Hall

A cycling competition was on.

MESSERY

After driving through corn and dried sunflower fields we took the turn to Messery to look for something to eat. It was getting cold, must be the reason why there is not a single soul around.

The Town Hall.  We parked there to eat our pizza takeaway in the car.

The pizza shop is on the right (not seen).  We thought it was closed because all lights were out, but the door was ajar.  As soon as we got in, the automatic doorbell sounded and the lady owner started turning on the lights.  I bet electricity is expensive here.

We thought we could stay in a campsite that night but of course, it was Sunday and

Nobody was in.  Looking at the notices, it actually said the camping season closed end of September.  Hurray!  We missed it by 3 days!  (Date of visit:  3 October 2009)

Even if the campsite was closed, the gate was open so we had the chance of exploring the caravans inside.   Cool!  they have incorporated the caravans into the chalets or vice-versa.

A bed and breakfast place

THONON LES BAINS

We arrived in Thonon in the dark. Had a quick walk of the town square where the only people there is a couple of young kids petting each other next to the fountai.

Saw this poster in the town square.  This was Thonon in the Belle Epoque days. I didn’t see a similarity of this poster to what the town looks like now though. It’s just now a town of pizza take aways, perfumerie shops, modern boutiques and lots of parking land.

This is the  funicular down the port, but it was closed.  It will open again next spring to summer. 

The tourists are gone.  It’s just now falling leaves and empty cafes that animate the Old Quarter in the Port.

 At 8 in the morning, while the town is still sleeping, the amateur sailors and children on sailing course are busy preparing their boats for a day out on the lake.

Typical of the Haute Savoie is the chalet houses similar to Switzerland.  Cold or alpine regions tend to use wooden shelters as it is warmer to the eye.  Wood is an excellent insulation, too.

Mechanized transporting of household goods.  Convenient for multi-level houses

The last trace of the Belle Epoque years is gone.  As more and more people are choosing to spend their holidays in the cheap, the luxurious hotels of old are more expensive to maintain than run.  Seen here are bent metallic bars that used to support a terrace. 

One of the many lavoirs (ancient washing areas) of Thonon.  This one is a bit modernized.

Just like in other parts of France, some streets are named after war heroes

Leaving Thonon and driving towards Evian, we noticed this big cross on the main road.  Shrines and cross sculptures dot the country, a trace of a religious past.

EVIAN LES BAINS

Source Cachat or the ancient fountain of Saint Catherine which was legendary for its healing mineral waters

The historic spa centre,  Cachat

The town of Evian sits at the southern part of Lake Geneva

Sunday morning jogging

Headquarters of the most famous bottled water in the planet

quite a mural!

Palais Lumiere, a thermal establishment from 1902 to 1984, now converted into “Espace Culturel et Congres”

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