Sunday, November 20, 2016
Back on the coast and in Marseille, a large city on the edge of the ocean, and like most seaside towns, one with an air of seediness about it.
It's surprisingly hilly with the station perched above the town giving a glorious view across the rooftops as you arrive. Across the valley on another hill stands the cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Garde, built on an Ancient Fort and therefore commanding attention from all over the city. It's quite a slog up and people tend to enter with their knees trembling. Not from any particular awe at the wonderment on the holy place but more a realisation they they aren't as fit as they thought.
Took the ferry out to the Frioul archipelago, three islands living just outside the harbour. The castle on one of the islands was the inspiration for The count of monte cristo, and his prison cell still exists. In the misleading ages the island became home to a shipwrecked rhinoceros, which became quite a tourist spectacle with Kings and emperors making trips to visit.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Now in Avignon, the city of popes that isn't Rome. The pontiffs were here in the 14th century when the papacy became a vassal of the French crown. The palace is still here dominating the town, its great stone walls towering over the cobbled lanes. The rooms inside are impressive, vast spaces now empty but for a few wandering tourists.
Not many treasures left. I guess they all got returned to Rome. There are some impressive frescos, although many were damaged when the palace was used as a military barracks just after the revolution. The palace was also home to the anti-popes, two pretenders to the papal crown who reigned in Avignon at the start of the 15th century. Not sure what happens if a pope meets an anti-pope. Maybe there is a big flash and we all become atheist. Who knows?
The city overlooks the Rhone, with its constant river traffic chugging by. Over the river is the Fort Saint-André which protect the town of Villeneuve. The old bridge over the river has long fallen down, with just the eastern spur jutting into the water. You can walk out onto it but in terms of crossing the water it falls a little short. Luckily there is a newer alternative.
The river used to be a wide fermenting babble. Now it's calm and sedate thanks to the river calming efforts up stream. Very pleasant to sit on the banks, take in the glorious autumn leaves, and see the world glide by.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Arrived in Monaco, the worlds smallest state. At just 2 square kilometres in area you can walk from one side of the country to the other in less than an hour. Small it may be put packed full of sights. The old city sits atop of castle rock, watching over the mega yachts in the harbour below.
If you think Nice has a few yachts then Monaco will blow your mind. Great hunks of plastic and metal cluttering up the harbour and no doubt purchased of the backs of the BHS pensioners and their ilk. Most of them seemed to be empty bar a few deckhands swaying down the decks.
For such an expensive neighbourhood the harbour boasts an incredibly tacky funfair. Maybe the mega rich like to get a taste of Blackpool, as they amble ashore after a hard days relaxing.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Down to the French Riviera and the seaside city of Nice. Very pleasant being by the seaside, which even in November has a slightly balmy feel. The city has seen some troubles in recent months, but the atmosphere is friendly and warm. Slightly weird to see armed soldiers patrolling the seafront though.
Climbed up to Castle Hill for a glorious view over the coast. The promenade stretches for miles in a graceful curve sweeping from the town towards the airport. On the other side the harbour is chock full of expensive boats.
The city is overlooked by Mount Boron which is full of trails and viewpoints. The old fort at the top offers some wonderful viewpoints which makes the climb worthnthe effort.
Down over the mountains and into San Diego. I'm right on the Mexican border now, my phone even welcomes me to the country. Lots of checkpoints on the road , with statistics saying how many illegal immigrants have been stopped on their route into the land of the free.
San Diego is on a beautiful bay by the Pacific Ocean. Drove up to the point for a view over the whole city. It's a very naval city with two aircraft carriers moored in the busy harbour.
My final drive took me up the coast past the mission San Juan Capistrano. A beautiful old settlement up in the hills, founded by Spain in the 18th century. Certainly a relaxing place to finish my coast to coast trip.
Final leg of the journey takes me back over the Colorado River, this time into California. The river used to be miles wide here, expanding over the flood planes around the border. Now it is a far more modest size, with much of the water Bing held in the dams upstream and supplied to irrigate crops throughout two states.
Yama was the main crossing for those attempting to reach the gold fields of south California. Many impoverished settlers were denied entry to the sunshine state and so settled in the area, something the local museums make much off.
Over the bridge you head across the sand dunes towards the mountains. The original road was single track, made of wooden planks and involved an horrendous trip of at least a day to traverse the ten miles, leaving the travellers rather shaken.
The route now passes the history of the world in Granite. All the motors lie events in the history of the universe, etched onto long tablets of stone. It's a remarkable achievement and very informative. I can help but think Donald Trump could do with a visit.
In the heart of Arizona there are really cacti with arms, and road runners scurrying about, although they don't go beep beep.
The drive to Phoenix takes you through some desolate lands, with small communities providing an oasis to the vast desert. It even has dust storms to transverse, adding that frisson of excitement to the desert drive.
Phoenix itself is situated on an expansive plateau, bordered by small mountains. It almost never rains here, and gets unbelievably hot in the summer, but in spring it was gorgeous.
One of the highlights is the Desert Botanical Gardens. Every time of cactus is displayed, Rita a special section reserved for the Saguaro cactus, which only grows in Arizona, and us the classic cactus from the westerns. They are protected in Phoenix, and everyone removed has to be replanted elsewhere.
It's certainly one of the wonders of the natural world. As you stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon, the great gouge out of the earth spanning the state of Arizona, you really feel the power of nature.
The canyon itself is relatively new in geological terms. Formed over the past 30 million years, the force of the Colorado river, driving its way from the Rocky Mountains towards the gulf of California, has carved an immense scar in the surface of the earth.
The river now flows a mile below the rim of the canyon, and the views from the top are spectacular. It's fascinating looking at the layers of the rock in the Canyon, some dating back to the early days of the earth, some 4 billion years old.
The walk along the rim is not for those who suffer from vertigo. Some of the drops ore severe and deadly, but the panorama is immense and the view breathtaking.
Flew into Las Vegas, the city of dreams plonked firmly in the middle of the Nevada desert. It's a city where you can get any thing you want, for a price. And it certainly brings in the crowds.
You can see why Americans never need to go abroad, every thing is replicated in the hotels lining the Las Vegas strip. From the canals of Venice, to the pyramids of Egypt. From the Eiffel Tower, to the colosseum of Rome. It's all represented here, in true Disney style fakery.
It's a city with a checkered history. The Mob museum does a great job detailing the rise of the gangsters which used to rule the city, although some of the exhibits are rather graphic. The start feature is the wall, up against where the St Valentine's day massacre took place, transplanted brick by brick from Chicago.
The Atomic testing Museum does an equally good job of detailing the hundreds of bombs that were detonated in the Nevada desert, lighting up the Vegas sky's in the fifties and sixties.
All in all It's a city best dealt with in small doses. And with plenty of time outside to escape the bubble. Lucky just over the mountains the stunning Grand Canyon awaits.
From one Dallas icon, to another, this one also made internationally famous by another shooting, this time fictional.
Southfork Ranch stands just outside Plano in the suburbs of Dallas. Only the outside was used in the filming of the eponymous series, although the inside had been laid out to resemble the original sets in California.
But it's seeing the outside that is so exciting.
To stand by the balcony from where Kristen plunged to her death. To stand by the French Windows where So many breakfasts were held. To walk the drive where Lucy played truant. All so very exciting.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
In Dallas to see what they say is America's most famous crime location. It is said that everyone knows what they were doing when the events of 22 November 1963 unfolded in Dealey plaza.
It's an odd sensation to be standing in a place so familiar, so ingrained in history. You feel sure you've been there before, such is the imprint of the location in our minds. The museum on the sixth floor details the events of that day, from the breakfast in Fort Worth, to the short flight to Dallas, and onto the motorcade through the streets of the city.
What amazes me is how much material there is from that day. The first couple exciting air force one, mingling with the crowd, and waving to their supporters. The actual assassination was captured on one piece of cine film. Just 28 seconds of silent movie pictures, that detailed of the end of a life, and for many the end of a dream.
Staying in one of the newer states, Oklahoma, which only attained statehood in 1907, within the life of my grandparents.
50 years previous to that it was an undeveloped land, populated by ancient Indian tribes. It was a land of plenty, filled with life. All that changed with the great land grab of 1889. Settlers with given land grants based on first come first served, prompting a mad dash to the territory in a 19th century version of the new year sales. Overnight the population of Oklahoma City jumped from a handful to over 10,000, pushing the Indians into new reservations.
Today it is a modern, vibrant city, spread out over the plains, with several very interesting museums, including the National Museum of the Cowboy.
The most moving museum relates to the 1995 bombing of the federal building. 168 people died in the attack including 17 children, and the museum takes you through their lives and the terrible events of that April day. The front of the building was ripped off by the massive truck bomb, and the devastation was incredible. What is inspirational is how the city responded to the attack, not with hate and fear, but with love and support and remembrance. Proof positive that terrorism, in all its forms, can never succeed.
Took a trip through frontier Texas. It must've been difficult living out here, hundreds of miles from civilisation, with only hostile Indian tribes the company. You wonder why they did it? There is no gold out here, just miles and miles of endless plains.
Some were draw by the fertile lands covered in abundant grass. What they didn't realise is the grass took several years to grow and once the cattle had devoured it they were just left with scrub.
The plains were filled with Buffalo, at least at the beginning. Within a few short years hurts with decimated killed for their pelts. Humans can be so destructive in pursuit of progress.
Indian raids were common and women and children often taken into captivity. Some were eventually rescued after years of living with the tribes, but rescued too late. By that time they were more Indian than Western, with families and children, and many died of a broken heart.
The area still has that frontier feeling, of living on the edge, miles from the city. The difference is now good motorway will get you to the city in a couple of hours rather than a 15 day horse ride.
I
Couple of days in the state capital Austin. Took in the Lyndon Baines Johnson presidential library. Fascinating place. Lots to see regarding the 36th President, Who is always overshadowed by his predecessors sudden demise, but who did so much, especially for the civil rights movement. On the 10th floor is a replica of the oval office.
Also visited the Texas State Capitol. It always amazes me how you can just walk into the nations state capitals and just wonder around. All part of open government. The place is full historical paintings and statues including the two heroes of the state Stephen Austin and Sam Houston.
By coincidence my visit coincided with a big music festival and also a visit from the current president of the United States., which explains why the hotel prices are so high. There are plenty of areas to escape to including down by the Colorado river, which has many picturesque walks to enjoy.
To the coast and the harbour city of of Corpus Christi. Not the best for visiting the Seaside as the storms seem to be hitting. The local news said we were on Tornado watch. If it hits apparently we need to get in the bath and cover ourselves with a mattress. Luckily I think I escaped this time.
Visited the USS Lexington which now stands in Corpus Christie bay, a grand old aircraft carrier and a veteran of several wars. Very interesting wondering around, although some of my fellow tourists had trouble fitting through the hatches. Amazing seeing the tight areas the planes had to take off and land.
The rain really set in this morning, so I ventured up towards San Angelo, it's a city full of missions, originally set up to convert the native North Americas by Spanish occupiers. Later converted to forts, there are five in the city, all linked by a cycle way along the river.
The most famous stands in the heart of the city. The mission of San Antonio de Valero is better known by its nickname, the Alamo. It was the scene of much bloodshed when events around the independence of Texas centred on this small brick building.
All the male defenders defending the new republic lost their lives at The Alamo, including noted politician and storyteller and Davy Crockett. The site is now a memorial full of evocative displays.
Arrived in the Lone Star state on a glorious sunny day, showing the best that Texas has to offer. Entry to the country was pretty speedy as I whizzed through immigration and customs in just 15 minutes, quite a contrast to the time it usually takes.
Not quite so speedy once I got on the roads, as I hit the late afternoon traffic and crawled my way round the freeways of Houston.
Spent my first day visiting the Johnson space centre on the opposite side of the city, a 40 mile journey which is just quite how big this city is.
The centre is very impressive especially the scale of the exhibits. There is the gigantic Saturn rocket, which propelled the astronauts towards the moon. Three tiny specks of humanity perched on top of a silo of liquid gas. Pushing them out into space, further than any man had gone before or since. In contrast there's the tiny module in which the astronauts sat, just a few millimetres of metal between them and the endless infinity of space.
The tour includes the tram ride into the centre itself and a visit to the original Houston control centre from where the moon landings were all engineered. From the outside, it's just a normal office block, but entering brings you in to the pages of history. The control room was retired in the 1970s and has been restored to look exactly as it did when the whole world turned its gaze towards Houston, relaying the signals received from the first men to walk off planet.
And the centre still lives, just one floor down the new control centre is in full operational mode, controlling activities on the international space station, orbiting some 200 miles above the planet.
Some 30 miles past the space centre you reach Galveston for a pleasant stroll past the antique homes and a breath of Sea air.
