Geneva - Old Town Wanderings

After settling in to the room, I decided to get out & explore the town a bit. Prepped with a tourist map, I headed down across the bridge towards the old town. There weren’t too many people out & about for a Friday afternoon. There seemed to be some really nice little cafes & restaurants scattered about the place, & I was eager to try a few.
Once in downtown Geneva, I crossed the tram tracks on the main street, then walked up the fairly steep (& slippery from snow) slope that took you into the Old Town. It was a quaint place, like many of the old towns throughout Europe, with roughly cobblestoned streets, charming shop signs & displays, & a kind of rustic elegance. After a walk through, which took all of 20 mins, I headed back down to the main street, & aimed myself towards the overly packed cafe I’d walked past earlier where I then proceeded to indulge myself in hot chocolate & chocolate tart – no wonder I put on weight on this trip!

Catch Up with Maria in Copenhagen

I also wanted to catch up with Maria while I was in Copenhagen, a friend I met on a bus trip from Oslo to Copenhagen some months back, as I probably wouldn’t get the chance again for a long time. So we set a time & place, & I took the train into the city.
We talked & talked all day (over coffee, cake, & lunch) until we realised it was getting quite late & I had to head back. But before I left, she bought me a reminder souvenir of my time in Copenhagen – a Little Mermaid magnet.
I got down on my knees to receive this most precious offering. Then we said our goodbyes at the train station. A lovely day out filled with laughs & good company!

Relaxing Into London

Our first day in London was spent in cafes & window shopping – nothing too heavy. Went to this fav cafe of mine in Kensington (which Bec also ended up liking too) & just ate & drank for more than a few hours. We did want to go to a movie, but the theatres were a bit out of the way.
Instead, we jumped on a bus to Oxford Circus, then walked across to Westminster Abbey. Bummer – it was closed, so a no go. It was already dark, so we made our way across the bridge & headed to the Dali Gallery which was luckily still open when many other sites weren’t.
After the gallery (see next blog update), we had a bite to eat at a noodle restaurant, then headed back to the hotel.

Living the Bohemian Life in Paris

Long sleep ins...late, late nights...writing, reading, writing...cafes, cafes, cafes. It must have been Bec’s influence cause we almost seemed a bit like locals, especially chilling out in local cafes here & there. We did lots of walking, mostly to St Germain to check out shopping opportunities, or cute little cafes. A very relaxed, artistic existence – just what we both wanted here.
One day we found a little cafe which served coffees from all over the world. Unfortunately we stumbled upon this late in the afternoon & because of the strength of the coffees, we were both bouncing off the walls till late into the eve. And that’s only with one each under our belts!
Another day, another little cafe located in St Germain that was just incredibly decorated in this old world style – so quaint - & served to-die-for hot chocolate & other chocolately tarts that filled us both to the brim. Had to roll out of there later.

Runaway Horses

After heading out from an old-style cafe we’d spent a few hours writing in late one afternoon, Bec & I came upon a woman attempting to control her two huge horses & cart in a smallish square. The horses really want to bolt & the woman was on the ground pulling at the reigns with all her might. But her attempt meant that she was being dragged under the cart & Bec & I instinctively ran towards the horses. But then I realised the horses were bolting towards us, & I screamed at Bec to run away from them, which we both did. The horses were slowed by some items getting caught under the cart wheel, & they eventually came to a stop with no one getting hurt. My heart was racing from the burst of adrenaline pumped by fear & I was a bit shaky too. After that exciting interlude, we headed back to the hotel.

Cafes & More Cafes in Salzburg

The old town (Altstadt) was resplendent with gorgeous traditional cafes mixing side-by-side with funky new ones. Bec & I did our best to sample as many as we could in our 4 days in Salzburg. I couldn’t believe that smoking was still allowed in Austria, a seemingly advanced country that was still obviously addicted to their nicotine habit. So whichever cafe or restaurant you ventured into, even if requesting a seat in the non-smoking section (usually small & tucked out of the way), you came out with cigarette stink festering through your clothes & sticking to your skin & hair – a completely filthy state for a non-smoker. Nevertheless, the coffees were quite good & the desserts were great. And relaxing for a few hours in a cafe reading, writing & chatting were opportunities both Bec & I found quite blissful.