Finnish visit from Norway

Jonas, a friend of mine from the old Grani school days, came over for the weekend all the way from Norway. Weather-wise, things didn't start off very well, with a fair bit of rain most of Friday. But apparently it was still an improvement over the Norwegian weather ;-). After a delicious and very filling dinner of crepes and cider at our place (as you may have guessed, I didn't do the cooking...), we headed off to explore the old town of Cagnes. The plan was to try out the local pub, which is (most originally) called La Taverne. Unfortunately it was closed, so we ended up going to the Black Cat, the best (and only) jazz bar in Cagnes. The place wasn’t exactly heaving when we arrived (I think apart from the musicians, we were the only people there), but a couple of mojitos later, when the music started, things got a bit more exciting. But we didn’t overdo it, since we thought Jonas might want to see something during daytime as well, and went home well by bed-time…


After a lazy French breakfast (with fresh baguette and croissants, of course), we jumped into the car and drove down to Sanremo, located on the Italian side of the Riviera. Sanremo is of course most famous for its music festival, but also for its casino and rally. Neither the rally nor the music festival were on, and it was a bit early for the casino, so we had a walk around the shopping streets and the old town instead. And a pleasant stroll it was (for some reason I liked Sanremo better the second time around), in spite of the uncharacteristically dodgy weather.


After a pizza for lunch, we headed back to France. We did the mandatory visit to Eze (a very pretty, but also very touristy, perched village east of Nice), and also made a stop in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Villefranche is one of the nicer seaside towns on the Riviera, a bit less overrun by the developers than some of the other towns, located in a very nice bay between Nice and Cap Ferrrat. After walking around for a bit, and watching the sunset over the harbour, we headed on to Nice.



The plan was to have dinner and then meet some mates in Ma Nolan’s (one of quite a few Irish pubs in Nice). After showing Jonas the old town for a while, we went for an apero in Cours Saleya, where we were joined by the man from Karunki (Sami). We decided to have the dinner in a real Nice institution, Chez Palmyre. It’s a small, family-run place on the edge of the old town. The dinner was definitely an experience (note the absence of the word culinary). The menu was handwritten (the menu changes every day), and the matron of the place is quite a character (she’s seen better days, but makes it up in spades with her personality). We were even treated to a duet of “Bella Nissa” during our meal, which means “beautiful Nice” in Nissard, the local dialect (or language more like, I thought they were singing in Italian!). We did eventually manage to eat as well, once me and Sami had finished arguing about who would get the last rabbit (Sami got the rabbit - but I got the last laugh as I ended up getting the last orange tart!).




After this “expérience Niçoise” we headed on to Ma Nolan’s, where we met up with Jari, who was back in Nice for the weekend (he worked here for about 6 months until he started missing Oulu so much that he just had to go back ;-). The beer flowed, predictably. Mindful of our duty to also show the day-time splendours of the Riviera to Jonas, we did take the last train back home, though.




We started Sunday with a hike near Tourettes-sur-Loup. It was a pleasant enough walk, which took us up from Tourettes-sur-Loup (which is at 400 meters) up to about 850 meters. Unfortunately, the weather was still a bit dodgy, but at least it didn’t rain. And it has to be said this isn’t one of the most scenic walks we’ve done so far. But still, it was nice to get out and about for a bit.
After the hike we walked around Tourettes a bit – it is one of the prettiest villages on the Riviera, in my humble opinion, with its dramatic location and paved streets.




In the evening, we went to Cannes. First, we ticked off the mandatory tourist activities, which include: posing on the red carpet outside the Palais des Festivals, gazing in amazement at the over-the-top yachts in the Vieux Port and watching the sun set from the top of the Suquet (the old town). After a long walk along the Croisette (the beach boulevard), taking in the Carlton (the poshest hotel in town), we headed to the old town for a nice dinner. A nice finish to a rewarding, if tiring, weekend!

Weekend in England

Time to head back to old Blighty again, since it's been a while... The occasion was, this time, Lou's and Peter's engagement party.

Before the main event, we made some time in our schedule to squeeze in a curry and a a few beers with our old mates (c'mon, what's a visit to England without a curry and some pints in a pub?). So we took the train down to Guildford from Gatwick, and ended up in the Rose Valley (my favourite curry house in Guildford, where I actually celebrated a couple of birthdays) - we didn't even have time to drop off our luggage at Phil's (who was kind enough to accommodate us for the night).



After a somewhat disappointing dinner (nothing wrong with the curry, but we weren't too impressed with the waiter's assumption that the 20 pound change on the bill was a tip!), we headed to the Tup. I guess the Guildford Tup is, considering it’s a French pub owned by a French chap, not exactly an obvious choice for a nostalgic English pub eve. But we like it – and anyway, as usual, nearly half of the people present were French-speakers, so… Anyway, we had a good night, and left the premises in an appropriately jolly mood.



The ambitious plan for Saturday was to catch an early train down to London Waterloo, spend an hour or two there, and then catch the connecting train to Tunbridge Wells, where the engagement party was being held. Of course, we didn’t get up quite as early as planned, so our London visit ended up being very short (time enough to buy bagels for lunch!). Once in Tunbridge Wells, we were whisked off to Cousley Wood by Peter and Lou (Lou worked with Mathilde in Tormead school), to Peter’s country house home.



Very impressive digs, it has to be said. Peter lives in an old 15th-century country house, with a nice big garden, great views over the nearby lake, and enough toys to keep any bloke content… (I liked the “entertainment room” with the massive plasma screen, bar, and comfy sofas…). The party itself was a hoot, with an interesting mix of people (artists, childhood friends, the local pub landlord, and even a Brigadier). Copious amounts of food and wine were obviously consumed.






On Sunday, we had time (after a fortifying English breakfast) to visit a bit of Tunbridge Wells, before catching our flight. Tunbridge Wells, which was founded in 1606, when a spring was found there (the water was believed to have healing properties). It’s a very affluent town, and pretty it is, too. We only had time to visit the Pantiles area, a very nice pedestrian district with some interesting shops and historic buildings. After a walk around the area and a glass of mulled wine, it was time to catch the train back to Gatwick…

Between the court and the garden

Gunveig, a good friend of my family's, had been on the Riviera for the past week, supporting French cultural life (by visiting the local art museums with my parents...).

Although we were not able to join their cultural activities (having to work can be such a nuisance), a nice dinner is something I normally don't say no to. So after an apero at our place, we headed to one of our favourite restaurants on the Cote d'Azur, Entre Cour and Jardin.

We were, as last time, welcomed by our favourite French waiter, Pierre. The meal was predictably delicious, and original (I had myself a "Cannette sur pain perdu au foie gras" - which means something along the lines of "duckling on foie gras-covered French toast").

An unexpected trip to Milan

This was supposed to be my free weekend! Mathilde had a girlie weekend planned in Milan with some of her mates. Unfortunately, due to some complications, they were not able to go. Since it was too late to cancel the hotel, and I found a return train ticket to Milan for 60 euros, I decided to tag along (so no go-carting and beer drinking with the lads this time…).



So, we very quickly got packed, and jumped on the train to Nice, from where we caught the train to Milan. It was a leisurely 5 ½ hour journey, including the half-hour delay. We started off by taking the metro down to the hotel and checked in.

Eager not to waste any time, and to explore Milan, we then set off walking towards the town centre. It was a long but nice walk – it was a sunny and fresh autumn day, just perfect. The first impression of Milan pretty much matched my expectations of a busy, successful no-nonsense major city. It almost didn’t feel like Italy (apparently they don’t even have siestas in Milan!) – even the driving was civilised (mind you, after Cairo, even Naples or Athens would probably feel pretty civilised!).



As we arrived in the town centre, it was nearly dark, but we still had time to walk around a bit. We saw the duomo (the cathedral) – which was very imposing indeed (it’s the 4th biggest cathedral in Europe), the Galleria de Vittorio Emanuele II (a very impressive shopping arcade – probably the most impressive of its kind I’ve seen) and La Scala (the famous opera house – which it has to be said is relative unimpressive from the outside – apparently the inside is a different story though). Having walked around some more, we decided to visit the cathedral. It was very impressive on the inside as well, and kind of spooky (I guess it’s so big it’s difficult to light effectively, and the huge size of it adds to the effect as well).





After this brief visit, we headed to the restaurant which we had picked in our guide book. The location wasn’t very promising – next to a train station, but the place was absolutely brilliant. We were treated to a 4 course meal of local specialities, and even I struggled to finish it. So if you ever do make it to Milan – do try the Osteria dei Binari – it’s not the cheapest eatery in town, but it’s worth every penny!

After a good night’s sleep, we got up, had our very Italian hotel breakfast (which means a bit light for me, it has to be said), and continued our exploration of Milan. We started of with the area around the hotel, called Navigli quarter (aka. the Venice of Lombardy). It’s a nice area of canals, bars and restaurants. Probably very lively in the evenings. From there we headed to visit La Basilica di Saint’Ambrogio, which is one of the oldest churches in Milan (dating back to the 4th century), and (apparently) an astounding example of the Roman Lombardian stlye. (yes, I most definitely nicked that phrase from the guidebook).



We also tried to have a look at the Last Supper by DaVinci (you know, the one in the Dan Brown book…) in a museum next to another church - but in vain (apparently you have to book tickets for the museum in advance, believe it or not!). We continued our walk, through some seriously refined and fancy (and somehow more Austrian than Italian, to my untrained eye) neighbourhoods, and eventually found ourselves by the castle (Castello Sforzesco). It was a pretty big and impressive place, and open to the public for free (including the dodgy fake leather goods salesmen…), except some museums inside.





We finished the afternoon with a cappuccino (of course!), a walk through the fashion district (thanks god it was Sunday – everything was closed!) and the public gardens, and finally a quick pizza lunch near the train station. And then, back on the train to Nice! It was short, but sweet J

Leaving Egypt

So, last day in Cairo... We spent the last couple of hours having a walk around the hotel, doing some shopping, mostly. I picked up a good book in the AUC (American University of Cairo - the place where the well-off Egyptians and foreigners study, conveniently located in central Cairo next to a McDonald’s ;-). We both tried to get some shoes, as well (they were quite a bit cheaper than over here – some pairs of shoes were like 3 euros!), but failed (some of the shopkeepers would just smile and shake their heads when I mentioned my shoe size). We also had a quick look at Abdeen Palace, which used to be a royal residency and also presidential palace after Nasser took over in 1952. These days it's a museum - doesn't look very special at least from the outside.



And then, off we went to the airport (taxi again – no more buses!), and back to Nice via Vienna.

Well, in spite of the occasional hassle, we really enjoyed our stay (I mean the hassle is all part of the adventure, right? ;-). Especially the weekend spent in the desert was really something unique. And Cairo? Certainly not a place for people who like calm, order and cleanliness. But it’s certainly one of the most interesting cities you’ll ever visit, with loads to see, and so alive somehow.

Trip to the desert

The plan for the weekend was to take the bus to Bawiti, by the Bahariyya osasis, and go for a desert safari. The bus trip, it has to be said, was relatively dull (most of Egypt is desert, and doesn’t always offer very inspiring landscapes). We eventually arrived, and were whisked into a 4x4 (not exactly of the latest model…) and driven down to the hotel from where the trip was leaving. This being Egypt, we still had to wait for about 2 hours before we could leave (which was slightly annoying, because the only entertainment options were non-alcoholic beer, a pool table with 1 broken cue, the ping-pong table being the only viable option ;-).



Eventually our entourage (which also included Mohammed the non-English speaking guide/driver, Carmella the Canadian student, and Sammy the eccentric French desert traveller) managed to leave in the battered yet solid Landcruiser. Our first stop was the black desert, a lunar landscape covered with hills (which looked almost like soot-covered volcanoes). Apparently, the blackish colour comes from some small pieces or basalt which cover the ground. Very impressive!

The white desert was even prettier (especially as the sun was setting). The white desert is covered with weird white rock formations, in all sorts of shapes (I kept seeing the Sphinx all over the place for some reason – most people see mushrooms). A very unusual and beautiful, almost unreal, landscape…



After driving around in the near dark, Mohammed suddenly appeared to be lost, did a U-turn, and after some more driving, stopped and says “we sleep here”. So, time to set up the camp. Admittedly, Mohammed did most of the work (while I kept trying to, without success, take pictures of the starlit sky). We finished off the evening with a delicious chicken dinner (prepared by Mohammed and Carmella). The night was something very special indeed – it really is something to sleep under a completely starlit sky, in the middle of the quite desert. Comfort was another matter – my sleeping bag was definitely made for Egyptians and not for Finns (at least of my size…).




The dawn was as beautiful as the sunset – really made the landscape look surreal. After spending some more time at the campsite (having breakkie, packing up) off we went. After having a look at some flower stones (that’s right, rocks shaped as flowers) we visited a disappointing natural spring (a slightly dodgy-looking swimming pool fed by spring water). And then, after waiting for another couple of hours at the hotel, back on the bus to Cairo!

Old Cairo and dinner in Ma'adi

The plan for today was to visit old Cairo. Getting there was easy, as it’s reachable by metro (which works quite well – and quickly, compared to any means of transport which uses the congested roads).

Old Cairo is, as the name implies, the oldest part of modern Cairo. Apparently there was a settlement here dating to the 6th century BC, upon which the Romans built a fortress called Babylon-in-Egypt, during the 2nd century AD. This part of Cairo is (and was even more so in olden days) actually a bit of Christian stronghold, and is also called Coptic Cairo (Christians in Egypt are called Copts – which is derived from the Greek word for Egypt). Presently there are five churches in Coptic Cairo (at one time there were 20 – quite a lot for an area of less than 1 square kilometre).



We started our exploration by visiting the church of St. Mary – also known as the Hanging Church (since it was built on top of the water gate of the fortress of Babylon). It was very pretty indeed – rather different from European churches (unsurprisingly, most similar to Orthodox churches). It was also very busy, as there was a mass in progress. After visiting the Coptic Museum (very fascinating – I learnt for example that Egypt was the first country in the world to accept Christianity and also that the oldest monasteries can be found in Egypt).



We then proceeded to visit the main old Coptic Cairo, with its winding, narrow lanes (very similar to Jerusalem, apparently). Quite fascinating, and again, very different from the other parts of Cairo we had seen. Pity about all the tourists and trinket salesmen… We visited some more churches (including St. Sergus, which was apparently built on the spot where the Holy Family rested after fleeing King Herod), as well as the oldest Synagogue in Egypt (Ben Ezra – dating back to the 9th century).



In the evening, we headed down to Ma’adi again to meet up with Pablo and Olga (as well as Olga’s brother’s family, who were also visiting). We went for a very nice meal to a local Egyptian restaurant – with very nice interiors and great food (for a very reasonable price). I must admit it was the first really nice Egyptian meal so far. After the meal I shared a Sheesha (water pipe) with Olga (made me feel totally Egyptian, honest!).

Egyptian musem & Islamic Cairo

The plan for today was to first visit the Egyptian museum, and then Islamic Cairo. So we got up early again, and off we went to famous Egyptian museum. We had a cunning plan to be there right when the museum opened – unfortunately; loads of other people had the same cunning plan! Once inside, Mathilde had the very good idea that we should visit the highlight of the museum – the Tutankhamun galleries – first. This turned out to be an excellent idea – we were almost alone to visit them. Very impressive stuff – hard to imagine what treasures the famous pharaohs must’ve had in their graves, if a relatively minor ruler like Tutankhamun had such riches… I really loved this museum, so much to see. It’s all a bit chaotic (with inconsistent explanations, not always in the same language. In fact, we found one plaque, which was only in Braille!), which is in fact part of the charm.



Having spent a couple of hours there, we got a bit saturated with mummies and other relics, so decided it was time to move on to Islamic Cairo. Disheartened by the previous days’ experiences with public transportation, we humbly resorted to taking a taxi (mind you, taking a taxi in Cairo is not exactly a boring experience either, especially when it comes to agreeing the price with the driver…). We started our exploration in Khan Al-Khalili, which is a complex of tiny streets filled with shops and sellers (basically a bazaar). It really is very fascinating, at the same time extremely touristy, and so typically Cairo. There are of course loads of tourist shops about, but you don’t have to walk very far to find places where the locals do their shopping. I imagine that parts of Khan Al-Khalili hasn’t changed much over the last 50 years (that would be the non-touristy bits).


We managed to not actually buy anything during our visit, but did have to make the mandatory stop at Fishawii’s, which is the oldest coffee shop in Cairo (and fortunately hasn’t been turned into a tourist trap). The lunch in the tourist trap by the main square didn’t impress though… (Islamic Cairo isn’t blessed with very many restaurants).



After lunch, we visited what is possibly the most famous mosque in Cairo – Al-Azhar. It was founded 970AD, and is not only one of the oldest mosques in Cairo, but also (apparently) the oldest surviving university in the world. It was very impressive (and peaceful – which is quite rare in Cairo!) it has to be said – we even had a self-appointed guide showing us around (who made it very clear he was not happy with the Baksheesh I gave him). After visiting the mosque, we walked around a bit more, heading towards the citadel (visiting the Blue mosque on the way – which was nice if a bit run-down).Unfortunately it was too late to visit the citadel, so we decided to head back to the hotel.




In the evening we decided to go for a nice dinner, so we headed to the Zamalek area (which is popular with expats), to a French restaurant called “Le Steack”. Not very original, but at least the food was the best we’d had so far! (needless to say, it probably cost about as much as all the other meals we’d had so far put together, though…). Afterwards we had a couple of drinks in L’Aubergine, a supposedly trendy bar. Nice place, but not very Egyptian (I suppose that makes it trendy?)…