April 30 - Nice is nice!

Nice is nice, and so far, the weather here has been exceptional.  Lyle and I are staying at a small hotel near the Acropolis and Place Garibaldi, and only a hop, skip and a jump from Vieux Nice.  The lanes and passageways through Old Town are narrow and are shadowed by buildings on either side.  I haven't been able to see much but I enjoy detecting the various small stalls by scent.  There are flowers, spices, shoes, candy, fish, fruit and vegetables, restaurants, patisseries, and crepes of various flavours.  Of course, we also like tasting some of these goodies - spicy breads, delicious tarts and pastries, and my favourite, chocolate crepes.

Nice seems to buzz with sound.  There are the voices of many nationalities.  French is predominant, but we have also heard German, Italian, Spanish, English in a variety of accents, and other languages we could not identify.  We have heard the clanging of the church bells and the warning bells of the trams as they make their way along the streets.

So far, we have walked the length of the Promenade Des Anglais, a distance of four miles, and taken the elevator to the top of Castle Hill with its great views.  We walked around to the port of Nice and took a cruise out to Villefranche-sur-Mer.  I couldn't see much of the coastline itself, but I enjoyed the commentary.  At one point I was able to see the line in the water between the dark blue of the deeper water and the turquoise closer to the shore.  No wonder they call this the Cote d'Azure.

Tomorrow we are going to explore further afield.  We will make our way to Antibes (which we gather is pronounced Anteeb). I am ell aware that I would not be able to do this kind of travelling without a guide.  I am really grateful to Lyle and glad that we can enjoy these experiences together.

April 26 - In Paris (Part 2)

On our second day in Paris, Lyle and I managed to get to three noteworthy attractions, making good use of our two-day Museum Pass.  In the morning we set off for Versailles.  The train was absolutely packed.  We were crowded in like sardines. Just when I thought there was no more space at all, another half dozen people pushed in like a football rush just as the doors were about to close.  We would have fallen over but there was no place to fall!

I was disappointed at Versailles.  Many years ago I had been there on a beautiful summer day in late August.  The flowers in the gardens were blooming and there were few people around.  Contrast that to this visit when there were hoards of people and the spring flowers had not yet blossomed.  We shuffled our way through the hallways and immense rooms of the Chateau and were actually relieved to get outside onto the quieter, less crowded paths of the gardens.

After lunch, following a circuitous train ride back to the city - we were only slightly lost - we caught the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe.  Not knowing which Metro exit to take, we were quite surprised to pop out onto street level and find the huge edifice right before us.  The traffic was whipping around the circle at breakneck speed.  We had to find the underground tunnel to get across to the centre.

I had really wanted to climb to the viewing platform at the top.  However, when Lyle eyed the narrow spiral stairwell with many people lined up, he knew I would have difficulty coming down.  There are 400 steps to the top.  I am always cautious coming down steps, but especially so when I feel I am being pushed from behind.  We had just made the decision not to attempt the climb when an attendant noticed my cane and directed us to a special elevator.  I was thrilled.  We did not know of the existence of the lift.  At the top it was as wonderful as I had anticipated.

Lyle had checked the Metro map and noticed that we were only a few stops from the Louvre. It was late afternoon and hoping that the lines would not now be too long, we decided to check it out.  I especially wanted to see the Mona Lisa.

The Louvre is huge but we knew where to look, and made our way there.  The line was not long so we entered and went to the information desk.  There we were given a map of the galleries and locations of handicapped elevators.

After going through security we made our way to the gallery where the Mona Lisa was located.  There was a throng of people around the painting.  We slowly made our way through until we reached the front of the barrier.  I squinted and leaned forward, but still couldn't see the famous painting.  Then a security guard noticed my white cane and predicament.  He came over and let me through the first barrier and led me through to a second closer barrier to the painting.  Now I was able to make out the painting.  It was an emotional moment for me.

I am writing this post after we have just returned from Amiens and Villers-Bretonneux.  Tomorrow we leave for Nice and the French Riviera.

April 26 - Leaving Amiens

The throngs of Australians are leaving Amiens and this morning Lyle and I will also leave to catch a train back to Paris.  Before we go, I must mention the most magnificent cathedral here - Notre Dame Amiens.  If the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was awesome, the one in Amiens is far more impressive.

Construction of the Amiens cathedral was begun in 1220 and because of the economic prosperity of the time, the cathedral rose rapidly, not taking hundreds of years as did some European constructions.  The whole building is one of architectural genius.  It is definitely worth a stop for any tourist. It is two and a half times larger than the Notre Came Cathedral in Paris.

Speaking of Paris, we must be off to catch our train.

April 25 - ANZAC Day

Every year Australians and New Zealanders celebrate ANZAC Day on April 25.  For me, as an Australian, this year was especially memorable.  Lyle & I were in Villers-Bretonneux where we attended the dawn service.

The shuttle bus which we booked some months ago, picked us up at 3:00 a.m.  When we arrived at the Australian War Memorial, there were 4000 chairs set up.  We were fortunate to find two chairs, but many others remained standing at the back and sides.  The site faces east at the top of a hill.  The wind blew steadily and was icy cold.

There was a short program before the actual service of remembrance began. School choirs sang, an Australian Army band performed, and slides of World War I scenes and soldiers were shown on the memorial tower wall.  I couldn't actually see this part but Lyle described it to me.  The service itself began at 5:30 a.m., just as there was a beginning light over the horizon.  It was very poignant.

Following this service we moved to the small village of Villers-Bretonneux for another service at 8:30 a.m.  Both services celebrated the special bond between France and Australia.  When we left the War Memorial we had passed the many, many headstones of Australian, New Zealand, North African, and Canadian soldiers who died defending this small village.

After this short service we moved across the square to an indoor market area for a concert by the most amazing brass band we have ever heard.  The Amiens Brass Band, conducted by Eric Brisse, played many selections with Australian themes and received two standing ovations from an appreciative audience.

After the concert Lyle walked around the corner and found a patisserie with most delectable goodies.  We had two big pastries with strawberries and whipped cream.  It was a great finish to an amazing morning.  I felt proud to be an Australian.  It was a great boost to patriotism.

Our shuttle delivered us back to our hotel at 12:30 p.m.  We will spend our second night in Amiens and then take the train back to Paris tomorrow morning.

April 24 - In Paris (Part 1)

Sight seeing is hard work!  After two days of tourist activities in Paris, Lyle and I are quite exhausted. When we arrived in the city, we purchased a two-daymuseum pass, and so we wanted to see as much as we could.  A list as is good to tell you about this as anything else.

Saint Chapelle - a pretty little church with the most beautiful vertical stained glass windows

The Conciergerie - the last stop before the guillotine.  This is a massive building, spectacular on the outside and huge and stark on the inside.

Notre-Dame Cathedral - awesome!  It was difficult to imagine this as a place of worship with the throngs of tourists inside.

Army Museum - too dimly lit for my liking

Napoleon's Tomb - good stop for any historian

Rodin Museum - a good stop for me.  I was given a pair of white gloves so that I could feel four of the sculptures.  I especially liked the Prodigal Son with his upturned head but felt a little embarrassed to thoroughly all the life-sized parts!  Unfortunately, the famous Thinker was placed on a pedestal too high for me to see.

One of the best parts of this day was strolling along the bank of the Seine.

Part 2 to follow soon.

April 22 - The Blind Leading the Blind

When we arrived in France, Lyle easily negotiated our way through Charles de Gaulle Airport and onto the train to the city centre.  At Gare du Nord main station we spent many minutes looking for the Metro connection which would lead to our hotel.  Part of the problem was that our map was labelled in colors and the signs for the train lines in the station were given as numbers.  We eventually found our way down a series of steps to what we hoped was the correct platform.  Imagine my surprise when I noticed beside us a young man with a guide dog.  He also noticed my white cane, and in hesitant English, asked if he could help us.  We obviously looked a little uncertain.  After telling him which station we were heading for, he assured us we were on the correct platform and told us how many stops there were before before we reached our station.

Our new friend was very helpful.  I find it curious that our first personal contact in a city of 2.5 million was with someone who also had only partial vision.  I know I have said before that I don't believe in coincidences, but what do you think?

April 21 - Lighting

Who would have thought just one day after my last post about confused lighting that I would come across an example so quickly.  Lyle and I were in Ohare Airport at Chicago.  We needed to walk between terminals for our connecting flight, and then from Concourse B to C.

We left the pleasant daylight afforded by overhead skylights and descended down an escalator to a dark tunnel.  Just as my eyes were adjusting to the change in light, there was a sudden series of flashing white lights in the ceiling.  They looked like twisted ropes.  I kept my eyes downcast, but then the brilliant white lights changed to blue, then green, purple, orange, and red.  Lyle kept me close to the wall of subdued fluorescent lights shining through translucent plastic tiles along the edge of the tunnel walk.

The tunnel was quite long and I was glad when we ascended the escalator as we reached the other end.

The tunnel was a perfect example of confusing lighting for someone with partial sight.

April 20 - Blind or Not Blind?

Many people think of blindness in terms of black and white. Either a person is blind and can see nothing, or they are not blind and they see in perfect detail. This concept fails to recognize that there are many shades of in-between vision. I know that I fall into that in-between category. I am not alone in this, but I know too that others in the in-between land of sight see the world in many different ways – fuzzy, cloudy, blurred, spotty, pin-point vision, peripheral only, monocular, and a seemingly endless list of sight variations.

I always find it difficult to explain to others what it is that I see. It is even more difficult when I say that I see differently at different times and in different circumstances. I see less in dimly lit places. For instance, candle lit restaurants and bars are like blackened caverns and my sight zooms to zero. On the other hand, bright artificial overhead lights, mirrored walls, shiny marble or tiled floor surfaces can also cause me to squint. I am glad that spring is finally on the way and that I no longer have to contend with the glare of the sun on the snow. I know that I see better when there is a contrast between green grass and bare asphalt.

I see less when I am tired. I see more when I am in familiar surroundings. I think that my memory kicks in and tells me what I should be seeing. I see more when a guide by my side tells me what I am looking at. Somehow, my brain then fills in some of the details.

Probably this reflection comes in April because it was in April 1986 that my sight changed. I have learned much about blindness and sight over these past twenty-eight years.