On the final legs

We feel like we are almost home although still in Sheffield. We are heading to London on Sunday for two nights then fly to Hong Kong and spend three nights there and then home! Not looking forward to going back to work but definitely looking forward to seeing my wardrobe!
Not much to report about Sheffield. Got another paper written while I was here, did a seminar for some students, had lunch with the lovely Julia, coffee with lovely Pat Sikes, dinner at Jackie's house, lunch with Guy Merchant.
Don't know if my lack of enthusiasm is because of Sheffield itself or because I'm already in home headspace. Certainly doing course profiles, readers, and finding tutors via email etc doesn't help!

Collage of photos taken on our trip to York

Playing with Picasa - didn't realise you could create these collages automatically - kinda fun!

Sheffield

So here I am sitting in the beautiful Julia's office- such a pity she is not here but I still get to check out her books and cute postcards, dolls,. posters etc. Not much else to check out because the weather is absolute CRAP! After a glorious Friday and Saturday we woke to drizzle on Sunday and it hasn't stopped since- and today is Thursday! I just feel like I am in Melbourne in the middle of one of those miserable dreary grey drizzly weeks that come in around July. But this is summer here - come on Sheffield - let the sun shine in! And Peppi will think this is very funny as I did nothing but complain about the weather in Jyvaskyla while we were there - so maybe it's me that grey weather is following around the planet!

Bronte Country

We hired a car for the day in Sheffield and drove to Haworth, the home of the Bronte sisters and the Parsonage Museum. I realised on the way there as we drove through Yorkshire, that it was my fictional world become reality. Everyone from the Brontes to DH Lawrence even to Barbara Taylor Bradford have written about these towns, and mills and mines, the black of the coal still staining the brick work of the houses, the long narrow hilly streets - close your eyes and picture the miners walking back home after their shifts.
And the museum!! I had always known that the three sisters read each other's writing each evening and walked around a table as they read. But when you see the room - it is tiny - maybe  it would take three steps to walk the length of the table - another three steps and back down the other side - past the sofa where apparently Emily died - lying on this short uncomfortable sofa. All the windows in the parsonage have blinds on them to protect the furniture but I so wanted to see out - to see what they saw when they looked out the window to the moors.
Had a drink with the drunken Branwell at the Black Bull - no matter how much they try to reconstitute him as someone we should feel sorry for I'm still with Charlotte
You ask about Branwell; he never thinks of seeking employment, and I begin to fear that he has rendered himself incapable of filling any respectable station in life; besides, if money were at his disposal, he would use it only to his own injury; the faculty of self-government is, I fear, almost destroyed in him. You ask me if I do not think that men are strange beings? I do, indeed. I have often thought so; and I think too that the mode of bringing them up is strange: they are not sufficiently guarded from temptation. Girls are protected as if they were something very frail or silly Indeed, while boys are turned loose on the world as if they, of all beings in existence, were the wisest and least liable to be led astray.

Joyce Hotel Paris

We found the Joyce Hotel on Laterooms.comand then checked it on Tripadvisor - it was the first hotel where the reviews were as good as the price so we went for it and the reviews actually were right! Apart from this very weird layout of the room it was terrific. These photos show the route from bed to bathroom - along a narrow corridor - at last a reason for carrying a torch all this time!!

This was such a good choice of hotel thank goodness!! It's so hard to find a decent European hotel especially if you are using Australian dollars to pay for it!

Notre Dame and the Gargoyles

The Notre Dame Cathedral and its amazing gargoyles-

These were Sandy's favourite part of the cathedral !

The Louvre and more

I love this photo - this is the crowd at the Mona Lisa. No one actually looked at the painting with their own eyes - they all viewed it through the viewfinder of their cameras/video cameras. Pushing and shoving to get a spot at the front so they could capture their own photo - which would never be any good because of the reflection of the glass frame!!
Walking down a staircase this view of one of the galleries closed - a jumble of antiquities!
Joan of Arc in gold!!
We caught the metro and train line to the Eiffel Tower and then did a one hour boat cruise around the river

Paris!!

My first time in Paris - it was amazing, incredible, etc etc. We did the main walks, and tourist spots. Highlights: Here I am standing on a bridge over the river.




And the Boulevard St Michel. As I posted on Facebook, as soon as I saw the sign I remembered that song, Where do I go to my lovely, and had to rush home and find the video on youtube. We had lunch at a cafe here.




And Sandy standing on another bridge!






So we missed the Prada, and never got to the Uffizi when we were in Florence a few years ago, so I was determined to make the Louvre. One of the first paintings we saw was this one which reminded my of all those holy cards my Mum had when I was a kid.

Before I finish with Finland

Peppi sent me this message
First, there is a guided tour for citizens of Jyväskylä in their hometown, as the Jkl culture centre has found that most people don't recognise even the statue of Uno Cygnaeus! And this is a true story. I won't unfortunately be able togo, but I've now seen the photo on your laptop screen. That is almost the real thing.
So for all our Jyvaskyla friends here is the photo!!

Hilton in Helsinki

Maybe because of the bed and the view but Hilton has never been as good as this! The bridge I am standing on took us into town every day, the other shots are views from our room window, and the bonus was Chris Isaak was staying there our last night and was having breakfast at the same time - mind you he does look quite seedy and not half as cute first thing in the mornign but I guess people could say that about me too!! ok enough of Finland. Off to Paris - of course I am writing this on the last morning in Paris so I am about three days behind!

Trams in Helsinki

Trams in Helsinki are green and yellow - for those who have never been to Melbourne a common feature of Melbourne trams too. This tram is a tourist one only 5 euros, and the conductor gave us an individual tour description as well as being very knowledgeable about Melbourne trams!!

Helsinki

So what is this? An old castle?? On the train between Tampere and Helsinki. And the train photo is for all Victorian friends who will recognise the logo!

when we arrived in Helsinki checked in and then went walking - caught in rain shower and dashed for cover into this cute glass restaurant in the park

Cultural Tampere

Onwards for a cultural view of Tampere - well as much as we could handle after an early morning, a seminar delivery, and it was cold and drizzly - that's my excuses all sown up anyway! The building is the library designed to look like a bird, love the statue of newspaper readers - celebrating 100? years of reading in Tampere??? ok that will be corrected by Peppi I am sure if she reads this:-)

Sandy and Peppi admiring a large ball floating on water, and slowly turning - don't know what Sandy is laughing at there?

And then to the Moomin Museum at the back of the library which was fascinating - and I loved the house especially.
After a little nana nap we had dinner with Peppi at great Indian restaurant - our cravings for hot spicy garlicky food soothed quite nicely. Then off to a couple of bars to experience Tampere nightlife, and then goodbye to Peppi for now and off to Helsinki.

Tampere

So to Tampere!! We had a great time with Peppi who looks pretty good in these photos (so I think I am owed 10euros!!) The first photo is of the "rapids" in the middle of town showing how similar it is to Manchester. And Peppi told us it is known as the Manchester of Finland.
After my seminar at The University of Tampere (which went well even though only a small audience all seemed interested in Deleuze!) we went exploring with Peppi. Here are Sandy and Peppi having coffee downtown, and then Sandy in the corner with Peppi and her beautiful smile at the Tower, where we had doughnuts and coffee but I could not be convinced walking up the tower to view the city would be worth it!!

And here is a photo of the "three towers of Tampere" (that's a poor tall people's joke!)