More rich people

I was still wandering around the streets of Monaco.

This place sure was tiny.

It's so tiny that the Monaco golf course isn't even in Monaco. It's in neighbouring France. It makes sense when you consider that the whole Principality probably only a little bit bigger than a golf course as it is....
There were lots of famous things to see.

Such as the final resting place of Grace Kelly. Is she the most glamourous princess of all time? The Diana supporters may disagree, but Princess Grace had the movie career and the French Riviera upping her claim.
Then there was the notorious hair pin turn of the Monaco Grand Prix.
For most of the year, I guess this is just a random turn on a road.
But for those brief moments during the Grand Prix, this tiny little corner of the world becomes so much more!

.... to be honest, I was finding it hard to get excited. Monaco is an empty place. Once you get past the not so shiny exterior, you're about done with all there is to do.

Rich people

My wanderings had brought me to a place with more ostentatious displays of wealth than I had ever seen.

I was in Monaco!

The land of royalty, F1 and luxury.
The only thing was... it wasn't the land of class and elegance that I had expected.

Monaco has always been in my mind as one of the most glamorous places in the world. I expected big things from this place. I expected the place to be full of architectural wonders, fast cars and people who were the definition of chic.
I didn't really get that feeling.
There was something almost tacky about the place. It felt as though everything would have been brand new and high tech, had we still been in the 80s. There were obvious signs of wealth to be seen such as with the cars being driven, but it wasn't consistent and it didn't necessarily imply any class whatsoever. There's also something incredibly creepy about seeing the really rich old man with the strikingly beautiful young model girlfriend/wife.

Secret gardens

About half an hour outside of Paris is Parc de Sceaux.

This would have to be one of the hidden gems of Paris.
It is an enormous and well manicured park that displays all the regal bearing of its even larger and more famous relative at Versailles.
However, unlike Versailles, the purpose of this lovely park isn't to recapture the lost glory of the Ancien Regime for precious tourist shekels.

Instead, this park exists to be what it was originally intended for. To be an open space where people can walk and sit whilst surrounded by the beautifully kept grounds.
On a cool, but sunny day, I saw this park fulfilling its purpose.

Families were out with their children, people were jogging, whilst others were just laying around on the grass gazing up at the sky.
When I thought of Paris and France, this is the type of image I had in my mind. It wasn't of enormous city scenes or of busy cafes, it was of parks like this. I imagined parks such as this. Where I could walk through while the wind blew and the leaves fell.

Je suis Napoleon!

Les Invalides is a grand and imposing structure.

With it's golden dome, it radiates power and magnificence. Even from a distance, there is a distinct glow that emanates from the beautiful gilding.

Inside, it is no less impressive. There are numerous museums and monuments dedicated to the glory of France's military past.
I even found myself standing in front of a small display case filled with batons belonging to some of France's field marshalls. No one seemed to care or notice, so I was stood there silently in awe of this amazing spectacle.

Six batons. All representing incredible power and achievement. Each one the symbol of accomplishment by great men. Now they are confined to being ignored by tourists in search of more impressive looking exhibits such as big guns and pretty light shows. It's a bit depressing.
Wandering into the main hall, there were monuments dedicated to the heroes of France, such as Marshall Foch.
One monument stuck out more than the others.

The sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Pacing in a circle around this sarcophagus was a strangely surreal experience. This was the resting place of the man who tormented Europe, and yet in many ways was also the man who broke down the old order and began the move of the world into modernity. I had read so much about the Napoleonic era over the years and seeing this in person somehow made it all slightly more real.

Just like Amelie

Someone once said to me that they imagined that I saw the world as Amelie did.

I wasn't sure how to take that. Did it mean that I was a bit loopy or that I viewed the world through a unique lens?

... maybe a bit of both.

It seemed fitting then to find myself standing in front of Sacre Coeur.

Standing at the top of the Montmarte, my only real knowledge of this place comes from the move Amelie. I know almost nothing about it, and to be honest, it had never struck me as one of the "must sees" of Paris.
Being at Sacre Coeur, I felt obliged to go inside, have a look, and as usual, climb to the highest possible point.
It was definitely a nice view.

The sky was clear and I could see straight across Paris.
I was definitely beginning to feel a bit of the "not another **** cathedral" phenomenon that so many tourists go through.

There was nothing "wrong" with Sacre Couer, it was just that after seeing so many other places in such a short amount of time, I was beginning to struggle with differentiating them in my mind.
Even so, standing out the front of this old basilica made me feel strangely nostalgic for the film Amelie. It was like being transported into the film itself, with Audrey Tatou surely only just around the corner...

It's so pretty

It's such an overstated comment that "Paris is beautiful" or that it's "magical".

Whenever I hear such comments, I generally recoil as I am usually unconvinced by the strength of the arguments.

Paris in particular seems to garner praise as a destination that is beyond compare.

It's a nice place, but I certainly wouldn't say it's the most amazing place I've ever been.

Some things definitely exceed expectations though.

The Eiffel Tower for instance.

Who would have thought that arguably the most touristy of all tourist destinations in the world is actually a pretty amazing site?
I don't like heights though.

I seem to find myself climbing all manner of structure on my holidays.... but I really don't actually like heights.
I find myself becoming a little bit light headed and I get that shaky feeling in the legs. However, I push on, knowing that it won't be so bad once I reach the top.
It's more than not bad.

It's beautiful.

The view from the heights of the Eiffel Tower completely unobstructed and unhindered. As such, it gives a near perfect perspective of this famous city.
Then there is the tower itself.

Phil and I were fortunate enough to get there late in the afternoon when the crowds had begun to dissipate. We wandered past all of those waiting patiently in line to ride the elevators to the top, and instead walked up the stairs ourselves.

This gave us a better understanding of the scale and size of this impressive structure.

As afternoon slowly became evening, we were also treated to a startling change in the tower itself.
The lights of the city began to flicker on. We had been on our way down the tower, when we realised that we were being given a completely different view.

We decided to stay longer and stare out for just a bit more.

Eventually, we had to go.

We were getting hungry and the winds began to pick up at the top of the tower.

Even as we left, we were given more to see.
The tower began to sparkle as lights began to flash up and down its length.

As we walked further away, it became clear that the top of the tower had spotlights shining out like a lighthouse.
The Eiffel Tower is a stereotypical tourist attraction, that is beyond a doubt. However, that doesn't make it any less amazing to see. Sometimes, too many travelers become too caught up in the image of travel, and forget that people will flock to see popular sites for good reason.

The Parisian lifestyle

After my visit to Oslo, Phil and I set forth for Paris.


It was the first time I was traveling with Phil for about 8 years. He had been my first traveling buddy when we were both just kids. Looking back at our travels through SE Asia, we were almost comical in our naivety and greenness. We squabbled and bickered, we didn't know how to interact with other travelers and we went to great pains to bargain over pittances whilst being completely ripped off for other things.


A lot of time had passed though. We were now both far more savvy as travelers, far more world weary, but also far more experienced.


Going to Paris to visit some friends would be fun. It was going to be a laid back trip giving us more than enough opportunity to both relax and enjoy the French culture.
I was shocked by the number of tourists. Truly shocked that you couldn't really go anywhere without being one of a huge crowd. There didn't seem to be any trait or characteristic to the tourists either, they came in all forms and met all the different tourist stereotypes from the tour groups, to families, to school leavers, to grey packers, to a couple of a traveling idiots like Phil and I.

What amazed me the most was that what I found myself enamoured with in Paris wasn't the famous sights.


Instead, it was just the lifestyle.
The cafes, the brasseries, the patisseries, the boulangeries, the salon du the. The general attitude towards existence. It was all very appealing.


Living in Paris is clearly an experience in lifestyle.


The very first meal that Phil and I had, sitting at just a standard little cafe by the side of the road, we found ourselves eating meals prepared with a care and quality that would never be present in similar establishments back home.
We found ourselves lulling over coffees and cakes, whilst just chatting the hours away.


It was a nice change from the frantic rush of traveling from site to site.
The whole concept of slowing down is appealing.
It's got my name written all over it!

Nordic cuisine

Norway seems almost too good to be true.

It isn't.

I have never been to a place more expensive in my life.

This is not simply hyperbole either. This place is by far and away the most expensive place I have ever set foot in. Even with the spectacularly performing Australian dollar, I found myself taken aback by how quickly my money seemed to be slipping out of my grasp.

Even for something as simple as one of their delicious bolles, it was a shock to the system every time they told me the price.

On the whole, the food in Norway was quite simple. There wasn't too much complicating or masking the flavours of the underlying ingredients used.
That's when I was actually able to find real "Norwegian" food that is.

On the whole, the locals seemed to have embraced foods like Thai and Italian as the cuisine of choice.

It took a bit searching, but I was able to find some more traditional purveyors of Norway's food.

Selling local delicacies such as salted fish and smoked elk, the strong flavours of the food reminded me of some of the more interesting foods I encountered as a child growing up with Chinese parents.
I wasn't completely surprised that this food wasn't common inside the homes of Norwegians anymore.

It took too long, too much time to prepare. The easy options are so much more enticing due to their simplicity.
It didn't mean I didn't like it though. The food was like nothing I've ever had before. Eating things such as the "molter" jam, with its sour and strangely sharp flavour was incomparable to anything I've ever eaten.
I was also able to try the famed "brown cheese" of Norway, which completely changed my preconception of what a cheese could be. Biting into the traditional brown cheese from the specialty store, only a sliver, was like eating a creamier version of some of the strongest burnt caramel I've ever had. Who would have thought that to be possible from a cheese?

A very big park

If you knew nothing about Norwegian cultural contributions to the world, a visit to Oslo would have you swearing that it was actually Vigeland and not Munch who was the better known man.

Munch may have his museum, but Vigeland has an entire park dedicated to him. A very, very, very large park.

A park that is filled with some of the most intriguing sculptures I have ever seen.

Sculptures that celebrate humanity and the emotions expressed by all of us.
Sculptures that seem to speak of humanity as a whole, rather than as individuals.
It's an amazing park.

I found myself at Vigeland Park on a crisp, but clear day that let me see from end to end.

Surrounded by the lush, green, moving forests, the sculptures stood out silent and still. Vigeland had tried to capture the movement and emotion of bodies, yet it was all stuck in a moment in time.
It is an amazing site that is definitely worth a wander.
As you wander out, you almost feel as though you have left a kind of museum that has captured these individuals and their emotional expressions and frozen it for an eternity of viewing.

A fjord!

The shortness of my trip to Norway meant that I wasn't able to travel out into the wilds, but that didn't stop me from seeing the natural wonders of the country.

Oslo isn't a city that excludes nature, but instead is one that seems to be melded into it.

It is surrounded by mountain ranges, interspersed with park and forests and most strikingly of all, it has a fjord running through the middle of it.

It is difficult to properly describe how beautiful a setting it is.
There's a calmness that seems to radiate from the fjord into the rest of the city.
Sitting alone on the banks of the fjord, pondering my existence, I felt at ease with the world. It made all the concerns and worries I had slowly float away with every ebb of the water.