Lockdown Armchair Travel – France – St. Tropez, 2013

Posted on June 15, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

F would have been for Finland if I could have found the pictures from our trip there a good while back but I haven’t a clue where they are. So F is for France and a day in St. Tropez during a summer Mediterranean cruise in June 2013.

So what do you think of, when you think of St. Tropez?

Beautiful people in swanky yachts? Yeah, me too.

Beautiful blue sea?

Hidden coves?

Seaside graveyards? That was a surprise.

The town is chic

with a Provencal twist

and lots of expensive bikes

There’s a lively market

selling all sorts of stuff

and the town has a typically French-town-feel

But the sea’s the main attraction

offering a relaxed lifetstyle

a beautiful vista

as well as some history

and some ice cream

Enchanting and quirky all round

Definitely a place to revisit!

Thanks for joining me on this little jaunt around St Tropez. Tomorrow, it’s back to theatreland, and some memories of shows seen in March to July 1978. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Egypt – Cairo in 2010

Posted on June 11, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

D is for Denmark, but I haven’t any photos of our day in Copenhagen back in 2003, so we move on to E for Egypt. We had a fantastic Nile cruise in September 2010 that started with three days in Cairo, and we stayed at the magnificent Mena House Hotel in Giza, which is now a Marriott hotel although at the time it was part of the Oberoi group.

So what do you think of, when you think of Cairo? I bet it’s this:

That was the view from our balcony! Stunning, eh? But there’s more to Cairo than pyramids. Here’s the Citadel

The famous Coptic Church:

with so many beautiful details inside

There are also some stunning mosques. This is the Mohammed Ali Mosque:

The Qani Bay Qara Mosque:

and the Sultan Hassan Mosque:

This is an original, 14th century oil lamp

Views over the city are spectacular

We loved our visit to the Egyptian Museum

with its incredible monuments

and posing tourists

A day at the Pyramids is a memorable event. First we saw the Solar Boat museum – with a boat that was built to send the dead body off to heaven.

And of course The Sphinx!

They tell you the Sphinx is beautiful, and it is. What they don’t tell you is what the Sphinx looks at!

OK, I know you want to see a pyramid.

or maybe two

How about a close up?

At Saqqara, the pyramid is stepped

Old Ramses is lying down on the job

Back in Cairo, there’s always the Old Bazaar to lose yourself in

An amazing place, with some grand and quirky sights

Thanks for joining me on these memories around Cairo. Tomorrow it’s back to the theatre, and some shows I saw from November 1977 to February 1978.

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Czech Republic – Prague, 1997

Posted on June 9, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

We’re still on C, which is also for Czech Republic, and Mrs Chrisparkle and I were lucky enough to visit Prague twice, once in January 1997 and then again in September of the same year. We stayed with her cousin who lived and worked there, and was known locally as The Scot Who Speaks Czech – as I don’t suppose there were that many of them. We also made lifelong friends with his flatmate! These photos are all from the January visit.

What do you think of, when you think of Prague? The river’s a good place to start.

The famously wonky Charles Bridge that spans the Vltava

Although other bridges are available!

The city centre is dominated by Wenceslas and his Square.

But perhaps the most famous sight is the Astronomical Clock, built in 1410.

Plus there’s a grand cathedral

And of course stunning views over the city from the tops of the buildings

We had to keep our mouths shut as we walked around the Old Jewish cemetary as our friends got us in at Czech rates – so we had to convince them we were Prazan!

One day we did an out of town trip to Karlstejn castle

Our flat was in the north of the city, near the Výstaviště exhibition ground

The immaculate designer uniforms of the guard at Prague Castle are a major attraction

Prague Castle is also home to the beautiful Golden Lane

Havel equals Democracy. We don’t vote for communists and fascists!

Many beautiful memories

But it was freezing cold!

And we got ripped-off mercilessly, so beware

Never been back, though we really should!

Thanks for enjoying this little dawdle around Prague with me. Tomorrow it’s back to the theatre memories, and shows from August to November 1977. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Croatia – Dubrovnik

Posted on June 5, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

I’ve visited Dubrovnik twice, both for just one day during a Mediterranean cruise, once in 2003 (when hardly any photos were taken) and once in 2012, which is when these pictorial memories were made. It’s a grand place, dominated by its remarkable Old Town, with its incredible walls.

Let’s start at the top and work our way down. From the wall walk, everywhere you look you see contrasting and clashing roofs, with that terracotta red gleaming in the sun.

And you see things from unusual angles

You also get a great view of the sea

And the harbour

And the view emphasises the straight narrow streets

At the end of that street you can see the famous Bell Tower

Other beautiful sights include the Church of St Blaise

in fact there are churches everywhere

This is the Franciscan Monastery

On ground level, the streets are great fun to explore

Or, alternatively, you can just sit and watch the world go by

And, if you ever forget where you are, there are plenty of reminders!

Thanks for joining me on a quick trip through Dubrovnik. On Monday it’s back to the theatrical posts, and more memories of 1977. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Cambodia – Phnom Penh – March 2013

Posted on June 3, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

Digging out the digital photo album, we’ll never forget our amazing tour to Indochina seven years ago – Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. More of those countries as we go further down the alphabet, but today C is for Cambodia and its capital Phnom Penh, an extraordinary contrast between the beautiful and the ugly, a city of amazing resilience and the dignity to look its awful recent past straight in the eye. Please bear in mind that among these pictures are images from the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields, if you’d sooner not see.

So what do you think of when you think of Phnom Penh? Probably not the Mekong, but that was our incredible introduction to the city, as we entered Cambodia from Vietnam on a speed boat, and, when you see the Phnom Penh skyline for the first time, it takes your breath away.

One’s overwhelming memory of Phnom Penh is of the exquisitely decorated buildings that form the Royal Palace.

Internal decorations are stunning too. This is Wat Phnom temple, built in 1373.

And of course, you can ask for a blessing… from a statue…. for cash!

The city is a mix of bustling commercial streets

where health and safety is always scrupulously observed…

and the Highway Code is king.

And after all that hard work…

There’s always time for a nap.

It’s a city of modern architecture too, with the University of Medical Science

The Railway Station

And modernistic office blocks

Combined with the Old World Grandeur of the Post Office

Sadly one can never, and must never, forget the horrors of the past. This was Pol Pot’s detention centre and is today the Museum of Genocide.

The cells contain exhibits of the dreadful past, and many of the floors bear the bloodstains that won’t ever get clean, no matter how hard they are scrubbed.

Photographic memorials to some of the fallen make tragic viewing. You can only admire the defiance and insolence on some of the faces as they refuse to submit willingly to their deaths.

And you can get plenty of awful insights into daily life here in the 70s, with the gibbets still on display

There weren’t many survivors – just a handful. But one, Chum Mey, spends almost every day at the centre selling and signing his book, giving talks to local children, in the hope that this genocide never recurs.

Visiting the Museum is harrowing enough, but nothing can really prepare you for a visit to The Killing Fields. But it’s one of those awful places that you feel you should see, so that you can bear witness to the agonies of that past generation. This is the central monument, if you look closely behind the glass, you’ll see that inside is just racks and racks of human skulls.

The bark of this particular tree has barbs so sharp that it was used to execute victims.

Everywhere are mass graves.

But I think the most pathetic and saddest thing of all is the collection of victims’ clothes

which in places you can still see peeping through the surface of the ground, along with remnants of bones. A fragment of shirt here, a piece of underpant there. It’s truly horrifying.

But life goes on, fortunately. The market is a bustle of colours and smells

Kids go to school

And men go to work

You can do deliveries with the motorbike

Or you can potter about on the Mekong

And I, of course, integrated with the locals and never stuck out like a sore thumb once.

If you’d like to read a little more about our adventure in Phnom Penh here is the original blog post I wrote at the time. Tomorrow it’s back to the old theatre trips and reminiscences of shows I saw in 1976-77. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Brazil – Rio de Janeiro, September 2011

Posted on June 1, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

B is also for Brazil, and possibly one of the most famous cities on the planet, Rio de Janeiro. We had three days there as part of our South American tour in 2011. It wasn’t as sunny as we’d hoped; and it also had some disappointing rip-off aspects. But there’s no denying its life, its glamour, its self-indulgence and its sheer exhilaration!

So what does Rio bring to mind? Carnival! But we were there in September, so no Carnival. Doesn’t stop a spot of Samba practice though!

Christ the Redeemer, of course, is a major sight. The day we went up to see him, though, he was looming in the mist…

Christ has a great view of the city

and he looks down on you, ever so slightly eerily, when you’re up there.

The main natural sight is of course the Sugar Loaf Mountain

which you ascend by cable car – and you can admire the old cars that are still on display

It’s a particularly scary sight coming down!

The city itself is a fascinating mix of old and new. Some of the old parts aren’t so glamorous –

and some are!

There’s some striking modern architecture –

and some rather grim modern buildings

Hang on – that’s the cathedral! Dull and grey on the outside, crammed with stunning stained glass windows on the inside!

Another extraordinary site is Selaron’s famous decorated staircase

There are plenty of “odd” sights in Rio. This place looks promising:

Need a bra?

Health and safety for pets is of the highest importance

Unless you’re a goldfish

On Sundays, they keep the traffic off the Copacabana beachfront:

All in all, the place has tremendous buzz

Incredible views

Faded glory

And all mod cons

But, at the end of the day, it’s all about the beach

And the bronzed, beautiful people (well, some of them)

Which is why we fitted in so well.

Won’t be a minute dear, just taking a few scenic photos…..

That wasn’t me, honest.

If you’d like to read a bit more about our stay in Rio, it’s all in the blog post I wrote at the time, which you can find here.

Tomorrow it’s back to the theatre posts, and memories of what I saw in the second half of 1976. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – A Day in Bolivia – September 2011

Posted on May 28, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

B is for Bolivia – and yes, we were there for just one day during our 2011 South America tour. In a ridiculously packed day, we drove from Puno in the south of Peru to the Bolivian border at Copacabana (not that Copacabana, another one), took a boat trip across Lake Titicaca, and then drove to La Paz, arriving there early evening, just in time for dinner and then a night-time stroll before getting up at about 3am to get a flight. Hectic, but great fun!

So what does Bolivia bring to mind? Ladies in those funny bowler hats, perhaps?

What came as a surprise to us, in Copacabana, was seeing the ritual of priests blessing vehicles, in order to keep their occupants safe on those dangerous roads.

If you’ve got the cash, they’ve got the blessing.

Then there’s stunning Lake Titicaca.

We visited a few of the islands, including one of the famous floating islands, where some islanders came to greet us.

We met one particular family – father, children, and camera-shy mother.

They took us in one of their tiny boats for a little tour around their island.

After we said goodbye to Lake Titicaca, we hot-footed it to La Paz for dinner, and then we let ourselves loose on the capital by night. Nearly all our travelling companions decided to stay indoors. They missed out on a treat!

I particularly liked how they integrated their adverts into the night sky!

The street art could be a bit in your face, mind.

It was a fascinating experience – and a very memorable day. Travelling light was essential!

Thanks for allowing me to share some of our Bolivian memories with you. You can read more about our experiences here, in the blog post I wrote at the time. Tomorrow, it’s back to the theatre, and some shows I saw in 1976. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Austria – Vienna in 1989

Posted on May 26, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

Welcome back for another quick session of Armchair Travel. In addition to Argentina and Australia, A is also for Austria. I’ve been there twice; most recently for Eurovision in 2015. But Mrs Chrisparkle took a two-week holiday to the Tyrol back in 1989, staying at Söll, and whilst there we had a few day trips, one of which was to Vienna. Here are a few pictorial memories of that entertaining day!

So what do you think of, when you think of Vienna? Maybe the Prater Big Wheel, that features so memorably in The Third Man? It was the first place we visited.

Or maybe you think of delicious cakes – and why wouldn’t you? Here’s the Café Landtmann, home to the Sachertorte, with Mrs C posing decorously outside.

There’s the stunning Schönbrunn Palace, where you can easily spend a day wandering around the gardens and the house.

Maybe you think of music? Mozart is more Salzburg, really, but they still like to revere him wherever possible.

All the Arts are well catered for in Vienna. Here’s the Hofburgtheater.

Vienna is full of beautiful architecture. I think my favourite is the vivid roof decoration of St Stephen’s Cathedral.

But everywhere is grand, formal, stately and deliciously sophisticated. The Hofburg:

The State Opera (you can see it behind the tram wires!)

The Rathaus.

Heldenplatz Square.

And finally, here’s me outside my holiday home in Vienna. Nothing showy.

Hope you enjoyed that little tour of Vienna, 31 years ago. My next blog post tomorrow will be going back to the theatre and reliving the shows I saw between 1972 and 1976. See you then!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Australia – Sydney in 1985

Posted on May 21, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

The first of my armchair reminiscences of travel in the pre-Covid times featured A is for Argentina and Buenos Aires. Next up, A is also for Australia, a country I’ve been lucky enough to visit four times. The first time was in July 1985, with a stopover in Singapore, followed by two weeks in Sydney and a few days on the way home in Perth. Personally significant, you might say, as it was on this trip that I first encountered the young Miss Duncansby who would later become Mrs Chrisparkle!

Anyway, here’s a few sights of Sydney 35 years ago.

That’s Sydney’s most iconic sight – taken from the ferry.

Nuns in a scrum was how it was described to me. I can see what they mean.

It can also provide the perfect backdrop for a moody male model shot.

All Sydney’s major sights are within a stone’s throw of each other, because it really is a city based on the water. The Harbour Bridge looks dramatic from any angle.

Here’s Mrs Macquarie’s Chair – a rocky outcrop near the Opera House carved into a chair by convicts so that Mrs Macquarie could watch the ships go by in relative comfort. All right for some, isn’t it.

Another of my favourite places on that trip was Taronga Park Zoo. The contrast between the zoo animals and the backdrop of the Sydney Cityscape is, in zoo terms, pretty hard to beat.

Even without animals, the view is breathtaking.

I was rather taken with its front entrance too.

Today, Sydney is a very modern, rat-racey city, but in 1985 it had a charming built-in sleepiness. Even though the horizon is full of skyscrapers, you never felt far away from somewhere restful.

Here’s St Mary’s Cathedral from a jaunty angle.

And the heart of Sydney’s heritage district, The Rocks.

And finally, an out-of-town shot. Here’s Wattamolla, in the Royal National Park, a stunningly beautiful lagoon which I also got to visit thirty years later!

There you go, a little taster of what Sydney looked like 35 years ago. Tomorrow it’s back to reminiscing about old shows – from 1971 and 1972. See you then!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Argentina – Buenos Aires

Posted on May 19, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

For reasons that are all too familiar, gentle reader, those of us with Wanderlust and Itchy Feet aren’t going anywhere in a hurry. Our travel plans for 2020 – which included a driving tour of Scotland and another trip to India – are in the bin – and I guess yours are too. So I thought it might be fun to ransack a few old albums and share some holiday snaps from some of the places we’ve been lucky enough to visit.

A is for Argentina, and its capital Buenos Aires. We went there as part of a South American tour in 2011, and I really fell in love with Buenos Aires. I still hold out hopes of returning one day. Here are a few pictorial memories of three days in September Argentine sunshine!

So what do you think of, when you think of Buenos Aires? Eva Peron, perhaps?

She’s everywhere. There’s a museum to her memory; there’s her grave:

Nicely understated – NOT! She’s even at the top of buildings!

Or perhaps you think of football. They don’t mind who you support – so long as it isn’t Brazil!

Maybe it’s the Argentine Tango. Tango can break out anywhere, anytime. You can be just having a nice lunch in the sunshine, and then this happens:

On a more sombre note, there’s also the Memorial to those who fell in the Falklands War, with a daily Changing of the Guard ceremony.

Buenos Aires also has a great maritime tradition:

And, as you might expect, religion plays an important part too.

And they do love their steak! Bit of a nightmare for vegetarians…

I loved it as a vibrant, quirky, and very friendly city. So much to enjoy!

And like any Evita fan, I got to stand outside the Casa Rosada and cried “Eva Peron!” Don’t think the locals noticed.

If you’d like to read more about our Buenos Aires escapade, I wrote it up in a blogpost that you can find here. Tomorrow, I hope to blog about the first ten professional shows I ever saw – that’s going back a bit! Stay safe and cheers for now!