Gum from the inside. It actually isn't that unusual, having seen similarly impressive supermarkets!


The Kremlin from across the Moscow river

The view from the Sparrow Hills across to the stadium (wherein England recently disgraced themselves - I was in Berlin at the time).


The bus tour I would say was not an essential element, and especialy not this time of year. I felt tired today and lacked the gumption for anything too extravagant (needing my initiative for tomorrow) so I found myself doing this. The traffic is not conducive and the short days are a limiting factor. It is good and the guide is knowledgeable, but there are other ways to see much of this.

One quick note about Russian women - nothing seedy I promise. There is something about the fur, the boots and the cold that seems to enhance the sensuality. Although as one acquaintance put it, it could just be the tight trousers. Yes, I suppose so.

Brisk

It's a special place this. I've probably said that before, though. I keep getting told how crime-ridden it is and it puts me in something of a quandary. If I relax too much it adds a risk element and if I don't relax I don't enjoy! So far I am finding a balance, but the train journey will no doubt test that further.


But, as promised, the Kremlin!

Gum (the department store) and Red Square

Red Square (that's Lenin's tomb in front of the cupola)

The place is indeed geared up for massive parades

St Basil's (the Tetris Cathedral)

Are you wishing you hadn't asked for pictures yet? 'Cos here come more!

The tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tsar Cannon - biggets in the world but never fired as it would probably have broken

One of the many cathedrals in the Kremlin


Simply put, if you are in the area, get to the Kremlin, it is a tribute to power, authority, majesty and (where Ivan the Terrible gets in) monstrosity.

Early piccies

There will be more...


The view from my hotel room

Very high and very cold. But dead nice

Moscow

I am sure you were all most concerned, but worry no longer! I am in Moscow and all appears as well as usual. There is snow on the spires and ice underfoot, but it is as beautiful as you might think. There will have to be photos at some point but I have not taken any yet.

Au Revoir...

... to France and the car. The drive back to Barcelona (technically El Prat de Llobregat: no, really) was so much easier than the drive away. I had gotten used to the car, the roads and the right hand side thing, and I got back in very good order.

Hopefully I can now put this extra bit in that I've been trying to do for the last couple of days - the internet connection at the otherwise fantastic (as it should be at that price) Ciutat del Prat hotel was abysmal, and I have witnesses. Anyway, I wanted you to be able to see the area where I had been staying in France.

Some of those windmills that NZers seem to find so repulsive.

Vineyards by dusk

More of the same


Just for a change I got the colours I wanted!

I am now at Dusseldorf airport and all is well. My Moscow plans are well in hand, although I have yet to begin my Chinese ones. I figure that by the time I get to Beijing, I'd better have sorted myself out, but until then, I have an awful lot to enjoy. And I do intend to do soime savouring.

I'll not comment on Air Berlin at this stage for fear of jinxing. So I've probably done it already. Bugger.

By the way - there were supposed to be pictures below, but looking this morning, they didn't appear to be there - I've stuck them in now and I think they are worth it...

Too Lazy/Thick

Mandarin is tough. I've not made enough time to stay on top of it and now look at me. We shall have to see how I get on. Today became a driving day. I really wanted to do a couple of things in the South of France and today I did them - the Cirque de Navacelles (a geological anomaly or somesuch) and the bridge at Millau. The first was not really worth the monster journey it required, but doing both made the day a success.





As you can see, the weather is just about holding up. It is colder and windier than it might look there though.

Did these pictures not come through before?

O-O-O

Erudite gag for you there. That's chess notation for castling (Queen's side to be precise) which is what I have been doing today. Admittedly I had to look that up.

Two castles, both Cathar, both taken fairly brutally by a Catholic crusade.
Queribus from below...

The view from the top

And what it looks like inside (well, a bit of it).


Peyrpetuse from the valley below:

From the other side (it really is terribly impressive isn't it?)

And from within.


And to think I was actually considering not going to these places to save time for other things. I'm nearly an idiot for a change, rather than my usual self.

Driving round the area was also an experience, taking me through valleys and passes that were quite splendid. Most impressive was the gorge. There was a wall there, partly to stop cars driving off, but also, an dpossibly more importantly, to stop people from looking: the gorge goes straight up (with many overhangs above the narrow road) and goes straight down too. The scale is impressive, as is the wee ledge that the road is built on. The region generally is so beautiful, but the gorges and castles take it to another level. What a privilege to have been here.