Halloween in Hallowed Halls

Last night we went to a concert that was held in a neighbourhood church. The concert was part of a series of Candlelight concerts held all over the world in churches and concert halls. These musical performances are performed in darkened facilities lit with just hundreds of candles. Of course the candles are the new battery powered ones not actual wax candles with real flames. The stage is surrounded by literally hundreds of these candles and once the audience is seated and settled the lights in the building are dimmed and the candles provide the only light. It must have been quite the job setting up and turning all the candles on; I’m surprised the series is not sponsored by Energizer because they must go through a lot of batteries.

The concert we attended was a Halloween special featuring spooky songs played by a string quartet. Songs included “Thriller”, the theme from “Psycho”, and the “Ghostbuster” theme among other halloween themed music. With the candles providing the only illumination, the music was front and centre; you could see the musicians, but the darkness caused you to listen to the music more than watch the concert. 

The event was held in a beautiful old church and the quartet was set up surrounded by candles in the front of the church with a massive pipe organ dimly visible behind them. It created a really appropriate setting for the music. The experience was a unique and very enjoyable evening that I can highly recommend if the series comes to your city.

You can listen to the music on Spotify from a playlist I created from the concert’s program. I tested this ink and it should open your Spotify app if you subscribe to Spotify or it will open the Spotify website and invite you to get a free account.

 Don’t get too frightened by the music. . . . . .

Taking the Bus

We flew from home to France, rode in a taxi to the Gare de Lyon in Paris, took a train down to Narbonne and another to Toulouse on a day trip, had a fun auto tour of the countryside with French friends, we took an electric boat down the canal, and have walked over 150 km during our time here in France. Yesterday we used another form of transportation and took a bus down to the seaside to a little town called Gruissan to spend the day. 

Arriving in Gruissan

It took a while to understand the Buses here in Narbonne, and the actual people who run them were not so much help. The Tourist office told us that bus 8 would take us down to Gruissan and back, and we were able to buy tickets for the bus, but finding it was not so easy. We were told that the bus stopped right out in front of the train station, so while Regis checked on times and schedules, I walked down the street to find the stop. There are two types of buses in Narbonne, the local ones that serve the town itself, labeled with letters, and the ones that go to other towns use numbers. I walked up and down both sides of the road and found three bus stops with letters and numbers, but no number 8 was listed. Regis came back with the information that the stop was “Right in front of the Train Station.”, but it was not. We asked some locals who pointed us in both directions where I had already looked. Then I noticed one of the larger inter-city buses turn and go down a side street, and a short walk down there was a stop with the schedule for bus 8 posted. 

Nice to be down by the seaside

A short wait and a big bus with a number 8 on it pulled up and the driver assured us, that yes, he was headed to Gruissan. But just to make it a bit more confusing we seemed to have to get off one bus 8 and then get on another bus with the same number to actually get into the town. Fortunately when the bus from Narbonne pulled into the stop, there was another bus 8 waiting for us.

We weren’t the only confused tourists and when the bus got to the end of his run and no one got off, the driver questioned everyone and found out we were all visiting for the day and he explained where we should have gotten off and looped around and let us off a short way from the old town with instruction on how to get there. 

Great view of the town

Gruissan is a lovely quiet little town on the coast with a ruined castle/fort towering over it. However, it was quiet because it was mostly deserted. Obviously catering to the summer tourist traffic, most of the town was closed and shuttered. We explored empty streets and looked in windows of closed shops. We needed lunch, so the many interesting closed restaurants caused us some concern. We were able to climb up to the ruined castle tower in the centre of town and visit the church at its base. 

Where is everyone?

We did find a couple of restaurants open, but the prices seemed elevated due to their rarity and Regis had found a place she wanted to try that was about a fifteen minute walk away. Google Maps reported it was open so we decided to take the chance. On the walk to the restaurant the helpful bus driver passed and gave us a friendly wave. As it worked out we had a lovely meal with a friendly server and the location gave us a nice view of the Marina and hundreds of sailboats.

Rather than taking the local bus 8, we explored more of the town by walking back to the stop where we got off from Narbonne and discovered the same people we arrived with waiting at the stop. Back in Narbonne, my pedometer reported another 10 km added to our walking total, and we retired early, tired from another adventure in France. 

Slippery steps to the tower

A view down over the town

Walking back to the bus

Interesting Gruissan style boat

Inside the church

Bottles on a ledge - no one home!

Time for lunch

Kejick Bay

Welcome to Kejick (By Road)

In 1929, Ontario Hydro built a Dam and raised the level of Lac Seul to create a reservoir to generate hydro power. This flooded Kekick Bay and created an island. There was a Native community on this piece of land, and this cut them off from the mainland. In the last few years a causeway has been built connecting Kejick to the mainland once again. According to Wikipedia, there is a population of 400 living in Kejick Bay now. This is where Alisha lives and works as Principal of the school in the community, and it where I am now visiting. The people living here are of the Lac Seul first nation group and consist of three separate communities, Kejick Bay, Whitefish Bay and Frenchman's Head. The Lac Seul First Nation is part of the Ojibwa First Nation, and has an area of just over 100 square miles.

The community of Kejick itself is on an island in the middle of Lac Seul, so it is a beautiful setting with a lake surrounding it. I was surprised with the weather, I know they have harsh winters and Alisha has complained about the amount of snow and the freezing temperatures in the long brutal winter, but right now when I am visiting it is down-right tropical with temperatures warmer than at home. Yesterday it was 33º C, and even today in the rain it is still 23º C.

When you reach the causeway, the road road changes to gravel, and the soil is sandy, so it is

Or By Boat.

impossible to keep things clean. I was reminded of Cairo, where the dust and sand gets into everything; it is like that here. Alisha had her car detailed on one of her trips to Winnipeg and was appalled at how quickly it reverted to a dusty dirty mess once she was back here.

The town itself has one convenience store that also sells gas. When Alisha first arrived the store sold chips and pop, but she is pleased that they now carry many more healthy groceries. There is Alisha's K-9 school, a community centre, an outdoor rink, one church a band office and a health centre. There are two well used beaches and boat docks everywhere. The community is patrolled by the Lac Seul Police force, and has fire hydrants, but no fire department. In fact the second night we were here Derek was called to help fight a house fire. They had a good 2” fire hose but someone had left the actual nozzle in Frenchman's Head even though they tried they could not save the house.

That is a little about the community of Kejick Bay. Although somewhat isolated, they are an open and friendly community and I have been made to feel at home. Most community members know Alisha, so when I am introduced to anyone they smile and welcome me to their community, and as I walk around the streets, the people wave with a friendly greeting and the dogs all wag their tails as they stop for a pat or a scritch.

The Ferry

The Complex (Community Centre)

The Health Ctntre

Alisha's House (The Teachery)

Going to Church

View from the roof terrace

I am not a religious person, but for some reason as I travel the world I seem to end up finding churches and cathedrals. My time in Lecce is no exception. For someone who never actually attends church, I spend a lot of my travel finding and visiting them.

I can however justify this seemingly odd inconsistency. I appreciate the artistry and beauty of these buildings. Although they hold no religious significance to me I enjoy seeing the amazing architecture and art work in them.

There are lots of churches here in Lecce and all of them are quite beautiful. They are scattered all over the inner city, and it seems there is one around every corner. As you wander around narrow streets here you will suddenly come across another church. I was told that there are 300 churches in the whole of Lecce, but just in the old walled inner city where I am located I count 20 little crosses on the map indicating a church. Some of them are within a block of each other. I have no idea how a city this size can support 20 churches, yet they all seem to be well maintained, and like so many old churches in Europe many are being restored, hidden behind scaffolding.

As I sit on the terrace outside, I can see the tallest structure in Lecce, the bell tower of the Cattedrale di Lecce on one side and the bell tower of Chiese (church) di Sant’Irene. We haven’t quite figured when and where the bells in these towers ring, but they seem to go quite often. However they seems slightly off, ringing at 18 past or 21 minutes to, but then on one walking trip where I forgot my watch the first four clocks we found had completely different times, none close to correct.

On a walking tour of the old city, we visited at least four major churches, and another was recommended as a worthwhile visit. Just waking straight out to the city gate on the road outside the apartment we pass four churches on the 5 minute walk.

 

All these churches are similar in design, with solid stone structures rather than the tall spires and intricate ornate design of the lofty cathedrals we saw in many of the European cities on our River Cruise. I was told that the Churches in Lecce are excellent examples of baroque architecture. The facade of these churches all feature beautiful carved stone work, but turn the corner to walk down beside them and you see simple stone walls, and at times you will find yourself walking beside a tall unadorned wall and wonder what it is only to turn the corner to find another church. Inside the carved stone work is even more beautiful, but the lack of marble in the area cause many interiors to be painted to look like marble rather than actual marble.

The other day while out on my photo walk for the door knockers, I came across a church built on a corner and the façade was curved to match the street, and created a unique design, and since the door was open I went in to find one of the most beautiful churches in the city.

Well, as Regis says, “Father Art” is off to find another church . . . . .

The Wedding Cake Town

Wedding Cake?

This area of Italy is mostly flat, and any lumps or hills were ideal locations to settle, because it allowed you to see the invading Turks in time to run and hide. This problem with the Turks seems to have been a constant one through history, and it is said that although the local dialects are so distinct that people from one town could not understand the "Italian" spoken in another, the one common expression was "The Turks are coming!".

View From Ostuni

Shop in Ostuni

One town that took advantage of a hilltop location was Ostuni, and this town completely covers a round hill sticking up out of an otherwise flat landscape.

Once the problem of constantly invading Turks was resolved (I am sorry, but I do not know the history of this; I'm on vacation not research), the town decided to enhance their favourable position on top of a hill and visible from miles, and they painted the town white. Literately, almost the entire town is painted gleaming white. Driving towards Ostuni, you can see the white dome of the hill for miles, and it really does look like a Wedding Cake. From a distance with the buildings all built so close together, it looks like the entire top of the hill is one white dome of white frosting. This decision to paint the town, has created an upkeep problem however, and during our visit to Ostuni, I saw three men busy with large buckets of white paint.

Ostuni Church

Pass on the Left?

Once you get to the town, you must climb up twisting narrow streets to get the top, where the church sits. Unlike most towns where the church sits proudly dominating the town square, here the square is part way up the hill, and the church sits at the top very tightly surrounded by other houses, probably the rich and powerful who felt being in close proximity to God and church for protection from the Turks was more important than being on the town square.

Ostuni Street

The narrow streets that wind and twist up the hill make driving interesting in Ostuni. Here in Lecce the streets are narrow, but someone had the sense to make most one-way, and many are straight, so even if the street is two way, you can see oncoming vehicles and take action, but in Ostuni, I saw repeated incidents of vehicles coming around a tight corner to find someone coming the other way, causing someone to have to reverse to a wider section. No wonder Smarts, motorized trikes and scooters are the practical choice for many.

Strange, I did not see any wedding shops in the town; you would think that would be a natural fit.

Monday in Faro

Faro's Walled City

 When we flew to Portugal, Faro was where we landed, but we were picked up by a taxi arranged by Colin & Suzanne, and he was an efficient driver, but not exactly a tour guide, and his english was not really even good enough to ask simple questions. We therefore zoomed through Faro without seeing much. We were also too tired to really pay attention to much.

Today we went back to Faro on the train to actually have a look at the city.

Faro is the major transport hub on the Algarve. It has a rail hub where Linda and Pete arrive from Lisbon, and the airport in Faro has a constant stream of planes arriving from all over Europe. From the apartment, we see planes all day flying into Faro bringing people to the Algarve to enjoy a Portuguese holiday.

The train only takes about 20 minutes to go from Olhao to Faro, so it is a simple trip. Although the train station is bit out of way, the walk to the centre of Faro is a pleasant one along the waterfront through to the old city centre, and it is easy to find your way to the major attractions in Faro.

Do not however expect to find a Tourist Information Centre if you go on Monday like we did – it is not open. At least we were able to find the place following the signs, but as has been our general experience, we were not able to actually get any information.

Beautiful Pipe Organ filling Cathedral with sound

There is a walled fortress which the old city seems to revolve around, but it is not really an attraction. It seems that the actual city has taken over the fortress. You can see the walls from the outside, but if you enter through one of the gates, you find yourself just in the inner city with restaurants, shops, art galleries and a beautiful cathedral, but no actual fort or castle. This may actually have been a walled city rather than a military fortress, which would make sense. We might have been able to find out if we could have visited the Information centre. . . . . .

The visit to the Cathedral was nice. You could climb the bell tower for a view over the city, and we were told by another tourist couple there that you could have pressed a button to actually ring the bells but I had my doubts since the church bells tell the time in Olhao. I could imagine the poor citizens of Faro being constantly confused about what time it was. “Is it two o'clock, the bells chimed twice? Oh no, it's just those damned tourists ringing the cathedral bells again . . . .” we could visit the main cathedral , the gardens and the museum. The highlight was the actual church, because there was a beautiful old pipe organ, and someone was actually playing it. The museum was a bit disappointing, and I hope that some of our 3 E entry fee might be used to restore the paintings in the museum with holes in them – they could use some work.

The Bell Tower

Following our tour of the cathedral, we wandered down through the old city to find a place to stop for lunch. Here we discovered another advantage to living in Olhao. Food was generally at least 20% higher here than back in Olhao. For example the Cataplana Regis has wanted to try was 45 E compared to 29 E in Olhao. We decided to stick with the “Menu of the Day”.