Ab Errant Travels

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Ab Errant Travels

I'm Ab, and I like to wander about. Here are some of my travels.

27/11/2023

Photos from the Lego exhibition will have to wait until tomorrow - I really need to get to bed soon.

Here's a teaser...

27/11/2023

There were also an extraordinary number of gorgeous mosaics, many were astonishingly complete, and some restored ones were required to be walked on.

(If you want more info about any of them, comment on the image and I'll see if I documented anything more about it).

27/11/2023

Cool video about a pump (okay, I know this is my chem eng nerdery, but it *is* really cool

27/11/2023

Between my visits to the basilica, I spent much of the rest of my time at the Lugdunum museum, built into the cliff near the remains of the theatre (sat 10,000) and odéon (sat 3000). The amphitheatre, for gladiatorial and other low-brow entertainment was probably on the other side of the river, but evidence is scant.

Lugdunum (modern day Lyon) was founded by the Romans the year after Caesar was stabbed, although the site had been occupied, as least for feasts and/or religious rituals, for thousands of years before that. Built on the hill overlooking the confluence of the Saône and the Rhône, which then flowed down to Arles (near Nîmes), it provided an important freight corridor for the nascent empire. Although Caesar famously said "gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres" (All of Gaul is divided into three parts), there were in fact five parts (Narbonensis, Cisalpine Gaul, Gallia Celtica (later Gallia Lugdunensis), Belgica and Aquitania). Lugdunum was near the border of the first three, and was made the capital of Gallia Lugdunensis, which occupied the largest part of modern France.

I took waaaaaay too many photos, because there was so much cool stuff, so this is just a small selection of what was on show. This includes the enormous "Lyon Tablet", a bronze tablet with a transcript of a speech given by Claudius (who was born in Lugdunum), in which Claudius proposed allowing appropriately wealthy citizens from further Gaul to enter the senatorial class. (I had to study the text of this tablet for one of my courses, so was astonished and delighted to see it 'in the flesh'.

27/11/2023

I'm going to do a few photo dumps, as I'm up to my neck in exams and other deadlines.

So Sunday morning, I caught the train and then the funicular up the hill (the funicular is part of the public transport system, so the €2 train ticket will do the whole lot). Video of the ride is in the comments.

At the top, there was a mass being held in the Basilica, so I came back later in the day. By that stage, my phone was all but dead, so I only got a few photos.

Quick history, because I can't help myself, mostly cribbed from Wikipedia plus info from the tour.

Importantly, the basilica was built by subscription (ie privately donated funds), which is why it is not the cathedral (because the church didn't control it). It was built on the site of the Roman forum, the forum vetus ('old forum') which, translated (Vieux-Forum), inverted and corrupted, became Fourvière. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who saved the city from the bubonic plague that swept Europe in 1643. (See previous mention of Festival of Lights/Fête des Lumières.) The area has long been a popular place of pilgrimage, with a shrine located there since at least 1170.

The design incorporates both Romanesque and Byzantine elements, and the outer was constructed between 1872-1884 (remarkably quick). The interior was not completed until 1964. It is effectively two churches, one atop the other, with the 'crypt' equally spacious, but not as ornate.

26/11/2023

Alright, last one for tonight. This is some of the history I gleaned from the tour.

We started at the Temple in the Place du Change. Now the main (if not sole) protestant church in Lyon, it used to be an open colonnade where bankers and other money changers would gather. Across the way from it, you can see traces of the Italianate buildings that once encircled it.

Local luminaries include Antoine du Saint Exupéry, after whom the Lyon international airport is named; Paul Bocuse, famous Lyonnaise chef responsible for the twentieth century version of nouvelle cuisine and after whom the covered market/food court/oyster bars/seafood restaurants Halles are named, Laurent Mourguet, the creator of Guignol puppet shows, which were initially devised to attract people to his teeth-pulling business. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guignol), and Ememem an anonymous street artist who fills potholes with mosaics (the puddles that form in the holes are called 'flaques', and the artist calls their work 'flacking'.

We visited a couple of the traboules - narrow covered corridors that go between buildings, often opening into enclosed courtyards which allow light and fresh air into the middles of these blocks. Some are quite long (four courtyards worth), with multiple doors (useful for resistance fighters escaping the gestapo, particularly as the cellars/basements used to also be linked). The traboules had ornate staircases, although lifts have been squeezed into some spaces (often the column that had the dunny for each floor), making the upper storey apartments more attractive than they would otherwise be.

A few famous buildings, including the Cathedral of St John (I didn't get inside, but it's a substantial building). During the Wars of Religion, Hugenots decapitated all the statues (at least those they couldn't remove completely). Despite multiple renovations, this damage was retained, as it reflected an important part of the church's history. Next to the cathedral are the remnants of two earlier churches, including the (one of the) oldest ones outside of Rome (Saint Stephen).

The face of the cathedral is illuminated with a light show, as part of the Fêtes des Lumières, which has since spread around the world (Festival of Lights). After fervently, and successfully, praying to Mary to be spared the effects of the plague in 1643, the city needed to give thanks. A procession to take a statue of the city's protector, the Virgin Mary, up to the basilica at the top of the hill had been aborted once due to flooding. On her next feast day, 8 Dec, it was a very foggy day, but the burgers felt they needed to honour her ASAP. The procession went ahead, but houses lining the route put candles and lanterns in their windows to light the way for the procession. Lyonnaise householders still put out candles on their windowsills on 8 Dec each year. (Apparently, the town has become such a massive tourist magnet for the week surrounding the date that the locals have come to hate it.)

We also saw the Palais de Justice (active law courts) with its 24 columns, representing the fact that the law is working 24 hours a day. Facing it is a statue called "The Weight of Oneself", where a man (heroic n**e) carries himself (and his doubts, crimes, hopes, etc).

The process of land reclamation of the Presqu'île, means that different blocks have different architectural styles. The one shown here is very much Baron Hausmann.

Our final stop was the Hôtel-Dieu. Although it now houses a hotel, its original meaning was hospital (the words are cognate), and hospitals were generally run by religious folk (monks and nuns), hence 'dieu' (meaning 'god'). The first hospital on the site was built in the twelfth century, and the oldest part of the current structure dates back to the mid-fifteenth century. Shops occupied the ground floor, while the two upper stories (safe from the recurring floods) were used as wards. It is an enormous complex, and remained an active hospital until 2010. It was later bought by a consortium, and has a shopping centre, a number of restaurants, rooftop bars, a tiny Christmas market, as well as a few fountains (turned off for winter) where the original wells were.

It's late, I'm cold, I've got an early start tomorrow, so I'll add photos and cursory captions, and then head to bed. More to come

26/11/2023

The food tour I did was with Secret Food Tours (https://www.secretfoodtours.com), and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Charlotte, our tour guide, was raised in London, but has lived in Lyon for most of the past sixteen years. She was a fount of wonderful information, and I will try to recall as much as I can.

I'll break this into two sections - the food, and the history - to keep it manageable. Herewith is the food...

So our first stop was a bouchon, a term which means 'bunch', and refers to the bunch of sticks or twisted straw that used to hang above the door of these small restaurants (in the same way that barber poles signify a barber-surgeon, and their specialities - red for bloodletting, white for teeth-pulling, blue for a shave). Initially established in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, they really came into their own after WWI, when the household staff of the grand houses were no longer required. The cooks, given the honorific of "mère", were skilled in haute cuisine and set up shop offering superb food at very reasonable prices, often using the cheaper cuts. They developed a devoted following, including one mayor who would bring visiting dignitaries to dine at these places, and their fame soon spread. Mère Brazier was the first person to be awarded three Michelin stars in two different restaurants, and was the chef under whom Paul Bocuse received his initial training.

At the first we had cheese and charcuterie, and a rather quaffable Côte du Rhône wine. (The symbol on the door is a classic Guignol character, Gnafron, a bon vivant, of which more later.) Descriptions in the captions

Next stop was at Pralus for a Praluline - a rich brioche, with praline rose. The praline rose - a local speciality, invented in the mid-nineteenth century in Lyon - was a combination of some of the most expensive ingredients imported from across the world: almonds from Spain, sugar from Africa or the Carribean, cochineal from South America. Warm from the oven, it was very delicious.

Our third stop was at another bouchon, where we could choose between three traditional bouchon dishes, two lyonnaise dishes, or a few more 'normal' dishes. Again, descriptions in the pics. This too was accompanied by a choice of a red (Côtes du Rhône) or white (a local chardonnay, I think), served in the traditional 'pot'. Lyonnaise bouchons use these bottles rather than the more traditional carafe, and they date back to the time of the silk workers (canuts). As part of their wages, the workers would also get a half-litre of wine. After a bit, the bosses (as is their wont) decided they should get a cut - the workers' portion was reduced to 460ml. The bottle size remained the same, but the base was thickened significantly, as you can see in the photo.

We would normally go on to a particular café for coffee, but we all agreed it was too damn cold to be standing outside for that, so we had coffee (or in my case, green tea with lemon, as the only black tea they had was Earl Grey and I forgot to bring my emergency English Breakfast teabags with me).

Our final morsel was a Coussin de Lyon, representing the green cushion upon which the statue of the Virgin Mary was borne up the hill (more on this in another post). The yellow marzipan is mixed with blue curacao to make a vivid green, and there is a ganache inside.

All up, plenty of food, lots of wonderful food history, and more to come in the next few posts (which might have to wait until later)

26/11/2023

I've had a delightful birthday weekend in Lyons, and am now going to attempt to recall much of it for you. My main activities were a food tour (Secret Food Tours - highly recommended) on Saturday, and a day at the Lugdunum Museum today.

I'll post some information and my photos in the next few posts, but it will be stepwise (it's quicker to type the info on my laptop, but I'll post the photos from my phone), so hold off until I remove the "PHOTOS TO COME" from the text.

Firstly, here are a selection of photos, including from Fourvière, atop one of the hills that overlooks the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône. The ~peninsula between the rivers is called Presqu'île ("nearly an island"), and this area plus the banks on the outer edges of the rivers are all reclaimed land, after draining the marshland, and formalising the edges of the rivers (broad, fast-flowing, prone to flood). After the flood of 1840, substantial levees were built to protect the lowlying areas of the Vieux Lyon (the medieval part of town)

20/11/2023

I received a care package from my sister Kate today. I'd hoped she might send me one, maybe two, tins of my favourite mints, but she utterly exceeded expectations (and the postage estimate) and stuffed the envelope full with seven (7)(!!!) tins, plus two birthday cards (next week).
I am both grateful and delighted

19/11/2023

Today, I went for a swim (Inorite?!? Go me!!)

The complex I went to is called AquaVita, and has a couple of cool new-to-me features. Apparently taking photos is absolutely 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑡 but I managed to get a couple, and have pinched a few from online.

First up, you take your shoes off before you get anywhere near the changerooms, which I quite like. Next, there aren't men's and women's changerooms, rather banks of 𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠: you walk in one door to get changed, then out the other to go to the lockers and (mandatory) showers. Then you walk through the footbath before you can even access poolside.

There's a waterslide, several indoor pools and play areas, a learner's pool (𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑑'𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒) etc. And there is an eight lane outdoor 50m lap pool. What is most splendid about this is that you don't have to go outside in your togs - you can access the pool from inside and then go across to your preferred lane with only your head out of the water (brilliant for swimming outdoors in the middle of winter!). The pool is lined with stainless steel, not tiles, and was remarkably clean and clear. If it wasn't on the absolute far side of town (hour each way, even if you don't have a long wait at the connection), I'd try to get there more often.

10/11/2023

Absurdly, it has taken me until today to tourist (albeit briefly) in Angers today. I spent a delightful amount of time in a BD (bande dessinée) bookshop (to call them comic books sells them short; illustrated novels is closer). I found something for each of the fellas in my (somewhat fractured) family. (Hint: JD used to have Captain Haddock as his avatar, which is remarkably accurate)

28/10/2023

Another school trip - a garden theme park, and delightful fun. Here are some pics from the first hour

08/10/2023

Yesterday I joined a busload of other international students from Angers and went to Mont Saint-Michel. I'd been there six years ago when I was last in Angers, but that was a *very* foggy day - this time it was a gloriously sunny day. Unfortunately, in addition to photos and a little bit of a tan, I've also returned with a headcold (mostly sore throat and fatigue ☹️). Normally, I'd do a bit of research to accompany my photos, but I'm just gonna crib this from the tourist site (ot-montsaintmichel.com).

Apparently the Archangel Michael appeared in a dream/vision to (Saint) Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708, asking him to build a sanctuary in his name. It wasn't until 966 that a bunch of Benedictines built the first abbey on the summit of the hunk of rock previously known as Mont Tombe (Mount Tomb? Mount Fall-Down?).

The current multi-storey structure, known as the Merveille ('Marvel') dates to the thirteenth century. It was unsuccessfully besieged at various times during the Hundred Years War, becoming a symbol of French national identity. Following the French Revolution, the religious community was dissolved and the abbey was converted to a state prison (à la Alcatraz) following the French Revolution. That prison only closed in 1863, and the following year it reopened to religious folk, pilgrims and tourists. A roadway was built in 1879 allowing access even at high tide (and turning it into an isthmus) - there was even a steam tram going to the base of the Mont from 1901 to 1938. Bien sûr, the Germans occupied it during WWII. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and now welcomes around 2.5 million visitors each year.

22/09/2023

Lunch today. Options are very limited if you get there around 1pm (one choice of entrée, two of dessert).
They frequently run out of many options quite early, but they have a monopoly on campus. A couple of food trucks set up nearby, and the local supermarket does a roaring trade at lunchtime

22/09/2023

Lunch on Wednesday. You get the last éclair only if you show up before noon.

14/09/2023

Today's lunch. I can't find the menu anywhere, so I haven't a clue what it was. Rice w veggies, mussels with sauce and ribbons of manufactured meat (maybe) ; a lentil salad ; and unsweetened tinned pineapple.
Odd, but filling (I have classes all day today (0830-1830h), so filling us good).

There are a dearth of drinking fountains/water bubblers here, and you can only get coffee (and mint tea) from a machine.

12/09/2023

Dagnabbit. I've just reviewed the timetables for all the fabulous offerings from the university's sports centre (including 8 different types of dance classes, from Cabaret to Samba No Pé to Classical), and to the last, they are only offered in the evening. Which is entirely reasonable, except that I have classes every evening that I am already committed to.

I will be enrolling in some pilates/yoga/CAF+stretch classes which also run at lunch time

07/09/2023

I'm no longer travelling, so I thought I'd share my adventures here in Angers.
Last night I was finally sent the email which allowed me to set up my IZLY account - this is how you pay for printing/photocopying on campus, but also how you pay for meals. The French are all about the three course meal at lunch, so there is a cafeteria on campus. Here's what I chose today:

Entrée : tomato in pistou sauce
Main: cod fillet with sauce suchet + blé madras (wheat grains) + carrot+peas
Dessert: chocolate pudding
Side: dinner roll
Cost €3.30 (AU$5.50) (student discount rate)

It's a bit industrial, but good value, and I missed breakfast.

01/09/2023

Yay/boo post.

UPDATE 2: After a decent sleep and a mental reset (and getting functioning internet), I am happy to realise that all the Boos are short-term/fixable, and the Yays are longer-term, and outweigh the boos.

Overall rating: hopeful Yay!

***

Yay! I got to unpack all my clothes last night, first time in a month
Boo! There's no hanging space, not for dresses, not for jackets, not for wet raincoats.

Yay! The two meetings I had today were encouraging and excellent, and I found some hidden bits of info I hadn't known about previously.
Boo! My student number/temporary password don't work, so I can register and can't access anything yet, incl wifi (relevant staff member finished at 1pm today)

Yay! The campus is a straightforward 15 minute walk from here
Boo! The uni library is closed for another fortnight for renovations. Even if it were open, I couldn't access the internet there (see above)

Yay! My apartment is comfortable enough, albeit I'm sleeping on a sofa bed. There is a real oven, and a fridge, and a sink, and stuff
Boo! (and this is a big one) the internet has fallen over at least three times since I arrived, and when it does connect, it is so slow as to be unusable (pages time out).

UPDATE: Internet is working, and I have had a productive evening of study. Yay!!

31/08/2023

On Monday, I visited the British Museum. In hindsight, a bank holiday Monday might not have been the smartest choice - it was sooo crowded. Not much had changed since I was last there six years ago, except for more excuses, err, justifications for them collecting and keeping the Stuff the British Stole (no, it was absolutely legit, we had permits and everything!)

31/08/2023

I'm in Paris, soon to board my last plane, train, or automobile for a while. The suitcase I arranged to have shipped from Dublin to Angers, which went missing for 10 days, was (finally) delivered this morning (huzzah! and about bloody time!).

The Eurostar train (London to Paris) was crowded, and uneventful - better still, I ended up with an empty seat beside me when my erstwhile seat mate joined a friend elsewhere. I even remembered to reboot my phone when it failed to connect to the French mobile system.

On arrival I was met by my cousin Tom and his friends/flatmates who were flying to Barcelona a couple of hours later (don't *you* normally catch up with your Kiwi cousin for the first time in a decade or more at a Parisien café?).

With a treble workload over the next month, I won't be writing much, but I will post brief updates from time to time. (Catch up past month of study, plus last month to exams, plus first month of French uni)

26/08/2023

And my last stop, Chichester Cathedral (I don't imagine Luton will have many picturesque places, but I may be proven wrong - it's a cheap overnight before dropping my car off and heading into London). Brochures only in French or German (out of English), and the lady was quite surprised that I could read French.

Coming up for its 950th anniversary year after next, it's one of the few big (predominantly) Norman churches left. The round arches are called Romanesque, while the pointy one are gothic (this is a Renaissance term, intending to mean 'fugly' and referencing the Goths who (notionally) led to the Fall of Rome; these are the same dudes (ie Renaissance chappies) who called it 'The Dark Ages', being the period between the 'Fall of (Western) Rome', and the rediscovery of Classical s**t, which happened to coincide with the death rattle of (Eastern) Rome, aka Constantinople (viz: can AD 500 to AD 1500)).

Ooops, wee digression. In England, the transition from Norman/Romanesque/Play-School-arched windows, to the soaring, pointy-arched Gothic period roughly coincided with the Anarchy. (This is when Matilda, only surviving (legitimate) child of Henry I of England, widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, and crowned empress in her own right, was usurped by her bastardly cousin Stephen - he of the short skirt in York Minster. Our Tilly is named for Empress Matilda, who happened to be Eleanor of Aquitaine's mother-in-law, two *very* feisty women.)

Um, anyway, the lower levels of the nave are clearly Norman, while the roof and various additions are gothic.

26/08/2023

Fishbourne Palace was a huge Palace with a footprint nearly twice that of Buckingham Palace. This enormous edifice was built within a few decades of the Romans arriving in AD43 for the local client king/chief. This region was so pro-Roman, there was no need for a stone fort (but there is evidence for an early timber fort - the stone city walls at Chichester were only built in the third century, when things were a little unsettled.

(The 'chester' bit in the town name tells you it was a fort, chester being cognate with castellum and castle; the 'bourne' in Fishbourne tells you it is associated with a stream rising in the clay hills in this region).

Building in stone was pretty new to these parts, so all the tradies would have had to be brought in from Rome or Gaul or similar - this includes the mosaicists who were working with very fine (but locally sourced) tessera. The earliest mosaics are black and white patterns, and date to the Flavian period (eg the destruction of Pompeii etc); more colourful and decorative mosaics were overlaid in the late second/early third century.

The buildings were repurposed in various ways, with extra walls being added, another (smaller) bathhouse being added closer to these buildings, and a blacksmith setting up shop in one of the rooms. Sometime in the 270s, there was a massive conflagration, and the site was abandoned. Mostly forgotten (a real estate ad from the late 1800s for a nearby house noted a large Roman floor as one of the features), the mosaics were discovered in 1960 when excavating to lay a water pipe. Some areas were damaged by medieval ploughs (particularly the more shallowly buried parts), but a surprising amount has survived very well.

26/08/2023

Bath Abbey is a high gothic church that, despite its size, is smaller than its Norman predecessor. The fine tracery on the roof is utterly fabulous.

26/08/2023

Nearly caught up! Yesterday was Bath. For the cost (£25/AU$50 w student discount) and the crowds (despite the rigorously controlled timed entries), it was decidedly underwhelming. It might be that I've seen so many bath complexes, or that I'm already so familiar with the Victorian bastardisation of these particular baths, or that I'm getting panicky about my lost bag that I sent to France a week ago via Eurosender, but which doesn't appear to have left Dublin yet, and which includes essential prescription meds.

Anyway. Here are some pretty pictures of Aquae Sulis. The water is naturally heated spring water (the only such source in Britain), but is green due to algae fed by the sun (in Roman times, it was covered over, so the water would have been clear). They said it was around 95°C as it leaves the ground - it was still steamy and warm at the overflow chute. I should have, but didn't, dip my hand in the main pool to see how warm it was.

The Roman re-enactors were suitably baffled when I said I was from Australia, but I could confirm that, just as Herodotus reported, the sun is to the north in winter when one is south of the equator.

25/08/2023

The trip from Chester (Deva) to Caerleon (Isca) had me weaving back and forth across the Welsh border - if the signs were bilingual, you knew which side you were on.

Newport, like Caerleon/Isca is focused on its (tidal) river, Usk - despite my best efforts, I only seemed to see it at low tide (not its best side/smell). Caerleon was the site of another major Roman fortress, with four tourist-accessible sites (only one requiring payment). The museum (pick of the lot) had some excellent displays including A CHEESE PRESS (for those of you out of the loop, I'm doing my master's mini-thesis/research project on Roman cheese recipes, so this is excellent. (If you'd like me to expound on Roman cheese, just let me know 😁)

The Roman town had a large Roman baths complex, and an amphitheatre, both outside the fort proper as any self-respecting fort should. Most of the baths complex is under more recent buildings (eg medieval) but the large natatio (outdoor swimming pool) can be seen at the Roman baths site.

Roman baths varied by period (earlier ones were darker and smaller; they became ridiculously grandiose after the fall of the Republic. Even in the oldest versions, there was a hot room/caldarium (unclear whether it was more like a steam room or a traditional sauna), where the floor was too hot for bare feet, so you wore wooden sandals. Larger complexes also had tepidariums (warm rooms), frigidariums (cold rooms/possibly plunge pools), as well as change rooms, massage rooms, and areas to exercise/play ball games. For 'proper' Romans, (ie male, affluent, urban), much of the afternoon was spent at the baths - one soaked, scraped off the grime of the day, got a haircut or a shave, did some exercise, caught up on the gossip, had some snacks, and offered or scabbed dinner invitations. Which baths you frequented (at least in Rome, where you had a choice) said much about your personality (and budget).

25/08/2023

Chester's cathedral isn't as big or well-known as York's one, but it's still pretty splendid.

25/08/2023

Chester (Deva) was one of the major Roman fortresses, located on the English side of the top of the Welsh border. The town has done a nice job of promoting its Roman remains, but its medieval town is what really shines.

24/08/2023

A few other pics from York. I didn't realise until too late that I completely forgot to get a picture of the Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate (short street, long name). I did get Constantine (proclaimed emperor here in 306), and had lunch in a medieval inn, called Trembling Madness (ie DTs)

24/08/2023

York Minster. Its logo is the two crossed keys of St Peter, normally associated with Roman Catholic churches, but this is indeed St Peter's (or more properly The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York). Like any major English church building that survived Henry VIII, it saw which way the wind was blowing.

This enormous cathedral dwarfs the Norman church that was built on this site, but also the first cathedral built here. On the other hand, the Roman fortress occupied a far greater space. The current cathedral is literally supported by these Roman structures. (Well, three of the crossing tower's four main pillars are - the other was on earth, which started to give way, prompting the first of several urgent works programs; it's also why the Minster no longer has a spire.) There is a very good museum in the undercroft

24/08/2023

I'm still a few days behind, but have a few minutes until stuff in Caerleon open at 10am (mind you, each of these entries typically takes 30-40mins to do).

A few days ago, on what was supposed to be a study day in York (but wasn't anywhere near as productive as I'd hoped), I visited Clifford's Tower (incl with my English Heritage membership). Originally, a timber motte and bailey (the motte might have once been a burial mound), it was replaced with stone in due course. Then the hill subsided, as these things tend to, and bits (but not all) of the tower developed a distinct lean; not all walls are vertical and the chapel floor feels more like an Ames room.

Recent works have made the tower much more accessible, including a platform at the top which gives views over the city while protecting the interior of the tower. Information panels provide a lot of info, so I'll add those in the comments rather than reproducing them here.

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Videos

Cool video about a pump (okay, I know this is my chem eng nerdery, but it *is* really cool

And here's another 30s video from the Mezquita - you'll want the sound up for this one

Here's a quick 30s video of the mihrab in the Mezquita

I was going to visit the Rector's Palace today, but it's closed for filming. I was going to head back to my apartment, but that would require walking up river

The rain is here. It was promised for yesterday, but last night our guide noticed that they'd turned the grates upside down (so they were no longer concave, matching the line of the gutters, but convex, so a tripping hazard but able to cope with much more water). The rain started about an hour ago. There is no soil/grass/greenery in the middle of the Old Town, just a few pockets around the edges visible from the walls. There is nothing but tight packed stone. Our guide, Téa (?sp) said the city still uses the fourteenth century water and stormwater systems, and that it copes with the demands. As you can see from the short video below, taken from my balcony, the sloping/stepped streets are rivers. It might be a study day today, until it eases enough that I feel I'm not going to end up on my arse going down the steps. (EDIT: which might be sooner than I thought - the rain has eased somewhat, and the street already looks manageable)

Bloody deafening

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