ORIONWOMEN TRAVEL
WOMENS TRAVEL
Travelogue 2005
DA VINCI CODE – ANGELS AND DEMONS
EUROPE SEPT 2005
(AKA – Goddesses behaving Badly/ Boldly/ Beautifully)
On Sept 1st 2005 Sandy and Mary and small group of travelers met at Adelaide International Airport - a little tentative yet extremely excited as we took off for our adventure overseas.
Any nerves we may have had were easily allayed as we enjoyed a magnificent flight to Singapore on ‘Singapore Airlines’- great food- gin slings- attentive cabin crew and over one hundred movies to choose from on our personal TV’s, soon kept us busy and enthralled and the trip went very fast. Besides out of the two seat colors blue and purple we could have been seated in we were all in the purple ones- purple the color of healing and manifestation this had to be a great sign!
We arrived in Singapore and were at once met by the heat and the very familiar fragrances of the country and whipped off to our very beautiful hotel.
Next day we went shopping (of course this is Singapore one of the shopping capitals of the world) We took the girls to an amazing shopping complex that we knew they would enjoy, where they stocked up on cameras, watches etc, followed by a stroll in’ Little India’ which is the closest thing to being in India that you will get outside that country.
We “oohed” and “aahed” over the magnificent Saris and assorted fabrics in the shops and looked in wonder at the Indian Women in the streets, so elegant and colorful with beautifully adorned spirits- true Goddesses.
We then headed to the magnificent Raffles Hotel and treated ourselves to’ Gin Slings’ in the famous Long Bar. Here bowls of peanuts are continuously replenished and the floor is swimming in shells, where you are expected to throw them – a tradition, which has been in place since the hotel opened.
Later that night we boarded a Lufthansa flight for Rome.
Singapore Airlines makes any other airlines look second rate, so our flight to Rome was a bit of a challenge comfort/ service wise, but international flight always has its challenges and it’s only for such a short time frame of ones life and the rewards when we arrived were worth it.
We flew into Rome the next morning, and as we flew in over the city the adrenalin kicked in and we were ready to get on with it.
The excitement started with the driver who zoomed us into the city at 150kms per hour while cleaning his nails/ talking on the phone/ taking notes etc.
A great trust / fear process. However we arrived safely into the heart of magnificent Rome ready to explore and appreciate all that this city had to offer.
Our hotel was five minutes walk from St Peters Square, which gave us so much flexibility and freedom. It was very hot in Rome so we appreciated our air-conditioned rooms at the end of a busy day.
We spent the next three days walking and walking, discovering quiet and intriguing lanes and piazzas as well as following all the clues set out by author Dan Brown in the book Angels and Demons
We just kept discovering amazing places; everywhere we went there was something special going on. Elton John was giving a free concert at the Colosseum, a magnificent choir was singing in St Peters Cathedral filling the cavernous interior with even more beauty and taking our breaths away.
One evening in St Peters Sq we were almost the only people there and a huge storm came over. We stood in the square a watched the lightening off in the distance and quivered as the thunder got louder and closer. We took refuge under Berninis Colonnade, listening to the storm and watching the power of nature in its glory whilst we retreated in the shadow of one of mans most magnificent tribute to art and architecture. Then ran like children through the rain and the puddles back to the safety of a nearby Trattatoria to eat fantastic Italian food, drink Chianti and be entertained by one of the many amazing waiters we met everywhere in Italy.
Rome was unforgettable the beautiful piazzas, cafes, history cobbled streets all leading to something amazing. The warm balmy evenings spent soaking in all of this amazing culture and atmosphere. We took our fill of Gelato along the way and truly experienced our own “La Dolce Vita”
Next we traveled by train through the spectacular Italian countryside to Italy’s jewel, Florence. Centre of ‘The Renaissance’ and home to Leonardo himself during this time. Again out hotel was in the middle of the city and from its roof garden we could almost touch the magnificent Duomo. We spent to great days in Florence wandering the streets- visiting Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and all the magnificent art in the Uffizi Gallery and taking in all the spectacular art and architecture that abound in this beautiful city.
Evenings again spent sitting in cafes in grand Piazzas eating and drinking local fare- listening to the strains of beautiful live music being played by the many wandering entertainers. There were mime shows, artists and of course we purchased our fill of “Louis Vuitton” bags from the many street vendors who are constantly on guard for the ‘Politzie’ They had all come up with very fast ways to pack up their wares sometimes in mid sale! When the police went by they would all just stand around with their bundles (da di da di da) and when the police had past it would all come back out again, only perhaps minutes later the police would be back and up it would all be bundles again- such a game they play, and fun to watch!
From Florence briefly back to Rome from where we flew to Paris.
What can I say about this gorgeous city that hasn’t already been said in many books, movies and songs “Ooh LaLa”
We stayed in the Marais district only two Metro stops from the Louvre. We spent our time in Paris immersing ourselves in magnificent artwork, sights, smells and sounds and eating great food. Yet again drinking French wine attended to by gorgeous friendly waiters.
The only true way to see Paris is by foot so again we walked and walked. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, we tracked down Princess Dianna’s monument, where one of our group who had carefully carried a red rose around with her all day laid it down to Diana’s memory. We followed the trail set out in Dan Browns “The Da Vinci Code” and met beautiful people.
Robert Langdon, who is Dan Browns main male character in both the books, awoke at ‘The Ritz ‘in Paris in the first chapter of the Da Vinci Code. As staying there was certainly not in our budget, we decided instead to include in our tour a cocktail in the famous Hemingway Bar in the Ritz. We all took our glad rags out that day in our backpacks and called into a bar not far from the Ritz to use their facilities to “Morph” into Ritzy Ladies (didn’t take long as we are all so beautiful anyway). The Ritz was truly amazing and so beautifully appointed. Memories of newspaper reports of Dianna and Dodi al Fayeds last evening spent there came flooding back to me.
We all had cocktails served with red roses attached to them and where treated like the goddesses that we are. The best part was going to the toilet where we all again “oohed and aahed” at the gold taps and expensive fittings in fact we all had our photos taken in the “Loos” as photography was banned in the bar so as to allow special guests the privacy they crave away from the constant Papparazzi.
Paris filled us with it beauty, charms and many unforgettable experiences
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From Paris we caught the “Euro star” train which travels through the ‘Chunnel’ under the English Channel. To London where again our hotel was only a 10 min walk from Buckingham Palace. We soaked up everything we could in London visiting all the amazing sights on our itinerary and reveling in our free time as well. Some chose to see West End theatres performances.
Sandy and I spent a wonderful day in Kew Garden where there was a glass exhibition on display. They had creatively places the glass amongst the plants the display was spine tingling.
We visited many little English Pubs and ate amazing meals. We breathed in all the sights and sounds the gorgeous flower boxes and hanging baskets in full bloom everywhere filled with breathtaking colour.
We traveled on the top of double decker buses and in traditional London Taxis and thrilled at the experience. We traveled on the underground and at first felt shaky as London in truly under full alert at the moment after the bombings that occurred recently Police presence was very obvious as where the machine guns they carried.
We had a lot of fun with the locals; we met such characters and took all the stirring they gave us about losing the ‘Ashes’ with good humor.
From London we traveled to Bath- a gorgeous place where we picked up our 2 cars for the road trip part of our journey, driving around the south west of England.
The UK really is “The Enchanted Land” as described by Doreen Virtue. So green and lush, little lanes and hedgerows thatched roofs, cows, farmers that really look like “Magda Szubanski” in Babe and so much diversity of character and accent in such a short drive.
We first headed to Glastonbury the centre of "The Goddess" a magical place where the ley lines of Mary and Micael intersect. We drank form the healing waters of Chalice Wells, walked The Tor(Avalon- This is the land of Arthur anf Guinevere) some climbed it at midnight, each of us had our own magical experience.
We then left Glastonbury and headed to the famous Silent Circle Café on or quest to find a Crop Circle .This is Wiltshire a most beautiful part if the world rolling green pastures filled with interesting monuments of a long past which we visited with much excitement. Eventually we found a crop circle. Unfortunately we were just a couple of weeks too late to see it in its original form as the farmer had mown it down however a phenomena not many people are aware of is that grass grows in the patterned part so you can very clearly see it in the field. We climbed over fences and made our way with much deliberation to the circle, we lay in it. We did it !! It was especially a wonderful time for Sandy as this had been one of her dreams.
The Avebury Stones, Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow, Stonehenge. Yes Stonehenge was the peak experience for most of us in this area. We had been able to obtain a special access to it after hours. And we were actually able to get into the very centre of it. There were only about 15 of us there. we had a Sacred Circle there, setting our intentions and sending love to the planet and took the energy of this briliant place where 12 ley lines intersect. We watched the sunset on the stones, the sky stretching in all directions like a great domed lid. The cloud formations spectacular and to top it off a rainbow. By the time we had just about finished we looked around and everybody else had left (except for the guard who stays there all night) and once everyone else had gone he was only tooo happy to tell us al he knew about where the energy lines went through . It was a truly awesome experience, one we shall never forget.
So after toodling around the English countryside in our cars Sandy and I steady at the wheels we headed off to Edinburgh Scotland by train. We chose to go by train so we could see more of the beautiful English countryside; the train trip also took us through different parts of Wales, which was so very different and special in its own way.
It was quite cool in Edinburgh so at last out came the winter woolies for the first time on the trip.
It didn’t take long to get into the swing of things surrounded as we were by tartan a plenty- We saw some of the local sights. Some of the girls went to a magical place called ‘The Cove’ and did some healing and had a magical experience. Some of us ate “Indian Food” Yum (Edinburgh has a huge Indian feel running through the place a left over if The Raj”. A couple of us went to a fund raising night at The Hilton where they held a “Calleigh” an evening of Scottish folk dancing. We joined in with the fun dancing “The Gay Gordon” and whilst invited to stay for the buffet made a quick exit as the huge trays of haggis were being brought in.
Our main reason for going to Edinburgh was to visit Roslyn Chapel situated in the small town of Roslyn 7miles south of Edinburgh. Roslyn Chapel played an important role in the novel The Da Vinci Code. It was well worth the visit such a stunningly beautiful mysterious place. A fitting end was the fact that they are at present making the movie “The Da Vinci Code” staring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon. A real thrill for us was that they were setting up Roslyn Chapel for the filming, which was going to take place the following week. The film crew and security were there setting things up and it was fascinating watching the amazing time consuming business of getting it ready.
After Edinburgh it was time to fly home filled with wonderful memories.
And so we had a ball, it was fantastic traveling with such a small group, and one couldn’t help but feel sorry for all the large tour groups we saw whilst away being herded around like sheep.
We all got on really well and have made some new and lasting friendships
If you are at all interested please contact us.
This is the opportunity for a very special life experience!
Happy Travels and Love to you all Mary and S andy xxx
