ORIONWOMEN TRAVEL
WOMENS TRAVEL since 2005
orionwomen@bigpond.com
0405 228 560
Travelogue 2008
SACRED FEMININE TOUR OF EUROPE 2008
TRAVELOGUE
What follows is a brief overview of our time
away this year. So much more happened than what we have recorded here. In every
moment of every day, there was something to see, do and learn - it was extraordinary.
We feel very privileged to have the opportunity to run this tour.
Our group
of 6 travellers, (there were 8 including us) were all amazing woman and we
enjoyed their company very much. Ages ranged from 42 to 65. Each person added
her own interest and personality to the whole experience.
We are passionate about supporting woman and the trips that we run are
definitely another avenue in our support of women, offering them the
opportunity to travel the world. This is something they would not perhaps wish
to do on their own, or in a large group. Often widowed or divorced or
sometimes in a relationship with someone who just isn’t interested in
traveling, we provide them with the companionship they are looking for.
More and more women are taking control of their lives and
fulfilling their lifetime dreams, with or without a partner. This trip is a
wondrous growing opportunity which broadens horizons, and opens the mind. It is
an opportunity to see and do things only previously learnt at school, seen in
books or watched on TV. It’s also an opportunity to have fun with a small group
of like-minded women and to be supported by us on this journey.This is about
living life and not just reading about it.
We have also had
women on our tours who have traveled the world extensively before. In
fact, one of our travelers this year came back again a second time!
The joy
we personally receive from these experience is limitless, seeing the look of
delight on the faces of the women and the ‘Wow’s’is so fulfilling for us.
Fri May 2nd arrived and the months of planning and organising are at last behind us. The group we are taking is made up of two women from Adelaide, three from Sydney and one from Wagga Wagga
First
stop Singapore, which we reached on a superb Singapore Airlines flight.
We stayed at the beautiful Furama Riverfront Hotel, our
first real get together as a group was at breakfast next morning. We started
our adventures by catching a cab down to Serangoon Rd, which is the heart of
Little India.
It is the closet thing to real India that we have been to.
It’s full of colour and ‘life going on’, in such a different way than we are
used to in Australia. The sights, sound and smells caress the senses, you at
once realise that you are indeed in another country, experiencing something
wonderful. We made a visit to a beautiful Hindu Temple situated on Serangoon
Rd, where some of us received blessings from the serene, holy priests, who tend
the offerings at the temple. 
We
watched with wonder, as the local Hindus, went about their prayer, with a
mixture of reverence and a busy picnic atmosphere. After an eye opening visit
to Muhammad Mustafa's enormous 24-hour department store, we made our way to the
relative calm and serenity of the Raffles Hotel complex. Here we made our way
to the famous Long Bar, for a Singapore Sling. This is the bar where the drink
was created and the only place in Singapore where you can litter. In fact you
have to throw all off the peanut shells onto the floor it a rule!! We then
went back to our hotel, where we spent the rest of our time swimming in the
pool, relaxing and showering, before heading back to Changi Airport to catch
our very late night flight to Rome.
ROME
We arrived in Rome fairly refreshed and with plenty of
enthusiasm for the days ahead. The excitement was building, as the Taxi Shuttle
made it’s way from the Airport into the heart of Rome at 140kph!! When the huge
fortress walls of the Vatican City came within site, we knew we were almost at
our destination.
We always stay in a variety of hotels; five minutes walk
from St Peters Square. These hotels are usually on the floor of one of the 16th
century buildings, which line the streets of Rome. After dropping our luggage
at the hotel, we all went out and hits the streets, the first stop was the
breathtaking St Peters Sq. It was jammed packed with people, turns out it was
one of the biggest days on the Roman Calendar, where representative groups from
all over Italy come for a special mass. We then went and had a wonderful meal
in a fabulous little café on our street, while we waited for our rooms to be
ready. ‘Ah La Dolce Vita!!!’
We then took
advantage of a coupe of hours R and R. Later in the afternoon, we made our way
to our first walking tour of the trip. This is a spectacular walk through some
of the oldest areas of Rome, featuring cobbled streets, magnificent old
buildings, and statues. We walked through the old Jewish Ghetto and fish
markets, through the Porto de Ottaviano (built by Augustus). We saw the
breathtaking interior of our first Baroque church and wandered in awe. In every moment at every turn, the layers
and layers of time presented itself with little peeks that were enchanting. We
tasted the first of many gelatos and ended up at the Capitoline Hill, designed
by Michelangelo. The back of this presented us with the most amazing views of
the Roman Forum, the Palantine and the Colosseum.
We spent the rest of the afternoon
exploring this area, such a rich tapestry of history and beauty, all around is
a sight to behold. Exhausted,
we headed back to our hotel area for dinner and slept the sleep that only
travellers, who have been flying all night and then up and around exploring all
day do… Heavenly..”Allora!!”
We had a late start the next morning, to give
everyone time to regroup. We then spent the day wandering the streets. Starting
at expansive Piazza di Popolo we included The Spanish Steps, Fontana di Trevi
and The Pantheon. Ending up at The
Colosseum, we explored the majestic building in awe. We then made our way to
the Piazza Navona, where we had dinner in one of the many outdoor cafes, in the
shadow of superb Palazzo and monstrous marble fountains, carved by Bernini.
Later that night, we walked home via the banks of
the River Tiber. We crossed the Bridge of Angels (lined with Bernini’s statues
of Angels) to the illuminated Castel Sant Angelo). The light of the bridge and
castle reflecting in the river was incredible, we then made our way down Via della Conciliazone to St Peters
Square,Illuminated at night. Breathtaking!There was hardly another person in
sight; it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Satisfied with a wonderful day, we returned
to our hotel looking forward to the next day’s adventure.
The following morning we made our visit
to the Vatican Museums, where we spent 4 hours exploring wonders that have been
collected throughout time. This culminated in our visit to the Sistine Chapel,
gazing in awe at Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling. In the afternoon, we made our
very special visit to the Officio Scavi
Excavations under the Vatican.
This is the site of an ancient pagan Necropolis, and you are able wander
the streets still intact, from 2000 years ago. We then visited the interior of
St Peters, which is mind blowingly indescribable and some ended the day by
climbing up the dome, for a breathtaking view of Rome.
Next Morning we caught our train from Rome to Florence, a
short, yet comfortable and relaxing ride through the beautiful Tuscan country
side, to the centre of the Renaissance, a place dripping with artistic beauty
in every form…
FLORENCE
Our Hotel is one of the oldest
pensiones in Florence; it has been running for 125 years and is situated on the
corner on the Piazza Republica right in the old city. First we made our way to
the huge Duomo, the enormous and ancient cathedral whose existence cannot be
ignored. Apart from being enormous, the exterior is covered in a mixture of
coloured marble all placed in complicated, inlaid geometric patterns. A stark
difference from St Peters, its cavernous interior is dark and beautiful in its
simplicity. We also visited the nearby baptistery, with its famous
golden,bronze doors.
We then made our way through the ancient and cobbled
streets, to the Piazza Della Signoria. This, the main Piazza in Florence, is
like an outdoor museum, containing huge and important statuary from the time of
the Renaissance.
We made our way home via the markets
and spent our first evening in one of the many outdoor cafés lining Piazza
Republica. Next morning we set off early for our visit to The Uffizi Gallery,
where we saw many of the most spectacular and interesting artworks of the
Renaissance. This included the famous Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli and
many other remarkable paintings by Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.
We then made our way
to the famous Ponte Vechio, the only bridge in Florence left with houses on it
(A the others were bombed in WW2). This bridge, which spans the River Arno,
now, houses row upon row of jewellery shops.
Next stop, the Galleria dell Acadamia for
our visit to see David, the famous statue carved by Michelangelo from a single
18ft long piece of marble. This piece of marble had previously been rejected by
other artists and thought to be unusable. However Michelangelo, a complete
genius knew better. He often stated, that David was always in there and all he
had to do was chip away the marble, for David to emerge. It is absolute
perfection, which never fails to impress and awe. Also in the gallery and just
as awe inspiring, are some of the unfinished blocks of marble, carved by
Michelangelo, in which the half finished figures appear to be attempting to
burst free.
Ah yet another magical evening, in the Piazza Republica!
The hauntingly beautiful sounds of a young and talented opera singer, busking
in the square, bathe the senses. The fun of bartering for designer handbags,
belts and scarves, with street sellers, who are constantly on the lookout for
the police. Watching the game, as the sellers take off carrying their huge
blankets full of goodies, pretending they are innocent, only to lay it all out
the minute the police backs are turned. They then gather it all up and do it again
and again. What a game, we spend ages watching this fascinating game of cat and
mouse, between the sellers and the police.
Next morning we set of on our Air France flight to……
PARIS
We arrived in Paris and settled into our hotel. We made
our way down to the Bastille and then went on a fabulous walking tour of this,
our area, the Marais.
A fascinating area, again with little back streets and
magnificent ‘Hotel Particulars’, huge houses built by the aristocracy (Before
they got their heads chopped of) and now mostly used as government offices,
although, some are still private residences.
Dinner at our favourite Parisienne Café, ‘Sullys’ the best
Crème Brulee in the world YUM!!
Next morning, we took off early for our visit to The
Louvre. The Louvre, never fails to come up with the goods. Mona Lisa is always
smiling and although we have visited it more times that I can count, there is
always something new to see or something old and familiar to re visit. We
completed our time there visiting the Napoleon Suite, which was ‘over the top’
wow! The views from the windows of the Louvre are amazing. The huge glass
entrance pyramid shines austere yet resplendent, amongst buildings whose beauty
and intricacy defy belief.
We then went for a walk through the very French Jardin du
Tuileries. We had lunch under the
spreading Chestnut trees, and then venturing further past the Concorde, where
all the heads rolled off the guillotine. Onward to the Champs Elyse, a
massively huge and beautiful avenue lined with perfectly square trimmed Plane
trees leading up to the Arch du Triomphe, with its enormous French flag waving
lazily in the giant archway. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city by
foot. Strolling along the Champs Elyses, the most expensive real estate in
Europe. Window-shopping at Louis Vuitton and other shops with names straight
out of fashion magazines.
The next day was a free day, the girls organised
themselves to move together in small groups. One group went to the Musee
Dorsay, which houses the Impressionist Art. Another group caught the train to
the Palace of Versailles, so spectacular, that the King bankrupted the whole
country building it. Sandy and I were lucky to meet up with a friend who lives
in Paris. He took us by car, down to Giverny to visit Monet’s gardens. They are
amazing and look exactly like they did in his paintings.
That evening we had planned our drink at the Ritz. We donned our glad rags and headed off, to this icon if style and history. Set amongst the magnificent buildings of Place Vendome, it is such an eye opener and so worth a visit .We went to the Hemingway Bar, which is way down the back. This requires us to walk all the way through the hotel, which is just dripping with luxurious furniture and décor, huge vases of the most extravagant blooms at every turn. We all had one cocktail each (which is included in the price of the trip) at about $50 Aus dollars each, which is more than enough. The staffs are so attentive and professional and the supply of nuts and nibbles were endless. Each of the drinks arrived to ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, as attached to each glass, was the hugest variety of flowers, Peony Roses, Lilies and Buttercups.
A visit to the toilets in the Ritz is mandatory and never
ceases to fail in bringing up a lot of fun and laughter, as the sumptuous
surrounds dripping in gold and mirrors is extraordinary.
Next morning we made our way to the Eiffel Tower where we
made our visit up to the second floor, for a spectacular view, of possibly the
world’s most outstandingly beautiful city.
We then had a boat ride along the Seine, which was very
relaxing and enabled us to see a very different view, of all the beauty that
the city has to offer. This was followed by a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral
s where we bathed in the beauty of the famous Rose glass windows.
It was then time to return to our hotel and prepare for
our flight to our next destination…….
LOURDES
Set amongst the snow covered Pyrenees Mountains; the air
was crisp and clean when we arrived. Our hotel, in the village of Lourdes, was
like something sumptuous out of the 1930’s.
Now a bit ragged around the edges, the quality of a time past, was
evident everywhere. We expected to see Agatha Christies ‘Poirot’ at every turn.
Only a few minutes walk from the Sanctuaries, it was in a wonderful spot. The
township of Lourdes has to be seen, to be believed. Its’ like, if you can
imagine, a run down, religious’ Las Vegas’. 
The star of the show is ‘Mother
Mary’; she is available in every size and colour of statue, or any other
plastic paraphernalia you can think of. There are special lanes in the town,
for the hundreds of miniature horse type carts that contain the infirmed. These
carts are pulled by someone who resembles Florence Nightingale, direct from The
Crimean War, or a guy dressed like a Nazi Boy scout from ‘The Sound of Music’.
This procession of infirmed seems to go on day and night,
as they are being transported to and from different areas in The Sanctuary.
Beyond this crazy area that seems to go on all night, are the Sanctuaries. As
soon as you enter the Sanctuaries, you can feel the energy. Lourdes is
predominantly a Catholic place, however, we were there looking at it from a
spiritual point of view, as a place of healing. Dr Masuro Emoto in his book the
“Messages if Water”, describes Lourdes water as being filled with ‘Love and
Fervent Prayer’ and incredibly healing
Next morning, we arrived early, to line up with many other
pilgrims from around the world, to bathe in the waters. As last year, we will
not describe what happens when you bathe at Lourdes, to do so would take away
from the experience. The healing, the feeling, the energy is tangible. All of
us had a deep and profound experience, which opened our hearts. Two of our
travellers, were from a completely different background than Christianity and
yet it made no difference at all to the experience. This love and healing is
for everyone, as it should be.
At no time while you are there, do you have to
pay for any of the things at the sanctuary and at no times are you asked you
religion. Volunteers from all over the world, come to support the pilgrims and
give it all freely, with love. We spent the rest of the day exploring the
Sanctuaries, discovering an enormous underground church, which probably holds at
least 20,000 people. We were lucky enough to be there during one of the
services, and as they wheeled in the sick, the music and singing reverberated
in the enormous cavern, our body’s tingled with the sensation and we were
filled with love and humility.
That evening we joined in the candlelight procession with at least 15,000 people, all carrying candles and signing our hearts out to ‘Ave Maria’, an honouring of the Sacred Feminine within all of us.
Next morning we flew back to Paris, and then took the
‘Eurostar’ Chunnel train, through the green and verdant French countryside,
then under the English Channel to……
LONDON
We took a Hackney Cab
from the station to our hotel on Belgrave Rd, Victoria, ten minutes walk from
Buckingham Palace and five minutes walk from Victoria Station. First stop - The
Prince of Wales Hotel a few minutes away and our ‘local’ whilst in London.
There’s nothing like a London Pub as a way to get to know London. We have
always found the locals to be so welcoming and friendly and we had lots of
laughs, as well as some great food in the way of Beef and Ale pie with mash
potatoes and veggies !
Next day was our free
day off in London and we all took advantage of the laundry service around the
corner. Again the girls took off in groups or by themselves to explore the
city. Some caught up with family and friends while others went to Madame
Tussauds, The Tower of London etc. We chose to spend the afternoon at
Portobello Rd, with its array of antiques and bric-a-brac, vintage clothing and
markets; we had a very enjoyable time.
Next
morning we caught our shuttle taxi to the outskirts of Heathrow Airport, where
we picked up our two rental cars. These were Vauxhall Vectras -two spacious,
near new vehicles which would take us out into the…..
It was so
refreshing to be out in the English countryside -green, luscious and bursting
with foliage and blooms. Our first stop was Padworth Village. One of our
travellers had grown up here and took us on a tour of the area. Lush and green,
with thatched roof cottages, tiny hedgerows and the Avon and Kennet Canal. We
were able to procure the key of the local church. This time we expected to see
Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple emerge ! It was a tiny little village church, surrounded
by a wall, encapsulating tombstones of various ages, on various angles, covered
in moss and lichen. Our travellers explored the church and the rafters with
glee, some taking on the ‘Quasimodo’ archetype, ringing the bells, swinging
gaily and laughing with joy, as their feet left the ground, as the bell moved
from side to side. We enjoyed lunch at the local pub – a fine fare of local
produce and warming cups of tea.
From Padworth, we travelled to our destination for that day, Glastonbury, the Heart Chakra of the world.
We stayed in Glastonbury for 2 nights and took in all
the sights. We visited Chalice Well (more sacred healing water), Glastonbury
Abbey and immersed ourselves in the energies of the area and the huge crystals in the surrounding crystal
shops. We all had massages with a talented woman we had met last year and we
ate hearty English fare at the “Who’d a thought it” pub .We had plenty of time
to wander at our leisure.
We then
drove from Glastonbury to Bath via Lacock, a 11th century town, left virtually
untouched and used in films such as Harry Potter and Pride and Prejudice. We
only had a short time in Bath, but made the most of it … taking in the superb
Georgian Architecture, which abounds everywhere. We went for a two-hour session
at the Thermae Bath Spa, lolling around in the giant pool on the roof in the
healing water, known for its benefits from Roman Times. The roof pool overlooks
the beautiful Spires and architecture of Bath City.
We sat in the aromatherapy steam rooms and renewed our
senses under the waterfall shower that prickled our skin.
That evening a few of the girls went to the hilarious
“Bizarre Bath” the comedy walk, which is a very amusing and different way to
see Bath.
Chalk Horses and Crop Circles were
our next destination. Our first visit was to the Silent Circle Café, where
Charles Mallet, Crop Circle expert extraordinaire resides. This centre is full
of information about all the crop circles and any other para-normal occurrences
and was very interesting. Charles, a normally quiet other worldly person,
remembered us from last year and was really quite chatty and welcoming. It
turns out that there had been some crop circles in the area recently. He gave us directions and we headed off to
the direction of Avebury, via Silbury Hill.
Situated
in Rape Seed (Canola) fields and very difficult to get to, it all became too
difficult. We didn’t get to sit in the middle of one this year, but we did see
two, off into the distance, and certainly got into the spirit of it all at the
Silent Circle Café. Perhaps we will have more luck next year. Instead we spend
more time at the Avebury stone circle, an extraordinary stone circle which
surrounds the entire town, and steeped in mysterious history.
Later
that day, we drove to Amesbury and booked into our hotel which was another
blast from a bygone era and features the most spectacular England garden to its
rear.
That evening, we drove to the Salisbury Plains for our special evening access visit to Stonehenge. The energy there is very apparent and Stonehenge never disappoints and each of our travellers had their own deep and profound experience. We had a sacred circle in the middle of the stones, amongst the monoliths, which speak of all that has happened there in times gone by. It was a beautiful, profound and very healing circle and we feel so blessed to have been able to partake in it. We were the very last to leave and ended up waiting until we were asked to go. We positively skipped down the path to the car park from the stones; something very powerful had taken place.
BACK TO LONDON ….
Next morning, we drove back to Heathrow and returned the
cars. Technically, the Sacred Feminine Tour ended at this point. However, like
last year we gave our travellers the option to stay on for The Chelsea Flower
Show. All of them took up this offer. So at 8 am, entering at the Royal
Hospital Gates, we went to the ‘Olympic Games’ of flowers and gardens and it
didn’t disappoint - it was absolutely gorgeous. The talent of the horticulturalists
to create the gardens they did , was astounding. The cut flower bloom display
was incredible, showing things that we never get to see in Australia.
By 1pm it started to get very busy and so we
all had a free afternoon. We had met a guy at The Silent Circle Cafe who was
going to be at the London Body Mind and Spirit Fair doing spirit guide
drawings. Only five minutes from our hotel, we ventured there for the
afternoon. We had a ball; everyone had their own experiences. We had our palms
read, chakras balanced, DNA strands reconnected, spirit guide drawing done,
astrology charts made up. There was free music and entertainment available, it
was a wonderful atmosphere. That evening we had our final farewell dinner as a
group of eight. We had added yet more options to this tour- 3 days in
Marrakech/ Morocco, plus a stop over in Singapore on the way home. Two of our
travellers had chosen not to come on that part of the journey so we bid them
farewell that evening in London….
MARRAKECH
We were picked up from our hotel in London at 3.45am and
were bleary eyed as we taxied to
Gatwick Airport, where we flew to Marrakech in Morocco. To say it was a culture
shock after the sophistication of Europe is an understatement. However, we
enjoyed every minute of it. We stayed in a Riad (A court yard home), which was
elaborately decorated in the traditional style, using many multicoloured mosaic
tiles and ornate finishes. In order to get to the Riad we had to go down many
dark, unlit alleyways and yet we never felt scared. The Riad was like an oasis
from the madness of the outside world, which was so busy. At times it felt like
we were in the movie ‘Star Wars’, in the café , where all the many people
from different planets congregate. In many ways it felt like we had landed on
another planet.
There were so many different people from the Arab world
and beyond, congregated in this place.
So many sights, sounds and smells, so foreign to our way of life,
different modes of dress and behaviour. The women were mostly veiled, in many
different forms, from just having their head covered, to having every part of
their body hidden, including gloves and socks. Most of the action centres in
Djeema El Fna square, which was made a world heritage site by Unesco in 2001.
The square is a living and breathing creature, constantly changing, a cacophony
of sights, sounds and sensations, seeming to reach a crescendo before dying
down, merely to build up to a peak again, rearranging and constantly
moving. Snake charmers abound, desert
musicians beating out a primal rhythmic sound, cross dressing belly dancers,
fortune tellers, story teller from the Western Sahara, dentists with their
pliers in hand, sitting behind a display of every tooth they have ever removed.
O One of the best things to do is sit in
a café on the sidelines of the square and just watch life going on and - boy is
it going on. Watching the mood and colour of the square changing as the sun
set, from up high on a café balcony overlooking the square was
exhilarating. To cross the road, and
escape without getting run over was a total miracle. 
There are evidently no
road rules in Marrakech, as we observed many times and experienced when riding
in a taxi with no seatbelts, watching a car randomly overtake in the middle of
the road heading straight for us.
We spent most of our time in Marrakech in the Souks, which
are miles of tiny covered alleyways that go on forever, It is impossible to not
get lost, but easy to find your way back by asking. The wares on sales are
luscious, exuberant,abundant.
We
spent an interesting night at a restaurant, which was like a palace, which
served a typic five-course Tajine dinner. Most of the diners where locals and
the band played loud energetic traditional music that got a lot of the diners
to there feet in a joyous dance. The ‘piece de resistance’ was two Belly
dancers shaking their ‘bootees’, bras filled with bank notes from admiring men.
It’s such a dichotomy to have belly dancers in a restaurant and yet if a local
woman shows any part of her body all hell breaks loose????
We also spent the morning at a local Hamman, which is a
steam room, lathered in Black Soap, scrubbed to within an inch of our lives and
then covered with mud before being sent back in to the steam room. We were then
massaged with aromatic oils and we finished off with a pedicure - all very
different and unusual, but also heavenly..
After three amazing days in Marrakech, bags bulging with
goodies purchased from the Souks, we bade Marrakech farewell and returned to
London.
That
evening we flew to Singapore, where we
had a stay at the very opulent Novatel Clark Quay. Our last day was spent
dashing to the Mustafa Centre for some electrical goods and a bit of a wander
around Chinatown. We retired to the pool area of the hotel and relaxed until it
was time to leave for the airport and the last leg of our amazing journey.
As always look forward to hearing from you
Many thanks and lots of Love Mary and Sandy
