10 latest experiences http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234 en-us The Louvre is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. Every body has heard of the Louvre and it is one of the most-visited museums in the world. With good reason. The Louvre houses possibly the finest collection of artwork ever collected in one place. And from what I understand, even though the Louver denies it, they only ever have about ten percent of it on display at any one time. I personally find it mind-boggling that there is that much art in the whole world, let alone one place, because when you visit and then remember this is only ten percent, you realize that’s an awful lot of artwork. Paris, France marcus1234 Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:58:33 +0000 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/1100 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1100 Vence is perhaps my most favorite town on the French Riviera – out of season. Go here during July, August or September and you are asking for huge crowds, expensive prices and trouble parking. But out of season, it’s one of the few remaining gems on the Riviera. Vence, France marcus1234 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:27:42 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/1086 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1086 Having visited Monument Valley in Utah the previous day, I was expecting something a little less impressive from the Grand Canyon. I mean, how big can it be, right? It’s only a hole in the ground after all. I was up before the sun and headed to see the hole in the ground. I made my way across the desert and experienced what had to be one of the scariest moments of my trip. A sandstorm came out of nowhere, and did it’s best to kill me. Fortunately, I came across a gas station and the owner let me shelter until the storm had passed. It was very short-lived and I was soon on my way again. The bike wasn’t looking too happy about the whole thing though. I promised her a good wash the next day and continued. I approached the Canyon from the North, heading up to the North rim. At that time, the road was being repaved, and in effect was a dirt track. They had dug all the tarmac for about 25 miles up in preparation for relaying. Hmm, I though on the way up, “as long as it stays dry, ... Arizona, United States marcus1234 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:35:16 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/1046 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1046 Rome is my favorite city in the world. Rome should be everybody’s favorite city. Oscar Wilde once said of London, “If you are tired of London, you are tired of life.” But he should have said it about Rome. The Italians are wonderful people (when they’re not trying to pick your pocket or steal your handbag) and Rome is one of the liveliest cities in the world The Coliseum, Rome, Italy marcus1234 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:51:55 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/1015 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1015 A few years ago, following a series of personal disasters which I won’t go into, I took a year off, got on a plane to the USA, bought myself a Harley Davidson and hit the road. I started in New York, drove down the coast as far as I could go (Key West) and then came back up and started exploring the interior of the country. I managed to visit thirty three states in all and had some “interesting” experiences in all of them. As the journey progressed, I began avoiding the larger cities, because with a few exceptions, I found them to be too similar to each other. After a while I couldn’t even remember which hotel I was staying in. Was it a Best Western or a Holiday Inn? Needless to say this got me into a few adventures all on its own, especially after a night on the town when I went into the Holiday Inn and demanded to see the manager because my key didn’t fit the lock any more, only to discover I was actually staying at the Best Western across the street. Personally I blame... Utah, United States marcus1234 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:22:04 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/966 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/966 Florence is a beautiful medieval city, in the center of Italy. Stunning architecture combined with a thriving tourist industry make it a very attractive place to visit. But we didn’t go there to buy hand bags or look at the buildings. We went there to see Michelangelo’s David. Probably the most famous statue ever created. I had never seen the statue before and the first thing that struck me was how big it is. David stands over seventeen feet tall, carved from a single piece of marble. Michelangelo worked on the basis that the image was already in the block of marble before he started work and when you see the statue it’s as though it could never have been anything other than this form. I mentioned in one of my earlier experiences that there are only two works of art that leave me speechless, and this is the second. Florence, Italy marcus1234 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:47:41 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/826 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/826 Despite the many doping allegations surrounding the Tour De France this year, we decided to go and watch a stage. The riders would be arriving at Marseille on the 18th July and leaving Marseille on the 19th, giving us an opportunity to watch a stage in the flesh and a start, which I had never seen before. After several grueling days in the Alps, the riders would be looking forward to the relatively downhill stage from the Alps to the coast at Marseille. There was only one real climb in this stage just a few kilometers from the finish. We drove up the hill to find a suitable spot to watch and concluded that for a downhill stage, this was one horrible climb, about 15 km long with lots of false flats and rolling up and downs stopping the riders from getting a good rhythm going. Marseille, France marcus1234 Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:52:56 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/820 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/820 If you should have the opportunity to go to Rome and only have time to see one thing, this is it. The ceiling of the Sistine chapel in the Vatican is one of only two artworks I have seen that leave me completely speechless. The ceiling is without a doubt in my mind, the premiere piece of art ever created. I've been several times and each time I just stand there in awe, unable to grasp the vision, skill and just plain hard work that went into it. The only word for it is “Perfect.” It is huge and impossible to fully appreciate without seeing in person. You have probably seen bits and pieces of it in magazines or on TV, but until you see it in the flesh, they are meaningless. I hasten to add that I am not a religious person, I do not believe in God, but if something was going to persuade me otherwise, this fresco would be it. The Vatican as a whole leaves me cold. It is just an enormous, extravagant display of wealth and does not fit in with the whole “born in a manger in po... Rome, Italy marcus1234 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:55:38 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/792 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/792 Only in France ! Once again, the streets of Vallauris were closed to traffic. This time in honor of the yearly pottery festival. Street potters gave away their wares and kids everywhere lined up for the chance to take home a pot. Made right there in front of them. And if they wanted to paint it afterwards, paint and brushes were all supplied. Of course, that left hordes of parents gingerly carrying their offspring's freshly acquired pot down the street as the kids ran off to play. There was plenty of opportunities for refreshment in the many cafes and bars along the road though. A street festival isn’t complete without a parade, and one was duly provided. A mixture of religious groups, Majorettes and Brazilian Carnival made it an interesting parade. Drums beat, horns blew, batons and flags flew in the air and everyone had a good time. And then the coup de grace. At the bottom of the street were pieces of pottery hanging from a frame over the main street. Only in France would t... Vallauris, France marcus1234 Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:27:38 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/735 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/735 In an effort to improve our spoken French, my wife and I decided to volunteer for a community project entitled "Allumons Vallauris." Every year, in July, the whole town comes together, places candles in the streets and lights them. In all, over 50,000 candles were used. The streets were closed to traffic throughout and hundreds of people spent hours placing candles in elaborate patterns and lighting them as the sun went down. It was an almost surreal experience, seeing the town lit up with thousands of candles. One of the things that struck me was how different this experience was compared to somewhere like the USA. There were no police, no firemen on hand, no safety barriers, kids were running all over the place, having a great time, but well-behaved. As a tourist, this is definitely worth a visit and very much a community event that welcomes visitors. Of course, once the candles were all lit, we retired to the comfort of a bar on the main street to enjoy an aperetif and wat... Vallauris, France marcus1234 Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:17:41 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/marcus1234/experience/729 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/729