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The Battle of Flowers

Every August the entire island of Jersey goes crazy for the Battle of Flowers.  The Battle began in 1902 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.  All floats, from large with animated parts to smaller children's club floats, must be covered in 100% flowers.

I've worked on floats and been in parades, but I have never seen anything like the time, commitment, teamwork and excitement that goes on for the Battle.  Enjoy looking at a small selection of my photos; if you want to learn more, please follow the link below to the official Battle of Flowers site.

http://www.battleofflowers.com/

The winning float (grand prix d'honneur).  Exquisite, classy and very detailed.

This was the "runner up" of sorts, an awesome tribute to Olympus complete with spinning vases and intricately designed pillars with serious topography.

This amazing float was, in my opinion, the best all-around.  Not only was it impressively designed and put together, but the spinning candlesticks, choreographed song and dance performance and creative costumes were a winning combination.  

An optimistic take on Global Warming...

St. Brelade's salute not to the "Wizard of Oz," but to the Broadway hit "Wicked."  Nicely done with dancers and great costumes.  And Toto, too.

Durrell, otherwise known as Jersey Zoo, is a world-famous wildlife refuge and research center for endangered animals.  Its founder, Gerald Durrell, is well-known and highly respected in the animal conservation world.    

The dodo, long since extinct, forms the logo of Durrel in a sort of tribute, striving so that other animals do not meet the same sad fate.  This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of Durrell.

  

  

The "Madagascar" showcases such wonderful characters! (Yes, they had dancing lemurs!)

"St Trillion's" (anyone seen the movie?  I haven't...)

Some really detailed work with this one.

This float's creative theme was "The Night Before," meaning the final rush to finish the float.  They left the back part "unfinished" with white flowers.  They rigged it so that the ladders "fell" down every couple of minutes.  Very clever.

And my personal favorite...

Winner of the Creepiest Float Award??

Obviously there were dozens of floats that I haven't put up here, but in any case I hope you enjoyed the 2009 Battle of Flowers as much as I did.  Maybe you'll see it for yourself next year...

Number Fourteen, Gloucester Street, updated

No. Fourteen, Gloucester Street

Welcome to our flat!  This is the view as you walk in, to the immediate left is a room that I have not photographed because it is too messy, but it is essentially the 2nd bedroom/Monty's office. 

The doors you can see on the left is the closet where our washer/dryer (not a stacked unit but just one little door that when done with the wash begins the dry cycle!  Brilliant!  No more moving wet clothes from one machine to another.)

This is the bathroom immediately to the right in the hallway.  This is "my" bathroom because it has the storage cabinet and a bathtub.  

This is the kitchen/main room.  We have a nice view of the hospital nurse's block flats that also come with late night conversations and foul language.

This is the counter/workspace.  We are making our own bread and it is delicious!

This is our room.  Marius Lemur is napping.  Monty picked out the sheets himself!

This is the en suite bathroom with a shower.  This is "Monty's" bathroom.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour.  Click on the images for a closer view.  

The Fig Tree

Monty's dad has a lovely, productive fig tree in his garden.  I really like fresh figs (though if I'm honest I like dried figs better... and in newton form...).  

Where The Wild Things Are

Sintra

Sintra is a 40 minute train ride northwest of Lisbon and was a great day trip. We stayed in this old Italian-style b&b owned by a couple who, I have to say, probably aren't suited for the hospitality business. Anyway, the place was neat and the town adorable and literally crammed with palaces and castles. We visited the granddaddy of them all, the Palacio de Pena. Inspired by the Moorish history of Portugal, this palace was actually built only about 200 years ago. The palace was "700 meters" from the b&b... we didn't realize this was like 700 vertical meters. It was quite a hike, but great exercise. I recommend going in the off-season.

Lisboa (Lish-boa)

A lovely, very walkable city with very distinct and diverse neighborhoods, Lisbon was really fun. Known for fado (melancholy guitar/singing tunes) and fresh seafood as well as historic sights, Lisbon is a feast for all the senses (including a not-so-nice odor in the streets...). Here, tram 28 winds around the narrow streets and navigates the hills of the city, the Se (cathedral) stands like a fortress, and the castelo (cash-tello) looks over the city below.

Where are we?

Are we in San Francisco? Rio? Nope, Lisbon. The Ponte de 25 abril is a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge. The large statue of Jesus is modeled after the original in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Torre de Belem & Torre de Vasco de Gama

Vasco (vash-ko) de Gama is the Portuguese celebrity and is buried in the Mosterio dos Jeronimos.  Just down the road is a marble homage to the man who first rounded the Cape of Good Hope and made it all the way to India.  The Torre de Belem is a really neat fortress right on the Rio Tejo built to defend the city of Lisbon against attack.  

Mosterio dos Jeronimos

Located in the area known as Belem, this amazing monastery was built by Heironymite monks in 1502 and has gone through periods of prosperity and decline, especially after Lisbon's devastating 1755 earthquake.  This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the loveliest I have seen.

Portuguese Towns

The small hillside villages were all very similar with their white homes and orange roofs. It's funny to see all houses the same color.  The cities have buildings that are completely tiled with handmade tiles called azulejos and are different colors and patterns.  Portugal seems to grow oranges all year round and every cafe offers freshly squeezed juice. 

Mariscos

Portugal, and the Algarve in particular, is known for its fantastic seafood.  Grilled sardines are on every menu.  This was at a market in Villa Nova de Milfontes (the Alejento coast).