You cannot imagine what a fantastic, wonderful, incredible weekend I've just spent in Paris with Leo and his family. Considering I had only been corresponding with him just a few weeks the weekend was really special, not just meeting him but his wonderful family as well - now whenever I think of any one of the four of them - it is with the utmost affection.
I set out from Bath by bus at 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon and although a four hour journey to London by bus wouldn't normally appeal to me at all, the time went nicely as I listened to my favourite Andean music all the way! As well as the padded case of 48 CDs I was taking for Leo, I also had a further 20 in a second padded case to listen to on the journey. At London I had three hours to wait until the departure for Paris and was pleased to discover a Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurant as soon as I went outside the station. I knew I need look no further for a place to pass the time. It was very crowded in there with people enjoying tapas and drinks at the bar but the waiter who approached looked after me brilliantly. He stowed my large bag in a safe place, found me a place to sit, and I enjoyed a few glasses of wine and some delicious tapas until it was time to go and check in at Eurolines for the next part of the journey.
Lots of people were taking the trip to Paris and when buses finally arrived, it was pretty chaotic with luggage being stowed etc. I accidentally stowed my luggage in the wrong coach (not realising that there was more than one coach departing for Paris at 9.30 and when the coach driver realised he stamped his foot and went mad (I couldn't help but giggle and he went even more crazy!). Especially as mine was one of the first that went in and he had to move a few to get it back out! Two coaches had arrived at once, one for Paris and one for Amsterdam. Mine had gone in the Paris coach but unbeknown to me there was a second coach going to Paris that had not yet arrived and my boarding pass stated I was to go on that one! A few other passengers tried to stow their luggage on it too, but after the fiasco with mine the driver was being more observant! The second coach finally arrived and quickly filled up and we were about 40 minutes late leaving. It was about ten past ten when our coach pulled out of the station.
We arrived at the channel crossing point just in time to miss the train and had to wait just over an hour for the next one. It was the first time I had crossed the channel this way and it seemed quite bizarre, the bus entering the train. With nothing to see outside the windows of the bus but the inside of the train carriage it was a while before I realised we were actually moving. Only the vibrations gave a clue that we were on our way through the tunnel. Shortly after disembarking the other side the driver pulled into a Service area and people were able to enjoy a snack and stretch their legs. After this the next stop was Paris, scheduled for 6.30 Saturday morning.
In actual fact we were around 40 minutes late arriving in Paris. I tried ringing Leo on his mobile, but although I thought I had arranged my phone for use in France I was unable to get through. When the bus pulled into the station I couldn't see him anywhere so when I got off the bus I went straight to the back to collect my luggage and then heard someone calling me. I thought he had sent a friend to collect me and in the car when I asked his name I realised my mistake. (He had previously sent a photo of his group, Los Quirquinchos, and the one I thought was him wasn't him at all!). It was only when I asked his name and his eyebrows raised in surprise and he said "C'est moi - Leo!" that I realised my mistake! We certainly had a good laugh about that and told everyone about it since! By a similar token when he saw (and immediately recognised) me he thought how serious I looked! He knows different now as I'm hardly ever serious!
Back at the house I met his beautiful daughter Charlotte (aged 13) who was just leaving for school classes so I didn't see much of her then and a few minutes later his wife Cristele got up and his son Camille (aged 10) - both of whom gave me a wonderful welcome - and we had breakfast together. All four of them made me feel incredibly welcome and at home there and the whole weekend with them was magic. Shortly afterwards Cristele took Camille to his school as the whole school were running that morning and it was arranged we would go and watch the last part of the race. Before this, we listened to lots of Andean music and I made a start on looking through Leo's wonderful collection.
Sure enough a bit later we went to catch the end of the race and I was able to take two photos of Camille running towards us with his classmates - the first of many that I would be taking during the course of the weekend! Back at the house we listened to more music, chatted, and I started writing a list of Leo's CDs that I don't already have. At 12.15 Leo took me to Malakoff metro station which is where I had arranged to meet Pierrette, as we'd planned to have lunch together. He dropped me off there at exactly 12.30 and said for me to phone when I was ready to come back and he would come and collect me again.
I had a lovely lunch and some nice Provencal rose wine with Pierrette in a typically french restaurant in Porte d'Orleans which was nice and which she treated me to. I was with her about two hours and it was great to catch up on news and incredible to be seeing each other so unexpectedly! It was raining quite heavily with thunder as well, so although we'd planned to walk back to Malakoff and her car I instead phoned Leo and in no time at all he was back to collect us and gave her a lift back to her car as well.
Back at the house we enjoyed listening to each other's Andean music and I continued my lists from his collection. I helped Cristele prepare some food ready for the evening and his children chatted to me in English and were delighted to be able to practise what they'd been learning at school. We all went out together in the evening to visit in my favourite part of Paris. We went to Sacre Coeur, a beautiful Catholic church on the top of a hill and tourists were allowed to go in and feel the beauty of the service in progress, the nuns beautiful singing, thousands of candles burning and the inside of the church is fantastic - all mosaic and gold and incredible paintings and statues, and just looking up inside the dome is incredible. Afterwards we went to La Place du Tertre - my favourite part of the whole of Paris where the artists congregate and paint. Unfortunately my camera chose this moment to give up the ghost and wouldn't work. We had several attempts at taking photos there, but the flash wouldn't work and when we did get the shutter to close we just got close-ups of the pavement! We looked in the giftshops and saw the incredible views all over Paris from that steep hillside.
We then drove to a part of Paris that I'd not visited before - the Alexandrra III Bridge - you would not believe how beautiful it is - the wonderful statues and buildings in nearby Place de la Concorde et Place des Invalides - and even a statue of Simon Bolivar as well. The Seine was the highest they'd ever seen it - no boats could go under the bridge it was so high. After visiting there we drove home. While we'd been away the food was slowly cooking and we enjoyed a lovely meal together with wine and it was quite late by the time we all went to sleep.
Next day I was up quite early and so was Leo - recording more CDs while I wrote out loads of postcards - and the others got up shortly afterwards and it was another magic day. I felt so at home there and loved every moment of being with them. While Christele was getting lunch on the table I was on the floor surrounded by LPs writing out lists of what I wanted from Leo's vinyl collection - and there was lots of LPs by my favourite bands that I previously hadn't known about and I got really excited about as I added them to my list! some by my most favourite bands such as Inti Illimani, Los Calchakis, Illapu,Quilapayun, as well as others by Andean bands previously unknown to me.
Before that, Christele had taken me to the nearby market which was brilliant. I bought things to take home, eg saucisson for Colin, cheese from the Pyrennees, big bags of sweets for the children, pate made locally etc. I could have spent hours there - I love markets such as those which sell the local produce. I even stocked up on my spices there. After lunch we all piled into the car and drove the 40 km to Pierre's house where Los Quirquinchos meet every sunday for their rehearsals. A beautiful house in the country yet so close to Paris is a rarity to find.
Pierre is the one I thought was Leo in the photo and he was really amused when Leo told him the story! Both Pierre and his brother could speak English and were very welcoming and friendly. The other two were very nice as well and it was a real honour for me to be present while they rehearsed. I kept taking photos and they didn't mind and in fact used up a whole film of 36 shots in the camera Leo had lent me when mine gave up the ghost.
We all had drinks and snacks halfway through the rehearsal as well. It was brilliant and I enjoyed myself immensely. Back at the house we had something to eat and I enjoyed my last couple of hours with them before kissing them all goodbye and Leo took me to the station to get my bus. All in all it was an absolutely magic weekend never to be forgotten. I just look forward now to their return visit which won't be until the autumn unfortunately as they are moving to a bigger appartment soon as well as going to Costa Rica on holiday for a month. When I left Leo gave me four large packs of Costa Rican coffee - enough to last me for months which I thought was incredibly kind of him. I didn't want to take so much but they all insisted - it's the genuine coffee which his Mother sends over for him and really delicious as I discovered throughout the weekend.
At the station Leo saw me safely onto the bus and I felt quite sad to be leaving, I'd enjoyed myself with them so much. The bus left on time and as with the outward trip I was able to sleep off and on most of the journey home. We stopped once on route to the channel crossing point, and on arrival there found we'd missed a train again with the next departure at 4 am. It was 6.30 am when we arrived at Victoria station, although I soon realised it was actually 5.30 am and I had until 7.45 to wait until the bus to Bath was due to depart. Luckily one was able to enjoy coffee and cakes from a nearby stall to help while away the time (as well as continue to enjoy the music) and we were soon on our way to Bath. I managed to sleep most of that journey as well so felt okay, not a bit tired from two long journeys in one weekend. I eagerly await the next time I make that trip, which hopefully might be in May as one of my favourite Andean bands - Illapu - start a European tour in May and both Leo and I have our fingers crossed that Paris will be one of the venues. If it is (and hopefully before I go to Peru) I will be returning to Paris and going to their concert with Leo and Cristele. By a similar token it's possible that a top band from Bolivia might be coming to the UK later this year and if they do, Leo and Cristele will come over and we'll all go to that concert together as well. Tours by the top Andean bands are such rare treats that none of them are to be missed!
