On Sunday 27th October, Colin and I started our journey to Paris. I had allowed plenty of time for any unforeseen delays, booking early trains which should have got us to the airport with 4 hours to wait until our flight. When we woke up that Sunday morning it was to find the weather chaotic, with high winds and rain and every chance of a delayed journey.
Colin's friend Duncan was looking after his house for the duration of our visit and he gave us a lift to the station. Just on the short trip down to Bath station, we passed a tree that had fallen in the road, luckily not a really heavy one, and steps had already been taken to remove it. We were able to get past okay and even if not, Colin knew an alternative route to get around it.
At the station there was quite a crowd waiting on the platform and it soon became evident that the two trains earlier than ours had not arrived - because of a fallen tree on the line. Eventually an announcement was made that the 8.02 train from Bristol would be arriving shortly and for people booked on all the London Paddington trains to get on that one. It arrived chugging along at walking pace and luckily we were able to get seats sitting together with space for the big suitcase where we could keep an eye on it.
There followed a really slow journey. The train was chugging along so slowly that one could walk faster. Also it kept stopping for up to 10 minutes at a time and it seemed it would take all day to get there at that slow speed. Then the train was diverted to another line and it took until midday to reach Reading, which normally only takes less than one hour. There we had missed our booked connection but were able to get on the next one due, with still enough time to reach the airport in time for our flight.
Two buses later we arrived at Heathrow Terminal four to absolute chaos. We could barely get inside the airport for crowds and the queues were so long and winding that it was impossible to see where one ended and the next began. A look at the departures screens showed that the majority of flights had been cancelled and we just did not know what to do.
Eventually Colin left me to look after our luggage while he went off to find out what was happening and when he came back he had been told that all flights had been cancelled and that we might as well go home and rebook via our travel agents. I said there was no way I was going back home and we decided we would continue into London and try to continue our journey on a Eurostar train. We set off and outside were looking to find where to get the express train to Paddington, when I spotted a British Airways official with a clip board in his hand and decided to just have a final check that there was no chance of getting on another flight. Thank goodness I did because he said there was every likelihood we had been transferred to an alternative flight and to go back in and check.
We went back in and this time I left Colin with our luggage while I made my way through the crowd to the booking in desk - where I discovered we had been transferred to a flight leaving provisionally at 6.30 pm. He said to bring our luggage and check it in and I signalled to Colin and he brought it through the crowd and in no time we had our boarding passes. I was so relieved, even though the guy had warned us this was no guarantee that the flight would actually fly!
We found a nice pub in the airport and had a few drinks and a nice late lunch then to pass a bit of the time. We also did a tour of the duty free shops and found an internet kiosk from where I was able to email Leo and let him know the situation. We emailed each other a few times in the ensuing few hours, and it was great that I could keep him up to date with the current situation like this.
It wasn't until 9.30 that we were finally able to board the plane and it finally took off at 10.15, with me sitting by the window and enjoying the take-off (at the same time smiling at Colin's worried look - he hates take-offs and landings whereas for me they are the best part of the flight!. He soon relaxed though once the seat belt signs went off and we were safely in the air and on our way. Although only a short flight we were given sandwiches and choice of drinks (I chose wine!) and then, with the time difference, we were landing at Charles de Gaulle airport at ten minutes past midnight, unfortunately too late for the last train to Paris - the last one was at midnight.
Leo had told me in an email to phone and confirm our arrival and that he would come and fetch us if we were too late for the last train. Unfortunately we did not have any change and with all the shops at the airport closed we could not get any either. We tried phoning using a credit card but that did not work either. Luckily for us a French couple standing nearby witnessed our attempts and made the call on our behalf using their own phone card which was so kind of them. They would not accept any payment either, even though we would have happily paid with a note. Christele answered the phone and said that Leo had gone to Bourg La Reine station on the off-chance that we might be there, but that she would phone him on his mobile to return home and that they would be there within 45 minutes. So we relaxed and waited and then suddenly Christele was there and we were hurrying outside where Leo was parked and on our way back to Paris and their home in Bagneux. By the time we got there it was pretty late but we had a drink together and we gave them their gifts and it was probably about 3 o clock by the time we all went to bed.
Next day when we woke up the weather was amazing. Gone was that awful wind of the day before and we woke up to blazing sunshine. It was lovely to cuddle baby Claire again 5 months after my previous visit and it seemed that she had not forgotten me as I had feared. She was as responsive to me with beautiful smiles and chuckles as she was on my previous visit! After an excellent breakfast we decided what to do and went out into the centre of Paris all day. Christele was working Monday and Tuesday but would have the rest of the week off. Leo's children were also on holiday from school but Charlotte had gone horse riding for the day. Pierre's son Felix was staying (Camille's best friend) so it was Leo, Camille, Felix and baby Claire, Colin and me on this first excursion. We drove to Bourg La Reine station and parked and then took the train into Paris, getting off at the station closest to Notre Dame, and we spent most of the day around this part of Paris. First of all we went inside Notre Dame cathedral and had a good look around, meeting up again outside afterwards. We then went walking and saw the University of the Sorbonne and had lunch at a Greek restaurant on the Left bank. We finally ended up in a park at Luxembourg before getting on the train again and returning home, getting there about 5.30 pm. By this time Christele had returned from work and we all set to preparing the evening meal which we enjoyed at leisure later along with some excellent wine.
The next day we went to Paris again, this time to Montmartre which is my favourite part of the whole of Paris. We got off the train at the closest station and then took the funicular train up to Sacre Coeur and from there the views across Paris are fantastic. After enjoying the view we went inside Sacre Coeur which is a very beautiful church. Back outside again afterwards we walked round to the Place du Tertre and looked at the artists painting and visited the little gift shops. Soon we were all feeling hungry and we decided to look for a Moroccan restaurant where we could have cous cous for lunch. This meant descending to Pigalle and we went down endless flights of steps this time and then walked in the direction of Barbes until we came across a restaurant offering cous cous and all went in. Leo's children and Colin opted for pasta dishes and Leo and I chose cous cous - me opting for the Cous Cous Royal which came with mutton, chicken, lamb kebabs and spicy sausages and was really delicious. This is one meal I always enjoy whilst in Paris if I can because it is impossible to find it back home. After the lunch we meandered looking at the shops and I bought a handbag and amazingly a book which was in English by one of my favourite authors, until eventually we made our way to the Gare du Nord from where we could get a direct train back to Bourg La Reine and home.
There we all set to again and were soon sitting down to another leisurely evening meal. The previous day I had started writing down titles of Leo's cd collection with the intention of creating for him an inventory like mine and this was a task I was working on at every spare moment throughout the week.
On Wednesday the plan was to visit Versailles. Because it was very complicated to get there by train, Leo and Christele decided to drive us there and would come back for us at 5 pm to take us back home. Yet again the weather was warm and sunny and although we took coats with us we did not need them.
We didn't actually go inside the Versailles palace this time because the queues were so long and we did not want to waste such a lovely day in a queue. So we decided to visit the gardens instead and then have a look around the town, something never done previously.
We spent an enjoyable few hours in the gardens, including having a nice lunch in a secluded restaurant and a little train ride back to the chateau. Then we walked into town and spent a couple of hours looking around shops and had a couple of drinks in a bar. We made our way back to the spot where Leo and Christele had dropped us that morning and within a few moments they arrived and we were on our way home. Back home we had coffee and a snack as we were going out again to the supermarket and would cook the evening meal after that. Pierre arrived and it was lovely to see him again - he had come to collect Camille and Felix as Camille would be staying with them until Friday. Pierre is one of the other members of the band Los Quirquinchos with whom Leo plays and I have met him a few times now at the band's rehearsals in his home on previous Paris visits. At the supermarket we bought a few items - cheese, wine etc, and I bought another baby bathing aid for Jasmine which she will be able to use as soon as she can sit unaided. The one I bought on my last visit will have been outgrown in a couple of months and hopefully she will be ready for this new one by then. I also bought her some warm trousers for winter. By the time we got back home it was pretty late and gone 10 pm before we sat down for our evening meal.
Next day we went to Fontainebleu. It wasn't quite so warm that thursday and we finally needed our coats with us, especially as we left sunshine behind in Paris and it was quite misty by the time we reached Fontainebleu. We parked near Vaux Le Vicomte which was formerly the palace belonging to Fouquet but which was confiscated by Louis XIV. We spent the first hour in the gardens because it was closed for midday and this was most enjoyable as the mist was clearing and the sun shining through. The house was beautiful and surrounded by a moat full of really fat carp and the gardens at the back were almost a replica to those at Versailles having been designed and created by the same person. We really enjoyed looking around the house which took a couple of hours.
By the time we had seen everything it was getting dark and we were all really hungry so headed off looking for a place to eat. We couldn't find anywhere locally that suited us so drove to an enormous shopping area - one of the biggest complexes I had ever seen called Carre Senart, on the outskirts of Senart and ended up in a Chinese restaurant where we all had an excellent meal. Then we drove home, getting there quite late, and we were all so full from the late lunch that we just had a snack supper later on.
The next day Christele took us to the market at Malakoff where they used to live and we had an enjoyable hour or so looking around it and deciding what to buy to take home. We bought loads of Pays Basque cheese which is practically impossible to find back home, as well as some wines and I stocked up on spices as well. It was raining slightly, the first rain we had experienced all week.
Then back at the house we put the finishing touches to the buffet prepared for lunch as we were expecting visitors. Pierre and his wife Sophie and their children, including baby Pablo aged one week, arrived first and a bit later another member of Los Quirquinchos - a Bolivian named Angel and his Peruvian wife and 3 children arrived and we had a very pleasant afternoon, chatting and drinking and enjoying the buffet. Later in the afternoon the three musicians started playing and Colin and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them for the next hour. They then took a break and we enjoyed chocolate gateaux and glasses of champagne before the band played a bit longer, with everyone returning home about 7 pm. About an hour after that we all set off out again, this time to see the Champs Ellysees by night. We drove all the way and parked in a huge underground car-park beneath the Champs Ellysees and then walked up as far as the Arc de Triomphe and crossed beneath the road via a subway. We were unfortunately too late to visit the museum within the Arc, but spent a little time beneath it, reading the inscriptions and enjoying the vistas in each direction. The Tri colour flag suspended beneath the arc was the most enormous I had ever seen!
After this we decided to go and see Le Louvre by night, so we returned to the car and drove there. The Louvre was most impressive by night and we took a look at the latest addition, a glass pyramid situated between the Louvre buildings. The Louvre buildings are unbelievably impressive and I did not realise until then that these were the palace of the kings of France before Versailles was ever built.
By the time we got home again it was gone midnight and the latest evening meal so far and probably about 1.30 in the morning before we retired to bed.
The next day Saturday was our last day. We had breakfast and then spent a last couple of hours on CD copying and I wrote the last of the details for Leo's inventory - all to be typed as soon as time permits, probably on one of my Monday internet cafe visits - and then we had a last lunch together - cooked by Leo - before they drove us to the station to catch our train. We all felt quite sad saying goodbye. It had been a marvellous week with wonderful people and it will be 6 months before we see them again. We hope they will come to us in May of next year which is the earliest they can manage it. We are hoping they can visit for at least 5 days or more so that we can also take them to Wales where Colin's family have a holiday cottage, so that they can see a different part of the United Kingdom as well.
The train journey was without incident and less than an hour later we got off and then took the shuttle bus to Terminal one, arriving in good time to book in our luggage and then relax until it was time to board the plane. We spent part of the time having drinks at the bar and then did a tour of the duty free shops and bought items to take home. Soon enough we were boarding the plane and everything was smooth sailing thereafter - another excellent take off and landing and we arrived at Heathrow in good time - to pouring rain. Apparently it had been raining continuously all day and for a good part of the previous week so we were lucky to escape such poor weather.
We took a bus to Terminal 3 and then another bus to Reading, arriving in time to catch a train an hour earlier than the one we were booked on. This left on time and the ticket inspector did not appear for some time so we thought we had hopefully got away with it but he eventually appeared and I handed him our tickets and did my best to keep my face straight, especially at the silence while he looked at them. In the end he said 'Flight came in early did it!' and he clipped the tickets. Colin said 'it makes up for last week and he said 'tell me about it!' He had gone to Paris the previous weekend by Eurostar and spent the whole night in the tunnel. (Colin and I were glad whilst in France that we had got there by air, because we heard that due to electrical interruptions etc, trains were stuck in the tunnel all night and that hundreds of people returning to England had had to sleep the night at the Gare du Nord because of it.)
When we arrived at Bath, we were all set to get a taxi and then to our surprise we saw Duncan who had got there an hour early to check if our train would be on time before going for a drink nearby, he saw us and was as surprised as we were because we did not know he was coming to meet our train and it was amazing that he was there an hour before we were due to arrive home as well!
In no time at all we were home at Colin's and I sent an email to Leo to confirm our safe arrival back, before continuing on home to Timsbury. All in all it was a really excellent holiday and I look forward more than anything to seeing Leo, Christele and their family again when they come to us in May next year.
