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Le Week-End A Paris...
Nov. 6th, 2006 09:33 amIt didn't start very auspiciously. I got off the coach at Heathrow and check-in, by which time I had realised that my camera had fallen out of my pocket while I was on the coach to the airport. So, I bought a new one in the tax free shop. Flight over uneventful, apart from the fact that it was an all male crew and Air France allows its attendants a degree of face fur. Journey to the hotel, again uneventful. Checked in - even a Holiday Inn Express in Paris feels like a Parisien hotel - small rooms that you can't get round the other side of the bed, but a decent sized bathroom. Took the metro into the city and found a inauspicious brasserie; sat down with a Kir and ordered Steak Frites with an acceptable St. Emilion. And watched the other people in the restaurant.
Had to go back to the hotel to pick up the directions to the bear bar and made my way back there. Guess what, some salaud stole my camera on the metro. Grr. It was quite a pokey little bar initially, but there was another level downstairs - much more spaceous. I was sipping on a JD and lemonade and attracted the attentions of a local. Couldn't really see much of his face, but could feel stubble as he made his intentions plain and we ended up in the darkroom. I'm not sure how much further he wanted to take things, with the language barrier; I think my French was better than his English, but there are some things that O level French does not prepare you for!
The next day, overdosed on ham and French bread at breakfast and headed to Bir-Hakeim metro station then on to the Champs de mars and the Tour Eiffel. There was a bit of a queue for the lifts and flying would have just been ostentacious. Wandered around the city a bit more, round by the Invalides and along the Boulevard Haussmann - alas, the French have not embraced Sunday shopping, so Galleries Lafayette and Au Printemps were resoulutely closed. Anyway, it was getting close to the time I needed to check out of the hotel, so went back, sorted my stuff out and left my case at the hotel and had a spot of lunch.
Flight back uneventful; although coming back into land at London City Airport, there were plenty of fireworks to watch. Train home packed as far as Guildford. Home. Bed.
Had to go back to the hotel to pick up the directions to the bear bar and made my way back there. Guess what, some salaud stole my camera on the metro. Grr. It was quite a pokey little bar initially, but there was another level downstairs - much more spaceous. I was sipping on a JD and lemonade and attracted the attentions of a local. Couldn't really see much of his face, but could feel stubble as he made his intentions plain and we ended up in the darkroom. I'm not sure how much further he wanted to take things, with the language barrier; I think my French was better than his English, but there are some things that O level French does not prepare you for!
The next day, overdosed on ham and French bread at breakfast and headed to Bir-Hakeim metro station then on to the Champs de mars and the Tour Eiffel. There was a bit of a queue for the lifts and flying would have just been ostentacious. Wandered around the city a bit more, round by the Invalides and along the Boulevard Haussmann - alas, the French have not embraced Sunday shopping, so Galleries Lafayette and Au Printemps were resoulutely closed. Anyway, it was getting close to the time I needed to check out of the hotel, so went back, sorted my stuff out and left my case at the hotel and had a spot of lunch.
Flight back uneventful; although coming back into land at London City Airport, there were plenty of fireworks to watch. Train home packed as far as Guildford. Home. Bed.
