En France

Week 2 – August 31st to September 8th (Sally) 

What a full-on week it’s been. Don't expect a newsletter every week. Once we have settled into a more sedate lifestyle newsletters will be less frequent.

We left London on Friday the day of the memorial service for Princess Di. I went for a last walk and once I was in Trafalgar Square thought I’d get a photo of Admiralty Arch from the other side. Well, it was a different world, the traffic had all been stopped for security reasons even though it was still hours before the service and the whole Mall was deserted except for the occasional pedestrian. What an opportunity. I walked the whole Mall, up the middle, to Buckingham Palace, photographed the three van loads of police, the security on top of the Palace and the myriads of TV vans parked in St James Park. Saw squirrels galore — one even ran up on the fence to beg from me, swans and other waterfowl, all in the heart of London. A lovely way to finish our stay in such a great city.

We then took a taxi to Waterloo Station to board the Eurostar to Paris. Such an effortless way to travel. I had a glass of champagne before we even left the suburbs and our dinner as we enjoyed the scenery of Kent. We were in our hotel in the Latin Quarter within 3 hours, time to settle in and catch the métro to Opéra to meet Delphine and Francois for dinner. She is still the same delightful character she was when she was with  us all in Australia in 1994, and on our canal boats, and Francois is a really nice bloke.

Tony decided that Saturday we were off to Dijon to look at our first boat. He was determined not to miss out again so our first day in Paris was not in Paris but on another TGV train to Dijon. We both were concerned that we may not find Sable as she was travelling on the canal towards a little town called Suerre, but we took a taxi and as we crossed the bridge into Suerre, Sablewas sailing under it. Two hours later after an extensive tour of the boat the deal was struck. I think Sable was ours from first sight, there isn’t anything about it we would change at this stage… except the linen. The owners have a DOG…Lily is the joy of their lives and lives in their bed. Lily is also a b… great Doberman. I didn’t dare look at Tony’s face as we watched this dog burrowing not onto but into the bed until only her backside was showing. I am shopping in Lyon for new sheets etc etc.  All the photos are on the website so I won’t go on.

Sunday we made up for not sightseeing the day before. I had gone for a walk in the morning and discovered how close we were to all the sights plus not one but 2 markets in our street. Came back to the hotel drooling over the fruit, vegetables and cheeses. Can’t wait to have my own kitchen again. Which by the way is a great kitchen, gas stove top, fan forced oven, plenty of bench space and a good fridge and freezer. But I did say I wouldn’t go on.

Sunday we walked up past the Pantheon and over to St Sulpice of Da Vinci Code fame. I hope they are charging an entrance fee as they are totally redoing one of the towers and it looks very expensive. From there we carried on to Montpanasse as Tony wanted to find an Orange shop for his phone and laptop. From there we walked to Hotel Invalides where we went in to view Napoleon’s tomb and a display of his regalia. And then on to the Eiffel Tower. We had been saying that the crowds were thin wherever we had been and now we saw why, they were all at the Tower. Crowds and crowds but we decided to join them and got right to the top for fantastic views in all directions. Saw barges moored neared the base and that is one place that we definitely want to go to. Just to sit there with a glass of wine and watch the lights on the tower at night would be very special. From there it was home after a very long but satisfying day.

Tuesday, Tony went off to buy his phone card and I explored The Marais area, walked and walked the streets of this old Jewish Quarter, not at all touristy so more interesting and shops that are more for the Parisians. Funky fashions the teenagers would love, a chocolate shop with the window full of wine bottles, all chocolate, and a tea shop that sells 400 varieties of tea. We then met up at the base of Sacré Coeur at the café that featured in the film Amélie  and after lunch meandered slowly up the hill to the top. Glad we lunched at the bottom, the top is a cacophony of overpriced restaurants and artists all plying their wares. We didn’t linger there but moved on and paused for the views and obligatory photos before heading home.

Tuesday we headed out to La Défense which is the huge arch one can see from the Arc de Triomphe. We were going there to meet Delphine as she wanted to help Tony sort out his internet connection. And what a surprise it was. Huge commercial area, very modern buildings and open spaces with views back down to the Arc. And great shopping centre. Tony and D were over 2 hours at Orange and I still think it is not working. I spent the two hours strolling the centre. Just as well I’m not shopping, as the selection was fantastic.

Finally got away from there and back on to the métro to Gare de Lyon to pick up a car and negotiate the roads to our hotel and then out of Paris which was achieved [enough said].  

We stayed  at Troyes, a delightful old town full of half timbered houses and the most magnificent old churches. The town speciality is sausages, knitting mills and, from the parcels two young girls had in the foyer, factory shops. Wednesday, we drove to Auxerre which we visited 10 years ago and then retraced our steps down the Yonne to Autun, staying at Saulieu and visiting Vézelay with his historic pilgrims' Cathedral. It is an important meeting point for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela. It looked to us like a long long way to Spain.

We planned on Thursday to drive to Roanne and set up a base until we heard from the Laines on Sable to say they were at Paray and we could catch up with them earlier than Saturday. Well, I don’t think they thought we would be there within 20 minutes but we were and spent two nights aboard learning the ropes. We have left them now so they can pack in peace and we take possession next week we hope.  Can’t Wait.

We had to return our hire car to Lyon, so on Saturday we arrived in Lyon, in gorgeous weather, in time to watch the Wallabies trounce Japan in the World Cup. Pity we didn't take PD's  offer of a couple of tickets to the match. We're pleased we didn't spend 295Euros each for tickets to a game that was rather unexciting. Not Lyon though, it's a wonderful city and in WC fever, very exciting!