Well we are well and truly on our way with our first week already behind us.
We had a good couple of days in London not doing a great deal as this was always going to be our recovery days after the long flight.
The weather was freezing so we only went out for short strolls nearby to our hotel which was just off Oxford street.
One block down from our hotel was the British Museum so we spent an enjoyable few hours there, free to get in which was an added bonus. It is really a place you could make a few visits to over a few days to try cover most of it.
As luck would have it, there was live coverage of the World Snooker championship on the free to air tv so we had a good excuse to get in from the cold and spent many hours watching the best of the players.
The hotel was located over the central london YMCA so we also used the indoor pool for some exercise and a stretch out after the long flight.
The time for our Eurostar train trip over to Paris came around quickly. What a easy and comfortable way to reach Paris from London. 2 1/4 hours, a cuppa, read a few pages of my book, chatted to the lovely Thai couple sitting opposite and we were there in Paris.
Found our way over to our friend Sylvie's house in the suburbs to the west of Paris. Our friend had gone to Melbourne at short notice but left us her key with a neighbour and we were settled in at her place very comfortably.
Took some time to explore the local neighbourhood and try out some of my very basic french. We did seem to be a bit of an oddity as not many tourists venture out to that part of Paris. What a treat to see some of Parisien life as a local.
We did travel into Paris itself and went to a few of the sites which we did not get to when we were here 6 years ago. Travelling around on the metro felt quite comfortable and we remembered some of the stations from last time.
On Sunday morning we boarded a train very early (6.40am) for the 2 1/2 journey south to Bordeaux.
Again a very comfortable trip even with the train pretty much full. Will post again soon to add some photos of beautiful Bordeaux.
Cheers for now from the South of France in the wonderful wine district of Bordeaux
Nice snaps guys, I like the red phone boxes..glad to hear that you are finding things going so smoothly, those train trips certainly do sound more civilised than Sapa to Hanoi! And what a treat the snooker being on, very well timed? I noticed how rugged up u r Linda, should be a little warmer in the south of France though, yes? Very glad u r looking so relaxed and enjoying the big adventure...no more stress Linda, just relaxing and exlporing and using your French..have masses of fun. X x x
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