Etap Hotel Versailles Coignieres

... you wished, but then every 50 k or so is one with services, food, diesel, showers as well! But the motorways are not cheap 35E today I think, but well worth it, as one travel writer put it, you would have more success finding a zit on a supermodels face than a pothole on a french autoroute! We ended up driving right through, without thinking we exited off an autoroute to see some Chateau right into ...

... can make quite a bit of money. Our guide for the day was a very entertaining and charismatic Aussie chap and we had a great time and learnt a lot about the city in a very short space of time. At night Paris transforms into a wonder land of glittering light and colour. To make the most of this we joined a bicycle tour of the city that took past all the major attractions and the tour also included a wine and river cruise (see the connection). It was awesome seeing the Eifel ...

... we went walking around in the Marais. We went through the oldest covered market site in Paris--the Enfants Rouges. We found a place for lunch right across the street at Cafe Charlot. They were very nice, and the food was delicious. DH and I shared a cheeseburger & fries with wine. I haven't ever had a cheeseburger with wine before or had a burger in Paris for that matter. Hamburgers might be an ...

... Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the gd rain???? It's late here, so I'll leave you in a state of suspense regarding the Sunday change of plan...... Until tomorrow, K PS: if you emailed me and got a "mailbox quota exceeded" message, my apologies. I'e cleaned out my mailbox, so it should be okay now. Please write again.

... hair samples from the royal family, etc.. will continue when I can let you know what all we did. Right now we are going to try to find a store and make our way back to the apt. since we leave in the morning. Thanks so much to all that posted!!! It is so nice to hear from you!! :) Will tell all soon, am making a list of observations of what we've seen here that is different for us. Jim asked if I liked this ...

... allowing us to indulge for one final time. After about an hour we re-checked the sign board and we now had a gate. We headed to the gate, found a seat and waited. About 30 minutes before boarding was due to open we started lining up at the gate. We were not initially first in line but the two couples ahead of us were sent to the back of the queue as they were both in boarding group B. At first we thought we were in really good shape to get on the plane ...

... see it now. Jordan thought it was really small. I love the Raphael paintings - the colors, the details -they seem alive. I prefer them to the Leonardo's but thats just my taste. After that home to a much deserved rest. Quite the first day!! Lessons: 1. If you are three or more take a cab from the airport. Its quick, takes you right to the door and quite reasonable in price. 2. If you're only in Paris for a few days consider a carnet of 10 metro tickets. Once you are down town ...

... and we are already on day 13. The broadband was so inconsistent that the bandwidth would go to nothing for a day at a time--always in the middle of Rob's workday. There are terrific telephone/internet/tv adsl deals for 'Lifeboxes' and 'Freeboxes' offered all over France that should improve the bandwidth performance as well as lessen the price of the monthly service, so our landlord should benefit from the change in service as ...

... time. The hostel I stayed in was one suggested by Busabout so had about 80 percent Aussies tenants there. Oh the Aussie accent, stands out a mile even when they are trying to speak French. The metro map was another one like Londons tube just a little more confusing cause I cant pronounce any of the desinations. Got by without getting lost, yah! The Louve, now thats a different story. Oh my god that place is ...

... but had to visit the location and grab some quick photos. Rich adds, "He's still dead, even today." The question of the day was, "What does 'Invalides' mean?" We're thinking injured soldiers at this point, but will have to consult the trusty French-English dictionary on our return home. From there it was off to the famed Arc du Carousel located along a line running from the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre Pyramid. There, after a few moments and a postcard ...