A Week in France

I flew down to the south of France to meet Jean Michel and his mum on her farm near Perpignon, near the Pyrenees. Beautiful wine-growing district, tiny wine-growing villages in the valley, steep rocky wind-blown mountains all around. Great bakeries, got hooked on chocolate chip bread, and fresh baguettes for breakfast, dipped in the coffee.

Then we went up to Paris, overnight train, stayed with JMs dad near the Eiffel Tower for one night, and central Paris for the other two nights. Visited Palace of Versailles with a surprise exhibition by American artist Jeff Koons (which worked surprisingly well in that setting), and the Mondial bi-annual motor show. Also it was the annual Nuit Blanche, White Night, where all cultural venues eg museums were free. Heard some Gregorian Chants at Notre Dam at 9pm, then walked to the Pompidou at 11.30pm, but there was a HUGE queue so we walked back to the hotel. Paris still busy - and mostly sober - at 12 midnight, a good mix of age groups on the street even at that time, young and old. Stopped for nutella crepes with bananas from a steet vendor.

Drove back to the ferry, via a nice old town with a grand old cathedral, France's oldest, with dramatic black and white tiled floors, including a maze.