Enjoying Paris, but not enjoying the raw beef

I've had some fun taking photos of Paris today, but seem to have left the cable to copy them to my computer at home (the photos here were taken off the web).

I'm staying in a great hotel. The room is completely yellow. The information brochure tells me that "the chambermainds will enjoy when you leave the message outside of your door". I have no idea what message I should leave ... the only one provided says "Do not disturb". It's a bit dark. There's only one power socket and so it was either the light or my computer.

This is a bit different to last night when I stayed in a "posh hotel". The hotel had an indoor zen garden. What idiot decided to put an indoor zen garden ("for peaceful meditation") in an airport hotel and put the rooms on the other side of it? Dragging a huge case across the stones, making a huge noise, is not overly conducive to relaxation! You could tell that the hotel was posh because the box of tissues was inlaid in a silver box in the wall. It wasn't very practical.

I had an enjoyable flight to Paris. The person sitting next to me (a big African chap) was being deported from England. He wasn't very happy. His documents basically told him to get out of the country. The French police took him away when we arrived. The rest of us got stuck in a huge queue.

Of course, the trains weren't running and so I took a bus to the Gare de Lyon. I then had a lovely walk along the Seine and then to the South to get to my hotel next to the Jardin de Luxembourg. I dumped my bags and then decided to complete walking across Paris from East to West and so walked across to Montparnasse where I ate some raw beef with a dog (the dog seemed to enjoy it more than me) and some wine. I continued down the Boulevard Garibaldi and ended up at the Statue of Liberty! The statue is on a great little island. I then walked up to the Eiffel tower and then back to the hotel.

The registration for the conference took place at the Paris Observatory. So I walked there as well and then decided to explore without a map. I got completely lost. I went past the impressive Pantheon, saw where Pasteur carried out his experiments, past the Sorbonne and then (I have no idea how) seemed to end up at "les gobelins". All the pizza restaurants were closed. All the Japanese restaurants were open. However, after another long walk, I did find a small cafe serving huge pizzas (the "Big Snails from the dordogne" were off) and lots of beer.

I'd like to live in Paris!! :)

I really should write something ...

I really should write something here. I'm engaged!! :) I'm also in Wales. I've just had Fish 'n' chips with Old Speckled Hen. I should be learning Chinese. Or working. Instead I keep flying the flight sim that Sha bought me!! :)

I haven't written in this blog for ages. Sha and I bought a ring. It's very shiny. We watched an old man build it. He took over an hour and had a bottle of whiskey under his table. We had two engagement parties.

I'm worried that the pope seems to be following me around the World although admittedly he's refused to visit such heathen people as the Welsh.

I'm missing Sha, baozi and tuan tuan. Grandma and I went for a walk today and found lots of blackberry bushes. Faith and Mel have made the most amazing honey (although I'm worried that Faith seems fond of introduced weeds now!) I'm off to London tomorrow ....