Paris

I joined friends Maryvonne and Margaret Hyde for four days in Paris. A kind friend of Maryvonne's lent us her apartment in Montparnasse which was brilliant. Close to the metro, view of the Eiffel Tower and across the road from the Bourdelle museum. Being three girls together worked very well - we got just the right balance of shopping, sightseeing and catching up on news. Maryvonne took the role of tour guide, being a native, and did it so well. In the morning she would give us metro tickets for the day, the itinerary and what to do if you got lost talks, then would take us on magical mystery tours. So we ate at restaurants only Parisians know about, saw the restored l'Orangerie with the rehung Monet waterlily paintings (stunning), did a boat tour on the Seine at dusk (during the World Cup final - so it was very quiet out there on the water that night!)
Our waiter at the Restaurant Chartier where all the waiters look as if they have stepped out of a silent comedy movie and the menu is still basic workers' food and the building is still original art nouveau and stunning. There was a dog under the table next to us, the waiter added up our bill on the paper tablecloth, you get seated next to other people - you can't ask for a separate table. The food was delicious.


We shopped at Lafayette. Like a mammoth Kirkcaldies but rather more stunning.


















The French government got behind the team:


One of the Monets at l'Orangerie