Paris 7th January

Saturday we headed into Paris with Jackie and Josie to go ice skating in front of the Hotel de Ville on the public rink which is set up there. It was Hilary's birthday and that is what she requested as her outing. Not bad a request to be able to grant, ice skating in Paris with your second-cousin.

As you can imagine it was pretty chilly hanging out watching, but the kids loved it. Unfortunately half way to Paris on the train, Jackie felt a bit worried as she had left Nick's work truck parked on a two hour limit parking spot, and she had visions of it being clamped or towed, so as she couldn't settle she decided to catch a train back to Fontainebleau, move the car and rejoin us for a skate herself. It is a forty minute train ride each way, and as Jackie is wont to do she missed the first train and had to wait another half hour for the next one!! However the girls had a lovely practice skate first and then when we could drag them off the ice with the promise of hot food and drinks we organised to meet the returning Jackie at a cafe across the road from the Hotel de Ville. 

Gare de Lyon where we had a cup of very expensive coffee while we helped Jackie  fill in time until the next train (which she missed)

Cousins on the ice

Getting more confident

Hilary and Josie getting up speed

Hilary and Jackie

Two new 10 year olds


After we had lunch the girls and Jackie went and had another  skate,  Di watched I went for a quick walk and  bought a few postcards and patches.  After a cup of afternoon coffee and a piece of French pastry it was time for Jackie and Josie to head back to the train station and Fontainebleau and home to Milly. We were staying in Paris for a few days so caught the metro off to Vilette where our ETAP hotel is. ETAP is a chain of very basic but clean and comfortable hotels scattered through out the world but especially in France. It is the chain we stayed at in Fontainebleau also, where depending on who is taking our money it is between 50 and 56 euro for us all for the night. In Paris it is slightly more, 62 euro a night which by Paris standards is very reasonable indeed. As I said, the rooms are functional with shower and toilet, power, air conditioning/heating, clean beds and a t.v. Perfectly adequate and with us carrying our kettle, cups, teabags and milk where ever we go, who needs more?
Anyway, we settled into our hotel, went out for a delicious Indian meal for birthday dinner, and then went to bed exhausted, where we slept soundly until late(ish) morning.