Bonjour!

Thursday 7th Sept

Paris, France

(excusemoi typing mistakes - french have letters in different spaces on keyboard to us)

Viva Le France!!

I am in Paris near the Notre Dame and find Paris Cest`la manifique. We are getting around quite well with limited french and are practising with eachother when we say the words we do know. Yesterday we saw the Lourve, champes elysees, arc de triomphe and went to the top of the eiffel tower. Great view. I can say I peed on the Eiffel Tower too! ( in a toilettte of course). Beautiful town. We are staying in a cheap hotel (which I thought Paris didn`t have) and close to the centre of town - by accident, despite having a GPS we have got lost a few times. Today we will go to MonteMarte, the only hill in Pqris. The sights are amazing but what is really entertaining is the cars. You traffic watch in Paris. People cutting in front of 5 rows of traffic to get where they want, parking in incredibly snall spaces, pushing in, driving thru red lights, etc. I guess it is only entertaining because I am watching not participating! (I live in dread of the GPS calling out Òff route, recalculating`)
The day before we saw a magnificent old Abbey called Mont-Saint-Michel. It is built on a rock just off the coqst; (damn french keyboard), from the 14th century. Dad really enjoyed it and didn`t want to leave.
Prior to that we stopped at US cemetary at Omaha beach in Normqndy, the D-day beach. It is ironic to sqy that it was a tranquil place and very beautiful. I almost expected to see a scar because of what happened there. Instead there was beige sqnd and blue water (not red as it would have been on 6th June 1944). I was affected by 2 graves in particular, one from a man from NY that died on the day of the landing and another of an unknown soldier that someone had put flowers on.
(going backwards here in case you can`t keep up) Monday we took the Eurostar from Waterloo station to Calais to pick up our hire car. We were greeted by poleeze with semi-auto weapons (dad was delighted) and an empty station. Eventually a taxi came and through lots of hand movements we arranged for more Taxis as they were two other groups (welcome to france!) The rest of day went OK. Dad started driving on the `wrong`side of the roqd - which is of course the right with left-hqnd drive. Very weird for him and mum but I felt right at home, so sat in the front seat keeping him in the `right`lane. We were trying to keep off the Autoroute (tollway) to save mpney and hence didn`t make it far that night and ended up in a little port town called Dieppe (we still don`t know how to pronounce it - if you know - tell me). It was late at night when we finally found a room and hadn`t eaten lunch so went in search of tea. Having paid 40 euro for a taxi we decided to go to McDonalds to conserve money. We got lost a few times (GPS kept saying lost satellite) and finally we made it. I was never so glad to see a Maccas (you didn`t think I`d say that after America did you - that is because I still don`t knoz how to ask for vegetarian).
Sunday saw us in the UK at Lyme Park (BBC production of P & P). Scaffolding covered most of one side and it was pouring. Not quite how I imqgined my visit. The house was interesting once qgqin because of the history. Outside we split up because I wanted to find the pond where Colin Firth jumped in and mum didn`t want to get wet and dad went on a roof tour, so we separated. As a result I got lost, took a photo I THINK was the one and had to do the whole `Mr Darcy!`(surprised voice) and `Miss Bennett`scene from P&P by myself at the spot by the lake. I am glad there was noone around to witness me clip clopping along, playacting a scene where Darcy and Elisabeth said goodbye from her suprise visit.
Luckily French weather is warm (back to the present now!) compqred to rainy UK. Tomorrow we heqd down the centre of France to Marseilles. Hopefully it won`t be as long until I next blog - sorry about that.

Nissing you qll (bugger - can`t get the hang of it) qnd zish you zere here!!!!!

Love Kyn (oops Kym)