Speed limit on high speed

So, I didn't write to you in Paris. I apologize. I was busy seeing this:

Parc de st. Cloud

It was a long weekend in Paris, so I had the opportunity to experience what the Parisians do on their days off. It would seem the answer is simply, much the same thing as they do on normal weekends. Leave the city, stay in bed, or somehow, magically disappear. Where I stay on my trips to Paris (in the far West of the city), virtually everything shuts, or at best, is open until 1pm. A note to those of you who (like my boyfriend and I) never have anything in the fridge and heartily enjoy eating. Stock up.

The weekend was not particularly eventful, it seems the Parisians (or at least the ones I knew) were not even remotely interested in Hallowe'en, and so, another year goes by without me celebrating it. Oh well, I don't know what I'm missing (all my past Hallowe'ens have consisted of baby sitting or sleeping), and, I got to spend quiet time with le copain, which I could hardly count as a compromise!

After a quiet night in on Friday, Cyril and I trawled the streets on Saturday for Brocantes (little antique markets). We found a few and the artefacts were just fabulous. If it hadn't been so inconvenient, I would have bought myself one of the giant oriental armoire's and a chair, (I have a *thing* for antique chairs, and there were so many!) but to take those back to London and then Australia would have just been insane. We strolled the streets, shared a baguette and felt very Parisian.

Cyril and I attended the Salon du Chocolat in Place de Versailles, 16éme on Sunday. This is why I love the French, while Australian expo's tend to be about showbags, animals or university, Paris holds one about Chocolat. We overdosed on degustations and bought some amazing pralines and macaroons that didn't last the night, who could say no?!

This past long weekend saw us do a mix of the old and the new. The weekend was cold but dry, so we did a fair bit of exploring the city after a morning walk through Parc de St. Cloud. Thanks to a tip off from Peter's Paris, we decided to use the Monday to find some signs of life in more downtown Paris. It was more alive downtown, but still empty enough to allow us to see this:

Bouillon Racine - St. Germain des Pres, Paris.

It was only serving tea & coffee and as a result it was almost totally empty, which allowed us to take in the full (and amazing) view. If you're ever in town, it's very romantic and comes highly recommended.

Then, alas, it was time to take the train home. This is just the worst moment imaginable, leaving someone I adore (and it's me doing the leaving, I manage to hold it together if le copain leaves London). I checked in, went through interrogation immigration and waited for my train to board. As we set off for London, I hear 'unfortunately, there is a speed limit on the high speed line, we will be at least half an hour late in to London  St. Pancras.'

Wow, thanks for that one. On the brightside I had a good connection with tubes and wasn't too late for bed. I am, of course, absolutely desperate for the next week to go by so that I can be back in Paris with mon amour. I only have two more trips to Paris before I quit my job and go to live with Cyril in France, before making our trip to Australia. On that note - Cyril has finally had a breakthrough! Not one, but TWO companies have registered interest in his CV. There is no interview as yet, but Cyril has some questions to answer and some references to provide, it's all positive so far and we're very excited - keep your fingers crossed!