DAY 19

Wednesday 9th July 2008 7:57am Lyon

After checking into our hotel we went down to the bar and had drinks with Trevor and Jacqui. I had a scotch and coke which cost €10 and Jacqui had a Kir Royale for €12.

It is a clear blue morning with a thin layer of white cloud up high. The forecast for Paris today is 24°C. Perfect. All of the rooms we have stayed in have had very high ceilings compared to Australia; at least 10 feet. And the beds have been very firm, some even hard. But that is better than saggy.

9/7/08 11:06am Beaune

I have fallen in love with Beaune. It is a beautiful little town with a stone wall surrounding it, old buildings, cobblestone streets, small cafes and restaurants facing onto a flowered square. We shared a pastry from a small patisserie and a coffee from a café. I spoke French to the waiter and understood his words to me.

So far everywhere we have been the attitude towards us has been very friendly, but I have always tried to converse in their language. The only two examples of rudeness were the crazy French waiter in Monaco and the German waitress in Koln.

Michael looked in the real estate windows as usual and the property prices here are quite reasonable. Work however would be another thing. This area is Burgundy and world famous for its wine. Vineyards are everywhere, even on the town roundabouts. Michael bought a bottle of 2001 Pinot Noir for €17.90 after asking for a recommendation from the man in the wine shop.

“A meal without cheese is like a kiss without a moustache.” ~ French saying

9/7/08 1:31pm

For lunch we bought two chicken and salad sandwiches, espressos and a Kit Kat each at a motorway stop. French espressos are not as good as Italian espressos which are more syrupy.

We have filled in a questionnaire for Trafalgar and guessed our tour kilometers from the start point in London to le fin en Paris. Many from our group are finishing in Paris and we will drop them at the airport on our way to London on Friday. Many are going off on other trips to Italy, UK, Croatis, and the US. It is a good idea when you pay so much for the airfare.

The answer to the question about the distance for London to Paris tour is 5648 km. For the round trip from London to London is 6098 km. I was way out with my guess of 11400km. I wasn’t thinking straight.

9/7/08 2:45pm

55 km from Paris and it is still sunny with white clouds here and there. Far up jet trails criss-cross the sky. The forests of trees are leafy and green, and then grain crops cover fields. There are few houses in this area that is so close to Paris. The traffic on the motorway is building quickly and many more freight trucks are on the road.