Rachel

Glad you enjoyed The City of Light. Everyone should go there once in their life. Sometimes I am driven to saying "Nice city, shame about the people", but it has to be one of the jewels of Europe - and for me only 3 hours away on the train.

Loved you comment about the Monarch Airlines FAs uniforms being something out of the 1950s. The uniforms are brand new this year!Check out their website www.monarch-airlines.com/brand.asp . Monarch are one of the best holiday charter airlines around, amazingly on their package holiday flights to the Mediterranean they give you a substantial meal that would not be out of place in some Business Classes. OK, so you have to pay for all liquor. If it weren't for the fact that all this is lost on their typical, very much non-FF travellers, they would be better known. You can find them in Orlando-Sanford, FL most afternoons, bringing the Brits over to see Mickey (that note is for ElmhurstNick). The new image, at vast expense has led to a black and yellow livery being replaced with dark blue (which looks black) and yellow. How do the image consultants get away with it?

Incidentally, speaking of John Lennon Airport, alongside Liverpool Airport is Speke Hall, and from there you catch the shuttle bus that takes you to Paul McCartney's old house at 20 Forthlin Road, Allerton, Liverpool, a couple of miles away. You can only get in to the house if you arrive on the bus. It's a real bit of Beatles trivia. http://www.spekehall.org.uk/tour_information.htm

It was a shame you weren't introduced to the "Passport to Paris" tickets on the Paris Metro. These give 2, 4, or more days all-in travel on the trains, Metro and the buses. I generally reckon I may end up paying a few Euros more than doing separate tickets, but save far more in the lack of hassle. If you go on the Eurostar from London they even sell the tickets in the London terminal (so you buy it from an English speaker).

One advice I would give to first-time visitors is AVOID the attractions that are free on Sundays on that day, in the summer. They are so much more enjoyable on other days, and worth the admission.

The only places I would add to what you did, for a first-timer, are to go up to Montmatre, and to go out to Versailles. The latter has to be a full day trip (it's about 20 miles west of Paris, go there by train). Hire a bike inside Versailles and roam the grounds for miles. Everyone has their own favourite restaurants in Paris (generally ones they have stumbled across in the past) but they are all so good that you can just find them as you go.

Why is a nation so good at food so dreadful about breakfast??!!

Now Rachel, did you get that Tiara in your pictures in Cartier??


** - edited because I had misspelt Paul McCartney's name.How embarrassing (I hope no one saw it).



[This message has been edited by WHBM (edited 06-09-2002).]