I am still totally flabbergasted by the total lack of service and inability to organise a piss up in a brewery by the Parisians.
Correct me if I am wrong, but when a city wins a major event like say the Rugby World Cup, the city would make sure the main tourist attractions were all open. This includes such silly places like the Eiffel Tower having all of it's lifts working and not making people queue for several hours to get up the tower.
While I am also at it this means that the airport (you know that's the place where people go to move from check in to their plane smoothly) is not under major and I mean MAJOR renovations to the point that you were walking through a building site trying to find the check in counter.
*sigh*
Whilst I understand the need for increased security and can understand waiting for your turn to go through the security check points, the state of the airport was laughable especially as Paris and France are hosting the World Cup.
At least on a good note the final full day in Paris was not without enormous merit. We finally got to the Modern Art Museum the Georges Pompidou Centre.It has pretty much confirmed to me that I am a modernist and love my modern art and architecture. The collection was fantastic and we loved wandering through the gallery, but by far the most fantastic surprise was the restaurant at the top of the museum.
This was certainly not your regular fare at a museum but a culinary masterpiece of modern delicious food. The actual restaurant itself was amazing a sort of modern wonderland with groups of small rooms in fluid tunnels almost like being inside a brightly coloured sea anemone.
I have a theory that people only ever go to Paris once, see the sights and never return, so the people of Paris essentially hate the sight of all the tourists. Mind you I could be totally wrong and just have got the busiest time of the year.
Anyway onto the UK I have come and I am now in the south west in a small city called Exeter which is in Devon. This is the third time I have been back here since I lived in a nearby town late last century and I daresay this will be my last.
I am staying with a friend who I have know for about ten years which is great to see him and spend time with him.
It's quite amazing just how much a place can change in six years! Most of the people I used to hang round with have all moved on to other places, London, Plymouth and further afield. So this part of my trip is all about relaxing and revisiting places I have been in the past.
So far I have been shown the new shopping centre which has basically taken over the high street and made the whole area substantially different.
It's early morning here (well nine am) and I am trying to work out what I want to do today.
More details to follow!