Saturday 8 October: Geneva to Paris

We had a bit of a sleep-in this morning, packed up and checked out of the Warwick. Over the road to the station where we had some breakfast, then on board la traine grande vitesse to Paris.

We're writing this on board the TGV, an hour into the journey. We've just crossed into France, but haven't yet got up to the famously high speeds that this train is capable of. The train is quite comfortable, though there is a horrible child sitting opposite us who is obviously teething and whinging a lot. People shouldn't be allowed to bring children into the 1st class carriage. Or if they do, the brats should be well sedated.

Later: The brat is still whinging. Paul is gritting his teeth, while Sue is making ga-ga noises at it. The train is now moving very fast - the countryside is sliding smoothly past, while closer objects and trees are just a blur.

Paris: Well we didn't murder the child or its idiot mother, but it was a close thing. Found our way out of the station and got a taxi to our hotel the Hotel du Quay Voltaire. As the name implies, it's on the Quay Voltaire, overlooking the Seine, and immediately across the river from the Louvre. The location is wonderful.

The condition of the hotel is less wonderful. Its publicity lists previous guests including Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde and Picasso, among others. Either it was a much better establishment in those days, or they stayed here while looking for a suitable garrett to starve in. It's not quite as bad as the Alta Villa in Rome - at least the toilet isn't in the shower.

We found a little cafe around the corner and had some lunch, then wandered over to the Louvre. It was nearly closing time, so we'll have to come back another day. We then walked through the beautiful Touleries gardens, and up the full length of the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triumphe.

There was some sort of ceremony going on at the Arc de Triumphe - a lot of soldiers and emergency service personnel parading, with a band. We had a bit of a look and took some pictures, then wandered back down the main drag and had some crépes fromage at a sidewalk cafe, and caught the metro back to the hotel. Our room has a balcony overlooking the river, and we're watching all the cruise boats going up and down with their bright floodlights.

Tomorrow we will have a further exploration, as well as having lunch with our Nikonian friend Jacques Pochoy. We're really looking forward to meeting Jacques and his family.