Guinness, Gaels and Gauls

After arriving on the Eurostar late on Thursday from Paris and a night in Kings Cross we took the tube to Balham to spend a couple of final days with my daughter Kristen, an ex-pat Aussie living in London for the past eight years. Kristen is an entrepreneur of sorts. Under the name 'Crooked' she promotes events and is currently looking forward to being part of the upcoming 'Antipodean Festival' at Clapham, which includes names like INXS. With partner Mark now returned for a new job in Sydney, her new housemates were the newly married Jules and Michele who had married in Thailand and were now heavily jetlagged after a honeymoon in Vietnam and the US. Friday night we all enjoyed amazing Japanese Cuisine at a local Restaurant. Saturday the three of us caught the train to London Bridge station for the Borough Markets. This was an amazing experience (and so crowded). There was every imaginable gourmet cheese, olives, meats, seafoods...you name it. We even had a goat's milk ice cream. Saturday night Kris cooked a delicious meal of chicken in white wine and we were joined by (Campbelltown sisters) Kimmie and Jo, whom we'd met on our last trip (when Mark's band Caisson played at the Last Days of Decadence nightclub at Shoreditch). As the girls had branded Kris with the okker nickname 'Shaz', we were awarded the nicknames 'Mamma and Pappa Shaz'. Sunday after a late start we shopped for lunch at Sainsburys and had a lazy 'movie day' before we ventured back to Heathrow for our 10pm flight home.
The flight was a good one. (Can't fault the Quantas A380, despite its earlier 'issues' with faulty Rolls Royce engines. Very smooth and comfortable, with a menu that was second to none!) Having landed in Sydney, the T bus (shuttle) took us to the Domestic terminal where we boarded our final flight to Parkes, then made the drive home to Gooloogong after a grand total of around 30 hours on the move! Just as we had feared, the current plague of mice had taken advantage of the empty house. It is a well documented fact that I 'hate those meeces to pieces', so we jumped in the car and made a bee line to the Forbes Boarding Kennels to collect our cats (Jess and Chi). Happily, Jess - mouser extraordinaire - has surpassed all our expectations!! Single-handedly (with the help of the occasional moustrap) he is illiminating the little buggers.
Surprisingly, jetlag has been kind to us and life is now returning to its normal state of humdrum! (Huge sigh).

Caught the Metro today to Pere-Lachaise Cemitiere to check out some graves. (Caught the Metro from Saint-Michel to Sebastapol, then to Gambetta). Doesn't everyone visit the cemetery on their holidays? On the walk from the station to the cemetery gates our progress was halted by an interesting obstacle. A film crew was filming on a corner of the street. Action was called (a guy with his clapper board in the centre of the pedestrian crossing). With everyone quiet, a moped came around the corner. The driver parked his bike, got off and walked into a cafe. Cut, and on we continued!!
The cemetery is amazing. A necropolis....crammed with row after row of stone family vaults, some with intricate carving or ornate stained glass windows. Some would make great sentry boxes for a grand palace.....or ancient phone boxes!!
First on the agenda in the cemetery was the grave of author, playwright Oscar Wilde. He died at 46 on 30th November, 1900. He was originally buried in Bagneaux Cemetery but two years later a friend had his remains moved to this prestigious Paris cemetery. The unusual tomb was covered with graffiti (that is, kisses and other personal tributes to Wilde).
Then we found the grave of Edith Piaf (married name Madam Lamboukas). She was born in 1915 and died 1963 at 47. She is buried with her (acrobat) father Louis Alphonse Gassion and her husband Theo Sarapo (born Theophanis Lamboukas) and her baby daughter Marcel.
Finding singer/songwriter Jim Morrison of 'Doors' fame, was a challenge! But eventually we found him, hiding behind one of those aforementioned vaults! James Douglas Morrison (born December 8, 1943) died July 3, 1971. To protect his grave a barrier had been put up around it. On the grave someone had placed flowers, candles and a Jim Morrison tee shirt!
Tomorrow we return on Eurostar to London for three days, then home on Sunday night.

Near Notre Dam I found my Santon after much searching. I love these provencal clay dolls and this is where I bought two (my fisherman and my coffeegrinder) ten years ago. Only one shop had a handful of them. Armed guards in camouflage are walking around the area in front of Notre Dame with rifles, for some unknown reason. There is a large protest march going on too on Boulevarde St-Michel (something about prisons we can gather with our non-existent french!) We take the open top bus and see the sights once again - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Trocadero, Gallerie Lafayette etc. etc. We look for and find Shakespeare and Company bookshop, across the Seine from Notre Dame and we browse a while. This evening we bought an ice cream and strolled along the Seine. I know I've said it before and I'll say it again - I have tried ice cream in many places and french is the best, in my estimation.

A very long day! Left Lisdoon, Clare at 8.30 am and reached Dublin in less than three hours. We flew out of Ireland for Heathrow at 2.30 pm and thankfully Heathrow Express tickets were available on board. Thanks to that we flew into Paddington and (despite some 'issues' with ticket machines and money exchange) we did catch the scheduled Eurostar (6.02 pm) to Gare du Nord, arriving at 9.17pm. We then made our way via Metro to St-Michel. Our hotel Europe St. Severin was very convenient - just metres from the station and right in the centre of the Latin Quarter. It has a 'house cat' who is obviously well-fed and treated with great respect by staff and guests alike. Regularly do you see it curled up asleep on a chair in the lobby. We fell into bed well after midnight. Pictures show the hotel and the view from our window.

Our last night here, in Ireland. Tomorrow morning we head back to Dublin, return our car and fly to Heathrow to catch the Eurostar to Paris. Last night the clocks went forward for daylight saving. We suspect that was why our London flight was put back, probably causing us to miss our train! Anyway we'll be going like the clappers when we hit Heathrow, so wish us luck!
This Sleepzone Hostel has been great. It was originally the Crannagh House Hotel, and quite classy. The common rooms are spacious and cosy, with wi-fi and a restaurant kitchen of our use. (And the room heaters are great for drying undies and socks!!) Cyrus, the young french caretaker has been working in Australia before coming here and is very obliging and friendly. If you're ever out this way we recommend Sleepzone (The Burren).