An invitation to tea - Overhall Grove

Overhall Grove, the largest elm woodland in Cambridgeshire. When I once asked a friend her favourite season, she said the beginning of each season and I have to agree. We are in the midst of going from winter to summer, the sun is shining again, the daffodils are first, there are green buds on the trees and you can see spring around the corner. The woodland is the site of a medieval house and moat, which is now home to a badger family. Alas no badgers out at the time but a very pleasant walk. However, there was only one circular walk, and one footpath but still nice. The best bit was that we were alone.

To get to the woods you park in the church car park and walk down the public footpath. It looks like you are walking in someones garden. We were greeted by someone gardening in the church yard, that looked like Father Christmas, and he invited us into the church for a cup of tea! Oh I do love the countryside.

On to Gamlingay Woods

After thw short walk in Jenny Wisson Woods, we went onto Gamlingay Woods for an extention on one of the nicest days of the year so far. It's so nice to go outside without a coat on. Parking on a track on the entrance, like many wildlife trust places, there is a map at the entrance but nowhere else but no matter, you just get lost trekking on the paths. It's a very well maintained woodland, shelter but a little more info as you go around would be nice. Nice and quiet though, well worth a second visit.

The petit Jenny Wisson woods

The Woodlands Trust website really is amazing for all dog owners. Todays walk was in two parts, we thought we would try Jenny Wisson woods, next to Abbotsley golf course. The website says it's small but it's even smaller than that. It's a very young woodland so the trees are very small, and the area is small so we felt the gulliver in there. We walked past log cabins, but free parking and the most gorgeous daffodils on the entrance, it's worth a short walk. I do love daffodils, spring is starting. The name of the woodand is from the golf course owners wife.

Paris: A carousel at La Defense

Our last day in Paris, so back on the Champs Elysee, past MacDonalds which is called to McCafe, and then onto the Central Business District of Paris called La Defense. Just one tube stop away, it's a complete contrast to the rest of the Paris Tourist scene. From the Louvre we saw Place de la Concorde, Arc de Triomphe and La Defense, and this time we were looking at it from the other direction. The arch is absolutely huge, and ironically is the place of the French equivilent of the Environment Agency who I've worked with in the past. What I did find quite odd though was the carosel in the middle of such a business area, do people have a go at lunchtime? We walked around the area, looking at the modern art and then back to central Paris and the Eurostar home.

Paris: trip down memory lane

A morning to myself while Ali and Brigitte visited Ali's grandmother so I had a trip down memory lane. While on my trip around Europe, I walked to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for some great views across the city so I thought I'd do it again. However, I had forgotten that it has 284 steps to the top! After a few days walking in Paris, my legs don't know what's hit them. The view from the top was amaizng, on such a sunny day, I could see for miles and miles to the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur and the business district. On the top, I checked me clock, to my surprise it was already 11:30 which means just 30 minutes to sprint down the stairs, down the Champs Elysee, through the park and to Madeleiene to catch the cheapest tour bus.

I was on a mission, the sweat was pouring on one of the hottest days of the year, and I made it with minutes to spare. Put it this way, I was the only one that stripped to my t-shirt ont he top deck of the bus in March while everyone else had hats and scarves on...that's how fast I walked to get there. The bus consolidated everything we have seen by foot, Opera, Madeleine, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Invalides, grand palace, theatres, Arc de Triomphe again. I do like a good bus tour for the commentary. This time, a casual stroll back to the hotel to meet Ali and Brigitte.

After lunch and yet another creme brulee, time for a nap before heading out to see the Eiffel Tower at nightime. I'd hate to think how many pictures I have of the tower now. At night it glows, and on the hour it sparkles for 3 minutes. We ate a crepe while looking at the tower and strolled back to the hotel passing the place where Princess Diana died.

Paris: Montmatre, Moulin Rouge and the Lido

Paris is definitly the city where you walk. After breakfast of croissant, chocolat chaud and pain, we were on our travels again. First stop was the palace and although it had guards outside like Buckingham Palace, you can't help thinking they are cheating, they are in a box with glass doors! Wonder if it's heated? Then off to Opera and Madeleine, two gorgeous buildings. We continued our trek to Montmatre, but first to the Moulin Rouge. I remember the area from last time, and it hasn't changed. Not the usual place you walk with your Mother in Law ;) Then it was up, up, up to Sacre Coeur with a stop off for French onion soup and crepe suzette for dessert. I've been to Sacre Coeur a few times, but this was the first time i went inside. It's very ornate, free but no photo's alas. What goes up, must come down so on route we stopped off at the Montmatre cemetary which I've tried to see a few times and it's worth the stop. I don't often say a cemetary is a thing not to miss, but the tombs are really ornate and it's very peaceful. We walked back to the hotel, stopped off for a creme brulee and then rest before the Lido.

I really didn't know what to expect in the Lido, I knew it was much more up market than the Moulin Rouge but my only view of that is cancan and the film with Ewan McGregor! So after my favourite meal of bread and cheese, we went into the glittery entrance of the Lido, met by men in dickie bows and shown to our table. There was sparkle and chandeliers everywhere! A singer was seranding the people that had just finished their dinner and encouraging people to dance, it was like watching the start of a wedding when people were unsure to get up so instead stare at everyone else!

Then the lights dimmed, the chandeliers dropped to give maximum viewing and then the show started with a bird dance. I had to double take, and I might be naive but I didn't expect the amount of boobs to be visible! I had no idea the women would be walking around with a couple of inches of clothing on and feathers all over the place! The show was fantastic, especially the diablo, the horse, the waterfountains, egyptian pyramid coming up from under the stage and acrobat on the silk ropes. But I'd have to say my favourite was a puppetier come illusionist, dress all in white. At the end it looked like he took he head off, I have no clue how he did that. At £70 for a glass of Champagne and £12 for a peach juice, the Lido lives up to it's reputation of wealth and glitter.

Paris: Lunch cruise on the Seine and 12km to walk it off!

What an exhausting day! We covered 12km on foot. Our first stop was Petit dejuner on the Champs Elysee. A coffee, croissant and toast...for £13! then we walked up to the Arc de Triomphe, down to the Seine where the weather took a turn for the worse. We walked to La Tour Eiffel, alas nobody was getting engaged at that time in the morning. We walked around the gardens, and then to the Bateaux Parisian for a lunch cruise in style, with champagne to start, Brigitte and I had a bottle of wine each! incredibly good food, a singer and an amazing view from the Seine passing all of the main sights. The lunch cruise was probably the most money i've ever spent on a meal!

Then we had to do some serious exercise to work off lunch, and the alcohol so we walked to Notre Dame passing the Musee D'Orsay, previously a railway station. The gorgeous bridge covered in padlocks, you write your names on the lock, close it and throw the key into the Seine for your love to be locked. We finally arrived at Notre Dame and the calve muscles were feeling it. We found the point where all distance from Paris is measured, point zero and then we started our trek back, passing electric cars plugged in. We found the Louvre. Last time I was at the Louvre was 11 years ago, when travelling around Europe and I only had 3 photo's per city I visited. Today I took significantly more. The distance between the Louvre and Champs Elysee is misleading, half way along I was considering asking Ali for a piggy back. After a crepe to keep us going, it was back to the hotel to put the feet up. An exhausting day but we pretty much ticked off the normal tourist attractions all in one day! Tomorrow is Montmatre...and some more walking.

Ali's maiden voyage on the Eurostar

Amazingly, a train journey lasting 40 minutes from St Neots to London is more expensive than the ticket from London to Paris! And the government wants us using public transport a lot more...we get to St Pancras and I can see Ali getting edgy to go through to departures asap. However, Eurostar is like getting on any other train, although you have to put your case through a scanner and show your passport and then wait. And what's the worse thing you want to see at the departure gate, a group of 60+ english teenagers on a school trip...then we were hoping we weren't in the same carriage. The hope didn't work.

We picked up Brigitte in Ebsfleet, then after 20 minutes in darkness, we were in France and then in Paris. The Monna Lisa hotel, off of the Champs Elysee is marvellous, I've never seen a room use space so wisely. What we thought was sliding doors for the wardrobe is a toilet, it's like going in a cupboard. then the shower is in the other cupboard. The wardrove is the crevasse behind the headboard. Typical Parisian windows and juliette balcony. A short rest and then off to the Champs Elysee for a coffee and trio of desserts before heading to the end of the metro to Ali's cousins appartment for dinner.

My GCSE french ears pricked up, it's a lot easier to listen and understand than it is to speak. I'd never met Ali's family before, and lucky her other cousin was visiting from Germany so it was a mini reunion, we drank, we ate, we chatted and had a great time. We discussed idioms and now Ali and I are discovering so many more. It's really hard to translate english into english explaining 'cat out the bag', 'pot calling the kettle black', 'raining cats and dogs', 'ants in your pant's and getting your 'knickers in a twist'.

On our way back to the hotel in Jeromes car we did a new thing for me in Paris, we went around the roundabout below the Arc de Triomphe where there are no rules, it's whoever dares, wins. I video'd it I was so excited. A very long day, ending in the small hours of the morning.

A very British day in Grantchester

You can't get more British than a trip to Grantchester meadows, Cambridgeshire. On the hottest day of the year so far, it was heaving and no surprise that we couldn't get in the car park of the Orchard tea gardens. Luckily there is on street parking but I do feel for the people of Grantchester in the summer time. We wandered along the river, through Grantchester Meadows, with many others. To finish, tea and cake in the Orchard Tea Gardens. At £10 for tea and cake for 2 people, it's a bit steep, they must be making a fortune with easily 150+ people sat outside on the deckchairs, but for the experience, it's worth it. Dogs allowed as long as they are on the lead, although there there was little cover for a very hot dog.

A stroll through Riverside Park, St Neots

It definitley feels like spring has sprung before the trees were told. So, the trees are still naked, but the sun was bright and it was the first day without coats. We went to Riverside Park in the centre of St Neots, 72 acres of floodplain close to the Great River Ouse. It has the most amazing playground areas. Dog routes were ok but not too inspiring but the cupcakes at the cafe were nice overlooking the pond.