Farewell Paris

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We were woken about 7.45am when Caroline knocked on our door and gave us a kiss goodbye. Juliette had already departed a few days before to go on a holiday to Namibia. So, we repacked and contemplated how wonderful it had been to see Jean and Beatrice, plus their family again. It is always very hard to say goodbye to them and we often wish we did not live so far apart.

Jean walked with us to the airport bus stop near the Arc de Triomphe, the weather had just started turning cold and grey over the last few days so we again managed to stay in front of any rain.

The security guy at the metal detector gate would not stop talking to me about Rugby and what we had done while we were in France. He was a very funny guy and seemed to be totally oblivious to the line of people banking up behind me to get through the security check. Every time I took a step toward the detector he would ask me something else or start telling me another funny story. I was beginning to wonder if I would be responsible for making about 30 other people miss their flights.

On the flight we sat next to another Australian couple who had just spent a similar amount of time touring Italy and France. We swapped stories and anecdotes. This had been their first overseas trip and it sounded like it would not be their last. Just before touchdown in Hong Kong we swapped email addresses and who knows, as with all these types of contacts, we may say "G'day" again one day.

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