It’s been 20 years since our last visit to beautiful Paris and let’s just say we have fallen in love all over again – this truly is a magnificent city. There's something to see at every turn of the head and the people here are really friendly and accommodating this time, much more than we remember during our last visit.
Our stay on this occasion couldn't be more different to last time when we did the obligatory whirlwind of Paris sights and museums. This time we enjoyed leisurely coffees in small local cafés and queued up with the locals every morning at the neighbourhood bakery to buy baguettes for breakfast. Yum, bread heaven.
At our favourite little breakfast spot in Malakoff the owner would greet us every morning with a huge ‘Bonjour Aussie’, much more welcoming than Paris is usually given credit for. People stopped to help us find our way, assisted when we struggled with our French, helped Marita carry luggage up and down stairs at the metro station; a stark contrast to our last visit.
Before we flew out our family were concerned about safety given the recent bombing events, but we actually felt very safe. Sure there are solders walking the streets with AK47s or what ever they carry, but in a strange way it gives you a level of confidence that everything will be all right – just don't get them in your photo, as Marita found out whilst cruising in the Eiffel Tower region one day.
Enough of all that, what we really came here for was to check out our new cruising home at the Paris Boat Show and wow, we are stoked. Invited by Multihull Solutions we were guests at the world launch of the brand new design now known as the Lucia 40. You might recall we made our purchase ‘off the plan’ and a little model, so this was our first opportunity to see the boat for real.
The launch party was a fantastic night and great opportunity to meet the founder, architect and other personnel of Fountaine Pajot. In particular we formed a great friendship with the owner of Boat Number 1, the boat that you see in the photos – Yong, from the get-go we clicked; we look forward to hearing about your sailing expeditions around Singapore on Camelot and we are sure we will remain in contact for many years to come.
It was great to walk through the Lucia 40, tape measure in hand, and try to allocate a location for everyday items – easier said than done. There doesn't seem to be room for Michael’s coffee machine; further thought required. And we will have to seriously down-size (even more than we already have) but we are sure we can manage. Michael’s constant pursuit of a clutterless home will become a necessity!
We still haven’t got a firm hand over date but have been told it should be April or May next year. This is probably a good thing because we still have a lot to do before we pack up and fly out for ……… we don't know how long; that's part of the plan.
It's hard to get a shot of a 40 foot cat when she's high and dry but we did our best. For a better look at her click here: http://www.multihullsolutions.com.au/boats/new/sail-multihulls/lucia-40/
What else
So, after the Paris Boat Show we thought it would be crazy to come all this way and not have a bit of a look around and a holiday. We moved on to Lyon for a couple of days of R&R, measurable in kilos, before we hit the slopes of Val Thorens. Lyon was fantastic and if you like food, wine and shopping, put this place on your menu. Shops, not our thing, so we concentrated on the other two Lyonnaise offerings, offset with some cycling along the Rhone River. A picturesque city, it was more than we expected from the second largest city in France. And once again the baguettes…
Val Thorens – WOW, this place is Whistler on steroids. Why did we not know about this when we were a few years younger! For our regular snow buddies, if you are in this part of the world and feel like a great snow holiday and party to boot, this place is a must.
Enough for now. As we write we await our flight home just in time to spend Christmas with family and friends.
Until our next blog, Merry Christmas to all.
Au Revoir,
M&M