h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We're off next week for a long weekend in Paris - that's me, Mrs G and the two girls. The girls haven't been in Paris before so we'll have to do all the 'sights' - the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame. But I'd also like to take in a tour of the Opera Garnier and of Pere Lachaise cemetery. The last time I was there, it was minus 5 degrees and the cemetery was closed due to icy paths.

We're renting an apartment from an acquaintance - it's in the Marais region (just to the east of the Hotel de Ville, north of the smaller island.

We'll fly to Paris on the Thursday morning and come back on Sunday evening. I'm really looking forward to it.

Well, it will nearly be Springtime in Paris - I hope you all have the best of times!

Lanzababy

I love Paris in the springtime...

Paris in spring is marvellous. I've never actually been to Père Lachaise, just looked through the gates in passing, on my way to Sacré Cœur on Montmartre.

Did you know that we have a guide entry about it?

A588774

That was an interesting read. Gnomon will be able to update it when he gets back, as I'm sure the entrance fee is no longer in French francs, and I wonder if Jim Morrison's grave is still guarded.

Apart from which, my fingers itched to sub-edit a few words - harumph! métro with an accent grave!

That's what EF is for, TC.

Very nice! Enjoy.

>>>Well, it will nearly be Springtime in Paris - I hope you all have the best of times!

Not yet... I'm 200 miles south of Paris and we got three inches of snow a week ago...

Take some warm clothing with you Gnomon, you could be in for anything between -5°C and +20°C - the weather's 'variable' at the moment to say the least!

Ah. I've figured out what EF stands for. But Gnomon is a curator, so he can do it too.

It wasn't the admittance fee that was quoted in French francs, by the way, it was the price of a map.

I'm not quite clear from reading the entry if people can still be buried there. I think they may be able to, in which case, there may also even be some recent additions since July 2001 (the date of the entry) worth writing about.

Sorry, Gnomon - you've got enough on your hands with the Crusades. (printing them out as I write)

Have a lovely time in Paris - bon voyage.

I've put in an EF request for the Pere Lachaise entry. It said that Jacob Epstein's tomb for Oscar Wilde was 'decidedly 1960s'. The tomb dates from 1911, and Epstein had a compartment put in for his own ashes, which were duly placed there in 1950.

Yes, I tripped over that, too, trying to figure out how come Wilde's tomb could be built in a style that prevailed 50 years after he died.

Gno's fixed it now

I can check in to the flight in another 7 hours, 30 hours before the flight. That way we can get four seats together. The apartment we're staying in has a laptop, so I may get to report on how we're getting on, although one laptop between four of us - I probably won't get near it.

Have fun Gnomon... Hope you have good weather... From snow a fortnight ago it's now almost shirt-sleeve weather down here, so bob-alone knows what it'll be tomorrow in Paris...

How was it? Mrs B has always wanted to go to Paris, but everyone I've known that has gone recently says it's too expensive - my cousin spent a weekend eating chicken nuggets because he couldn't afford anything else. Just wondering if you found it expensive or not?

Mind you, it's probably harder for you to judge as you have the same currency now.

'How was it?'

Apologies. You're there right now. I have a lot to catch up on here... hope you're having a good time.

It's good, Rich. I'll fill you in when I get back.

I noticed today that the pound has nibbled its way back up to one-and-double-figures, just about. That probably means we won't be able to afford a trip to Europe in the spring, but perhaps if it continues to rise we might be able to take a late summer break somewhere. With the exchange rate being so bad, pretty much everywhere is really expensive right now.