04-30 Homeward bound

Wheather: Fine, warm, avg temp 23c

The flight is at 17:45 but we plan to leave for the airport at 12:30. Wow, its over, this time next week it will be pushing buttons behind a desk. The last day is like eating sweat and sour pork. To see all our friends and family again; see our pets; our home; to not have to think about how to say something in a foreign language; to use your own toilet; to get a good meal; breakfast; driving; to watch tv (other than cnn) in English; to just sit and veg in the hammock; breakfast again... All the little things that make Australia home and at the same time there will be no more adventures and spiral stairs and towers and churches and momuments and baguets and sunsets and aching feet and each day will be much like the last except for weekends...

So happy to be heading home and sad that it is over we packed but first headed to the Cemetary next to Pere Lachaise metro station. James Morrison and Chopin are there but it is a large confusing area and we get separated (Jas stops to take photos - he is my person photo diarist) and I amble ahead... Anyway I ambled a bit too far ahead and he is gone but I found James M (follow the the crowd of people with cameras) and then after many wrong turns andgetting completely lost I found Chopin.

Still with time to spare we headed down to the art markets at the end of our street, keen to find something a little special to remember Paris. (I found a gorious silver handcrafted ring- very unique) and a print of a water colour by a very charming frenchman who chatted me up - surprising since I was not wearing any makeup. :)

Anyway, at last we caught the metro to Gare de Nord, then the RER train to Charles De Gaul which has to the quietest international airport I have ever been too (which would be 4 so probably not much to go on....) There was hardly anyone about - I was actually relieved to glance out a window and see a plane parked I thought we were still at a train station, even the number of shops were few. anyway, on a half full plane to Tokyo - we have the emergency exit seats which means lots of leg room and the personal tv sets so quite content... Jas watched "Meet the fockers" (bof bof) and I got to see "Bridget Jones Diary"(mon par).