Well, here I am on the top floor of a double decker train.
Coach One.
Seat 91.... Single seat by the window.
( Lovely, Amanda... And they checked my tickets!)

Up at 6.20 am, after hitting 'snooze' twice.
Ran out of toilet paper.
Quick trip down to the front desk.
All sorted.

( Emily and I spotted an unattended maid's trolley outside our room a few days in.
We grabbed... Well, I grabbed. Emily held the room door open for a fast getaway.
I grabbed extra towels ... 4 ... And toilet paper.... Not 'quite' enough as it turns out.)

I had packed the majority last night so only a bit to do.
Checked the room.
And I'm off.

Hey, Emily.
I worked out why I went right on the train yesterday instead of left.
( Apart from the fact I suffer from this 'right' thing.)
( Everyone else... Last trip, whenever I exited a lift, I turned right.
Didn't matter if the room was to the left... Off I went to the right.
I am still doing it this trip.
Much to Emily's amazement.)

Anyway, back to the trains.
The ones we caught, Emily only went one way.
Place D'Italie was the end of the line.
So we were always on the right side of the tracks.
Yesterday, line 7 continued on past Place D'Italie station.
So I could go both ways... and I did.

No problem getting to Paris Est.
( Train only went one way.)
Orange.... 5.
Arrived 8am... Early.
Train left at 9.06am.

Went to Information for a bit of assistance.
The 9.06am was going to Frankfurt and, chances were it was my train, but checked anyway.
( Should have paid more attention in Geography.)
Platform not announced till 20 minutes till boarding and this is a huge place.
The lady in Information gave me the heads up that it would be leaving from one of the platforms between 2 and 12.
So I found those and stayed pretty central.
Platform 3.
No problems.

Hey, girls at Berwick Travel, I'm going to Munich.
Well first I have to get off at Mannheim and find the next train that I board to Muenchen
( Munich )

Six and a half hours all told.

If I miss the connection, I have already decided to attach myself to the American couple sitting across the aisle from me.
I haven't spoken to them, but I know they are going further into Germany.
I think if I get lost, that sounds fine.

Andrew Browning. What a star you are.
Love your comments.
I love reading a novel when I first wake up!
I laughed out loud when you said that it was my second time in Paris and I was just like a local.
I don't think the locals think that.
( What is French for toilet paper?)
Triple decker ice cream at the Palace of Versailles...
Apollo Fountain...
Wrong direction trains...
Wrong direction out of lifts...
The Louvre...
Eiffel Tower...
Emily...
River Cruise...
Cafe O Jules...
Emily...
Sacre Coeur...
Cafe O Jules...
Montemarte ...
Emily....
Face planting...
Goblins...
Notre Dame...
Emily...
Walking the Seine in the early morning...
Green Boxes...
Little wooden men...
Cafe O Jules...
And the magnificent Place D'Italie.
Emily...
I love Paris!

Hey, everyone around me is eating.
I've been busy with this and when the trolley went past, I assumed they were offering tea or coffee so I just said 'Non. Merci.'

I've missed out on food!
That's one I'll never catch up on!
Pay more attention, Carolyn.

Hey, these trains are made for short people.
Great footrest.

Very, very quiet.
If anyone talks, they whisper.
My phone message signal just went off.
You know, the science fiction sounding one....
It was even quieter when that happened.

( Message assures me I can get 10mg of data for 1.90 euro.)

Hi Rachel, Elisabeth and Eliza.
Great to hear from home.
So glad everything is ok.
And the dogs will be loving the 'open door' policy!
They love a walk, don't they?
You found the leads ok?
They go crazy when they know they are going.
Bit harder with Mo now as Dash tends to bowl him over in his excitement!
Thank you for minding everything!

Hi Mum and Auntie Joan,
Hope you had a great flight up, Mum.
You two will have a wonderful time together.
Do lots of shopping!

A lovely conductor walked past and I asked him about the connecting train to Munich.
Platform 5.
And it will be announced as we near Mannheim.
We pull in on Platform 3.
Sounds pretty good.

Emily, loved the photo of you relaxing in Geelong.
Hope you are managing to get over the flight OK.
Two twenty-four hour flights in a week is HUGE.
But you did get to sit at the Cafe O Jules on the Place D'Italie.
:-)

12.40pm now.
On board the train to Munich.
No trouble finding the right platform.
Lovely single seat by the window again.
( Keeping my eyes peeled for that food trolley.
Not missing out twice!)
Am going backwards though.
I did bring my own food.
( No one doubted that, right?)
So settling in.

I bought the English newspaper The Mail in Paris.
Lots about the Scottish vote...
And a few scandals.
There was a lovely article written by a woman who did a Battlefields Tour.
Great to relive it.

Well, I am settled in my lovely room in the Winters Hotel.
Nice quiet room, Amanda.

The rest of the train trip went very well.
The Winters Hotel is directly opposite the station and so easy to find.
Got here at 3.30pm.
I unpacked and then headed out for a walk.
The office of the 3 tours that I am doing while I am here...
Dachau
The Nazi Walking Tour
And the Neuschwanstein Castle
Are just across the road at the station so that makes it easy.
Checked out a few shops.
Ate a roll with a huge slab of cooked meat and mustard ... Delicious!

And that's it.
Going to sign off and relax.
I'm watching CNN.
Early night then Hop On Hop Off bus around Munich tomorrow.

Sorry about the long blog.
I had lots of time on the train!
Xxx