The time always seems to go quickly when you are on holiday or travelling. It was already time for us to pack our bags again (we are travelling with two big bags, 16 kg and 21 kg respectively, and two back bags. Jim, the owner of the airbnb property we stayed in told us to take the number 30 bus directly to Kings Cross St Pancreas Station as it was a direct bus. This was an excellent idea as the bus stop was closer than the train station and we had no stairs or escalators to negotiate or trains to change. However it is still a challenge on the bus with two large suitcases. They are not allowed to be held in the aisle and with only a small section or prams, wheelchairs and cases it is a matter of first in first served. Peter balanced both bags in the aisle (!) for the first few stops then space became available in the correct section. Again getting off a crowded bus is a challenge but we got there. We didn't check the price of a taxi but as we had quite a distance to travel it would have been many pounds. Kings Cross Station is huge. There are many sections to it including underground, overground, international etc and there are always crowds of people all pulling large and seems larger suitcases. Fortunately being Briton the signage is in English so before too long we were in the right area for the Eurostar. We passed through passport control to depart England, then passport control to enter France (with stamps in our passports from both) and waited to board the Eurostar. The train was much older and not as impressive as I thought it would be. There are a number of different classes and we travelled in standard at €133 each ($A187 and $NZ200). The seating was allocated and comfortable. Passengers retain their baggage and the bags are stored at each end of the carriage. There was a food section of a couple of the carriages to purchase food and drinks. Just half an hour from London we could see the passport control for the road users and we entered underground with no sign of the coast to be seen. We were underground for about twenty minutes and then travelled through the French countryside to Paris. We trip took two and a half hours and there was an additional one hour time difference. Welcome to Paris and the crowded Gare du Nord. From here we took the Metro to Villiers so queued to purchase a Metro ticket (fortunately it is possible to have the instructions provided In English) then we followed the signage and took two trains to our destination. Again the challenge with two suitcases is that some platform changes have only stairs and no escalators or lifts. We are very fortunate to be staying with our host daughter, Diane. Diane lived with us in 2002 in Melbourne. A short walk from Villiers metro station and we arrived at the entrance to Diane's apartment. She lives on the third floor and there is a small lift so one person and one case at a time and we had arrived. It was so good to see Diane again after seven years and also to meet her husband, Adrian and their eighteen month old daughter, Ińez. We enjoyed a really pleasant evening catching up. Saturday morning, after a typical French breakfast of fresh croissants and baguette with coffee Diane and us explore the local area. We visited the local market, coffee shop, speciality cheese shop, patisserie and then walked through the park and along Rue Charles de Gaulle to the Arc de Triomphe. It was amazing to think that Diane lives within walking distance of this famous landmark. Next stop was a necessity purchase - a GPS so that when we collect the rental car next week we know where we are going. It was cheaper to purchase a GPS than to hire one with the rental car! After a leisurely lunch back at the apartment we took off on the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. No doubting that you are in Paris when you see that again. There were crowds and crowds of tourists about along with the Asian bridal parties having their wedding photos taken. We walked down through the park and along the banks of the River Seine, saw another wedding taking place on one of the boats tied up, and made our way to one of the scenic river boats. It was around 7 pm and we joined the crowds on to the boat but we were fortunate to get seats on the upper deck outside. This gave beautiful views of the passing buildings and of course we had our own private guide so we were not reliant on waiting on the English translation from the recorded message. We were able to see Paris in all its beauty. We commenced the walk back to the apartment but some of us decided to ride the Metro while Adrian walked and Ińez in the stroller (so much easier than tackling the many stairs within the underground). We enjoyed a casual dinner at home. We have eaten at French timing today - 10.30 am for breakfast, 3.30 pm for lunch and 10 pm for dinner! When in France do as the French do.