Today was a very early start…up at 5:00AM to catch a taxi at 5:45 to get on the bus by 6:30 to get to Naples airport by 8:00 to catch a flight first to Milan & then onto Paris! Phew, what a day! I said goodbye to Esther once again at Naples airport as she's heading back to London now before going on to do some traveling with her family in France. Fortunately I know I will still be seeing her again in Edinburgh in July because I don't want to think about having to say more permanent goodbyes just yet! I have made her promise me that if she meets a handsome Scotsman & decides to marry him that she will bring him back to Australia…so fingers selfishly crossed she won't be away forever!

Dad was over in London again on business this week & came down to Paris to visit me over the weekend, so once again I was lucky enough to have an escort from the airport! Having spent that week in Paris before I was familiar with the train & metro lines, which made the journey relatively easy & stress free. I checked & managed to score an extra night in the private room Nigel & I will be staying in tomorrow night, which I was seriously excited about, given my memories of the previous experience with warthogs & all… :P

We spent the afternoon doing totally enthralling things like working out how to use the washing machines in the local lavanderie. This actually was really very exciting for me as the opportunity to find a time and a place to do washing while traveling is scarce & to have a who backpack of clean clothes is an exceptional luxury right now :D We went to the grocery store to stock up on a few essentials & had a simple dinner of fresh baguette (still toast warm when we bought it from the local boulangerie) with camembert cheese, salami, & tomato soup.

I spent the even pottering around; folding clothes, repacking things, separating stuff to send home with Dad (yay!) - all in the blissful quiet of my own private room :D AND it's only 12 hours now til Nigel arrives!!! Tres exciting indeed!