Musée national du Moyen Âge

Whether you love Paris or loathe Paris, one thing that everyone has to agree on is that it is never, ever boring. Any walk around the streets of the city reveals a never ending series of human drama, comedy and pathos. That is what caused me to fall in love with this place on my first visit and this emotion has been reinforced on every subsequent time that I have been here. Certainly the place is not perfect. The worsening problem of itinerant gypsy scammers and pickpockets, the predilection of the residents for public urination, the minefield of dog faeces on virtually every footpath and the suicidal way that car drivers and motorcycle riders seem to completely ignore any type of traffic signals, do constitute considerable challenges for any first time visitor.

However, when you scratch beneath the surface you have to admire the passionate way that Parisians live out their lives every day. From the energetic way that they queue outside the Boulangerie twice a day for their supply of fresh baguettes, their undoubted sense of style, the way that they don't just simply talk to each other - they perform, the gay abandon with which they step out in front of speeding traffic without even looking, the way that they embrace individualism and the sheer romantic nature of this city that is exuded from every narrow walkway and ancient building, this city is truly alive. Spend a few days or weeks here and you cannot help but fall under its spell.

Maggie and I are now back in our hotel room after spending another day walking the city from one end to the other. We are now nursing our tired feet but savouring the multitude of memories that we will return home with. With only another two days left of our adventure, our time really is drawing to a close. Today we heard that the sale of our Emerald home has gone unconditional, so that means we will return with a lot of work to do in order to empty the house before settlement. That will mean a big clearing sale and lots of ebay adverts as there will be many items that will not be needed in our new place.

By next Monday we will be home and looking forward to another chapter in our lives.Read more