Tuesday, 6 May

The past few days have been a strange mix of extreme activity and lazyness ! May 1 was a public holiday in France, which nicely dissipated the stress of the working week - yes, fonctionnaires internationaux are occasionally busy at work ! I spent the weekend in Paris trying to finalise the arrangements for my never-ending (or rather, never-beginning) renovation of my apartment - measuring everything, doing the maths etc. Today I ordered the taps for the bathroom and this evening I will order the flooring (parquet hongroise and some tiles).

At the weekend I went to the first picnic of the year - always a nice occasion! The weather in Paris at the moment is very fine - around 24C and hardly a cloud to be seen. Here are a few photos from taken whilst out and about in Paris at the weekend:

TGV

- This is the super-fast French train which can travel at 400kph... The French always mention this when I am saying how much more dynamic life in the the UK is :-) Too bad French bureaucracy isn't like their trains!

Canal St. Martin

- Canal St. Martin is a nice place to spend an evening. Good for picnics and there are a few nice cafés in the area too.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

- My friend Gideon organised a guided tour of the Père Lachaise cemetery. It's a huge place with thousands of graves - many with interestingly sculpted headstones and mausoleums.

This morning I went to the Russian Embassy to collect my visa - suprisingly hassle-free... though a bit last-minute as my flight to Moscow is tomorrow. In between meetings I have been checking the weather in Moscow (good - 20C or so); how to get from the airport to downtown (lots of options) and what to see (think big list)! My visit also coincides with the Victory in Europe day parade in Red Square - the one with lots of flag-waving, tanks and rocket launchers - should be some good photo opportunities there...