Goodbye Portugal - shame about the grafitti

We visit the Fado museum along from our guesthouse on our last morning in Portugal.  It is a great museum - very innovative.  I have never been to a sound museum before and find it very entertaining.  We walk around with our own personal speakers clicking on the numbers of people who look interesting to hear them singing.  We have been to several exhibitions now in Portugal that I am very impressed with - the Portugese have a great way with graphics and design.  It's such an enormous shame though about all the grafitti - on every house, building, monument, church. It kind of spoils everything and makes you think the Portugese don't value what they've got.

We fly into Paris in the late afternoon.  There is a golden hue over everything.  Ah - so good to be in France again.  The love affair with France palls slightly when it takes us over half an hour to get a ticket for the rail trip into the city.  The machines won't take credit cards, then they won't take notes...  The trip is also incredibly long and involves two trains.  It is hours after we have touched down that we finally make it to Hotel Marignan in the Latin Quarter at 13 rue de Sommerand.  Great little hotel in a quiet street just minutes from Notredame.

We venture our for a late meal to a bar restuarant around the corner.  It is very French, very cosy and we have a good meal - not high cuisine but comfort type food: duck breast for me and pork with mustard sauce for Alan and Sue.  We all have the creme caramel with grapes in it with brown sugar glasing.  Hmm - yes no wonder I have put on weight - all these desserts!