18, rue Guénégaud, Paris 6

Wednesday 23 Sept

It's an amazing thing for two tired travellers after 26 hours en route to find our way from Charles de Gaulle airport on to a commuter train, make our way up multitudes of stairs and escalators to street level, and find ourselves suddenly in the forecourt of Notre Dame, on a magic Paris morning.

Cafe au lait and croissants in a cafe by the Seine (naturally...what a nice cliche!) before making our way to our accommodation. It's a tiny studio less than a block from the river, and surrounded by galleries and restaurants. We have French windows opening on to a lively streetlife that is keeping us fascinated - crazy drivers, worse pedestrians, cyclists with a death wish and great parking techniques (see pic - same front and back!)

Scooters and bicycles everywhere, ridden by middle aged men in business suits with cigars clenched between their teeth, and gorgeous young things in high heeled boots or white satin slacks.

Long walk in the afternoon - past the Sorbonne (below), Pantheon, Luxembourg Gardens where all of Paris were sunning themselves on metal chairs by the pond, and back to dinner at Le Cafe des Beaux Arts. Extraordinary how with a single 'bonjour' from either of us, everyone breaks spontaneously into English...