08.42 The last morning in the Caribbean is here. We are still on Martinique. The sky outside is far from blue. Today we will kill some hours before we head for the airport. We have no plans about how to kill the hours but I guess it will get solved. Now all we will do is to empty our refrigerator and fill our stomachs.

09.47 Everything is packed. The day is planned. We will leave the hotel for a couple of hours. We will try to make the most of those hours. I guess there will be internet, coffee and some standing. We don’t want to get too sweaty.

10.10 Our internet café is closed. We are sitting in the "Justice Park" and wonder what we will do next. Here in the park is a statue of Victor Schoelcher, a French minister who abolished slavery on the island in 1848.

Park life in Fort-de-France.

Pigeon with interesting foot.

10.33 Two peculiar fellows have passed us during our time on the bench. A rasta looking man asking about "smoke" and a pigeon with feathers on its feet. What we have managed so far is to figure out that we need to get something to drink. It might be juice, coffee or something like that. After that we will make a new internet visit.

10.50 We have returned to the café Delices de la Savane. I am having my classic cup of coffee and Christer drinks an Orangina.

11.25 We have returned down to the sea, but we are on a new spot this time. There is a fence around the area where we sat last time. We assume it might have something to do with the regatta that goes around the island now.

12.28 We have found an internet café on a street close to the cathedral. Right now we have moved closer to this religious building. In the café we learned when our plane takes off. We will get airborne in four and a half hours from now. Now the question is what we do now?

13.02 What we did was to have a lunch at Libao, the last in line of the Chinese restaurants here in the Caribbean. We had pork and chicken with rice. As soon as we have eaten it all we will get back to our hotel and get our backpacks. We will also ask them to call for a taxi. Well, the staff not the backpacks. I don’t think our backpacks master French.

The last photo from the Caribbean.

13.56 We are back at the airport Le Lamentin. Just as we got here we heard someone speaking French. I know it isn’t anything odd with that. The odd about it was the fact that the voice came from Christer´s backpack. His radio had become bored being silent. He picked it up and after some hard work he managed to remove the batteries. The next thing we will do is to change clothes.

14.53 Now we just got one more check-in left. Today’s flight is TX 511. Now we will water our throats. It will most likely be with flavoured fluids.

15.28 We are now by the gates. Christer had to go through a routine-/ spot-check of his hand luggage. I am glad that I wasn't picked. I have some souvenirs in the luggage that I am afraid might break.

15.41 We have begun to set the watches; the ones in the cameras and my cell phone are set.

16.18 We are finally onboard. We had to leave the first line we stood in. It was for Place Madras. Hey, here we got Madras again. Could it mean luxury? In the second one we were told that we were there too early. Third was a charm. Now we will be seated here for a while. All we can do is to remove our shoes and set our watches for Paris time.

CHANGING TIMEZONE

22.58 No I haven’t forgotten to write for a while. This is what time it is in Paris. People keep entering the plane and I doubt we will take off in time. I have as usual mixed emotions. We are leaving paradise islands and wonderful hosts behind us. But there are still more islands to visit. They remain here for Christer, me and all the others who would like to see them.

23.12 We have begun to roll. All that remains is 6857 kilometres. What will happen on this trip? We don’t have a TV screen of our own on this trip. Just as I was writing this one of the hatches opened up but it was shut again by a lady from the staff.

Saturday 4th of August

00.27 A commercial about the Caribbean is running on the TV screens. There is among others one about the French island Guadeloupe. The beverage cart is running through the aisle. We are not running at all. We are still flying.

01.31 We just had one of the best dinners on this trip. Yes, it was delicious aeroplane food; Caribbean rum, red wine, chicken in coconut milk, tuna salad, coconut cream, bread, nuts, water and coffee. The rum was really great. I hope we will be able to buy some of it in Paris.

02.33 I am having problems falling asleep. I sleep for a short while and then wake up. I know the time is 02.33 but my body says 20.33 and you can’t sleep at that time.

05.42 Light has just filled the cabin. My pens have stopped working. Soon we will have breakfast.

07.50 We landed on the airport Orly just south of Paris and have just reached the luggage carousel. There are several bags going around.

08.13 After some waiting we have joined forces with our backpacks again. Thanks to some loose stuff it was possible to calculate/figure out how long time it took to complete one turn. It took somewhere between 2-3 minutes. There were some turns.

View from our hotel room at Liberty Hotel.

09.52 Everything went smoothly with the airport bus Orlybus and with the Metro. We had no problems finding our booked hotel, Liberty Hotel. I bought a ham sandwich and some soda before we went inside. Christer also went on a food hunt and he had problems getting back. We went inside and were told that our room was ready. They asked if it perhaps was possible to give us another one? Sure, we said and went up five stairs to the top floor and room 41. All those stairs made us exhausted. Next it is time for a shower, sandwich and get out and paint the town red. No never ever all I want to do is sleep.

13.25 I have slept for a while. It seems like my pens are still sleeping. They stop working one at a time. Soon we will go out to see more of Paris. Sleeping is for sure great.

Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris.

14.31 We went outside and we did some walking. Now we are having one of our classic bench breaks. We are sitting here with a newly bought chocolate bar and soda each. Soon we will go downstairs. Today it is +28˚. It is the same temperature as it was on Martinique but it feels so different. Here it is possible to take deep breaths. The air seems so filled with oxygen although we are in the middle of a metropolis and the traffic is heavy here along Saint Martin Boulevard. We have grown accustomed to high humidity for over a month.

The cathedral Notre Dame.

River Seine

15.17 Our bench is green. We are on an island. Behind us is the cathedral Notre Dame towering up over everything. She is mighty to behold this grand old lady of cathedrals.

15.51 We have walked to the oldest bridge in the city, Pont Neuf (the new bridge). In front of me is an equestrian statue of Henry the Great and behind him is the sun.

16.23 Our steps and feet have taken us to a courtyard by the Louvre. We are sitting next to a fountain while several nationalities are passing by. Now the question is where we go from here. Which direction is best? Will it be north, south, east or west?

Louvre, the largest museum in the world.

Rue de Rivoli

Walking through Jardin des Tuilleries.

16.32 We have reached another fountain and it is time for another break. This time we are by the glass pyramid of the Louvre. There are some amazing fountains here.

17.26 It is great to rest in the shade. It is wonderful to know where we are both on the map and in reality. The answer in both cases is Boulevard des Italiens.

18.15 We have begun the walk back to our last home area. We have begun to search for places that can fulfill our simple and basic needs, to eat. It is expensive to eat here in Paris while other things such as the Metro are reasonably cheap.

A giant wheel in Paris.

Grands Boulevards, one of many metro stations in Paris.

18.30 We have found something that we´ve tried before, a Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant. Here we will try something that we never had before. Christer will have lychee duck and I will have frog legs with green onion and ginger.

19.14 They didn’t serve us any big portions but what we got was OK. We had our dinner at ”Cite des Cinq moutons”.

19.52 Beverage and similar stuff have been bought. We are back in room number 41. We had a visitor here while we were gone. Brother sun has been around to turn up the heat in the room.

21.57 Darkness has encamped outside. I am not used to such late dusk. I must admit I am feeling a little tired. We will sleep with an open window tonight. No mosquitos here!

Stairway at Liberty Hotel.

Sunday 5th of August

08.02 This is the last day of sightseeing. Today we plan to see more of Paris. I slept well. I am ready to go, as soon as I had breakfast.

10.41 The size of the breakfast was just enough, a typical French one with a baguette. We feared for a while that one of our curtains had escaped during the night. We waited to exhale until Christer found it. It had hid behind the other curtain. Now we will head for Gare del’Est.

11.15 We now know where the airport bus leaves from. After we had found that out we went down to the metro´s line 4. We travelled with it two stations to Strasbourg-St Denis and there we switched to line 8.

Taking the metro to Paris adventures.

11.42 We have started our sightseeing in Paris. We have taken the first steps. We are at Hotel des Invalides. Inside these walls are the remains of Napoleon. The name might feel a bit strange. It was built in the 1670´s during the reign of King Louise XIV to serve as a hospital and retirement home for war veterans.

12.15 We walked around one of the courtyards of the "hotel" and then proceeded to buy something to drink for now and later. Now we have reached the Champ de Mars (Field of Mars). Just next to us the Eiffel tower is towering, what else, up. A happy dog just ran by and in the sky we can see the moon. We will walk on as soon as we are done here. It is getting really hot!

Hotel des Invalides

Christer and the Eiffel tower.

The Eiffel tower from underneath.

Arc de Triomphe

13.40 We have just sat down on a bench at Place Charles de Gaulle. In front of us is the Arc de Triomphe. The crowd of tourists around the Eiffel tower made it impossible to get up in it this side of Christmas. ArSoldiers with machine guns patrolled around the tower in search for terrorists. The Arc de Triomphe is indeed impressing. We just have to take a closer look. How do we do to get over there? The traffic is heavy to say the least.

14.01 There are a lot of people here under the Arc. Some of them are looking at and take pictures of the tomb of the unknown soldier. It wasn't easy to cross over here even though it was a gap in the traffic.

14.27 We have left the Arc de Triomphe behind us and walked down the avenue Champs-Élysées. We are currently resting on a bench in a small park. The sky is ever so blue and a dog is barking behind me. It was really unnecessary to run between the cars to reach the Arc. We found a subway that was a much better alternative.

The tomb of the unknown soldier.

Champs Élysées

15.37 Since the last note we have searched and searched for a small store, kiosk or something like that to buy a sandwich and something to drink. We plan to have lunch in the green grass in some park. We have seen countless of souvenir shops and cafés but not a single open grocery store. We are now in the Tuileries Garden. We will see if we get any luck on the other side of the Seine.

15.59 This is crazy, now the cafés are gone as well. What is going on? Why aren’t there any stores? Ok, it is Sunday but still...!

16.21 We went underground by the Metro station Rue de Bac, bought a soda in a vending machine and now took the metro to the station Notre-Dame des-Champs.

16.40 We have sandwiches, beverages and a park, Jardin des Luxembourg. Here in the park there is a policeman who doesn’t want to see any people on the grass. Dead end and halt. Damn! We have to regroup.

16.54 We are back on line 12 again. This time we are going to Concorde.

Christer enjoying life in Jardin des Tuilleries.

17.15 We switched to line 1 and went to the station by the Tuileries. That is were we are now. In the park that is, not the station. It is time to get some tan in the green grass.

18.22 We have had some sun, juice and bread and left the park. We are right now sitting with our feet in the water of the fountain by the glass pyramid of the Louvre. It feels great. We are not the only ones thinking this. It was almost a queue here. Today it is +34˚ warm, the warmest day of the trip although we´ve left the tropics behind us.

Being nice to our feet!

18.55 Our chilled feet have taken us to Place des Victories.

19.36 Via Les Halles we have reached the Centre George Pompidou. We have seen a lot within eight hours. We have seen things from the almost antique Hotel des Invalides to this ultramodern and strange complex. Paris is perfect for walking and there is so much to see. Sights that are easily forgotten would have been the main attraction in most of the other cities in the world.

Centre George Pompidou

20.17 After a long walk we´re back in our room for a while. We will have a shower, dress and go out again to get some food and facts.

21.43 Sodas, facts and food are taken care of. We returned to yesterday’s Vietnamese place. Now we will rest, drink, pack and sleep. The facts that we got regard the time for the airport bus.

22.40 Here I have been travelling for eight straight summers and I still can´t figure out how to pack correctly. There ought to be lots of space but it doesn´t.

Monday 6th of August

06.46 The dreams that were woven during the night have been enmeshed in the net of oblivion. Next in line is a well oiled time schedule. Everything and I mean everything have to function without any big remarks. We plan breakfast at 07.30 and our bus ride at exactly 08.19. Well, I will not complain if it is possible to do some of them earlier.

07.53 Everything goes according to the plan and runs like a clock. I hope that the clockwork is waterproof because it is raining today.

08.14 We got in time to the bus which will take us to the airport Charles de Gaulle. We didn’t have any rain, Soon we will say ”Au Revoir" to Paris, France and this summer´s trip.

Peter getting prepared to the journey back home.

08.21 At first a welldressed ticket controller arrived. After that the bus driver left the bus. Didn’t he have any ticket? Here we are with our tickets, with a bus but without anyone to drive it. According to the plan we should have left at 08.19. We are on bus 350 and opposite Gare del’Est, more exactly next to the entrance/exit of the Metro.

08.31 The driver got back, started the bus and we are rolling again. Now we will see new parts of Paris. Well I won´t as long as I am writing this but soon.

09.04 The last of the passengers got off at the bus stop Garanor. Now we are all alone, well almost. The driver remains on the bus too.

09.31 For a while we´ve been at the airport area at Charles de Gaulle Airport. We have been driving around near terminal 2. We have passed 2 A-F. Now we are on our way to our terminal, number 1. We have just stopped at the station Roissypole. We want to travel on. Now would be greater but then would be even better.

10.01 We didn’t get to terminal 1 at all. We didn’t get anywhere. This was the end of the line for the bus. We got out of the bus and into terminal 3. We asked about the way, went downstairs and rode a train without a driver to terminal 1. We checked in as we got there. Christer has seat 19E. I was asked to go to SAS counter so that I could get a seat as well.

10.19 They called for me over the loudspeakers as I stood in the queue to the security check. I proceeded calmly through the queue and security, went to the counter and got my ticket, seat 19F. I was asked to go to gate 76. Pretty soon Christer came and took me to gate 72, the right one. Who was it that said that everything must run smoothly? What is the sport in that? That will just keep the pulse in a rate under 100 beats/minute.

Somewhere along the German coastline.

11.34 We are up in the air for fourteenth and last time. Now we are going to Stockholm Arlanda. We are flying with SAS, safe but pretty dull.

12.13 Good lunch!, said the captain. We are flying over Jutland in Denmark and we´re expected to land at Arlanda Airport in an hour, Arlanda with a temperature of +25˚.

SWEDEN

13.09 We have touched down at Arlanda Airport north of Stockholm and we´re waiting to get outside. After that we will follow the usual procedure. I am about to confirm the time of my train to the north. I think it was 14.50. As soon as I have looked at the ticket I will know.

Coming closer to Sweden.

13.28 After running around Arlanda without any signs we found our way to the luggage carousel. We had big problems getting here. We have seen some Swedish swimmers. They came on “our” flight and have been competing in Paris. These "some swimmers" are more or less identical with the national swimming team. We recognised their faces but can’t put a name to them. Some of them carried bunches of flowers.

14.07 Today too much go wrong. Almost no seat left in our classic restaurant Alfredos. (7/8 2004, 17/4 2006) We are now at Eastwest to get something to eat. The swimmers are at Alfredos. They are in our seats. Shouldn’t they be on their marks?

14.53 Christer´s and my paths aren’t the same any more. We are going home. Well, first he will go and visit his sister in Nyköping to celebrate her 30th birthday that is today. As we get home we will unpack before we start to plan the next trip and prepare this version for the internet. We thank you all for reading and sharing our experiences! Welcome back in 2008!

RESEDAGBOKEN.CC