Flight 109 to Boston

First I have to pack, and I dread it so much I am updating my blog first.
I have clothes and stuff everywhere.
Things for the kids
This will be a trick getting it all in.

I am on flight 109 seat 21b, extra leg room. powerport. SeatGuru gave me the best location for my flight.
I leave London at about 11:30, in Boston before 3PM

Dinner at Ratatouille

Dinner at Ratatouille  was wonderful. Met some old colleagues from FIL for drinks and dinner.
Located in Marylebone Ratatouille offers wonderful French cusine at reasonable rates.
I had a Cherve Chaud salad, Filet with Roquerft dressing and Pomme Tart.

Tres bien.

From Rome to London

Flew from Rome to London on Friday.
I still understand why people in Italy think its allright to cut in line.
The airport is a disorganized mess in Italy.
But once on board we had a sunny view of the Italian coast, the Swiss Alps and then clouds.
Arrival in London was easy, although my plan of using my US Passort to breeze through immigartion did not get me through the Heathrow immigration agent with speed.
Once past her unsmiling booth I was off to the Heathrow Express.
From there it was a few steps in Padington Station

I slept well in a large room

Welcome to Rome

After a delayed, but not much flight on Easyjet I made it to Rome.
The festival seating approach on this low cost carrier drives me nuts!.
I decided not to stand for 1 hour and wait until they they actually start boarding to get off my butt.
Smart move, I ended up almost at the end of the line, then after some Italian gut cut me, they seem to do that, I ended up getting on board rather quickly because they opened up ticket counter right where I was standing, I got seat 6 C, aisle near the front

It was going fine until some guy decided to jam his luggage in the bin over me by crushing everything in my backpack!  I told him to STOP and he did, hmmm where is he from.
We worked together to move the bags so his fit, and all my stuff was not broken, except maybe for my camera that no longer works.

After a very long wait, well long to me my bag came off the belt and with the great tip from the cop at the bag pickup area (who was nice and spoke perfect English) I was off to the Termni for 4 Euro, the first bargain of the trip.

I quickly found my hotel Hotel Alantico
Dont be fooled by the those nice pictures on the website, this is a true value hotel.
With a fascist era elevator and smoked filled rooms that have not been updated since I was young, you get what you pay for .

The air conditioner

View at night

After a sort crappy free breakfast , service was worse than the food I was off

I have to admit the short walk to many sites says Location, Location , Location for the hotel
See sites below.....Ciao

Tuesday was Travel Day

All day of travel Tuesday from Bangoles to Orly and then the flight on

Easyjet

The night before I had an awesome dinner that included hot boiled egg soup with cream, and some other stuff, Bon Appetit 

Then I slept well on the large bed, that had exactly the same linens as the Hotel Beryl

Busy Monday

Very busy day.
Met with Madame Beudet elderly &F cagey French  lady to clean house, she left with Euro 150.
Spent a long time Navigating French bureaucracy to pay overdue taxes.
Thoughtful Rachel at one of the many offices I visited had water company out to the house very fast.

It was then I discovered three leaks in bathroom pipes.

Hotel Gayot tonight.
Excellent food, small room and perhaps the worst internet connection in France!

Look who has the sweet spot for his Mercedes in front of the Hotel
I am off to Rome in the morning.

Sunday Evening In Bangoles

Another day & night in Bangoles
The weather has not been great, but no rain when I wanted to do something outside for long periods.
After cleaning up more of the house it was off to dinner.

Il Crocodile is right across from the Casino.

After a great dinner of Salad of Goat Cheese and some pasta it was off to the casino spending 2 hours and losing more Euros, not a lucky trip.

Tomorrow its off to the Marie in Saint Maurice to pay the taxes and meet Madame Beaudet, again?