Jeudi ezy Berlin

Pack in the morning. We look into souvenir shops and find a cuckoo clock magnet for our fridge.

Lunch at a small trattoria, Locanda Ticinese, with a mama the size of a tank. 3-course set Menu only 26 Swiss Francs. This place is packed with in the know regulars and the wholesome Italian fare confirms why mamma cannot resist it.

We fly Easyjet so we arrive at the airport early not knowing what their procedures will be like and the web site booking engine has repeatedly warned that they close check-in 40 minutes before departure. They have an incredibly efficient system where you input your booking reference no or credit card into the self check in machine and it produces your boarding pass (one for the two of us) and luggage labels which we must affix ourselves. The only interaction is to pass our cases over the scales and have our passports checked - no seat allocation, but we paid an extra 10 euro for preferential boarding. We spend our remaining Swiss Francs at the duty free shop. The plane is on time all very efficient (German flight attendants).

Our hotel in Berlin, the Steigenberger, is in the centre of town. It is functional and efficient. Dinner at Moritz, recommended by our concierge, a short cab ride from the hotel and a 10 minute walk home after. We are very pleasantly surprised. Very very high quality food and exceptionally friendly and professional service. Would love to go back. Stroll back to hotel in tree-lined streets – assured by our concierge also that Berlin is very safe.

Anzac day Geneve - Wed 25th

We are awaken early courtesy of a mistaken phone call from room service at 7.30

Coffee and croissant at local patisserie. DIY walking tour of Geneve - Ile de Cité, flower clock, watch retaillers, pont Mont Blanc, private bankers everywhere.

Skeptically, on the strong recommendation of our hotel's conceriege, we take the dejeuner cruise. The food is par mal, the cruise and ambience is tres bon, commentary non existent. Overall a lovely experience on a beautiful clear sky day in Geneva.

Apres we go to the Philippe Patek Musée, one of Geneve's most famous watch makers for over 150 years. We are instructed to take the elavator to the 3rd floor and work our way down moving around each floor clockwise; how appropiate that we examine clocks clockwise.... We love this and spend over 2 hours in awe.

Dinner at Le Chat-Botté @ Hôtel Beau-Rivage We suspect it could be a Michelin star restaurant. Food is fantastic and service is attentive. Reminds us of the good old Paris restaurants.

Tuesday Geneve

B/fast at hotel. Pack up and take an express train at 12.17 pm to Geneva. Arrive 12.50 pm - on time as the trains always are in this part of the world.

Our hotel is right by the water overlooking Rive du Rhone with the famous Jet éau (jet fountain). We have a comer room on the third floor with a tourist brochure view of the jet and out to the lake. The steamers that service the Swiss and French towns along the lake are reminiscent of Agatha Christie times and we expect to see Hercule Pirot disembark at any moment.

Walk across Pont Mont Blanc to city centre for lunch at Café du Centre.

In the afternoon we explore the Old City; its aged buildings look very well maintained. Back down the hill we take a trolley bus to Carouge – an area with Mediterranean buildings and built by a Svaoian king to rival Geneva on the trade routes. Today it is a fashionable suburb of Geneva and listed as an area of historical importance in Switzerland. Return 7 pm.

Dinner at Bistrot du Boeuf - Lyonnaise cusine specializing in steaks. Classic old French bistro décor. Kwan tries to order steak well done the old waiter gives her a frown and attitude. Philip orders the set menu. However, while we are waiting for dessert menu, we are handed the bill. Instead of offering us a dessert menu or coffee, the old Frenchman just deducted 7 euros for dessert. Kwan is not happy but Philip says it’s all part of the fun of travelling.

Lundi - Mountains snow & castle

The Lausanne Palace Hotel where we are staying provides a wonderful buffet breakfast spread.

Walk down the hill to the station and take a 20 minute train to Montreaux – famous for the Montreaux Jazz festivals. The town is very nice with a loverly lakeside promenade. It feels like a Rivera village and is much more pleasant than Lausanne on first impressions.

We catch the small cog train up the mountain to Roches de Naye. It is a small old fashion 2-carriage train slowly climbing about 2,000 metres up the mountain passing through the pretty small towns of Glion or Caux. Half way through the journey, we go through a dark tunnel and come out with an amazing snow field surrounding the train. It is an incredible sight and feeling.

At the top there are fantastic views of the surrounding French and Swiss alps. There is a Marmottes sanctuary (like groundhogs) and reindeers are to be seen. Philip swears he has taken a photo of Mont Blanc. Lunch at cafeteria as the panoramic restaurant with the views (accessed through a long pedestrian underground tunnel) is closed.

Return to Montreaux at 4.52 pm and take a bus to Château de Chillon. We were more than prepared to rush through what we thought would be just another castle but were pleasantly surprised with a well preserved 12 century castle.Very interesting and different from other castles we have seen in UK, Scotland or France.

Return to Lausanne at 7 pm. Dinner at La Suite (French).

Dimanche - Trains 'n Coats 'n pains

Packing to vacate the apartment takes quite a lot of time. We meet the agent, Anne, at apartment and hand over the keys. Our TGV train (very fast) is scheduled to leave from Gare de Lyon to Lausanne Switzerland at 1.05 pm. These trains pride themselves in being on time.

We arrive at the station with an hour spare and have lunch at station eatery, Train Blue Brasserie. Walking down the platform, we realize we have left our coats in the restaurant. 10 minutes to go and Philip has to rush back to the restaurant. In the meantime Kwan looks for the correct carriage. Kwan fails to find the carriage and has to get on to the nearest carriage and Philip returns with the coats with a minute to spare. We have to now drag our bags (you know we are known for travelling light) through 5 carriages to find our seats, only to find someone have occupied them. They vacated seats but left their moaning, whining cat on the luggage shelf above for 1 ½ hours, while they presumably continued to seat hop. After the stop at Dijon they reclaimed the cat in the box only minutes before we may have committed felineacide. – real torture.

We arrive in Lausanne at 4.55 pm. There is very pretty scenery (canola flowers fields, water views) particularly for the last hour of the journey. Our hotel is up the hill with a great view of Lake Geneva – Lac Léman to the locals – and the snow caped alps as the backdrop.

Dinner at a lakeside Italian restaurant where the staff seem to be overwhelmed by the crowds of visitors the warm weather has attracted over the week end - quite a contrast to Paris where the service is usually very professional and efficient. Kwan thinks that the waterfront area reminds her of Brighton or Bournemouth - a kind of uninspiring resort.

Our hotel is wonderful, but the other first impressions of Lausanne below par.

Samedi anniversaire à Versailles

J&J leave today at 11 am. We take them to Invalides to connect with the RER B to Antony for Orlyval (driverless express train) to Orly Airport.

Lunch at Thoumieux, an very old fashioned bistro. All waiters are over 50 years old. Food tastes good but greasy.

Pack up in the afternoon and 7 pm we take a train to Versailles for Jacques’ 70^th birthday party. Great fun. We meet up with Laurent and Frederique, Bernard and Anna. A presentation by Jacques’ children with photos and artwork on projector. Also a song specially written for Jacques for his birthday by an artist in Brittany where Jacques used to dock his boat. Annie, Jacques’ girlfriend makes a very delicious medallion of pork. Dancing at midnight. We leave around 12.30 am. G7 taxi back to Paris.

Friday at the Louvre

Jez et Jeremy visit the Louvre in the morning and meet up with Philip et Kwan for a quick lunch at Galleries Lafayette. Jez and Kwan attend a fashion parade at 3pm and continue retail therapy while Philip and Jeremy check out the latest technology in FNAC.

Dinner at Le Violon d'Ingres at 7eme. Dessert from Pierre Hermé at home.