Trains, planes and automobiles

When they said the French were always on strike, they weren't lying. Oh mon dieu, the grève is driving me crazy. Let's start with the first keyword - trains. The RER and the SNCF have been on strike for nearly two weeks now on and off. It hasn't really affected me apart from it taking an hour to get into Paris yesterday morning but it is causing uproar for people trying to get home from work. It took my au pair dad nearly 2 hours to get home last night. After a long day behind a desk I imagine it's the last thing you need.

And it continues...now there is no fuel. All the petrol stations are pretty much empty of fuel as the oil workers have gone on strike against the proposed pension plan. So no fuel for cars means no kerosene for planes...not good when I am supposed to be flying to the UK on saturday. Buttt luckily it looks like its mainly planes from Orly and only french airlines, thank you Flybe. Plus Sarkozy has to make his decision on the pension age change by Friday and it looks like he isn't budging and to be honest...good for him. I understand that the French fight for their social system and that is why they strike but really two years isn't too much of an alteration. 62 is still younger than the retirement age in the UK and most other countries. My au pair mum also thinks they will stop striking because they want to go on holiday too and if they keep striking they can't take advantage of the Toussaint holiday! Let's hope so anyway.

After waiting weeks I finally got to go to the Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l'automobile) and it was everything I expected it to be and more. The cars were incredible and with the help of Boy Brit's press card for mini we managed to get into the sealed off areas. American au pair and I felt like we were V.I.P's. We definitely got treated like it too, we sat in two £400,000 Rolls Royce's, one being a convertable and got to check out all the gadgets. I also got closer to a ferrari than I ever have been in my life...! All in all it was a fantastic day and such an experience. I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't been before.