So...a guitar free weekend ...a trip to Paris for me and my wife Jane.  This is where we ended up having lunch on Saturday...a bit rough but we put up with it....

And guitar free? Almost... on Sunday we were up at the Marche Aux Puces, Paris's massive (but massive) flea market....walking down the street we heard the unmistakable sound  of le Jazz Manouche ...it's on Django Reinhardt's old stomping  ground, and La Chope Des Puces is a cafe dedicated to keeping alive the music of the man himself.

Sunday night we joined the Parisiens on the Champs Elysees, thousands of them celebrating the election of President Hollande...total madness, with every sort of vehicle taking to the streets,  from bicycles & pizza deliver scooters to open-top Ferraris blasting up and down the boulevarde honking their horns, flying flags, people dancing in the street, setting off firework flares...and a huge numbers of seriously hard-looking riot police...but it was all very good natured and great fun.

We spent Monday strolling round the Latin Quarter and onto the Isle Saint Louis behind Notre Dame, and passed a pleasant hour in the spring sunshine, sat on the kerbstones of Pont St. Louis listening to some blues and jazz..there were two bands, taking it in turns to do sets...here's Rene Miller...

See..that's how you busk...sharp suit...and a more than a fair bit of talent it has to be said. I chatted to both bands for a while..and made sure I put a few Euros in the hat before moving on.

Then back to the hotel to pick up our bags and head off back home. By the way, if you want somewhere to stay in Paris, I can't recommend The Hotel Mercedes highly enough...very very stylish original Art Deco "boutique" hotel...nicely renovated with some superb original features...they even had Edith Piaf playing in the lobby when we arrived!

Reality and the workshop beckons......just 30 more HGMC kits to make, sort out some drums for Tinqui8..and then we're on tour next week!!