Up very early yesterday for a Big Expedition to France. Much travelling and waiting around, but children very patient:

0700 – leave home by car
0810 – train to Paris
0940 – taxi to Gare de Lyon to dump luggage
1030 – set off to Eiffel Tower by RER and Metro
1130 – F and I start queuing for Eiffel Tower, leaving U and to watch the pigeons down below
1230 – get into Eiffel Tower
1250 – reach top of Eiffel Tower: F duly delighted by it, which is just as well considering it was his idea.
1310 – taxi to Gare de Lyon again
1440 – lunch at Gare de Lyon, somewhat enlivened when F’s glass disintegrates as he is in the act of carefully putting it on the table. Waitress assues us that those glasses disintegrate all the time (so why still use them?)
1450 – train for Dijon leaves, 15 mins late; the one train of the day (apart from RER and Metro) which is really full
1540 – successfully change trains in Dijon for Mâcon. Suddenly realise that the car I have rented is at the wrong station in Mâcon.
1800 – arrive Mâcon, take taxi to other station where rental car agent is (thank heavens) still waiting for us.
1830 – set off for Cluny in rental car.
1900 – gets my sister to talk us in on my mobile phone. Conversation appears to consist of sister saying “That’s right, just keep going.” Eventually I see her standing in the middle of the road outside her house. Stop. Park. Eat. Sleep.