A great weekend in Lille, travelling  by Eurostar from Ebbsfleet International (about which I could get quite evangelical – for its convenience, if not its glamour and sophistication: the train left Lille Europe at 17.36 local time on the way home and we got into our house in SE7 at 18.20).

I visited France a lot as a child and – a bit like with camping the previous weekend  – couldn’t imagine at the time that I wouldn’t do so regularly forever, but then through my 20’s and 30’s hardly went at all. It felt good to be back there, and to see my daughter discover Orangina, waffles, pain au chocolat, and all those things that are readily available in London but somehow much better in France. Paris next year, I think.