Follow the valley of the Seine

The river Seine loops its way through fields of grain, orchards, marshland, peat bogs and forests from Paris to the coast at Le Havre. This historic waterway is dotted with ancient towns, chateaux and monasteries.

With the Eurostar delivering passengers to Paris faster than ever, an exploration of Haute Normandie is a rewarding short-trip for visitors who want to see more of France but only have time to travel a few days from the capital.

Eurostar Passenger Numbers Up

t seems that train travel is back in vogue, with Eurostar announcing its best ever results for the first quarter of 2008.

The train operator said that sales were up 25.2% to £178.4 million for the first three months of the year, with passenger numbers up by 21%.

Some 2.17 million passengers boarded Eurostar trains from January to March this year.

Demand has been up since the firm introduced new low-cost fares from 68 towns and cities across the country.

Paris perfect for solo trip

In the Paris Metro, for example, only the larger stations have escalators and not all the way from the platform to the sidewalk. Use the helpful packing tips in the guidebooks and on the Internet to pare down.

A good place to stay. With the assistance of a friend with a travel agency I located a modest hotel in Paris. In Avignon, I chose a hotel recommended by Rick Steves. I found my hotel in Nice on the Internet. In each place, I fared equally well.

Relying on the kindness of strangers. From the moment I hit the sidewalk outside the airport, I began receiving help from others and very soon, to my surprise, giving it as well.