Catching the train from London to Paris is so effortless - every time I walk through the gleaming grandness of St Pancras station I chide myself for not doing it more often.

I caught the 5:40am Eurostar train to Paris Gare du Nord - the first train out on a Friday. The train arrived at 9:17am (Paris time is one hour ahead of London) and by 10am I had checked into my apartment and was tucking into petit dejeuner at Petit Pot, the cafe next door to where I was staying for the weekend.