The final days of our tour have arrived. We have had so many unbelievable experiences, foods, and drinks. We saw things we never dreamed we would see. So how would Paris compare to all of those things? Well, you can stop worrying that Paris would be a let down. The choice of hotels by Rick and Company has been incredible, not fancy but always well located. Our Paris hotel was no different. Staying near the Rue Cler was like visiting a friendly neighborhood. There were boulangeries (bakeries) fromagrie (cheese shops) gelato shops, and restaurants. Lisa had us all prepared to greet shop keepers with Bonjour and gave us a really good introduction to the Metro. On our first day in Paris, many of us walked to the Rue Cler for lunch, before our afternoon activity.
The Louvre
After lunch, we found ourselves on our way to the Louvre. With our Rick Steve’s audio system we were able to navigate the Louvre and see the most famous works of art. Once again, there were smaller crowds so we were able to see The Mona Lisa, The Wedding at Cana, Venus de Milo, winged Victory and so many others up close and personal without dodging people. Our museum pass, given to us by the tour, was for 2 days so we were able to use it the next day on our free time to visit the Orsay, where even more amazing art pieces were displayed.
Our Last Day
Anxious to see more of Paris, we all headed to the Metro with our Metro passes and Museum passes in hand, We were meeting our local guide Francisca by the Hotel de Villa ( Paris’ City Hall).
We crossed to the Île de la Cité. ( the island in the middle of the Seine River). Francisca led us to Sainte Chapelle. This Gothic style cathedral was built in the 1200’s. The most famous and beautiful feature of the chapel is the fifteen stained glass windows in the upper chamber. The thousands of small pieces of glass turn the walls into beautiful screens of colored light.
We crossed to the Île de la Cité. ( the island in the middle of the Seine River). Francisca led us to Sainte Chapelle. This Gothic style cathedral was built in the 1200’s. The most famous and beautiful feature of the chapel is the fifteen stained glass windows in the upper chamber. The thousands of small pieces of glass turn the walls into beautiful screens of colored light.
A tour of the Latin Quarter was a little challenging due to rain. The winding narrow cobblestone streets are reminiscent of what medieval Paris must have looked like. The Shakespeare and Company bookstore and the oldest tree in Paris were visited on our tour.
We were able to catch a glimpse of Notre Dame as reconstruction continues on this Paris landmark.
They are hoping to have the reconstruction completed by 2024, we are hoping we can go back to see it then!
They are hoping to have the reconstruction completed by 2024, we are hoping we can go back to see it then!
It had been a rainy morning but our group would not be deterred. We were here to visit Paris and so we did. Soon we found a sidewalk cafe and enjoyed lunch.
Our afternoon was free time and we headed to the Orsay and found our way back to the hotel on the Metro. We loved the Orsay and the art inside.
Time to say Goodbye
Thank you to Rick for superb planning, to Lisa for great leadership, to all the local guides for bringing each stop to life, to our tour mates who shared their time with never a contrary word and to the people of Europe who shared their cultures, their food and their time with us and made us feel welcome. No one will ever tell us again that Europeans don’t like Americans. We say goodbye to an experience we will never forget. Our final meal together and toasting by the Eiffel Tour brought tears to our eyes. Goodbye Europe, we hope to see you later. Au revoir!