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Our Magnificent Journey
Chapter 10
2008
Israel, Paris

 

Carol and David and the ancient wall surrounding Old Jerusalem  
06.20.08
Tuesday

Day 21

Paris
 
   

We enjoyed another restful night’s sleep in the hotel’s soft bed and awoke to the gentle sound of light rain falling on the garden below our window. It turned out to be the irrigation system but it certainly was peaceful.

 

Today, our last day in this chapter, is sunny and cool. At 9:00am we wandered out of the hotel and down to our familiar market at the corner of Rue Monge and St. Germain des Pres. The sellers were just setting up so we decided to visit our beloved Notre Dame before the crush of tourists. On the way we stopped for a quick café au lait and croissant.

 

After our petite dejeuner in the shadows of Notre Dame, we entered the grand cathedral once again and savored the peace there. There is something so special about these ancient stone walls and the solace within.

 

Then we wandered back to the market at Rue Monge where we bought some scarves from India.

 
Carol in her element
 

Back to the hotel to drop off our goodies. Got some nice photos of the gardens and of Madame La Floche.

 
The wonderful lush gardens at Hotel des Grande Ecoles
 
Madame La Floche
 

Next we strolled past the Pantheon and the Sorbonne, then took a right turn at Boul Mich and the Luxembourg Gardens. We walked north across the Seine, past the Palais de Justice and sat in the shade at Café Les Deux Palais for a delicious lunch of soupe a l’oignon, salmon quiche and salad. The weather is cool and sunny – perfect. Watched a nearby group of what appeared to be French “special” police.

 
Carol and David with the Pantheon in the background
 
Lunch in the shadows of Notre Dame
 
Carol and several French police
 

We walked from the café through the nearby flower market, then north into the Marais and window-shopped/people-watched, then wandered east to Pompidou Center where Carol bought some interesting Indian “princess” pants and a pair of black gaucho pants – mission accomplished. Then south again to Rue Rivoli among hordes of people and traffic, then east to Bastille where we stopped at a shady café to recharge.

 
Beautiful flowers at the market
 
Carol tries on gaucho pants
 
Recharging at a cafe near Bastille
 
Carol and David with the Bastille memorial and the new opera house in the background
 

We walked across Bastille to another favorite market of ours, then headed west up Boulevard Henri IV, aimed for the Pantheon and were back at the hotel by 4pm to rest and to pack for tomorrow’s trip back home to Tucson. Once again, we have walked many miles through the wonders of Paris.

 
Typical Parisian scene
 

Back at the hotel at 4pm, we were so exhausted from wandering through the streets of the City of Light that we conked out in bed.

 

At 6pm we woke to the sound of church bells around Paris – beautiful soft music to accompany the peace of the hotel’s lush, pastoral garden. We always enjoy the music of the bells when we are in this magic city.

 

At 6:30pm we showered and packed for the Continental flight to Houston. As always, we are sad to see the trip wind down after so many incredible adventures.

 

At 7:30pm we walked the short block up to Rue Mouffetard and chose a nearby restaurant for our last supper in Paris. Dinner was romantic and quiet, and by 9:30pm we were sound asleep, prepared for tomorrow’s journey home.

 
Carol enjoying wine on Rue Mouffetard
   

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