Last days in Paris

This picture is of my Aunt Tere and Uncle Tony. They were easy travel companions. She wore that head scarf a' la Paris. One of the things we learned about France is that you will get multiple directions to the same place and that many of times, things don't work as stated. This particular night we all bundled up for dinner on a boat that went along the river. When we arrived at the advertised locations... no boat showed up. : ( We had a nice dinner anyways. Grammpa and the girls returned to the apartment and we still took a boat ride. It was a beautiful ride where we could see most of the major sites... the Eiffel Tower, impressively decorated bridges etc. Mariela

On this particular day we split up for some of the day. Tia Tere, Tony, Lily and I ( Mariela) took a Double Decker bus around the sites. The weather was a little gloomy and we felt a sprinkle more than once. I can't imagine how many people are here during the summer. The crowds were light but you definitely didn't feel alone in the city. One of the things that I noticed was that in Italy people wore dark colors and everyone wore a black coat. It wasn't the case in Paris. Colors were the norm and it was nice to see some creative styles. I know Lily enjoyed the fashionable taste. Mariela

On the last day we visited the Orsay Museum. By this time I definitely felt like some of us were low on energy. Julia started with a cold a day or so ago and I caught it as well.  We also ran a snag in with our apartment. When we arrived in Paris our contact had a plumber fixing the boiler. We were happy whatever problem had been fixed..... but by Friday we had to have someone come out again. It was a quick fix until Monday when again it stopped working. Our contact was on a short trip. To say the least, I was irritated. We all missed a day of showers except for Lucia who chose to have a cold shower. Lily and I washed old school using a hot pot of water and a large and small bowl. We could have used the shower at my aunt and uncle's hotel 3 blocks away. The plumber eventually showed up and we were able to all have a warm shower that night.

We didn't arrive until about 11am. By this time the awful news of the Boston bombing had reached. Security was raised as we saw young men caring heavy duty guns patrolling the Orsay. The line was very long and we must have waited for almost an hour. It was pretty busy inside. By this time the head cold hit me hard and I was blowing my nose regularly. It was also very hot and uncomfortable. Lucia and Julia were museumed out. They posed for me, what angels. We have been privileged to see many of the famous artist we're studied in CC on this trip. We were able to see Monet, El Greco, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Picasso. All in all the group showed great endurance and flexibility.

I believe this was on our way to Tia and Tio's hotel. The drivers weren't as aggressive in Paris and they were in Italy. People generally crossed the street (red or green light) as long as no cars were coming. I didn't think people drove as fast as well. Crosswalks are everywhere and most cars do stop. Someone in our group ate Crepes everyday. I enjoyed the banana and Nutella ones myself. There were crepes available on every block. We were able to enjoy Italian gelatos off and on as well. My aunt and I enjoyed the coffee flavored ones on a stroll from the Louve through the adjacent park.She has said that if anyone invited her again, she's go : ). Uncle Tony says yes to Europe but now he wants to go to Spain. I actually met some Spaniards who happily gave me their card when I said I'd like to visit. They were an older couple at the Louve. We had an unforgettable trip and we thank you all for joining us via our blog. I'm sure the girls will be adding their comments later today. As for me... well... this was a trip I only dreamed of so I'm grateful  and thankful to God for the experience. I spent it with company I enjoy, ate food I'll long for and laughed out loud many a times. What else can I ask for?! xoxo Mariela