[36] There's No Place Like Paris

The Louvre from the inside. See the automatic window washer?
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At first we planned to skip Paris. We’d been there in 1993 and weren’t sure if we wanted to go back this trip. At least that was what we said to each other. But as the trip wound down and we got closer to the City of Lights, we had to admit that our "Grand Tour" wouldn’t be complete without Paris. Yes!

So we came and walked the wide boulevards, rode the Metro, ate fois gras, visited the Louvre and sat in cafes. There is no town that invigorates like Paris. The fashionable men and women walking down the street, either make you feel more chic or shabby. We also had to go to the tower – clear to the top, of course.

A little blurry, but . . The Galleries Lafayette decorated for Christmas
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It turned very cold by the time we arrived, so the second day we walked down to the Galleries Lafayette to buy gloves and a long-sleeved shirt for REB. It was all decorated for Christmas, including the mechanical scenes in the windows.

It’s obvious that we’re slowing down. We need much more rest each day after venturing out of our hotel room. And, even in Paris, there were evenings we were too tired to go for dinner. It’s simply hard to believe that we will be home in a matter of days. No more hotel reservations or train schedules. No more suitcases to haul up steps at the train station. We made a list of things we hadn’t done in four months: drove a car, watched TV, cooked a meal, made a bed. Things we’ll miss: sidewalk cafes, beautiful architecture and art, excitement of a new town and country.

Christmas window at Galleries Lafayette
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Now it’s back to Mechelen for three days and then home on the 14^th of November.

Stay tuned for the final installment.

Love to all, -30-