France
Day 18, We headed off to our final country, France. Our first stop was the walled town of Beaune in the winemaking capital of Burgundy. We visited the Hotel Dieu Museum before a group wine tasting event. Our guide's passion for wine and living was inspirational. His motto is don't wait for a special moment to enjoy great wine, today is a special moment that deserves to be celebrated. Such great advice…today is a special day…wine anyone?!! Sante!
The next morning was our last day with Hilde. =( We made our way to the City of Lights, Paris! We hopped onto the Paris Metro and had a walking tour of central Paris and the Latin Quarter. Notre-Dame was still being restored after the devastating fire of 2019, so we gazed upon it from a distance. Even through all the scaffolding, she still was beautiful.
We had tickets to go into Sainte-Chapelle but unfortunately, it was closed due to the ongoing strikes. We were all very disappointed but there were plenty of other marvelous places to see, even if all you do is walk down the street and admire the beautiful French architecture. We had a lesson on using the Paris Metro, it was a little intimidating, but we quickly got the hang of it.
*TIP To get around using the Paris Metro, always refer to the large maps on the wall and note the stops in each line so you know what direction you're going in.
Day 20, Even a little Paris rain wasn't going to stop this group from taking on the world's largest museums, The Louvre.
It's said that if you looked at each piece of art for 30 seconds, it would take you 100 days to see everything, and I believe it--this place is enormous! The Louvre has an impressive collection of ancient paintings, sculptures, and artifacts all curated beautifully.
*TIP Use the Rick Steves Audio Europe app or the mp3s to listen to exhibit guides.
After a few hours we were ready to get off our feet, so we took a Seine River cruise. What a great vantage point to see so many beautiful buildings; no wonder Paris chose to place so much emphasis on the river during the Paris 2024 Olympics, which was just a month away.
Later that evening we all met up for our final dinner together and a celebration of such a great trip, sharing memories, laughter, and hugs. It was bittersweet to end such an amazing trip together and say goodbye to a group of wonderful fellow travelers. =(
As some travelers prepared for an early departure home, a few of us met for an evening stroll to see the most famous structure in Paris, that's right, the lady herself, the Eiffel Tower! There she stood 1083' and full of lights. It was so exciting!
*TIP Make sure you keep an eye out at the top of the hour because the Eiffel Tower sparkles for 5 minutes. It's a sight to see!
Day 21, The tour's final day just consisted of breakfast at the hotel, but we weren't done-we extended our stay at the hotel for two more nights.
For our after-tour time, we hopped on the Metro and made our way to The Paris Catacombs. The Catacombs are 6-stories underground so there were a lot of steps-131 steps to go down and 112 steps to climb back up. But boy, the spiral staircase to go up was dizzying and seemed neverending-you just have to push through! I was pooped but it was very interesting, and my daughter loved it and was very intrigued. Happy kid, happy life! Am I right, parents?!
The next day we just strolled through the Paris streets, admiring buildings and appreciating our last full day in Paris.
The time had come to say goodbye to Europe. The hotel arranged a ride to the airport that we shared with a couple on our trip. Soon we were on our flight back home and back to reality. Au revoir!!
France
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