Make it count

Tuesday, July 1st

Abigail's Graduation Trip - Day #5

Final full day in Paris.   It's amazing just how much we have seen in 3 days. Great stuff! We're all coming back from watching the US lose to Belgium in the Round of 16 of the World Cup. Disappointed. Dejected. But - we had alot of fun at the local pub near our hotel. We visited with a view locals and finished the night with a plate of olives. An interesting mix with a few beers - it's all about the experience.

Today was really great - a rolling mix of emotions. I woke up feeling very anxious that I still did not have my luggage. I was going on Day #5 wearing the same attire. Less than desired for sure. The folks at the Baggage Claim Support Desk told me they had located my luggage and would be delivering "sometime today". I was anxiously optimistic as we left the hotel mid-morning.

We started the day around 9am. The weather continues to be very nice.   Temperatures rising to mid 70's in the afternoon and lows in the 50's in the morning and evening hours. We're getting pretty lucky missing the excessive heat back in the states. We've experienced a few bouts of rain -- but nothing too crazy and nothing keeping us from achieving our daily plans.

We started the day with a traditional French breakfast -- with croissants, bread, eggs, and coffee/juice. We all did well with the ordering except for Kelly -- who tried hard for a bagel and creme cheese. She couldn't swing the deal and ended up with only orange juice. We all had a little fun at her expense to get the day rolling.

Our first stop was the Museum de Orsay. (On the way we did make a side-stop to a popular chocolate shop called Angelina's. We all partook in a rich piece of chocolate to get the adrenaline flowing). The museum is located on the left bank of the Seine River. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It houses the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world, by painters including Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. I had never been inside this museum. Very interesting. We saw some original Van Gogh paintings, peered out to the River Seine behind the large clock on the 5th floor, and rested in an octopus leather chair to help the legs.

After our museum visit, we walked back up the south bank of the Seine to the lock bridge we had visited yesterday. Everyone, minus me, purchased a lock and placed it on a specific site on the bridge. Hoping one day to come back and see if they can find the lock and make wishes come true.

Our next bogey was a ride on the Seine. We grabbed a few drinks and boarded the boat around 3:30pm. A nice, relaxing ride up and down both banks of the Seine.  A few interesting nuggets were picked up -- bringing the city into better perspective.

Once departing the boat -- everyone was getting pretty hungry. We had skipped lunch, having only a few snacks throughout the afternoon. We walked around the Germain section of town - south of the Seine. After a bit of debate - we settle on a nice outdoor cafe. Dishes included everything from pasta to burgers. After dinner -- we all grabbed a gelato cone and headed back to the metro. We took the metro back to the hotel. My luggage had arrived!!!!!!! I could finally change clothes - the first time in 5 days.

After a 30 minute rest, we headed out for some evening activity - departing the hotel around 7:45pm. We journeyed to the Champs Elysees. We decided we wanted to walk up the northern side of the street -partaking in a little souvenir shopping prior to our departure tomorrow. I ended up getting a pair of shorts/shirts -- compliments of Delta Airlines. We worked our way up to the Arc de Triomphe. We wanted to climb to the peak of the Arc and take some pictures of the city. I'm really glad we ascended the winding staircase to the top. What an incredible view! We got to see the lights come on the Eiffel Tower for a second straight night.   After a number of pictures - back to the metro and our section of town.

We ended the night at a local pub a couple blocks from our hotel watching the US in the World Cup. We all agreed our time in Paris was fantastic - busy, interesting and rewarding. Tomorrow we pack up and head to London. A fine cup of hot tea awaits us!