Cheerio! Arrivederci! Au Revoir!
EUROPEAN ADVENTURE, Days 19-21:Paris to Atlanta
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After four hectic days of non-stop sightseeing, we decided to slow our pace on Monday and explore the area around our apartment. In addition to identifying the district where we're staying, Montmartre was originally the name of the large hill (pictured above) topped by the Sacre Coeur Church. space
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Montmartre attracted many noted artists who set up studios and lived in the area, including Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and Picasso. The district still attracts creative types, as Jeanne and I discovered in a neighborhood shopping stroll.
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Without doubt our favorite shop was Pylones, a showcase of brightly colored everyday objects reinvented with a maximum of whimsy and a lot of character.
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| A tiny shop full of many off-beat treasures |
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On Tuesday, we finally thought to track down a gluten-free bakery for Jeanne. Since we don't seek out vegetarian restaurants, we hadn't thought to search for a place that caters to those with Celiac. Though the best-known GF bakery in the city was closed on Tuesdays, we were all on board when we discovered Biosphere, a gluten-free creperie. No, that's not an oxymoron. The food was delicious and Jeanne could eat with abandon, knowing all was safe for her diet.
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As we were making our way to the restaurant, we received notice from Air France that we'd been bumped from our flight back to Atlanta. Perhaps because we booked through Delta? So we sped back to the apartment after lunch and scrambled to find a new flight back the next day. Thank you, Delta, for making it happen, even if we were on an Air France flight. Set to leave early afternoon, we spent the remainder of the day relaxing and packing, and enjoyed our last dinner in one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants.
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| Cheese Graters |
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| Spray Bottles |
Ken opted to sit out the window shopping but joined us as we finally rode the funicular to the top of Montmartre and visited the Basilica of Sacre Coeur, which we had been viewing up the hill for six days.
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| Shopping Sisters |
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As we were making our way to the restaurant, we received notice from Air France that we'd been bumped from our flight back to Atlanta. Perhaps because we booked through Delta? So we sped back to the apartment after lunch and scrambled to find a new flight back the next day. Thank you, Delta, for making it happen, even if we were on an Air France flight. Set to leave early afternoon, we spent the remainder of the day relaxing and packing, and enjoyed our last dinner in one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants.
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Jeanne seemed a little sad to bid Paris au revoir on Wednesday as we boarded the train that would take us back to Charles De Gaulle Airport for our return flight home.
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| Au revoir, Paris! |
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After the usual security screenings, we put in our waiting time before an uneventful flight back to Atlanta and home. Though Jeanne enjoyed our adventure, it was the first time she had gone three weeks without seeing any of her children or grandchildren. She was eager to reconnect with them, and soon we were all back to our normal routine, our European adventure but a memory.
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| The final leg |
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MONDAY, 21 OCTOBER - WEDNESDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2013
