Day 21 - Beaune to Paris

Had a breakfast of croissant and tea in the hotel and then hit the road for Paris at 8:00. This was our last day on the bus.

Made it to Paris by lunchtime and checked in to the Duquesne Eiffel Hotel. It is a really nice hotel and if you look out our window, we have a great view of the Eiffel Tower. This may be our best hotel yet and I’m pretty sure it’s the most expensive. A good one to end the trip on, if the trip has to end!

Gary and I and some of the ladies ate crepes for lunch. Gary had the ham, egg, and cheese and I had the dark chocolate and banana. Yes, dark chocolate and banana!

Shakespeare and Co. is a bookstore that people like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and others used to hang out in.  This is not the original, but a replica, I guess.  I haven't looked into this very much, but our guide was telling us some about it.  It seems to be a popular hangout with book loving people.

We met up with the whole group at 3:00 and rode the metro and walked through the city, taking in St. Chappell (famous for stained glass windows, shown at left) and Notre Dame Cathedral. At Notre Dame, we happened in just as mass was starting, so we sat in on that for a while. It was really neat to be there when they were actually having mass. I didn’t understand it, but the singing was really beautiful.

Outside Notre Dame was a guy playing guitar and singing Country Roads!  That's twice we've heard that - once at Octoberfest and once outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris!

After we toured Notre Dame, we were finished for the day with the official Rick Steves stuff , so most of us grabbed a quick bite in the Latin Quarter (Gary and I got sandwiches) and then we took the metro to where you can catch a boat to take a night-time cruise on the Seine. Of the fourteen people left on the tour, eleven of us went, so it was a pretty good turnout. It was so beautiful cruising up and down the Seine. The Eiffel Tower was lit up and I didn’t realize it, but every hour on the hour it sparkles. 

There were young folks all along the Seine having parties and they all waved and yelled as we went by (pictured at left).

Got back to the hotel a little before 11:00 and went down to the lobby to blog and check email. Will soon go to bed to get up for the last day of the tour tomorrow in Paris. We have a tour of the Louvre tomorrow morning and then we’re free all afternoon until the last dinner together tomorrow night.