Farewell to Paris--On to Barcelona

As we prepare to leave Paris for Barcelona tomorrow, we wrapped up our trip with a bus tour across town. We took the #69 bus from the end of our street through all the great neighborhoods to the 20th district. At the end of the line we visited the Pere Lachaise cemetery and paid our respects to Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison, among others. There were some amazing memorial statues to those who died in the various concentration camps during the war. Also, many to those who fought for the resistance and died at the hands of the Nazis.

There is so much more to see, but we will have to save it for another visit. Lasting memories from this trip include:

The Food--of course, and we have done our best to sample as much as we could--crepes, cheese, croissants, frites, beef, lamb, mushrooms, fruit--all of it fresh and colorful and washed down with some great wines.

The Architecture---my descriptions can't possibly do it justice, but I love the wrought iron balconies--some dripping with flowers. The carved corbels and pediments over the windows and doors. The statuary and the gargoyles and the lamp posts and the bridges. All set in magnificent boulevards ending in grand squares with fountains or obelisks-- or windy little cobble-stoned streets that dead end abruptly as you round the corner.

The Metro-- We love subway systems everywhere, and this one is as fun to navigate as most--and even with the strikes it got us to where we wanted to be quickly and we only had to jump the turnstiles once.

The Shops--While everything here seems very expensive, especially with the Euro so strong, it's great fun to see what's available. Today we spent some time looking at the incredible variety of fresh fish (eels, scallops, octopus, shrimp, sardines, etc. etc. in the fish shop opposite the hotel. It was next door to the Cheese Shop which has more varieties of cheese than I've ever come across. Add to that fabulous bakeries every few steps, interspersed with cafes and chocolate shops--what's not to love!

The Weather--We've been so lucky that there has been only the briefest drop of rain while we've been here. Otherwise, it's been clear and cool--with splashes of sun!

Au Revoir from Paris.