Day 19: Paris Churches & MoreA Farewell to Richard: Richard gave his farewell speech on the bus and told us we had traveled 4,656 miles on the bus during this trip! We have been fortunate to have had such a comfortable bus and great driver. Richard has been as much a member of this trip as any other tour member, and we were sad to see him go.
One Last Bus Ride: This was our last day on the bus. We ate at one last Autogrill along the way and listened to some more podcasts to prepare us for Paris. One of the things we've noted often about the bus rides is that Rick Steves and his staff really know how to break up long drives. The bus rides never felt too long. We stopped every 2-3 hours, and it seemed like the stops were always just at the right time. Ironically, we hit our only major traffic back-up on this last leg, but Richard skillfully took us into the city by a different route. That was OK by us since it gave us a look at part of the city we may have otherwise missed. Learning to Navigate the City: Lisa gave us our metro tickets for our stay in Paris and took us to the metro for a crash course on navigating the subway systems. She expertly helped us make sense of the system and empowered us to be able to travel the metro on our own later. That is one of the things that drew us to Rick's tours--he and his guides empower their travelers. Knowledge is power, and we were gaining more every day. Sainte-Chapelle: As we visited the famous Sainte-Chapelle, we got a lesson in architecture and a display of beauty. Lisa explained how the church was designed to allow for the large panels of stained glass in the church. To help make sense of it, we built a human church with one of the kids as the steeple. It was fun, interactive, and by doing this, we learned how each part of the structure distributes the weight and helps to keep it standing. The tour of the church was awesome too. The stained glass windows were captivating. Notre Dame: Everyone was familiar with Notre Dame, but I think we all gained new appreciation for the building as well as its people by visiting it in person. We learned that it took the townspeople 200 years to build it, and we heard many interesting stories behind the statues that adorned the exterior of the building. When we toured the interior, mass was in session, so we got to experience that as well as the beauty of the church itself. The Eiffel Tower: When we walked out of the metro tunnel back by our hotel, we were greeted by the Eiffel Tower. Maybe that inspired us because during our free evening, we walked down to the tower to see it up close and watch the light display at night. When the lights came on, it was pretty impressive. At about 11:00, the tower began its flickering light show. For something made out of a lot of iron and rivets, it sure was beautiful. Experience the Google Trek of the Eiffel Tower. |
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