Day 6: Amazing Art and A Wonderful New City

 

Today, we said goodbye to Rome and Bonjour to Paris!!!

Before I get into the details of today, let me say that we have been blessed by the weather.  It has been comfortable to warm each day.  We've had some slight wind, at times, but it has also been sunny.  I am definitely burning a bit...but I accept that.  The forecast looks good for the remainder of the trip as well.  It doesn't really matter to me, but nicer weather totally helps!!!

It has been a long day.  I am sitting in the lobby of the Hotel B&B writing tonight's blog. It is 9pm and we just got in.  There are 9 of us here, right now, some playing cards others just hanging out.  I think I am going to like this hotel more than our last...that said, let's chat about our departure from Rome.  Our wake up call was at 5am. The goal was to be on the bus by 6.  The hotel provided bagged breakfasts for us to take for the ride. The process of getting to the airport, checking in, going through security, and boarding the plane all went smoothly.  Seriously, I cannot think of an easier transfer.  Originally, this tour included an overnight train from Rome to Paris and while that sounds romantic, I am so glad it changed.  We would be a wreck, right now, if we had traveled by train, overnight, and had to tour all day.  

We arrived to Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport early!!! We collected our baggage and went to meet our bus driver.  He was only with us for the day and he provided some interesting moments.  I will explain later.  Our plan was fairly simple.  We would drive into Paris and disembark our bus near to the Sorbonne.  The traffic, however, was terrible.  Even with the slow going, we eventually made it to the right spot.  Joanna took us on a very brief walking tour and then it was time to explore the Latin Quater for lunch. Some of the kids rubbed the foot of Montaigne for good luck...we reminded them to use sanitizer afterwards!

Frequent readers of this blog already know what I bought for my lunch...and luck had nothing to do with it!

The Doner Kebab Sandwich is my favorite cheap street food.  I was pleased to eat at the same place I have for many of my previous visits.

Some students eating crepes

Some more students eating crepes.

Through a foggy window, you can see others with a fine dining option.

The Latin Quarter got its name because it was the section of early Paris that had the schools.  The classes, back then, were all taught in Latin.  It is on the opposite side of the Seine River from the Cathedral of Notre Dame.  Today was the first time I've seen the building since the fire destroyed the roof in April of 2019.  

You might not be able to tell, but the structure's roof is bare.  This means that the church is closed to viewing.  It is projected to be complete in 2024.  It is a national treasure and I am glad the kids got to see it, even if it was just from the outside.  After our lunch, we took a walk to the Louvre.  Again, I didn't take too many pictures from within.  I asked the kids to take pictures of their favorite pieces and send them to me for the blog...but no one did, lol. I am not sad.  I know they took the pictures because at least six of them showed me a couple of their favorites. Instead of posting their faves, I will post a few of the shots I took.

First, let me say, I am impressed with my cellphone camera. Kudos to you, Google Pixel 6.
This lady needs no introduction!

The Venus de Milo.

The Winged Statue of Victory

This is Salome receiving the head of St. Jean Baptiste.  I can't explain why I liked, lol

This piece shows the Passion of the Christ.  The image in the upper right corner really popped.

I enjoyed this image of the Louvre from roughly 1800.  It looks the same, but also different today.

Our Louvre visit ended with some of the kids exhausted.  It was a super long day to that point (although, it is now 10:30pm and some are still hanging out in the lobby with me) and it was clear they were ready to go...but others desperately wanted more time.  This is why travel is addictive.  This is why one must travel to learn.  I hope that all of these kids can make it back to Rome...to the Basilica, and to Paris for the Notre Dame and a full day at the Louvre.  It might not be in the next few years, but hopefully their steps will be heard on those marble floors in due time.

We exited the museum for the walk to Dinner.  Even though it was clear that many of the kids were tired, their exhaustion was tampered by their excitement of the big city.  The vibe here is amazing.  I hope to capture some of it over the next two days.

Dinner tonight was roasted chicken with vegetables and rice.  It was at a nice Parisian restaurant. I was also happy to see that quite a few people were eating there besides our group.  A lot of times, it is just us at a place. It always makes me wonder if the restaurant only has group contracts and that means quality doesn't have to be a premium.  I forgot, again, to grab dinner pictures, but the food was pretty good.  My table ate four baskets worth of bread, lol.  It was really good, especially soaked in the sauce.

When were done eating, we took a short walk to the bus.  Based on where the restaurant was located, I figured we'd get some good shots of Paris on the way to the hotel.  I only remembered to take one, though, oops.  I think it was because I was slightly distracted.  See, earlier that day, I had heard a rumor that some of the kids were thinking of asking if we could visit Disneyland Paris on our free day, friday.  I've been.  It is nice, but honestly, our time and money are better spent in the city than on rides outside of town.  My distraction, however, wasn't from the request.  It was because of our driver and his attempt to get us home.  Now, let me say, that I have a tendency to exaggerate a bit once the hour hits 11, but this must have been his first day driving a bus in Paris, lol.  He didn't necessarily speed and I never really felt like we were in any danger, but man did he hit every single pothole in the city.  We were bouncing here and there and everywhere.  He also had a lead foot...except it was the foot on his brake pedal.  We stopped short more times than I could count.  If the kids wanted an epic, Disney-style, park ride...they got one!!!

Our view from the bus...stopped at a red light.

We arrived to the hotel in one piece, unloaded our bags, and said goodbye to French Evel Knievel...and that's where we end tonight  I am now the only one left in the lobby, except for the front desk attendant.  Writing tonight's blog took the longest so far, but it was also the most fun to write.  It isn't the content.  It was the company.  So many of the kids made their way through the lobby this evening.  Some, as mentioned, played cards. Others inspired me to order UberEats (btw, I amended my rules on Fast Food when at a hotel...it doesn't count, lol)(also, btw, Carls Jr is in France and their Jalapeno Burger is pretty good).  The comradery we develop on tour is built in times like this.  I still remember my first Eurotrip (it was Rome) and playing cards with the kids until it was time for lights out.  Our last hotel wasn't set up for that, but this one worked really well tonight.  I expect tomorrow night will be fun as well.

A few card players pretending to be annoyed when I asked for a photo!!!

Our hotel tonight.

  

Mr. Lavoie, currently sitting in another hotel lobby working on his blog and relishing a day that was busy, and crazy, and borderline insane, but also wildly perfect.