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12 October 2018

Paris 2018 – Day 10

Step today: 25 408

Well that’s it! Another vacation over. How is it possible that that was TEN DAYS? it zoomed by! However I suppose it’s a good thing that it’s come to an end: I have no money left and I am fat!!!!

I started the day with a trip to the Chateau Ecouen that I wanted to do last Saturday after I visited the Cathedral in St Denis, but a series of unforeseen circumstances put the breaks on that idea. It was included in my museum pass which expired yesterday, but it’s no big loss it was only 5€.

The Chateau itself was fun to visit because it really did have a castlely feel. It houses the Renaissance Museum which is only of medium interest to me, overall it was a nice morning.

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I got back to Paris by about 12:30 and had lunch at the Terminus Nord, across the street from the train station. I've been there a few times on previous trips and wasn't planning to go again this time, but the proximity to the train station made it impossible to pass up. A great place to get in some French Food clichés on my last full day in Paris.

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After this, I went to see what the line-up looked like at the Opera House – it was too long for me. Every minute of my time was extra precious since it was the last day and I wanted to spend the day soaking up the sights, not waiting in lines.

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So the day was just a lot of wandering and enjoying the city. I stopped for a bite to eat around 3:30, then again around 6:30 with a few drink stops in between.

Now I have to switch gears and get packing! Ugh. I feel a cold coming on, all the sinuses on my right side are blocked and my neck and right shoulder are sore too. I hope it does not get worse on the plane.

Here are lots and lots of pictures of The Last Day.

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11 October 2018

Paris 2018 – Day 9

Steps today: I DON’T KNOW!  ARGH! my Fitbit battery died sometime between 8AM when I felt my “Get up if you are still sleeping” alarm, and 11:15AM when I went to check how many steps I racked up after a long long long walk. GRRR What a day for it to die, I am sure I got a lot of steps in. I’m annoyed because yesterday it still looked half full and I didn’t get the low battery warning until it was too late.

This morning, I started with a walk down the other side of the Champs Elysées that I walked on Sunday. From the Arc de Trimophe to a café for breakfast and back.

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Then, on the train out to Champs-sur-Marne to visit the chateau. It’s roughly an hour away.

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As is usual for me, I gave in inside a quick run through….

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…. and spent the rest of the time walking in the gardens.

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This kitty ran to greet me as soon as he spotted me! He rubbed up against my leg then plopped down at my feet for a belly rub. Get a load of those claws! WOW!

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The train back to Paris left me off at the Gare de Lyon so I had to take advantage of the opportunity and go to Le Train Bleu. I didn’t want a meal, just a drink… the bar section is nowhere as spectacular as the main dining room, but the glimpses I saw were good enough. I’ve been twice for lunch on previous vacations so I’ve seen it all already.

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Of course, my picture looks like crap…  just Google it. You’ll see how awesome it is.

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Next I walked over to Rue Crémieux.

Interesting I suppose, because it’s so un-Parisian, but overall not that extraordinary.

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I had lunch at a Brasserie on the Ile Saint Louis with a shadowy view of the Pantheon.

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Today was the last day for my museum pass, so after lunch I went to check out the line ups for the last 2 included activities I had left to do on my list. The Notre Dame Towers and the Louvre. I got to the Towers and the line was very short! I thought I was lucky until I heard that now visits are by appointment only. Too bad. I’m extra glad now I went 2 years ago.

Onwards to the Louvre where I was thrilled to discover there was no line-up at all whatsoever! It was around 3:30PM and I was able to waltz right in.

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I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t bother with a map, I just picked a section I had not seen before and wandered for about 2 hours. It’s enough for me.

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Bad kitty!!!

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This is what I find so fascinating about paintings: Texture. The silk of the dress, the velvet of the cape, the stone of the floor…

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…. and light. Look at how the candle illuminates their faces. There really seems to be a light in the painting.

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This made me laugh out loud.  She’s so obviously taking a selfie!

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I did of course peek in and say Hi to Mona…  it’s only polite, right?

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And what the Hell is this?????

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I didn’t know what to do next, I wasn’t hungry but I was tired and very thirsty. Fate decided for me as I passed by a couple having Aperol Spritz at a café. Monkey see, monkey do! You can see a glimpse of the drink between them on the far left.

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I realized I hadn’t seen the place Vendôme yet on this trip, so I made that my next stop.

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Then remembered there is a sandwich shop near there that I saw on TV once and is supposed to make great sandwiches to go. I thought I’d pick one up for supper and eat it as I walked back to the hotel (a little less than an hour walk). It was a good sandwich, but nothing special, not worth a special detour.  I also got rained out of my plans to walk back to the hotel and jumped in the metro at Place de la Condorde.

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I still had an itsy bitsy corner of space in my stomach for a night cap, so I had another Aperol Spritz at one of the cafés near the hotel and then called it quits for the day.

Regarding my museum pass: even with the 2 surprise freebies, just like the last times I bought passes, I got my money’s worth. The pass was 74€ for 6 days. Great deal!

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Here are some random shots of my day:

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Designer Doggy Bowls

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I’m annoyed this picture turned out blurry, I find the face SO CREEPY! There is something about it…  If I remember tomorrow, I’ll try and get a better one.

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Eyesore!

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