Au revoir, Paris!

Saturday: We packed up and headed home aboard Air France. The flight was slightly delayed but smooth and easy overall. What an amazing trip! 

Last day in Paris

Friday: Our last full day in Paris. Several in our group opted to attend a fashion show at the Galeries Lafayette, others visited museums and neighborhoods and bought those final souvenirs. 

Visiting the Eiffel Tower

Thanksgiving dinner, French style!

Local market

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday: Madame led us to a neighborhood market this morning where we saw all kinds of wonderful, fresh produce, meats, seafood and cheeses. Free time for visiting the city including the Catacombs and Montmartre. We met up for an unusual thanksgiving feast for Americans but experienced a traditionally French 4-course dinner complete with escargots and chocolate mousse! Finally, we went up the Eiffel Tower and took in gorgeous city views. A beautiful end to another great day in Paris. 

And more Versailles...

Versailles

Wednesday: Joyeux anniversaire, Lauren! After another tasty breakfast at our hotel we headed out of the city to the luxurious palace of Versailles to tour the chateau and gardens. The day was overcast but the palace and grounds looked beautiful in the mist. Free afternoon and evening for museums, shopping, and fantastic foods and treats!

Evening sightseeing: Ice cream, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower

Paris evening bicycle tour

Tuesday: Today we had free time to explore Paris at leisure. We chose to visit a variety of different destinations, some went to the Christmas market, others to the Musee d'Orsay and to experience different Parisian neighborhoods. Then we met up as a group to embark on an evening bicycle tour of the city followed by a boat ride on the Seine. We snacked along the way and even made a second stop at another Berthillon ice cream location to sample more flavors of the world famous treat. The rain held off until the final moments of our tour and we scurried back to the hotel tired but happy. Another excellent day in Paris!

Rue Cler

Eiffel Tower

Place de la Concorde

Touring Paris by day via bicycle

Monday: After a good night's sleep and a lovely breakfast spread at the Hotel Princesse Caroline, we met our bicycle tour guides at the St Michel fountain for a half day tour of Paris. We were lucky that the rain let up just in time for our excursion! We rode along the banks of the Seine river, across romantic "lock" bridges, and stopped to learn about important landmarks en route: the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Musee d'Orsay, Grand Palais, Place de la Concorde... And of course free time for lunch and shopping on Rue Cler. After bicycling we embarked on separate adventures to discover the museums and other treasures Paris has to offer. 

Notre Dame

Hotel de Ville

Greetings from Paris

Bienvenue

Sunday: Bonjour Paris! After a good flight and short sleep we transferred to our hotel and met local Parisian guide Angelique for a fantastic walking tour of the city. Our first stop was Arc de Triomphe. Then we hopped aboard the Metro to the Hotel de Ville, lunched at a local cafe, visited Notre Dame and surrounding neighborhood, and sampled the world famous Berthillon ice cream. Delicious! Time to refresh and relax at the hotel before dinner at the Bistro Romain on the twinkling Champs Élysées. After dinner some of the group enjoyed shopping on the famous avenue and others took in the city view from atop the Arc de Triomphe. What a great first day!