It is our last full day in Paris. The fifth floor is no longer a challenge. The stairs have won. The apartment and the bathroom has gotten smaller. The kitchen and refrigerator are no longer cute. There are clothes everywhere.
We are in Paris. It cannot get any better.
We have different agendas. John and Angela are still up for more sightseeing. They are heading to the Hotel de Invalides and the War Museum. We had run out of time on Tuesday.
Betty, Caroline and I are heading to the Montparnasse neighborhood of Paris. We stayed there on our last visit. We have fond memories. We want to take Caroline.
The area is very close to our apartment. It is a walk through Luxemburg. We take the Metro. Because of destinations and access to the RER, we have not used the Metro often. Also, I think I want to prove that we still remember how to do it. For two weeks, the kids have lead. We want to be on our own.
The London Underground (Tube) is color coded. For example, the Circle is yellow. In Paris, the Metro is numerical and color coded. But, stay with the number.
Today, it is Number 4 line. As with London, you determine direction of the train by its final station. Four stops and we exit at Varin station. The weather is becoming cloudy. We are looking for the cafe' that Betty and I ate at before the train to Milan. We choose Le Select. It is my homage to Hemingway. Once more time. Why not. It would be a shame to say later "why".
The food is good. Not great, but good. There are not a lot of people. Several younger ladies at a table near by. The tourists have not yet arrived.
The French smoke a lot. In the morning, cigarette butts are in the street. Yes, the sidewalks are water down every morning. The young and old smoke. Camel Golds and "roll your own" seem common. You do see some electronic. I am sure it is coincidence, but France and Italy, two countries with extensive Universal Health Insurance, smoke the most.
You cannot smoke inside public buildings, restaurants etc. But, outside is loosely defined and the cafes' are outside.
As we pay "l'addition" (finely a word I can say), the clouds and wind intensify. It will rain. But, I have my new Parisian umbrella. It is a fold out and cost about 5 euros. It performs up to your expectation of a $6.00 umbrella. It does work which a source of pride and an advantage over my previous Parisian umbrella.
We show Caroline our first hotel in Paris. Betty remembers the little shops around the corner. We shopped a little last time, but we still had 7 weeks to go. We travel light with one European sized carryon and medium backpack. We simply did not have the space.
For this journey, we reduced even more our clothing and shoes. We have room.
Caroline and Betty go into a small household store. I remain outside in the rain testing my Parisian umbrella. It pours. Kids are getting out of school. They run. They are wet. The boys are brave. The girls are cute. They flirt. They are teenagers. No one is jealous of my umbrella.
The rain storm passes and I wonder to the book store across the street. This owner and the map store had been covered their outside stack of books during the rain storm. Most were taken in. I look at the paperbacks left outside. Betty loves Agatha Christie's Poirot. She purchased an Italian version paperback in Rome.
Surprisingly, I find two used paperbacks in good condition. They are in French. Why I mention that I do not know. I like the idea. It is a unique souvenir of the countries you visit and it makes you search in other than souvenir stores. Betty is a smart lady.
I am very proud when I display to Betty and Caroline who are still in the store. Caroline asks if they have "Pride and Prejudices". I return. I ask the owner. He advises me that his store is geography books only. He had bought a lot of books from another store. The mystery books outside happened to have been included in the purchase. Now that is serendipity.
Betty has purchased some items for the house. The owner advises that her store is on the internet and ships quickly.
The sun is out and we stop for coffee at the little cafe' that started our adventure in 2014. It is about 16:00 and we have plans to finish the day walking down the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. John and Angela plan to end their day their also.
We exit the Metro a stop or two early. The weather is changing again. It is windy. I am corrected when I start in the wrong direction. Hell, it is not easy to miss something that big.
Lots of stores and lots of people. We walk by the Marriott. We stop at a café that has protected tables by the large open windows. We can see and can hear the sounds. We order drinks. We are warm and out of the breeze. Suddenly, there is "Hi". It is Angela and John. What are the odds? I am not sure how they saw us. They are walking back after touring the Arc de Triomphe including walking to the top.
We move tables together and have drinks. We ask questions and review our day. We finish. John and Angela begin walking. Caroline, Betty and I start walking to Arc. It is almost rush hour in Paris. Traffic is heavy. We stand on the corner and take photos for our memories. There are sites to visit and sites to see. The arc de Triomphe is a site to see.
We take the Metro back to the apartment and John and Angela are there already. They walked all the way. I screwed up and got off too early so we walked in the rain.
Dinner is a 20:00 at Chez de Fernand. If we ever return - if any of us ever return - to Paris, please let Chez de Fernand be there. Again, the food is great. The service exceptionally, We are regulars. We laugh a great deal. We have two bottles of St Emilion which is exactly the right wine. I have the chicken with truffles. It is excellent.
What a memory. You wish more friends and family were with you. It is that good.
Tomorrow, we leave for London.
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