Today we went to Notre Dame, which is so clean on the outside right now! The doors and statues on the outside are fascinating. I also oove the Charlemagne statue, but Marj said he looks like a ring wraithe from LOTR - kind of true...One thing they've added that I don't love is a grandstand type of seating in format of the cathedral. It doesn't make it so people can gather on the Plaza there like they used to, and it's a big eyesore. Too bad. Anyway, we revisited the history of this beautiful church, and loved the rose windows, of course, before heading into the aa where they store relics. We were told they had the crown if thorns from Ste Chappelle, a nail form the cross and piece of the cross. Not that we thought they'd be authentic, but we didn't really see any of these things - just reliquary boxes they'd been kept in, and some robes from Pope John Paul II when he'd conducted mass there. It was false advertising.
Now it was time to say good bye to Annie. We were all sad to see her go - Goose cried and was very sad! So glad we got some time in Paris with her. For our last afternoon of our whole trip (we can't believe it), we took the metro out to Bois de Vincennes where we saw the cool, medieval castle there, and went to the Parc Floral de Paris. All the gardens and land surrounding the many chateaux and castles make for an amazing variety of great parks here. So, this converted hunting ground is huge and has lots of gardens, bike paths, playground, lake with paddle boats, and more. Mark and Zelle rented bikes and brought food back to the rest of us (our last baguette sandwiches...),while the rest of us played on a huge playground. We took turns going on bike rides. The parks here have much more crazy, dangerous, and fun equipment! There is one climbing "web" here that gets up to about 40 feet+ off the ground. While it made me a little nervous, it's dangerous enough and enough of a challenge that it's still fun for bigger kids.
From here, we headed home to pack - laundry, showers, finding ways to fit souvenirs in our suitcases. It's a little sad to be closing the chapter of this incredible trip. That said, I think everyone is a little tired, and it's always great to get home.
We made it safely home and are so thankful to be home safe and healthy! How many street crossings, metro and tube cars we hopped on and off, train trips, long flights and car rides we were safe and protected on! It's nice to be home, and we feel grateful for everything about this trip.
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