Final Day

This is our final full day. I have just read through some of the other blogs and it sounds like most people are having fun. If I was to do Paris again, I would definitely stay more central Paris where the sites are closer together. Where we are staying isn't inconvenient, but by the time we get anywhere we have already walked a mile or so between metros and whatnot. It takes a toll on people, especially when your traveling companions are a mix of ages. I think if we stayed in a hotel room, we would have felt forced to leave the room and be more of a part of Paris. You can sit in the apartment and watch the boats go by on the river, look at ET, and soak in all of the noise.

I once shared an office with a woman who moved to Paris for a short time. She didn't stay long because she was homesick and her cat jumped out of the window. The poor cat had traveled with her all the way from the States. I never really could picture it in my head until this week. All of the high rise buildings have windows which slide across, rather than up and down. None of these windows have screens. My father was amazed there are no screens, why aren't there any bugs? They have rats, isn't that enough? There are bars/glass in front of the windows which prevent you from falling out but it would not stop a cat from going out the window. It all makes sense now.

In the elevator yesterday a man bonjour'd us and we bonjour'd him back. When he heard us talking to each other, he asked if we were Americans. We nodded and he gave us a thumbs up. He said GO AMERICA, GO BUSH! Immediately, my father, me and Victoria said, "No Bush!" I keep wondering if he was teasing us or serious about liking Bush.

I do find myself looking forward to being on the ship. It took such an effort to get here, I just want to stop packing/unpacking/taxis/luggage stuff altogether. When we get on the ship, all I have to do is show up. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on board as well. Lynn and her family arrive in Barcelona Saturday and will not be at dinner the first night. We will miss most people on board the first day because we arrive in the afternoon.

I just read Jason's blog, who we will catch up with on board, and he indicated the travel scale he bought may not have been perfect and he had so slide around a pound of luggage from check in to carry on. I will be mindful of that as we pack up the suitcases tonight.