Meredith and I woke up sometime in the morning to the sound of thunder, and it was raining lightly when I ran out to try to get breakfast, but by the time we checked out of the hotel, it had stopped raining, and by the time we boarded our train to Paris, the sun was out. But sometimes things still pop up, and there was a mechanical issue with our train, so we had to get off and then wait for another train.

As such, we got underway ninety minutes late, which simplified our Paris plans. I had been torn as to what to do – I wanted to go to the Muesee d’Orsay, but it was going to be tight. Our original train was getting in at 3:45, and the museum closed at 6:00. Now, we were getting in at 5:30, so there was no issue with going to our hotel first.

We decided to go up the hill to the Sacre Coeur (Sacrd Heart) church area; the views of Paris are fantastic because of the hill, and the streets around the back of the church are full of restaurants. We took the Metro and walked (with stairs, of course) and got to the church to find the square full of people. It was a pleasant evening, but the crowds surprised me, it being still March. We got in the line to get into the church, and got in fairly efficiently, and got to stroll around the simple and elegant interior of the sanctuary.

We headed to behind the church for supper, and did a little art souvenir shopping first. Dinner was in a busy restaurant, but they seated us in a small room upstairs, so it was quiet. Supper was not quick, taking over thirty minutes to get our food, and about ninety minutes to finish dessert, but we were not in a big hurry.

We went back to the square to see the Eiffel Tower lit up for night, and then walked toward the Moulin Rouge so we could see it. Along the way, we found an open store that carried macarons, which Victoria had been looking for as gifts. She was very excited, and we laughed as she tried to make up her mind which flavors to get.

We did make it to the Moulin Rouge, and took an all-get-fired photo in front of it, but it was fun. We rode the Metro back to our hotel, bracing ourselves for the early wake-up call to start the long trip back home tomorrow. Lord willing, we will be back in Toronto by about 1:00, which could put us home by 8:00 pm. Then, work on Monday.

France was delightful for us for this vacation, and we had a great time with our group. We had good weather, most things went smoothly, and we ate some good food, saw some amazing sights, and generally had much fun together. It is hard to imagine spending a week in a better way.