Day 30 - last full day in Paris

Today was bittersweet - of course we're sad to leave, but we're excited to get back home to family and friends (and English-speaking, and Mexican food, and Target...). We leisurely enjoyed our day and finished up everything we needed to do and planned out all our packing. We are bringing home a fair amount more than what we came with, though a lot of it is light. I decided not to bring home any cheeses though, which was a tough decision. Mostly I just wasn't too specific on what I wanted, not really knowing what can only be found here, and I wouldn't be able to decide on just one or two (since I probably couldn't afford more!) But Andy, thank you for the advice, I do appreciate it! The next trip I make to Europe, this first one as a real "adult" (as in, having a career and making enough of my own money) whenever that may be, I'll spend a lot of time and money hunting down wines and cheeses and shipping them home. Next time, I'll shop at the department stores. Next time, I'll eat at all the best restaurants, including the Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower. On this trip however, we had a blast finding the bargains, and hell, just being under 26 in order to get into just about everywhere cheaper. This trip, we bought our groceries and snacked on baguettes and pastries all day (I dd NOT lose any weight, like I did last time). This trip, we spent a lot of time walking, just enjoying the free sights and sounds of the city. This trip, we lived more like locals.

Today, we made our fifth and final stop at Berthillon. I've had eleven scoops of cold, creamy goodness (one day I had a triple). I will miss it dearly. Even my beloved Yogurtland cannot compete. We wrapped up our shopping, buying some of the old fashioned French advertisements and prints of Paris landmarks for our sparse apartment walls back in Tucson. Also, we had to trek up to the Gare du Nord to get our Eurail passes stamped. We bought tarts one last time at our favorite little patisserie just downstairs. The girl who works there greeted us by holding up a baguette when we stepped through the door, since it's our usual stop at that time of day. We ate dinner at one of the only restaurants on our block we haven't tried, Cafe Chouchou. They have a great menu deal, though we didn't realize how great a deal it was until we got our heaping plates of couscous, chicken, and vegetables with all the seasonings. It was great, especially so with the happy hour pints of Stella Artois. It's funny that here in France, all the bars and cafes have a "Happy Hour" special, and it is actually "Happy Hour" in English, like there's no French equivalent. C'est Happy Hour.

So now we are all packed up, ready to grab a croissant in the morning and take the RER to the airport. Tomorrow afternoon, we will be in Montreal, and then Friday, back home at last.

Thanks to everyone who read the blog; we put a lot of time into it, and we appreciate knowing that you all are enjoying it!

Until next time,

Steph