We toured the gardens at Versailles first, and they remained my favorite part. I expected more of a show from the fountains and music, but it was nice just the same. A couple of the human statues that lined the pathways had small tails, I found this very interesting, I have no clue what it means.
My senses went into overload upon entering the main building. It was so crowded and hot. The tourists here were very pushy, the worst we had seen on the entire trip. The rooms themselves were so overly opulent, by the time we hit the third or fourth room we were shuffling through rather than taking time to really look. I know what I am about to say is going to sound horrible but, by this time on our trip we had seen a lot of painted ceilings, gilded statuary, and crystal chandeliers. Even some of the paintings here were featured in the Louvre. Our brains just couldn't absorb anymore. We probably would have gotten more out of it if we went the first or second day, but the water show in the garden only plays on weekends so Bob scheduled it this way.
We boarded the bus and headed back for the hotel where we were left on our own for the rest of the day. Michelle and I stopped in at the Internet Cafe for one last session then we went to the knitting store again. I purchased more buttons and clasps and a patch. The store is so happy inside and is filled with tons if inspiration. The girl who helped me was so sweet. She didn't know much English, but did a great job and was very patient. She was really cute too. She had cool hair and a small diamond nose ring, one of the first I've seen that actually looked good.
We stopped at Starbucks for lunch and coffee. It was nice - again - to have American coffee with chocolate and whipped cream, just like home.
By the time we finished lunch we were fairly tired but we decided to stroll through the Chatelet a bit to look for clothes (I bought lots of cute little tee-shirts and a pair of capris like the ones we saw all over Paris) and tablecloths (which we never found).
We took the metro back to the hotel for the very last time. It had been a great asset on our trip, and was very easy to learn. Great for people watching too.
We ran into Lee and Joanne in the cafe next to the hotel. They asked us to join them for dinner, but we declined and returned to our room. We had a picnic to prepare for and time seemed to be moving very quickly.
We stopped at the cafe that had the yummy quiches and purchased two. We also stopped by the grocery store to pick up coke and wine, then we headed up to the church. Michelle bought a bag along the way so she could take all her newly purchased items home. Somehow I managed to cram everything into my suitcase and carry-on.
We had a nice leisurely walk. Michelle only grumbled a little bit about walking up all the steps again. This time it was her idea though (but I know she did it for me). We found a spot on the top set of steps in front of Sacre Couer and ate our quiches as we gazed upon the marvelous view of Paris.
After we ate and cooled down a bit we walked around the back of Sacre Couer to the start of Montmartre. When we turned the corner guess who was standing there? He threw open his arms and kissed me hello on the cheek. We exchanged some small talk then he asked why I hadn't called. I told him I thought he would call me and then I asked him why he didn't. He said he was waiting for me to call him. He asked me what I was doing for the evening and I pointed to Michelle and told him we were planning on walking around Montmartre then going back to pack. He wanted to see me after and asked me to call him. I said I'd try, but I'm sure he knew I didn't mean it.
Michelle started to walk away and I turned told David I had to go. He kissed me on the corner of my mouth and said goodbye. Then he leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. It was better than I had imagined it would be, soft and warm and lovely. The kind of kiss that makes time stand still and music swell in the background. The kind that promises amazing things to come.
He touched my nose with his and gave me a crinkly eyed smile one last time. Somehow I managed to pull myself away and join Michelle. We continued along the shops of Montmartre, stopping here and there to admire a scarf (I bought another one, but it was only 6 euro and I couldn't resist) a tee-shirt, or a touristy nick nack.
On our way back towards Sacre Couer we ran into Nicole (pronounced Knee-cole), David's artist friend. He stopped us and talked quite a bit about life and love. He speaks English very well, along with German and Spanish. Quite an interesting character. When he heard it was our last night he wanted to hang out later on in the evening after he got finished. I told him I had to pack but he gave me his phone number and we exchanged email addresses. I guess I have a new pen pal now.
Nicole
It was still light out when we left Sacre Couer. We decided to walk back even though we had planned on taking a cab. The setting sun on the clouds made the sky look like a painting come to life.
We stopped off at the cafe next to our hotel and had coffee and ice cream and did some people watching one last time. It was the perfect end to an amazing adventure.
Paris will live in my heart forever. I couldn't have asked for a more magical time.
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