Last day in France/Paris

Today was a bittersweet day, marking the last full day of our vacation and our only full day in Paris.

We had another early start today because months ago, I decided it would be a good idea to book early morning family photos near the Eiffel Tower to have to commemorate our trip (aaaaand we also haven’t done family portraits in three years so it seemed like a pretty opportune time). I booked Paris Pics via AirBnB and our photographer David was great. 

PS - you know all the fun of trying to coordinate outfits for family photos and find something everyone likes and that everyone feels good in? That doesn’t go away just because you’re travelling, Ha! And because we had also been travelling and some family members (who shall remain nameless) had insisted on wearing their photo outfits multiple times, we found ourselves removing raspberry coulis from a light blue dress and toothpaste stains from a black one. Nameless though. ;)

We were lucky to have booked such an early slot for our photos because the sun was beating down and even though it was only about 20C, you could tell it was going to be a warm one today. Our luck in escaping 30C days finally ran out in Paris and it seems we will be bringing this heat wave home with us too.

After photos, we got a little bit silly visiting near the Eiffel Tower (we opted not to climb it because we had done Montparnasse tower yesterday and the view is actually *better* IMO from Montparnasse (plus it’s the last summer weekend in Paris and the city is PACKED).

Still vainly trying to get normal faces in family selfies

Rosie being Rosie 

Zoe being Zoe

The girls hit a souvenir shop near the Eiffel Tower and we were unable to restrain ourselves from picking up a couple of inexpensive berets for some cheesy photos.

Obviously the requisite tower/beret pic. :)

I canNOT with how cute this is

But we got even more ridiculous - we found an open bakery and both girls posed for some absolutely absurd photos with both beret and baguette in hand (and a SPECTACULAR baguette it was). 

We are the most ridiculous tourists ever 

We then headed back to the hotel, ostensibly to change, but it really turned into a bit of a power nap because a couple of early mornings had zonked us.

For the afternoon, we definitely had a few options, but we wanted to try to avoid waiting in long lines and avoid the craziest of crowds so we had a bit of a n’importe quoi afternoon. First, we popped into the LaDurée boutique in Montparnasse station and picked up some macarons (the girls had been dying for macarons all trip and I promised them we would pick some up in Paris). They were super pretty, and, I’m told, delicious.  Zoe has grandiose plans to try making some when she gets home.

Most expensive cookies ever. But so cute, right?

After that, we split into two -Brad and Rosie had pre-booked tickets to visit the Paris Catacombs (Zoe was extremely not into bones so that’s why we split). They went off on their visit and I’ll let Brad describe their adventure.

Brad here for a Paris catacombs mini-post. 

Since we first made the decision to fly via Paris, visiting the catacombs was on my wish list. At first I figured I would likely be doing it solo, but to my surprise Rosie said she'd join me.  Visiting the catacombs only takes about an hour, it's self-guided, and when you purchase a ticket you choose a specific time window to ensure that they are not overly-crowded with visitors. 

After a quick metro trip from our hotel Rosie and I arrived just before our 5:30 time and were waved in without a wait. After a long underground walk (parts of which I had to duck down for due to the low ceilings) we eventually arrived at the ominous entrance with its inscription "Arrête, c'est ici l'empire de la mort!" (Stop! This is the empire of death!). 

Inside, the catacombs contain the remains of more than six million Parisians. 

The catacombs were the result of a decision made in the late 1700s to relocate the remains of centuries of Parisian dead after a series of basement wall collapses due to the overflowing neighbouring cemeteries. For more than two years, a nightly procession of covered wagons transported remains from numerous cemeteries down into the mines below the city. Inside, bones are grouped by the cemeteries that they came from.

Rosie made the observation that at the time the remains were being moved, people probably felt uncomfortable with the bones being stacked up and arranged as they were. And yet, if it is being done out of necessity, it seems to have been done with intention and reverence; better to arrange them carefully than simply pile them haphazardly. Regardless, it is certainly a unique aspect of the city that makes you think about its long history and its influence on the present; even to this day there are few tall buildings in this area because the catacombs are directly underneath and therefore excavations for large foundations is impossible. 

It's hard to find the right words to describe the experience of visiting the catacombs. While there were many other visitors there at the same time, it was very quiet; the only sounds were quiet whispers of visitors, footfalls on stone, and the occasional drip of condensation from the low ceiling. The sheer scale of the place is hard to wrap your mind around, as you turn corners to see rows upon rows of bones stacked from floor to ceiling. I heard two English speakers walk past us and one man referenced a quote I had heard Dan Carlin use on one of his history podcasts, which I found very fitting: "Quantity has a quality all its own. " (I had to look it up, but the quote was originally by Joseph Stalin). I'll turn things back over to Leslie to finish but to sum it up - Catacombs = awesome.

Leslie here. As for Zoe and I, we opted to do what I think is one of the best things to do in Paris, which is just aimlessly wander the streets, people watch and enjoy the scenery. We stopped at a cafe for some drinks and a little snack (Zoe was very pleased with her snazzy non-alc Pina Colada). We loved how the cafe was so shameless in the idea that people want to people watch that the chairs were only on one side of the tables, so just chilled for a while.

Then we meandered our way through the Jardin de Luxembourg, checking out the very busy play ground, and the slightly less busy garden/pond end with the Medici fountain.

We eventually made our way through the Latin Quarter and found a restaurant for dinner (Le Rive Gauche) where Brad and Rosie eventually met up with us and regaled us with tales of their creepy adventure. Our last dinner in Paris wasn’t fancy, but it was highly enjoyable with amazing service and the girls capped it off with a couple of classic French desserts - Mousse au chocolat and crème brulée.

Metro pro stars now, we hopped on ligne 4 back to our hotel where we’re now getting packed up and ready for an early-ish morning flight tomorrow.

Not being a huge fan of cities, I had mixed feelings about coming to Paris, but I can say we really had a great time and the girls were super stoked they got to see Paris.  It’s been an amazing trip and I think we’ll be hauling some pretty jet-lagged and bleary eyes to school and work come Tuesday morning