Last Day in Paris

Last night as we left the restaurant the rain was softly falling, think of Midnight in Paris! This morning however broke bright and sunny, in the high 60's.  Our plan of the day was to take advantage of the Jour de la Patremonie- a day thoughout Europe when all public buildings are open to the public.  It is the day when the people can visit anywhere that is usually closed to them.  We decided to visit the Senat since it was close by and might be interesting.  We got there early before the lines get really long which is good because these places are often jammed, with a wait of several hours.  The first thing that impressed me was the friendlness of the police and guards and the guides.  Everything was well organized, great information in visual and printed form as well as guides happy to explain things. I had expected to find it like a tour of the capitol but it was different:  much more relaxed, pictures allowed, and the Palais de Luxembourg a real palace as you can see from the photo.   We followed a marked path which flowed nicely and in many places opened up so you could wander around.   It took a couple of hours and was really impressive. It was a wonderful way to educate people about the institutions of their country as well as a treat for us foreigners.

After that we walked to a cafe for lunch and spent a couple of hours dining and fantasizing about renting an apartment and living here for a year! We walked to the Seine and it started to shower a bit so we ducked into confectionairie to buy chocolates to take this evening when we dine with Francis and Ingrid and view the new baby in the family.  Fortunately I had bought a baby gift from the Gap before coming! 
It will be our first time dining with them without J & P which will be interesting.  I believe Ingrid and Francis both speak some English so it will be a Franglaise evening.

We are packed and ready to go to the airport at 7 tomorrow morning and I am not excited about the long flight home.  It is always longer mentally on the way home.  Au Revoir, Paris.