Kilometres Walked : Friday – 14.6 km, Saturday – 20 km, Sunday – 3.8 km.

Sunday 9th July, 2023.

How time flies. Our ninety days in Europe have come to a rather quick end it feels like. Amsterdam, Florence, Lucca, The Cinque Terre, Genoa, Apricale, The French Riviera, Lake Como, Tirano, St Moritz, Zermatt, Bern, Dijon and finally the city of love & riots ~ Paris! We have had the most amazing time here and have seen so many wonderful places and met some really lovely people. And lets not forget the cheese and wine🍷🧀 . Oh and cakes 🍰 . A friend asked how many kilometres we have walked? Well I don’t know off the top of my head but I will endeavour to find out!

Friday morning was spent relaxing and resting our very weary legs, then after lunch we walked back to The Marais to participate in a perfume making course. What a intoxicating way to while away the afternoon and we even met a couple of other Aussies who were at our table. We learnt about the history of perfume and the basics of mixing fragrances. And at the end we both came away with a beautiful bottle of perfume that we had created ourselves and a new knowledge about different fragrances and the way a perfume is created.

Yesterday was our last big walking day with a trek to The Musée Marmottan Monet. Paul Marmottan’s private mansion now houses one of the largest collection of works by Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot. Monet’s youngest son Michel Monet who inherited his fathers works bequeathed them to the state and when he passed away they joined Paul Marmottan’s salons. Hence how the name Musee Marmottan Monet came about. This was very much a huge highlight for us. After visiting Monet’s garden earlier in the week, we could really see exactly what he was painting. The impressive collection was just magnificent and was a fabulous way to finish off our time in Paris.

After Van Gogh this was one of our favourite exhibitions we saw on our travels. Part of the permanent collection at the museum also is a range of work by Berthe Morisot another French Impressionist Painter whom I really loved as well.

After our lovely visit to the Monet Museum we then headed over to see ‘The Eiffel Tower’. We opted to stay on this side of the bridge and keep well away from the hoards of tourists that were surrounding the tower itself. Quite frankly I think you get a better view of it from across the pond and you don’t get crushed in the process. We then meandered along the Siene to The Lourve and it’s surrounding gardens before getting a little lost and adding another kilometre on and then eventually finding our way back to Montmartre.

Today was sleeping in, packing and finding out where we have to go tomorrow to catch an early train to the airport. Our very comfortable apartment that we have spent the last 10 days in has been fabulous and surprisingly quiet. Even the resident Ginger cat loves us! We are now ready for the next leg of our adventure. Returning to England to spend some time with the family and then we are off to Scotland. Europe you have been a blast. With several hundred kilometres of walking under our belts, a new pair of trainers, an extra suitcase, sore & tired feet, incredible experiences, delicious food and of course the wine – Au revoir, Arriverderci, Auf Weidersehen & Tot ziens!

Goodbye👋