Au Revoir Paris!

This afternoon we bid farewell to Paris and arrived in Villefranche-Sur-Mer. We spent the morning exploring the Invalides Hotel, which is a war and armory museum a few blocks from our hotel. There is an entire exhibit on World War I and World War II, which is where Sean and I spent most of our time. It was interesting to see how France depicts the world wars in comparison to the states. At home, obviously the US tends to be the center of the war – how it impacted us and what we contributed. Yet there was little mention of our involvement in the war in this museum – even the atomic bomb barely got a nod. The museum contained a much different attitude towards US involvement than we witnessed in the Alsace region (in Paris it resembled annoyance, in Alsace it was one of gratitude). The other interesting attraction at the Invalides Hotel is that it houses the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as his son and brothers. The tomb was fascinating and for whatever reason incredibly cold, which was a nice relief from the increasing warmth in Paris right now. There has been a breeze the past few days to provide some relief from the heat, but today was still and humid.



After leaving the Invalides, we returned to Rue Cler for an icecream cone and to buy some macaroons, which until today I had not yet tried. We then wandered a bit until we found a small café with outside dining, then relaxed while we enjoyed our meals – a cheeseburger for Sean and a Croque Monsieur for me. With an hour left before we had to meet our shuttle to the airport, we walked down to the Eiffel Tower to say our goodbyes. We found a park bench in the shade and people watched, and finally dug into the macaroons that had been taunting me for the past few hours. They were delicious and eating them in front of the Eiffel Tower made me feel every bit the Parisian.


Though it has been difficult leaving every city we’ve visited, I found Paris much easier to leave than Florence. Paris was a crush, but I think that a part of my heart was left in Florence – it is my love. When I think about the differences between the Italians and the French, the best analogy I can think of is in regards to America’s two most beloved pets – cats and dogs. The French are cats – aloof and a bit uninterested – any interaction is on their terms. Sean and I did not think them rude in the least, just not particularly interested in us as tourists. The Italians on the other hand are man’s best friend. They are happy to welcome you into their inner circle and make sure you are included in the party. I found them to be incredibly warm – even when simply passing on the street, their tails would wag in greeting. Though Paris is beautiful, it’s no surprise that the Italians won my heart.