We have seen most of the sights we wanted to see (one exception: the tropical greenhouse at Le Jardin des Plantes was closed yesterday, a disappointment), we have eaten all the duck and pain au raisin that anyone could want, and we have certainly spent more euros than I figured, but at least the credit card hasn’t melted (yet).  The USA may have a crappy health care system (as noted by the various Brits we have met along the way) but the price for a typical breakfast in the USA is a bargain compared to what you pay in France.

Tonight is our last bistro dinner.  We have to get up early in the morning (about midnight North Carolina time) and stuff our stuff back into our suitcases for our 11am flight back to the USA.  We have had wonderful weather — no rain except at night.  It was a little hot in Sarlat and a little cool and breezy at times here in Paris, but we managed to do without sweaters or jackets.  I was thinking of buying a hoodie but held off.

Right now I am finishing off the last of the partial bottles of wine we were unable to finish in the restaurant.  We have spent down our cash to the last ten or so euros we will need for breakfast at the airport.  And I have made the final selection of photos to share with you before we get home.  I intend to do a proper digital album of the sights (and sounds) of our adventure when we get back.  See you soon.

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La Tour Eiffel

 

 

It was a few minutes after 10 o’clock.

Dusk was settling in, at last.

We kissed, then we looked up to the tower

and now the lights were on.

 
 

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To bring the blog up to date, here is where we have been so far:

  • Thursday June 5:  Charles de Gaulle airport to Bordeaux, via the TGV
  • Friday June 6:  Stroll and shop in old-city Bordeaux
  • Saturday June 7:  Tour St. Emilion and drive to Sarlat
  • Sunday June 8:  Stroll through Sarlat and visit an outdoor festival
  • Monday June 9:  Visit the Eyrignac manor gardens, Château de Fénelon and villages in the Sarlat area
  • Tuesday June 10:  Boat ride on the Dordogne River, stroll and shop in Domme
  • Wednesday June 11:  Morning market in Martel, walk through Rocamadour, picnic lunch, shopping in Sarlat
  • Thursday June 12: Drive to Limoges, visit some porcelain shops, drive to Paris, take the metro to the hotel (a story in itself) and get a good night’s sleep

As you know, I have not had time to post every day.  Not having Photoshop at hand has made the process of selecting, adjusting and resizing photos for the blog a lot slower.  When I shoot, I generally underexpose a bit so that I don’t blow out highlights and skies — I figure I can go back later and brighten the foreground in Photoshop.  But since I do not want to post bad photos here (ca alors! – my reputation!) I have only been selecting shots that are rather evenly lit.

Here then is a collection that spans the time from our arrival in Sarlat (we stayed at La Lanterne, a warm and friendly B&B with superb breakfasts) to our departure for Paris.  The captions help tell the story.

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