And Then There Were Two

It was our last day with the group before they flew back to Dublin. We spent it revisiting our favorite spots, including Sacre Coeur. We started off the day tourist style, visiting all the shops and purchasing souvenirs for our loved ones. We eventually worked our way over to the Louvre and made an attempt to visit the exhibit on the building's history. You can only understand so much in French.

Dinner that night was marked with sentiment. It was the exclamation point on an amazing adventure. We went to an Italian bistro, with street side seating. When in Rome, right? After a little bit of Gelato, we called it a night. The rest of the group had to be up early, so we followed the trend to send them off.

We woke up at around 8 for breakfast and the group's departure. At some point during the day, Cherie and I had to make our way to an airport outside of Paris, to catch our flight to Sicily. But first we said our goodbyes. I was sad to see some people go. Sharing an experience like Paris brings people together, and although I knew i'd see them shortly, I also knew that it would not be under such extraordinary conditions. It was especially tough seeing Keiko cry as she said au revoir.

When everyone left, a feeling set over me. I was no longer comforted by their leadership and knowledge. Cherie and I, for the first time, were completely on our own. It didn't take much to tell that she had felt a bit weary also. Check out had passed, and our flight was from an airport 2 hours away. With some time to kill, we decided to do some more exploring in Paris. So we set off on foot through the city, until we came across the Rodin Museum. This was an interesting exhibit. I would say that his most interesting sculpture was The Gates of Hell. This sculpture displays a scene from Dante Aleghieri's " The Inferno". Many of Rodin's other sculptures are featured in The Gates of Hell, including the Thinking Man. I think his sculpture really brings the story to life, so I enjoyed viewing it most.

Before catching the metro to the bus station, we stopped to snack on some more "complimentary" breakfast. We took a second to soak in a last look at the surrounding city. The rest of the day would be filled with metro and bus rides, interspersed with waiting, walking and back pain. We found a hotel just outside of the airport to stay at until our morning flight.