4th and last day in Paris

Well, I can't believe our stay in Paris is over. It's such an amazing city and we really enjoyed our stay. For our last day in Paris we finished up a few more things we wanted to see. We got up and headed for the Catacomb's of Paris. Wow, was that interesting. The Catacombs were dug and built to hold the cities dead. In 1786 the government decided to relieve congestion and improve the sanitary conditions in the city so miles under the city they used the limestone tunnels for a burial site for the the millions of Parisians in the cemeteries. We walked through the tunnels and observed the bones and plaques for these people who died so long ago. I couldn't believe how small the tunnels were and how many of them there were. I was very humbled and impressed by the way the tunnels were taken care of and how respectful the remains were kept. They didn't just throw the bones in the tunnels. They stacked them orderly and labeled them with plaques so that those people had a name and a place. It was a neat experience and one I will definitely remember. Below are some pictures from our tour.


Jeff just barely fit...and he's not super tall!



After the visit to the catacombs we headed back into the city to walk around the Opera district. Our hotel was here and we really hadn't had much time to check it out so we decided to walk around and do some shopping. The opera house (below) was beautiful and we had a great time walking around and buying souvenirs for the ourselves and the kids. It was a nice day and a great way to end our stay in Paris.



A few final thoughts about Paris. :) We loved the city. It was a clean and efficient city. I'm amazed at how you can get around so quickly there on the metro and how the Parisians really take advantage of these perks. It was also a very friendly city. While you can always find the occasional "grump" most everyone we talked to and had contact with was pleasant and friendly. This was such a relief to us because Jeff and I don't know a lick of French so we really had to rely on help from the locals. I admire Europeans and the fact that most of them are bilingual and able to speak English. I think this is one of America's short comings. I think we should be required to learn and use more foreign languages. One other thing I noticed...I think there in the city of Paris pregnant woman are a novelty. :) I had to laugh everyday while walking through the city I would get some pretty interesting looks. I couldn't tell if they were socked and horrified that I was prego or just surprised to see a prego belly. Then you really should have seen their faces when they found out it was our 4th child! They were nice but I think it's definitely not the norm here. It was an amazing stay and one that Jeff and I will always remember. I am truly thankful for the opportunity we had to go and would love to go again!

Well, on to Italy. We will be taking the train down to Venice, Italy to stay for a day and a night. We are super excited to see more of Europe!