Day 17 - Part 2... A Parisian Farewell

After hanging our head low for a bit as our fellow passengers got on the bus, not so happy about the wait they had endured in the hot sun, the group drove to a section of Paris called Montmartre. This is a very eclectic area of France. Historically it attracted artists like Salvador Dali, Van Gogh, Renior and Degas. It used to be outside of the Paris city limits and free from taxes... and the local nuns made wine. So, what happens when you combine singers, artists and wine?? ... It became home to the famous cabarets like Moulin Rouge and Le Chat Noir. 

The central landmark in Montmartre is a very high hill. On top of the hill is the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. We all waited in line to go a small cable car and see the views from the Basilica. 

Then we went back down the hill and went souvenir shopping for a while. 

Then we headed to the restaurant for our farewell dinner. We went to a traditional French restaurant and had a room all to ourselves. It was a very festive night and we all enjoyed hanging out one last time before we scattered all over the world the next day. 

 Our dinner that night would include choices that were very traditional French cuisine. I was feeling adventurous and ordered Frog Legs as my appetizer. Brad stayed safe and went with the French Onion soup. The Frog Legs weren't what I expected and ended up getting REALLY grossed out by them. Call me  Southern girl, but I thought they would be fried... and I can eat just about anything if it is fried. These were not... which meant I could see their little frog bodies and I all I could think of was Kermit. I tried really hard to eat them but couldn't get past the first bite and their appearance. 

I eventually put a my garnish over them, feeling the need to give them some proper respect and burial.

RIP Kermit... I know it wasn't easy being green.

Sitting across from me, our friend Phyllis had ordered another traditional dish...Escargot. It took some coaxing but I agreed to squeamishly try one. 

Although I admit the flavor wasn't very bad and the consistency reminded me of mussels, I couldn't get past knowing they were SNAILS!!! So, I can say I tried both Frog Legs and Escargot and happily say that I will never eat them again!

With wine flowing freely and celebration in the air, our dinner turned into quite the party. There was lots of laughter and reliving adventures from our trip. This group of people would never be together again and we would be going home to six different countries. After we eat, we were entertained by some musicians that kicked the party up into high gear. People danced and sang and really enjoyed the evening. 

When we were done, we walked back to the bus that would take us to our hotel. At the hotel, we stood outside and said our goodbyes... there were lots of hugs and "keep in touch" comments. We were saddened to say good bye to some of the folks because we really enjoyed traveling with them. As things wound down, Brad and I finally got a picture with Franco and Bogi. 

Bogi had been a fantastic tour guide. She was knowledgeable and upbeat and just a lot of fun. Franco had started out as this mysterious, almost intimidating Italian man. We would make up all sorts of stories about what he would say and think. By the end of trip, we had seen him smile many times and even made him laugh. Even with his limited knowledge of English, we had still managed to connect quite well with him. Only Franco could carry off a pink Polo shirt with the collar up...

We headed to our hotel room to begin packing up and preparing for an early morning. Our trip wasn't entirely over... we still had some adventures ahead to get us home!