The Last Time We Saw Paris

The taxi that took us to our room at Hotel Ampere from 

Gare De Lyon terminal after our trip to southern France and Barcelona had a transparent roof  so visitors could look out and see Paris better. 

On the route to the hotel, we passed many interesting sights. This, on Boulevard De Temple, is Cirque d'Hiver.

This is a demonstration at a memorial against France's involvement with the war in the Middle World.

Ah yes! The headquarters of Grand Marnier Liqueur
 can be spied behind the black car. 

The monument at the Plaza De La Bastille.

Jenny's Restaurant; if only it were
 Leona's friend's place. C'est dommage.

A section of abandoned urban rail line changed 
into a pedestrian mall; Promenade Plantee. 

What greeted us when we entered our room at the Hotel Ampere? Nice welcome! On Sunday, we left to visit Musee D'Orsay, but on Monday morning of our last day in Paris,  we passed up a chance to visit Fontainebleau and left to go shopping instead.

The #3 subway line, five stops from our hotel, to the
 department stores at Chaussee d'Antin La Fayette station,
right near the Opera Larnier. 

Printemps; one of the oldest department stores in the world

The ceiling in La Fayette Department Store. I sat in a small cafe having a chocolate chip cookie and cappuccino while Leona was buying the most fabulous pocketbook of her life. 

 

After shopping, we got back on the subway and headed to our hotel neighborhood. On the traffic circle, we had sushi for lunch, and then bought hero sandwiches at the shop next door, in preparation for our flight back home. Actually, we didn't eat the food we prepared because, unlike the flight out from Shanghai terminal with the overpriced food on our six-hour layover,  the food on the return flight was good and the layover was less than two hours. 

The flight back to Beijing was very pleasant; no crazy passengers or crying babies, and much shorter, too; less than ten hours because of the tailwind as opposed to more than twelve hours from Shanghai in the headwind. By evening, we were back home in Taiwan. After the shuttle bus to the HSR to the taxi, we were home by 9 pm. Here I am, writing captions to this blog I have worked many hours on, reliving the sights we have seen, with the Lunar New Year holiday ended and back to work and school for everyone, but Leona and me. From a vacation to all the time I want to do what I like in retirement. C'est se bon!