Paris - Au revoir and à bientôt

Plate CXX - The Ending …

I had packed my film cartridges safely in my suitcase. The last spool was still in the indispensable little camera that had accompanied my every move of the past few weeks and was safely in my pocket – with it, so too was the city. I wondered what magical images these films contained. I would only know when I arrived back home. I hoped there would be at least one or two good ones that I could share with friends.

It was time to bid farewell to Paris; to the streets and boulevards, the buildings, the people and the crowds. To the landmarks and the parks, the museums, the galleries, and the statues. To the churches and cathedrals, the chateaux, the hôtels and the palaces. To the stations, the buses, the trains and the markets. And to the shops and boutiques, the restaurants, the night spots and the cemeteries.

As if following the directions of the street mime (a curious combination of Abraham Lincoln and Charlie Chaplin) I headed towards Chatelet Les Halles and started the journey from the city centre back to Orlyval, and then onwards to the airport to catch the Air France plane back home - my last small taste of France. The RER and Metro lines which had been a somewhat confusing on arrival were now like familiar old friends. The smells of the coaches and stations had become what I will always think of as the parfum de Paris. As clichéd as it sounds I knew my life would never be the same. So often when one realises a long held dream there is a sense of anticlimax but for me, on visiting Paris, this was not the case. I had been enthralled, enchanted and totally captivated by the city and its residents. It had met and surpassed every expectation I had harboured since those far back schooldays in Miss Cooke’s language classes. I understood fully the meanings of those French expressions used on parting - au revoir, and a bientôt.  I knew I would return as often as I could.

I have.

I shall.

Acknowledgements…

Factual information included with these posts comes from a variety sources, and while I’d like to acknowledge them all, many have been forgotten over time. I did buy some city tour guides before my visit and, as always when travelling, relied heavily on Frommer’s Budget Travel Guide. Many notes were taken during visits to the locations shown (I did eavesdrop on numerous tour guides), and I included these in letters home during my stay. With my wife having kept these letters I drew extensively from them, including many anecdotal details. I have widely used internet sources to check statements and statistics for accuracy and currency. Official websites (where existent) have been consulted, failing which, for consistency, I turned to Wikipedia. Thanks to all the contributors to this magnificent resource. I blame no-one else for any inaccuracies that may have crept in – feel free to post comments and correct me wherever I am wrong – keep the dialogue going. If you have enjoyed this blog, please tell your friends and any other Paris aficionados you know of to pay a visit. If not, tell me.

Dave