As with many other tours, some members came before the tour began and some stayed after the tour ended. While in Paris, many took advantage of the evening boat rides on the Seine or went to Montmarte.

Don and Elizabeth spent a week in the Netherlands and then came to Paris a few days before the tour started to see Chartres.

Since the tour began on a Friday evening, they spent the better part of the day riding the Batobus line on the Seine. These boats ran all day and you could get off at any of the 8 stops and get back on another boat later.

One of the stops was at the Eiffel tower.

From there they walked to the Rue Cler area to buy sandwiches to take back to the park.

From the Seine there was a great view of the rear of the Notre Dame Cathedral and its flying buttresses.

On another day in Paris they also visited the Rodin Museum. There they saw "The Thinker" and "The Kiss."

     

Also on display were "John the Baptist" and "The Walking Man."

     

This is the famous "Burghers of Calais" which shows the emotions of the burghers who are condemned to die in an attempt to save the city of Calais during a seige by King Edward III of England. Thanks to Edward's wife, they were spared, but Rodin caught the different reactions of the burghers as they contemplated death.

Don and Elizabeth stayed a day after the tour ended to see the archaeological crypt with its Roman ruins below the plaza in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

They also visited Sainte Chapelle once more to see it in better light.

    

On their last evening in Paris they walked to the Notre Dame and got this great evening shot.

The shadows also showed the rose window and the flying buttresses to good advantage.

There was also an opportunity to look at the central entrance in more detail.

Even more detail shows Christ in a judgment scene with the saved being sent to His right and the damned to His left.

Some tour members went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to see the traffic on the Etoile.

Some went to see Paris at night.

Some went to Montmartre to see the Sacre Coeur.

While in Amboise, Sam, Joyce, Daniel and Rita visited the chateau and gardens at Villandry. Sam and Joyce also went on an extended driving trip to the south of France after the tour. Clyde and Dawn spent time in the Colmar area before the tour. Carol and Mike were in Rennes before the tour to do some genealogical work and Carol found she is a descendant of royalty! Daniel and Rita had spent a few days in London before the tour began.

All of these activities, in addition to the tour itself, made for a wonderful trip. We close with a photo of the Seine at sunset.

Au Revoir