WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008

Today, Janet, Carl, with Erwin went off to explore several areas on their last day in Paris. Alexandria stayed in since the elevator was not working again. The three of us visited the Palais Royal and saw the park and the unusual sculptures. We walked around the Comédie Française and looked at the busts of the famous playwrights.

Notice also the unusual métro entrance at the Palais Royal station.

We then visited several of the unusual arcades, or galeries: Le Colbert et la Vivienne. One had been transformed into classrooms for several of the Parisian universities and the other still retains the shops and restaurants that have been there for years. At one time when they were first created over 200 years ago, they served as covered shopping malls. There were over 200, but now today, there are only about a dozen of them left.

We also saw something that Erwin never noticed before. It was a plaque on the rue des Petits Champs which indicated that the building was the one where the Louisiana Purchase agreement was signed by the representatives of the US and French governments.

We then took the bus to the Opéra and then walked along the Blvd des Capucines and then the blvd de la Madeleine to the Madeleine Church. Around the square are a number of fine food stores where Janet and Carl bought gifts for friends and family in Fauchons. We then walked up the rue Tronchet to the blvd Haussmann where Carl and Janet went into the Galeries Lafayettes and the Printemps department stores while Erwin returned home.

In the evening, we went to Le Dôme Bastille which specializes in seafood. It is located just off the place de la Bastille. After dinner, we sat for a while in the Café Français and watched the world go by. Back to the apartment and the hotel since the Bredlaus were leaving the next day for home. We all agreed that we had had a marvelous 8 days with one another and parted with many fond memories.