Paris comes to an end

Day 5: Final day in Paris

Today was another early morning. We got up, got breakfast and loaded the bus with part of the group to go to Versailles. This was an optional part of our trip, so some people decided to explore the city on their own. I wasn't 100% sure that I wanted to do the Versailles trip, because I really wanted to go back up to Montmarte to do some shopping. Since I had already paid for it, I decided to join most of the group and see the palace. I'm sure glad I did.

What a beautiful and magnificant place! The palace of Versailles is just another thing I can't expalin in words. I'm really glad I had my camera on this trip, because I was able to capture just some of the beauty. All of the gold was breathtaking. Everything about this place was "overdone". Nothing was overlooked and everything was the best of the best. We were given a tour of a few rooms that had been completed. One of which was Marie Antoinette's bedroom. SUPER COOL! We were able to see her bed and the room where she would meet friends. The only time people were really allowed in her room was when she was giving birth. They would have to have plenty of witnesses to confirm the next heir of the throne. Can you imagine?!

After our tour of the inside, we were given time to go to the gift shop and explore the outside grounds. Sadly, we went to the gift shop first and underestimated the amount of time we would want to spend outside. I thought the outside of the Louvre was beautiful....it was nothing compared to this. They said that all of the grounds was bigger than the city of Paris. When you looked out the backyard, it appeared to go on and on to where you couldn't see the end. Even though it was winter, it was still spectacular. I can't imagine it during the summer and spring. The fountains, hedges and landscaping was something I have never witnessed before. Luckily, we were able to snap a few photos before heading back to the bus.

I was sad that this part of the day was over, but became excited when Lexy, Lauren and Olivia said they wanted to go back up to the Montmarte district. I decided to join them with the plan being to see some local artists and shop a bit. We were given just a few hours before having to meet at the hotel. We caught the metro and began what may be one of the most memorable parts of the trip.

Walking back up the huge hills brought us to an area where local artists sell paintings and paint. It was so hard to pick which paintings to buy. I ended up taking out some money from the ATM. I probably spent about 240 Euros here. I was able to get some really neat pieces of art for myself and for gifts. I also did some shopping for scarves and other small gifts.

On our way back to the Metro, the one thing we were warned about this entire trip actually happened. We were walking down the hill to the main street when Olivia came up to me and Lexy (we were in front of the group) and said there were pickpocketers behind us. We didn't know it at first, but they had already gotten to Lauren (she was just a few steps behind everyone else). They had somehow managed to get her camera, wallet and money without her noticing. Luckily, when they tried to pickpocket Olivia, she felt it. Because we knew they had been behind us, everyone checked their bags. The sight of Lauren's face told me right away that something had happened. She looked shocked, pissed and scared all at the same time. We were not exactly sure what to do at this point. We could still see the 3 people that had taken her stuff. Lauren decided to do the one thing you aren't really supposed to do....she approached the group. Lexy and I tried to find help and Olivia went up after her sister. Of course, this is the one time we didn't see any police to help us. Lexy and I went up after the sisters and started yelling police. Even though we didn't find any, it probably helped to scare them a bit. Lauren was able to get all of her stuff back after holding her ground. Once we were all together, we outnumbered them and we could see that they were getting irritated. Reluctantly, they gave her all her stuff back and we went on our way. We were a bit shaken up and decided to stop in a shop to gather ourselves. At this point, I had so many shopping bags in my hand that I decided to purchase another suitcase to haul my stuff back in. I was too nervous to carry it all back on the Metro.

We finally made it to the Metro and decided not to tell the group leaders about our little journey. We did tell Rafael when we got back and he was shocked to hear that Lauren was able to get everything back. The group was scheduled to meet back and head to supper before getting on our night train.

We went to a cute restaurant and enjoyed our last meal in Paris. The thought of having to leave really hit me at this point, and I couldn't help but  feel sad. I was excited about going on the train and going to Spain, but Paris was everything I could have hoped for and I didn't want it to end.

After our meal, we were taken to the bus station and we got on our 12 hour ride to Barcelona. The train was so much fun. I shared my "room" with Laura, Sandy and Dennis. I spent most of the night in Mollie, Alyssa, Lauren and Olivia's room. We stayed up late and chatted up a storm!

I finally headed back to my room and got some sleep before our final stop in Barcelona! I was sad to have left Paris, but excited about the next part of our journey.

Barcelona awaits....