What a wonderful couple of days in France, it has been diverse, at times challenging but I will have fond memories of this visit to this most gracious country.

I always find it interesting that people define the French people as arrogant and unhelpful, I have never found this to be the case and it certainly isn’t on this trip. The people have been overwhelmingly kind and helpful, so really I just don’t get it. Maybe , just maybe sometimes they get frustrated that foreigners arrive in their country and insist that they (the locals) speak another language, without any effort being made to speak French.

On our first day in France we travelled to the Somme for a tour of the battlefields, they are deeply moving. The futility of war is even more shocking as we continue to kill each other, with story after story is told to us about gaining no ground, or of the  tens of thousands of young men being buried in mass graves that can’t be identified – you would think that we would have learnt something from our past. Obviously not. We travelled to Pozieres, Fouilloy and Beaumont, I have so much to say ..but sadly don’t have the words.. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   It is a somber bus drive to Paris where we have quite an adventure getting it our hotel, the roads and traffic – yikes. Sadly I have succumb to a cold so whilst the rest of the group travel by Metro into Champs élysées, I have an early night at the hotel.

The next morning Vic and I make our way through the streets of Paris to a place we both love Musee d’orsay…. The building was founded in 1804 as a Supreme Court, but because of a fire was rebuilt in 1900 and was first used as a railway station, it was opened as a museum in 1986.

There are a large number of exhibits including some wonderful 1900 impressionist paintings, including masterpieces by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Manet and Van Gogh, hence its title as the impressionists museum. There are about 2000 paintings, 600 sculptures and other pieces of art, including furniture and textiles. 

   I just love walking through Paris and stopping for the occasional cafe latte, it is a beautiful city that has so much to offer. There is little evidence of the recent terrorism, in fact the military and police presence isn’t any greater then it was the last time we were here.

We meander past the Louvre and Vic makes a quick stop into Napoleons Tomb (described as over the top and I have to agree ) to our meeting place at the base of the Eiffel Tower. It is a lovely day at our own pace – magnifique!

We have our final dinner of the tour on French quarter – pizza, and the. Take the opportunity to walk past Notre Dame  one last time. To our great surprise a concert is being held in this majestic Cathedral, rather than let this opportunity slip through our fingers we spend the next hour listening to Gregorian chants – it is sublime, such a beautiful way to finish a lovely day in Paris.