Au revoir.

Today is our last day in Paris. Cliff will actually be leaving this afternoon (thank you travel rules) and Alexa & I tomorrow morning. I anticipate a day filled to the brim of absorbing the ambiance here, which probably means strolling, bread and pain au chocolate.

I did have to include one photo from yesterday which most will wonder why. We stumbled upon this in the nearby Jardin des Plantes while going to the train station...a huge map of France! I think they are getting ready for Geography Week which starts this week. (I wish I had brought my GIS t-shirt for ArcNews...yes, being a map maker, I get excited about this. If we had time, I'd go to the current whale exhibit here for my fellow-hallway-scientists as well.)

Traveling does wonder for geography lessons even in this world that seems to be getting smaller and more homogenized. This trip brings back the wonder and joy of being somewhere else, learning and observing. It would be an instant reality check for so many to find themselves not at the center of things (however I hope to find the center of France marker in front of Notre Dame today.)

I'm also loading some of Alexa's favorite images although we are still searching postcard stands to find some more of her favorite paintings. (I know some of these are poor/blurry but it was the best she could take without flash and our camera).

So here's to France, maps, home and a whole lot more hope than we've been used to!