DAY 39 – SAYING GOODBYE TO EUROPE, FOR NOW

This is it – my last day in Europe. What a whirlwind – definitely the Trip of a Lifetime.

            I wake up early, hoping that will have me sleep on the long plane ride home. Then I finish packing. I haven’t picked up much along the way – but I do decide to discard a few things, just to make a bit more room in my luggage. Somehow it feels like I have a lot less stuff now, but I think I just keep getting better at packing as I go along.

            I check out of the hotel and head out early – just for a last bit of wandering. I know I need to plan to get to the airport early – it’s more crowded now, 5 weeks later. And officially it’s a 1-hour bus ride to the airport, but there’s a ton of construction at the airport so I’m leaving extra early.

            On the way to meet the Airport Shuttle, I hope to do a last little shopping along these Paris streets – but most of the shops are still closed this early, so I stop at a café for breakfast instead. They advertise Pizza Crepes, but I opt for a pastry and some fresh-squeezed orange juice. As I make my way post-breakfast, I am stopped by a Frenchman who asks me for directions – and (amazingly) I knew exactly where he needed to go.

            The airport shuttle starts at the beautiful Opera House, then winds its way on a lumpy bumpy ride through Paris streets to the airport.

            Charles de Gaulle Airport is humongous – and even just Terminal 2 has 13 sections, with 50 gates each. And, of course, I’m in the last section and at the very last gate. Even efficient as they are, there are just sooooo many people to process. I get to the airport early so I don’t risk running late – and so I have some time to chill out before the flight. Besides, the stores at the Paris Airport are Prada, Ferragamo, Fendi – so it’s a fun place to browse through.

            Although I’m ready to get home, there’s also a sadness that this amazing trip is coming to an end. I watch Paris fade into the distance – but I also know that I’ll be back. Europe has won over a piece of my heart.

DAY 38 – THE PALACE OF VERSAILLE

The sprawling gardens at Versailles

My last full day in Paris, so I decide to spend it at Versailles. After a quick breakfast of fruit & croissants, I hop a train to Versailles.

            The Village at Versailles is just what you picture for a quaint, high-end Parisian neighborhood. Lovely shops, stylish women, adorable older couples. Since it’s Saturday there is what we would call a Flea Market (in the U.S.) and it's set-up next to the permanent market halls. The city sets up dozens of the canopied booths each weekend, and merchants bring their wares of all types. And the 4 permanent halls have meats, cheeses, prepared foods, and all sorts of individual merchants – each selling their unique specialties.

            I continue on to the stunning park-like walking street, lined with hundreds-years-old trees – leading directly to the palace. It’s the hottest day I’ve had this trip – about 90+ degrees, and the trees provide some very welcomed shade.

            The Palace of Versailles is spectacular – massive, with a magnificent gold gleaning wrought iron fence encircling it. I hop in line and begin my wandering. No tour group this time, just the audio tour (which is really quite good). Within the palace there are sections filled with beautiful period art – a wonderful selection of tall marble sculptures along with a dizzying array of oil portraits. And room after room of exquisite and ornate furniture – lots of bedrooms, but many sitting rooms many of which have beautiful desks. There’s a stunning Library. And a Music Room with 2 Harpsichords that were sadly covered up. (I’ve always wanted a harpsichord.)

            After the palace, I then mosey out to the gardens. There are 800 hectares, which (according to Google) is nearly 2000 acres – including 50 fountains. It’s so sprawling that they provide a map of the gardens with suggested routes to take so that you are able to see everything efficiently. I chose my route and began strolling. In this heat I melt (the humidity is doing me in) – but I have a hat, sunglasses, and water so I persevere. A few hours later I’m a sweaty mess – and listening to the whining children around me helps me realize it’s time to get somewhere cool to grab a drink (since my water is long since gone). I head to the Tea Room, set in the Palace in the Suite of Louis Something-or-Other (I can’t remember which; there were a lot of Louis.) I order a sparkling water and yummy dessert, and just sit to cool and relax before heading back on the train.

            A perfect way to spend my last full day in Paris.

DAY 37 – THE LOUVRE

Inside the famous glass pyramid
of The Louvre.

Today is all about The Louvre. I picked today because the museum is open late on Friday nights. And the glass pyramid is stunning all lit up in the evenings.

            I leave the hotel and meander my way through the streets of Paris. Unfortunately most shops don’t open until 11am or Noon – so it’s mostly window shopping. I was going to have Hagen-Daas for breakfast, but alas, they were closed.

            Instead I head to the Palais du Louvre and eat at a lovely café on the plaza – with the perfect view of the glass pyramid. (And the artichoke was lovely!)

            Then time for my tour of the Louvre, with a darling little French guide. This place is enormous – with over 400 rooms and more than 35,000 pieces of art. It’s the largest museum in the world. In our 2½-hour tour we see the basics – Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc., but so much more remains unseen. So after the tour ends, I venture off on my own for a few more hours.

            There’s so much to see that I end up going in circles. But even walking down halls I’ve walked before, there are still new things to see that I missed the first time. And I’m grateful for the occasional empty bench to sit and rest along the way.

            After 7 hours, I’m tired, overwhelmed, and emotionally filled. I don’t know why I don’t go to museums very often at home, because I always enjoy them. Unfortunately, this time I found no secret clues hidden in the museum (and I always enjoy a good mystery.)

DAY 36 – THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Time to leave Basel and bid Aufwiedersehen to Switzerland. Today marks the last leg of my trip – and I’m heading back to Paris for my last few days.

            After I check out of my hotel, I stroll through the neighborhood and lovely park that’s not far from my hotel. I could hear tennis being played nearby, and wandered over to find people playing on a clay tennis court – which I’ve never seen in the U.S. Nearby I found a stand selling pastries, so I grabbed some sort of deliious ham & cheese pastry, and sat and ate – and watched people stroll by.

            Eventually I meandered on, taking the long route toward the train station, and passed an inordinate number of hair salons – all open, but quite empty. There also seems to be an architect shop on almost every block too – with the fascinating 3-D miniatures of their projects displayed in the front window.

            Maybe I’m uninformed of current trends, but here I have seen modernized versions of old-style perambulators quite frequently – which add to the ambiance of these charming old neighborhoods. If the moms had been toting parasols, it would have been perfect.

            In due time I get to the Basel Train Station, which is huge (30+ tracks) and has a large numer of shops and eateries. I grab some Pelligrino for my 4-hour train ride, and stroll through shops until time to board my train.

            After a random unexplained delay, I arrive in Paris and get to my hotel – this time, right in the heart of Paris. It’s late, so I grab a Lebanese sandwich – and order Lebanese Cheesecake called Knefeh, which is nothing like cheesecake but is actually Cheese Cake. It’s more like a light cornbread with melted mozzarella – served warm so the cheese is still melty – then drizzled with a simple syrup. It was interesting and good – but you’ll never find this stuff at The Cheesecake Factory.

DAY 35 – BASEL SWITZERLAND

Beautiful view of Basel from the shore of
the Rhine River, with the lovely
ancient cathedral rising up in the distance.

I headed out to just wander around, explore, find something to eat. They have an electric rail system here, and I got a free pass from my hotel – but walking seemed more interesting. It’s been raining off and on all night and early morning, but I decide to risk it.

            Fortunately most eating establishments have a menu out front – and although my German is nicht so gut, I know enough to sort out most dishes. Unfortunately most have 42 kinds of bier and drink, but only 3 food items – and an astounding frequency seems to be pasta. Instead I stop in a Pastry shop and grab a brat & cheese in a croissant, and continue on.

            The Rhine River is only a mile away, so I head towards the water. The Rhine runs from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea. It’s the second longest river in Europe, and I’ve wanted to get to it since a friend did a Rhine River Cruise a few years ago.

            As I’ve wandered these past few weeks, I’ve noticed that lots of these little neighborhoods have florist shops – far more common than in the cities I’ve lived in the past 20 years. And these seem to keep pretty busy. Both men and women coming out with bunches of flowers – and it reminds me how nice it is to have fresh flowers in the house. Something I haven’t done in many years.

            Eventually I decide on a restaurant for dinner, and although I planned on eating something more uniquely Swiss – when I saw the burger ordered at a nearby table, I opted for that. I don’t eat a lot of burgers (and I’m especially not too keen on fast food) – but this burger was FABULOUS! The meat was so flavorful. Sandrine keeps telling me about fabulous meat she gets from a local farmer in France, and that’s exactly what this tasted like. Probably the best burger I’ve ever had in my life. (What on earth are we doing to our food in the U.S.???)

            Post dinner I head back toward the hotel, but not without stopping at a little Coffee House that serves Tiramisu – which was the perfect ending to a lovely day wandering around Basel Switzerland.

DAY 34 – LEAVING ZERMATT

My original plans had been to go through Basel Switzerland, then on to Cherbourg to visit Sandrine again – but I cannot find any options to book a train to Cherbourg on any day, even routing through others stops along the way. I had this problem when I first got here, but since then booking everything has been so easy that I didn’t realize it would be a problem. (I would even consider a BlaBlaBus – but can’t even find availability there.) 

            I contact Sandrine and let her know of my challenge, and end up just changing my plans to spend an extra day in Basel Switzerland again, before heading straight to Paris. I’m disappointed that I won’t get to see Sandrine before I leave – but this definitely won’t be my last trip to Europe, so I’ll just plan on visiting her again next time.

            After being here in Zermatt for over a week, packing back up takes a bit longer. I’ve really settled in here, and it has been lovely. Some fabulous Day Adventures, a few trips down to the Spa Salon in the basement (I mean, it’s right here and a lovely way to spend a few hours), and lovely picnic dinners out on my balcony – it doesn’t get better than that.

            One last beautiful sunrise on my balcony, a lovely breakfast at the hotel, and some more time reviewing train schedules before updating my Basel hotel reservation – and I’m off to town for a last stroll past the beautiful stone church & pretty little cemetery, lovely little shops, and maybe a stop in a bakery or two.

            And this means that I will get an extra day in Basel Switzerland. Not what I was planning, but you’ve got to turn lemons into lemonade, right?

DAY 33 – CABLE CAR TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD

Time to get a different view of The Matterhorn. Flying just over my hotel balcony every day are cable cars that sail right up to the top of the mountains. I’ve watched them sail overhead for miles, so far that I can’t see them anymore – they become small dots in the distance, then disappear. The weather this morning was perfect – so I walked the 50 meters to the station and boarded.

            With a car all to myself, I could sit back and enjoy the 360-degree views as I glided up the mountainside. There are a few stops along the way, but I just wanted to get to the top.

            At times we soar high above the ground – other times we seem to almost brush the treetops. But the whole way the ground is strewn with jagged rocks – definitely not a place you want to get stuck.

            Zermatt is periodically visible in the distance – and soon jagged rocks are replaced with snow and a sloughing melting glacier.

            There are still some clouds today, but as I head upward they are mostly just wispy ones – so the views of all the mountains is spectacular. Thicker clouds are in the distance, so this amazing view probably won’t hold for long.

            We get to the top of the Kleine Matterhorn – the Matterhorn’s baby brother. The air is thin here – there’s a restaurant that boasts the elevation of 3883 meters (12,740 feet). I head in for a late lunch and a lovely view – and score a corner table. The food is only mediocre – but the view is sooooo worth it, and I just pick at my food. From this vantage point I can see both the Italian Alps and the Swiss Alps – and a small Italian town nestled in the foothills. As I sit there, thick clouds roll in – with the blue sky tries to peek through.

            After lunch, I head toward the elevator going down INTO the glacier. They have carved tunnels in the glacier and created a Glacier Palace – ice tunnels filled with ice sculptures. Even in the afternoon it’s only 37-degrees up here on the mountaintop, and considerably colder inside the glacier tunnels.

            As the afternoon winds down and there is a momentary break in the clouds, I head back to the lift to head back to Zermatt. A lovely ride back down, and perfect timing as the Matterhorn breaks through the clouds and journeys with me.