We ran around a lot yesterday.

Hmm so yesterday was the perfect last day in Paris.

We woke up and had a great morning with CSers, then left to go to Gare de Lyon and figure out train stuff. We found out a train we feared would cost E40 only cost E4 for BOTH OF US! So great, only it left at 9:06 pm and got into Antibes (a suburb of Nice, where James' uncle lives) at 8:30am. Can we say ELEVEN HOUR TRAIN without a couchette or sleeper?!?

After that we went to the Louvre because we heard a rumor that it would be free, which was false but okay because hey we just walked around the Louvre. After realizing it was about 3:30 and we would have time to actually catch the free organ recital at Notre Dame at 4:30 we hopped on the metro and went.
It was awesome. i can't believe my ears have heard sounds that Napoleon probably heard. Not to mention so many other famous and important, world changing, people in history.
I closed my eyes and let the beautiful music invade, and when I opened my eyes it was literally breathtaking what I saw in the cathedral, the light and windows all combined.
Truly amazing.

After the concert we walked along the back in the park where there was a mini artist market going on with painters and musicians and singers. As we were walking back along the Seine the bells of Notre Dame rang for like 15 minutes - it was so gorgeous. Then we saw that there was a "Best of the Southwest" festival happening on the other side of the Seine so we went to check it out.

It was a great little festival with a band and an awesome southwestern percussion group. In addition there was free wine tasting (yum) and many other crafts and food vendors. We got duck sandwiches and ate them on the edge of the Seine while listening to the percussionists. Before heading home we got a cheap bottle of some pretty good rose wine (yum!) and decided to walk through the Latin Quarter to get to the Metro. On our way through we were intrigued by a South Tunisian patisserie, so we stopped and decided to get something. And, I wanted a Magnum bar. Lol.

Well, the South Tunisian pastry sucked, but the White Chocolate filled with Vanilla bean Magnum bar was UH-MAZE-ING.

However, by the time we got on the metro we realized it was WAYYY later then it was supposed to be if we were going to make our train at 9pm.
By the time we took the metro back to La Defense and got back to Jessica's apartment it was 8:00.

When we left Jessica's apartment it was 8:15.
EIGHT FIFTEEN folks and we had a train at 9:06 AND we had two metro changes ahead of us.
We were literally RUNNING through the metro stations.
By the time we had made our last connection and gotten on the train that would take us to Gare d'Austerlitz, our train station, I think the clock said 8:50.

After running down the hall, lifting all of our crap up three flights of stairs (you'd figure they'd have escalators at a TRAIN STATION?!?) and running to the WRONG end of the train line up (gate 16 as opposed to 1, where we were supposed to be) PRAISE JESUS because we finally made our train.

By the time James and I sat down and had our stuff away, I think the train had already started moving.

We were THAT CLOSE.

But the train ride was great and not very full, so we were able to lay out and go to bed.
By the time I woke up I was able to see the sunrise over the southern coast of France, somewhere near Cannes. It was just gorgeous.
Getting into Antibes was easy and James' uncle and his wife and family have been so kind. No one really speaks English here save James' uncle, so we've HAD to use our French, which has been frustrating (cause I suck!) but really great.

When we got to his home we just took naps, then woke up in time to watch the sunset over the mountains. Absolutely gorgeous. Tonight Jack's wife made us an awesome dinner of soup and bread and salad and fruit. I loved it. Tomorrow I think we are going to take a bus (hopefully for 1 euro!) to Cannes and check stuff out. I think James and I just gonna watch a movie tonight then get some sleep.

Je suis excitee.

:)