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So, as promised, Sophie and I hit the sales this morning. As we didn't have much time we headed straight for Zara, Sophie's favourite shop. There were amazing bargains to be had so we both made the most of it and bought a couple of things each in the hope we would have just enough room to squeeze them into our bags.
Our very last place to see in Paris on our wishlist is Montmartre so we hit the metro and headed north. Our initial plan was to take the bus so we could enjoy the views of Concorde, Opera, Galeries Lafayette but with the taxi strike the traffic was horrendous. In Paris they have a bus/taxi lane but as the taxis were striking and protesting against the introduction on Uberpop self regulated taxis they were blocking many bus lanes as well as access to airports. This is slightly worrying for us for our trip to CDG airport tomorrow. We have booked a shuttle which will take us either to the airport or to the nearest RER train staion depending on whether the taxi drivers continue to faire la greve! Like any latin blooded nationality, the french become very verbose and even violent when they are upset with something and going on strike is one of the most popular ways of the unions getting their own way. Just before we arrived in Paris the employees of the Eiffel Tower went on strike until the police had cleared the "professional" pick pocketers from the area.
Montmartre was beautiful as always and after visiting Sacre Coeur we hid from the rest of the tourists in the little garden behind the church. We were even lucky enough to be serenaded by an accordion player - very french.
Place du tertre was teeming with tourists so after getting the kids an ice cream and having a brief look at the artisits, we headed back down some of the many steps to a wee cafe for a cool drink. Summer is definitely here so relaxing in cafes and watching the world pass by is a great past time.
Home for an early dinner which we picked up from the local chinese traiteur and to finish off our packing, tidying and final goodbyes with Sophie. Watching the news we saw the chaos caused by the taxi drivers, especially at the airport. However, although the government sympathises with the taxi drivers Francois Hollande has said how disgusted he is with the chaos, violence and damage so hopefully the strike has now finished and we'll get to the airport easily tomorrow.
Final thought for the evening, how lovely it is to sit and watch the sunset over the rooftops of Paris. I have so loved being back in France, speaking french and enjoying the life and culture. I hope Jonathan and the children have enjoyed it too and not felt too much of a sensory overload. Looking forward to returning in the not too distant future, I'm certainly not waiting another 20+ years to return! it would be lovely to see more of the south of France and head down to southern Italy/Sicily...
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