Our last night on vacation

 Our last night in Paris was the perfect way to end our trip.  Rick and I got dressed up (so did some others, but I was the only one in a dress) and we hopped on the bus and headed past the "adult" district (saw the Moulin Rouge) to Montmarte.  This area is the highest natural point in Paris, and a beautiful church, the Sacre Coeur, sits atop the hill.  Great views of the city.  The French built this church on the highest point because they thought they had made God angry by warring.  It was almost complete before World War I, but they waited to officially finish and open until after the war.

 We rode the funicular up to the church steps and headed in.  They were having a service here, and no pictures were allowed inside.  There was an amazing mural on the ceiling.  That makes 3 churches on 1 Sunday.

 We wandered around the Montmarte area a bit up to the artists' corner--a nice little district with little shops.  We walked down off the mound (didn't take the funicular) and had a beautiful view of the city and the Sacre Coeur as we descended.

 Back on the bus, back into what seemed like more central Paris for supper.

 The restaurant (well, the part where we ate, anyway) was underground in a grotto/tunnel type room with rock walls.  Rick was adventurous and tired the snails and duck; I stuck with French onion soup and beef Burgundy.  Frog legs were also an option; once I saw them I was glad I didn't venture that far--the spines were exposed.  Ick.

 It was all we could drink and there was a very nice champagne to toast with.  There was a guitar and accordion and our group got pretty rowdy with the musicians later in the night.  They pulled me and a few other ladies up to dance the chicken dance and the can can... I hadn't drunk enough for that!  It was a wonderful evening out and a nice way to say goodbye to our group.

Rick ate snails!

All in all, it was a great trip.  The people were friendly, the sights were beautiful, and we still love each other.  I think we both liked Belgium, Germany, and Austria best, so hopefully we'll get back there some day.  Great trip, but it's good to be home.