Packing day...Eurostar to London tomorrow morning...Goodbye, Paris! Tomorow post with more photos and final total costs for the past 16 nights...

When we finally had a relatively clear night we got this shot from the balcony in our hotel room.

The progression of the sunset in Paris.

The end of our time in Paris is coming to an end. Tomorrow morning we take a taxi to the Eurostar station. Causing a little bit of angst, is the fact that one must be able to carry their luggage onto the train in order to board.

Many historical building line the boulevards.

With our two heavy large bags, two heavy small bags, one duffel bag, my handbag and the one computer bag, we have quite a load. All of them has wheels so we'll see how it goes.

As we walked down a side street.

We're putting a plan in place, testing it today. Shortly, once I complete today's post, we'll walk the several blocks to the laundromat where we'll spent an hour and a half getting two tightly packed loads washed and dried.

Tom didn't order a single pastry from a boulangerie (bakery).

As the proverbial food voyeur, I've always reveled in looking at pastries, especially in Paris.

Good thing I can't eat any of this. We'd have spent a fortune and I'd have gained so much weight I wouldn't fit into my clothing. As it was, we each lost a few pounds while here.

We'll pack everything once we return to the hotel wearing the same clothes for the rest of the day today that we'll wear tomorrow, hand washing underwear tonight before bed.

In our travels, we often try to stay close to water such as the River Seine which is walking distance from our hotel. In London, we'll be within walking distance of the Thames River.

These 16 nights in Paris has been one of the shorter periods we've stay in one location, except for past cruises most of which have been in the two week range and a few single nights in hotels in between flight.

Renovations on an archway over the River Seine.

Its hard to be packing again. At least at this point with the lesser amount of stuff, it doesn't take too long, less than two hours at most. Recently, we've been asked if we've lightened our load so much, why do we still have such weight?

A street view of the restaurant we visited on Tuesday night, we'd yet to post.

My only response to that is this: If you had to pack everything you needed for the next year into one large and one small bag, could you do it?

Earlier, I posted a similar photo. We've loved this scene as the sky became blue.

With 12 pairs of shoes between us, two jackets each, everyday clothing, very few casual dressy clothes, two swimsuits each, two beach towels, emergency medical supplies, dental supplies, prescriptions, toiletries and cosmetics, and vital digital equipment. We have nothing we don't need.

A bees was inside this flowers working on the nectar in the pistil.

As for Paris...have we enjoyed it? I must say, I've loved every moment. For Tom, not as much. He's only interested in certain sightseeing but, he graciously tagged along with me to see many of the sights I'd longed to see most of my life.

This was the window in an tailor shop we spotted on one of our long days of walking.

When I sensed he'd had enough, we slowed down over the past few days dining out by taxi a few times, otherwise staying close to our hotel taking walks and enjoying the area. I am no way disappointed in not seeing more.

These "hop on, hop off" tourists buses are a good way for those who prefer not to walk, to see many of the sight of the city. We'd intended to do a three day pass but with the rain on and off almost each day, we never booked it fearful we'd pay and then be stuck inside the bus.

We exceeded our budgeted amount for tours and sightseeing and for me as the budget police, I have little room to complain. Nor did Tom complain about the day long walks and lines at venues.

Dogs are allowed in restaurants in Paris. This well behaved guy was next to us one evening during dinner.

Paris is a complex city. One could spend years and never know it all. For the time we've spent here, we feel comfortable that we've seen all we've wanted to see, getting a feel for its charm and appeal, it's dark dangers lurking under train stations at night, and it wide array of place to dine.

So typical Paris, motorbikes and motorcycles parked along a narrow one way road.

My favorite aspect of Paris, as it is for many, has been the Eiffel Tower both during the day and at night. The light show on the hour after dark made my heart pound with excitement. I'll never forget that and we're happy to have two videos of this breathtaking event.

Cafes and bistros can be found on many corners inviting passersby to stop for a glass of wine or cup of coffee or tea.

It's unlikely we'll return to Paris. Yesterday, upon entering where we've been into my Trip Advisor profile, using the map to mark cities and countries we've visited, it appears we've seen so little. We have a lot of world left to see.

In Paris, there have been restrictions as to the height of buildings in Paris which may soon be lifted. The height limit is 590 feet, 180 meters for office buildings and 150 feet, 46 meters for apartment buildings.

For us, its not a sprint nor is it a marathon. Its a long walk. We work our way from location to location, choosing those which we find most appealing and interesting, from which we'll hopefully continue to grow and learn.

Many bridges in Paris have decorative ornamentation.

This artwork on the bridges in Paris are definitely worthy of noting.

We stumble along the way, making mistakes, encountering obstacles and having good days and bad. Life is life that wherever one may live. It just so happens that we're experience life in locations all over the world.

This appears to be a variety of hibiscus.

A rose growing near the entrance to a bridge.

We'll be back tomorrow with the final costs for 16 nights in Paris, posting before we leave for the train. And on Sunday, our first glimpses of London.

An orange tree for sale outdoors at a flower shop.

Be well.
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Photo from one year ago today, August 15, 2013:

Two weeks before we were leaving Italy for Kenya, we started assessing how much stuff we had to pack. At that point we had considerably less than when we left the US but still had to unload much more. which we eventually accomplished. For details of that post, please click here.