Cruising in the Rain

Back in “Petit” after our visit to Père Lachaise on Monday, the rain began in earnest, pounding on the awning over the courtyard, threatening to wash out our last night in Paris.  But it slowed to a steady drizzle, which didn’t put a damper on our evening plans: dinner and a cruise on the Bateau Mouche.

It sounds like a very touristy thing to do, I know, but it’s a great way to wrap up (or begin) a trip to this magnificent city.  They welcomed us with champagne when we arrived, and after we boarded we enjoyed Blanquette de Limoux (remember that, from an earlier post?), the original French sparkler.  We both chose a silky fois gras to start, then Jama had duck and I had veal, both excellent, and ended with fig tarte tatin. Marvelous!

The trip was a bit over two hours, with plenty of photo opportunities, though it was challenging to get shots in good focus, with the boat moving and all and no tripod. From time to time we braved the rain on the upper deck to capture spectacular views of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower.  The boat has bright lights on both sides that illuminate the quays and houseboats, many of which were clearly occupied. I can imagine how annoying it must be to the people who live on the boats to have what amounts to a bank of searchlights intruding every night.

And so this escape to France ends, and I’m back home now; but I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. One thing is certain:  I won’t think of it as the trip of a lifetime, because I’ll do it again.  Not the same trip, of course (though there’s plenty more I’d like to see and do in the Languedoc), but an extended stay in another place. I’ll have  more reflections  to post to this blog, so I hope my followers will stick with me.