one day more

So it may not come as a surprise that i changed my itinerary a little. Walking through Paris the other day, I decided I should just knock out the two nights in Belgium I had planned, and add one more day to both my stops in Paris and Amsterdam. So Monday became yet another day to wander the streets. I took a loop down by Notre Dame to see the Memorial to the Deportation (for the Holocaust) and wandered through the area of the Sorbonne and Pantheon. I found the Jardins and Palace de Luxembourg and was struck by how beautiful they were, but enjoyed how many locals were out soaking up the atmosphere. I ventured on towards the Jardins de Plantes (whose name amuses me) and the Place de la Bastille, stopping to make my reservation for todays train trip to Amsterdam, and moved on toward the Place de Vosges. Not far from there I walked by a corner cafe that just looked - and smelled - inviting. I walked back by it again. The smell of white wine and garlic was more than I could resist. I ended up having the best and freshest Mussels I've ever had, though I admit to not having had all that many before because I had never been a big fan of them. By then it was dark, so a couple stops in my favorite watering holes rounded out my last night in Paris.