Paris Diary part 25

Day 30
12°, rain off & on most of the day.

I got rained on during my last morning run in Paris. Morning rain was nothing new, but this was the heaviest rain while I was out running. This was my last chance to run along the Seine, so I ignored the rain and pushed through.

Lily & I had no real plans for our last day in Paris, other than getting to the airport on time. Our flight left later at night, so we still had some time to experience the city.

After a full month, we did almost everything on our lists. We saw the big tourist sights and more than a few little places. We ate big fancy meals in big fancy restaurants and quick snacks from sandwich shops. We went to just about every type of bistro, café, brasserie and salon de thé. Lily & I shared a bedroom in a large seaside mansion and had our own rooms in a beautiful little apartment. We met locals who lived in Paris their entire lives, foreigners and expats working in France, and people just passing through. We went to the borders of the city and beyond, and took a few side trips outside of Paris altogether. We rode on trains, cars, scooters and bicycles. I even got to drive a little myself.

We did everything and almost nothing. We covered everything in the typical tourist guide and then some, but living in Hong Kong has taught me that you can spend months, and even years, in a city and still barely begin to understand it. I chuckle a little to myself when I meet people who spent a week in Hong Kong and think they are now experts. Lily & I were always aware that we were never going to know Paris in a month. We barely scratched the surface.