Paris - December 30 and 31

Woke up to rain on the 30th. We had already had our fill of museums and had been planning an outside day of wondering through a few neighborhoods, so had to adjust a bit. We ended up going to Rue Cler and had coffee at an outside, but under cover, cafe and then wandered down the street, looking at all the food shops. The plan had been to get food for a picnic lunch, but the rain kind of killed that idea. We ended up taking bus #69 (Rick Steves recommendation) around Paris and found another cafe for lunch. We then headed for the Opera house, but the line was ridiculously long, so off we went to the perfume "museum" that was nearby... we got free samples with our Pars Pass, otherwise we wouldn't have known about it. From there we found our way to the Wax Museum, again free with our pass, and made our way through there. Wax museums have never been on my list of things to do, but it was inside.... Another won't be on any of my future "things to do" lists! We ended the day by having dinner out on the main square in the Montmarte district.

We were up slow and late on the 31st and then headed to the airport for our flight to Budapest. All went well this time, and we met up with our friends on the bus leaving the airport as planned and had a great New Years eve with them.

Seems as if I have mainly just listed what we have done without much personal commentary. Overall, the trip was great, but long. I don't know if I would recommend traveling at this time of year due to the cold and/or rainy weather, but one advantage is the smaller crowds everywhere. Our main goal for Vienna, Salzburg and Munich was to see the Christmas Markets and that worked out well. Even though it poured buckets in Salzburg, this market was more of a "small town" feeling and we enjoyed it.

Paris - well. I left feeling the need to go back during the spring or fall to enjoy all of the outdoor areas of the city. There are just so many parks and gardens where it would be wonderful to spend a few hours strolling and people watching - and much too barren at this time of year (both of plants and people). And WOW: seeing the art and architecture was just awesome. I've never felt that Paris was someplace I just had to go -- to see the Louvre, the Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower, but seeing these things is an incredible experience which I recommend to everyone.

I'm posting photos - this time a bit more organized and not as many, so be sure to check out the link to the photos.