The end of Paris... for now.

I have one more Paris idiosyncrasies blog to share with you. I’d like to share some last pictures with you throughout.

I loved the Doors of Paris. One never knew what was behind the doors; it could be the entrance to a building, a court yard, or even a parking garage. But with such large, colorful, decorated doors, who wouldn’t want to go home? Enjoy these door pictures throughout.

Garbage & Recycling: It is interesting being in these big cities and watching them deal with garbage and recycling. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture, but there are large green containers spread through the cities on sidewalks. Picture something almost as tall as I am and round with a small round opening big enough for bottles in one end. You’ll see little old ladies that are headed out to get their baguette and other groceries for the day empty their recycling bag into the container before heading off to get their groceries. What a wonderful habit!

The garbage cans around the city aren’t really cans. You can see them below. The holder is fixed in the concrete and bags are attached. Some have yellow bags and those are recycling. At first we thought, “won’t it blow away?” But apparently not, plus without a container, there is less to replace and put in a landfill at the end of the "garbage cans" life cycle.

Exact change: I will warn you now -- in Paris they prefer you have exact change … everywhere! Keep some coins with you it will make your life easier. At first, it may seem like it is just something to make your life difficult, but I think there is more to it. I noticed that in most restaurants and even the bread stores, the person waiting on you had to make change for you out of their apron. They have a lot of change since $1 and $2 euros are coins. So I did start to feel bad when I only had large bills. One would think with this penchant for correct change all of the atm’s would give smaller bills, instead of just $50’s!

Another money note, one thing they definitely do right, is how they handle credit cards. When you pay with a credit card at restaurants, etc, the waiter/waitress brings a small hand held machine right to your table. They don’t wander off with your precious credit card. In fact, it never leaves your sight!

Has it really been two weeks since I've returned?  I already miss the doors, but also

The Streets & Buildings

The Palaces

The History & Beauty

And, Of Course, The Food

I'll return someday, but it's only right to end this journey at the same place we ended our long days of wondering every night. the door to our little apartment… How lucky I was to spend this time with Kim in Paris, and to have this bright blue door to come home to every day!