We are here; it is time: our last day in France! It is good I don't want to leave; that is the mark of having had a fine vacation.

   Yesterday, Friday afternoon, four of us more or less intrepid travelers took a taxi from Honfleur all the way to Bayeux to see the famous, ancient tapestry and cathedral. A trip had been offered to the whole group, but not enough people had signed up so it was cancelled. But not see the Bayeux Tapestry while we are so near? Another impossibility. Luckily, three other adventurous ladies with heart enough to band together and face the unknown, set out onto foreign soil without backup (Such courage!), climbing into one taxi, three of us squishing into the back seat with one in front beside our driver. Dozing after our last large lunch onboard the Bizet, in the warm comfort of friendly bodies packed close together in this plush Mercedes Benz, we were rejuvenated by the time we arrived in Bayeux, and had a wonderful afternoon. Since we had no guide, we took the audio tour of the 230 foot embroidered tapestry, depicting events of the 1066 Norman invasion of England by William the Conquerer. The colors are muted now; it is said that no one knows exactly how old the tapestry actually is, although I'd suspect that someone might have taken a sample of the fabric and carbon-dated its age. It is very well preserved, and graphic, parts reminding me of comic-book drawings, showing more than 600 characters, 200 horses, 40 ships, and countless animals and mythological figures. Since most people could not read at that time, this pictorial rendering allowed everyone who saw it to understand the story, to see what happened, in a beautiful and simple presentation. Frustratingly, the audio guide moves one right along; there were many places where I wanted to linger and look closely at the intricacy of the many figures, to examine the borders also crowded with important activities and additions to the main story, but it wasn't possible, or at least I couldn't figure out how to pause the audio. This tapestry is incredible, and not just for its length! An amazing work of art, the Bayeux Tapestry is a part of UNESCO's "Memory of the World" register. Merely describing it does not do it justice. When you are next in France, make sure to take the time to go see it for yourself. It is a wonder to see; I would gladly view it again and again.      

   We got back to the boat late on Friday evening, our last night onboard the Bizet. At the Captain's Farewell Dinner we were plied with all the wine or beer or soft drinks anyone wanted (as usual), and the food was even more delicious than usual (if that was possible); most of us had gained weight on this cruise, eating all the incredible creations the chefs had prepared for us, each day and every meal for the two weeks of our tour. For me, the only vegan onboard, the chef and pastry chef reached new heights in their culinary educations, preparing each of my meals to perfection, experimenting with combinations that sometimes I found confusing but were always delicious. Each course's presentation was a work of art. My friend, Dolores, said that I should photograph each of my meals, but I never thought to bring my camera to the dining hall. My visual memories will have to suffice.    

   On Saturday we disembarked from the ship in the morning, hugging and kissing and saying good-bye to this exceptional crew, offering extra gratuities to those who had shown us special favors. We were to spend our last night in a hotel fairly near to the Charles de Gaulle airport, but Isabelle, our professional, personable Program Director, able to handle broken legs (of two sweet ladies, on the same day, in separate incidents), hospitals, French bureaucracy plus the needs of everyone in our group at the same time, a delightfully wonderful guide throughout, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound, or, on this trip, able to handle tall crises in multiple bounds, with little sleep, constant availability, and always a smile plus a kind word for everyone, was staying at the hotel with us, and, on this last night, would take us on one more walking tour around the lovely area of Roissy. As dusk fell we walked through the park, through the charming village, past enormous ancient trees and little narrow streets, losing parts of our group at various restaurants along our way, and then saying good-bye right there on the sidewalk. A strange leave-taking, but no matter: it was time. The last few of us remaining together stopped into the cathedral, listened to the Palm Sunday service for a short while, and then continued on our walk back to the hotel. We all wanted an early night, to finalize packing, to prepare for our departures. I was the first to leave for the airport in the morning; my pick-up time was 5:15 AM.   

   My flights back were happily uneventful. Since I had signed on for this trip so late, there were no seats left on direct flights from Paris to Boston, so I was routed through Heathrow. I like Heathrow; if one has a short connection you are moved right through, unlike in Amsterdam where going through customs is chaos, never mind that your flight might leave in 5 minutes. Both airports are enormous; it takes a lot of time to get from one terminal to another, the worry while hurrying not helpful at all. On one trip with my daughter, we disembarked from one flight, and moseyed along to the next terminal, reading from the schedule that we had plenty of time. When we got to the gate, no people were sitting in the waiting area, which reinforced our thinking that we were extremely early, so we didn't worry until we saw the desk people were waiting for us, gesturing frantically, encouraging us to "Run, run! They are just about to close the doors to the plane!" Apparently the schedule was posted incorrectly or had been altered, but we just made it onboard in time. Flying can really be very exciting!  

   But on this flight from Heathrow to Boston, everything was calm and the boarding was quite lax: passengers were invited to board almost any time we wanted. This was a new concept and experience for me; I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then more movies, wine, catnap sleep, short conversations with the young man sitting next to me. He was so tall he hardly fit into his space, but, being very young, it didn't seem to bother him at all, or maybe he was just used to being squashed inside ever diminishing plane seats. We chatted a bit, our common bond being that his father and I were both teachers; he was from NYC, attending his first year of college in Boston, visiting his dad, now teaching in London, so he made frequent trips to and from throughout the school year. We had pleasant conversations when both of us were awake; the flight time between the two continents passed quite quickly and cheerfully.       

   Traveling is always a wonderful way to meet people, if one is not boxed in fear. Being open to the exciting, inviting allure of foreign adventures expands us, enhances our humanity. All we need is to learn a few helpful and polite phrases, take a good dictionary, get hold of good maps, exchange money, pack a few clothes, take a toothbrush, and go. Relatively little preparation, but great rewards. So many delights and adventures await!