This morning we walked to the Notre Dame Marche (market) near our hotel. The outdoor market is named after Notre Dame cathedral in Versailles, not to be confused with Notre Dame in Paris.  It’s the oldest church in Versailles and the place where the French Revolution began.  The indoor market had butcheries and fish vendors while the outdoor market had dozens of vendors selling fruits, cheeses, and vendor weaving baskets that we saw many Parisians using to carry their tiny dogs or baguettes.

After a breakfast of croissants we walked to the public park that borders the palace gardens. We rented bikes and spent an hour cycling around the canal. What a beautiful public park…rows of perfectly manicures and evenly spaced trees, and nice views of the Palace gardens. It was comfortable in the shade and good to get some light exercise before boarding the long plane ride home.

Overall, the trip has been a success. Miss M has fallen in love with the beauty of Paris and atmosphere of eating pintxos and tapas in Spain. D loved all the opportunities to swim. And each day Paul and I reflected on how fortunate we are to be able to give this experience to our children.

We’re already discussing where we’ll head next…any guesses?