Day 4 (April 23, 2017): Venice to Paris

We had this morning to take in our last few sights of Venice, before heading to the airport. Up at 8am (still struggling with the five-hour time change), a wonderful breakfast in the hotel, and then on the bus to Piazza di Roma by 10. We decided to focus the morning on seeing the part of the city known as , which features the Church of Madonna dell'Orto, an elegant church from the 1400s with a Gothic facade and cloisters, plus works by the artist Tintoretto, who is buried here. We found our vaporetto (water taxi) and enjoyed the view of the city enroute. After yesterday, we felt like pros with the water bus (vaporetti) network and even helped some other tourists!

As Venice is famous for its masks, Pam bought a nice one partially covered in music notes. (She is inexplicably drawn to all things "music notey"!)

Venetian ambulance

What a classy facade for a hospital!

The Church of Madonna dell'Orto

Inside the Church of Madonna dell'Orto

A last stroll around the Rialto Bridge and a last vaporetto ride on the Grand Canal, and then we boarded a bus back to the hotel at noon.

The Grand Canal: quintessential Venice!

By 1pm we had checked out and were headed to Venice's Marco Polo Airport. Again with this next leg of the trip, Pam had no idea where we were destined until we arrived at the Easyjet check-in counter.

The two-hour flight to Paris Orly Airport was packed and arrived just a few minutes late, at 5pm. Just as the bags started coming off the conveyor belt, there was an airport-wide shutdown of all operations, due to a security threat. Everything ground to a complete halt for an hour!

Boarding the packed Easyjet for Paris wasn't so 'easy'!

It wasn't until 6:30 that we collected our bags and boarded "Le Bus" for Montparnasse Station in the 14th "accrondissement". Our hotel was just across the street from the station, so it was an efficient way of getting into the city for us.

When we walked into our hotel room, I advised Pam that she needed to get dressed up for a nice dinner, but gave no hint as to where. At 7:45 we made our way to the lobby and I ordered our first "Uber" ride! The driver was there in a few minutes - quite impressed with his car, the service, and the price (half the cost of a normal taxi).

As we were driving, she saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance and we commented that "we should go there tomorrow". After a few minutes I exclaimed, "Wow Pam, the Tower is right there! Can you take some pics?!" She rolled down the window and started snapping photos. Suddenly the Uber stopped, and I said, "We are getting out here!" She was totally shocked and surprised.

We made our way through the heavily armed guards (due to last Friday's terrorist attack, the city is still on high alert), completed our check-in for the "58 Eiffel Restaurant", and joined he queue. It was 9pm when we actually entered the restaurant. Reservations are required months in advance, so it wasn't surprising that every table was occupied. The three course menu contained some nice options and was preceded by champagne. We both opted for the foie gras, followed by the breast-of-duck. Pam's dessert was accompanied by our waiter singing 'Happy Birthday', while I opted for a plate of French cheeses. All washed down with cappuccinos. What a wonderful meal! At 11pm we did a walk around the observation deck and then joined the long queue to descend. We were back at the hotel by 11:45.

Pam was very pleased that Paris was "surprise city #3" and she loved the dinner in the Eiffel Tower. We had eaten in the same restaurant for her 40th birthday, so it was a wonderful flashback to ten years ago - a span of time that has passed like the snap of fingers.

An early rise awaits us, as does surprise city #4. Bonnie soirée de Paris!