Bye Car! Guess How Many Miles We Drove!

Woke up before the roosters at 5:45am so we could get an early start to Paris. It was dark for half of our drive but by the time we arrived in Paris, the city was bustling. Martin even made to battle some crazy drivers. We met Aurora, Martin's cousin, in Montmartre, and she showed us the apartment we are staying in... Own last home in Europe. It's a big studio with a beautifully kitchen and bathroom.

After dropping off our bags, Aurora invited us to breakfast at a local boulangerie/cafe. Martin pulled the ultimate Parisian... Parallel parking in a spot just barely big enough. But he managed by doing as locals do, bumping the front car, twist the wheel, bumping the back car. There was about 4 inches on either side of the car. Somehow he was able to squeeze the car in and out. Breakfast was typical French - baguette, croissant, coffee and tea. Delicious!

After, we drove to the car return location and said our goodbyes to our trusty wheels who never failed us, even though some French people doubted her capabilities in completing a five country European adventure.

Here are some statistics of our travels.


58.8mph!? Where can we find a car like this in the US?



Average speed... Not sure why it's so slow because Martin did pretend he was a NASCAR driver occasionally, but we did drive through plenty of small towns.





One last look at her...


We will reveal the mileage later, so for those of you who want to guess, please submit your estimate in the comment section, email or Facebook us. We are eagerly awaiting, and we will announce the winner when we share the mileage.

It was bittersweet dropping the car off. Now we don't have to find parking for her every night, but it feels like leaving a friend behind and it's the first sign that our trip is coming to a close.

Saddened by this, we slowly walked towards the closest metro stop, and we came upon an impressive piece of architecture, the Arc de la Defense.


In front of this was a large Christmas market where we strolled the aisles but we resisted all urges to get a raclette sandwich.

Purchasing ten metro tickets a piece, we jumped onto the 1 line to the Arc d'Triomphe. As we climbed the stairs out of the metro, this was our view.


This is when it finally hit us... We are in Paris!


We did a little Christmas shopping on the streets nearby and then made our to the Champs Élysées.


We saw another Christmas market here where we tried vin chaud (hot wine cider).





It's definitely winter here! Taking gloves on our next outing.

From here, we went to meet Aurora and Analuna (her daughter) at her school. It's located on the perimeter of a beautiful park, Parc Monceau, and in an amazing Parisian building. We were both jealous to say the least.

Sat in the park while Analuna and her friends ran around. Took the metro back to Montmartre where we relaxed at the apartment before going to Aurora's for dinner. Her apartment is just across the street and has the most amazing view of Paris through their huge skylight - Eiffel Tour, Notre Dame, Louvre, everything. Just unbelievable. Like out of a movie. She made a delicious dinner; it was very nice to eat a warm, homemade meal and great conversation.

Went back to our apartment for a good night's sleep.

- Martin & Kate

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Location:Rue Berthe,Paris,France