Paris day 30- Last day in Paris

Our last day in Paris, and we had A LOT to do. But first we were going out for a surprise as Darrin and Susie called it. Only a few people knew where we were going. And it was bugging us all. We wanted to know! So we all got up and after our last breakfast headed out. We took the metro and then walked a distances to some very large walls. Then Darrin asked Leslie tell us where we were going. She said the very famous cemetery, Pere Lachaise Cemetery. I was really excited because Leslie and I had wanted to go there for our entire trip. We walked in and all the tombs were above ground. I thought that only happened in New Orleans. It was crazy to see. All these tombs everywhere all headed up a cliff. It was a very different landscape then I was used to. There was a beauty to it. We were told we had about forty minutes to wander around. It wasn't enough but Leslie and I jumped into action. We both wanted to see Jim Morrison's grave and Oscar Wilde's. I navigated our way through the tombs and the little “streets,” making our way to Jim Morrison. It was kind of tucked away and roped off. We took our pictures and looked at this tree that everyone had signed their names on and words of respect for Morrison. We continued on in our journey to see Oscar Wilde's grave site. We took so many pictures along the way. While people might be creeped out by the dead people, I wasn't. I saw the beauty in the spots. We made our way up one hill and past the crematorium, where a family was gathered mourning their loss. Past more tombs to a massive one with a winged man. Unfortunately it was very defaced. There was red lipstick everywhere and people had written all over it. I went around to the back and read the tomb. It was really difficult with all the red lipstick. I had a hard time reading it. It was just honoring what he had written and done. It had a smaller plaque that asked people not to write on it because it was cleaned a little over ten years ago. Apparently they should have put it in a more noticeable spot. It was kind of a disappointment to see it so defaced. We were almost out of time so we made our way back to the front gate. There was this one part where we were on a path with gorgeous tombs lining it along with trees. It was picturesque. We got back and unfortunately didn't get to see Chopin's tomb. After the cemetery we made our way to the Metro which then took us to the Luxemburg Jardins. At one place I think they were filming a movie. There was a film crew and they were setting it up. That was exciting. Then we arrived in the Gardens and wow. It was lovely and hot. A ton of people were there. We were given 45 minutes to an hour to sketch and take pictures. I wandered around the garden taking pictures of statues and the ducks and flowers. It really was pretty, and peaceful. After that we were free. About three of us went back with Susie to deal with sending packages. We went back to the hotel and it was time to send the boxes. First we had to write the custom form which was really really confusing. A group of us got our boxes done and headed to the post office. The man who speaks English wasn't there. So it was one confusing time. I hate chaos and it was way too chaotic. I was panicing because I was worried it wouldn't send or it would close. I just think too much. I was kind of snappy too. Luckily we had Benae she did a lot of talking for us. Plus there was a ton of us all trying to figure out where to fill things out and make sure our boxes weren't over weight. When it was all done I was relieved. I hate chaos and I am not the best person to be around when I am overwhelmed. As soon as it was done though I relaxed. I was glad it was over and headed back to the hotel. I got back to my room and Stacie and I decided we wanted to go to dinner at Amalfi's for our last night. But first she wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower to sketch it. I agreed to wait and spent my time on the computer, after I tried to call my mom and she didn’t answer. Once Stacie got back she, Elyse, and I headed down the street. We were excited for a good meal. I had Chicken Alfredo, it was so rich and sooooo good. We had desert and that was just as amazing! It was just a good meal all around. I then headed back to the hotel to call my mom back after she called me during dinner. We had a nice conversation and caught up with what was going on in Michigan where she was with my grandma. After the phone call I was so glad my suitcase was pretty much packed. But we were all freaking out about the weight limit. It was less then allowed in the U.S. But I was organized and got to relax more then a lot of the group. The next morning we would have to wake up really early so we could get to the airport without any hassles.