Alas, Pierce Departs

All good things must come to an end, and so it came time for Pierce to go back to school.

On Saturday, he and I went to Versailles and toured the palace.

We saw, among other things, the bed in which Marie Antoinette gave birth to her children with members of the public watching.

We saw one of the famous portraits of her by Vigee Le Brun (yes, I just Googled it).

It was all fascinating. Pierce enjoyed it and I was glad he got there before leaving Paris.


That night, we all went out to a restaurant called Le Relais de Venise – L'Entrecôte. There was a long line and we had to wait outside for a table.

Pierce and I split a nice half bottle of Bordeaux.

I like this picture because the expression on Pierce's face reminds me of when he was a little kid.

The fare is very simple - just salad, steak and fries - but they do it nicely. The service is quick, too.

We had a great table and the conversation was spirited. Pierce had turned down a night on the town with a friend, but I think he enjoyed it.

Pierce and Sky went to the Champs Elysee to see a movie on Sunday. We had a quick dinner at home and then we had to get him to the train station.

We got there early, so we had some time to kill on the platform.

It was sad saying goodbye.

Eventually, we all piled onto the train to get Pierce settled.

Then we hugged good hugs.

Pierce clowned around.

And gave a final wave like Mr. Bean.

We watched him from outside until the train started to move.

We all walked along with the train for a bit and Sky and True kept going for a while. You can see the train pulling away below.

We went home, thinking of Pierce on the train as it headed for the Alps and Italy beyond.