Bled, Slovenia to Ljubljana, Croatia to Paris

On all of our previous trips, our departure flights have been  scheduled very early in the morning. However, this time our plane was  taking off in the afternoon. When we said our farewells to our group last  night, we learned that many were heading back home, but others were continuing on to different destinations in Europe. As for us, when we made our travel arrangements, Nick asked, “What do you think about stopping in Paris on our way home?” Of course, I said yes. We are blessed to have absolutely delightful friends there whom we have known for more than forty years.  Our friendship began when Nick and Jose-Maria worked together back then. Whenever we get together, the two of them pick up where they left off the previous time, always speaking English.

We were able to have a leisurely breakfast and then we finished packing. Next we took a walk to the lake, enjoying the lovely scenery one more time. We stopped for gelato on the way back to our hotel. We weren’t the last ones to leave. Katerina would not go home until everyone in our group left the hotel for the airport. Looking out the widow of the cab, we observed the snow capped mountains one last time.

The airport, one of the world’s smallest, is in Ljubljana, with one international gate and one local gate. Our cab driver was a charming young woman who spoke five languages. Fluency in many languages is not unusual for Slovenians because Slovenia is bordered by four countries. Our driver asked us to tell our friends back home to visit her country.

Our flight to Paris was uneventful. When our plane landed, we took the airport shuttle and got tickets for the train and the bus. We were familiar with the stops, having done this several times before.  After exiting the bus, there was one short street to walk until we reached Agnès and Jose-Maria’s flat. It was so good to be together again! Here is a picture of us and Carla some years ago.

We had a lot of catching up to do, and we chatted throughout  the delicious dinner that Agnès had prepared. Agnès and Jose-Maria asked us if we would like to go to Fontainebleau Palace the next day. Of course we would!

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