March 8, 2012....Suitcase is packed....maps are done...

The preliminary suitcase is closed. Trying to see how wrinkled things are with rolling each item as opposed to folding. It's zipped up and next week I'll open the case and shake things out. Yes...packing is never really finished until you leave; if there's an inch you'll find something to tuck in until it's so full you put a luggage strap around to keep it from bursting!

The planning phase of our trip really came together when we visited Terry & Linda in Indiana. Terry and I had a high school reunion...our 55th...and it was the perfect opportunity to work together on renting the car; selecting hotels...at least getting started...while we stayed at their home for a few days.



The work continued for several months until we finally had our last hotel reservations secured and everyone was comfortable with the plan. Below are maps of our progress:



I've finished mapping out our Paris adventures for the first three weeks; a benefit from doing this is that I have learned Metro stops, street names and oh so much about the geography of the city of Paris. Even though I've officially finished I still find myself penciling in additional items as I find them on the Internet. Thought you might enjoy a view the the Arrondissement Map of Paris:



A new item that we added is that we're meeting (for the first time) a second cousin of Jim's from Illinois....she saw this blog and contacted us. She is taking a Trafalgar Tour of France in April and will be arriving and leaving from Paris while we are there. She's staying in the La Defense area so we've added that to our schedule! It's outside the Peripherique but definitely something we want to see. There are three arc's in Paris and they line up across the map; now we'll finally see the third one and send you a photo of all three from there (I hope)!

Only 25 more days.....