“But, after all, he turned his face unwillingly towards mankind. His Cathedral was sufficient for him. Was it not people with kings, saints and bishops of marble who never mocked at him, but ever gazed at him with calm and benevolent eyes? And the other stone figures, the demons and monsters, they showed no hatred of Quasimodo. He looked too muck akin to them for that. Rather they scoffed at other men. The saints were his friends and blessed him, the monsters were his friends and protected him…So he would commune long and earnestly with them, passing whole hours crouched in front of a statue, holding solitary converse with it. If anyone happened upon him, he would fly like a lover surprised in a serenade.”

-Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

And so we say goodbye to Europe with Paris…Until next time…

The beauty of Hallstatt can speak for itself.
This morning, we got up early and walked for a few hours along the lake. We wanted to find ourselves alone in these streets because at six a.m., all the souvenir shops would be closed, the light would be soft, the sun just rising, and the air still holding last night’s chill. Come eight a.m., it would already be too late.