My last day in Paris was arguably perfect. It was just Brian and me, and utterly romantic. This is shaping up to be a mushy post, so bear with me as I boast.
We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and shared some leftover Italian for breakfast. (What can I say, garlic bread before nine in the morning--this man gets me.) Our only real plan was to stop by the Lover's Bridge and the rest of the day was to be an adventure. We strolled along the Seine River, gazed up at the Eiffel Tower as we passed, and people watched. When solicitors would approach us asking if we spoke English, we'd stop our conversation, say 'Non' in a Frenchy accent, then continue on in English (they were from the UN, legitimately, but we had already donated and they were stationed every thirty yards or so.) We teased each other about our hypocrisy, but we were young, in love, in Paris. There are more important things to consider at that moment.
The Lover's Bridge was about three miles away from our hotel and the streets are dotted with vendors. As we approached, we chose a glittery gold lock and wrote our initials with the date. As we will be frequently in Paris, we thought we'd place a new lock each year. We took some silly pictures and threw our keys into the river. After, we sat in an outside cafe and ordered 'the big beers'.
Just around the corner from the cafe was a farmer's market. These are unlike any I've ever attended in America. They have booths with fresh fish, artisan cheese, wines, local art. We continued wandering the streets until we came upon an open square. There were booths and picnic cloths spread with goods-the closest I can describe is a sort of city yard sale. There were vintage furs, dresses, and shoes. Tables were covered in books, china, and antiques. We oohed and awed, and wished we knew what we were looking at.
We needed some winter wear so we stopped in some clothing stores, but discovered they don't come in until October. I was completely turned around, as by this point we were about six miles from the hotel, but luckily Brian is excellent with reading the street maps that can be found on every corner. We actually weren't too far from his work, so we trekked along until we came upon our favorite Parisian Sushi restaurant. Sushi here is different than Californian sushi, in that I'm used to rolls filled with different ingredients, but instead of Maki, you're more likely to find sashimi on the menus. After a late, albeit incredible lunch, we walked to a nearby bookstore before taking a taxi home.
For dinner, we went to a restaurant on the river, just beneath the Eiffel Tower. There is a light show on the hour and we had an amazing view. We chose some quintessential French entrees and shared some red wine, enjoying our last night in Paris. It was dreamy and enchanting; I look forward to our next visit in November
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