La Finale

September 26th

Well our two months in France is coming to a close but we had the whole day to explore a little bit longer.  We took the metro to the Place de Bastille to find the Promenade Plantee which is an elevated greenway for walking.  We had a little trouble finding it but along the way we discovered a lovely stroll along the Canal Saint-Martin.  The Promenade was beautiful and everyone we came across seemed so serene and content as they walked or sat on a bench reading a book.

Place de Bastille

The Victory Column

Canal Saint-Martin

Promenade Plantee

Walking can make a person hungry so we worked our way over to the Marais for lunch at the Breizh cafe for a last crepe.  I call them crepes but they are actually galettes which are made with buckwheat flour.  Most of the savory crepes in France are made with buckwheat flour and the sweet dessert crepes are indeed made with white flour and are called "crepes."

My goat cheese galette is under the salad

One last museum for this year...the Picasso! We had been years ago so it was fun to revisit.  Part of the museum was under remodel so there was only one floor but still many rooms and works of art.  Below are a few (?) of our favorites.

The garden at the Picasso Museum

Before getting on the Metro and going back to the apartment for our departure with Super Mario, we stopped into the beautiful Le Train Bleu restaurant at Gare de Lyon for a coffee.

  

Passage Dauphine 

One last glass of wine with entertainment

Waiting for Super Mario

Off to London for the night then the early flight to Seattle.  Au revoir, mon ami France!

Time Remaining

September 27th

Nearly there!

The penultimate day...

September 25th

When we bring our bikes to France we collapse them into large samsonite suitcases and upon arrival Jay puts the bikes together and the suitcases are empty except for the packing materials to protect the bikes.  This year we found StoragePal in Paris so we stored our bike-cases with them for 2 months.  StoragePal is so reasonable and since we are returning in May we decided to leave a couple of boxes of items we don't need to take back and forth. The list kept growing as we traveled and accumulated things...a fan (because of the heat and lack of air-conditioning in a couple of places), a Nespresso coffee maker (because we need "our" coffee), cloths to dry the car after washing (those of you who know me, know I hate a dirty car), hangers that we purchase every year, we left our bike shoes and water bottles, some tupperware and my picnic pack (a ziplock with a small table cloth, cutting board, knife, wine opener and stopper).  I think we left our sunscreen, bug spray and shampoo as well.  Staying in a place for 2 months there are some necessities one cannot do without.  

Today was suitcase pickup day so we called a FreeNow car (it works like Uber) to haul us and our boxes over to StoragePal and to pick up our bike-cases.  The driver told us to call him for our ride to the airport the next evening so he put his phone number and name into my phone...Super Mario in Paris.😂  

We sent him on his way and decided to walk our way back since we could roll the empty suitcases.  We wandered through some new areas and took pictures of places we passed by. The Invalides is a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and retirement home for war veterans which was it's original purpose.

It was lunchtime when we arrived back at the apartment so we popped around the corner to the Cafe de Paris for a quick lunch so Jay could get to work packing up the bikes and I could pack up most of our clothes and accessories for our departure tomorrow.

Les Invalides 

Jay's bacon cheeseburger and my Chèvre Salade

Once our chores were done we again just walked about the city appreciating that we are lucky enough to be here.  We happened upon a wedding couple in front of the Louvre pyramid and explored our 2019 neighborhood near the Place de Vendome before returning to our San Germain area for dinner at Combo.  We have had such amazing food on this trip but we both agreed that the dinner at Combo rated up there at number one.  The meal was delicious, the service excellent and the reasonable prices were a bonus. We will be returning there next year!

French Onion Soup

Jay's Frogs Legs Salad

We both had the amazing duck breast

View of the street from our table at Combo

History and Monuments

September 24th

Today we visited the Carnavalet Museum which focuses on the history of Paris.  It has wonderful displays and tons of history to absorb so we did a fairly quick walk through to get an overview. We will definitely need to return to really be able to retain even a morsel of the information offered.  

The courtyard entrance

The entry hall

An element from the tomb of King Louis of France

A Plate Celebrating the Liberation of Paris in 1944

Hot air ballooning became popular in the 18th Century, people could fly for the first time.  The images appeared on ladies clothing, dishes and furniture.

Vase depicting 1924 Paris Olympics

La Fayette's Oath to the Nation of France

Marie Antoinette in the Prison du Temple

The French Moto Liberte, Égalité, Franternite originates from the French Revolution, when it was a rallying cry against the oppressive monarchy and a call for basic rights for the French people. 

We moved on to making an attempt at going to the top of the Arc de Tromphe.  We tried before but hadn't purchased tickets ahead and the line was too long to wait.  This time we were a little smarter but after climbing 250+ stairs I'm not so sure.  The views were amazing and worth the effort.

Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

Le Tour Eiffel

We made it to the top!

The Champs Elysees

On our way down, down, down...

To end the day we had a great dinner at Chez Mademoiselle in the Marais. We have been here every time we've been in Paris.  It's a small, casual place but the food is very french and a little different than the usual but always good.  The server normally brings a small glass of limoncello as a digestive at the end of the meal and in the past they have even left the bottle for us to refill on our own.

Caprese salad starter with figs

My excellent tuna steak and Jay's dorade

Yummy Chocolate Mouse with Marscarpone