When: April 26 // Weather: 60s // Real life: Day 6 in Paris
Here we go: the last full day of my Paris vacation! It was a perfect last day – we did a lot, but not too much. There was a little shopping, a little museum-ing, and a lot of good food. We started with brunch at Hardware Société, which I heard about thanks to social media buzz from all the hipster foodies. It’s similar to the kinds of places I tend to go here at home, except…it’s better because it’s in Paris. I mean, I don’t get to walk by Sacré Coeur on my way to brunch in Indianapolis. I had a crazy French toast dish with dulce de leche panna cotta, poached pear, confit orange, and chocolate sauce (see it here). I know. In a less glamorous story, I went to la toilette at Hardware Société and knocked an entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet. I may not be allowed back, so please give me some new brunch recommendations for my next visit.
When we were on the way to brunch, I couldn’t help but notice all the cute shops in Montmartre. Soooo after we ate, we hit up a few of them, including Les Petites. Finally, a whole store for space-efficient ladies like myself. In Paris, I was just an average-sized woman; it was as interesting change being larger than children. I felt très powerful.
The last museum on my must-see list was the Musée d’Orsay, which was incredible. If you ever find yourself in Paris for a very short time and can only go to one art museum, make it this one. The building itself is beautiful, and so is everything in it. There’s plenty to see, but it’s much more manageable than the Louvre and easier to navigate and skip to the things you’re most interested in. I also highly recommend the café inside!
Afterward, we hit up a street crêpe cart right outside the museum (amazing) and chowed down while listening to the street musicians. Next, we walked along the Seine (pausing for photos, of course) until it was time to board a boat! We had multiple friends tell us the Bateaux Parisiens dinner cruise was totally touristy but totally great, and they were totally right. After 6 days and 40+ miles walked, it was a welcome break to just sit, relax, eat, and watch the city go by. It helped that the food was actually really good, and our waiter was hilarious and generous with the wine.
We got off the boat around 7:30 or 8, and there was just one major landmark we hadn’t been to yet: the Arc de Triomphe. We went and, probably thanks partly to the wine, were totally gung ho about heading to the top. Stairs stairs stairs stairs stairs stairs stairs stairs stairs stairs and finally, no more stairs! Until we realized, oh this is just the gift shop and bathroom area. There are more stairs.
Stairs stairs. But then! We finally reached open air and the view was absolutely breath taking. Maybe it was the elevated heart rate or the sunset or the fact that it was our last night in Paris, but Kristin and I both had an “I’m not crying, you’re crying” moment. Just a couple of cheeseball Americans on top of the Arc. Adorable, right? We took a million selfies and pointed out all the places we had been over the past week.
Still on a high from that view (a high? get it?), we took a late-night stroll down the Champs Élysées and stopped in a few stores that were still open. Eventually we had to head back to the apartment, but luckily, our Airbnb had a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower, so we got to watch it twinkle one. last. time.
Shoes // Tee // Jacket // Necklace // Sunglasses // similar Bag
