Bittersweet

My last day in Paris. I decided to start it by going to where Paris began at Point Zero in front of Notre Dame, then it was time to forage for food. The thing I like about Paris is how you are able to just wander in the back streets and it seems like the city fades away. You find hidden restaurants or buildings that looked so old they're covered with ivy. There is always something new to discover around the corner. Nothing appealed to me in the cafes on the Ile de Cite, so I hopped on the Metro and went to the Champs-Elysees. La Brioche Doree had some tastey pastries displayed and with the winds and rain falling heavily down upon me, I decided to have my breakfast inside. Breakfast on the Champs-Elysees, what a great way to have your last breakfast. I had their almond pastry along with my usual cafe au lait...delicious! The wind was blowing so hard that my umbrella got beaten up. I had to stop at Laduree to get some pastry and chocolates to bring back to the family. That is one shop I wished they had near where I live!

My friend, David, and I made arrangements the day before to meet up for lunch at Angelina's. Another great place that I wished they had near my location, I had the roasted salmon. It was so nice and soft, the knife they gave might as well have been a butter knife. The nice thing about it was that you could still taste the salmon and the salad just complimented the meat. Dessert was and Opera, which was this round pastry with an almond filling. Yummy!

Walking toward the Metro station we passed by the Plaza de la Concorde and the view from the sidewalk was spectacular. You could get the obelisk and the Eiffel tower in one shot. Now where else in the world would you get a view like this as you walk down the street?

David and I went up the Montparnasse tower to the 56th floor, the 59th floor was closed due to the weather. The view from the top of the tower is amazing! We got to watch as the sunsets and the lights of the city turned on. One of the best views of the city, the only down side would be that you couldn't see Montparansse tower itself.

Dinner was at La Ralaise L'Entrecote. I promised to take David there for their steak and fries. Now I must say that there are places here in the states that serve better steaks, but this is still a nice restaurant in Paris. Frankly I like it because it was in a book I read that inspired me to take a trip to Paris. =) I had the Mont Blanc for dessert which is basically vanilla ice cream with whip cream and almonds on top. David had a chocolate cake, chocolate brownie and whip cream.
Before I had to return to my hotel, David promised to take me to the best place to view the Eiffel Tower-the Trocadero. This was another place that a scene from 'Sabrina' was shot at but apparently this was a popluar place for movies and photo shoots.

I was sad to leave Paris. I actually cried on the plane as it took off from the airport, something I have never done before. There is a quote in Sabrina with Julia Ormond saying "I found myself in Paris"...well that's almost what happend. But I already knew myself before I came to Paris, it was more along the lines of I found God again in Paris.