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Paris

Paris closed out the trip with all the essentials. Notre-Dame's towers still rise over the Île de la Cité, and just across the water, the sidewalk tables of Le Flore en l'Île keep the Île Saint-Louis unhurried. The Louvre held its crowds under a grey sky, its glass pyramid cutting through the rain. The Left Bank answered with the Palais du Luxembourg and its gardens, an almond croissant from La Maison d'Isabelle — 1st Prize for the city's best butter croissant — eaten on a bench there. Up in Montmartre, the Sacré-Cœur crowned the hill, the steps below running straight down to a carousel, and the old windmill of the Moulin de la Galette still turning behind its ivy. The Eiffel Tower rose over it all from below, and the Pont Alexandre III carried its gilded lamps across the Seine. The evening ran to a flight of beers at BrewDog, and closed, fittingly, with a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a charcuterie spread on the balcony.

Sidewalk tables at Le Flore en l'Ile in Paris, France — Sidewalk tables at Le Flore en l'Île

The Louvre and its glass pyramid on a rainy day in Paris — The Louvre and its glass pyramid, on a rainy day

The Palais du Luxembourg and its gardens in Paris, France — The Palais du Luxembourg and its gardens

An almond croissant from La Maison d'Isabelle, enjoyed in the Luxembourg Gardens

The Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Paris, France — The Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Looking down the steps of Montmartre toward the carousel below

The Moulin de la Galette windmill in Montmartre, Paris — The Moulin de la Galette windmill, in Montmartre

The Eiffel Tower seen from below in Paris, France — The Eiffel Tower, seen from below

The Pont Alexandre III crossing the Seine in Paris, France — The Pont Alexandre III, crossing the Seine

A flight of beers at BrewDog in Paris, France — A flight of beers at BrewDog

A bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a charcuterie spread on the balcony in Paris — A bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a charcuterie spread on the balcony

← 2022 Italy & France