Au Revoir, Paris

My last day in Paris was truly magical. I resisted the temptation to visit just. one. more. museum — after my visits to the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay, I was museum'ed out — and instead decided to wander the city, mostly by bicycle, with no agenda at all. It was supposed to rain, but it never did — the weather was balmy and the sky was simply beautiful.

First, I wandered the Montrouge neighborhood where I finally found an open bakery. I spent some time in the local Monoprix and organic grocery stores, buying lingerie and chocolate, then I packed myself a picnic and caught the metro into the center of the city.

There, I jumped on a bike, hoping to find the Place de la Concorde and the Olympic Torch balloon. I spotted both, at a distance, but they were still cordoned off by all the Olympic barricades.

The city was remarkably empty of cars -- even the Champs Elysée was closed to traffic.

I criss-crossed the river, and made my way to the Petit Palais, where I stopped for lunch in the shade and spent a lovely couple of hours on the grass next to a cool fountain, drawing this magnificent building.

Then I grabbed another bike and set out to find the covered galleries, where I did some last minute gift shopping. By now, the light had become spectacular.

Late in the afternoon, I ran into an American couple from New York that I'd met a few nights before. I stopped to have a drink with them, at a cafe cross from the USA pavilion (Team USA having taken over the old Treasury building). The building is gorgeous, but we all agreed the USA banners were an embarrassing eyesore.

After saying goodbye to them, I went to find my last meal, which I decided should be African food. In the process, I ended up stumbling into an amazing part of town called Quartier Montorgueil.

The neighborhood is twelve square blocks, entirely car-free. It’s right in the center of town, but even though I’ve been to Paris many times before, it was a first for me -- and it was absolutely magical.

Over dinner (at a delicious Malian restaurant called Malibu) I made one last sketch in my travel journal, and then headed home to pack my suitcase and say goodbye to Christophe, my friendly Airbnb host.

In the morning, I caught a Lyft to the airport, waited in some crazy long lines to get my bags checked in, and then finally made it onto the airplane. I was so sad to leave!

In addition to bringing home almost a thousand photos, a travel notebook full of sketches, three pairs of shoes, a bunch of gifts, and some incredible memories, I've also got ideas for where I want to go the next time: the Ligurian Coast, and the Atlantic Coast from Bilbao to Brittany. Not sure how I’ll be able to justify the carbon cost, but I do hope it won’t take me nine years to come back!