We then continued to stroll through the Tuileries Garden and forged on to the Place de la Concorde. But of course, all that walking paves the way for a nice lunch - and more French pastries. After our refueling break, we leisurely strolled the banks of the Seine, snapping photos on the Pont Alexandre III (see right) and other equally beautiful sites. Finally, after much walking and photo taking, we made our way to the Tour d’Eiffel and confirmed that it was still there. On the way, we snapped some photos of the greenest place in Paris, Musée du Quai Branly or the Indigenous Art Museum. After the Tour d’Eiffel, we continued to traverse the South Side of the Seine and snooped around Les Invalides, purported to be the final resting spot of Napoléon. 

By this time, of course, the name of the game was “Put Food in the Belly,” so we traipsed around the Westin for a pre-dinner snack and landed at the Mado à Paris, a handsome pastry shop where we gave our feet a bit of break and our tummies a bit of a reward.  On our way to the restaurant, we strolled through Place Vendôme, which is Tres Magnifique at night. And finally, we earned ourselves a fabulous meal at L’Ardoise, an understated seafood treasure of a restaurant. Cecilia had eaten there twelve years ago when it was just a hole in the wall. The decor had changed slightly, but we still enjoyed the same fantastic food.  

 As the highest natural point in Paris, Montmartre can appear somewhat aloof from the rest of the city. But, this doesn’t mean that Montmartre is pretentious or inaccessible; in fact, Montmartre has always had a reputation for rebellion, art, and music. Some of this was on display as we walked through its streets during an overcast day. From our hotel, Montmartre is a leisurely 2-kilometer straight-shot of a walk - until that is, it’s not. It got pretty steep as we approached our destination. We started with a visit to the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, the iconic, white-clad Roman Catholic Church representing the highest point in all of Paris. We could see the entire city and its famous landmarks from this vantage point. We then took some photos overlooking The Rue Foyatier, an obscenely long staircase providing access to the Basilica for those brave enough for the hike. We passed by La Maison Rose, the quaint restaurant made famous in the 1930s by the artist Maurice Utrillo in his painting “The Little Pink House.” We continued to walk through upper Montmartre and along the beautiful Rue de l’Abreuvoi, a handsome cobbled lane that perhaps epitomizes the village perfectly. We finished our short visit with a bite to eat in an outdoor cafe in lower Montmartre.