The brisk fall weather in Paris is beginning to cause the leaves to turn.
Not a cloud in the sky. Lots of locals and visitors were out and about in the parks and walking around the various gardens.
Marche Richard Lenoir in the Bastille part of Paris is considered to be one of the city's better, more diverse markets because you can find just about anything. It has a wide variety of produce, meat, fish, cheese, and specialty cuisine along with gifts, clothes and other knickknacks.
Chowing on some salami.
The meat stalls were packed because people were buying their choice cut of meat for the big Sunday family meals.
Some stalls had pre-made food that you could eat right away, such as this place, which had the largest vat of paella I've ever seen.
I went with the lamb kabab.
After the market we walked around the popular area of Marias in the east part of Paris. It's known for its hip cafes, restaurants, shops and galleries.
One of the galleries had a multi-colored series of this fat samurai cat statue that I really liked.
Quintessential open-air Paris cafe on a Sunday. Sunshining and not an empty seat.
Sunshine on a lazy Sunday really brings out the crowds. We were able to find so many fun little side streets in the Marias part of town, each with packed cafes and shops.
We finally made it to our lunch destination, L'as Du Fallafel (The Ace of Falafel), one of Paris' most coveted food items and it had the line to prove it.
The line to get a falafel to-go was down the street, fortunately the guys at the counter work quickly so it only took about 15 minutes.
Worth it! I went with the meat pita...apparently I had a meat craving - first salami, then a kabab and now a lamb pita.
This guy was staring down my meat pita...get your own!
We took the short walk down to the Seine River and enjoyed our divine falafels riverside, just as the Parisians do.
After I finished stuffing my belly, it was time to sitback and relax and enjoy the calmness of the river.
We weren't the only ones enjoying the river side on this sunny Sunday.
On our walk back to the metro we came across a Bastille celebration which included about a dozen trucks with bands on them. It was basically a musical parade.
After an afternoon nap it was time to get ready and head out for my last night in Paris...and in Europe. I did a bit of research and found Les Ombres, a higher end spot located on the top of the Musee du Quai Branly and overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
A bit of vino in the hotel room to start off the final night in Paris.
It was a cold night so I had to suit up in a full jacket and scarf. Fortunately, the restaurant was a short walk from the hotel.
The view of the Eiffel Tower from inside the restaurant.
If you went out onto the balcony you had a perfect unobstructed view of Paris' most iconic site...a great way to end the trip.
I started with crystal blue prawns on a delicious avocado paste (it was more like guacamole than a paste...either way, it was good).
My main course was the red snapper cooked in a banana leaf.
It was topped with a baked coconut, shrimp, breadcrumb layer. The tender white fish with the breaded layer was fantastic.
Veggies - sauteed peas, green beans, and string beans.
Dessert of course! Raspberries on top of chocolate mouse and fudge. Ahhh, YES!
After dinner I made my way over to Lizard Lounge for some live tunes in an underground cave. The lively crowd, entertaining music, and good drinks made it a nice way to close out the trip.
Speaking of good drinks, after 37 days in Europe I was finally able to find a place that served a vodka with olive juice, aka a dirty martini. It sounds so simple, but the idea of putting olive juice in a drink is completely foreign to most places in Europe.
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