DAY 8 - To market, to market on the grande finale day...

As sad as I am that it is our last full day in Paris, I am so excited to finally be going to a flea market!  And we're not just going to ANY flea market, this is the granddaddy of them all - Porte de Clignancourt, officially called Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, but known to everyone as Les Puces (The Fleas). It covers seven hectares and is the largest antique market in the world, receiving between 120,000 to 180,000 visitors each weekend.

We are leaving early and will be there when they open (at 9AM).  We will shop and peruse around until we feel like leaving, then we're going to Montmartre.  It's a very full day and culminates with another incredible meal in Paris.

Off we go....

First stop - a chocolate croissant from the best baker in Paris: Eric Kayser.  Hands down THE best croissant we've ever had.  So flaky that I commented that it reminded me of baklava.  And amazing chocolate inside.  It's very rich though, so one croissant will hold you for a long time.  But it was worth it!

 We arrived at Les Puces, began shopping and after walking a bit, decided to stop for a cappuccino for a bit...at Le Paul Bert naturellement...

So here's the "problem" - where do I shop first????

After the market, we took the metro to the Sacre-Couer - the highest elevation in Paris:

 Montmartre - the view from our cafe.  That would be ALL of Paris below:

 Halfway down the walk from the Sacre-Couer through Montmartre, we decided to stop for lunch.

Le cafe - and yes, a bottle of sancerre....Relais de la Butte - with an amazing view.

 Ching ching!

 Le salade nicoise - my favorite

 Platter of cooked pork meats

We are all going to miss this view (oh and the scenery too: ;)):

 After lunch we stumbled upon Le Sancerre cafe.  That would do for ME - my favorite vin!

La Mere Catherine cafe - had to get a shot of that - after all C'EST MOI!! Maybe I'm MEANT to live here???? Translation: The Mother Catherine

 And at the bottom of the hill = le moulin rouge.  Not worth the walk btw or the crowds but there it is!

After Montmartre, we decided we wanted to go back to the 5th Aron to the market we had been to with Wendy for some "provisions" including some cheeses to take home with us that we were remembering fondly.  We took the Metro over there (with a few changeovers along the way), and the metro dumped us right in front of the market at Maubert-Mutualite.

After shopping, we walked back by Le Sorbonne and through Luxembourg Gardens.

Le Sorbonne

 Entering Luxembourg Gardens

A lovely concert in the park:

Mes bébés:

And just one or two pics from the evening to share:

 Walking to le seine to enjoy a final sunset and bottle of sancerre:

 Au revoir Paris!

 And a little "Maggie" we saw in a shop on the way back to our flat - Bouledogue francais:

An amazing trip that was a once in a lifetime experience.  Nothing more to say...