With only 2 more days in Paris it was getting time to try to squeeze in every last bit of Paris we could. After doing some emails and things from home, we had lunch at a cafe right near us that I'd been meaning to visit the entire 6 months we were here, but of course waited until the last minute. This seems to be a common theme with us, as even after 6 months, there were still quite a long list of sights and restaurants that we hadn't made it to.
It also marked the very first time we ate outside in Paris, since it was actually warm out! The last few days have been full of gorgeous weather, and for the first time since a day in October, I could go without wearing a coat. Also since it was a very small outdoor area it wasn't too smoky (only one person lit up briefly) so we could enjoy the meal mostly in peace. Smoking is far more common here, which completely ruins any meal outside, so it is the one bad aspect of outdoor dining in Paris and the biggest reason why we hadn't eaten outside until now. I never appreciated how in Austin how outdoor seating is still essentially considered non-smoking.
We also squeezed in a visit in the late afternoon to Marie Antoinette's jail cell during the French Revolution, which is in the Conciergerie which is near Notre Dame on Île de la Cité. I wouldn't put it in the "don't miss" category, but it was an interesting short visit.
Afterwards we took advantage of the now much longer daylight hours (it sets at almost 8:30 now!!! This compared to about 4:30 only 3 months ago) to make one last visit to some of Paris's many gardens. We went to the Palais-Royal which just 3 weeks ago had just a handful of blooming trees, to see that now all the trees are blooming, flowers are blooming, and it looks WAY prettier than before. It's making it really sad to leave just when things are looking so fresh!
Likewise during our visit to the Tuileries Gardens, it looks so radically different than it has during any other time during our 6 months here. Trees are blooming, grass is greener, and people just look happier! It also gave us one more walk by the Louvre, and what turned out to be our last metro ride to get back home.
We finished the day by taking the bus to get to Tour Montparnasse to try and catch one last view of Paris from up high during sunset. Unfortunately there was a gigantic tour group in front of us, so it took a while (40 minutes) to get tickets and up the elevator, but we actually did make it in time for sunset so I could get lots of photos both in the light and at night. If you had to compare the views from Tour Montparnasse to the Eiffel Tower, it really is far better than from the Eiffel Tower, and if not for how famous it is, I'd recommend it over the Eiffel Tower if you could go just up one. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone visiting Paris for the 2nd time if you've already gone up the Eiffel Tower before. And I also still recommend saving the Eiffel Tower/Tour Montparnasse for near the end of your visit since it's much more interesting when you can see the places you've already visited, versus not really understanding what you're seeing from so far up.
After a quick bus ride back to our flat, we had a dinner of items from our boulangerie and baguettes, plus I ordered sushi delivery since that seems to be incredibly common in Paris and was mentioned in that Stuff Parisians Like book. It was tasty and relatively priced well!
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