Day 7: Ain't it wonderful to be where I've always wanted to be?

Even though I loved my time in Paris, I was so excited by the time this day rolled around. I had done mostly everything on my to-do list for Paris and I had a low-key sort of day ahead. I spent some time talking to the  Mourier family in the morning. Their oldest daughter was home with her husband (Em-Diddy's husband's brother) and their cute, cute, cute baby boy. That took some time from my morning but I didn't mind because the last 6 days had been so fast paced...

Around 10AM, I made my way towards the 213 bus again to get on the RER A to get on the 12 (I think). My goal: To make it to the top steps of Sacre Coeur, that beautiful cathedral sitting on a hilltop in Montmartre that is visible from any high point in Paris. Getting there was actually not bad. When I got there, I set off in search of the Funiculaire which is essentially the laziest form of transportation to date. It's purpose: To transport lazy tourists from the bottom of the steps to the top. Please note that the steps probably equate to a 5 floor walk-up. Talk about lazy. But yes, I did wait my turn to ride the Funiculaire. You know what they say... When in France... :)

Not my own shot because mine is crap... This is what Sacre Coeur looks like from the distance.

The Funiculaire. Why is it necessary?

The stairway up to Sacre Coeur. I am pretty sure the stairs at the Richards Building at BYU are far, far, far worse.

Sacre Coeur was beautiful. It was much less crowded than Notre Dame but equally as beautiful. The architecture is a nice contrast from the gothic nature of Notre Dame. Sacre Coeur was lighter, airier, and overall more modern (goundbreaking didn't even occur until 1875). While I was there, it was rainy and foggy so visibility was low. The town of Montmartre looked stunning covered in the fog. I spent some time inside the cathedral, but mostly I stood in the rain admiring the city of lights.

The fog does add a certain charm

The impressive facade of Sacre Coeur

Who cares about the rain when you've got this to look at? (I don't mean me)

Street entertainers abound

More of Montmartre

After, I decided to take a short walk around Montmartre and was able to take some stunning photos. Go me. My camera is not always the best but it captured the essence of the place so well. It was such a lovely morning... one that I hope to repeat soon.

Sadly, my time there was limited. Mission #2 for the day included revisiting the Sephora at Champs D'Elyssees because I needed some concealer from MAC like stat. Oh, and I was on the hunt for a large fruit tart to leave with my gracious hosts as a thank you for their generosity. You would think there would be FRENCH patisseries selling FRENCH treats along the most FRENCH street I can possibly think of... but no. That was not the case.

Champs D'Elysees

I left my route and walked towards Trocadero because I remembered seeing a cute shop there the night before that had treats. I got momentarily distracted by the Maison du Chocolat where I proceeded to spend 30 Euros on amazing goodness. For me and me alone.

Oh, you tricky mistress...

But guess what? No patisseries anywhere in sight near Trocadero. The adventurous part of me (see? it exists... ) just picked a random street and I ended up in Kleber where I did find an amazingly gorgeous fruit tart for just 14 Euros. I don't even want to know how that translates to dollars, but regardless, it was exactly what I was looking for. I then found a cafe that overlooks Trocadero/the Eiffel tower and sat down for my last Parisian meal. For the record, it was a terrible meal but I tried to enjoy every last bit. Coming to France had been my dream since I was 14. Twelve years later, I was exactly where I always wanted to be. It felt empowering to know that I can make things like these happen in my life. This is not the end and I hope to return to France many, many times.

Obviously not the same one I bought, but it did look just like this.

Adorable atmosphere. My last Parisian meal.

Just before I went down to the Metro I stood in this very spot and said "See you later" to Paris. The Metro is just to the left so this is literally the last thing I saw.

I returned to the Mourier's house where I chatted with Amanda for a couple of hours about EVERYTHING. She is a super cool girl and I hope she comes to visit NYC. Around 7pm, she drove me to the RER station where I began my journey back to the UK.

Oh la la. Beautiful countryside.

The train left out of Gare Du Nord. I sat on the train, a happy girl... Eating French chocolate and reading Harry Potter. Out my window, the French countryside zoomed past. I felt like I was in a movie... only it was real life. I felt grateful and blessed.

UK awaited...