Pre-flight Parisian pastries

This day’s weather was not as nice, but I was staying at the base of Sacre Couer and was determined to get the most of my stay. It was a very early hike up to the church, with so many stairs that they offer a funicular, and my legs were still complaining about the exercise the day before (the funicular hadn’t yet opened for the day). At the top, I was rewarded with views of…clouds, and a few unrecognizable buildings. But the inside was lovely, albeit dark.

Dawn at Sacre Couer

From there it was a short stroll to Grenier à Pain, so short that I arrived before they opened. Thankfully the bistro next door was setting up for the day, and the manager kindly let me sit under their awning while I waited for his neighbor to open. Apparently I’d lucked out, as that day was the bakery’s first day back from vacation. When it did open, I walked in and was overwhelmed with options. The kind women helped me (in English) select a few to take with me, and with that I had to run back to the hotel for my luggage and head to the train station. Along the way, I saw a fruit shop and picked up a few pieces to round out my meal, which I ate while waiting for my flight to arrive. The architecture I’d seen was great, the pastries were delicious, and I got to ride a bike all day. Hard to keep a grudge against a city that has all that going for it.

my Parisian breakfast