We woke up in Paris for the last time today, but I think we were both ready to get back to London for one more night! It was another bitterly cold and foggy morning, nevertheless I was determined to get in one last bit of sightseeing… Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphie! I know there is much more historical and cultural significance here, but for me it has always been the setting of the last stage of the Tour de France… and where I watched Lance ceremoniously sip champagne with his teammates en route to victory – 7 times! So I made Brian get up early in the freezing cold so we could get our Paris rental bikes and experience riding on the famous cobblestone road. Unfortunately, it was not nearly as spectacular on this morning due to rush-hour commuters and lots of fog. We took some cool photos and then raced back down the Champs-Elysees one last time. After earning some very hot chai tea lattes, we checked out of our hotel and said Au revoir! to Paris as we headed to the Gare du Nord to catch our train back to London.
Once back in London we couldn’t wait to make the most of our last night here. But the first stop was some great British pub food! Adjacent to Hyde Park was a place called on Kensington Road. Our very late lunch included two giant Stella’s, a burger for Brian, fish & chips for me, and sides of fried mushrooms and onion rings.
We then hopped on the Underground and headed to see The City skyline at night! Scroll down for Brian’s photos. The views from the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge were incredible. We both agreed that this stroll along the River Thames would not have been nearly as spectacular in the daylight.
We decided that our last meal on vacation, and last night in London, would be at Signor Sassi! We ate dinner here on our first night in London, and couldn’t wait to revisit the menu and try some more delicious Italian food. They took excellent care of us all night, with special appetizers, bonus desserts, wonderful wine recommendations, and lots of friendly Italiano banter. Signor Sassi himself was there that night, and made a point to come over and pat Brian on the back! We felt like celebrities. Ha.
So sadly we had reached the end of the vacation, but both agreed that London needed to be revisited (perhaps in warmer weather) because we had so much fun exploring such a cool and interesting city.