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Published: October 26th 2010
A pretty good nights sleep, and a late morning breakfast in the apartment got us prepared for another day of sights. We took our time getting ready (we are on vacation after all) and didn't get out until after noon. Bruce had the route all planned out, so we headed for the Chemin Vert metro station (closest to our apartment off the 8 line), transferred at Bastille to the 1, then again at Charles de Gaulle Etoile to the 6, and 5 stops later we were within sight of the Eiffel tower. The walk to the tower from this stop is probably still another 1/2 mile, and you need to weave through the sea of peddlers trying to sell trinkets of the Eiffel tower. Brandee hit the very first one, and bought a dozen key chains and an 8" tower. We saw no less than another 60 of these street sellers before we actually got to the tower.
When we arrived, it was a mass of people. Lots of people trying to scam you out of whatever they could, and soldiers checking out the crowds with machine guns in hand. We had no reservation to go up the tower, and
the line to get tickets for the elevator was out of control long and not really moving at all. Brandee scouted out the line to walk up the stairs, and it was much more manageable. A short 10 minute wait in line, and $4.50 euro each and we were on our climb up the tower. Bruce got hung up behind someone in the metal detector machine because the guy in front of him had a knife and didn't speak French (or English). We felt a little better that they were diligent about checking people out at least.
The climb to the 1st level was nice. We saw painters who were working on painting the tower (apparently they repaint every 9 years or so, and are completing the most recent repaint through the end of this year). We got up to the 1st level in about 10 minutes. The views were very nice. We meandered around the perimeter getting lots of photos, and checked out the cafe on this level. When we left the apartment an hour and a half earlier it was sunny and warm. Since then, the clouds moved in and it got much windier and colder -
glad we grabbed heavier clothes before leaving. After a short rest we started up the second set of stairs to the 2nd level, and after a short 12 minute climb we had reached as far as we could go by stairs. The views from this level were very impressive, and we took hundreds of photos from here. Our tickets would have allowed us to ascend to the final 3rd level, but it could only be done by elevator, and the line was crazy long. Instead, we opted to just take photos and relax. After about 40 minutes at this level we began the decent down. It took about 20 minutes total to complete both levels.
Once down we regrouped and decided to go on foot. We crossed the river at Pont D'Iena, and turned right (north) on Avenue D'Iena toward the Arc de Triomphe. The trek from the bridge tot he Arc is probably close to a mile, and passes through what looks to be mostly government and corporate buildings. Upon getting close to the Arc we stopped off at an old tavern for a late afternoon drink. The building and bar were very old and it had a
very classic charm to it. Bruce was itching for a Belgian or French beer, so he and I both ordered the
Leffe 9 (a classic Belgian Ale), and the girls ordered Martinis. After a couple drinks we were back on the street heading to the Arc.
We arrived at the Arc around rush hour traffic, although I bet traffic is probably always heavy in this central hub of the city. Got several photos of the Arc and the surrounding area, and started to work our way around the massive monument toward Avenue de Champs Elysees - the original plan was to follow this down to the Place de la Concorde, but since is was now beginning to get dark (and much colder), we revamped the plan into dinner and shopping. The girls got a glimpse of the Cartier store and were off. Bruce and I got hung up taking pictures of the Arc, dodging traffic and having a blast. After the woo of Cartier and the Arc wore off we scouted out a small restaurant within eye shot of the Arc and had yet another awesome meal - they keep getting better and better...
After dinner we continued
down Elysees checking out the shops - definitely a unique mix of high end stores and everyday shopping. We checked out a Peugeot store and a Mercedes store (both had cars on display that we'll never see in America). We also saw lots of clothing stores, and Charlene found several cool gifts for Rhi - now we just need to figure out how to get all this stuff home. About 9:20 we decided to head back to the Eiffel Tower to catch the hourly light show. We picked up the 1 train at George V, transferred back to the 6 at Etoile, and were back to the Bir-Hakeim station within a 10 minutes. We set out back on foot to the tower, but it was clear we were cutting it close. We took the park path near the river to keep a far enough distance for decent photos, and got to a good spot within a couple minutes of the light show. Cameras were ablaze as we grabbed as many shots of the spectacle as we could. 10 minutes later we were on foot back to Bir-Hakeim to reverse our route back home.
We got back to the apartment
about 11:00. We recalled our day, and made some short plans for tomorrow (the Monet Museum and hopefully Sacred Heart). Alarms are set for 8:30, so we'll see if we can stick to that. We are all having an awesome time in Paris. This is such a special city, and there is SOOOO much to see. We're already figuring out ways to come back here - soon...
Bye for now - so much more to come...
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