Paris

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Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097

We started out early this morning because we had many things we wanted to see in Paris.

Breakfast was in the restaurant of the hotel at 7 and then we went to the RER station to take the train into Paris. The ride was an hour and went very smoothly until we got close to central Paris. There was a problem and we sat at a station for about 15 minutes. It was hot and the train was packed so we decided to get off the train and try to find our way on foot. After getting off the train, we figured out that we could take a different Metro to get us where we wanted to be so we did that.

We got out near Notre Dame cathedral since we had been advised to go there first thing in the morning if we wanted to walk to the top. Well, the line was about an hour long but we got in and waited. It was already hot and we were standing in the sun. The girls ran across the street to get some Orangina to drink (they were very excited to find it) and also did a little shopping.

At one point, after being in line for about 40 minutes, an older gentleman came and got in line with us. He didn't say anything just stood there. As we moved I stepped in front of him to prevent him from getting in front of us. The family behind us also was upset and worked to keep him from getting in front of them. A few minutes later his wife came and joined him. She made an even gutsier move and moved up in line about 10 people in front of us. Then, as we moved up, she was at the front of the group to go up and she kept calling to her husband to come up with her. Me and the man in the family behind us both kept saying "NO" so the man controlling the line made her stand aside and wait for him to get up to her. It was a little aggravating and unbelievable.

The walk to the top was awesome. The closeup views of the gargoyles was really cool. While we were up there, we also got to hear a beautiful song played by the famous bells. It was a real treat.

Once back down on solid ground, we went into the cathedral itself. It is a beautiful building and they were having a service which also added to the experience.

Behind the church is a little park and it was lunch time so we grabbed some Croque Monsieurs and ham and cheese baguettes and had lunch in the park in the shadow of Notre Dame Cathedral. Cant get more Parisian than that.

We then walked down the Seine to the Louvre. We spent about 2 hours there looking at art (and trying to figure out our way around). We saw the big three ladies: Mona Lisa, Liberty and Venus de Milo.

It was hot in the museum and even hotter outside. We grabbed some water from a street vendor and then joined the crowds of people who were sitting on the fountains in the courtyard of the Louvre. Having our feet and legs in the fountain was a nice way to cool down a little.

After resting there for a while we began our walk through the Gardens of the Louvre and then onto the Champs Elysees on our way to the Arc de Triumph.

It took us more water to make it through the heat. Turns out it was 97 degrees Fahrenheit and there is absolutely no air conditioning anywhere. By the end of the day we had purchased and consumed 30 bottles of water!

When we arrived at the Arc we decided that since we were on our way to the Eiffel Tower we would not pay the fee to go to the top. We looked at a map while resting there and found our path from the Arc to the Eiffel Tower.

The girls wanted to eat at McDonald's on the Champs Elysees so we gave in and at there. The place was packed. It took us about 30 minutes to place our order and get our food. The menu is basically the same but I did have a burger on chibatta bread instead of a bun. They also didn't have regular cheese burgers but we could get a bacon cheese burger (go figure). The price was significantly more than it would have been at home.

Once we finished dinner we walked to the Eiffel Tower. We had pre-purchased tickets to the top for 8 pm and had about 30 minutes to kill so we rested a while while we waited (and some of us took advantage of the free public restrooms).

Once we got to the second level of the tower, we had to switch elevators to get to the top. The line for the second elevator was about 45 minutes. It is a spectacular view from up there. We had originally hoped that we would be able to be there when the sun went down but, unfortunately, the sun set isn't until around 10:45 so we missed out on seeing "The City of Lights" in the dark....guess that is for next time.

We rode down and then went to the Metro to get us to a station so that we could take the RER train back to our hotel at Disneyland Paris. We arrived at the hotel around 11:30 finished packing so we could be ready to leave early the next morning for home.

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Comments

[Mic]

wow you saw alot in a day! You are going to be some very tired travellers by the time you get home. Here's to hoping for an empty plane with lots of seats for you all to stretch out in.