The day started off with breakfast in the hotel as per usual. I had a croissant and tried another pain au chocolate and some eggs. Once again, not thrilled with the pain au chocolate. Maybe they aren't for me?! Then it was off to the bus to head over to the Eiffel Tower. This is what I was obviously most excited about seeing. On they way there we passed the Igles Dedome that had to do something with Napoleon. I think he may be buried there. I suck for not listening carefully and not paying full attention. His mention along with a Joan of Arc mention last night got me thinking of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure again as this movie has basically given me most of the history on these two historic icons. Ah yes, it's not only entertaining, but educational as well.
We got to the Eiffel Tower when it opened but didn't have to get in the long line that had already formed. Love that. Not waiting in line doesn't get old. We then took the elevator up to the second level and got some panoramic views of the city. The sky was crystal clear so the view was great. Jenny and I walked down after so we could get pics of the Tower from the ground. As we were warned, there were a ton of gypsies asking us if we spoke English (answer is no) and if we wanted to sign something (also no). I didn't let any of them get to the second question. My brashness and tone of "nope" kept them at bay. They def had their eyes on our bags when we were taking pictures but we kept them protected. The whole "beware of pickpockets" shtick can be annoying but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
After the Eiffel Tower, I had signed up for an additional excursion to the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter. Not one for museums usually, I wanted to see the "Big Three" of Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. And I didn't want to wait in line or navigate my way around the Louvre alone. (But bathrooms there cost one euro and I went twice. Clean though at least.) The crowds at the Mona Lisa were insane. Especially for the fact you can't get that close to really see her and she's covered in plexi glass. She is like a major celeb and everyone is the paparazzi. I barreled my way up to the front so I could get the best pic possible. Elbows out and plowed through. Didn't even care. I seemed polite next to all the Japanese tourists. They are brutal. We had a guided tour which was helpful and our guide knew his way around the museum and was super efficient. That place is F-ing huge!! No way would I have found it all seamlessly by myself without a guide. And he was just the perfect amount of French pushiness to get us where we needed to be at just the right times.
Included in this excursion along with the Lourve was a tour of Notre Dame. As I have previously stated in earlier posts, churches just don't do it for me. I am often quite impressed with the facades but have no real desire to see the inside so I bailed on the rest of the tour. I know I paid for it but felt I had gotten my money's worth already with the ticket, fast entrance, and personal guide. Once the bus dropped us at Notre Dame, I grabbed a chicken baguette from a local store and headed on my way. There were sights I was determined to see that I feared I may not see if I stayed with group because I'd run out of time. By leaving the tour, I earned myself 3.5 hours of solo exploration time. And I used every minute of it and covered about ten miles of ground.
From Notre Dame I headed back over the Louvre again to see the entire grounds and the Jardin Des Tuileries. I even took a little twenty minute break to just grab a lawn chair by a fountain and soak in the atmosphere (and some sun). On the way there I realized I never looked up where the love lock bridge (real name: Pont Des Arts) was, but it was just my luck that I randomly came across it. I saw the gold sparkles from the back of the locks reflecting on the Seine River and knew that I had found it. Yyeeessss! Perhaps one day, I can come here with my man and put a lock on there. Sigh.
From the gardens, I headed to the Arc De Triomphe by walking along the famous Champs Élysées. The walk was much further than it looked but I was so excited to get there and see it in person verses being on the bus. I like seeing stuff first hand. It just makes it more personal to me. After I got all the way down to the Arc, I decided I was most def heading back to the Tour Montparnasse, the place I was pissed I didn't have time to get up to yesterday. It was quite a hike, but when I got there, there was no line and I was thrilled. Worth it. Plus, I loved the walk and just taking in the sights along the way. (And I didn't get lost or walk in circles.) I got my second aerial panoramic view of the day, and this time with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Perfect. I was so glad I was able to get over there and still get back to hotel at 5:15 and was showered, dressed. and ready to leave for dinner at 5:45. But not before trying to rehydrate. It was one of Paris' hottest days of the year today and it seemed no matter how much I drank, I couldn't catch up. Good thing our hotel had THE BEST ice maker/water machine ever. It had that slushie like ice. Uh-maze-ing! I need one of those for my home.
For dinner we went to a local Bistro by the Pantheon for our last meal out as a group. I started with escargot (soooo good!), followed by beef bourguignon and then chocolate mousse for dessert. Everything was excellent except the beef. It was so tender and looked so good but I did not like the sauce. Bummer. It's okay though! I did however, get a serious offer for housing in Australia if I want to go there. Jeannie was so sweet and reminded me her offer to stay at her home (which she mentioned a few days ago) even with a friend, was genuine and she hopes I come out there. Along with Jenny, she and Sue we're like surrogate moms to me out here and I really appreciated it and enjoyed their company. Fabulous women.
After dinner we had an additional excursion of a sunset boat cruise along the Seine River seeing most of the main sites with the sun setting and the sky changing colors behind them. It was amazing. So beautiful. At 9:00, the lights on the Eiffel Tower turned on which was cool. I could not get enough pics of the Eiffel Tower. Obsessed. I found it to be rather magnificent! But that was outdone at 10:00 when the lights on the tower did a light show. I was in awe. Finally we made a stop at the Arc De Triomphe for a night time view as well. Also spectacular.
I can't believe I just got to Paris and am already leaving. I think the one thing I regret about this trip was not booking an extra night in Paris instead of going back to London. Even though London was my favorite city and I am psyched to go back for another day, I would have loved to just have been able to see more of Paris beyond the tourist must -see sights. But I shall be back again. (Hopefully to most of these places!) Eventually. You can count on it. I have loved everyday of this trip and the fact tomorrow is it is sad to me. I have one more day to really suck up Europe before heading back to reality and I intend to do just that.
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