chapter 65: PARIS DAY TWO

We decided to get an early start and left the house while it was still cool, quiet, and only a few Parisians were out and about, walking their children to school. We headed south, toward the Sine River in order to orient ourselves. On the way, we stopped by a Patisserie and enjoyed our first Paris breakfast: two delicious pastries and some fresh fruit. 

The Sine river was beautiful as we crossed the bridge. Looking down the river, you just see bridge after bridge, with stunning old buildings as bookends. 

With the whole day ahead of us, we decided to scrap the map and wander around the center of Paris. We saw a beautiful old building that went on and on for what seemed like miles. 

We crossed a bridge to get a close look to see if it was a government building. We walked under one of its grand archways and instantly recognized what we had stumbled upon...

Hello Louvre! {Can you find a surprised Ben?}

The line for the Louvre was pretty long already, so we decided (now that we knew where it was) to head straight to the Louvre the next morning and be one of the first in line. There is a straight shot from the Louve to the Arc d'Triomph along the Champs-Elysees. As we walked down, our target seemed to move with us, the gap never closing. Halfway down the walk, we came to an open courtyard; a fountain in the middle surrounded by brilliant white marble sculptures. 

{We felt like he looked familar and important so we took his picture. Turned out it was Julius Caesar.}

It was a lot farther down than we imaged, but we got there; a little weary and hungry. The architecture on the Arc d'Triomph was so stunning we wanted to pay the money to walk to the top. The ticket booth and entrance was actually underground, beneath the Arc. From there, we entered an elevator and rode almost to the top. The elevator opened up to a room with a spiral staircase, opening up to a large room with wall paintings and a scale model of the Arc. There was also a video highlighting each of the unique sculptures surrounding the top, and explaining what the sculptures represented and the backstory. A small staircase then took us out onto the landing. 

We were speechless... you could see everything in a 360 degree view. I could not take enough pictures, and the ones we took fall short of what our eyes actually took in. In one side, we saw the Eiffel Tower, majestically standing out above the city buildings. 

 {The Arc d'Triomph acts as a circular pivot point for the conjoining city streets. That's why they looked angled; all streets lead to the Arc.}

{Can you spot the Eiffel Tower?}

We just couldn't get enough of the Eiffel Tower:

After seeing the Eiffel Tower and how close it seemed, we charted our course from the top and set that as our next destination. As soon as we were on the ground again (after snapping a few pictures of the exterior) we headed in that Eiffel Tower direction. 

We only made it a few feet though, before our hungry, empty stomaches stopped us. We had made an rule to only eat at true French restaurants. Worried that would take too much time, effort, and our need for food instantly, we almost decided to settle, but then we found it... Welcome to Quick. 

Even though it is "fast food", this place was ridiculously awesome. It is a French fast food chain founded in the 70's. You entered via a neon light tunnel and ordered at an automated kiosk. It was two floors, the food was delicious and was ready... quick. The name was very appropriate. 

Now refreshed and full of energy, we made the trek to the Eiffel Tower. It was much more impressive in person than any picture I had ever seen. Just the sheer size was unbelievable. It didn't take much debate to decide we wanted to go to the very top. The line was enormous though! It wrapped around three of the four legs and weaved back and forth inside the square. Still, we were not deterred. We took our place at the end of the line, but quickly noticed another line near the 4th leg. This line was very short (3 or 4 people in line) and seemed to be moving. Ben held our place and I ran over. Turned out that the Eiffel Tower was broken up into 2 different options. One was to ride two elevators all the way to the top, the other option was to take the stairs 1/2 way up, and then ride an elevator the remainder of the way. Guess which line was the short one... 

We were young, fit, full, and energized, but more than that, we did not  want to wait in line for 2 hours. We jumped over to the short line and seconds later, with tickets in hand, started on our way up the 704 steps that lay ahead of us. We had to take a few 'breathers' but got a lot of satisfaction once we had made it. The elevator, of course, was a quick ride, and oh man... what a sight!

{First sight!}

{huge!}

{Conquered the first floor! Not quite that bad...}

{View from the 1st floor.} 

{Barely made it to the 2nd landing... much more difficult}

{This face is contemplating the remaining flight of stairs... The view from floor two is pretty dang amazing... stay here?}

{Leaning out of the 2nd floor landing see the tower}

 {2nd floor view}

{The top!! We made it!!}

{And the view back down}

 {IN LOVE}

After seeing the view from the Eiffel Tower, we made our way back down (yes, had to take the stairs again). By the time we touched down, we were ready for a much needed nap. 

I can now say this was one of the highlights of our time in France. We laid on the grass in the shadow of the tower, the sun keeping us warm, and the sight - breathtaking. When I would open my eyes after our nap, forgetting for a moment where I was, I saw the Eiffel Tower before me... nothing can compare. I also took that time to write in my journal and people-watch.

{view from our spot}

{Too tired to move... it's the thought that counts, right?}

{Up and awake from our hour+ long nap and ready to continue on}

We walked to the far end of the grass, away from the Eiffel Tower and found the church where Napoleon was burred and a barracks he built - a sort of "hotel" for the militia. The entrance fee for the tomb was rather expensive, so we just hung outside the door and when someone came out, got a good enough glimpse to check it off our list. 

{Barracks hotel}

{Napoleon's Tomb! Quick, take a peek or you might miss it}

We knew we had a long walk ahead of us, so we called it a day and made the long walk home. Just outside our home, we found a quaint little Fondu restaurant and stopped for dinner. The menu was in French, so we muddled our way through and ordered a delicious, filling dinner. 

{Bathroom break on the walk home. It took us a while to figure out first, what it was and second, how to open it.}

{Meat platter for Ben to cook on the skillet and endless baked potatoes}

{Cheese fondu with bread and a salad for Vanessa}

A glorious 2nd day in Paris! And we loved going home to our apartment for a good night's sleep on our make-shift pillows. 

Our route:

{A and E are the same because that is our home... where we started and finished. B is the Louvre, C is the Arc d' Triomph, and D is the Eiffel Tower. The alternate route home is due to the quick tour of Napoleon's tomb.}