Day 17 Paris

Our first day in Paris and we decided to do the Eiffel Tower first. We caught the Metro to the Bir-Hakeim station and walked a couple of blocks to the Tower. The morning was sunny and warm but it was predicted to rain later. The Tower opens at 9 and when we arrived at 8.50 the queue was already snaking around. We joined and waited about 1.5 hours to get to the ticket office and enter a lift. Unfortunately for us due to a 'technical incident', there was only one lift operating which made progress very slow .... used our time to phone home to Australia and talked to our 'queue neighbors' from the UK and USA. But once we were up on Level 2 and then the summit, the wait was worth it( we didn't climb the stairs although it was the faster queue). The panoramic views over Paris were exceptional - no mist to obscure seeing all the buildings. Read about the history of the Tower and learnt facts such as its height (364 meters tall) and they use 60 tonnes of paint every 7 years to repaint it. However as with all big tourist sites, we had to queue to get down. We left the Eiffel Tower about 12.30pm and walked to the Arc De Triomphe about a 20 minute walk. On the way we bought rolls from a boulangerie and saw a McClaren parked on the the roadside. (posed for a photo beside it). Climbed the 284 steps to the mezzanine of the Arc and had another great view of Paris and its 12 avenues making it a very challenging round-about. Learnt it's history and how Napoleon I after the Battle of Austerlitz, declared to his soldiers "you will march home through arches of victory". It took 30 years to build and has some memorable photographs of different armies marching through it, including the Germans in 1940 and Allies in 1944. Then we kept moving and walked down the Champs-Élysées to the Place De La Concorde 'infamous' for being the site where King Louis XVI and thousands more were guillotined (we like a bit of historical drama). The sun was still shining so we kept walking through the Jardin des Tuileres and then the Jardin du Carrousel to the Arc de Triomphe Du Carrousel which Napoleon erected to celebrate his success in 1805 near the Louvre (he must have known the other Arc was going to take longer). The gardens were beautiful, tulips flowering and blossoms everywhere. By this stage our legs were feeling tired so we stopped for a rest in the garden. While Richard and the kids sat, I went to take a few photos and was asked by some gypsies to sign a petition. It was shoved in my face and you are told to sign it. After 3 weeks we are getting very used to saying 'no' in every language. Wherever you go but especially at the Metros and tourist sites, people are begging and there are all types of scams. Later when we were crossing the Pont Neuf bridge, we saw the police chasing the same girls. They ran out into the middle of the traffic chased by the police and then there was a police car skidding across the bridge in the middle of all the traffic .... it was very 'Miami Vice'. They caught one girl but the others escaped. Not sure what crime it is they are committing but we came across the same scam the next day at Montmartre.
We kept on walking past the Louvre to the foot-bridge where people leave a signed lock (I think it is called the Pont Desarts). Again someone was selling locks but as soon as the police appeared they packed up. We have noticed a strong police presence in Paris. Kept walking and crossed the Pont Neuf bridge to visit the Seine's Islands ( Ile de la Cite and Ile St-Louis). Walked past the La Concierge which was originally built as a royal palace but became a prison and torture chamber. We had planned to tour it to see Marie Antoinette's cell but by this time it was 4.30 pm and we wanted to tour Notre Dame. Continued past Ste-Chapelle and took a photo and walked on to Notre Dame. Queued again to buy a ticket to climb to the top of Notre Dame - all 422 spiraling steps. Waited about 30 minutes and read about its history - it was started in 1163 but took almost 200 years to build. Then we started climbing and it was hard for 'old' knees but again was worth the effort. You climb into the south tower belfry and see the Cathedral's largest bell called 'Emmanuel' (all the bells are baptized). And then you climb to the top of the tower and look out over Paris. By this time it was about 6pm and Paris looked mystical in the subdued light and the gargoyles looked 'human'. We then toured the inside of the Cathedral and saw the famous and very beautiful Rose windows. We were all hungry by this time and ate around the corner at the Quasimodo Cafe - we thought appropriately named.
Our day was not finished yet because the Louvre is open late on Friday evenings and we decided to walk back and tour its highlights hoping to miss the crowds. We got straight in and the kids were free. Armed with a map of highlights we saw the Mona Lisa (no queues) and could easily walk around to see other famous works of art including the Winged Victory of Samothrace, The Dying Slave by Michelangelo and Venus De Milo. We made our way to the Egyptian Wing and enjoyed looking at its artifacts - highly recommend going in the evenings as there are no crowds. But by this time it was 9pm and we all were feeling tired. The sun was just setting (it is daylight for so long) and saw the Eiffel Tower lit up on the distance. Made it home by 9.45pm and were all happy to get to sleep ... still no rain at this stage.