Paris: An Arch, A Tower, and A River
Bonjour! Another day in Paris... today we decided we wanted to see the tourist-y Arc De Triomphe from the top, the Eiffel Tower, and the Seine River. We started the day with breakfast: fresh croissants and pain au chocolat bought for us by our host's boyfriend, the aptly-French-named Theibaut. These were so delicious! Flaky and sweet, they hit the spot.
We waited in line at the Arc for only about 20 minutes before purchasing our tickets. Then we walked up the spiral staircase: (not for the faint-of-heart, or people with pacemakers)
I think that we walked up 7 or 8 flights, but the landings were so small it was hard to tell. When we got to the top, this sculpture was waiting for us:
The view from the Arc was breathtaking: it was an overcast day so we were able to see everything in soft light and we were blessed with no rain. This is the view of the Champs-Elysées, the main drag in downtown Paris where both tourists and locals alike come to shop and eat. The street is lined with restaurants, cafes, retail stores, boutiques, a movie theatre, and bars. It's quite an experience to walk down and hear French, English, accented English, Arabic, ad dialects of Indian countries.
VIDEO: View from the Arc
This is our Champs-Elysées selfie:
In the distance on this side, you can see the Grand Arch (the Grande Arch de La Defense) which is the center of the business district. You can tell that big business happens here because it's one of the only places in Paris where there are skyscrapers.
What it looks like taking pictures through the barrier on top of the Arc:
Since we were in France the week of Bastille Day, we got to see a few really unique patriotic sights, one of which was the French flag hanging from the inside of the Arc.
These are the signs you see when entering the tunnel that runs under the traffic circle:
Relief of one of the Arc corners:
View from the bottom:
On our walk from the Arc to the Eiffel Tower (just a short walk south and across the Seine), we noticed planes flying overhead. We figured that they were practicing the flyovers for the Bastille Day festivities. We saw both old and new fighter jets flying over the city.
We made it!
How beautiful! Unfortunately, we couldn't go any closer or up into the tower because it was closed - the night before, France had lost in the UEFA soccer finals and there were riots around the base of the tower and the city. In order to protect it, the security at the tower had it closed for the day. Oh well!
Before our boat tour on the Seine, we stopped in the cafe adjacent to the docks. I got a cocktail with rosé and grapfruit juice. Refreshing and delicious!
Then we boarded the boat - it was a ticket that came with a package that we purchased in the Charles de Gaulle airport. The ticket pack came with 10 train rides, 1 train pass from the airport into Paris, and 1 boat ride. It was totally worth it!
The boat tour was 1 hour and a little windier and cooler than we expected! But the view was incredible, so it didn't matter the weather!
VIDEO: Boat Ride on the Seine
VIDEO: Boat Ride, Parts 2 and 3
These faces only a mother could love....
It's the Notre Dame! This is as close as we got, but it's still stunning, even from afar!
This is the back of the Notre Dame:
The sun finally came out a bit so the sky started to have some texture:
A tourist gives a contribution to a street performer's efforts:
After the boat tour, we walked to the other side of the river and saw this:
This is the torch symbolizing the positive political relationship between France and England.
Consequently, it also serves as the memorial for Princess Diana, since she died in a car crash in the tunnel below.
Since there are no more locks on the famous Lock Bridge in Paris anymore, people are finding new places to put locks symbolizing their love. This was one such place, and the chains surrounding the torch were crowded with locks.
We hopped on the closest Metropolitan train to our next adventure... Stay tuned!
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