This morning was another sleep in day. I was up at 07:45 and showered before Tavis and I went to find a bakery. Google listed 3 within a few blocks that were open. All 3 were closed due to summer holidays! We ended up going to the same grocery store as last night to buy some pastries and fruit for breakfast. We went back to the apartment to have breakfast with the kids.
The kids weren’t ready to leave the until after 11:00. By 11:20 we were finally on the metro toward the Eiffel Tower. We had a tour booked for 14:30 so we decided to walk around the area. We took photos of the Eiffel from all angle, then walked to the Arc de Triumph. Then it was time to make our way to the Segway Tour at Fat Bike Tours.
We had a father and daughter from New York in our group who arrived right at 14:30 (not 15 minutes early like they tell you). We then spent 20 minutes learning how to use the Segways since Tavis and I were the only ones who had ridden them before (Addison did in Hawaii but he barely remembered). Our tour guide was John. He was really good. Ari was super excited and quickly volunteered to be the first to try it out. Ayva went next and was super nervous, but she did quite well. Addison had no problems either. The other 2 in our group needed a lot more training but in the end they finally got it. By the time we were on the streets of Paris, everyone seemed to have the hang of it. We saw some great sites which were not the typical stops that I expected. We were excited to go back and check out the Dome Church. Our last stop was at the Eiffel Tower and we got some more photos before ending our tour. When we got back, our guide recommended a few restaurants.
We walked back toward the dome church to get some photos from inside the grounds. Unfortunately we arrived at 17:31 and they closed the gates at 17:30. I couldn’t believe we missed it by 1 minute! We then decided to go out for dinner at the restaurant that was recommended. When we arrived, we asked for a table and we were told it was Happy Hour and they only serve drinks for the next hour, no food. We didn’t feel like waiting around so we made our way to the street with all the restaurants. We decided to eat at Le Zinc. The meals were huge and the food was good! We also used the free toilet which most of us have learned to take advantage of.
After dinner, Addison wanted to get some photos of the Eiffel Tower now that the sun was lower. We went back to the park in front. Ayva had blisters so her, Ari, and I sat at a bench in the park with Addison and Tavis went to find their photo. When they got back, Addison and I went inside the gates of the Eiffel Tower to check out lines and pricing. The price wasn’t too bad, but Ayva and Ari decided they had no interest in walking up to the second floor. Instead, we stayed in the park and relaxed for a couple hours while the sun set. We got some artistic photos and enjoyed the time to relax. The sunset was nice and once it got dark, the Eiffel Tower lit up with yellow lights. It was quite beautiful. Every hour on the hour hour between 22:00 and 01:00, the tower sparkles for 5 minutes. We stayed to see the sparkle, which was way cooler in person than any photo or video we took.
At 22:05, we made our way on foot to the Louvre Museum. Our walk took us through garden. We were greeted by a security guard who told us we weren’t supposed to be there. We convinced him to let us go through a different exit so we didn’t have to backtrack. We found ourselves in the middle of a fair. We walked through it and it was bright and loud. When we got to the other side we were right outside the Louvre. I was blown away by the size! I have seen photos, but nothing compares to actually being there. I took a photo as we approached. A minute later, the lights all turned off! Addison was quite disappointed that we didn’t get tickets today, and then he couldn’t even get a photo of it lit up. We were still able to take some photos before finding the closest metro and making our way back home.
We all agreed that of all the places we visited, Paris is at the top of cities we would love to come back to. We would like to visit the Louvre Museum, and Versailles. Unfortunately, the tickets have to be purchased weeks in advance. I would definitely come back for at least a week, and get a multi day city pass. I would also consider getting day passes for the metro so you can come and go on any of the several lines. Regular tickets are only goo for a limited amount of time in a single direction. We had a great day in Paris, and I can honestly say that it is one of the cleanest cities we’ve visited so far. I see why som many people come here.
Tomorrow we have a car rented and we will make our way to Mont St Michel.