700 stairs… Each Way!
The group started the day early (7:30am) due to a full day of attractions in our short time in Paris, France. Our breakfast was lacking in comparison to our previous hotels that had spoiled us. We located the metro station to purchase our full day metro pass and began our adventure.
Our first stop was the Palais De Justice…which we mistook for Notre Dame Cathedral. We noticed this place was very well guarded so we asked for directions to Notre Dame and were pointed in the opposite direction. Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most famous cathedrals in Europe and it was well worth the 7:30am start.
Our next stop, Musee Du Louvre (aka The Louvre), was a short walk away. While there we saw the Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory, Aphrodite, and numerous other paintings and sculptures. We spent 3 hours touring this magnificent building that cost us only 4 euros to enter.
After grabbing a bite to eat at a local café, it was back to the metro to get to our next stop, the Arc De Triomphe. We snapped some photos and enjoyed the views of downtown Paris.
For the next stop, the boys claimed to have a surprise for us, so we got back on the metro and took a short walk along the Seine River to see….. the Statue De La Liberte (a much smaller version than the one in New York City). Kyle learned about the statue from the TV show “The Amazing Race.” As it began to rain, we wondered whether we would be able to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower.
The next destination was the Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) which we had planned to see at night time. The group split up with Kim and Krista taking the elevator all the way to the top, while the rest of us walked half-way up (700 stairs one-way) then took an elevator to the top. Krista had suffered some enormous blisters from the mega walk in Denmark preventing her enthusiasm for the 1,400 stairs. While waiting in line to buy tickets, Abbie had a run-in with a pigeon that resulted in the bird pooping on her. Krista interrupted a little boy attempting a pick-pocketing heist. This kept us entertained for the 45 minute wait for tickets. For the group that took the stairs, the climb was well worth the view at the top. The rain had stopped for this wonderful opportunity to see the view of Paris.
We wandered nearby streets in search of fluids and then found ourselves some benches to watch the lighting of this beautiful structure. As the night set in, the lights slowly came on until it was almost completely dark, when they started a shimmer light display on the sides of the Eiffel Tower which lit up the night sky. We left the area, pleased with ourselves for what we had accomplished so far in Paris.
Our final stop of the night was the Moulin Rouge where a few pictures of the lit-up theatre completed our 14 hour express Tour de France.
Our total mileage for the day was 14.7 miles…..plus the 1400 steps the one group did to reach the half-way point of the Eiffel Tower. I believe that’s a new record.
Rebel
