Eiffel Tower and so much more

Huge day in Paris today.

First order of the day was the desperate need to do some washing. Fortunately there is a washing machine in our apartment so that was utilised and while we were waiting for the washing to be done, Ian went to local bakery to get croissants for breakfast and some fresh bread to make sandwiches for lunch.

Finally got organised and out the door. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower and it was so exciting as we exited the metro, and after walking a short distance down the road, we glanced to our right and could see it – the Eiffel Tower!! Definitely s 'have to pinch yourself' moment to realise we were actually here. Brianna and Lauren have wanted to see the Eiffel Tower ever since Grandma and Grandy brought them

back Paris t-shirts, after their trip to Paris over 10 years ago.
Once again the weather gods were on our side as it was a beautiful, sunny day – about 11 degrees – perfect for gazing in wonder at the Eiffel Tower, and also an amazing view from the 2nd level. The great thing about travelling at this time of year is the queues to get into places are very short so, in no time at all, we had walked the Champs de Mare and got through security to the lift up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. The view from up there was wonderful and we spent a bit of time up there spotting the various sights of Paris.

After descending from the Eiffel Tower we did a 1 hour boat cruise on the Seine which was great as it was a wonderful way to see many well known Parisian sights. The commentary was a bit different – more of a story than a useful commentary of

what we were seeing and what the history was, but the cruise was still great none-the-less.
After the cruise it was onto the metro and our next stop – Notre Dame. This is an amazing cathedral with beautiful stained glass and huge soaring arched buttresses and ceilings. When you really stop and think about it you realise what a building feat it was to build these amazing buildings hundreds of years ago. We decided that we needed to stop and do some people watching as well as looking out at Notre Dame so we went into a café with a view of Notre Dame and had a drink and nibbles. Brianna enjoyed the fact that it is legal to drink beer, wine and champagne from age 16 in France, so she and I enjoyed a glass of bubbles while watching the world go by.

We caught the metro back to our apartment – we feel like we have really got the metro sussed now, feeling like locals as we work our way around the various lines and never have to wait more than a couple of minutes at each station – such an efficient transport system. We noticed how crowded the metro was at 6pm compared with earlier in the day. Once back at our apartment it was time for a quick change then out again on the metro to Montmartre, as we were booked into a show at the Moulin Rouge at 9pm. We had dinner in the Café 2 des Moulins which appeared in the 2001 film Amelie, which depicts typical Parisian life as it tells the story of a waitress working in a café in Montmarte. There were pictures of the character Amelie all over the café and the waiter seemed surprised that we had no idea who she was!!
After dinner we headed to the Moulin Rouge for the show and what a show it was. Lots of amazing dancing by bare breasted and often bare bottomed women!! They were excellent dancers accompanied by male dancers who were not bare breasted or bare bottomed – worst luck!! In between the dancing there were some amazing acrobatic acts – one was a couple doing tricks while on roller skates on a raised platform – a world of hurt if they had fallen off!! The show came with complementary wine or champagne so when we sat down the waiter asked us what we would like to drink. We asked for champagne and he promptly brought us 2 bottles!! This amazing spectacle which included a can can dance done with great finesse finished at 11pm, then it was back onto the metro for home and bed. What a great first day in Paris, felt like we have done it all!!