The Eiffel Tower and the Riverboat Cruise

Today’s adventures started with a quick walk to Jack and Kim’s hotel and then off to the Eiffel Tower. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had walked by the monument before but today we were actually going to the top. We had decided that we would be able to walk up to the second level before taking a lift to the summit. Unfortunately, this meant that we could not buy our tickets online but had to stand in line at the entrance to the stairs. Before the ticket line, we stood in the security line and once through there, we could wander around under the tower and through the grounds. We finally got in line for tickets and once these were acquired, we started up the steps – 338 to the first floor where we stopped for a bathroom break – and 669 in total by the time we got to the second floor. Then another line to get into the lift to the top. But, before we knew it, we were there, looking over Paris – 17 floors above the city. It was breathtakingly beautiful and we walked around the observation deck viewing the sites below. We could see the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees, the palaces, the cathedrals, the Parliament buildings, the downtown, the Seine and all the bridges connecting the Left Bank to the Right Bank. It was magnificent and all too soon it was time to take the lift back down. Once on the ground, we took another look up the centre to the top. Absolutely amazing!!

The evening found us down at the Seine across from the Louvre and ready to start our dinner cruise. We were a few minutes early so we walked across the bridge and into the courtyard of the Louvre Palace. When Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, he left the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. The building has been extended many times to form the present museum. We were completely amazed how large this museum is. We estimated it to cover at least four square blocks!! After walking the perimeter, we crossed back across the river and boarded our boat. The meal was delicious, the company was fantastic and the cruise was perfect!! We passed by the lit up Eiffel Tower at 10 PM and witnessed the five minute sparkling light display that plays every hour, on the hour. The two hour cruise ended back in front of the Louvre. We disembarked, took the train back to our mutual meeting spot, said our goodbyes for the evening and headed back to our sleeping quarters. Another wonderful end to a wonderful day!!