Steps today: 28 044 / 18.49 km
AHHH back in Paris again - but this time on a Girls Get Away instead of with Frank... It was a lot of fun, but still a little weird not to be with him.
We arrived in Paris nice and early around 8AM, room predicably not ready, so we dumped the bags and headed out to explore.
Step one was breakfast, and despite the time of year (mid/late March) it was sunny and warm enough to sit outside.
Once fortified, we headed straight to the Eiffel Tower to make sure we got some nice clear blue sky pictures - mission accomplished!
There was hardly a line up to get into the area, so we strolled around it for a while, enjoying a gaggle of English school kids on a field trip.
Of course, the obligatory shot from underneath. That blue diagonal thing is a netted walk-way, that would have been fun to try!
Next on the agenda was a drink at one of the cafés I liked on the other side of the Trocadero, and I realize now that I barely took any pictures! It's a combination of Day One Fatigue and figuring that I have enough shots from previous trips... but in hindsight I regret it.
Lunch was at Café du Commerce which finally made it onto my list after all these years! We were seated on the first level a little too tucked away to properly enjoy the atmosphere, so I got up and wandered around to take pictures. I feel like the second level looking over the atrium would have been the best place to sit.
Eggs Mimosa were great!
Sausage was only so-so
Our next activity was climbing to the roof of the Arc de Triomphe. The nice blue sky motivated our plan, but the climb up on a full stomach was not easy!
Next was a walk along the Champs Elysées which was on Vesna's list, she was particularly impressed by the Louis Vuitton facade
Taking pictures here is always a challenge. It's so crowded that the trick is just to stretch as far above your head as possible and hope for the best! This was the best I could do.
We decided at this point (close to 4PM by now) to head back to the hotel to check in and unpack, and then head back out for supper.
The hotel was fine. It was "cheap" so I was a little nervous about it, and the online reviews were not glowing, but it was perfectly fine. It was old, yes. A little rundown, yes. But it was clean and quiet and the bathroom was newly renovated. The location just off Place de La République was ideal, we had no regrets and the only problem was a VERY cold toilet seat. Ha!
The shower was quite small, so it was not easy to wash one's feet or pick up any dropped items but that's true of many European hotel bathrooms. I've had smaller in "nicer" places. We slept like rocks.
Once we were done at the hotel, we walked to Place Bastille for a meal. Again, it was sunny enough to sit outside.
Not sure anymore what time we called it quits, sometime around 730 I think... it was a perfect Day One!
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