All the Main Tourist Attractions in a Day
Woke up - ate our favorite pastries - and went to the Eiffel Tower first thing. This is another one of those sights I have been wanting to see my entire life. It was a little foggy this morning so the top was hard to see until we got right next to it, but this actually added a little to the mood of our visit. I couldn’t believe how big it was in person. It must be thousands of tons of iron. There were a lot of people taking photos and doing silly things to get the perfect shot: jumping, holding umbrellas, timing a selfie with a friend and getting it wrong. It definitely provided me with some entertainment. Another thing that really surprised me was the number of African immigrants trying to sell knick knacks (primarily small Eiffel Towers). There must have been at least a hundred of them around the base and each one wants to come up and try to sell you the same junk.
We then walked over to the Arc de Triomphe. This was also an amazing sight with many people taking photos - even in the middle of the street. It was neat just sitting there watching the cars drive around the monument and imagining the famous people who have walked through that arch. We then made our way partly down the Champs-Élyssés to look at some of the high end shopping and also what may be the largest McDonald’s ever (on top of this it was packed with people).
We took the train over to Montmartre and right in front of us was the Moulin Rouge - complete with windmill and all. We had lunch at a cafe where Amelie was filmed (a French movie with Audrey Tautou). We climbed up to the top of the hill and saw a small art market where painters will do your portrait or you can buy other works of art. The Sacré-Couer is the main attraction as it is a large basilica built on this hill and can be seen from most of the city. I think this may have been my favorite church we have visited so far. The main dome is very impressive and there is a mural above the altar that is very well done. We happened to be there during a type of mass where the bishop and nuns walk around the chapel speaking and singing the program. I enjoyed it a lot.
We came back and took naps before heading over to a small concert in a French bar. It’s a not so well known band called Vallis Alps. It was a good show though and a fun way to end the day.
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