We started with a reasonable wake-up time (7:30 ish) and were on the bus about 9. Pascal, our city guide, was wonderful, and he showed us the sights of Paris on the bus. There was lots of gasping, squealing, and yelping (not all mine!) at the various buildings and such he pointed out. Notre Dame didn't fail to disappoint a second day. The Louvre, which we get to visit on Monday, was amazing, and the Eiffel Tower ... well, the Eiffel Tower was just the greatest thing ... and the center of our day.
The Girls have done a wonderful job agreeing on the must-see / must do things. Today it was going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It rained all day, so after our bus tour (during which a couple girls napped and missed some of the details), and after a wonderful l lunch, at which some of the Girls tried new food, we made our way back to the Eiffel Tower. Maureen has been brilliant managing the Metro and investigating our options. She got us there in good time. 6 million people a year visit the Eiffel Tower, so as you can imagine, there was something of a line. We stood in that line about two and a half hours, during which it rained the entire time. The Girls were real troopers (pardon the pun), and made the most of it. They were very entertaining ... and rather entertained.
There was a street performer there who mimicked people as they walked around under the Tower. I (Janet) was among them. The man even introduced Paigie as his wife. He later introduced another woman as his wife, and Paigie commented on him cheating on her. She made the point again when he came around collecting money for his performance. Her delivery was impeccable!
Actually, all the Girls were very funny today. There have been quips throughout this trip, and they number too many to record, but today was chock full of them. The Girls had us laughing right out loud much of the day.
Anyhoo, back to the Eiffel Tower. It really did rain for the entire time we were in line. It rained as we purchased tickets and waited in line a couple more times. It rained for the brief time we were at the top. With it raining all day, the visit was nothing much at all. However, to know that we were at the top of the Eiffel Town in Paris, France, was enough for all of us. Then, we walked the 700 steps from the 2nd floor to the ground ... and we sang Girl Scout songs the entire way. It was so great!
After the Eiffel Tower, we made our way back to the group for dinner, which was (in a couple people's opinion) the best meal of the trip so far. Simple chicken, rice, and green beans. The dessert was good, too, but I can't really describe it to you. Some kind of peach and tapioca pudding pastry thing. It was very popular. The name of the place was "The Hippopamus."
Following dinner, we made our way back to the Seine River for a cruise. A couple Girls opted out of the boat ride and instead went souvenir shopping. had a crape w/ nutella strawberries on top, took silly pictures under the Eiffel tower, and people watched. The boat ride was fantastic. We were able to float around the island on which the Notre Dame is built. It's amazing the amount of detail that building has and how impressive it was to see from the angle of the River.
The River also gives a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower. We were out late tonight. Some of the Girls rode a carousel, as did a few grown-ups, before we headed back to the Metro. We were out late enough to see the Eiffel Tower lit up. I imagine that the lights stay on all night, but for a while there were blinking flashing lights, and WOW! is that a sight to behold! We rested for a bit in a restaurant on our way to the Metro and reflected a bit on our experiencing today.
As I said earlier, tomorrow is the Louvre! After that, we have some free time, and the Girls are rather set on shopping, so do our best to fit that in. Even us grown-up have a few things we'd like to get a souvenirs, so that is on the agenda tomorrow. There are other items, I'm sure, but nothing more is coming to me at the moment, so I'm going to take that as a sign and say good night.
More from Milan or Florence ...
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