Ready, set, go.....

A beautiful sunny day and we headed out on

foot to find the Eiffel Tower.  It was nice to get out and get some exercise that did not involve lugging around heavy backpacks which seem to be getting heavier after each place we visit.  It was neat to see all the little stores, flower shops and cafes as we went by.  After about 40 minutes of walking there it was in all its glory, the Eiffel Tower... along with thousands of people!  It is Sunday and I think everyone is in Paris or at least it feels that way to a small town girl.   I was surprised to see how much garbage was lying around and I suppose the grounds crew just couldn’t keep up.  The gardens here seem a little different from England.  Everything is very manicured and placed in perfect rows or patterns.  The one thing that is lacking here is grass.  I am guessing with so many people visiting this area it is hard to get the grass to grow.  It looks like they are trying but I imagine it is a hard battle to win.  I was expecting cobblestone paths but instead it seems to be some sort of rock dust that marks the way.  As we neared the tower we realized it was unlikely we would visit it today as the line ups were insane!  We decided to move along and see what else there was to see and to return to the tower tomorrow.

 We decided to take a river cruise along the Seine.  This was a good choice as we were able to sit outside and get a good overview of what is in the area.  It was one amazing building after another!  They have so much character that you just do see in many buildings today.  If you haven’t already guessed it....I LOVE old European architecture.  The cruise itself was about an hour which I think we all really enjoyed.  Once we returned we decided to find a spot along the river bank to have our lunch.  It was nice just hanging out on the cobblestone path and taking in the views. 

I really wanted to see Notre Dame so we proceeded in the direction of the cathedral.  It was further than we expected and due to a few delays we were not able to get there in time for the tour I wanted to take so we changed our focus to the Louve.  It appeared that they would be closing soon so we decided to try again tomorrow.  Alyssa was not disappointed though as while we were there she was able to feed the pigeons (bird seed) while they perched on her arms.  She thought this was so much fun as the man who was doing all of this had music playing and tones of birds flocking around them. 

What to do next.... We walked along the river and crossed a bridge that had locks of all colors all along its sides.  I guess the buskers have convinced the tourists that if they buy a lock, put it on the bridge and throw away the key it symbolizes true love.  I can’t imagine how many keys are lying at the bottom of the Seine!!!  As we continued walking we found some entertainment for what they called Bla Bla Days.  What exactly is this?  I really don’t know but the bands were great and we felt like we were at a concert.  There was a variety of activities, a market and food available which added to the festive atmosphere.

After endless walking the girls started to fade so we decided it was probably time to head back.  I realized today that you could spend quite a few days in Paris and still not see a lot of what is here.  We found a bus which was a good thing as I think it might have been hard to get the girls to walk back which would have probably taken us at least 1 ½ hrs.  All is not lost as we still have two days to go and there are lots out there to see.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings.