A Great First Day in La Ville-Lumiére

What a great start to our trip! We started the day by grabbing some awesome pastries at the boulangerie.

Brynn also got a 'chocolat chaud.' Then, we took a bridge across the Seine. We walked around Notre Dame and the gardens- it was beautiful! We decided not to go inside because therre was a long line and we had other things we wanted to do. 

We crossed another bridge to get off of the island that Notre Dame is on. There were locks that visitors had placed all along it and I thought it was very cool.

After Notre Dame we walked to a Metro stop and rode it to the Eiffel Tower.

We planned on going up the tower but when we got there, there were signs that said the tower was closed due to a social movement.

We were a little bit disappointed but we moved on to have some lunch close to the Champs-Élysées. It was pretty good. I had a caesar salad as did Brynn. Grandma and Mom had a delicious sandwich and Grandpa had a hamburger. Next, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe.

We had to go under the street because it is too busy to cross the roundabout. Mom, I, and Brynn went to the top of the arch. The stairs to the top were entirely spiral- I got dizzy.

Once at the top it was a beautiful view of the entire city including the many streets that meet at the arc. 

(It's a panorama photo... The streets actually are diagonal but it doesn't appear so in the picture)

We went to the bottom of the arc and saw the eternal flame commemorating the french WWI soldiers. Our feet were tired so we decided to take the Metro to the Louvre. This Metro trip didn't go so smooth. Grandma was trying to board the train when the doors started closing. she got her head and torso most of the way in but got a little bit stuck! Luckily Grandpa and another man pried open the doors just in time before the train started moving. I will never forget the look on Grandma's face as she got crushed by the Metro door. Thankfully she came away with just a few scratches:) Mom and I walked around the Jardin de Tuilleries while Brynn and our Grandparents rested in the garden.

There were many sculptures and fountains. One funny thing was that all of the trees were cut off square like a bush! After the gardens, we went inside the Louvre Carousel where there were shops and a food court. Since the museum itself was closed (its closed every Tuesday) there were not many people there. We drank smoothies and rested a bit.  Brynn tried a rasperry macaroon.

Then, I tried to find a restroom. What I found was the strangest thing I have ever witnessed. I finally found a place that was supposed to be the restroom. Instead, it looked like a shop for all things pertaining to the bathroom. Apparently you were supposed to walk up to the counter and pay either 1€ for a regular bathroom or 1.50€ for a spa bathroom(??). Anyways, I was too weirded out so I waited to find a more normal bathroom.

A wall of colored TP... I'm not joking!!

After looking around at the outside of the Louvre, we decided to make the trek back to our appartment. After a little confusion we made it back. Grandma and Grandpa are quite worn out. As a matter of fact, Grandma remarked "I am not walking more than 2 blocks for dinner!" I guess we will be finding a nearby café soon:)