Attractions I wasn't going to visit

A wet and dreary morning to start. The Eiffel tower was first up on the agenda.
Getting there was relatively simple - metro then bus. I like the metro and with the City Mapper app I haven't done too badly so far (except for yesterday's debacle).

I was actually surprised that I wanted to go up the tower at all. In Australia I thought I'd probably be happy to see it from the ground but I really wanted to go up. Partly I think because it is iconic Paris and partly because it is such a magnificent structure.

I had heard a lot about crowds and long line waits. I moved through the first line quickly, that was just the first security line. I had to ditch my water bottle.

Once through security there were four ticket offices, one for each "leg" of the tower. I happened to chose the west leg and quickly bought a ticket and got into the first lift. It took us to the second floor where I then got into another lift to go to the top. The trip up was a bit disconcerting as we could see out. Not as bad as the ski jump in Innsbruck though.

The weather cleared by the time I got to the top. It was crowded but not too crowded. The views were fantastic. I joined the selfie takers. I don't take many selfies but this was a special occasion.

From the top (which is open) I walked down to the next level which was enclosed. That had a lot of information with important facts such as Buffalo Bill visited the tower.

The structure really is magnificent.

From there I went on a cruise of the river Seine. Somebody (Sarah W?) told me not to bother and I should have heeded her advice. The commentary wasn't great and the views were better from the bus. The house boats were lovely to look at though.

At the Eiffel tower I had heard a woman telling some tourists about the Louvre Carousel, an underground shopping centre next door to the Lourve. I went and had a look but it was all a bit upmarket for me.

I returned to the Louvre in the evening. It is open until 10pm on Fridays. I thought I'd start with the Mona Lisa then just wander. I actually started with Louis XIV because I can't read a map. With the help of an app I found my way to the Mona Lisa. The crowd wasn't too bad and I was pleasantly surprisef by the painting. I was expecting it to be much smaller and with the help of the commentary I was able to appreciate some of the genius behind it.

I wandered around the Italian paintings then found the way up to the French paintings. French landscapes of the second half of the 19th century seems to be my favoured style.

I was a bit wary coming back on the metro at night but there was plenty of people about as let's face it, 10pm on a Friday night in Paris isn't that late.

Photos:
Eiffel tower
View from tower
From under the tower
Houseboat
Mona Lisa
Painting by Alfred Sisley - the style I likeRead more