Day 6 in Paris 2022

As part of this trip, we had purchased unlimited rides on the Metro, but the day limit was 5 days, so today is the first day we could REALLY embrace the use of Paris' Metro system. We've used it on previous trips and, to this day, people who are weirded out by it baffle me. Great system, easy to understand, efficient, effective, top class. I love it.

Today had originally been schedule to be a visit to Versailles, but thanks to the Ukraine situation, the EU heads of state were using the palace as a meeting place and all tickets had been refunded. So a free day on the schedule meant a day of walking the main sites of Paris, as the majority of the group had never been (everyone but Lola and I). Thanks to the flexibility in our schedule, we all slept in and got a later start on the day (everyone was still beat from the trip to Rouen).

We took the Metro to the area around the Arc de Triomphe. What some people don't understand about this landmark is that it's surrounded by a massive traffic circle. Maybe 5 lanes deep worth of cars. However, there's plenty of open areas around the traffic to allow for pictures from good vantage points. We took picture after picture from those areas before making our way to the underground tunnel that leads to the center of the circle (under the monument). When we arrived, we immediately hopped into the line for tickets to the top, which we purchased. After, we made our way above ground and walked under the massive stone monument looking at the different plaques and busts that decorate the area.

The Arc is a monument to the French dead from wars, so there are names and dates all over the place under the monument. There's also a chained off area similar to the eternal flame in Arlington. This lead to me overhearing one super cool comment from an American saying loudly "What's that fire about?" How proud to be an American I was at that moment. Seriously people, care a little bit about how the world sees you. It's a low bar that continue to ignore in the worst ways.

For those that don't know, my family is a mixed family. 2 of us (Lola and Billie) have zero fear of heights, while I have a crippling fear of heights that interferes with every trip we take at some point. Billie has learned of this fear and pushes me to get better, which I appreciate (I guess). I had promised to go to the top of the Arc and as we began circling the tiny staircase upward, I could feel my fear building with each step. The staircase is small and the steps are endless. We were huffing and puffing all the way up and a couple of us had to stop on the way up to catch our breath. When we arrived at the gift shop area, I was becoming panicked with fear, but was pretending not to be because I have a 6 year old.

The final set of stairs took the group onto the top of the monument to one of the best views in the city. Every road leads away from the Arc like an octopus' array of arms. It's an amazing panoramic scene. In the distance, we could see the dome of Sacre Cour (three trips and still haven't been). Much nearer we could see the impressive height of the Eiffel Tower (our next destination). It's really a beautiful view. I snapped a couple of pictures and decided I had had enough of the view (and the elevation). I quickly made my way down to the base of the monument and waited for everyone to return to ground level. 

As the rest of the group trickled down from the top of the Arc, we decided to head toward the Tocadero, a famous garden/plaza area that overlooks the Eiffel Tower. It's a great place to take pictures with the tower in the background, but sadly, everyone knows this. It was packed when we arrived. And to make it worse, there was construction going on so half the viewing area was blocked off. We weaved in and out of the crowd, taking pictures as we could before walking down to the river. As we neared the river, the group made the decision to NOT go to the top of the Eiffel, making all my dreams come true. Instead, lunch was the focus at hand. After some debate, we settled on Cafe Le George V.

Just as I had at previous meals, I decided to order something I'd never had and frog legs were on the menu. I ordered them and Josh ordered foie gras, which would add another new item to my experience. I was thrilled. When the food arrived, not only did I have frog legs, but Billie, without reservation, ate some as well! I was thrilled to see her trying things without fear. Lola had ordered bone marrow for her starter and we all sampled that as well. It was a nice meal, though I had ordered a burger as my main and made the mistake of ordering it medium. Little too pink for my tastes. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals and after we went to the metro and all took naps.

That evening we played Uno.

-Dan