Bonjour from Paris

We arrived in Paris yesterday morning at 6:55am. WooHoo!!! We had a nice flight and a pretty good dinner (for airplane food). I think we slept here and there but it sure doesn't feel like it. We made our way through customs, etc. and met Super Shuttle who took us to The Hotel Concorde Saint-Lazare. It is a lovely hotel and we have a sweet little European room with beautiful tall windows that open on to the busy Paris streets below.

By the time we got to the hotel it was 10am and they said our room would be ready by 11am so we roamed a little and got a sandwich at a little shop. After we checked in we rearranged our things and freshened up and headed out the door to see the Eiffel Tower. We had to take the subway to get there so that was the first hurdle, but after a few tries we figured out the cost of the trip and how to purchase 2 tickets. We got off at the Trocodero stop. The Trocadéro's site overlooks the Seine, opposite the Eiffel tower. When we came around the corner, there was the Eiffel Tower….wow! We couldn't believe we were here and finally seeing this iconic symbol of Paris.. We got some great pictures and then walked across the Seine to take the elevators up to the summit of the Eiffel Tower. Luckily we had pre-purchased our lift tickets because the lines were out of control. The weather was perfectly clear so the views from the tower were outstanding and it was a great way to get our bearings and see this beautiful city.

After the Eiffel Tower we were suppose to go back and take a nap but we powered through. We were pretty hungry so we stopped at a street booth and got a croque-monsieur, which is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and walked down the Seine to take the Bateaux Mouche. This is a big boat that takes you on a leisurely cruise down the Seine. We saw so many amazing things. Of course, the architecture is just breathtaking. You have to take a look at some of the pictures we took.

After the bateaux mouche we used our map to walk back to the hotel. We ran into a few road blocks because there was a parade honoring the 70th anniversary of D-day and the Battle Normandy. There were a ton of people and military lining the streets and the flags were lining the street all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. When we got back to the hotel it was around 6pm and we were feeling like death because we were so tired. We made ourselves go out and get some dinner and we were in the bed by 9pm. What a great first day. More to come soon!