No coffee yet so I'm more Victor Meldrew than Pollyanna this morning.
From a distance, my first thought about the Eiffel Tower was "Is that it?" but, as we got closer, that changed to "Wow".
11.30 - The top of the Eiffel Tower. I almost chickened when we got to the second level, and I almost squeezed all the blood out of David's hand in the lift to the summit (all windows!!!!), but I'm here!
Another thing crossed off my bucket list.
Visitors seem to spend more time in queues than actually seeing anything, but that's the same for most famous tourist attractions so, if you accept that, it's no problem. It would be worse in the summer months, I would imagine. But we did chat to very nice Australian couple while waiting, and that helped pass the time.
I've had a cafe au lait and a pain au chocolat since we've been up here so I feel more Pollyanna now.
You can't help but marvel at the architecture of the Tower, built as a temporary structure in 1889. It feels old but not decrepit. The solidness to it makes a chicken like me feel secure but still has the look of something impressively antique.
Next stop, Notre Dame, I think!
3.45 pm - Sacre bleu! My feet don't half hurt!
I've been doing some sightseeing on my own, which is pretty cool. Sometimes taking things at your own pace and making sure you see everything you want to see is fantastic.
We did go to Notre Dame, only I went into the actual cathedral on my own. David and our friend John, who we do a lot of travelling with when it's a rugby break, sat in a cafe across the road.
I went into Notre Dame on my own (free entry and fast moving queues). It is a beautiful church but very dark compared to other grand churches like Westminster Abbey or even most of those in Rome I visited.
I did like that there was a little chapel to St George, complete with a statue of him slaying the dragon. I thought there might be English football supporters there lighting candles to him but many of them probably aren't religious.
When I met up with David and John, they were just about to pay their tab for two pints. 22€!!! I decided not to join them for a drink.
Now I'm sitting in the cafeteria of the Louvre, having had quite easily found the Mona Lisa but having had a bugger of a time finding the Venus de Milo!
It's amazing how many people are ignoring the rule that you can't use flash photography. Lots of people are more interested in taking pictures of themselves with famous art instead of actually enjoying the art itself.
Once I have rehydrated and the swelling in my feet has eased a bit, I'm going to wander around taking more pictures. I have four hours to get back to the hotel. David and John have gone to the pub to watch the two Six Nations matches being played today. As much as I love rugby, this is my chance to see Paris!
5.40 pm - Back in the hotel with a loaf of pain au main to munch on as I rest my aching feet and try to understand what their saying on the telly. It's a rugby programme so probably "England? We'll beat them with one hand each tied behind our backs!"
Leaving the Louvre, I was reminded just how commercial the world is. I found this inside:
Even better, you know the final scene in the DaVinci Code where Tom Hanks kneels on the inverted pyramid which is supposedly over the tomb of Mary Magdalen? It's a good thing he wasn't downstairs.
Apple could have made a fortune in advertising.
I had a leisurely stroll through Les Jardines des Tuileries, hopped on the Metro and then checked out a supermarket for Spam. Not for me. For my mother. Don't ask.
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