We had tickets, we had time, we were ready to do the Effiel Tower. One problem however; the last leg of our train ride was shut down. We did some quick A-Team planning and hurried to the surface to walk to the tower. When we realized it would take 30 minutes to get there, and we needed to be there in 10, we went to Plan LS - ride a Lime Scooter.
This is a re-creation of the actual ride since we rode the same scooter. I was in front working the gas (I think it had a brake but we never used it) and Rebecca stood behind me with her arms around me squeezing me like juicer. We had a few near misses with pedestrians that wouldn't move and one car that was driving on the wrong side of the street. Ok, we shouldn't have been on the street, but remember the stubborn pedestrians? We did a quick maneuver to avoid hitting them and ended up in the street. With a skidding stop, we made it to the Eiffel Tower in time.
We went to the very top of the Effiel Tower and the view was amazing. I was having minor heart palpitations as I am not the biggest fan of heights. Luckily, Rebecca was there to hold my hand and dry my tears of fear. Somehow, she convinced me to walk out on the glass floor (the same one my kids two years ago ran around on while I huddled in a ball not watching). I made it to the edge before I grabbed on to any metal I could find.
We also took a nice river cruise that showed us many of the top destinations and gave different facts about them.
Of course, I forgot my sunglasses at home, so I needed to buy a new pair. Those who know me well, know I am cheap when it comes to sunglasses. At the boat cruise gift shop they were 10 euros, way too much for me. I found a street vendor selling them and decided to haggle a bit (yes, I do this a lot and Rebecca quickly walks away in embarrassment as I end up haggling over 50 cents just for the fun of it). Here is how the transaction went for the sunglasses:
Me - How much
Vendor - 15 euros
Me - what? I just saw the same pair in the shop for 10
Vendor - 12 euros
Me - what? are you trying top rob me? 5 euros
Vendor - these are great glasses. 10 euros
Me - 5
Vendor - 8
Me - 5
Vendor - no way
Me - ok, I am sure someone else down the road will take five (as I start to walk away)
Vendor - fine, 5 euros
Boom! New shades to wear on the Hop-on Hop-off Bus
Next stop was the Monoprix, the best market in Paris with the ULTIMATE cracker-cookies. I bought a few boxes a few years ago and then asked our friends to bring us some back when they went last year. I ended up rationing them at home and had to keep them under armed guard since my kids loved them so much. Rebecca would like to note that I hoarded them for so long, that by the time we got to the last box, they were STALE. This time, I am going to bring home a suitcase full but need to do it stealthily by buying six boxes at a time.
We took a quick snack and drink break at our apartment, after walking up the previously-mentioned, horrible 91 stairs. I put together a very French inspired plate (thank you Monoprix).
Since we were recharged, we decided to tackle one last sight seeing outing - the view from the Sacre-Coeur. Now, when you hear view, I assume you think up a hill or someplace high? Yes, and for some reason we didn't put two and two together. After walking up a hill as steep as the Mt. Everest face, we hit the dreaded stairs, all 150 of them. Sweating and cursing, we made it to the top and took in the sights.
Getting my money's worth out of my 5 euro shades!
Of course, we were not alone. A few other people decided to join us there but at least everyone was friendly and gave us some space. There was also live "music" and I put that in quotes as the person was great at the guitar, but sounded like someone strangling a cat when singing. We tried to move far away from the screeching sounds, but his voice followed us like a swarm of mosquitoes. Our breaking point was when he "tried" to sing the song by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from A Star is Born. If you take fingernails and run them down a chalkboard while banging two pots together, that is what it sounded like. We took off running trying to cover our ears and stop them from bleeding.
What I learned today - If you are with someone you love, and they support you, you can conquer your fears (or at least face them).
What I appreciated about the day - Waking up and having breakfast on our deck while watching the city come to life. All while rocking the most amazing bed-head hair!
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