Today we decided to go up the Eiffel Tower and GG stayed home to go grocery shopping and grandpa took us all off to see more of Paris. We are still running into problems with transportation because the line that is the most convenient for us is being revamped.
Ryan gives the Eiffel Tower tour a top five rating of the things we have done because it is the quintessential image of Paris. There were more than 500 stairs to climb up to the second platform, and from there you have to take an elevator the rest of the way. At the top one can enjoy a wonderful 360 degree view of Paris. The tower is not as tall as he was expecting, but it was sure a unique experience. On the first level there is a glass platform that you can walk on and look down to the street. It is a little unnerving, but very interesting.
Brendan thought there were an awful lot of steps. He was a little nervous about the hike up, and was having second thoughts about going up there, but he made it just fine. When he got to the top he was really relieved and took several pictures. At first he was worried because it was so tall, but then when he got to the top it wasn't as far as as he thought. He and the boys were thinking about various ways to get down, like hang gliding. The elevator from the second platform to the top was a little claustrophobic. He liked going down most because he was getting closer to the ground with every step. This is one of the experiences he was hoping to have while in Paris and he is glad he got to do it.
Bryce thought the Eiffel Tower was really fun, especially because when he got to the top he could stick his head through the holes in the structure and look all the way down to the ground. He was very confident about making it to the top and he did! He had a good time jumping all the way down the stairs He especially like the glass platform on the second level where he could look down and see people waaaaaay down there, walking around.
Isabella says the Eiffel Tower was really cool and a unique experience. She says the climb to the to the top was not as bad as she imagined, but she thought the elevator was too small and scary. The glass platform was freaky, but it was so much fun to watch the thousands of people milling around under the tower. There was an interesting comparison of the height of the Eiffel Tower compared to some other tall structures in the world. That made the Eiffel Tower look small, but it looked pretty tall when you were up there.
Grandpa hiked up to the first platform, but didn't go any further. He recommends the first platform because the second platform is way too crowded and you have a great view from the first platform.
Bryce thought the bateaux mouches were great because he got to see the city from a different perspective and had good views of many of the important points of interest.
Isabella enjoyed the boat ride, but wishes she could have experienced it at night. There wasn't much narration, but she was able to recognize many of the famous Paris landmarks. It was interesting to see Paris from a different perspective.
Grandpa was surprised that there was a full boatload on the Bateaux Mouches. He expected some narration, but found that it was only offered below decks and he was too busy taking pictures as he passed by all of the interesting sights along the river.
The gang got home around 3pm, ravenous, thirsty and exhausted. They gobbled up the whole stick of salami I bought and three baguettes, a lot of fruit too. They drank 4 liters of water and juice. And a couple of hours later they were hungry again and we had dinner of pork roast and French rice-a-roni, which is not as good as American rice-a-roni.
Grandma tried to find some peanut butter and finally found a little jar of Skippy at the big supermarket, but it was almost $10, so she didn't buy it. She bought a lot of juice and bread and we pretty much used it all up the first afternoon.
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They're going to eat their way through Paris. What a climb. I'm proud of you Don you are great sport for doing it with the kids.
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