France, Day 2

For our second day (our first full day) in Paris, we decided to take the hop on/hop off bus tour suggested by Rick Steves (that guy has NEVER let us down - can't say enough good stuff about his suggestions). It was pretty typical, and fairly informative - and it is a fun way with the kids to get a good overview of a city. We started our tour in front of Notre Dame and made our way to Champs-Elysees. We got off so I could get this photo of the Arc de Triomphe, but while I did that the kids played in the garden near the Place de la Concorde. We walked a ways down Champs-Elysees to catch the next bus and continued out tour.

We went around the Arc de Triomphe and then made our way to the Eiffel Tower. We hopped off after the Tower and made our way to Rue Cler (another Rick Steves suggestion) where we had a very nice cafe-style lunch. I absolutely love European sidewalk cafes, and this one definitely did not disappoint, though I figure none of the cafes on Rue Cler would disappoint.

After lunch we got back on the bus and finished the tour at the Louvre. Since it was a Monday, the Louvre was closed, but that didn't prevent us from enjoying the fountains in the old courtyard and in the gardens. In fact, Ian and Leah had fun playing in a sprinkler in the gardens. Here you can see them having a ball playing in the water with the glass pyramid of the Louvre in the background. This shot reminds me so much of our time in Miami when we went to Vizcaya and the kids only wanted to play in the fountains : )

The bus tour took up a good portion of the day (with all of the on and offs we did). I took the opportunity again that night to tour the city after the kids went to bed (thank you Catherine!). I went to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed the steps - beautiful view of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, and back towards Sacre Couer. Another thanks to an Army buddy that suggested the climb.

After the Arc I took the metro to the Eiffel Tower for the photo below. This shot took several attempts to catch the spot lights in just the right place - I definitely think it was worth the effort. I made it home a little before midnight, so all in all a very long day.