Paris

Arc de Triomphe
Smart Cars
Chris and Tina Misbehaving
Steak Tartar

Seine Boat Ride
Catacombs
Champs Elysees
Conciergerie

Dome Church
Eiffel Tower
Forever Cafe
Italian Restaurant's Bathroom

When we arrived in Paris, we took the airport bus to another terminal to connect to the train to Paris's Gare du Nord station (Northern Train Station). We are getting better at navigating the Paris airport now as this was our third time there. From Gare du Nord, we had a short metro ride to the Pigalle station. When we emerged from the subway, it looked like we were in Amsterdam's Red Light District. There were sex shops and peep show signs everywhere. The area is not that bad and is about 1 block down the street from the Moulin Rouge. We stayed at:

Tim Hotel Saint Georges

21 Blvd. de Clichy

Paris, 75009

France

+0033 148 740 112

When we arrived at the hotel, we were told that they were doing construction and had arranged for us to stay at another location the first 3 nights, then we could return. So, we initially stayed at:

Ibis Paris Porte de Clichy

15, Blvd. Victor Hugo

92110 Clichy

France

33(0) 1 41 40 18 90

The Ibis was actually a nicer hotel then the Tim Hotel. It was a little further walk to the nearest metro station, but not that bad. Both hotels had a nice breakfast buffet. The Tim Hotel's rooms were very small, and the bathroom was even smaller, but acceptable.

Arc de Triomphe: These photos show the Arc underneath as well as the tomb of the unknown soldier and the eternal flame.

You cannot read the inscription on the ground in the photo, but it says: “Ici repose un soldat français mort pour la Patrie” (“Here lies a French soldier who died for his country”). The flame that burns under the arch perpetuates the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives in the fight for freedom.

Spiral Staircase to the top of the Arc de Triomphe: There are 260 steps to the top.

Views from the top of the Arc de Triomphe: At the top, you have great views of all of Paris. Here these photos show in order: Sacre Coeur, Montparanasse, Eiffel Tower, Downtown Business Area, Grand Palace and the congested traffic of the large multi-lane roundabout beneath the Arc.

Smart Cars: The maroon 2 seat car is a Smart Car. The base model start selling for about 6500 GBP, or about $12,000. The small blue car is...small. Not sure if it's a Smart car model or not.

Chris and Tina Misbehaving: We go all the way to Paris, the most romantic city in the world and Chris and Tina have nothing better to do then ogle some guy jogging by.

Steak Tartar: Eddie tried the raw beef one day at lunch. We all gave it a try. It was mixed with seasoning and tasted really good, and no one got sick.

Seine Boat Ride: We took a boat ride on the Seine river one afternoon. These are some photos from around the river.

Catacombs: We toured the catacombs which are very deep underground. It's takes over an hour to go through the different tunnels. Each tunnel is lined with neatly stacked bones, some in various patterns.

In 1786 a monumental project began here: the removal of the millions of skulls and bones from unsanitary city cemetery in Les Halles to the ancient quarries formed by excavations at the base of the three "mountains": Montparnasse, Montrouge and Montsouris. It took 15 months to transport the bones and rotting corpses at night across the city in huge carts to their new resting place.

Just before the Revolution, the Comte d'Artois (later Charles X) threw wild parties in the catacombs, and during World War II the French Resistance set up its headquarters here. Above the door outside are the words "Stop! This is the empire of death."

Champs Elysees: This is the main shopping area leading up to the Art de Triomphe. We did not take photos of the shops, but this is one of the several cows located around the city.

Conciergerie: A grisly antechamber to the guillotine, this prison was much used in the Revolutions. During the Revolution it housed over 4,000 prisoners, including Marie-Antoinette, who was held in a tiny cell until her execution.

Dome Church: This is the resting place of Napoleon. His body is entombed in the large red marble sarcophagus. The Dome Church is also a war museum which we toured.

Eiffel Tower Day Views: Originally built to impress visitors to the Universal Exhibition of 1889, the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) was meant to be a temporary addition to the Paris skyline. The world tallest building until 1931, when New York's Empire State Building was completed. The tower is now the symbol of Paris. The observation deck at the top is 899 ft. (274 m) above the ground and can hold 800 people at a time.

Eiffel Tower Night Views

Eiffel Tower Night Views from the Top: One of the photos shows Ken sticking his head out the protective netting at the very top.

Forever Cafe: This was a bar across the street from the Tim Hotel. They had some very good shots (we tried them all one night) at very reasonable prices. The shot you are seeing is a B52 (Kahlua, Bailey's and Grand Marnier floated on top, then set on fire).

Italian Restaurant's Bathroom: One afternoon we all went to a small Italian restaurant for lunch. Tina went to the restroom and took a very long time returning. As it turned out, the door lock broke and the door could not be opened. It took about 20 minutes for the staff at the restaurant to finally get the door open and free her. We took a photo for the memory.

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