ShellB8585
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2013
Day 2 Paris
As you may have known from my PTR I had put a lot of planning into this day ensure my parents got the most out of it – they had never been before and they may never go again (although I think they will now )
We got up and went for breakfast at 07:15 then we left the hotel a little before 8. We bought our tickets from the machines at the terminal and paid €16.60 each for the RER ticket Mobilis zones 1-5 – this was chosen as we had intended to use the metro.
Spoiler alert - As it turned out we didn't actually use the metro once. However, I think I would always buy this option in the future as it isn't hugely expensive and it's nice to have the metro option. If we'd had time to make it to Moulin Rouge and Montmartre we would have definitely used it!
We went down the stairs and there was a train there so we were on our way by 08:30. This is where I let myself down (and everyone else although they would never say it) for all my planning we got off a the wrong station!! My intention was to get of near the Arc de Triomphe. We ended up 3 miles away! We could have gotten another train to where we wanted to be but my dad decided on the walk – it ate up a good hour or so of our morning but hey we got to see the financial district which had some interesting buildings. There was some very light rain when we arrived but nothing to put us off (we’re British after all)
Well that’s what they said but I happen to know they don’t like heights …
DH and I stuck it out and got our champagne at the top
As you may have known from my PTR I had put a lot of planning into this day ensure my parents got the most out of it – they had never been before and they may never go again (although I think they will now )
We got up and went for breakfast at 07:15 then we left the hotel a little before 8. We bought our tickets from the machines at the terminal and paid €16.60 each for the RER ticket Mobilis zones 1-5 – this was chosen as we had intended to use the metro.
Spoiler alert - As it turned out we didn't actually use the metro once. However, I think I would always buy this option in the future as it isn't hugely expensive and it's nice to have the metro option. If we'd had time to make it to Moulin Rouge and Montmartre we would have definitely used it!
We went down the stairs and there was a train there so we were on our way by 08:30. This is where I let myself down (and everyone else although they would never say it) for all my planning we got off a the wrong station!! My intention was to get of near the Arc de Triomphe. We ended up 3 miles away! We could have gotten another train to where we wanted to be but my dad decided on the walk – it ate up a good hour or so of our morning but hey we got to see the financial district which had some interesting buildings. There was some very light rain when we arrived but nothing to put us off (we’re British after all)
We also had a great view of both the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower (if a little foggy so early)
DH had woken up with a bit of a blocked nose this morning and wasn’t feeling great so I had to stop by a pharmacy. Between my poor French and the Pharmacists better English we were able to buy some Vicks VapoRub – good news is it’s called the same thing over there if any of you ever need it. We then stopped in a coffee shop - a strange story here After our coffees a few of the party needed the loo which was downstairs – at the bottom of the stairs was a cubicle for Men, a cubicle for ladies and in the corner a urinal. The Urinal and mens cubicle were free to use, Ladies was 20cents!! My mum paid it (I would have used the mens – it was free and no one could have walked in or anything haha)
We finally made it to the Arc de Triomphe –
The weather had cleared up a little by now but the sky was still a little moody. It was, at least, still very warm. From the Arc we headed toward the Eiffel Tower.
DH had woken up with a bit of a blocked nose this morning and wasn’t feeling great so I had to stop by a pharmacy. Between my poor French and the Pharmacists better English we were able to buy some Vicks VapoRub – good news is it’s called the same thing over there if any of you ever need it. We then stopped in a coffee shop - a strange story here After our coffees a few of the party needed the loo which was downstairs – at the bottom of the stairs was a cubicle for Men, a cubicle for ladies and in the corner a urinal. The Urinal and mens cubicle were free to use, Ladies was 20cents!! My mum paid it (I would have used the mens – it was free and no one could have walked in or anything haha)
We finally made it to the Arc de Triomphe –
The weather had cleared up a little by now but the sky was still a little moody. It was, at least, still very warm. From the Arc we headed toward the Eiffel Tower.
My mum and Brother don’t like heights and I was apprehensive they wouldn’t do it…
When we got there the queues were huge! As it was around lunch time we decided to eat first whilst they decided if we were going up or not (DH and I had done it before and whilst we wanted to do it again this was their day)
We bought hot dogs from one of the vendors under the Tower – it was just over €11 for a huge hot dog, some fries and a drink. It was too much really but yummy (sorry no pick – it was windy so it was hard to hold and photograph at the same time) and really great value for Money when you consider we were at one of the biggest tourist locations in the world!
After lunch mum and Luke had decided they were happy to go for it so we joined the queue, dad decided to not join us it actually didn’t take that long – 20 – 30 mins and we were on the elevator going up up up
When we got there the queues were huge! As it was around lunch time we decided to eat first whilst they decided if we were going up or not (DH and I had done it before and whilst we wanted to do it again this was their day)
We bought hot dogs from one of the vendors under the Tower – it was just over €11 for a huge hot dog, some fries and a drink. It was too much really but yummy (sorry no pick – it was windy so it was hard to hold and photograph at the same time) and really great value for Money when you consider we were at one of the biggest tourist locations in the world!
After lunch mum and Luke had decided they were happy to go for it so we joined the queue, dad decided to not join us it actually didn’t take that long – 20 – 30 mins and we were on the elevator going up up up
Do you remember me saying it was windy? Obviously it was a LOT windier at the top so much so these 2 wimped out
Well that’s what they said but I happen to know they don’t like heights …
DH and I stuck it out and got our champagne at the top
Then suddenly we were enveloped in a black cloud with extremely heavy rain and it felt like hail – we made a hasty retreat but still got quite wet
And as soon as it came the rain went and we were left with clear blue skies so we headed out on the second floor –
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