We started out the day going to the Eiffel Tower. That sucker is tall!
The base sits on stone pedestals about 30 feet square and are spaced 100 feet apart.
They have a double-decker elevator that goes up to the second level, at an angle, then you have to switch to another elevator to go straight up to the top.
There are people climbing the stairs. These people are crazy and need to be locked up for their own safety.
Oddly, the Sacré Cœur can be seen from even the second level, day or night, but the Eiffel Tower isn’t visible from the church. Even the top of the tower is still way below the elevation of the church and is lost in among the buildings.
We headed over to the Arc de Triomphe. When I asked the ticket guy if there was an elevator, he responded with a yes, but that there were still stairs after that to get to the roof. He lied. We had to climb a LOOOONG spiral staircase up to the inner room, then climb more stairs to get up on top.
We then walked down the Champs-Élysées to the river and crossed over to Notre Dame Cathedral. It was free and the line wasn’t long. It is really just a quick loop around the outer edges of the floor, leaving the center for prayers and other church duties.
It was rather dark inside and dirty. Not garbage on the floor, but a dinginess from centuries of dust and candle soot. All of the old buildings are the same way, they can’t be cleaned without doing damage, but this was a bit worse.
Also, while we could see the actual Notre-dame statue (the “Our Lady”), you could only see it from the back. Even the people praying would have been to far back to see it well.
Later that night, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower, to see it lit up and to go up. Did I mention it is TALL?