Eiffel Tower

Walk and metro: Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, Pont Neuf

Lunch: le Wilson, near Trocadero, moderately priced, good salads, 21-euro lunch special

Dinner: pasta, vegetables, and fruit cooked in our apartment

Accommodation: Le Grand Casimir Apartment (Airbnb); host Raoni

Ken and I got up early, took the bike boxes out to the courtyard, and reassembled the bikes. Other than some rounding on a few teeth of Ken's sprocket, the bikes were fine, and they went together easily.

When Meghan and Konur got up, we started our big adventure in Paris by learning/relearning how to navigate the metro. We had tickets for the Eiffel Tower at 13:00. We took the metro to the Military School stop several blocks from the tower so that we could walk through the Champ de Mars park and get good views and photos as we approached the famous structure. As we walked through the park, we found a boulangerie with pain chocolate and fondant pastries--we couldn't pass that by without stopping.

The views from the top of the tower were amazing. Ken, Meghan, and I had all been there before, but it was exciting sharing the experience with Konur. The crowds were organized but dense. We were happy to finish the tour and get back outside.

We walked from the tower to the Trocadero, where we got a few good photos of the Eiffel Tower and had lunch. While eating, we decided to take a boat tour on the Seine River in the evening, and booked tickets online. After lunch, we hopped back on the metro and took it to Pont Neuf, near Notre Dame, where we bought cold drinks and boarded the ferry.

The boat tour of Paris was a perfect way to end this hot day. (In the late afternoon and evening, it got up to 100 degrees.) By taking it easy, taking the metro, and stopping for cold drinks frequently, we were able to get through all the activities feeling pretty good.

Meghan suggested walking up the Champ de Mars--a great way to approach the Eiffel Tower. Our views were marred a bit by all the fencing and barriers in place for the Bastille Day celebrations that would take place on July 14.