Day 3 Part 2: En route to Tour Eiffel

The Notre Dame launch was closest, but we set up a route to the one at Hotel de Ville instead, just so we could walk a different path. We had a little trouble figuring out where to access the Seine, and by the time we realized we’d gone past this particular Batobus stop, it made more sense to keep walking to the next stop at the Louvre.

Another pleasant boat ride and we found ourselves back home at the Eiffel Tower.

We prebooked our tour tickets online that morning and the whole process was really easy. Shortly after arriving and going through security we found ourselves at the base of the stairs. As soon as Penelope stepped onto the very first stair, she squealed “I’m finally here! I’m standing on the Eiffel Tower! I can’t believe it.” And it made me so happy that we could give her this and that she will have this moment in her own personal memory bank as she grows older.

I loved that we were able to look out and see Sacre-Coeur up on the hill, and we’d just been there that very morning.

The kids didn’t want to climb to the second level - Lucas isn’t a fan of heights and I think Penelope was more enamored with the idea of BEING on the Eiffel Tower than she was the views. So we grabbed a snack while Brett hoofed it up another 380 steps or so. I feel like we may have won.

The above photo, as well as the one of Penelope looking out over the city, is one of my favorites from the trip. They’re actually such a juxtaposition of one another. Penelope’s feels a bit dreamy, while his is all reality. I mean, he’s sitting ON the Eiffel Tower in front of a photo op OF the Eiffel Tower. So meta. And what’s more, in the ten minutes we were sitting there, we probably saw 7-8 groups come up and take advantage of the photo op. Humans are weird and they fascinate me to no end.

Oh, look! It’s Bobo…

There’s a gift shop on this level of the Eiffel Tower, so we popped in it to find a tree ornament, some postcards and something for the kids. Penelope had been asking for a snow globe from the moment we passed a trinket shop the first day. And I’m so glad we waited to buy, because there was something about getting it here that made it even more special to her.

If you know us, you’ll look at this next photo and know exactly where we were headed upon reaching the ground.

The Manege de la Tour Eiffel…

From the carousel we made our way back to the hotel to regroup before dinner. We also needed to pack up for our early morning train to London.

Brett and I love dining. We love trying new places, and our kids are really great in restaurants. Some of our best family conversations (the silly and the serious) happen when we sit down around the table in a restaurant. And sometimes we spend the whole meal playing hangman and telephone. Irregardless, it’s always a good time.

We talked to A LOT of people when we were prepping for this trip. And the single piece of advice that we got from near everyone was not to try to pre-plan our dining. We were constantly hearing that the food is so good no matter where you are in the city, that it’s better to explore and when it’s time to eat there will be something great on the next corner. So that’s what we did. But by our third day we were kind of kicking ourselves for not finding at least a couple of restaurants ahead of time. It’s who we are. And it’s part of the anticipation of a trip for us. So we took to the interwebs to pick out a good dinner option for our final night in Paris. But because it was Sunday, every time we found a restaurant that appealed to us, it was closed. Lesson learned.

While I was packing and Brett was on the hunt for dinner, Penelope accidentally dropped her new snow globe and was beside herself with sadness when she realized it was cracked. Not the over the top tears kind, but the heartbreaking/trying to stop her chin from quivering while she assured us that it was okay kind.

Brett scrapped dinner planning and instead found himself purchasing a solo ticket to climb the Eiffel Tower for the second time that day. This felt like one of those things we could fix for her (and there will be so many times in her life when we won’t be able to so easily take away the heartbreak) with just a few extra euros and a little bit of our time. They had one time slot left for the evening so he took it. And we all headed back out to the Eiffel Tower.

After going through security at the base of the tower, we found an official gift shop, just like the one on the upper level. Turns out we didn’t need that extra ticket after all. ;) But Brett didn’t have to climb back up and our girl was thrilled. So it’s a win! Kicking myself because at no point did I take a picture of the snow globe that now sits proudly on her dresser.

By this point, it was nearing 8pm and we had an early morning. So we popped into the nearest open cafe for dinner. Cheers to steak frites, wine, escargot and a basketful of baguettes. It wasn’t the best meal, nor what we were looking for for our last night, but the view wasn’t too bad and the company couldn’t be beat.

As soon as we started walking back to our hotel the sky opened up and doused us with some seriously cold rain. Considering we were forecasted to see rain our entire trip, this wasn’t too bad.

We packed up and tucked in for the night. Ready to catch our train to London bright and early.

Shoebox Full of Memories: A Paris and London Trip Report - March 2023 (Day 3 Part 2 - The Eiffel Tower)