Day 22 - We have a lot on our schedule today. In Europe, it is important to book some things well ahead of time or you risk either not being able to visit those places or being stuck in long queues. I also believe that often on vacation, your time is worth more than money. Today is forecast to be quite hot. Because of this, we are using Uber to get from place to place quickly and using the Uber rides as a way to see some sights as we drive around. Also, local taxis only take cash and often don't have change. Uber is done completely by credit card on my phone, so it is much more convenient. Our first stop today is Sainte Chapelle and its beautiful stained glass windows. Another interesting thing about sight seeing in Paris is that many sites are totally free for children under 18. We did use the London Pass in London, and there is a similar pass for Paris, but I found it wasn't the best deal. It did include a Metro pass with it, but it was basically the Paris Museum Pass, which is a great deal. You can purchase the Museum Pass at any site which is included on the pass. Sainte Chapelle was our first site, so I purchased my pass here and did not purchase one for Austin because he would be free at all sites and could skip the line with me. I will note the places where we use the pass.
Next we walked to Notre Dame to see how close we could get to look at the damage from the fires. I was surprised by how close we could get and that it didn't seem as bad as I thought it would be. There was a lot of work occurring and many supports had been put in place to prevent more damage.
We then caught an Uber back to the Eiffel Tower because we had lunch scheduled in the Tower for noon. We were to be there 30 minutes before to go through security and to make up up the elevator. I was glad we were there early because it was quite crowded. While there, they announced that no more tickets would be sold for the tower that day due to overcrowding, which is a big problem at many Paris sites in the summer. Fortunately we had booked this well in advance and we had no issues. Our lunch was in a restaurant called 58 Tour Eiffel (because it is 58 meters high at the restaurant level). This is the first viewing platform level of the tower. The menu was designed by a Michelin star chef and was very good. Austin said his salad was the best one he has ever had. After lunch, we climbed the stairs to the second platform level and then did some more sightseeing around the base of the tower.
Though it was close, we Ubered to Les Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb (Museum Pass). We wandered around the large complex for a long time before we figured out where Napoleon actually was. Also, it was sort of funny to just keep asking people, "Where is Napoleon?" Once we found his tomb, we were pretty happy because it wasn't crowded and it was very cool in there. We spent a good bit of time with Napoleon.
Our next stop was the Paris Catacombs, another site that it is best to book ahead. We had 5pm tickets and we got there about 4:30. It was about 5:30 before we got in. They only allow 200 people in the catacombs at a time. There was a very, very long line of people hoping to get in, but the line wasn't moving at all. Some said they had been there 5 and 6 hours and were just hoping to get in. I wasn't sure what to expect from the catacombs, but it was huge! There are more than 6 million Parisians buried in the catacombs and you can walk and wander through the bones. I think I was expecting to see each human still together, but the bones were separated and stacked. It was very odd to walk corridor after corridor and just see more bones. Also because they limit the number visitors at one time, it is eerily quiet and you often find yourself alone in a passageway. I highly recommend a visit.
Next, we tried to visit the Louvre which is open late on Wednesday nights, but they had reached capacity and would not let anyone else in. This was disappointing, but we can try again tomorrow. Instead we headed to Sacre Coeur to catch the views of Paris. It also had another dome that Austin could climb. Sacre Coeur is a beautiful white basilica on the highest hill in Paris.
On this very hot day, we left Sacre Coeur and went back to our air conditioned room for a bit of rest. We then took advantage of the great cafes on Rue Cler and had a delicious duck (yes duck!) dinner. Tomorrow is predicted to be even hotter, but we have lots to do!
Once at JFK, we were off the plane quickly and through customs in no time. We had to claim our bags and then find a way to get to LaGuardia. This proved easy as there was a lady standing at the door yelling "Laguardia". For only $17 each, we were on our way. It was about an hour due to crazy traffic and I'm pretty sure we did not see the best parts of New York. Still, we got there, got our bags checked, and were sitting in the Admiral's Club with about 5 hours to kill to our flight. Or so we thought.
We were supposed to start boarding at 7:15pm. We were getting delayed over and over. It turns out there is a maximum temperature the plane can be inside to let passengers board. They could not get the temp down. By 9:30, they delayed our flight until the next morning because the flight crew was over on time. This started the line for accommodations. We stood in line for 2.5 hours to find out they were sending us to a hotel at JFK. So down to a shuttle to head back to JFK. Fortunately less traffic at this hour. We got to the hotel at 1:15am and I was ready for some sleep.
The alarm went off at 5am for us to head back to LaGuardia. Fortunately no delays this morning. We boarded at 8:10am and Austin was the first person on the plane. We had first class on the way home and it was amazing. Once in Dallas, we were off the plane and had our luggage quickly. It was wonderful to be home! Truly a trip we will never forget.
