Paris Invasion Day 4: Eiffel Tower, Napoleon, and our conquest over Gallerie Lafeyette (12/22/08)

Our last day in Paris was a whirlwind adventure (much like the rest of the trip). We got up and had breakfast, which consisted of cheese omelletes and croissants, at Cafe Daguerre down the street. The metro station was right outside, so we hopped on and went to the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower is impressive, probably more so than the Statue of Liberty. The day was cold and dreary, and we didn't really want to wait in line to go up into the tower, so we just spent time walking around the base, taking pictures. The line for the elevators were very long, but if you wanted to walk the stairs, it wouldn't have taken much time at all. Chris & I will do the stairs next time we go. One of the sides was not in order, so the lines were probably double what they would be if all the elevators and stairs were in working order. We also think that we could buy tickets ahead of time instead of waiting in line for tickets there. I want to go back at night and go up inside. I'm sure Mom will want to climb the stairs with us when she comes to visit in May (right Mom?). :)

Our next stop was Hôtel des Invalides, which I found out was not a hotel at all, but rather Napoleon's Tomb. We didn't have to wait in line to buy tickets, which was very nice. Chris was so excited about seeing Napoleon's tomb, and if he had had his way, we would have seen it on the first day. His tomb was very impressive. The Hôtel des Invalides also had an arms and armor exhibit, which Chris & I really enjoyed. The detailed suits of armor were incredible, and I didn't know they made small one's for children. We also went through the war exhibits. By the time we made it to the WWII part, I was done with the whole thing. Too much for one day really.

From there, we stopped off at a restaurant nearby for lunch. Then we took the metro up to Galleries Lafeyette for shopping. There was a mass of people out shopping and looking at the store windows. Reminded me of NYC this time of year. The inside of the women's department at GL was so beautiful and just grand for a department store. It felt more like a cathedral with it's domed ceiling and stained glass. I found a cardigan sweater there that I have been looking for, so I was happy. No one else bought anything there.

We came back to our neighborhood and stopped at La Creperie for a snack. We had savory and sweet crepes.

Eiffel Tower Pictures can be found here http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=3saykfvv.aiy2msa3&x=0&h=1&y=2csuv9&localeid=en_US

Hôtel des Invalides Pictures http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=3saykfvv.3ai3qs8b&x=0&h=1&y=-dsoxp&localeid=en_US