A little more of Paris Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse Tour

Have I mentioned it was hot in Paris? Have I mentioned, since we're friends, that I sweated in places I didn't know could sweat? I didn't know my knuckles could sweat, yet they did. Aside from the heat, which was a dry heat, so, you know, hot, but not humid, I really enjoyed my time in Paris, but I did feel rushed, my three days weren't enough. I did not consume nearly enough delicious croissants or other pastries, or crepes...oh, I could go on. My one set thing I really had to do, stop me if I told you already, but I wanted to climb to the top of Notre Dame; in fact, I trained for it. I booked a tour of Ile de Cite and Notre Dame so I could ensure getting the chance without spending hours in line. It was totally worth it; the guide for the tour was excellent, actually an Englishman, with a great background in medieval French history and iconography, and full of fabulous information about France through the centuries. We went into Notre Dame, which is magnificent, and learned about the different stained glass windows, the different symbolism, and how the Cathedral withstood the many revolutions in France. Then the climb...It's actually broken into sections, so you don't climb the 400+ steps all in one go; you go up 20 then stop, then 100+ to the gift shop and the level where they hold the groups, then another 200 or some (all numbers are totally made up because I am crap at math); you can look at the chimeras (the gargoyles are below and function as rain spouts). The steps are quite twisty. You can also check out two of the bells in the tower. I didn't see Notre Dame on my first trip, but I am glad I did it this time, and with a guide.

I spent the day walking, riding the Batobus which is a river shuttle, hop on hop off type of thing, a nice way to get to different parts of the city and see it from the Seine (this particular boat is not a narrated tour, but that was fine with me), although it was hot (did I mention that?) and it seemed worse when you got a boat that was more enclosed than open. I took it to the Eiffel Tower stop, mainly to walk around because I didn't feel the need for another tall building, and I had been up to the top before. But I do love that area, there is a lovely park; you used to be able to walk around under the tower, but things are blocked off now, so thank you global terrorism.

I took the Metro back to the hotel, well Metro then bus, and it was pretty easy. I had a little confusion about how to buy my ticket, but once I figured out the machine, it was all right. The Metro stations reminded me of the London Underground, and the maps were graphically similar, and if you know where you are going, then it's not too hard to figure out how to get there (keep in mind, this is coming from me, who has made getting lost an art form). But, I didn't find this intimidating at all.

The other ticket I booked was a skip the line at Montparnesse Tour, the third highest building in the Paris region, and again, I'm glad I did. There was no tour guide or anything, it just allows you to skip the queue. I really wanted to do that at night to see the sunset, but I was either at the Phil Collins' concerts or asleep by 9:00, so then I just determined to go and enjoy the view, and save the sunset for another time. The building itself is not particularly special, in my opinion, no spire or fancy architecture, but it is 200 meters above the city, and it feels like you can see forever. There is another level, 70 steps I was told, no elevator, but it takes you to the roof for more views. I met a lovely group of elderly ladies from Ireland, and I offered to take some photographs for them (which is so unlike me). They all had their mobile phones, so I took about three sets of photos. They were happy and I went on my to get lost in another part of Paris. That is what I like about traveling (and traveling by myself specifically) is these chance encounters that can happen; I feel more open to them. I had a wonderful encounter with two people from my hotel who went to the same Phil Collins concert I did, we rode the bus together, and wound up taking Uber back to the hotel, chatting about American English, and traveling in the US, and all kinds of things.