Paris: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, & Church hill city overlook

Well, the flip belt was a bust because on previous day's it would roll over itself and then it would be hard to find the slits where the cash and credit cards were hidden. It's definitely not something for regular access... Better used for long time storage and one time access. Back to the credit cards in my bra approach. 

All bundled up on the cold and windy day, we head out to see two main attractions and top recommended places of Paris. Such an American... With his reds and bengals hat together. We stand out in a crowd of Parisians. 

We prereserved our spot at the Eiffel at first open 9:30am. While waiting in line we experienced the first sight of pickpockets! It was a two person team. And they were scoping US out!! One guy was tall dark skin with dreads and a backpack- standing in front of us. The other was shorter Olive skin standing behind us. There were a couple clues that stood out to me that seemed strange so I became more aware. 

1. The guy in front didn't appear to be the type to visit the Eiffel on his own. 

2. The guy behind us came forward to talk to the man in front for a second then returned to his spot in line. 

3. The man behind me was getting wayyyy too close for comfort. 

Thankfully I was aware and moved quickly away from them. They both immediately scattered out of line and went separate ways. Hmmmm... Caught Ya!! 

The Eiffel was phenomenal for city sights far and wide, plus structural architecture at its finest. Of course we had to make it romantic with the kissing spot ;-) ! 

With our all day Metro ticket, we hop on the 6 and cross over to the purple line to get to our destination called "Cite" which lands on the island in the Seinne. And of course while on the train Mark is grabbing more video of the city.

Side thought- Cincinnati is really slacking by not having a subway system. Who's idea was it to approve the street car?! 

 

The Notre Dame was quite a site. It's difficult to understand all the nuances of what make it a special religious site. We decided to use the audio guide which helped fill in some of the blanks but there appeared to be much that would take greater time to fully comprehend. The massive size and gothic structure was truly impressive. The clean curves and design must have taken a large amount of time and consideration. That is impressive. 

(More pictures to come... These are just the ones with our phones. The handheld point &shoot has better quality) 

In the center of the chapel, we lit a candle for my cousin Tony who passed last year. Mark took a video which we share eventually. 

We opted not to go to the top. We have had so many good views of Paris, it seemed best to move on and see what else we could find.  We decided to try to figure out a place to eat. But before that we stopped at a souvenir shop and Mark purchased his first ever man scarf!! He was admiring all the other male Parisians that wear scarves and wanted to feel included. 

We settled on a small corner pizza shop across the Sienne river. It was fantastic. Great beer called Affligem for both of us and a Coccette pizza. With some French fries of course. We were given olive oil with spiced peppers inside and used that to dip the French fries. The waiter told us everyone in France stays skinny because they are so angry. Interesting. Now we are off to Belinger for ice cream. By the way, this is how they set the silverware.

At Belinger ice cream parlor (recommended by Mr. Magee), we had a suggested favorite per the services advice. (Picture to come) 

With all that beer we drank, we had to stop for the Twell-lette as it's pronounced. Did you know they have public bathrooms on the sidewalk that are high tech? They clean themselves! And some require $$$ to be used. 

The hill was fantasticly relaxing. Strange neighborhood we had to walk through to get there, but a great experience nonetheless. Came across this gem on an abandoned building. 

Sat on the church hill at the highest elevated point in Paris, overlooking the city as daylight became dusk and eventually night falls. The city lights are so peaceful to observe. 

Capped the night with a couple beers at a drugstore (not kidding, American inspired too), and a quick stop at the outdoor crepe shop for a pizza crepe! 

Oh, FYI 12 clothing articles cost €96 for hotel laundering. This is what €96 clean clothes look like... Next time we will hand wash in the sink. Mer...