Day Two: Be the First in Line

If you can't be the first, get as close to it as you can. I'll tell you how:

Woke bright and early, ate the continental breakfast (cheese, meat, yogurt) in the hotel, and hailed a taxi (okay, we had the concierge hail us a taxi for cinq (five)). Travel tip: Remember: traveling with a party of five in France takes forward thinking, can't just hold an arm out for a ride and expect a five-person vehicle to show up.

Taxi drivers in France: Think New York, but ex-nay on the running yellow or yellowish lights. There is a cross walk about every half block, sometimes less, and if there is a yellow light or a person on a corner, expect the driver to come to an immediate halt (the fly forward in your seat type of stop). The two taxis we have had to take never tried to make it through a yellow light, ever. There is only two speeds: fast and halt. Not a smooth ride. A good taxi driver recognizes you are from America and then switches his radio station to an American Jazz station (not that we asked, but I guess for comfort?). Very nice!

First stop on our list: The Catacombs. If you don't mind being underground for a lengthy time, and only getting there from a winding staircase that has something like 74 steps, this is a must see!!! Honestly though, as you wind down the staircase you get a little dizzy and can't wait for the end. If you travel with your children, you'll be happy when they shout up, "We are at the bottom now!"

Catacombs Paris, France 2016

Travel tip: Buy your Catacomb tickets online before you travel to Paris. Here's why: if you do not, you will be in a line that wraps around the city block. It's one of those lines you wonder about because parts of it seem nowhere near the attraction. This is not a guided tour unless you upgrade to the audio tour (do the audio tour, it's worth it). It's literally just a walk through the tunnels and then up and out. However, we did encounter a German man at the Eiffel Tower who said in the past they stopped visitors on the way out of the Catacombs to check for stolen bones in bags. We did not have our bags checked at the exit, but at every entrance to every attraction we have gone through bag inspection.

Because we had no line, we were done relatively early in the day so we stopped for "un cafe" at Fourteen Cafe.

James, cappuccino, Florio Cafe (Fourteen Cafe)

In the cafe, I asked the bartender, "Qu sont les toilettes?" Much was said in return, very fast, and undecipherable except for the gesture to the stairs going down. Madeline and I crept, uneasily, down a circular staircase to a pitch black basement. The only thing we could make out four steps from the bottom were two white doors, one small and one tall and narrow. Neither could be the bathroom. Could they? The smell of mildew in the dank basement had us turning and climbing back up; we could hold it. A different bartender came after us as we were saying, "No, no, no." He said much in French and then walked fast down the stairs to the bottom where the light turned on from the left illuminating a nice bathroom. "Ah, merci!" Perhaps if I had understood the first bartender we would have known to walk into the darkness for the light.

I made travel journals for the kids. Inside they have to scratch off a task for each day, like a scavenger hunt. Today they had to obtain a metro ticket. Forcing us to take the metro to the Trocadero.

Metro, Paris

The metro: a lively place of people with and without direction. We met a lovely girl from New Jersey who was so happy to see Americans after spending a week already in France, alone, on holiday from college in New York. She warned us of a flu going around that she spent the first week suffering and is now on antibiotics. Her sister is flying out tomorrow to be with her. Brave girl! It would seem like she would have seen more Americans but we were not near the most touristy area at the time. We put coins in the cup of the accordion player on the metro and then stepped off at Trocadero.

Do this at least once: Get a crepe or a fromage panini from the Les Gourmandises Trocadero on the corner, and a love lock at the opposite corner and then up the steps to eat with the birds, the golden statue lined courtyard, and the Eiffel Tower looming in the distance. Pocket the lock until after you eat.

Trocadero, Paris

Eiffel from Trocadero, Paris

 Remember that "love lock" hold onto it, we're almost to that part.

Take your time getting to the Eiffel Tower from Trocadero. Walk down the steps, enjoy the multinational crowd. Stop by the playground (use the restroom - note: it is co-ed. What are American's afraid of again? You stand in line at the public toilette and an attendant directs you to an open stall with full length doors and walls. And then you wash hands together with the boys and girls, all one room).

Nolan on a spring horse at the park near Eiffel Tower

Make your way toward the carousels at the bottom. Buy a ticket, ride the carousel, attempt to get a perfect picture.

James & Fischer on the Carousel

And then pull that lock out of your pocket. Travel tip: there used to be a Love Lock bridge, but the locks were torn down in 2015 because the combined weight of the locks was destroying the bridge. However, there is a love lock chain near the carousel. Bring a sharpie, we brought a silver one, and write your initials and the date on your lock. Buy the lock with keys.

Madeline holding & photographing the love lock

Fischer hanging our love lock

Travel tip: Keep the key to your lock in your pocket as you proceed to the Eiffel Tower, taking in the sights of the Seine river boats.

Madeline the Seine and the Eiffel Tower

Cross the bridge. Travel tip: take the love lock key out of your pocket make a wish and toss it into the Seine. Do this only after looking both ways for police, who walk in packs of four up and down the bridge citing swindlers who try to get euros off of tourists by playing three-card Monty with cups.

There is no avoiding lines at the Eiffel Tower, however, there are shorter lines. Travel tip: You must buy the tickets to the Sommet online for the day and time you want to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower. Trust me. The Sommet sells out for the day. Only a certain amount of people will get to the very top each day.

Our tickets were for 3pm, so we headed over there at 2pm because of the length of the security line but it still took until sunset to get to the very top (some of it due to potty breaks). Our tickets got us into the shortest line and that was still over 30 minutes. They not only check your bags (held open as you approach the guards), they pat you down, have you lift up your scarf, feel your love handles and then send you onto another line. The first lift line takes time as well, and, yep, your bags and fat are checked again. Then you ride up to the second level (if you take the stairs, it only goes this far). They kick you off the lift, and send you either out to shop or to the Sommet lift, or, if you're The McGehee's Abroad, to take your middle child back down one level (by stairs) to the bathroom and then back into a 45 minute line for a lift that holds even fewer people, where your youngest child is in tears needing to pee and can't wait for the next lift. Don't worry! If your youngest can't figure out he has to use the toilette when the middle child goes, and you wait 45 minutes to get out of the line, the ticket lady will let you wait on the side while one parent walks back down to the first level for the toilette. Then, you get shoved into the lift by multinationals who just can't wait a moment longer to get to the Sommet. Travel tip: be prepared to get crushed up against the window. Always keep your children in front of you. Use strong arms to prevent your younger children from getting crushed by your body weight. Keep your back to the crowd, and remember the warning of pick pockets on the lifts, and keep your travel pouch/belt/or wallet in front of you and under your clothes. Maybe hold your backpack in front of you, unless you have nothing worth stealing in there.

Top of the Eiffel Tower: Walk around the entire top. Don't just look out, look in. Mr. Eiffel had an apartment up there and you can see a portion of the room with wax statues as they've recreated Eiffel and his daughter meeting with Edison.

Travel tip: Buy one glass of Champagne (we had the rose champagne), share it and enjoy. Just try to enjoy the moment even with the crowds and the kids.

Madeline took this picture of our Champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower over the Seine

You took the lift up, and most of the way down. Take the stairs the rest of the way down or you'll miss the ice skating rink and shops on a lower floor. Make your way to the ground, and proceed to the area with tents. During this time of year there is another ice skating course and many types of foods being made in various tents that will make up your dinner, or your evening snack (as Parisians seem to eat late at night).

Cheese and bacon potatoes

Travel Challenge: Can you find a meal in France without cheese? So far we've had cheese with every meal including breakfast.

On our way back to our hotel (The Grand Hotel Leveque on Rue Cler), buy some berries for the room. Frommer's even recommends walking down Rue Cler and buying from the markets. We are lucky enough to enjoy the fruit stands near our hotel.

Madeline's favorite berries (maybe lingon berries, mystery berries for sure, found on Rue Cler near Hotel Leveque, Paris)

It has taken me about three hours to post this due to poor Internet service. Each picture took upward of ten minutes to upload. At one point everyone was awake and loud, now everyone is sleeping and it's dark. Bon Soir! Good night!