An Image and A View: Day 1 Arc de Triomphe, Champ de Elysee

We left on a Tuesday for our 10.5 hour Air France flight to Paris. I think it was that long.

Comfy

and decent food

with a macaron.

The plane was equipped with cameras, whose view you can take in on the screen-fun feature

BTW, I watched the movie, Wild, not bad- then slept for 6 hours.

We arrived to Paris on Wednesday, we took a shuttle to the hotel,
and OMG the driver got into a screaming match with a moped driver who couldn't get his moped to start up nor get out of the lane. Road rage at its finest. :(

After checking in, we were headed to the Arc de Triomphe.

So we walked, and walked, and walked...

The beautiful architecture along Blvd. Haussmann
(and most of the Paris city center)

FYI

Haussmann's renovation of Paris was a vast public works program commissioned by Emperor Napoléon III and directed by the prefect of the Seine, Georges-Eugène Haussmann between 1853 and 1870.
so basically they tore down a lot of the older medieval buildings (kicked some people out) and built these magnificent city buildings with improved sanitation systems. The uniformity of such grand architecture in Paris is really something to experience.
As you can image not all were happy with how this was being done, and eventually Haussmann was relieved of his position.

Nico, look what we saw!

Public Toilets

We made it to the Arc de Triomphe!

We walked up what seemed like 1000 tiny, spiraling stairs. The view was amazing!

Our first view of the Eiffel!

Ave Champ de Elysee is the one to the right

Then off to stroll along the Avenue des Champs Elysees.
Note the shops along the way.

I thought I'd go shopping, but Jesse preferred to keep walking ;)

We then continue on our way to the Louvre, passing the Place de la Concorde where Marie Antoinette was among many that would be killed here by guillotine.