Paris – Sacré-Coeur and Eiffel Tower

Friday morning I headed up to Sacré-Coeur. Nice day, good view of the city. Inside, the church was full of beautiful mosaics. I wish I could have taken some photos, but you weren’t allowed to take photos inside. Here is a shot from the outside, one from the ascent to the top dome, as well as the obligatory tacky tourist shot:

Wandering around the area near Sacré-Coeur, I ended up at “Chez Plumeau” for lunch. I had a cheese plate and a glass of red wine, and listened to a busker play classics on his double bass. Might be as close to heaven as I’ve ever been.

Eventually the busker stopped busking and the last drop of my wine was gone, so I tore myself away to go down to the Eiffel Tower. Given the amount of hype surrounding the tower, and the fact that a good number of Parisians consider it an eye-sore, I was less than giddy about seeing it. Once I got there, though, I was shocked by how big it actually is. It was definitely cooler than I expected. I didn’t bother going up, but I did get this shot from the ground:

I was amused by this office at the base of the tower: "Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel". It also gives an idea of the scale of the tower.