Summit Reached

Tonight, after spending the early part of the day climbing lots and lots and lots of stairs to get to the top of the Arc de Triomphe (where my Dad took lots of photos), exiting the metro at my favorite spot, eating quiche at a café that appeared to be a part of the Palais Royal, and napping (due to the cold my Dad so kindly gave me), we headed west to make the traditional visit to the Eiffel Tower. We waited a while, but were able to go all the way to the top, and had an incredible view of the Parisian skyline. While going down, we stopped to take photos at each level (which I will post on Flickr soon) and for hot chocolate and croissants and donuts in the snack bar. Pam bought her first official souvenir (a crystal Eiffel Tower--very pretty!), and then we walked back through the garden (fighting off the guys who were trying to sell us cheezy plastic blinking Eiffel Towers for any amount between 1 and 5 euros) and visited the Peace Monument at the opposite end.

On the way, Dr. B had another head injury in the metro. He's kind of known for these--there was an incident with a bike and a tree (no helmet), and another with a bike and a descending garage door (with helmet). Tonight, the conductor stopped suddenly and unexpectedly underground and he whomped his head on the wall of the car. The whole car said, "Ooo!" and many people asked if he was alright, in French and in English. He's fine, by the way--just a bit embarassed. If these get any more frequent, I may have to ask him to wear a helmet all the time!

Tomorrow Dad, Pam and I are headed to Versailles, while Dr. B heads back to work. I'm looking forward to visiting it again, and will take lots more pictures, I am sure.

But, before I go, here's one of the many photos taken in the last few days. So my question is, should it replace my profile shot? Let the voting begin...

Found out there is copyright on publishing and posting pics of the lighted Eiffel Tower. Yes, that means the french government or whomever would put my butt in jail. So sorry, I had to remove the photo. Guess we'll have to stick with the unlighted version.

Maybe I'll go back and redo it, with better hair and less of a sweaty face next time. Sorry if you missed it!