Day 17 Paris

Today was my full day of walking around Paris. I got up early and headed out for my first destination: Sacre Coeur. It was a long walk but I made it. It's a huge basilica on top of the hill so it has great views of the city. The dome was not open so I could only go into the main part.

Next up was the Moulin Rouge. I was talked out of attending the dinner show so I had to get an external photo at the least! 

Next was the Arc de Triomphe. It was a long walk but the streets were pretty. It was very busy! The spiral staircase to the top is brutal! The views were awesome though! I got my first proper view of the Eiffel Tower from here. It is much bigger than I imagined!

Next was the long walk along Champs Elysees and through Place du Concord to the Louvre. I didn't realise it is a big shopping street. This is where I'm spending NYE. 

I made it to the Louvre just after my admission time but still inside my window time. I literally went straight in after the security screening. I followed the signs for the Mona Lisa, along with everyone else. After being crushed in the crowd for about half hr I finally got to the front and got to see the famous painting. It is literally the ONLY reason I went to the Louvre. It was a horrible experience with the disorganisation & pushing people. 

Next was the Notre Dame cathedral.  I only pledged to view from the outside and lucky I did because the line was massive! The cathedral was massive too & as like everything else in Paris, very ornate & intricate.

Next was a chocolate shop. Not what I expected so I bought nothing and continued to a fromagerie. The website said they have truffle brie so I was keen to see it. They showed me and it looks like they cut a wheel of brie in half, layered on a truffle cream made wth fresh truffles & put the top back on, like a jam filled sponge cake. I bought their smallest piece (200g) and it cost €12! I got a box of salada type biscuits to eat it worth on thr way back. My hostel has no kitchen & outside food is banned so I had to sneak it back in and eat it all tonight since it won't keep overnight without a fridge. It was very good though! It did stink to high hell but tasted amazing! 

After returning to the hostel I rested for a few hours after my 18km walk. Then I got ready and went to the Eiffel Tower to see the evening light show. I took the train though as its 1.5hrs walk from my hostel. It was an amazing view from the Trocadero. The tower sparkles for 5mins every hour every night. It's quite pretty. 

After that I walked the streets to the Louvre. Took me 1.5hrs as I got sidetracked by other things to look at. The pyramids look very pretty lit up at night. Then I took a train back as I couldn't be bothered walking the 1hr back.