Today the weather was 30 degrees and full sunshine. I went to a mini-supermarket a couple of doors away and picked up some milk and cheese, and then crossed the road to a boulangerie and tried out my best schoolboy French “Je voudrais une baguette et cinq pain au chocolat s’il vous plait”. Apart from having to retry my pronunciation of the number five (more emphasis needed on the “ck” sound at the end) I think I did alright and walked away with breakfast in no time.

The chocolate croissants were delicious, however I think there’s something just as appealing as eating really good fresh bread with quality strawberry jam (provided by our thoughtful host).

Breakfast over, we left for Bastille station (only 50 meters away) and tried to work out how to use the Metro. Though trains come just as regularly as the London Tube, the Metro doesn’t allow you to just tap on with a credit card like in London, and we had to pay for all the kids. You essentially buy a ticket that allows you access to wherever you want to go, provided you don’t leave the Metro. Once you’ve exited you need to use a return ticket to get you back. This works fine for simple “there and back” journeys, but not nearly so well if you’re hopping off and on all day. There are other tickets you can purchase for a whole day, however it's a bit more complicated.

We changed trains once, before arriving at Tour Eiffel station. Oscar’s face lit up as expected when he first caught sight of the “real Eiffel Tower”, and in only a couple of minutes we had joined the long queue to get through security.

Paris is a lot more security conscious since I was last here, and I’m guessing most of the change has come about in the last couple of years. We’ve seen a number of police and uniformed soldiers walking around carrying their Heckler and Koch G36 assault rifles, and we had to pass through two security checkpoints to gain access to the Tower. The first lengthy queue mentioned was a baggage check and explosives screen, which everyone goes through at the one point. Then there was an airport style x-ray scanner (for bags/ phones / cameras etc) at the foot of each leg of the tower.

Oscar, Zach and I climbed up to the first level, agreeing to meet Amelia (with the stroller) and Annie. However we made short work of the stairs, and the girls had to queue for the lifts, so we explored the first level and awesome views, whilst waiting for the others.

Le premier etage isn’t that high, however due to the lack of tall buildings nearby, and the flatness of the terrain, you get a good chance to see in detail everything around you. We spent around 20 minutes here before Mil messaged me saying that the lift didn’t stop at the first level and they were waiting for us on the second.

To avoid the continued lift queues, we took the stairs again to the second level, knocking off some 704 steps in total to get to the 115 meter viewing platform. The views here were even better, and because the day was so fine, we really could see for miles in all directions. It really is a magnificent building, with plenty to do and see on the first two levels. None us of felt a great urge to pay the extra and queue again for the crowded third level, so we just enjoyed some popcorn and water, taking in the sights and trying to get some decent photos.

Unfortunately there were more queues for the lifts down (seemed to be a theme today) and it was after midday before we were able to get clear of the tourist areas as we followed the banks of the Seine back towards the centre of the city.

Our rough plan was to try and have lunch some distance from La Tour, and therefore avoid tourist prices. However the further we went from the Eiffel Tower, the closer we moved to the expensive Champs Elysees area, so we were all a bit tired and hungry before we found a cheap spot to eat. We didn’t hang around long for lunch and quickly moved on to L’Arc De Triumph.

The building of the Arc was ordered by Napoleon at the height of Franco power, in honour of his mighty army. He didn’t get to enjoy it though, as it wasn’t completed until 1826, long after his abdication and subsequent death.

We went through more security and climbed another 284 steps up to the summit. At 50 meters in height, the Arc still offers great views over the flat terrain, and is an especially good place to look back at the Eiffel Tower. All the kids enjoyed it (Oscar less so after taking a tumble). I relented a bit in the gift shop and allowed them all a few euro to purchase Eiffel Tower figures, and then we all a made our way back down the steps. Unfortunately strollers weren’t allowed, so Amelia wasn’t able to enjoy the stairs workout to the summit, and we met her half an hour later and headed home.

We had dinner at a cheap pizzeria, and when we returned home, we opened up all the windows to let in a bit of a breeze. It’s such a different cosmopolitan lifestyle – all the windows open (no mosquitoes, flys or moths), the street noise comes in with the breeze, and we can see everyone in the apartments opposite kicking back, just as they can see us. All the roofes around us join up, and I almost imagine Jason Bourne clambering about in pursuit of an enemy asset. I’ve just come back now (11pm) after buying ice-creams for Mil and me – only about four doors down, and everything is still heaving like Brunswick St on a Saturday night.