We spent most of the day hanging around the Eiffel Tower neighbourhood, which is an obvious security hotspot. We were a few blocks away on Rue Le Cler (a foodie street) and entrance to the street required opening our bags and purses for police security posted on the corner. The place had a weird, on-alert vibe and we couldn’t really get comfortable.

My niece, Gabriella learned about a building that she wanted to see, so that got us wandering around and finding these beautiful facades which for me was the best part of the day!

As for going up the Eiffel Tower. Bleh. On the ground it felt like a run down amusement park. The views were ok, but I think Paris is 100 percent more interesting and beautiful at street level.

One of the few remaining medieval buildings in the Marais Neighbourhood

Amazing ironwork on a secret street

Architecture around the Eiffel Tower

This is as close as I ever need to get again