Day #4 - TMB Trek

                                 Day - 4 TMB Trek

Sunday, August 6th

Last full day in Paris before heading to the Alps.   Today was more casual and relaxing than the previous 2.  We started the day back at the Eiffel Tower at 9am - this time to climb the stairs to the 2nd level and then take the elevator to the top.   I was fired up to do this - as I’ve never actually been to the top in my visits to Paris in the past.   674 steps went by pretty fast to the 2nd level - a little training for our upcoming hike.   We then took a 82 second elevator ride to the very top.   We had incredible, amazing views of the city - as we had our best weather morning so far.  Side note on the weather - it’s been in the 50’s-60’s - actually feeling pretty cool most of our visit.  I’ll take it - as the heat has been pretty brutal at times in the past

After our Eiffel Tower climb, we had breakfast and walked back to the Champs-Elysees. We then hiked through the Tuileries section back to the Louvre - effectively connecting our steps all the way from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre.  

By this time it was early afternoon.  We had completed pretty much everything we had targeted before hitting Paris.   We had a couple more areas to try - so we hit the Metro to the Catacombs.  The Catacombs are a series of mazes and tunnels 20 meters below ground - containing the remains of several million Parisians. This hadn’t been on my radar in the past - but was something suggested by my friends on the AT.  Unfortunately- when we arrived at our metro stop in the southern portion of the city - we learned they were sold out for the day.    No problem - this was a flyer.  

We hopped back on the Metro to hit the Museum d’Orsay.   This is another really popular art museum that we had as an option if time permitted.  Unfortunately- we were denied again - with the museum being sold out for the day.  

No worries- we pivoted to a Seine River cruise instead.   We got our tickets and grabbed a couple beers waiting in the adjacent park next to our cruise boat.  Seeing the city from the water brings new perspective- and a relaxing way to bring it all together.  

To end the day - we headed back to our hotel in Montmarte and went out for a traditional French dinner recommended by the hotel staff.   The dinner did not disappoint.  We had some onion soup for an appetizer, a steak dish for the main course, and a lemon tart for dessert. 

Called it a night about 10pm.   An awesome 3 days in Paris to get rid of our jet lag and get some miles under our belts.  Today we hiked 9.1 miles.  So 11.8, 13.2, and 9.1 miles in 3 days - not too bad!   

Here’s to a transition - the Mountains are calling!!!

View from Eiffel Tower

Views from Eiffel Tower

Trocadero view

River Seine

Views from Eiffel Tower

Early morning

Sacre Coeur

Arc de Triomphe 

River Seine

Great views

Peak view

Charles De Gaulle

Luxor obelisk

Tuileries 

Tuileries 

Louvre

Louvre

Catacombs

River cruise

River cruise

Day #3 - TMB Trek

                                 Day - #3 TMB Trek

Saturday, August 5th

A busy, great day in Paris!  Only got back to the hotel around midnight - so writing up the blog on Sunday morning. 

We got it started at 9am at the Louvre - where we had already purchased tickets on-line prior to our trip.  Waited in line 20 minutes to get in the doors.  Including a lunch break - we spent nearly 4 hours in the Louvre - one of the best art museums in the world (home to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc). I’m not a seasoned art-guy by any standards, but it’s definitely an impressive place  to spend a morning  

Next up - we walked over to Saint Chapelle - a royal chapel - within the medieval Palais de La Cité, the residents of the kings of France until the 14th century.   We then made our way to Notre Dame - medieval catholic cathedral that had a fire back in 2019.   The cathedral is still being renovated today - with expectations to reopen in December 2024.  It was amazing to see just how much the fire destroyed - and the immense efforts required to restore this historic cathedral. 

We next had some lunch while walking over to the Pantheon.  The Pantheon was initially intended to be built by King Louis XV as a church dedicated to Ste Genevieve - Paris’s patron Saint.  After the French Revolution, the new government transformed the Pantheon to a place to honor those who had passed away fighting for the new chapter of French history. 

We finally headed back to our hotel in Montmartre around 6pm.  We walked over to Moulin Rouge and then up to the Sacre Coeur - the famous Catholic Church that overlooks Paris from a steep hillside on the northern side of the city.  Spectacular views!  

Next we grabbed a couple slices of pizza and hit the metro again - back to the Eiffel Tower.  Here we watched the sparkling light display as the lights turned on for the night.  This is my favorite view and time of day to be at the Eiffel Tower - just incredible!  We concluded the night with a chocolate/banana crepe - while we walked back over to the Arc de Triomphe to see it lit up while towering at the start of the Champs-Elysees. 

After a 13.2 mile hiking effort - seeing some of the best sites in Paris (both in the day and at night) - we got back to the hotel around midnight.  Rewarding, satisfying, and tiring day in the City of Lights. 

Louvre

Mona Lisa

Halls at the Louvre

Venus de Milo

Sphinx

Napoleon’s apartment

Mammoth paintings

Louvre

Saint Chapelle

Saint Chapelle

Saint Chapelle

Saint Chapelle

Notre Dame

Notre Dame - renovations

Notre Dame - construction

Pantheon 

Pantheon 

Pantheon 

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge

Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur

View from Sacre Coeur

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe 

Champs- Ellysees 

Day #2 - TMB Trek

                                Day #2 - TMB Trek

Friday, August 4th

It’s 8:25pm on Friday, August 4th.  I’m tucked in my room at the B Montmarte Hotel in Paris.  I’m fading fast - so I’ll try to hit the highlights for today.   

We arrived into Paris on time (8am) from our overnight flight from the US.  I only got about 2 hours of sleep on the flight - so today was about powering through, staying awake to get back on schedule.  

We ended up walking 11.8 miles on the day.  Paris is incredibly spread out - and we hit a bunch of highlights.  We got to our hotel about 10:30-11am after getting through customs, getting our bags, exchanging some dollars for euros, and then navigating the train system into Paris.  We waited a little while on the patio of our hotel while having a drink - and they were able to get us into our room around 12noon.  

After getting the room setup - we headed out for a long walk from the Montmarte area of Paris to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Ellysees.  The Arc De Triomphe is one of the most famous monuments in Paris and honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. 12 separate avenues radiate from its location.  The Champs-Elysees is a famous avenue leading to the Arc De Triomphe - filled with cafes, theatres, and luxury shops - also the home for the finish of the Tour de France bicycle race.  

We encountered a rain storm about 2pm - just as we arrived at the Champs-Elysees.  We ducked under cover for about 30 minutes and waited it out.  We next walked over to the Eiffel Tower after a pretty amazing lunch.  We toured the Trocadero Gardens - the area around the Eiffel Tower - then worked our way over to Invalides - the army museum.   To conclude our day - we walked back over the Seine River - then grabbed a chocolate crepe to end a great first day in Paris.

Back at the hotel - we did a recap over a couple beers - and called it a night.  Here’s to powering through jet lag.  Let’s get it going!!

Arc De Triomphe 

Eiffel Tower - from Arc de Triomphe 

Directly below Arc De Triomphe 

Honoring the fallen soldiers

Champs-Elysees 

Walking to Eiffel Tower

Strong

Windy day

From Trocadero Gardens

Invalides

Invalides - Army Museum

Day #1 - TMB Trek

 Day #1 - TMB Trek

Thursday, Aug 3rd

It’s 12:24 am EST (on Friday, Aug 4th).   I’m currently 6-1/2 hrs into an 8 hour flight from Raleigh/Durham, NC to Paris, France - aboard Delta Flight 0286.   I’m seated on the aisle - in the middle, 3-seat section of the plane.   The seat is empty to my left-side.  I just ate a breakfast sandwich- now I thought I’d write for a bit.

My last international trip was 1-1/2 years ago when I trekked to Everest BaseCamp.   I’m back - to take on a similar style trek - but only very, very different.   For the next couple weeks - I’ll be trekking the 100-mile loop that makes up the Tour of Mont Blanc through the countries of France, Italy, and Switzerland. 

Mont Blanc - the Monarch of the Alps - stands at 15,771 ft.   The summit stands a good 12,000 ft above Chamonix, France - very near the start point of our Trek.  The Tour of Mont Blanc - or TMB for short - is the most popular trek in Europe. Beyond this, the TMB’s reputation as one of the great walks of the world has long been established. Longer, in fact, than any other alpine route.  The first pedestrian tour around Mont Blanc took place in 1767. 

My buddies Greg and Korby are joining me for this journey.  We’ll trek the 100 mile loop around the base of the mountain in 10 days - staying at lodges, chalets, and refugios along the way.   We setup the trip through a tour company called Macs Adventures.  They helped setup lodging and will be transporting our duffel bags each evening.  We will be self guided however - with a big assist going to a trekking app - very similar to the app I used while hiking the Appalachian Trail.   The app is fully functional off-line in airplane mode - so no worries to maintain a cell signal.  We’ll be carrying only a 10-15 pound day pack with water, food and other essentials each day. 

This trek has a 35,000 ft vertical gain - with 10-11 mountain passes.  A strenuous effort - but no climbing experience necessary.  One significant difference in this trek versus Everest BaseCamp - TMB has a max height of 8,743 ft - and hovers in the 6,000 - 8,000’ range for most of the trail. The temperatures in the Alps at these elevations are typically between 40-70 degrees.  I’m pumped and excited to see some absolutely amazing scenery - and be physically challenged along the way.  

Well - I’m down to my last 30 minutes on this flight - so I’m going to close for now.  Before the TMB trek - we’re taking a first stop in Paris.  We’re doing a weekend stopover in Paris to see the highlights.  Paris is a favorite city of mine - visited many times back in my gap year in 2010 - and a couple time since then.  My buddies have never been - so I’ll see what kind of a tour guide I can be.  

Here’s to challenging yourself - here’s to new experiences - here’s to getting out of the comfort zone and trying something that scares you a little bit.   Come along with me for the next couple weeks.  Let’s make it happen!!!

                                          TMB overview