
If you want to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you need reservations months in advance. You can walk the first two levels, though, for 5€
It was Sunday, a bit chilly and overcast in Paris. Not a bad day for a walkabout. Our neighborhood bakery was closed, so we had to settle for a breakfast baguette from a grocery store, with the usual butter and jam. We packed a few picnic items and were off, walking first along the Seine several miles to the Eiffel Tower.
Zigzagging through neighborhoods, we found Luxembourg Garden, 60 acres filled with virtually everything a park should have. It oozed relaxation and many parts of the park looked like an impressionist painting brought to life. Lots of people about, children playing in the huge playground, men playing bocce ball, teenagers being kids, and people of all ages sitting as time passed.
The garden was quintessentially French, a place where life seems unhurried.

Paris remains in a state of emergency since the terrorist attacks and heavily armed military and police officers are everywhere. Patrolling vehicles are visible from almost every corner.