First, the obvious

We got to Paris early on June 4th. Although we had just been on an airplane for eight hours, it was six in the morning when we landed. The only thing we could do was walk around town, as our hotel did not let us check in until 11.00. This was, of course, the best thing that could have happened, since we realized early on that taking any kind of guided bus tour was a waste of time when we could discover the city much better on foot! This set the precedent for the next week, including the evening of June 7th, when we finally reached the Eiffel Tower. Because it was a Sunday, we saw a spectacular light show as it got dark (more on that later). As Lucas and Norgard wrote in Europe Beyond Your Means, "If you choose to make this a destination where you get in touch with your tourist-self, don't worry; this is certainly one place in Paris where no one will judge you for ordering a funnel cake." Well, we didn't have that opportunity, but we did have a rum-soaked street-side crepe as we searched in vain for the Champ de Mars metro stop an hour later!