Our day trip out to Versailles got nixed due to yet another national strike (sigh) so we decided to avoid public transport and see where our feet could take us. Our hotel is super close to the Arc de Triomphe, so we began by strolling and shopping the Champs Elysees. We browsed but didn’t buy—Brayden had some gift cash to spend but quickly realized he could barely afford a bottle of water, so we pushed on.

Eventually we came to the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris. The 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk in the centre of the square marks the spot where the guillotine stood. Thousands of people, including Louis VXI and Marie Antoinette, lost their heads there.

By that point the other three wanted to turn around and head back, but I convinced them to keep walking through the Tuileries Garden until we came to the Louvre. We weren’t interested in going inside, which was good because it’s closed on Tuesdays (and it undoubtedly would’ve been closed due to the strike anyway). So we got some photos, had a quick lunch, and walked all the way back. The whole journey was only about 9 km, but it felt like more.

To London tomorrow!