Paris in general:

We did a lot of walking while we were in Paris. We could have just as easily taking a bus, subway, or joined a tour group. We felt that if you are going to see a city, you might as well walk it and see all its aspects. This approach allowed us to visit a few tourist traps we might have over looked from a bus window.

Not only did we walk a lot, but we also ascended around 1,000 stairs. When we visited the various monuments and structures, the only one that offered elevator service to all was the Eiffel Tower. The Arch of triumph and the Louvre had elevators for the disabled only, while Notre Dame did not have the space for an elevator. All of the stairs we climbed were constructed in and continues circling ascension, which created a high sense of vertigo.

All the buildings we entered had an amazing architecture inside and out.  Our favorite part of many of them were the ceilings. Every ceiling we saw was as ornately detailed as the walls. The passages and stair wells were from a different time. They were very narrow with only recently installed railings and safety measures. This was mostly evident at Notre Dame, where to cross the bridge between towers, only the ten year old did not have to round the corners by walking side ways.

The people were not the rude pencil thin creatures personified in art and print. They were very polite and helpful, especially in restaurants when we were a little lost. The one stereotype that seemed to be true was the amount of people carrying flutes (long thin loaves) of bread home for lunch and dinner. There were also many people sitting in out door cafes enjoying coffee and pastries at every corner.