The Eiffel Tower

NOTE: We're now in our cottage in Mouzay outside of Loches in the Loire Valley and WE HAVE INTERNET ACCESS!! LOL

We enjoyed our time in Giverny so much, but of course I will pick up with where I left off previously with our time in Paris and tell you all about Giverny and Monet's Garden when we come to that point in the timeline of our visit.

And thank you to all who let me know they are reading. I wasn't trying to increase comments or get folks to register (hence the request to e-mail me if you did not want to comment on the site itself), or being grouchy (as some thought, though we all know I NEVER get grouchy) but just wanted to be sure the blog was being read by the intended audience. Thanks again for letting me know and thanks for reading.

After our walk along the Left Bank, we took an underground train to the icon of Paris, the Eiffel Tower. The tower, which was completed in 1889, is 1,063 feet in height, draws more than 6 million visitors to her each year and has seen more than 200 million visitors since her opening. There are three (3) observation levels on the Eiffel Tower; the first level is 189 feet high, the second level is 380 feet high and the third and highest observation level is 896 feet high.

I found it interesting to learn that the tower is constructed so efficiently that, counting only the structure itself (not the elevator cars, cables, pulleys, etc.) the total weight is 7,300 tons. What this means is that if you placed a cylinder around the tower from its base to its top, the air occupying that cylinder would weigh more than the tower structure itself. The tower structure is actually lighter than the air in the space it occupies. Good thing its foundation extends 53 feet into the ground. To maintain the integrity of the tower, it must be repainted every 5 years with 50 tons of paint by hand with brushes!

We arrived at the tower by way of a beautiful small park at its base. Below is a video of our approach and some shots from the base of the tower. You can see Cindy and her mom walking away from the camera about 5 seconds before the video ends.

Here's a picture I took from the ground at the base of the tower looking up.

While we were getting our bearings, I caught sight of these young men who were advertising that they would give free hugs, as they were being interviewed by a French TV camera crew. I passed on the free hug.

We finally got in line to get our tickets. Cindy and her mom were only going to go to the first level, so I was going to ascend to the third level by myself. You can see how far back we are from the ticket window in this picture.

As you can see from the picture below, "Disney Queues" are they rage all the world over. Only another 45 minutes from this point to when we finally got our tickets.

The wait is over...well almost. I take an elevator from the base to the second level, then have to transfer to a different elevator in order to get up to the third level. The video clip below makes it look fast, but it's actually about another 30 minutes total. However, as you can see, the wait is worth it as the view is spectacular! When I reached the top, the first thing I did was take out my cell phone and call my daughter (who has always wanted to visit Paris and the Eiffel Tower) to tell her I was calling her from the top of the Eiffel Tower. I wish we could have brought you with us, Princess.

If you look at the end of the video clip, you'll see the Arc de Triomphe, where I had been the day before taping the Eiffel Tower.

Here's a picture to prove I was at the top.

And even though Cindy and her mom did not accompany me to the top, this will show that I definitely was not alone.

And one of my favorite still shots from the top.

So ended a long day in Paris for us. Next post: Rodin