You Have to See It

Several years ago a friend was telling me about his visit to France.  He lamented how his wife had wanted to see the Eiffel Tower but he didn't have any desire to do so.  He gave in to his wife's wishes.  Much to his surprise he really enjoyed himself.  Until I saw it in person I felt like I didn't really want to see it either.  I have changed my mind.  I loved the Eiffel Tower and I can't wait to see it again.

E. and I continued our March 2010 Parisian tour by walking from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower.  In much of the same fashion as monuments in Washington, D.C., the distance was much greater than it looks.  In Washington, D.C., it seems like it would be an easy jaunt from the Capitol building to the Jefferson memorial.  Halfway there you are panting, wondering how much further, weighing your desire to see a statue of Thomas Jefferson to that of sitting down in a comfy chair.  E. and I were not deterred by the distance between the two Parisian tourist attractions.  Unlike D.C., it is not a straight shot from the Arc to the Tower.  We spent a considerable amount of time weaving our way through little avenues, comparing street signs to our map, and looking over buildings to see if we could view the Eiffel Tower coming closer. 

After wondering how much further we had to go, we stepped out of a grouping of buildings and E. pointed ahead.  There it was!  Just over a street, through a park, past some more buildings, through some more streets, across a bridge... really, we were almost there. 

I have always thought that the Eiffel Tower appeared delicate.  In pictures it seems as if there is a lot of space between the iron that creates the structure.  There is nothing delicate about it when you are looking at it in real life.  It is absolutely enormous, massive, and stable.  There is a lot of space between the iron bars, but they are so huge that it doesn't seem delicate any longer.

E. and I walked around the base of the Eiffel Tower for some time.  It was very windy and cold that day.  The monument seemed to conduct the wind with extremely strong gusts especially underneath the legs.  There were several times I wondered if I was going to be picked up by the wind and tossed around like a leaf. Since we had just been to the top of the Arc de Triomphe we didn't go up to the observation decks.  Wanting to wait until dark to see the Tower lit up, we escaped the cold by going to a nearby restaurant.  There I ate the first hamburger I had had since moving to Strasbourg.  I realize it wasn't a very French choice.  But after eating French food for nearly five months I enjoyed the burger immensely. 

I only have one regret about visiting the Eiffel Tower.  I wish I had purchased one of those cheesy, tiny, model monuments.  The kind that people put on their bookshelves for awhile, then pack into a box stored in the basement, and years later their relatives sell it at a yard sale.  Yeah, I wish I had bought one of those.  Hopefully I will have another rendezvous with la Tour Eiffel. I will make sure to get one then.