25 Places to visit before you die: No. 10 The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognized sites in the world; this iconic steel built tower is at the heart of Paris, France one of the most romantic cities in the world. It is hard to imagine that the Eiffel Tower would not be on afterabc's list of 25 Places to visit before you die.

Arriving at the Eiffel Tower, it is impossible to believe that is was built as a temporary decorative centrepiece for a Universal Exhibition in 1889 and only survived demolition because at the time it was the tallest building in Europe and useful as a radio station. I am sure there was some bureaucrat or traditionalist that argued that this giant monstrosity spoilt his view, the type of guy today who talks about health and safety and thinks the rest of us have any interest at all. However, the great news is that sanity prevailed and the Tower remained sitting majestically and magnificently at the heart of one of the finest cities of the world.

A must have for the Eiffel Tower is "sensible shoes", but remember you are in Paris the home of fashion and elegance stilettos may not be the sensible thing but they are certainly the Paris thing. As you totter up the stairs you can remind yourself that at least you look good. An acceptable style accessory is a bottle of water, 'Evian" of course. You could take the option of queuing for the lifts to take you to the top of the tower, however, unless you are a little elderly or feeling a little fragile, resist the temptation.  The only way to really experience the Eiffel Tower is to climb the stairs, and with each metre climbed you will be witnessing the increasing panoramic view of Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann's Paris.

There are two restaurants located on the first and second levels of the Tower, it is tempting to be a tourist and take advantage of the undoubted fine food, however, don't. Not, I hasten to add, because of any insight into the culinary delights but that you shall be missing an opportunity to sit at one of the little road side cafes on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, known in France as La plus belle avenue du monde, ("The most beautiful avenue in the world"), and watch the immaculately dressed chic Parisians stroll by with their tiny pampered pooches.  Alternatively, go to one of the wonderful bakeries & cheese shops in Paris and buy some bread, brie and pastries and rush back to your hotel.  I bet you won't be able to resist nibbling at the warm bread in the street before you arrive at the hotel, I couldn't.

I am told that I should not share too much of my personal experiences but let me tell you of perhaps, no what am I talking about, undoubtedly, my most romantic morning. I had arranged to meet my new man at a little restaurant on the bank of the Seine. I thought him mad when he suggested the ungodly hour of 5.30am, (I shall not explain the intricacies of the decisions of what to wear to such an early rendezvous, but suffice to say I pulled off the look that I had not spent an hour in front of the mirror, (it was more like an hour and a half). The new man was sitting at the table outside the café. We sat for two hours with coffee and baguettes watching Paris emerge from the misty morning, the street cleaners and the office workers wondered by without a second look, as we fell in love. Simple I know but more romantic than any candle lit dinner.

Here are some facts:-

The Eiffel Tower has 2,500,000 rivets in it and has 1710 steps.

The Eiffel tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), a French engineer who specialized in metallic buildings. Completed in 1889 for the Paris world exhibition, it was built in two years by 132 workers and 50 engineers.

The Eiffel Tower shrinks 6 inches in winter.

The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world when it was completed in 1889.

Protecting the Eiffel Tower from rust requires the application of 50 tons of paint every seven years.

In 1925, a con artist sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap - twice!

Bon Voyage

January 9, 2010  |  Article Posted By: afterabc admin , London
Share This on :

Disclaimer:
Has your comment not appeared? Try waiting a moment and then refresh the page. If it still doesn't appear and you've checked your comment meets the terms of our comment policy then contact afterabc admin with the details of your comment so we can look into it. If you wish to complain about a comment please contact the editor directly.