Sometimes the best laid plans work out as you wish, and sometimes they surprise or underwhelm you. After the Louvre's beautiful artwork our next plan was to take the ReR and take in the Eiffel
tower during the day. We hoped it would be better and far less strange and
seedy than the night. Dad had found a
particular tour group called Paris Easy Pass Tours that would get us right to the tower without having to
wait in line. While I had my own
reservations, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and so we headed towards
Gustav’s famous landmark.
 |
| First view of Eiffel from the streets in daylight |
 |
| This is a major plaza and traffic area, the pillar in the center I think is a genuine Egyptian obelisk. |
The tour group was an
inspired idea, and I would highly recommend anyone going to the Eiffel to get
to the tour office first and wait there. DO NOT go anywhere near the tower
otherwise, it is absolutely bristling with pickpockets, scammers and hawkers. They are EVERYWHERE even with the
police presence (such as it was). The
whole place has a gaudy, raunchy carnival feel that absolutely ruins the
splendor of what is arguably Paris most famous landmark.
We remained very vigilant, because the pickpockets are all over the
tower as well, as the friendly announcements on loudspeakers will constantly
remind you. Enough about the bad though, let's talk about the tower itself.
The tour was very nice, and the young lady told us the
history of the tower, informing us of its construction. It was meant to be built only for six months,
and afterwards disassembled. Every part
had to be made in France and Gustav Eiffel had no problem with the iron and
steel. When it came to the elevators,
the slanted kind he proposed weren’t made in France, so he brought the creators
from America and paid for them to have expedited citizenship. So technically, the elevators are
French.
 |
| View of the Invalides Structure |
Eiffel was a genius of industry, but also a remarkable
salesman. He had 6 months to earn his
money back (since he paid for the entire thing) and he earned it in one
week. He hosted dignitaries from all
over in his apartment on the very top level, a fine occasion given the tower
was one of the hallmark attractions of the World’s Fair going on at the
time. A fun fact, it was also the
anniversary of the French Revolution, and the runner up design was for a 900
foot tall guillotine. (No Joke.)
 |
| Arc De Triumph |
We skipped most of the line and went up to the very top to
find marvelous views. The tower might
not be as beautiful in appearance during the day, but it has a unique
industrial beauty up close. As a student
of engineering and machinery I loved seeing the cables and gears move, and the
huge counterweights rise and fall. WE
had views from all directions, but its not for the feint of heart. I am terribly afraid of heights, and to be
frank I would have been just fine on the second or first level. The views are mostly the same, but on a clear
day like we had we could see for fourty miles.
 |
| Looking out over the city |
 |
| The Interior of the Tower |
There were long lines to get back down on the elevator, but
we walked down from the first level, passing more gears and cables in the
elevator shafts just beyond. It was kind
of interesting to be walking in what is essentially the bones of such a famous
structure. I kept trying to catch a
video of the cars going up and down, but they eluded me. At one point I had just
started down a stair and was halfway when the car passed just in time for me to
miss it.
 |
| There are so many of these gears and cogs working down there. |
There’s not much food on the tower, so we had a light snack
before exiting out, right into the waiting throngs of hawkers
right in front of the door. Thankfully
there was a group of more burly tourists in front of us that distracted most of
them, but it still left a bad taste in our mouth. I cannot stress enough how disappointing and
underwhelming this makes the whole experience.
It’s an issue that desperately needs to be addressed by the French
authorities. This is one of the greatest
landmarks of their city, and deserves to be treated with better care.
 |
| They have a proxy of an operator on the bottom of some of the cabs. |
The tour group that did the Eiffel does other things, so I
want to put a plug out for them because it seems like a great way to see
Paris. We ended the day entirely exhausted back at the hotel ...with one daunting question: where would we go to eat? The answer came in the most sublime and wonderful of places which I will cover next time! First, here are some more views!
 |
| River view with the Grand Palais |
 |
| Looking south |
 |
| Looking west |
 |
| Towards Downtown |
