Le Tour Eiffel and the Beautiful Seine

For the longest time, the Eiffel Tower (or Le Tour Eiffel to the French) was the world's tallest building (about 81 stories high), with that title initially usurped by our very own Empire State Building.  It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889.  Constructed as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair, it also served to crown the centennial anniversary of the French Revolution.  Initially, it was meant to be temporary. and was heavily criticized by France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design.  Since, of course, it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels including the 3-star Michelin Jules Verne. The top level's platform is 906 ft above the ground—the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the EU,  If one chooses to go on foot, the climb from the ground to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first level to the second, making the entire ascent a 600-step climb. Although there is a staircase to the top level, it is usually accessible only by elevator. The third level has a private apartment built for Gustave Eiffel's personal use. where he invited friends such as Thomas Edison. 

The Eiffel Tower was our first activity of the day as Jenny and Dave had sprung for tickets to the top. We arrived down there about noon with the girls after a fun metro ride there.  As it was lunchtime, we tried something different than the traditional cafe, and ate some terrific sausages and pommes frites (french fries) from a street vendor who didn't speak a lick of English.  Through multiple gestures we managed to secure ketchup, forks, and napkins, and the sausages were delicious.  Getting a straw for me (as necessary still for my waning Bell's Palsy) was the most difficult, not knowing the French word for straw.  Still, we succeeded.  On we marched through multiple street vendors hawking their wares and arrived at the base.  It is one of those unbelievably large structures that appear so close but took a few minutes to actually walk there.

As has been the case for more than a week, the weather was simply spectacular - sunny with blue skies and about 65 degrees - just perfect.   The lines were very reasonable and our initial elevator ride was to the Tower's second floor.  The view from there is pretty spectacular and we milled about for a few minutes taking in the sights.  Then, another queue and we were in line for the summit which, surprisingly, took more than a minute even though we were moving fast.  

And, there it was - glorious Paris from waaaaaaayyyyyyy up high.  Perhaps a bit surprisingly, the kids were unafraid of the height and enjoyed looking out to see the natural beauty.  We stayed for a few minutes and then began the descent, so we were onsite for about two hours total.

We had tickets for Part II, a river cruise on the Seine so we proceeded to the dock area.  Our tickets included a complimentary crepe although it was to be had at the Trocadero which was on the opposite side of the Seine and a bridge too far for my flagging energy (yes, still a hangover from my recent illness), and Cheryl was certainly up for a rest after her food poisoning recovery detailed earlier.  So, we sat and rested on a corner of the Eiffel Tower's base while Jenny, Dave, and the kids ventured over to the Trocadero for their free crepe.  They returned about an hour later while Cheryl and I luxuriated in the sunshine and watched the street entertainers doing their thing for money.

Our river cruise in 2009 was on a very small boat (holding maybe 200 people) that launched from the
base of Notre Dame.  We faced forward and a narrator told us what we were seeing as we passed by famous places.  On this one, it launched from the opposite end of the Seine at the base of the Eiffel Tower.  The boat must've held 1,000 persons or more with a row of outside seating and some very comfortable inside seating (which we chose because it was a bit cool with the river breeze).  Narration came via Bluetooth to an app obtained by a QR code pasted everywhere.  Progress.

Through 22 bridges we passed all the major sites and saw many, many tourists and Parisians hanging out on the banks of the Seine having picnics, wine, and enjoying themselves.  It is charming that people on the boat were exchanging waves and Rebel yells with people on the bank, just like we've seen elsewhere in big city river cruises (the one in St. Petersburg with Mary Lee and Ray comes to mind). The first half ended just past Ile de Cite and Notre Dame where the boat did a 180 degree turn and started back up the back half of Ile de Cite.

The girls were particularly well behaved and it was a quiet, peaceful journey.  My thoughts turned to my high school English teacher (and favorite and most influential of all teachers of all levels of my education), Rachel Martin, who loved France.  I could see her piercing blue eyes gazing at me with her subtle smile and saying "you've done well, Mr. Mace".  To be in the beautiful sunshine on one of the world's most beautiful rivers with my beautiful wife and loving family, certainly a few tears fell down my face and I was very happy.

We disembarked after the one hour cruise ended and, again, made our way through the myriad of vendors toward the street level at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.  Although both Cheryl and I had been restored after our earlier time in the sun and the relaxing boat ride, I indulged in an Uber van for the six of us and home we returned.  After a few minutes in the apartment, we ventured out for an Italian restaurant nearby as the kids wanted pizza and pasta.  And, damn, it was good!  There are literally a million restaurants and cafes around us with every food in the world to choose from - just part of the amazing nature of this beautiful city.

Tomorrow is Tuesday and plans are being drawn up for something that will entertain both the kids and the adults, and it looks like a return for Cheryl and I to Montemarte is the leading candidate.  There's a beautiful old carousel up there for the kids, and a myriad of souvenir shops to capture the fancy of the kids with trinkets to behold while satisfying the grandmother-buying-stuff-for-the-grandaughters-fix of my lovely wife.

Until tomorrow.  Bon soir!