Today finally brings the moment I came to Paris for: to visit La Tour Eiffel.
We gathered under the south foot of the Eiffel Tower to meet our guide at 10:30 am for our ascent. We had heard stories about having to wait hours to get tickets to ascend the tower so we had pre-booked a 'skip the line' tour to avoid this. How happy we were that we could just breeze in to the tower when there were thousands of people lined up for hours in the hot sun!
The Eiffel Tower was erected in 1889 by designer and constructor Gustave Eiffel. At 325 meters tall (81 stories) it is is constructed entirely of Iron. It was the centre piece of the 1889 Worlds Fair and was built specifically for the occasion as the archway through which attendees to the fair would enter. It was originally only going to be erect for the fair and was to be pulled down after one year, however Gustave had different plans. He negotiated with the government to keep the tower erect for 20 years by promising to fund 80% of the build through his own funding means, with the agreement that once the government had reclaimed their 20% investment he could keep the tower erect to help to reclaim his part of the investment. His investment was repaid within 6 months of the Tower being opened for visitors, and for the rest of the 19 and a half years the Tower made Gustave a very rich man! As the tallest structure in Paris it remains the busiest place for tourists still, the tower has has over 250 million visitors.
The tower has three levels and we ascended via elevator straight to the second floor. The elevators are actually 4 cable cars that are piston driven, each located in the legs of the Tower. They rise at 45 degrees in the legs and then change to 90 degrees at the first floor to travel to the second floor of the tower. They are the original ones from 1889 which were tested by Gustave for safety by loading the car with lead to the maximum weight and cutting the cables. All cars landed without one window in the cars smashing...or at least that is the story they tell the tourists. We spent about 90 minutes on the second floor, with out guide pointing out all of the landmarks in Paris and sharing stories on the history of Paris. The views from the second floor are incredible...Paris as far as the eye can see!
For our final ascent to the top we caught a different, much smaller elevator. The experience of rising so high in a glass lift reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We arrived at the very top of the tower to the most breathtaking views that I have ever seen. There is a tiny Champagne bar at the top of the Tower so that you can sip Champagne whilst you enjoy the view. As they say "when in France". Rossco serenaded me with 'Happy Birthday' whilst I sipped champagne and enjoyed the view.
After we came down from the clouds we travelled by Tuc Tuc to Saint Germain where we continued to sip on Champagne and nibbled on a selection of local French cheese at a little bistro called the Napoleon Bonaparte. From our street-side table we watched the Parisians go about their Saturdays.
In the evening we went to Benoit. This restaurant dates back to 1912 and is one of the last remaining authentic Parisian Bistrots. Three Michelin star chef Alain Ducass bought the restaurant and has restored it to its former glory, it is a step back in time from the traditional menu to the ambience and service. A highlight were the snails served with herb and garlic butter. This was my first time eating snails. Thanks to 'Pretty Woman' I knew exactly what to do with the utensils provided and no 'slippery little sucker' went flying across the room. However I may have splashed some of the sauce across the table onto Rossco's shirt in my efforts to pick up the snails.
What a perfect day for my 40th birthday!
Tomorrow we leave Paris by Train for Amsterdam. We will be back in Paris in few weeks to pick up where we left off.