Late one morning we climbed out of the Trocadéro metro station and on to the esplanade across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The view was still every bit as impressive as I remember it from that exact spot a quarter century ago. Vivian and Evan seemed interested at first but then they got distracted by the cheap chrome plated plastic models that were going five for a euro.
Then they stopped for a carousel ride.
Finally we crossed the Seine and stood in front of the structure. I looked up at the gold painted names of French mathematicians and engineers and scientists and noticed Lagrange, Laplace, Navier, Ampere and Lavoisier among others. We stopped for a quick vertical family selfie and then bought tickets and started climbing. Vivian counted every one of the 670 steps to the second observation deck which is at a height of 115 m or about a 25-30 story building. Because she counts so slowly (and required frequent corrections), no one broke a sweat.
Once we were at the second level we had intended to take the elevators to the top. But something was lost in translation when I bought the tickets down below and we found that we needed to buy fresh tickets again. Closed ticket kiosks, long lines and the complete absence of anyone who knew what was going on convinced us to give up our upward expectations. We took the short way down in an elevator and walked over to a nearby brasserie for lunch.
Then they stopped for a carousel ride.
Finally we crossed the Seine and stood in front of the structure. I looked up at the gold painted names of French mathematicians and engineers and scientists and noticed Lagrange, Laplace, Navier, Ampere and Lavoisier among others. We stopped for a quick vertical family selfie and then bought tickets and started climbing. Vivian counted every one of the 670 steps to the second observation deck which is at a height of 115 m or about a 25-30 story building. Because she counts so slowly (and required frequent corrections), no one broke a sweat.
Once we were at the second level we had intended to take the elevators to the top. But something was lost in translation when I bought the tickets down below and we found that we needed to buy fresh tickets again. Closed ticket kiosks, long lines and the complete absence of anyone who knew what was going on convinced us to give up our upward expectations. We took the short way down in an elevator and walked over to a nearby brasserie for lunch.
Then the kids played in a small playground till Vivian needed to pee. Jo took her to a tangle of bushes in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and Vivian emerged minutes later looking relaxed and I didn't ask for details. By this time Evan was ready for a nap and we flagged down a taxi. The kids promptly fell asleep in a pile in the back seat. I couldn't communicate in English with the cabbie - but then I found out that he was Bangladeshi and we switched to Bengali and he gave me a tour of the sights on the way home.
And now for the Eiffel Tower cliff notes. The tower is the first 300 m (approximately 1000 foot) tall structure in the world. When it was built in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution (and as the entrance gate to the 1889 World's Fair) is was almost twice as tall as the previous record holder - the Washington Monument - which was finished just a couple of years before. The Washington Memorial in turn took over the title of the tallest building from the Cologne Cathedral which we saw three days later.
The Eiffel Tower held the record as the world's tallest structure till 1930 when it relinquished it to the Chrysler Building. The Eiffel Tower is made from 17,000 pieces of precisely machined cast iron and held together with two and a half million rivets. Eiffel and his project were hugely unpopular in his day . France's artists and literati called it an eyesore. Eiffel was given the rights to own the building for 20 years after which it would be taken down. Ease of demolition was an important design criteria.
Eiffel also designed the framework for the interior of the Statue of Liberty, another unpopular project of it's time. The exterior of Liberty was made in France and shipped in pieces to New York where it was assembled and dedicated less than three years before the completion of the Eiffel Tower.
And now for the Eiffel Tower cliff notes. The tower is the first 300 m (approximately 1000 foot) tall structure in the world. When it was built in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution (and as the entrance gate to the 1889 World's Fair) is was almost twice as tall as the previous record holder - the Washington Monument - which was finished just a couple of years before. The Washington Memorial in turn took over the title of the tallest building from the Cologne Cathedral which we saw three days later.
The Eiffel Tower held the record as the world's tallest structure till 1930 when it relinquished it to the Chrysler Building. The Eiffel Tower is made from 17,000 pieces of precisely machined cast iron and held together with two and a half million rivets. Eiffel and his project were hugely unpopular in his day . France's artists and literati called it an eyesore. Eiffel was given the rights to own the building for 20 years after which it would be taken down. Ease of demolition was an important design criteria.
Eiffel also designed the framework for the interior of the Statue of Liberty, another unpopular project of it's time. The exterior of Liberty was made in France and shipped in pieces to New York where it was assembled and dedicated less than three years before the completion of the Eiffel Tower.
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