Friday, August 21, 2009

42 Photos of the Eifell Tower

Keri and I arrived in Paris at about mid-day on Tuesday. After getting settled in at the hotel we headed out to see the city. After my first visit to Paris two years ago I had been looking to see some things that I missed last time. One of those happened to be the Statue of Liberty. France, who built the Statue of Liberty, has two of their original models on display around the city. We went to the Jardin Du Luxemborg to see the smaller of the two, which is located in this beautiful park with the old palace and was busy with both locals and tourists. After doing our patriotic duty we headed over to the Cathedrale Notre Dame. Notre Dame, the Gothic style cathedral, sits right on the edge of the Seine River and has some amazing stained glass windows visible from inside. We then decided to take the long walk from the cathedral to the Arc De Triomphe. Along the way we went past the Pont Neuf, the pyramid of the Louvre, and along the Champs Elysees until we arrived, exhausted at the Arc. Although long, the walk along the Camps Elysees is amazing. It really gives you a sense of the Paris architecture and atmosphere. All of the parks and cafes are filled with people enjoying the beautiful summer weather.

After a nice rest at the hotel it was time to head out for the night. We enjoyed dinner at an Irish pub along the river and went for the tourist heavy night cruise. The cruise took us along the Seine showing a very different side of the city from the water. The buildings along the way were all lit up and their lights reflected off of the water creating a magical atmosphere.


As the boat wound its way around the city we finally made it to the jewel of the city, the Eiffel Tower. Some 20,000 lights allow the tower to twinkle every hour and it is a sight to be seen.

By the time we arrived at the Eiffel Tower the next day it seemed as if everyone shared our desire to go to the top. Unfortunately, the top level was temporarily closed so we choose the smaller line which were the stairs. Some 700+ stairs later and we made our way to the second level. From here you get a unique view over the city as it sprawls out across the landscape. When we arrived back at the bottom we took our share of tourist photos before moving on. We walked by the larger Statue of Liberty which sits near the Grenelle Bridge and then by the famous Crazy Horse Paris. Our last stop of the day was at Sacre Coeur basilica on Montmartre. The church has a nice view over the city and a unique white domed exterior. The last night in Paris was spent at the Moulin Rouge. We went to see their show Feerie which was great, and unlike anything I had ever seen before. It contained all of the feathers, flair, and topless dancers you could imagine.

It was a long day of travel as we made our way back to LA. We caught the Eurostar train from Paris to London going under the English Channel! Due to the airlines mistake we missed our connection in Philadelphia but they put us up there for the night and we finally arrived home the next day. Overall the trip was absolutely fantastic. We saw so many different places and experienced many new cultures. I think we all checked some things off the life to-do list and probably added more to it.

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