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Friday, March 15, 2013

Tuesday at the Eiffel Tower.


Really, is there a better way to start a day than with an amazing French version of Starbucks coupled with a freshly baked chocolate croissant that you picked up from the bakery?

The answer is no. There is not a better a way.




Cafe au lait in hand, we set off in search of Paris' most famous landmark. Not all that difficult to spot from various points in the city, but it did take a bit of planning as far as subway routes were concerned.




The line was slightly longer than we anticipated, like an hour longer. I suppose that is what you get for taking your time in the morning and sleeping in a bit. But that's what you get when you've enjoyed an extra glass of wine at dinner the night before. 

But this is vacation. And that's how vacations are supposed to be.

My verdict? Totally worth the wait.




Finally making it to the giant elevator, we began to slowly rise and I noticed my MIL's hand grasped firmly on my FIL's arm while her eyes were tightly shut. Turns out that she is not crazy about heights. Read: terrified. I had no idea. But, never one to miss out on a fabulous experience, she wasn't going to miss this adventure over some silly little fear, so she persevered. 

At the top, she did make it all the way around the perimeter of the deck, although she never let go of the wall.




Her son, on the other hand, has clearly not inherited her fear of heights. I, however, developed a slight fear of my husband's head becoming stuck in the fence at the top of a very high tower and needing to call in the paramedics with a can of butter to release him. 

Luckily, my fears were not realized and his head popped right back out.




I also had a small, miniature panic attack as he hung my favorite camera over the edge to catch a shot of the view looking down. 

But again, totally worth it.





The views, and I'm sure my MIL will agree, were completely worth the wall-gripping experience.




I'd also like to point out that a Tuesday at the Eiffel Tower is the perfect day to wear a purple hat bought specifically for Paris. It made me feel just a little bit fabulous.




If I had a bucket list for my life, I would be crossing this perfect adventure off it right now.

And I'll also be framing and hanging this photo :)




We spent the rest of our afternoon tripping around the Pont Neuf area right along the Seine River.




While we were down there we scouted out yet another way to see my beloved Eiffel Tower - a river cruise! Can you see the boat sitting just under the bridge? That is where we were going to spend our evening.




The Seine is home to many, many boats. As we discovered on our cruise, there are several floating restaurants, dinner theaters, a dance studio and lots of homes. How would you like to live on a house boat right in the middle of Paris?  

There are also several cruise companies. Cruises run all day, but an evening cruise offers a whole new perspective of the city lit up at night. We chose Bateaux les Vedettes and had a wonderful ride in their glass topped boat.




We cruised up and then down the Seine for an hour and coasted right next to the Eiffel Tower. It's lit up all night and glows with a lovely orange-ish hue. But every hour, on the hour, it's white lights twinkle! If you look closely in the above photo of the whole city, you can just barely see where the lights are twinkling on it. After I saw that, my trip to Paris was complete.





Our Tuesday adventure was the absolute epitome of what a trip to Paris should be.

Is it too soon to start planning the next trip?



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