It was a long day … I finally made it to the base of the Eiffel Tower just as sunset. Ken, my photography guru, told me to make sure I get to the Eiffel at about this time and boy, was I glad I took his advice. As I emerged from the subway station, my jaws literally dropped at the sight of the gold lighted tower.
The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world when it was built 120 year ago. Back then it had just surpassed the Egyptian Pyramids in height. The tower held the world tallest title until it was surpassed many, many years later by the Chrysler Building in New York.
There are three levels. The first two levels are climbable by stairs with about 300 steps between each level. To get to the top level, one has to take a lift.
As much as I wanted to climb the tower, I was in no shape to do so. I had just spent 5 hrs at the Louvre, walked all the way to the Champs-Elysees and then climbed Arc de Troimphe. No siree … I am going to leave that to another day. But I had a great time taking pictures … it’s so beautiful.
These are all HDR pictures — which is so perfect in a lighting condition like these. I think there are not many pictures of the Eiffel similar to these I took. Try googling Google Images (or following this link).
The Eiffel Tower is named after the designer, Gustave Eiffel, who is an engineer.
The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be a temporary structure. It was built in just two short years in 1887 in time for the World Fair in Paris to mark the Centennial of the French Revolution. At the time it was built, many people complained that it was ugly and demanded that it be torn down. Although it was meant to be taken down after 20 years, that never happened. I guess it’s because people begin to see how beautiful and iconic the tower is to the city.
At that time, I wished Suanne was here. I know she would be absolutely delighted to see Eiffel at night.
I pulled my imaginary “Been There, Done That” notebook and made little check marks against some entries. Eiffel Tower … done. 🙂
Sorry about not blogging about food again. I thought the past few places I blogged about deserve individual entries on their own. Tomorrow, I will have something on food.
Did you go to the top? Or would you rather wait until next time you go with Suanne?
WOW! Nice pictures.
I’ve never seen pictures of the tower at these angles.
Good job.
They’re amazing. You’re really working that HDR technique.
So beautiful! And us fans of Chow Times don’t just check in for the food posts, we check in for everything, including these travel pictures! Thanks for sharing. Also, you should call this series the, “BEN there, done that” series!
When I was at the tower, there seemed to be an overwhelming number of hookers and pick-pockets working the area. Beautiful though…
Much great quisine to be had in small, off the beaten path establishments.
Hi Windy: Yeah, I did go up the Eiffel and will be blogging the climb in the next few days.
Hi MacBros, Chubbypanda: Thanks!
Hi Passionate Eater: You know, I did not try a lot of French Cuisines in Paris. However, the upcoming Brussels series will be full of food related entries.
Hi Jarhead John: Really? I did not notice hookers at the Tower but did see the signs everywhere reminding people to be careful of pickpockets.