The Eiffel Tower

Dear Grace,

We ended our trip to Paris with a visit to the Eiffel Tower that evening and the following morning.  Even though it's an amazing attraction to see during the day for all of the sights, we believe that it's at its best at night.  You were in a very calm mood that evening and even fell asleep during most of the time we were there, BUT as you can see from the pictures below we had to wake you up for a family photo opp that we thought was worth it.  Hopefully you'll thank us in future years.

Love,

Daddy

Built in 1889, the Eiffel Tower has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.  

The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. Upon its completion, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. However, due to the addition, in 1957, of the antenna atop the Eiffel Tower, is now taller than the Chrysler Building. Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

What many people don't know is that for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, IL the organizers were going to have Dr. Eiffel construct another tower twice as tall......instead they used local engineers to build an original main attraction, which was constructed by Dr. Ferris.  Yep, he constructed the world's first Ferris Wheel, which is no longer there....just a smaller and up-to-date model at Navy Pier.  For some reason as a Chicagoland native, I feel like we got the short end of the stick!!!

These were pictures that we took during the evening....how beautiful.  The picture on the left was a great angle of the tower while the picture on the right captured the flickering light show that occurs every hour.

Our romantic view of the Eiffel Tower with the Vetors sitting next to us.  Grace, here is where we decided to wake you up for a great family picture.....it was your mom's idea.

Views from the top of the Eiffel Tower the following morning.  We arrived 45 minutes prior to the tower opening and were one of the first groups to go up.  The picture below captures a view of the Arc De Triomphe.

You would have never known it, but Andy Vetor is not fond of heights.  He made it all the way up to the highest point to say that he had been to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Well done, sir!  I had a great time seeing this famous Paris attraction with one of my closest friends and his wife.

The picture below is an absolute riot....all throughout the Eiffel Tower they have signs saying that it is illegal to sell knock-off souvenirs and that the ones sold at the top of the tower are authentic.  Meanwhile at the very base as soon as you get off of the elevator, this is the site you see.

Police just walk around and give stern looks to the peddlers until they scatter.....seriously???  I honestly think that I could go undercover for one day and arrest more than 100 of these guys.  No, I'm not exaggerating.

And that's not even it.....they walk in groups of 5-10 all around the base of the Eiffel Tower trying to sell their items.  Not sure if they took economics class with supply and demand, but this market is oversaturated.