header

header

Hello! Welcome to Pichets in Paris Publishing. Here you will find travel stories and photos, the occasional Book Review and fictional piece based in Paris or France. ALL IMAGES ARE BY L'AUSSIE IMAGES (owned by Denise Covey). Contact me for permission to copy my images.

Friday, August 13, 2010

The Eiffel Tower - can never get enough of those twinkling lights

I love the Eiffel Tower. Not everyone does, not even every French person. I can't understand anyone not being mesmerised by its sheer presence, its domination of the Paris skyline day or night. It has so many personalities - every photo you take can be different, depending on the sky, the clouds, the light.

I love the history of the Eiffel Tower engineered by Gustave Eiffel, how it was supposed to be a temporary edifice erected for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 (Paris Expo.) Its dimensions are stupendous. At 300 meters (320.75 m including antenna), and 7,000 tons, it was the world's tallest building until 1930. The tower was almost torn down in 1909 after the Expo was over, but there was a decision made amongst great controversy (we are talking French people!) to keep the tower, despite quite a large groundswell of negativity. The fact that Gustave Eiffel began to fit the peak of the tower as an observation station to measure the speed of wind, along with encouraging other scientific experiments, helped le Tour Eiffel's case for standing tall. Read more...

I, for  one, am glad the tower stands today. Judging by the number of tourists jostling in the queues to ascend the tower, I'm not the only one. On my first trip I stood in the light rain for hours, hoping to get up to see the sunset. It was more like sunrise! But I'll never forget laughing along with the crowd and munching on chocolate crepes and drinking filthy coffee while I waited for my turn to go up. I'll also never forget my first sight of Paris by night, with all the landmarks clear and bright - Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, the streets, even the 'lipstick,' the Monparnasse tower.

Eiffel Tower, you rock!



18 comments:

  1. I love your blog about Paris....Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog,,, and the sweet comment,,, I will be back you pay you a visit again soon,,,,, have a great week.

    Hugs

    Alaura

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alaura, thank you. I love your blog. Visit soon..:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love your blog! Thanks for visiting my blog too! Love the picture of you and the Eiffel Tower!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can see that you love Paris, France and the French. You have a lovely blog! I've just completed my next book and must now write the synopsis, so I have little time currently to read blogs, but I will certainly look in here. I am also adding a link to your blog from mine.

    On your next visit to Paris,Denise, be sure to look me up. Maybe I could show a something of 'my' Paris,but as I can see that you know France well, maybe you've seen it all.

    I no longer look on myself as a visitor or even a foreigner here in France. This is my home and has been for some time already now. Therefore, I am swearing as loud as any other Parisian at the general strike scheduled for September 7 when there will again be few (even no) buses metro or trains!

    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Denise! Thank you for stopping by my blog. I'd have returned the visit sooner but something was wrong with the link you gave so it led to nowhere.

    Love the blog and the title. I enjoyed a "pichet" of rose in Bordeaux (it went surprisingly well with my toasted Camembert). Was the first time I'd noticed the word and I thought it was cute. :)

    I discovered Normandy (Bayeux and other little towns) on this trip and can truly recommend it. I also greatly enjoyed Bordeaux/St. Emilion and did lots of wine sampling and a tour that really taught me a lot I hadn't known.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Marilyn: Thank you so much for coming by and for your warm comments and for following my blog. No doubt I'll have other conversations with you. I'd love to live in Paris, but visiting is the next best thing. Seen it all? It would take a lifetime!!

    LR: I'm sorry the link didn't work, anyhow the good thing is that you found me. Thanks! Wow, 'pichet' is one of my favourite French words. I wish I was sharing a 'pichet' of rose right now! Haven't been to Bordeaux (got close). Got as far as Monet's Garden in Giverny, which is just in Normandy. My next trip is to see more of Western France - Normandy, Brittany, Bordeaux, Dordonge etc. Can't wait!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Drop me an email before you go to Normandy or Bordeaux, I can give some great suggestions. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the Eiffel Tower too, but I’ve never been up it.
    Thanks for an interesting post and some great pictures.

    All the best, Boonie

    ReplyDelete
  9. I hope you get up there one day soon Boonie!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a beautiful Eiffel Tower photo! Sadly, I didn't get to see it in the evening as we only spent the day in Paris and took the train back to London! But I am looking forward to a longer stay in Paris next trip! Thanks for stopping by and saying hello!! You have a lovely blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Big thanks for visting my blog and your comment :-) Interesting to know how you found my blog.

    Pleased you like my pictures too. I love Paris , I am very fortunate to have lovely blogger friends , who I have met. Lucky to be able to stay with a few of them , and meet up with the others , to have these great days out. I have also just met another blogger lady down in the south of France .. so lots more posts to come !

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sorry meant to say , always great to fnd and read blogs about Paris .. and I love the Eiffel tower. The other week when I was there , I was walking up to Trocodero .. turned my head and there SHE was. ..Do you think the Eiffel tower is a Male or Female .. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cathi: Thanks for your kind comments. I'm crazy over the Eiffel Tower as you may have guessed! Oh, at night is the best. Whenever I'm walking around at night I keep turning my head to look, especially on the hour when it twinkles..:)

    Anne: Lovely of you to drop by and leave 2 comments. It's amazing how trolling around the blogosphere we find lovely blogs. I've never met up with a blogger friend yet, but in the future I hope to.

    I definitely think she's a la not a le. Hee hee. Too pretty for a male with all that glitz!

    I'll be back to check out your blog further..:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. That is such an intersting post and I also love love love the Eiffel Tower...I love your blog
    Kisses

    ReplyDelete
  15. I make fun of people who post clichéd pictures of the Eiffel Tower... and then I go and post one myself. Whatever way you look at it, if you're into Paris, there's no excaping Lady Eiffel! :-)
    See you in Paris soon!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Diana thank you, who couldn't love the lady?

    Paris Set Me Free, well I'm your cliche all right but I'm unashamed. I'd move to Paris any day if only I didn't have so many commitments here. I've lived through one train strike there so I guess I could do it on a regular basis, hee hee..:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Share this Obat ruam kulit Dunia pasti berputar Obat benjolan di punggung Sally Sendiri Obat kista bartholin Jangan Menyerah Obat Penghancur Batu Ginjal Senandung Rindu Obat ruam popok Sebatas Mimpi Obat benjolan di kepala Tertatih Obat gagal ginjal I'm fallin in love Obat bisul di kulit kepala Sang Mantan Obat babak Thank you so much...

    ReplyDelete

Parler a moi!

href="http://blo64rt.blogspot.com/">