Sunday, 1 January, 2012 - Ah, half past noon. What a superior wake-up time. The hour that champions rise from the depths of sweet, deep sleep, certainly. We even found a patisserie open, a bit of a surprise considering it was both a Sunday and New Year's Day. We decided to go ahead with our plans for the day and accomplish as many of the things on the agenda as possible despite the late start. Unfortunately, as the Eiffel Tower was first on that list and it was already past noon, the line was rather long by the time we got there. And it was pretty overcast, and pretty wet.
But you know, I just felt like I couldn't say I had been to Paris and not been up the Eiffel Tower, and everything else was closed that day. Luckily, the line was at least snaking around underneath the tower so we didn't get rained on until we got near the end of the line.
Even from the base, though, I was pretty awed. I mean, I've seen the Eiffel Tower before (who hasn't), but pictures just don't do it justice! It's beyond massive, but the detailing in the iron work (I think coupled with how airy the design is; the 18,038 individual pieces of wrought iron weigh 7,300 tons! *Fun fact: if you melted down all of the metal structure and filled in the area of the 125-meters-squared base, it would only be 6cm deep!*) was gorgeous! It may be a little difficult to tell from the picture, but all of the base arches have this delicate scrolling pattern. I loved it! I did not love waiting in line for about two hours. We also didn't think ahead to bring books (though I don't know if I would have with it spitting rain), so we entertained ourselves by teaching each other more basics in our respective foreign languages, such as counting to ten, ordering, greetings (and when which one is appropriate), etc. I'm pretty certain that I'll be fluent in French in no time!
Eventually we made it to the second level via elevator, which we chose only because we were certain the ticket would get us through all the way to the top, and it wasn't clear whether or not we could get to the top if we climbed the stairs to the first or second platform. Seeing how long the line to the top was, I went ahead and marked our spot while Lauren went around and got some pictures.
Although we were only 379' 8" at this point, I would go so far as to say that the wind was stiff. It was also getting dark by then, which meant that the lights illuminating the Eiffel Tower came on while we waited.
I don't think we were in line to get to the top for more than twenty minutes before getting squeezed into a minuscule elevator with about fifteen other tourists and the lift operator. We ascended quickly to our final height of 905' 11", passing through the intricate lacework of iron. I have to admit, with the ratio of iron to open space, it looked a little unstable to be supporting people at a height of approximately 81 stories (you know, I got that factoid off of Wikipedia, but I wonder if it's 81 American stories or French stories, the latter case actually being 82 stories by American standards since the French - and everywhere else in Europe that I've encountered - call the first floor the 'ground floor' and 'floor one' is the next level up...). As if the structural illusion wasn't enough, the wind certainly would have done it! And I thought it was still on the second level! I'm not actually acrophobic so I didn't feel my life was in jeopardy up there, but I can only imagine what it would have been like for those more inclined towards height-induced terror. I wasn't sure what to expect as far as platforms and such, but there was a lower indoor level which gave distances and directions to other major cities around the world, then an upper level exposed to the elements. I don't think I've mentioned yet how cold it was. Not freezing, but the wind even on the lower levels and at the base was noticeable. At the top it cut straight through every layer I had on. I was even chilly inside the first area. Out on the top, I literally had to brace myself or keep hold of the rail to not get blown into the people next to me!
This was the best picture I could get because I was unable to keep the camera steady. The wind was phenomenal... as were the views! Although it would be great to be up there on a clear afternoon, I really liked the view at night and I felt like I was able to orient myself a little by seeing Paris from above with all of the major points of interest ablaze with light.
Okay, so it was all ablaze with light, but that's beside the point. Also, there was an interesting sparkle coming from somewhere beyond Notre Dame which Lauren and I could only guess was Disneyworld Paris. We lasted outside through the wind and rain for perhaps five minutes before deciding we had seen everything and retreating to the dryer lower level and again waiting in line to go back down. Oh, and one more point on the wind - if you suspected that we could feel the Tower swaying, you're right. I wouldn't go so far as to say it caused us to stumble around while we walked or stood, but there's no doubt you could feel it trying to resist the wind.
Once we got to the second level we decided to walk down the stairs rather than continue waiting in line. I really liked getting a closer view of the design and craftsmanship of the Eiffel Tower.
We were tempted to stop off on the first level to go ice skating, but by then (about four and a half hours later) we were a little more than cold and a little more than hungry, so we continued our decent. I was also surprised to see how many people were still waiting in line at the base!
We also got an up-close view of the hydraulic counterweights for the elevators - each 200 tons! I won't bore the majority of my readers with the details, but it's actually rather fascinating how they work and how they were installed, especially considering that the angle of ascent changes (if you look closely you can see that in the first picture) and they had to figure out how to accommodate that. If you want to learn something interesting, you can read about them under the "Passenger Elevators" section.
The counterweight furthest to the left was at least twice as tall as Lauren
We then sought food, which was delicious despite a bit of confusion about paella (which the French apparently pronounce phonetically rather than saying "pie-ay-ah"). It was still relatively early, so we decided to try to get to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, before the 10:00 mass. Although it's a relatively new building (construction started a little over a hundred years ago), it was well worth seeing! The detailing in the mosaic was incredible! Unfortunately you couldn't take pictures, but if you're in Paris you have to take time to go here!
On the walk downhill we passed a really neat little store selling yarn-ball lanterns and string-lights where you could pick and choose the colors and sizes. I thought it was a really neat idea and looked a little Anthropologie-esque, and I'm pretty certain that I've seen them before, but when I looked online later the only thingsI could find were do-it-yourself versions. Oh well.
That was pretty much it; we went back to the apartment, Colin came over for a bit, then we called it a night.
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