YES, IT'S WORTH IT.
Going to see the Eiffel Tower, maybe eating dinner there, is not just a tourist experience.
That does not mean you will see lots of Parisians on the Eiffel Tower... you won't.
But wonder for a moment why this 'temporary structure' built before World War 2, is still there.
It is because it is very, very special... not only to the travelers of the world, but also to the French.
I think that, to the French, it's like having moved to a beach town because you love the beach
... but after a few years, you stop going to the beach.
It is enough to see the ocean every day and love it without being in it.
That is how it must be with the French and the Eiffel Tower.
DINNER ON THE EIFFEL TOWER
"My husband had often said he would take me for dinner on the Eiffel Tower if we went to Europe together, and so he did. It is so beatuiful, much more than I thought it would be. It is a magnificient, enormous work of engineering and grace.
Taller than I had imagined, too. The base of each of the four legs is the size of a building, and you could fit more than one football field between the legs.
That 'black dot' in the picture is actually a car."
There are two restaurants and various other food opportunities on the Eiffel Tower. On the higher level is the Jules Vern, a Michelin "Star" restaurant serving very haute cuisine with prices to match. The waiting list is lengthened by the fact it is situated on the famous, unique Eiffel Tower. Several months in advance is not too soon to make your reservation. That made it impossible for us on this trip.
It was just as well, at least for our tastes. Altitude 95 is the restaurant on the first platform. Although its spectular view is perhaps not quite as spectacular as Jules Vern's, it is a little more relaxed, and the menu is quite haute enough for most American tastes. We made reservations as soon as we knew we were going.
THE ELEVATORS
To ascend the tower, one has the option of climbing stars for 20 francs or 3.05 Euros (Oct. '01 prices) per person, or taking one of the very intersting elevators that ascend diagionally inside a leg of the tower. That will run you 24 francs or 3.66 euros for the First Platform, 45 francs for the Second Platform, and 65 francs to the Top Platform. It costs nothing to stand at ground level and
stare up at it, as everyone does.
If, however, you are going to Altitude 95, you still buy a ticket at the booth in the left front leg, but you go to the front of the line and get on the very next elevator. That is pretty handy, and makes one feel special.
Be prepared to be a little crowded on the way up; they want to get as many people in as possible.
When we reached the First Platform and got out of the elevator... it was nothing short of absolutely magnificent. The air was charged with a freshness, and we felt particularly alive and even young. Colleen went to 'freshen up', and I went to one of the railings and looked out over the city. I've rarely had as much fun in my life, because something special was happening during the spectacular Parisian sunset.
As Colleen wrote later, "We were treated to one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen: a Parisian storm with thunder and lightening across the city of Paris, viewed from the Eiffel Tower. Wow...."
Wow.... Exactly right. We stood there until it was almost past our reservation time, watching strikes of lightening electrify the city, caressing historical monuments and new towers of steel with mightly bolts that harmlessly drained off though lightening supressors. Hardly any words for it.
THE MOOD CONTINUES
As though it were on a timer, the lightening stopped just a minute or two after 9pm, our reservation time. This may seem a little late, but 9pm is the dinner hour in Paris, actually the beginning of it. In summer, the sun sets quite late, and we entered Altitude 95 still in the twilight.
As the light faded, we were filled... with the very fine, fresh food prepared in that special French way... with the grand scenery... and with the moment of being there.
At last. After years of waiting.
We splurged on dessert, which I think was quite reasonable under the circumstances, and came away so very happy. The check was a surprise, I admit. It was less than I had expected, given the unique character of the venue. I suspect I would not have been surprised at all at Jules Verne, at least not that way.
Afterward, we went to the nearby RER station for the regional trains that connect directly with the le Metro lines. Yes, we felt quite safe riding them at night. We rode back to Concorde along with people dressed in their work clothes after a long day, students studying, interestingly dressed people who might have been on their way to something very avant guarde, and of course people who had been on the town as we had. We did not do much more that night, because we had another evening planned that might even top the Eiffel Tower.
Click here to take a boat ride at night along the Seine with us,
or click on one of the buttons at the bottom of the page to select another country.
Or if you would like to think about going to Paris yourself,
Rail Europe
(Click here for Rail Europe )
has been serving the American market since 1934.
They help more than 1 million american travelers a year. And I do mean help.
We needed a complex set of reservations in a hurry, and they came though for us
as though they did that sort of thing every day. Well, of course, they do.
I recommend them highly. They are the best.
| Rail Travel |
|
Fast, Flexible & Fun
Choose...
|
|
|
|
|