Paris Promenades 3

As one of their objectives while in Paris, Son B and the Double Cs wanted to climb the Tour Eiffel.  The 1,063-foot (324 meters) tower, also known as La dame de fer, is not only the original "Iron Lady," but is perhaps one of the most iconic symbols of the City of Light.  This is truly ironic because after it was built in the late 19th century, in accordance with a design by structural engineer Gustave Eiffel, after whom it was named, it was widely criticized.  Several influential persons in the arts called it an eyesore and petitioned for it to be torn down.  One of those critics, French writer Guy de Maupassant, is said to have eaten his midday meal in one of the tower restaurants nearly every day.  When asked why, de Maupassant supposedly responded that it was the one place in Paris where one could not see the tower.  The tower was originally scheduled to be dismantled in 1909, but was fortunately spared this fate because its height made it valuable for communication purposes.  Today, the Tour Eiffel is generally considered to be a striking piece of structural art.

So the tower is still with us and the adventurers were ready to scale it - or at least the first and second levels.  To get to the top, they had to take an elevator (lift).  So, up they got, early in the morning and made their way to the tower.  It was good to be early because the wait can otherwise be a long one.  Up they started.

They took a look around from the first level.

It's a good thing that they got there early.  There was already a line below.

From the second level, they had a good view of the Trocadéro and the Palais de Chaillot across the river.

From the third level, everything looked a LOT smaller.  But they were justifiably proud of themselves for making it to the top.

To forever memorialize the moment for the folks at home, they stocked up on plenty of souvenirs.