Trip Day 48 – Eiffel Tower

Chilly is the first thing that comes to mind as I step out of the door of my hotel and head out in search of breakfast, the day is sunny but I would guess at 5 deg to start, forecasted top of 10 deg today. I wonder the back streets and am rewarded with a local mini mart selling sandwiches and all sorts of grocery goods, I have a microwave in my hotel room so I will be back here for supplies but for now a sandwich, drink and a small pack of chips will do for lunch, total 5 euro much better.

I head of around the corner remembering that there is a Pomme de pain store, from memory Emily mentioned this store chain and it is here that I find freshly cooked crepes, so a coffee and a strawberry crepe hot from the hotplate will be breakfast. The store is right on the Champs-Elysees and they have tables on the sidewalk, so I find a seat in the sun and tuck into breakfast, as I am laconically lazing soaking up the warmth of the sun I notice that dozens of pigeons are calmly walking around under the tables greedily picking up what ever scraps they can find, they are not worried in the least by the people sitting at the table and if your clothes look edible then they to will receive a testing peck.

After finishing breakfast it is off to the Eiffel Tower I go, walking through the twisting streets it is not long before I am standing on the banks of the Seine, barges of all kinds are moored or plying up and down the river. The tower looms large now dominating the view, it is indeed a mighty structure and I can only wonder at how the Parisians of 1889 felt seeing this upon its completion. 

After a short walk I find myself standing at the base of the tower, tourists only slightly outnumber the souvenir salesmen but it is mid morning and most of the tourist are standing in line waiting for the lift, a ticket cost 14.50 euro. After taking some photos I decide to get a seat on a park bench and have some lunch, ravens out number pigeons looking for a feed, and after an enjoyable lunch I decide to lay on the bench an take in the tower, this action leads me to two conclusions. One laying down and looking up at the tower is I think the best way to view it. Two I could not be a homeless person and sleep on a park bench.

After readjusting my back, and considering the great day I decide to check out the option of climbing the stairs, it only cost 4.50 euro, which gets you access to the second floor, and a plus is that there is no line, surely the man who conquered the 275 steps of the York Minster should find this a walk in the park. So with ticket in hand it is off up the stairs I go. A third thing now is realised, because of the scale and shape of the tower the first and second floors, from the ground, don’t really look all that high. But, it turns out that there are 347 steps to the first floor and the height is the equivalent of a 21 story building, and then there is the little matter of getting to the second floor, from bottom to top 674 steps and that get you to what would be a 47 story building. The view is spectacular, there are stair to the top but these are closed going up, 1710 stairs in all. I will be making an early visit to get the lift to the top latter in my trip. So upon reflection of my day in total that works out to 1348 stairs for me today, so I don’t feel guilty about that strawberry crepe this morning at all.