 |
| From Paris '07 |
It’s not that the Eiffel Tower was low on my priority list. On the contrary, it was at the top of the list, but I’d begin each day setting out to see some other Parisian attraction before heading over to the Eiffel Tower each afternoon. But, Paris is so choc full of fascinating attractions around literally almost every corner, that I would inevitably become sidetracked and end up at the base of the tower late in the evening, about two or three hours before it closed which is about how long it takes to get through the line to get a ticket and ride a series of elevators to the top.
Had I not made it to the top, I would’ve been disappointed, but certainly not dissatisfied with my stay in one of the world’s most celebrated cities. The Eiffel Tower is certainly the crowning glory of attractions in Paris, but it does not have a monopoly on the ability to be awe-inspiring. Half my time in Paris was spent walking around and bumping into amazing buildings, parks and monuments - each worthy of world acclaim on their own if they weren’t amongst so much heady competition in the French capital.
Actually, if I ranked my favorite Parisian attractions by time spent at them, the Louvre would easily earn the top spot. I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to spend time running around some pretentious building looking at other people’s old stuff (that’s essentially what museums are, right?). But, one look at just the exterior of the Louvre, with it’s massive 18th century place-turned-museum juxtaposed against the stylishly modern glass pyramid that pierces the middle of the outer courtyard covering the main entrance underground, and I realized I was in for some time spent indoors looking at, well, other people’s old stuff.
 |
| From Paris '07 |
Actually, it’s not the stuff that I found captivating, although it was impressive even for a guy who struggles to ‘get’ a lot of art, but it was the building itself in which it was all housed. It is as impressive a piece of immaculate French architecture as you might ever find, but it’s immensity is what impressed me most. My unscientific calculations estimated that it must cover at least twelve football fields (end to end as well as side to side) amongst it’s four floors, three or four wings and who knows how many galleries and halls.
Just my first hour inside was exhausting, most of which was just spent in one exhibit/gallery - the Egyptian antiquities. After the second hour, where I think I’d covered maybe an eighth of the galleries, my mind began to rebel against the sensory overload and things began to blur together.
I couldn’t tell the 17th century from the 7th, nor can I when I’m clear-headed I suppose. But, I do remember seeing a few important items - the Sarcophagus of Imhotep, the Code of Hammurabi, Napoleon’s former apartment - it’s an apartment in the same way the Titanic was just a boat - and the Venus de Milo. The self-guided audio tour I rented actually came in handy to help me understand what I was looking at and why it was so venerated through the ages. Some I agree with, some I don’t.
Of course, I saved the most famous piece for last, visiting the Mona Lisa before concluding my unexpected five hour stay in the Louvre. At least, I’m pretty sure it was the Mona Lisa because it could sometimes be difficult to see between the teems of fellow museum-goers, three (visible) security guards, a permanent railing keeping everyone at least five feet away and the plexiglas case covering it.
Perhaps it was the distance from which I was forced to see it, or the number of heads I had to look between, but it actually seemed much smaller than I envisioned. Art not necessarily being my strong point, I can say that it’s certainly an interesting piece of art, although I’m not quite ready to anoint it as the most amazing work I’ve ever seen.
After an afternoon being enthralled with just one of Paris’ numerous attractions, I wondered if everything else might be a bit of a let down. But, with Paris’ cavalcade of attractions that seems a near impossibility. So, my next day was spent strolling around Paris taking in a whirlwind of it’s best offerings from the Hotel de Ville to the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Sorbonne and Pantheon, as well as the superb Luxembourg Gardens, the best and most immaculate park in the city.
In the midst of all that, I wandered through some of Paris’ diverse neighborhoods from bohemian districts to upper class enclaves, each with their own unique mix of sidewalk cafes (a staple of the Parisian lifestyle), bistros, boutiques and apartment buildings.
I followed that up by strolling the city’s most famous street, the Champs-Elysees, from one of it’s bookends, the Louvre, to the other, the Arc de Triomphe. Near the Louvre, the Champs-Elysees is lined with immaculate parks and tree-lined walking paths as well as fascinating centuries-old historic buildings that look as good as if they’d been built today.
About halfway up, it trades in natural scenery for that of the commercial variety as the sidewalks become lined with a string of well-known retail shops and restaurants amid a sea of patrons wandering along it’s sidewalks. The Arc de Triomphe, featuring an impressive bit of construction in the middle of a traffic circle at a major crossroads, stands at the top of the boulevard keeping guard over it like an imposing guardian.
After three days being wowed by nearly every other attraction in Paris, I decided it was time to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Plus, I was running out of time. Still, a sunny Easter Sunday with 70 degree weather sidetracked me for part of the day, luring me down to the Seine which was swarming with Parisians taking a slow stroll down the concrete walkways that line the river as it cuts through the city.
Finally, I pulled myself away and headed to the Eiffel Tower to stand beneath it’s shadows for over two hours just to purchase a ticket. Before I got to the ticket booth, I thought my trip to the top was thwarted when the sign above the booth suddenly declared that the top was temporarily closed. Luckily, it was a short closure that was just an effort to clear the packed decks at the top so others, like myself, could enjoy it in comfort.
I’d intended to head up long before sunset, expecting that it would be mobbed at that time. But, my long wait and late arrival ended up having the opposite effect. It was packed, but not uncomfortably and it turned out to be the best way to see the tower as you might expect. If you’ve ever been to the top of the Empire State Building, Sears Tower, Petronas Towers, or any other towering structure around the world, then you’ll understand the allure of standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower in the middle of Paris.
Of course, if you’ve ever visited any of those places around sunrise or sunset, then you’ll also understand how much more extraordinary that time of day can make a visit to such a pinnacle. The Eiffel Tower was certainly no exception and I lingered at the top, as well as at the deceivingly named second floor - actually about ten stories up - longer than expected thanks to the fantastic views.
I expect that whatever order you see the Eiffel Tower, Louvre or any of Paris’ numerous other attractions is irrelevant. Saving the Eiffel Tower until last turned out to be the perfect finale to an ideal, if unplanned, itinerary for me. But, Paris is a city where the most well known attractions are simply the icing on a very rich and satisfying cake. Whatever slice you get and however you devour it as you wander around the city, you won’t be disappointed.
PARIS PHOTO ALBUM (click photo):
 |
| Paris '07 |
No comments:
Post a Comment