Le Tour Eiffel

Finding the Eiffel Tower may have been the hardest thing in the world, but enjoying it? That was easy. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person had the same effect on me as seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I didn't know how colossal of an impact it would have on my life until I actually did it. After we parked, we walked the streets of Paris just waiting for that one glimpse of the Tower that we needed to figure out in which direction to head. We turned a bend and there it was, lit up in the nighttime-a beacon to light our way. Dazed, I followed that beacon like a fly towards a lightbulb. And when I got close, the tower started to glitter. Glowing, sparkling, and dancing in my vision readers, was the Eiffel Tower. The honest-to-God Eiffel Tower. How unreal?

Of course we took a bajillion pictures. Thats what you go to the Eiffel Tower to do. Pictures offer proof and I sure as hell wanted to prove that I've been to the Eiffel Tower.

Before we went up the tower, we decided we wanted to go across the street for crepes and french fries. You need them when you're in France, right? I'm not joking even a little bit, the french fries were out of this world. They were perfect. There is no other way to explain it. Golden, crisp, ungreasy, and topped off with Heinz ketchup. Thank you, God. After we enjoyed the frenchiest of french foods, we bought our tickets and went up the tower.

It didn't matter that it was June. IT WAS FREEZING COLD. I'm talking biting cold that burns your ears here. I couldn't believe it was that cold during the middle of summer in Paris. It also didn't matter that it was cold. The top of the tower was spectacular. Being up there and seeing all of Paris laid bare before me made me seriously regret the little time I had there to discover it. If only I could explore every city I wanted the way I did in Florence. I stood on the platform and marveled at this metropolis. So many lives have spent themselves in this place, in love with it and all its treasures. And I was so sad that I may never know them all. I decided up there that I will make it to as many places across the world that I can. I'm gonna explore for the rest of my life. I can't imagine a life without traveling. Its a sorry existence for those who don't explore. I was loathe to leave, but we had literally stayed on the platform until the very last moments it remained opened. We rode a sideways elevator down to the bottom, realizing when we got there that we'd been up there until 1 a.m.

Being down at the bottom, looking up at this massive structure again, the light that guided me through the street of Paris, was quite the romantic moment for me. Sure, I wasn't there holding some boy's hand, but I was having a tender moment with the city of Paris. I could have stood there staring for the rest of that cold night, enduring the harsh winds, so long as that moment lasted. But, alas!, my duties as Aunt Gab called, and the little hands of my newphew Jazzy were wrapped around my neck while I carried him away. When we got back into the car, we drove over the Alexander bridge. This bridge was featured in on of the last episodes of the Sopranos, which I watched during some lonely moments in Florence. It struck me again where I was and how I got there. And I hereby vow that one day I will go back to Le Tour Eiffel and rekindle my love affair with Paris.




Arrivederci, for now.
Love, Gabby