Day 20: Saturday, February 5, 2011

Today, was awesome.  We got kind of a late start (11:30am) because we were out the night before.  But after we got started, we didn't stop for about 14 hours.  

View from the ground

First, we went to the Eiffel Tower.  And it could not have been more of a debacle to get to.  You would think that one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world would be a little more accessible.  Nope, it's not.  The metro doesn't even go that far; you have to transfer from the metro onto an underground bus (essentially the same thing as a metro, but it has different stops), and it's totally on the outskirts of Paris.  But after taking the wrong train (a couple times) we finally made it!!  We waited in line to climb the stairs to the top while eating breakfast.  It was super cold when we were waiting, apparently underneath the Eiffel Tower is like a wind tunnel.

But it was only 3.50E to climb the stairs to the top, which I was surprised about...totally something they could completely rip you off for.  So we began our climb, reading all the little signs about the Tower on the way up.  The tower was completed in 1889 and was named after its engineer, Gustave Eiffel.  It was made as an entrance arch to the 1889 World Fair that was held in Paris, France.  The World Fair was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Storming of Bastille, the event that started the French Revolution.  I'm becoming so much more educated :)

So 300 steps later, we reached the first platform, and the view was beautiful, but I must say I was a little shocked by the environment they created.  There were speakers surrounding the entire floor, and rap/hip-hop music was blasting!!  People were grinding on each other and dancing...it wasn't exactly the scene I expected!

Ice rink on the first floor on the Eiffel Tower

There was an ice-rink too, which I thought was totally cool.  So we stopped on that floor for a bit, popped in the restaurant and gift store, walked around and took in the entire panoramic view, then moved onto the second floor.  We were obviously anxious to go higher!

So we climbed the additional 370 steps from the first floor to the second, and it was worth every one!  You can literally see every building in Paris from there.  It was really cool to see the monuments we saw the day before, like the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame.  The view of the Champ de Mars is also really pretty.  Somehow, they manage to keep the grass bright green, even in the winter.

Champ de Mars from the Eiffel Tower

We stayed up there for awhile, asking pretty much every single person that walked by us to take a picture of the three of us with one of our cameras.  We decided it would be really convenient to have a someone come along on these trips with us and take our pictures in these amazingly awesome places.

The three of us on the top of the Eiffel Tower

View from the Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe from the Top of the Eiffel Tower

After we climbed the stairs back to the ground, it was actually pretty late!  We decided to grab some lunch, then head to the Pantheon.   Naturally, we got lost.  The amount of time we spend not knowing where we are while on this continent is unreal.  But we finally made it, but it was dark and they weren't letting people in anymore.  But it was still cool to look at it from the outside and read a little bit about it.  

Panthenon at night

Afterwards, we walked from there across town to a little restaurant that Caitlin's dad was "taking" us too.  He called and made a reservation for us, and put down his credit card, and told us all to enjoy...which was so unbelievably nice of him.  It was a really nice restaurant.  Caitlin's best friend from home who is studying abroad in Barcelona right now joined us with her roommate as well.  Right when we sat down they brought us champagne, and we ordered escargot and a crab and artichoke dip as appetizers.

Me being the picky eater that I am, definitely was not thrilled to try escargot, but being in Paris, France, I figured there wouldn't be a better time!  And surprisingly enough, I didn't hate it.  I definitely didn't love it by any means, but I didn't hate it.  It actually had kind of a good seasoning on it.  

Escargot

I think it was just the fact that I was eating a snail that kind of turned me off.  I ordered a steak and mashed potatoes for dinner, and it was so delicious, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  I have been craving a steak for the last three weeks, and it was so yummy :)  And of course, the mashed potatoes were on point.  For desert, we all ordered a chocolate mousse and creme bru le, which were so delicious even though I was so full I thought I was going to pop! 

Afterwards, the five of us went back to the Eiffel Tower to see the midnight light show.  During the millennium new year, the Eiffel Tower put on a light show, and since then, it has become a nightly tradition.  It is a 5 minute show that plays every hour on the hour from dusk till dawn.  And it's absolutely breathtaking.  There are 20,000 bulbs that sparkle and light up the entire Champ de Mars field.  We had a perfect view and watched in awe.  

Eiffel Tower light show

After the light show, we noticed a bridge really perfectly placed in front of the Tower, so we decided to go snap a few pictures.  And I'm really glad we did, because they turned out spectacular.  See for yourself:

Afterwards, it was about 2am, and we had to leave at 4am for the airport...so we figured it was time to head back to the hostel.  But it was an unbelievable night.  I have seen the Eiffel Tower light show...cross that off my bucket-list!