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THE
EIFFEL
TOWER
No one who visits The Eiffel Tower is really prepared for what they are going to see.
Every one of the over one million of visitors who arrives to
Paris
every year, have seen this iconic tower before: either in a documentary
or film, or in a photography or postcard. Nevertheless
seeing it in real life, in front of you, will be still impressive
and you will be pretty much astonished by the immensity of the
Eiffel
Tower
.
It’s incredible when you’re walking towards it, watching how
it’s getting bigger, and bigger, until, eventually you’re
under its feet, and you try to do think an idea of how was it
possible that the human being have been able to construct such a
wonder!!!
Visited every year by more than 6 million visitors, the
Eiffel
Tower
is the symbol of
Paris
. Considered like its international image, It's a pride of the city,
something that was unthinkable hundred years ago, when the tower
was being constructed in spite of the strong opposition of the
intellectuals and the Parisians.
Eiffel
Tower’s history
Despite
it is actual popularity and being a Parisian’s pride, the
Eiffel
Tower
’s
history has been complicated. So complicated that several times it
is existence was really in danger. Fortunately It s still there,
always watching over
Paris
, it is home.
The works began in 1887 to commemorate the
Universal Exhibition, which celebrated the centenary of the
French Revolution. After 3 years of studies of Eiffel
and his assistants, 3 years of fights against the public opinion
that did not want a big construction of iron that would be
unusefull and would cost millions, finally, the
Eiffel
Tower
construction was
inaugurated the 31st of March in 1889. The first plans did not
give long life to the Tower, which should have been dispatched in
1900 after The Universal Exhibition would be finished. But
afterwards, the French army decided to use it to test with radio
equipment at the top of the Tower, discovering that the Tower
could serve for a different purpose of the one for which it had
been constructed. Nowadays radio and television antennas crown it.
In fact the presence of these antennas has elevated its height,
from the
312.27 meters
that measured in 1889 until the
324 meters
at the present time – making it the highest point of Paris.
To
climb the Eiffel Tower
To climb the
Eiffel
Tower
is something you must do. If not it will be almost as if you have not
been in
Paris
.
In order to climb it we have different options, all of them starts
by the ticket office, of course. The sportive types can reach the
second level using the stairs - 1665 steps (more or less). For the
others (the majority), elevators have been put on service, which
will leave us in the first and second floor. Both levels contain
souvenirs shop and two luxury restaurants one in each level. Above
that all, there is a third floor, with a still better view, where
– in case of the strong wind we will feel a slight movements of
the construction.
View
of Trocadero
Square
from the
Eiffel
Tower
top
Concerning the view, it’s considered as one of the best of
Paris
– along with the
one from the
Montparnasse
Tower
and the other from Arc de Triumph. The advantage of the one from the
Montparnasse Tower is the absence of long queue and the fact that
as you’re inside of the building - the wind or rain will not
scare you off…The second one is much more lower but still with
an impressively beautiful view.
At night time the Tower
Eiffel remains always illuminated, and during the 10 first
minutes of each hour shines a sparkling illumination that makes a
true spectacle, being wieldy visible from any place of Paris
and its outskirts.
Find
a hotel near to Eiffel
Tower
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