I have to admit that despite annual visits to Paris over the last five springs, Pater and I have not visited the Eiffel Tower since 1990 when we took our kids to the top for the obligatory tourist view. These days, we’re just as likely to see it from afar, as in the above photo taken from the Pompidou Centre (great Kandinsky show there this summer, fabulous!).
But that’s not to say that we don’t sometimes get fairly close on our way to somewhere else, say, for example, the Musée de Quai Branly (worth seeing simply for its architectureand landscaping, never mind the eclectic and extensive collection inside). I’ve already written about our disappointment with the exhibit there this trip, but I can’t imagine ever being disappointed with the building and grounds themselves, and on our walk there, we kept being treated to various sightings of “the tower.”
here
and here
and finally, as backdrop to the lovely gardens of the Musée.
And on this Bastille Day, in the 120th anniversary year of La Tour Eiffel, I wish both this iconic lady and all you Francophiles out there a big bouquet of French happiness. Je vous souhaite une bonne Fête — now go get your French on!
Get vertigo on a stepladder so ascent was quite the mixture of terror and delight. Happy Bastille Day! Lovely shot with roses in foreground, thanks!
Merci, I spent hours last New Year queuing just to get to the first stage, but my abiding memory is as a child being stuck on the metro bursting for a pee only to get there and find no toilet. Excuse the pun, but the French are crap at toilets!
Since then I have not really been that keen on the place, it seems such a long way from anywhere else. Until as you say they built that amazing organic wall.
Happy Bastille Day!
Only time I've been up the eiffel tower was when I was 16 and I took the stairs – now I just admire it from afar!
Duchesse: Me too! And then add my vertigo to all my maternal fears since we had all four of our kids, then aged 5 to 14, with us . . . not my idea of fun, altho' the view was rewarding.
Alison: Isn't that wall fabulous! I love everything about the building and grounds.
Imogen: It's lovely at night from one of the bridges — maybe they'll have a Style Consultants' Conference in Paris soon, and you'll just have to attend 😉
So sorry to be late in commenting your monday blues..I have been meaning to tell you how amazed I am of everything you are able to accomplish during one single day ! Wow, I feel a total failure compared to you. So, what I´m telling you is, that the melancholy you´ve had, is totally normal. Only if the `depression´stays on for weeks, something needs to be done. Believe me, I´ve been there. In the mean while, thanks for your wonderful blog. I´m reading it daily.
I love talking about Paris. But, I have to take a moment to tell you how cool Pater looks. Seriously, you have a very cool dude for a husband.:-)
Metscan: Thanks for the kind words — don't you wish, though, that we weren't so ready to judge ourselves wanting or lesser in comparison to others? I've read your thoughtful comments in several other venues and you're so obviously not a "failure"! And I appreciate your insights into depression and melancholy.
LBR: Thanks, he's pretty cute, isn't he? A very narrow formula for dress and he spends very little time thinking about it, but it works very well (makes me envious sometimes, I have to say)