Paris 1

 

 

 

Thursday 4 October

First day in Paris and, armed with our maps from the hotel we set off via underground to find the Eiffel Tower. Hopped off at Eiffel Tower station (as you do) and still no sign of a tower. Followed crowds and were just wondering which direction to take when we rounded a corner and there it was (see first glimpse picture). Weather was overcast and slightly misty though the temp was around 20 C. Queues at the different pillars were about equal so we opted for the lift. We've done staircases for five weeks; we're ready for lifts now.

Took diagonal lift to second tier after waiting 45 minutes to buy our ticket. Changed to the vertical lift and went up to the top. Visiblity somewhat reduced though we could see out across Paris in all directions. Souvenir shops were full of tacky offerings. Bought a hot drink (it was cold up there) and some lunch and watched a one-legged pigeon feeding off crumbs inside the cafe