As soon as we rounded the corner outside the subway, we saw it – more majestic than a thousand postcards, the tower stood, surrounded by gardens, parkland and a busy city artery, and – a little further away – the raised outlook where we stood, embedded in tourists who had come like us on this pilgrimage to catch a glimpse of the famed landmark.
Immediately we were accosted by souvenir dealers, peddling their wares. These consisted of Eifel Tower replicas in three sizes, including small key chains. The boys were keen on a large tower, which was selling in the Metro station for 15 euros.
The nearest peddlar pressed one into Alex’s hand, suggesting a 12 eu price tag, but I was hoping for something better.
He hung 3 keychains on top of the tower’s tip to sweeten the deal. I offered him 10 euros for the big tower and the keychains, to which he countered that he would give us TWO big towers and 6 keychains for 20 eu. Satisfied with our bargain, I pulled two crumpled 1 eu bills out of my pocket and paid the man. The boys stuffed their treasures into my backpack, and we set out to find the stairs that led down to the tower’s base.
The crowds thickened as we neared the tower itself, and we elected to spend this sunny afternoon at the park and gardens outside, admiring Mssr Eifel’s work from a short distance away, rather than standing in the three-hour line-up f tourists that was winding its way around the tower’s shady base.
Immediately we were accosted by souvenir dealers, peddling their wares. These consisted of Eifel Tower replicas in three sizes, including small key chains. The boys were keen on a large tower, which was selling in the Metro station for 15 euros.
The nearest peddlar pressed one into Alex’s hand, suggesting a 12 eu price tag, but I was hoping for something better.
He hung 3 keychains on top of the tower’s tip to sweeten the deal. I offered him 10 euros for the big tower and the keychains, to which he countered that he would give us TWO big towers and 6 keychains for 20 eu. Satisfied with our bargain, I pulled two crumpled 1 eu bills out of my pocket and paid the man. The boys stuffed their treasures into my backpack, and we set out to find the stairs that led down to the tower’s base.
The crowds thickened as we neared the tower itself, and we elected to spend this sunny afternoon at the park and gardens outside, admiring Mssr Eifel’s work from a short distance away, rather than standing in the three-hour line-up f tourists that was winding its way around the tower’s shady base.
As soon as I had caught my first glimpse of the tower, I remembered that the last time I had been here, as a 10-year-old child visiting with my mother’s Parisian artist friend Franciose Arnoux, we had approached from the other side, where the grass was. So I was glad of the chance to see the tower once again from that vantage point and relive that happy childhood memory!
After walking along a tree-lined path, we stopped at a playground to collect a sand sample Alex had promised to bring his teacher. Then we lingered for a while on a nearby park bench, enjoying the view of the landmark we had come to see, before mustering up the energy to work our way through the ever-growing crowds back to the subway.
After walking along a tree-lined path, we stopped at a playground to collect a sand sample Alex had promised to bring his teacher. Then we lingered for a while on a nearby park bench, enjoying the view of the landmark we had come to see, before mustering up the energy to work our way through the ever-growing crowds back to the subway.
RSS Feed