Some trips are always exciting when they are not planned in advance. Even if you don’t plan the place you are going to has already made plans for you. Paris is such a place. Even if you don’t plan where to go, you know that the first place you want to visit is the Eiffel Tower.
After getting off the plane, I took a 40-minute train ride to my accommodation. After dropping off my luggage, I took the metro to the heart of Paris, to the Eiffel Tower.
They say Paris is always a good idea. For me, that idea became reality the moment I stepped off the metro. My first visit to the Eiffel Tower was in the afternoon.
I walked along the Seine River and slowly approached the tower. There it stood. Tall, intricate, and far more elegant than I had seen in photographs. Before visiting this place, I had often wondered how a pile of iron could become the symbol of a city.
I sat on the grass and watched tourists and locals enjoying the spring weather. Children were playing, couples were enjoying the warm weather. Street musicians were playing gentle melodies nearby. The Eiffel Tower didn’t just look like a monument. It felt like the heart of Paris.
A Tower Built with a Bold Beginning
The Eiffel Tower was designed and built between 1887 and 1889 by engineer Gustave Eiffel as a magnificent entrance gate for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair). At first, it was not well-liked. Many Parisians viewed it as an “iron monster” and petitioned for its removal. However, as is often the case, time changed perspectives.
Originally planned to be demolished after 20 years, the Eiffel Tower managed to prove its worth in the fields of communication and science, particularly as a radio tower.
So what about today? The Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid monument in the world. Visiting the tower is free, but if you want to go up the tower, you have to pay a certain fee.
Opened on March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower stands at 330 meters tall and welcomes over 7 million visitors annually.
That afternoon, I crossed the Pont d’Iéna bridge and walked towards the Trocadéro Gardens, which offer the most beautiful panoramic views. However, fatigue and lack of sleep prevented me from wandering any further.
The next day, I returned to the tower just before sunset. As the sun set behind the Paris skyline, the sky turned shades of pink and orange.
Then the moment I had been waiting for arrived… night fell. The Eiffel Tower began to sparkle. Every hour, 20,000 sparkling bulbs light up for five minutes in a dazzling display. Watching it from Trocadéro was surreal. The crowd held its breath, people clapped, and phones lit up to capture this magical moment. The fact that so many people gathered together just to capture this moment was truly incredible.
Gaza came to mind… Children killed in war… The light emitted by a bomb exploding is 30 times brighter than the Eiffel Tower’s light show. The only difference is that one delights tourists, while the other kills children…
If you visit the Eiffel Tower, don’t forget to visit both during the day and at night. You will encounter a completely different view.
Take your coffee, sit on the grass, and let the city make plans for you.
Stay healthy
