To the Eiffel Tower

 It’s early in the morning in Paris – about 7:30 – but still fairly dark, though the sky behind the buildings to the south of us has begun to lighten. Billie is sleeping the sleep of the adolescent, deep and restorative. We had a fine day yesterday, losing and finding our way within the labyrinthen Metro system, far more overlapping and complex than our simple Toronto lines. Billie’s main desire in Paris has been to see the Eiffel Tower, so it was to that landmark that we first made our way. We approached it through the Champ de Mer, a large, grassy park where people sat or lay about enjoying the scene and the air. Billie commented after looking about that she could understand why people called Paris a romantic city! This girl is observant.  The Tower itself is so very impressive, even if one has seen it several times. The immense scale, especially when standing underneath its four mammoth “legs,” is wonderful. As in other places that we have seen, the Tower area has changed a fair amount since I was there five years ago with Emily. Security is far tighter. One is inspected while going through a new set of barriers just to enter the site, and once again just before the elevators. We lined with the others for about an hour to buy tickets and then to gain the elevator station. The weather was cool and lovely with intermittent sun and cloudiness. Our fellow tourists were relaxed and happy as were we. Several small children had an outside line that left them free to run up and down with great abandon, to the amusement of each other and of those of us who were simply keeping in proper order.

The elevator took us to the second etage – much higher than I remember being before. It was cooler there with the winds swirling about but the views were magnificent. Billie had told me that she is nervous with heights but seemed entirely unaffected by that condition as we made our way about the second and then the first levels. Glass floors have been placed along the inner edges of the platforms so that one can stand as it were in space looking upon the large painting in the central area below. It was scary and exciting to stand there. On both levels now there are either restaurants or buffets where one can sit and enjoy a meal while looking out upon the broad vista that Paris provides. At the first level we shared a chicken and salad sandwich on a crisp baguette; delicious. It was Sunday and many families were about, taking in the Eiffel with their children, looking into the boutique shops, and like us, marvelling at this wonder of the world that came so close to being dismantled after the end of the exhibition for which it had been constructed. What a terrible loss that would have been.

After the Eiffel we walked over to the nearby Seine. Billie perched on one of the walls overlooking the quay while I held onto her back as a not-really-necessary precautionary measure. How would your mother take it, if I was to bring you home just a pile of broken bones? I asked her. On the roadway between the tower and the river a parade with bands, marchers, and lovely ladies doing a continuous lotus-dance moved passed us. Their banners announced their devotion to Felong Gong (?), the outlawed exercise/spiritual movement of China. Accompanying broadcasts spoke of the harsh treatment given to their fellow cultists in China and asked for the support of bystanders. Further along we found a Metro station from which we reach the Louvre station. To my surprise the exit took us immediately into the Louvre – not the museum proper, but into its enormous surrounding underground mall. A vast space opened out into a corridor of high-end – read, very expensive – shops. I had thought of picking up a salad from a lovely restaurant that Emily and I had gone to when there, but it had morphed into an entire food court – very chic and elegantly appointed. Billie and I walked about briefly and then headed for the exit to the Tuileries garden. The outdoor air was a fine antidote to the overcrowded stuffiness within the mall. It continues to astonish me how much cities and sites that one has known previously can be altered in just a few years by the influx of international money. The garden has undoubtedly had changes as well but appeared its orderly and lovely self. We sat for awhile to take in the lush greenery and to see the intact walls of the ancient palace.

We were both tired and ready to head home by this mid-afternoon point. We made two or three Metro errors, however, that greatly added to our transit time. The Metro knows nothing about the disabled. There are few elevators or escalators. When changing lines, one can walk up and down several sets of stairs and along lengthy passages. It’s a bad idea to use the system when changes are necessary if toting luggage or heavy bags of groceries. But we are learning. A block away from our hotel we have found two supermarches that can provide our necessities. Once home we napped, supped on our snacks, and went for a brief walk in the neighbourhood, by then very quiet and fairly dark. Home for reading and bed.

I was up twice in the night however, keen to check on the final Jay’s game, happy to see that they had won, securing their home game spot for the sudden-death wild card spot tomorrow. In a while I’ll begin negotiations with Billie about getting up and we’ll be off for today’s adventures. 

I regret not being able to post photos. I have only my cell phone for them but as I have it on airplane mode to avoid roaming charges, I cannot send them out. When we return to Toronto, I will do so.