PARIS: The Eiffel Tower

I've seen countless pictures of this structure.

I know a lot about the history of this architecture.

It's the back drop of many many many movie scenes.

BUT.... I still couldn't have been prepared for its MAGNIFICENCE!

This structure is A BEAST!

SIMPLY AMAZING!

AN ENGINEERING MARVEL!

We went for a short 2 mile walk right upon our arrival in the city. 

The shot below is from the Seine River near our hotel. I was thrilled I got to see the Eiffel Tower immediately into our visit. But, I didn't comprehend how extraordinary it was until the next day when we went to Tour the Tower.

Please excuse this pic of me... it was after a 10 hour [sleepless] flight ;)

We decided to walk [like we did throughout most of our stay in Paris] to the Eiffel Tower from our hotel.
It was about 2 miles away and on our way back we looped around and visited the Arc de Triomphe. It was a GORGEOUS day out and the sky was a brilliant blue. We ran into a 20k run along our route. We cheered them on with the rest of the spectators. Their final destination was identical to ours: The Eiffel Tower.

Apparently, it is quite a "touristy" thing to do -- Tour the Eiffel Tower.
But, hey.... this was our first time visiting -- we were going to be tourists!

I had a Museum Pass for practically everything else we visited and toured while in Paris. Those are AWESOME! You get preference for entrance and your wait in lines are always pretty short. But, the pass is not accepted at the Tower. So, we had to wait in a pretty long line to visit the top. However, the top observation deck was closed, so we were only able to visit the 2nd deck. Still pretty high up!

The Seine River as viewed from the 2nd Observation Deck of the Eiffel Tower

Paris as viewed from the 2nd Observation Deck of the Eiffel Tower

Being and Aerospace Engineer, I am in awe of the structural design of this Tower.

It is beyond BEAUTIFUL.

We were able to walk to the plaza at night and see the Tower SPARKLE.
At the top of every hour, in the evenings, the Tower sparkles with lights for 5 minutes.
It's pretty dreamy.

I never thought I would see this piece of architecture IRL.... and I certainly NEVER would have thought I would be as mesmerized as what I have become.

SIMPLY AMAZING!

AN ENGINEERING MARVEL!