In most areas of the city, you can see her rising above the buildings. She also can be very deceiving. You think she's just a couple of blocks away. Then you walk, and walk, and walk. :-)
If you want to actually go up inside the tower, you need to reserve tickets in advance. What this does is gives you a time frame when you can "enter the line". There is always a "stand-by" line, but you chance having to wait for hours depending on the crowd. We had planned this months in advance to make sure we had the opportunity. Do keep in mind your tickets are good rain or shine but luckily, we had a lovely and clear day. (Note - there are a few restaurants in the tower, so one option would be to reserve a lunch or dinner. That would allow you to go up at least to that restaurant!).
We finally have made it.
As you can imagine, there is pretty hefty security around the tower, and you have to go through security lines before you can enter. We finally made our way through and now are ready to go up! You can choose to go to the "middle" level or the tip top. We elected to go to the mid-point. That was high enough for us! Look at these views! And notice the shadow of the tower. It was so neat!
Up at this level, there is a little video that shows the history of the tower, cafes where you can get a drink or snack, and of course shops to buy memories to take home. Once you get to the level you bought your ticket for, you can take as much time as you want; and also take the stairs or "elevators" down to the next level.
Since we were there, we decided to wait until dark so we could see the twinkle lights. We misjudged how long it would be before dark came, so we sat on the mall/grass for QUIET A WHILE. We saw a lot of people come and go. :-) It got super cold, and we thought we'd never make it...
Then....the MAGIC HOUR came. It was amazing. Worth every second of the waiting (and freezing). One of those...you'll always remember that moment for the rest of your life. The photos don't do it justice, but it was amazing.
We were worn out (and a little delirious) from a wonderful day, and made our way back to the St. Germain area. We came across the cutest little Italian restaurant, Casa di Mario, and it was the perfect place to warm up and fill up! You know anywhere that gives you bread like this as a complimentary appetizer is going to be good.
We shared a salad and a pizza. It was a perfect pizza. Thin crust, great ratio of sauce to meats to cheese, and perfectly cooked. MMMM. Definitely a place to pop in if you are craving Italian in good ole Pareee.
Happy Faces from the happiest of days.
We have one more day in Paris, and we make our way to Versailles, do some shopping, and end with a perfect French dinner.
XO,
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