The Majesty of Paris-Eiffel Tower & The Louvre

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With a little less than a week to go for the Summer Olympics, what a perfect time to relive my trip to Paris seeing both the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. My daughter was studying in Rennes, France and I flew there in February and we started our travel adventure! After mastering the bus and train schedules, we went to Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain ( that will be a different blog).

The Eiffel Tower

So what is so special about the Eiffel Tower? It is breathtaking from the ground up and magical from the top looking down! We went in February and it was very cold at the top of the Eiffel Tower!! You might to pick another month to see the landmark!

Here are some facts about the structure:

The tower was built for the ‘1889 Exposition Universelle’ marking the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The digging started in early 1887. It took 5 months to build the foundation and 21 months to finish assembling the tower. The building of the tower was opposed by the public as it blocked the skyline. The construction went ahead and the opposition will re-surface later. The Eiffel Tower contains lifts that brought people up from lower floors to the top and they were ahead of its time. The construction took over 2 years to complete the project.

Material Facts

Height-1,083 feet.
Original Height-1,024 feet.
Total Width-410 feet (on ground).
Width of Pillars-82 feet (on ground).
1st Floor-187 feet/14,485 square feet.
2nd Floor-377 feet/4,692 square feet.
3rd Floor-906 feet/820 square feet.
Lifts-5 lifts from the 2nd floor to the top.
Weight of Frame-7,300 tons.
Total Weight-10,100 tons.
# of rivets-2,500,000.
# of iron parts-18,038
Pillars-4 pillars to form a 410 square feet sideways square.

The Eiffel Tower was named after Gustave Eiffel, however, he was not the designer of the structure. The structure was supposed to be torn down after 20 years. With the public outcry against keeping the structure, it was saved by completing scientific experiments. The first radio transmissions and telecommunications experiments were completed at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

In 1889, 300 million visitors came to see the tower. In the first week, the lifts weren’t available so 30,000 visitors climbed the 1,710 steps to the top!! My daughter and I went down the steps and I can’t imagine going up the steps! Currently, there are 7 million visitors a year that come to view the structure and 75% of the visitors come from other countries.

Unusual Facts

There was originally a penthouse apartment that belonged to Gustave Eiffel that has since been turned into an office.
There is a post office, theater, radio station, and a champagne bar at the top.
The tower was almost destroyed during World War II. Hitler ordered the leveling of Paris and plans were drawn up to blow up the tower. Before that could happen, the Allied troops arrived and squashed the plan.
The Eiffel Tower moves in the wind and the sun. As the metal warms in the sun, it will move.
The names of the scientists and engineers were written on the metal to honor the 19th century. In the 20th century, the names were accidentally painted over. The names were restored in the late 1980’s.
To maintain the Eiffel Tower, there were 50 painters who used 60 tons of anti-rust paint by hand. This process took anywhere from 18 months to 3 years.
Light Shows that are done on the top of the Eiffel Tower are copyrighted by French law.

The Louvre

A trip to Paris wouldn’t be complete without a trip to The Louvre Museum. There are four levels displaying art and is overwhelming if you try to see everything! The iconic glass pyramid is one of the entrances. The pyramid is familiar as its cousin is on display at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio in the United States. Both were designed by a Chinese-American artist, Ming Pei. A place to get your culture on!