Magnifique Eiffel || Paris, FRANCE

I only saw the infamous tower on my third day in Paris. 

I don’t wish to oversell it, and I know people have said countless of times how unbelievably beautiful and magnificent it is but it indeed was a sight to behold. 

My jaws literally dropped when I saw it up close. I guess I saw it at the perfect moment, when the lightshow had just started. It flickered brightly, like stars got stuck on its iron body and were signaling for help..or thumping with light in their attempt to escape. 

I was at complete awe.

Like a child seeing a toy store from afar, I ran to it in excitement, calling my “parents” (friends) to come after me. Haha! As I got closer, my pace decreased as I gazed upon the tower from its sturdy foundations til the point above where my sight could reach. 

It was massive. 

Thoughts ran through my mind and I was on the verge of crying. haha! 

 “Come on, I really am in Paris!” 

I stood right at the center of its base and looked above me. 
I felt little and humbled, yet completely the opposite. 
I turned round and round like a child. 
At that moment, I didn’t care about the hundreds of tourists around me who could think that I was crazy. After all, we were all there to marvel at the tower. 

I stopped when I remembered I wasn’t alone but with friends whom I might have lost in the crowd. I looked around and saw one of them just standing in a corner, laughing. He's a local, and as he’s surely used to seeing the tower everyday, I guess he found what I did quite amusing. But hopefully not that embarrassing.

We stayed there for a few more minutes to take photos, and a few more because I begged them to. Afterwards, my friend said there’s a place wherein we can get a better view of the tower. We walked across the river Seine and went up a few flights of stairs to a government building whose name I can’t really remember. He said most of the famous pictures of the tower were taken from there, and that it has a great view of the city.

He was right.

 
I cannot anymore put into writing how that experience was. 

I said I’d see the tower again but on daytime.

And I did.

But that one deserves another post, so I’ll leave it at this. ;)

One thing is for sure, though.
I'll return to see it again one day. :)

***

November 02, 2011

Paris, FRANCE