Twinkle, Twinkle Eiffel Tower

Ever since we arrived in Europe over three years ago we have been promising the kids that we would take them to see the Eiffel Tower. It has been like the one thing they HAVE to see, at least in their minds. Last year on our way to Normandy we drove around Paris and got a quick view of the Tower. We tried to convince the kids that this was it! They could see the Eiffel Tower and our promise was fulfilled. They didn’t buy it… Oh well, it was worth a try.

Day 2 in Paris started out with a long walk through the Musee d’Orsay which, as everyone knows, is a big art museum. It’s actually housed in the old Paris train station, which is a pretty cool setting for an art museum, if you’re into that sort of thing. The d’Orsay is devoted almost exclusively to French painting, though you can find a few others there as well. Whistler’s Portrait of the Artist’s Mother is there, and is actually kind of a boring work. (Sorry Whistler. No offense intended to your mom!) Emma loves this museum because she is a big fan of French Impressionistic painting. Personally, I can take or leave the impressionist. Actually, most of the time I would be just as happy to take them out and leave them somewhere else! (Just kidding, Emma!) Over all it is a pretty neat museum. However, I must point out that after having been to many of the great art museums all over Europe and America, art museums and what is in them all start to look the same after a while. Sure there are the occasional exceptional pieces that stand out, but I am getting to the point where I can just cruise through a room and tell at a glance if there is anything on the wall that interests me. Emma and my Father, on the other hand, could spend hours in such a museum digesting every painting (with a few exceptions, of course) in great detail. Perhaps it was a good things we had the kids along, as it forced us to keep a steady pace. You can keep a 7 and 10 year-old occupied in an art museum for only so long before they become a distraction to those around you!

Somehow we ended up with no pictures of the Musee d’Orday or the next place we went, the Orangerie. This is where Monet’s giant murals of the water lilies are housed. They are great and all, but the really nice thing about the Orangerie is that once you’ve spent ten minutes, you’ve seen pretty much all there is to offer. Admittedly there are some other painting on display downstairs, but I think most people (especially those with kids who have already been dragged through one art museum that morning) really just want to see the water lilies.

Our plan was to then walk down to the Rodin Museum. I know what you are thinking: “Those poor kids! Three art museums in one day!?!” Well, you are right. We just couldn’t do it. We decided to wait and catch the Rodin on Monday. (Turns out that was a bad idea…)

Instead we went on to Army Museum. Its an impressive building, housing several famous dead dudes. The most famousest (yes I know that’s not really a word) is, of course, Napoleon Bonaparte. All I can say is that this in one big tomb for such a short guy! But then again, he did have a big head…

The ceiling was pretty cool as well.

One of the funny things about taking kids places is that inevitably they eventually want to start taking their own photographs. This of course requires that they have their own camera since mom and dad usually aren’t willing to risk letting them damage the good camera. Unfortunately, many of the places we go to in Europe, such as museums and cathedrals, do not allow flash photography, if they allow photography at all. So my kids end up trying to take photos with their little cameras set to no flash (which obviously increases the exposure time). How many kids do you know that can hold still for more than 2 seconds? Now have them try to hold a camera perfectly still while taking a picture that requires a 2 second exposure. Here is what you usually end up with:

Good luck figuring out what this is a picture of. I have no idea! Despite repeatedly warning them that their pictures will not turn out, they are resolute in their determination to take their own photos of things. In the old days this meant rolls and rolls of wasted film. Now with digital cameras and SD cards, we just load it all on a computer and clear the card. I think I’m a fan of digital for this reason alone! Of course, they do much better outdoors or when they can use a flash. In any case, I think their favorite subject is themselves!

Here’s what Napoleon's tomb it looks like from the outside with a couple of monkeys standing in front. It never ceases to amaze me how hard it is to get these two to stand up straight and give a normal smile when we try to take a picture of them anywhere! The little stinkers! :)

Finally the time had come. Next stop, La Tour Eiffel!

Movies always make it out like the Eiffel Tower is so huge. Well guess what, it is! That is one large tower! Standing under it really makes you appreciate the engineering feat of building such a thing! My lens isn’t even wide enough to get the whole thing in the frame! I‘d be willing to bet that Monsieur Eiffel  played with an erector set when he was a kid.

We had purchased tickets so that we had a set time to take the elevator up to the top. Or so we thought. It turns out that your “time” is just to get up to the first or second landing. From there you have to fight the masses, hordes and generally rowdy crowds of people to try and get a place in line to go all the way up to the top. We actually wandered the second platform for about ten minutes trying to find the end of the line to go the rest of the way up before we realized that they had stopped letting anyone else get in the line. We were as high as we were going to get. (Hmm, again, please don’t take that statement out of context…)

Still it was a good view, though we were disappointed not to make it to the top. I guess it gives us something to look forward to for next time. Whenever that may be… If you look closely, you can see that the entire outer structure of the Eiffel Tower is covered in light bulbs. Can you imagine having the job of replacing the bulbs that go out? Frankly, I’d do that for free! Talk about a sweet rappel!

All these lights sure make for a spectacular sight once it gets dark.

Its especially cool when, on the hour, they set the whole tower a-sparkling like a giant…uh…sparkly…uh…tower… This effect inspired grand-pa and the kids to come up with a poem. It went something like this: (hem hem)

Twinkle, twinkle Eiffel Tower

Sparkles every “on the hour”

It is something you must see

When you come to great Paris

(pronounced pah-ree, like the French)

Honestly, a still photo can’t really do it justice. It’s just something you have to see. We finished the day of with a boat tour up and down the Seine. You can really see why they call Paris the City of Lights. Besides the Eiffel Tower, I think Notre Dame looks pretty dang awesome at night:

That’s it for day 2 in Paris. Day 3 we were off to Louis XIV’s little house.