One Evening in France

Of course the most famous icon of all of France is the Eiffel Tower or the Tour Eiffel en français. Our travel companions had taken care of accommodation details. During the long cab ride from the airport we discussed whether or not we would be able to see the Eiffel Tower, how prominent it would be and how soon we could walk around under it. I noticed our cab driver glancing in the rear view mirror. He had a slight smile on his face.

Well, as it turned out, we had a spectacular view. The image presented is a full size street view, but our companions had the tower perfectly framed in the window of their room!

The Tower itself was a marvel of the age in which it was built and remains to this day a true feat of engineering. It was constructed in two years from January 1887 to March of 1889 for the 1889 Exposition Universelle or World's Fair. Scheduled to be torn down a few years later it was saved to be used as a radio broadcast site. For 46 years it was the tallest structure in the world.

We just loved the Tower. It sparkles with thousands of lights and has a rotating beacon at the top that shines out over the city. We visited it every day we were in Paris and it became out meeting place landmark. "Meet you at the Tower in 45 minutes."