The Glittering Tower

            As a little kid I saw pictures and heard stories of the Eiffel Tower. Like every other girl I’ve always dreamed of traveling there. To say my expectations were high would be an understatement, I was enthralled. I believe I have seen every angle of the structure before hand, just by looking at pictures on the internet. My first encounter with the monument was on a bus tour. As we approached the site, you could just see the iron structure out of the left-hand windows. I was sitting on the right side of the bus, so my first glance was a bit obscured. Even with my obstructed view, there was no mistaking the prominence of the Eiffel Tower. It was a cloudless day, with a vibrant blue sky. The grey-black hue of the Tower stuck out like a sore thumb. Its height made it look like it was the only thing in miles. The bus came to a stop near the back of the tower. The tour guide told us we could take pictures for ten minutes.

            You could feel the excitement in the air as everyone loaded off the bus and finally met the icon in person for the first time. The Tower had a romantic feel to it. It is the most photogenic building structure I have ever seen. I think it is safe to say over 5,000 pictures were taken all together of the monument. Ten minutes turned into twenty easily. We were all ushered on the bus again and we compared our photographs. Everyone’s pictures were identical, but some how we all thought our own pictures were the best.

            My second encounter with the Eiffel Tower was in the evening. The entire group gathered on a crowded, hot, smelly, metro train and Rhode it to the “Champs de Mars- Tour Eiffel” stop. After exiting the train it was a short walk to the plaza just in front of the tower.  We slowly made our way closer to the structure, taking pictures all the way. The sun was just starting to go down; an orange glow was cast over the Tower, giving it a bronze appearance. After reaching the base of the monument, we waited in a long line to get through security. I was a little restless throughout this entire process; I just wanted to get to the top. At then end of the security line, a line to use the elevator was waiting for us. The lift was slow-moving and very crowded. When the elevator stopped we go off on the first floor. I didn’t expect the tower to be quite so crowded; every single inch of space was filled. We split up into small groups; I was with my friend Angela. We made our way to the next elevator. There were so many people there it was difficult to tell who was in line and who was just looking off the side. Other people were cutting in front of us and the line was moving at a snail’s pace, but it was so beautiful it didn’t even matter. The further you went up the Tower the less people were there. There was also less area, so each floor was still filled to capacity. Each floor was beautiful, but we continued on.

            I was expecting the third floor to be the top, so I was a little disappointed when it was enclosed with glass. Then we spotted a sign that said: “continue on”, we assumed it implied “continue on to the top”. We waited in the elevator line for about twenty minutes, until we realized the elevator was going down. We exited the line and located a staircase leading to the top. Instead of being closed in with glass, the top was caged in. By now it was pitch black, the only source of light was the glittering city below. I have never seen anything more beautiful than the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower at night. I could’ve stayed there forever.

            I learned a lot from my trip to the Eiffel Tower. I will always remember the experience and treasure it; I hope I am able to return someday. It is now one of my favorite things I have ever done.