When the Eiffel Tower was built, as the centerpiece of Paris’ 1889 Universal Exposition, not everyone loved it. The writer Guy de Maupassant mocked it as a "high and skinny pyramid of iron ladders," and novelist Leon Bloy called it a "truly tragic street lamp." De Maupassant’s hatred went so far that he was reputed to eat at the tower daily as the one spot in Paris where it wouldn’t ruin his view!
Whether or not you think it’s a great sight to see, there’s no denying it’s a great place to see from! All of Paris lies at your feet, with views you can’t get anywhere else. Soaring over Disney World on a tram only shows you how unreal that world is; “flying” over Paris lets you see the beauty of the city, and its plan, in a whole different way.
These pictures were taken on a late February afternoon, ending when the light was gone. I hope you’ll enjoy them, and the few extras in the slideshow!
Grand Palais and Petit Palais, museums today, but built for another World Fair
Some of the famous sights lie right at your feet, like the Ecole Militaire at the end of the Champs des Mars in one direction, and the Palais de Chaillot and the Trocadero Gardens in the other.
But other landmarks are farther away. Playing with telephoto gives you different views...and sometimes a very fore-shortened view of everything in between. For instance, these three different shots of the Arc de Triomphe.
And these differing views of the Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located. In the first it appear to the left of the Ecole Militaire, with the Montparnasse Tower in the far distance; then a shot focused on it, and finally a close-up of the dome.
The river and its bridges also play a big part in the view. This shot shows the Musee du Quai Branly, then still under construction, the Pont de l'Alma and the Passerelle Debilly.
Now we're looking further up the river, with the Pont de l'Alma in the foreground, then the Pont Alexandre III and Pont and Place de la Concorde, with the Grand Palais and Petit Palais at the left.
The Seine is also a working river, carrying not just tourist boats and pleasure craft; it's also still a carrier of crops and construction material and more. The working docks are no longer in central Paris, but the boats pass through. Here's one below:
Toward the west, the Ile des Cygnesmarks a sort of dividing line between older Paris to the East and more recent development to the west. Not too specific, but the feel is clear.
Further north, above Montmartre, the Sacre Coeur Basilica, so far away, and suddenly so near.
But eventually, the light was gone, and it was time to leave the Tower...
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