Oct 17 - Another sparkly night

We finally had a dry night, so we headed out to the Eiffel Tower to watch the 8:00 p.m. sparkle show. When we were here in 2015, we were able to walk right under the tower without having a ticket to go up the tower. Now, to our astonishment, there is fencing all around the base of the tower and only those with tickets can access that area, and only after undergoing a security search. How sad that violent attacks have taken away the opportunity to simply stand beneath the tower, to look up, and to marvel at the sheer beauty of this architectural wonder.

We took the round-about route to the other side of the tower, crossed over the river, and headed for the Place du Trocadero. There are beautiful fountains there, although they are not in use at this time of year. it was in this square that Hitler was photographed with the Eiffel Tower in the background when he toured the city in 1940. We watched the 5-minute sparkle show which never ceases to enthrall us, although Doug did resort to playing solitaire on his phone to put in time before the show. I was busy perfecting my selfie-stick techniques.

The area around the Eiffel Tower, along the bridge and in the Place du Trocadero is like a carnival. There are people hawking champagne and beer and cigarettes from buckets on street corners; there are people selling sparking mini towers, glow-in-the-dark kitten ears, laser lights, key chains and little barking dog toys; there is a merry-go-round and food kiosks; there are families with little ones and thousands of young people and the occasional older couple (aka us) all enjoying the spectacle. Crazy. Crazy. Such is Paris.

That was another three miles on the pedometer which should wear off the huge raspberry cookie I got for dessert at the corner bakery. Doug is sticking to chocolate croissants - he’s like the quality control guy. So far, so good.Read more