The Eiffel Tower in Paris: the history, the height, the restaurants
To be malicious it could only be called a huge trellis. But he has instead become one of the most famous monuments in the world. There Eiffel Tower it is in fact the symbol of Paris, a kind of icon reaching towards the sky. And although everyone knows it very well and has seen it a thousand times in books, postcards, on TV and even on key rings when each of us finds it in front of him live, he cannot contain the wonder. Power of the tower that rises for 320 meters in the sky of Paris thanks to a structure of eight thousand metal parts held together by 2.5 million rivets which, second wonder, despite the frightening weight still give it the apparent lightness of one ballerina on pointe. His story is well known and this too is extraordinary. Gustave Eiffel designed the “tour” as a symbol ofParisian Universal Exposition in 1889. Now we love it: but at the time it was considered something of an eyesore to the point that prominent writers and artists, including Charles Garnier And Alexandre Dumas they protested strongly and demanded its destruction. Although the tower was only meant to last for 20 years though, its usefulness as radio antenna it guaranteed its survival to the point of becoming the center of the Paris skyline. It is one of the most visited monuments by tourists.
The Eiffel Tower: 320 meters above the Paris sky
The structure is very particular: four massive pillars they support the entire weight of the tower which more or less weighs for 10,100 tons on the ground. L’engineer Gustave Eiffel, which until then had designed bridges ad Hanoi in Vietnam and in New Caledonia decided to build his metal monument using the recent, for the epoch, discovered in the field of metallurgy but opted for the ironinstead of the most appropriate steel, only for reasons of economic savings. The design choices were correct: and the weight of the tower is perfectly distributed allowing the Eiffel tower to bear extreme winds even if at the top it moves conspicuously. At ground level, the pressure exerted is suns four kilograms per square centimeter; roughly the same pressure that a full-sized adult exerts on the seat of a chair. THE gigantic pillars they are the ones that give the first impression of surprise also because they are much larger than one would expect. Just think that they contain a post office in the south pylon e four elevators. The ticket office is located onEsplanade between the West and South pillars. There are also souvenir shops and a café at the foot of the pillars. With the entrance ticket in hand, you can finally go up and take one of the three elevators that are in the north, east and west pillar. The one located in the south pylon has private use to serve the premises located at the top of the tower.
The Eiffel Tower: from the top of the first floor
To get to the first level you take the elevator or you have to go up 360 steps. Already from up here you can enjoy a spectacular view and you can fully perceive the power of the metal structure. There is one height of 57 meters and thanks to a viewing platform of almost two thousand square meters you have the space to cast your gaze towards the whole city. On this level there are toilets, a souvenir shop, a museum, an exhibition which celebrates the 120th anniversary of the tower and the Cineiffel Theater where a documentary dedicated to the Eiffel Tower and its history is shown. There is also a post office for special cancellations dedicated to this wonder but above all there is a restaurant where to eat and shop around. Is called 58 Tour Eiffel and it’s kind of brasserie (one of many of Paris) offering traditional French cuisine. Another option is the cafeteria which is open for lunch and serves a selection of snacks, salads and sandwiches.
The second level it will take you to the creepy height of 115 meters: from here you can enjoy the best views of the city and the buildings along the Seine they can be easily distinguished (while at the highest level, everything looks very small in the distance). To reach the second floor you must obviously take the lift (the alternative? Climb 704 steps from ground level). The second level has souvenir shops and a coffee shop similar to the one on the first level and a kind of peek-down pit that is certainly not suitable for those suffering from vertigo. But if you are looking for a true Parisian experience to remember you can treat yourself to a meal in the famous Jules Vernes restaurant. This “starred” restaurant belongs to the famous chef Alain Ducasse and combines the best of French culinary heritage with the emotion of a unique place. Such an experience is very popular: so remember to book well in advance (even months before). To go up use the private elevator of the south pylon that leads directly to the restaurant.
The Eiffel Tower: unlimited views for 70 kilometers
The third level it is not suitable for the faint of heart because it leads to the dizzying height of 276 meters. In reality, the Eiffel Tower continues much higher, up to 320 meters where the radio antenna is pushed. To get here you need to use the lifts that start at the second level. Once at the top the tourists find two observation platformsone indoors and the other outdoors Obviously it is about smaller spaces compared to those on the lower floors but offer a unique view. From up here on clear days it can be seen up to 70 km away and the proof of the height is given by the comparison: look how small the other monuments are. The top, for example, of the towers of Notre-Dame it is over two hundred meters below. The top level houses the office of Gustave Eiffel exactly as it was at the time of construction with wax models depicting Gustave Eiffel and his daughter Claire meeting Thomas Edison. From various points on the observation platforms, panoramic maps indicate the most emblematic monuments of Paris and the height of each building. And the Louvre it looks like a tiny building.
The Eiffel Tower gives its best even at night thanks to a particular lighting system that is called Golden Lighting and was created by Pierre Bideau in 1985. Every evening, from dusk until 1 am, a headlight rotates 360 degrees while the golden light of the tower is fixed. But at the stroke of every hour the lights dance for ten minutes. A curiosity: to install the system consisting of 20 thousand light bulbs they worked for over five months twenty-five climbers.
And if you want a selfie to take home with the Eiffel Tower, know that you will have to go a fair distance: on the other side of the river, the Place du Trocadero, offers a wonderful vantage point. Closer to the tower, the Champs de Mars provide the right place to take your photo with the most famous tower in the world.
