La Tour Eiffel

I've been infatuated with the Eiffel Tower for as long as I can remember.

To this day I'm still unsure of what inspired my obsession, aside from a report I did on the Parisian landmark in junior high. I've showcased the Eiffel Tower on everything I could manage, including a huge Eiffel Tower motif on my bedroom wall that stands taller than me. I feel like I can't adequately express my love for this French feature, so I'm just going to go ahead and let pictures speak for me. This Instagram collage below depicts my reaction when I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time, up-close in real life.

Yup, those are tears. Happy tears! I think that was the moment when I realized I was finally in Paris, so close to things I had only dreamed of seeing. A huge item on my bucket list was crossed off in that single moment, and I was in shock that the stars had actually aligned in such a way that allowed me to find my way here.

The Eiffel Tower is utterly, splendidly massive. It was difficult for me to drink it all in initially because there was so much to look at! The grounds below, the stairs going up, the lights at the top... indeed it is a wonder to behold. We took our time wandering the grounds, snapping pictures and enjoying every angle of the tower from below. We didn't venture off into the grassy area behind the tower which I regret now, but daylight was running out by then and we wanted to be able to see the city from the top of the tower while the sun was still up.

After we had snapped about 500 photos and I had found wifi so I could brag to my family about where I was, it was time to head up the tower. The line to buy tickets wasn't terribly long and the splendor of being underneath the Eiffel Tower made it go even faster. Everyone around us was equally excited to make their way up to the top, so we all started up the stairs with a bit of an adrenaline rush.

There are a total of three elevators you can take up the Eiffel Tower. To get to the very top you must take a lift (thank goodness, it's steep up there!). We hiked up the first two levels which, according to the Eiffel Tower's Website, is a total of 704 steps but it feels more like 1,000 by the time you're done hiking! It was a fun experience hiking up the steps and enjoying the views. Next time I'll probably take the elevators up, but it's definitely fun to say that I've climbed the Eiffel Tower!

I'll let these next few pictures from our hike up the tower speak for themselves. 

The picture above was taken from the second level. The line to ride the lift became a bit long because the top level of the tower is very small and they control how many people can go up at a time. After a few minutes of waiting, we hopped on to the lift and made our way up. A word to the wise: be cautious about going to the top if you're afraid of heights! 

The top of the Eiffel Tower is small and enclosed, making it kind of hard to take good pictures, but it is so worth it! We noticed lots of couples kissing and drinking champagne (they sell it by the glass at the top), which made the experience even more romantic. 

It's incredible to compare the pictures we took of the city from the first two levels to the pictures on the third. You get a completely different view of the city from the top!

We didn't spend much time at the top of the tower because it was packed full of people and was kind of hard to walk around. Once we had our feet back on solid ground, we picked up some waffles drizzled with Nutella for dinner and then took a boat tour on the Seine River. The Eiffel Tower at night is pure eye candy, even without the twinkle lights on! 

Spending the evening so close to the Eiffel Tower was the perfect end to my first day in Paris. It was everything I expected it to be and more, and I plan on going back and making my way to the top of the tower many times throughout my lifetime. J'aime la Tour Eiffel!