We had the ang moh breakfast every day.
Coco and I loved sunny-sideups so it was a perfect excuse for us to indulge in 2 eggs every morning!
Their croissants are softer than what we have at Delifrance.
Hot chocs for ever!
The underground Edgar Quinet ('quee-nee') station
Waiting for the train
Their adverts are huge!
We took the train to Bir-Hakeim Metro and followed the signs to Eiffel ('F-fell') Tower.
Saw some blacks selling Eiffel Tower keychains very cheaply on the way to our destination.
I had tried buying the Eiffel Tower tickets in April to no avail. The tickets are snapped up very quickly so if you are interested, you need to look out for it very actively. Read that the tickets are available only 3 months in advance, but when they are out, they sold like hot cakes.
So I took the advice of other travellers: buy the tickets at the location itself.
When we reached Eiffel Tower, we were dismayed at the super long queue for the elevator up the tower.
But, Google is my best friend and I had some good advice from Tripadvisor:
Go to the South Pillar and join the much shorter queue to buy the stair-ticket up the second storey. From there, buy the elevator ticket up the peak.
Coco and I proved our adaptability in Paris. We 'picked up' a little bit of French when we were in Disneyland. I decided that 'Pilier Sud' meant 'Pillar South' - and I was probably right even though up till now I haven't got it verified.
We wandered a little below the Tower and found the South Pillar at one of the corners. I figured the other corner would be North Pillar and it seemed to be selling similar tickets.
The counter staff asked me what ticket I wanted and the silly me thought I could only buy the stair-tickets to the 2nd storey and so that was what I did. You can actually buy to-the-top tickets (from 2nd storey up) from the same counter.
The centre of the Tower was under construction.
Can you see the stairs up the pillars? If you look carefully, you can see the tourists making their way up the stairs. That's how big the tower is.
The tickets
Security check before you enter the Tower
Read that some people had some items that alerted the system but they were not willing to part with the items for sentimental reasons and went away without entering the Tower. I was relieved that I had none of such on me.
On our way up
First Storey view
500th step
At the 2nd Storey
View from the 2nd storey
You have to give it to the ang mohs that they are indeed more romantic than Asians
We reached the top!
669th step
After spending a fair amount of time at the top, we decided to walk down the steps, just like how we came up.
The elevator ticket queue from the 2nd Storey
First floor - 21st storey
Second floor - 43rd storey
The sardine-packed lift
Sharing a lolli below the Eiffel Tower
We climbed the Eiffel Tower!
The Eiffel Tower climb was very leisurely. No sweat, no exhaustion. We took our time in climbing and admiring the view as we climbed. Baby did it without any complaints. However, I wouldn't recommend it to the old folks as the steps are indeed many and it may prove to be punishing to their knees.
We spent about 4 hours at the Eiffel Tower but we totally enjoyed it. The magnificence and magnitude of it only hit me when I was physically there. We kept going 'It's huge!' 'It's magnificent!' 'It's beautiful!'
'Magnificent' is the word.
Directions:
1. Take to Bir-Hakeim metro station (No. 6) that runs above ground. You can also get a view of the Eiffel Tower when approaching the station. Very exciting for the kids.
2. Alternatively, take to No. 9 Trocadero station. I hadn't tried this but read that the picture angle is better as you approach the Tower. Further away from the icon though.
Tickets:
Stairs to 2nd Storey
6 euro per pax
Elevator from 2nd Storey
Adult - 5 euro
Child - 3 euro
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