The first time I saw the Eiffel Tower was at dusk. I was seventeen and just arrived in Paris with my best friend, the two of us having taken a coach, then another coach, then the Hovercraft, then another coach, then the Metro, to find ourselves on the Trocadero overlooking the Champs De Mars as night fell.
We were woefully unprepared, really, other than the fact that I spoke fairly good French. We had an address for our hotel but no real idea where it was, other than that it was ‘close to the Eiffel Tower.’ We’d taken the wrong coach from London to Dover because a group of handsome young men had also boarded it, then found that most of the francs we’d brought with us were out of date and no longer legal tender. However, as we walked across the paved area bounded by statues, the Tower ahead of us lit up as though welcoming us to Paris, and the troubles of the day were forgotten. And we instantly fell in love with the city.
This photo is from a more recent trip to Paris. This time the Eurostar took us there from London in less time than it had taken on the coach from Calais, all those years before. It was winter, but the city sparkled, as it always does, with lights. And this time we came upon the Eiffel Tower via a different route, a short road lined with exquisite apartment buildings opening up to a spectacular view. I still remember the gorgeous girl’s look of wonder when she saw the Tower for the first time.
Thank you for coming on another Wednesday Wander with me – see you next time!
Helen Glynn Jones 
My new roomie is Parisian and she says BA really is the Paris of the south. How exciting!
I have heard that – it looks to be a beautiful place, that’s for sure. Just like Paris 🙂
Love this story Helen… I’m intrigued about the group of handsome young men too! What happened there?
Thanks, Suzie. Ha ha, nothing happened except the ticket lady yelling at us for being on the coach to Brussels rather than the coach to Paris – luckily they were all going to Dover so it didn’t matter. The guys completely ignored us despite our best efforts, but then we met a couple of American guys who were loads of fun and thought we (my friend and I) were a bit mad 😆
Haha! You? Never! 😉
😉
Now that looks familiar… 🙂
I bet it does!
I could tell tales… Well, to be fair, I already have, one or two 🙂
I bet you could… and I think I remember one or two that you’ve shared already 😉
You may well do 😉
The hovercraft…oh my…
Across a very stormy English Channel – one of the wildest rides I’ve ever been on! We had to brace our feet against the seats in front to avoid being thrown around 😀
I can well imagine. I took a hovercraft from Yugoslavia (as it was) to Venice some 40 years ago, and it was like a roller coaster.
Yikes! Yes, it was kind of fun as a teenager, but I remember feeling quite sorry for an elderly couple in the seats near us – they were just clinging to each other and hanging on as best they could. Perhaps that’s why it’s no longer in commission?
I only got to visit Paris once, but it was an amazing and beautiful trip I won’t forget! I was with my parents then, so I let them do all the navigating while I just tagged along, haha. I have never traveled on a hovercraft though; sounds like you and your friend were quite adventurous back then for teenagers! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this fun story.
Thanks for reading! 🙂 Well, we were adventurous, I suppose, but also a bit oblivious haha – we were lucky it all worked out.
I remember pinching myself when I saw it, as I did when I stood before many European icons, that I was actually there, in Paris, by the Eiffel Tower! It’s a wonderful city—has a magical feeling in the air. I could live there, I reckon …
Oh, I would love to live in Paris! The first time I was there it felt so familiar, like I knew my way around already. There is something about the way the light falls and the architecture which is very pleasing to my soul. And you’re right, it’s quite something to see such an architectural icon – I still remember my first sight of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. 🙂
Girl yes, I would LOVE to live in Paris. Heck, anywhere in France. Only the Lord knows why I came back to America both times that I went. Shoot, my French was flawless back then; I would’ve been just fine there.
Ooh, flawless French too! It sounds like you and France are meant to be. I hope you get back there one day soon 🙂
Me too! The French is not as fantastic as it once was, but I can still fool people into thinking that I’m not American. I’m working on renewing what I once knew so I can speak with confidence again.
I used to be bilingual in French as well, but am quite out of practice. However, whenever I’m around french speakers for a few days it comes back, though I’m not as fluent as I was. I used to use it to fool people too, especially boys ;-D
Gotta love that 😉
hehe 🙂
The first time I visited France was when I was 16 in 2002. I haven’t been to France since spring of 2006. I miss it so very much and yearn to go back.
I hope you get to go back. Do you think your job will become international, eventually? I imagine free travel anywhere would be quite a perk 🙂 (although, I know you’d be working so it wouldn’t exactly be ‘free’)
I’ve only been to Paris once and it was not as dreamy as all this. The tower was impressive, for sure, even if the locals didn’t like it. 😉 Beautiful shot. And what an adventure for two young girls.
Thanks, Sarah. This was quite a different way to approach the Tower and we sort of did it by accident, wandering through Paris. It was pretty magical, that’s for sure. And my first time there was a hilarious adventure, my friend and I still laugh about it. We had a big bag of food, as someone had told us that people steal everything from hotel rooms in Paris (!), so all we brought for three days was clean underwear and a couple of t-shirts, wearing the same leggings and jackets the whole time. The bag of food saved us though, as our money didn’t work 😀
How’s eiffel tower? How tall it would be when you look closer? I love to read this blog
Thanks – I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog 🙂 The Eiffel Tower is 300m tall, so pretty big when you get up close to it!
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