Le Tour Eiffel

Once Stephanie and I returned from Dublin, we prepared ourselves for a week of sightseeing with her sister, Melissa, brother-in-law, Hayden, and their two friends, Andrew and Holly. The two couples had been traveling Europe and happened to be meeting in Paris the same time as Stephanie's visit.

Tuesday night we went to the Eiffel Tower. I went up in the Tower when I was 16 years old, and I remember it being cold and cloudy but magical. This time it was less cold and less cloudy but also a little less magical.

There are the people who come to France because of the Eiffel Tower, and then there are people who come to France despite the Eiffel Tower (yes many think it's an eyesore). I don't find myself in either category - it's never been my favorite Parisien attraction but I don't dislike it. During the day, I don't understand the obsession - it's a large tower of steel resembling an erector set. However, at dusk it begins to glow a faint organge that constrasts beautifully with the darkening blue sky. At night, it becomes even more enchanting when it lights up, shining against the black sky and reflecting off the Seine. And, I have to admit, for a building, it's incredibly photogenic - day or night.

Once you've ascended in the glass elevator, the appearance becomes irrelevant, and it's all about the view. And the view is incredible, yes. You can see across the city to the outskirts of Paris. However, although it's exciting to be able to recognize the monuments and sights, that magic that comes with first seeing the overwhelming view of a new city has dimmed. It was there 10 years ago, it was there overlooking the city in Florence, even overlooking Paris from the Centre Pompidou, but now...? I think I've come to know the city well enough that I can no longer just look out over Paris and see the sum of the parts come together in a magical view. Now I look out and I see the individual streets, the individual buildings, the bad parts, the good. The magic is gone replaced by a new understanding of the city that is more based in reality. Maybe it's the difference between those first few months of blind puppy love and the lifetime of love you feel once you really come to know and accept someone/something, faults and all. My puppy love with Paris is gone, now I can see its faults and appreciate its beauty, which makes my relationship with the city that much stronger.