The 1889 World Fair in Paris (30/8)

Arc de Triomphe from Eiffel Tower

We took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower to beat the queues. This was going to be a first for Allan even though he has been to Paris 4 times previously. The queue to use the stairs was, not surprisingly, the shortest and was the method we had chosen anyway. Once up at the second level you can then catch a lift to the top if you want, but you are not permitted to climb any further. We believe it was quicker to buy our tickets and climb up to the second level than it was to join the other queue and get a lift to the same place. Whereas the lifts to this level go up the legs, the one from the second level goes straight up the middle.

Lower lift path on Eiffel Tower

We thought the effort was worth it. The view was really great even though the air was a little hazy and it was much easier to pick out landmarks from the top than it was from the second level.  On the way back down we stopped at a display which talked about the construction of the tower and about Eiffel.  He was also behind the building of the Statue of Liberty.  For the Tower, in order to get it built in time and to manage the logistics, sections of the tower were pre-fabricated off-site and then welded together on-site with small teams.  This obviously reduced the number of trips up and down the structure.  The lifts themselves were interesting as the ones in the legs change the angle they go up at, and the first ones were hydraulically-powered.  There is certainly a lot of structure which needs to be kept painted to protect it.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

We spent some time enjoying a small quiet garden near Les Invalides catching up with correspondence and people watching (the French sport, so we had to indulge), then looked at a photographic exhibition relating to WWI which had recently been commemorated here – mentioned participants from many countries, but only once of Australia.

Interesting sculpture at Petit Palais

Our next stop was the Petit Palais, an interesting art museum. It was originally built to be part of the same World Fair that the Eiffel Tower was built for. It was a very open building with nothing too extravagant about it and very uncluttered, with the exhibits ranging from Greek and Roman objects to early 20^th century works.

A relaxed day, and a relaxed meal back towards our hotel.