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Paris: To See or Not to See . . .

October 04, 2018 1 Comment

The last time I was in Paris, my husband, Mark, suggested we go to the Eiffel Tower. He'd always wanted to go but was put off by the long lines. This time the line was manageable, so we decided to wait.

Once we got close to the elevator, it felt as if we'd entered the tower's inner structure. The beams that surrounded us shot out at different angles looking like sculptures. The elevator was packed with people but we could still see the structure come to life as we rose to the second level.

When the doors opened at the top, we moved through the crowd until we were able to overlook the city. There before us was the great expanse of Paris in all its beauty.

We continued circling, looking out in all directions. It was so beautiful, and yet I felt disappointed: How could I possibly be disappointed? This was Paris. But I didn't dare say anything to Mark, certain that he would think I was nuts.

After finding a place to sit down and have something to drink, I pondered my feelings: why did I feel let down? Gazing around, I realized that Paris includes the Eiffel Tower and when you are on the Eiffel Tower looking out, you don't see the Eiffel Tower! As beautiful as the view is, if you don't see the iconic tower, it feels as though something is undeniably missing.

I burst out laughing and said, "Paris doesn't look like Paris when you're on the Eiffel Tower."

By all means go to the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy the view and take in the beauty of the structure. But if you want to see Paris with the Eiffel Tower, go to the Tour Montparnasse. You'll see the whole magnificence from there.

How about you?

Are you ever disappointed by your expectations?

Do you ever find that what you think you are going to experience gets in the way of the reality?

Do you ever concentrate on a detail so much that you lose the magnificence of the whole experience?

Olivia Santiago

October 12, 2018

Yea! I agree. Would be weird seeing the Paris skyline without seeing the Effie tower..
Living in NYC there are many iconic buildings which make up the one of a kind skyline. I always recommend going to top of the rock (30 rock) over the Empire State Building. Otherwise, something just isn’t right!

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