La Tour Eiffel

June 20, 2012

Who can visit Paris without at least trying to go up in the Eiffel Tower? Molly chanted "Eiffel Tower" every time we talked about it, so we decided to brave the crowds. And indeed, there were crowds. Although we had planned on arriving early to avoid the long lines, we ended up sleeping in (at last!), and found ourselves in the thick of the crowds. Plus, it turns out, one of the two elevators was out of service, so everyone who wasn't prepared to walk up to the first level was forced to wait in the same line.

We did everything we could to try to make it go smoothly, and the grandparents were amazing at whipping out tricks and distractions at every possible moment. But the truth of the matter is that the wait was at least an hour and a half, and tears were shed by each kid (not to mention the ones the adults wanted to shed!). But we made it, and as far as I can tell it was worth it, if only because as soon as we were going up in the elevator the kids forgot the long wait in the line.

The views from the top were, of course, amazing. The construction is beautiful. And on the way down, Zach, Molly, and I decided to walk down from the 2nd level, which was a fun was to feel immersed in the tower.

After the climb, we took our picnic to the nearby park and the girls ran around for a while. Until I began feeling sick and so Susie and I headed back to the hotel for extra rest, while Zach, Charly, and the girls stayed on for a carousel ride.