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Published: August 7th 2006
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I had heard the travel stories and seen the photos, but I was still amazed and looked in awe at the huge structure ahead of us. The Eiffel Tower was on the top of our list and considering we only had a few hours in Paris, it was the only item on the list. At first glance it was just a spire off into the distance, hiding in between trees, buildings and the city itself, but as we got closer the true size became apparent. Getting there on foot took us ages and we must have walked kilometres in its general direction until its view became clearer and we could see exactly how to get there. If you haven't seen it for yourself, and you must, the Eiffel Tower stands proudly next to The Parc du Champ de Mars, which is a rectangular park between the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire (military school). The problem was we approached from behind the military school, so we had to walk right around it in order to get anywhere near the tower. The park was once a military parade ground and is a huge rectangular grassy garden and leads away from the School
but nowadays is a great place to meet for lunch as many Parisians do. This park is also the choice vantage point for most photographers as it allows you to get the whole tower in shot. We soon found that getting the whole tower in frame requires you to walk back a good hundred meters or so. Getting yourself in the photo is nearly impossible without the help of some other struggling tourists. Did we climb it? No, the crowds were enormous and we didn't have the patience or time as our train was scheduled to leave for Bayonne soon. I bought a drink, sat down underneath and watched the patience disappear from people's faces as the queue failed to move at more than a snails pace. We made the right call, but I will definitely have to come back one day soon and climb it at dusk. London has a train link direct to Paris , so it's all too easy.
My list of destinations that I "must come back to" just keeps growing. 😊
Our time was up in Paris , so instead of walking all the way back; we caught a train
to our departure station and boarded the high speed TGV to Bayonne. I knew the TGV trains hauled ass, and it did, but I found out later that it can cruise at over 300km/h all day. That's 186 Miles an hour for the oldies! J
Here are some touristy facts! - The Tower is repainted every 5 years, necessitating 50 tonnes of paint. In 2005, the Tower welcomed 6,428,441 visitors. Number of Workers Killed during Construction: 1. Maximum sway in wind: 12 cm. 😊
The TGV took us all the way to Bayonne and after a quick ride from the station; we were soon at the beach. Hossegor, the first major stop on Craig's endless summer surfing safari is a famous wave on the south west coast of France and is frequented by many surfers and the pro surfing tours. The waves are perfect and bloody powerful, and we only experience it during low season! I can imagine this beach would be packed during the pro tour season as it has everything for the perfect surf. I swam a few times to escape the heat, but even swimming was a real mission
as the waves are relentless and push you over and then suck you back out to sea as soon as you try to stand. I think paddling out on a board is the only real way to do it. Craig loved it and was out on the board for hours which turned into days. I'm sure he'll want to come back with a camper van and some more surfing mates as this place is just too good to pas through in a few days. During the week or so we were there, I hired a mountain bike as it was a good way to see the town and everyone in France rides. The bikes were cheap and it beat walking the 3km each way to and from the hotel. We were lucky enough to still be in Hossegor for the world cup final and it was looking like being a huge street party if France had of won, but those damn Italians stole the show and walked away with the victory. We naturally went for France as the Italians knocked Australia out in the second round earlier and we wanted France to rub it in! When Italy won the mood
of the place changed and everyone just quietly walked away. It was a bit of a shame as the night just ended suddenly, but that's how it goes in the word cup. A few lonely Italians were left to celebrate by themselves with fireworks and horns and for a minute there I thought we would be in the middle of a fight, but it was all surprisingly calm and in under 10min, barely anyone was left.
More surfing, swimming and showing off my mountain bike skills followed over the next few days until came time to head south to Mundaka, Spain. I didn't know it at the time, but it meant another interesting long bus ride which involved me almost getting left behind half way in the middle of nowhere. 😊
Cheers,
Darren
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Jeff
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Hi Darren from DownUnder
Great photos, gee I envy you being there. The Eyefull Tower is indeed a massive structure. Enjoy your blogs, kep them coming. Jeff Cox PS Jim has a JOB!