When I lived in the UK, one of the projects I worked on required me to go to Paris every few weeks for the day. Since I needed to be there at 9:00 on Sunday mornings, I had to fly over on Saturday. I got to know Paris pretty well, a day at a time, and my French language skills showed a vast improvement.
A highlight of each trip, which was otherwise grueling and difficult, was seeing the Eiffel Tower which just turned 126 years old. You may have seen the Google Doodle.
I am endlessly fascinated by the images taken over the year and a half that it took to construct the Tower.
As I would walk around Paris, it was always fun to try and spot the Tower and see if I could get my bearings, the way I used to do with the World Trade Centers in New York. I took dozens of pictures of it, in all kinds of light, but lost most of them when my computer was stolen soon after I moved back to the States.
I did save a few pictures, and when I started this blog, I needed some words to live by and selected these, which still appear on the blog: The difference between an ordinary life and an extraordinary life is finding extraordinary things in an ordinary life. I knew how lucky I had been to have so many amazing experiences when I lived abroad, so I took one of my images of the Eiffel Tower and superimposed my words to live by over it.
I made this more than nine years ago, and it still sits in my kitchen. I still try and live by those words.
Happy Birthday dear Eiffel Tower and thanks for the memories!
Great story. I have a special place in my heart for the Eiffel tower. The first time I saw it I was 21 and came to Paris to meet up with my German university boyfriend who'd gone home for the summer. This was pre-email and about an hour before my flight I was paged at the airport to say he couldn't get out of Düsseldorf on time and couldn't meet me in Paris for a couple of days. So I flew to Paris and had two days without him and walked and walked. Went out walking and finally saw the Eiffel tower in the distance. And walked towards it for an hour (I was staying at an apartment of a friend in the 20th). I walked all the way across Paris and saw it alone the first time. What a beautiful day. All to myself.
ReplyDeleteI have seen and gone up it many times, but two years ago (after 9 years together) David asked me to marry him as we stood on the top platform. Boy was I surprised!!! So lots of fond feelings for it.
:)
So glad you have lovely memories too.
What a great story! Thanks for sharing. xoxo
Deleteloved the story about the eiffel tower + also loved the saying you have in your kitchen. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteMeg I love hearing about your times in Paris and the meaning that the Eiffel Tower holds for you!
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts of life are absolutely the best!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Ellipsis: Dual Vision
Thanks so much!
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