Today is the big day. I am going to the Eiffel Tower. Yes, the dream of every little girl who walks this earth, the universal symbol of love. Every girl wants to go up the Eiffel Tower with the man of their dreams, and kiss above the Paris skyline. I’m 35 and have long realized that was a corny Hollywood cooked-up dream. I am in Paris alone and no man in tow. But to see the tower still felt like a dream come true.
It was quite exciting. I made it a point to leave the hotel early, so I could have breakfast at Eiffel. I told SL about my breakfast plans last night and he was green with envy.
I got out of the train station and followed the signs. Walk a few blocks and still no tower in sight. I was starting to wonder whether I stopped at the right station when it appeared from behind the build. My heart actually did a cartwheel for a few seconds. I stopped to take in the view. Eiffel was beautiful!
It’s tall and strong, yet slender and soft. That adrenalin rush however, was only for that few seconds.
The exhilaration diminished with each step I took. Damn, it was far! My tummy was starting to growl. The thought of a yummy warm breakfast was what kept me going.
Some things just look better from afar, and Eiffel is one of them. As I approached the base of the tower, I see the raw steel bars that the tower was made off. It’s anything but slender. It’s hard and cold. The edges are cruse and rough. Nothing romantic about it.
And there was no food! The stalls were still closed. Nothing edible in sight.
And to top that, the bee line for the elevator was turn off – it was looong. The price for the elevator ticket was steep - €30 (RM180). I was starting to feel miserable about Eiffel. My tummy said, “let’s get out of here and get some real food”. My brain says, “that’s it, so fast?!”?
Then I saw it – the entrance to the stairs. Plus it was far cheaper. To climb the stairs, I paid €4. OK, I may have bad knees, but I am quite sure I can still make it. I’ll climb slowly. The incentive – no queue. No rocket science there – I decided to rely on knee power.
Probably 100 steps into the climb, it started to feel like a bad idea after all. The stairs seems to spiral forever. I kept looking up and all I see was darkness. The bold was biting my nose. My muscles were starting to burn. But I was too far up to abandon the climb. And it was not characteristic of me to give up. I soldier on.
As with all journeys and all stairs, there is always an end. And I did reach the platform. The view was breath-taking. I was happy. And the universe rewarded me – there was a bakery up on Eiffel! I bought a chocolate croissant and a cap, and had my breakfast, not under the Eiffel, but on Eiffel! What a treat!
I took this picture and sent to SL. He said the tower looked short. That idiot! I replied that it looked short because I was halfway up. Hrmphhhh… But he was a sweetie, send gentle loving rubs to my knees. Up above the Parisian sky, on the monument of love, I knew I could love him forever.
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