Eiffel Tower-tastic!!

Brad and I spent 2 nights at the Eiffel tower! The first one we spent watching it from the park while having a picnic and the second we spent UP the tower!! Here we go!!

After our aforementioned river cruise we headed over to the lawn in front of the Eiffel tower ... well actually just to the side because you aren't allowed to sit on the lawn just in front. We laid out our picnic of screw top wine (it was less than 3 Euro for the bottle!), chocolate covered waffles and just for good measure some pringles! This was our view!

While we were sitting and waiting, about a dozen African guys started slowly walking towards us and both of us thought that for sure we were getting robbed. But it turned out they were the (illegal) street vendors that we had seen earlier in the day trying to evade the police!! As soon as they saw a policeman they started running through the dark park with all their mini Eiffel towers jingling behind them! 

At 11pm we got what we were waiting for: (I was clearly tired because I took the video sideways... you get the idea though)

After we watched it blink for 5 minutes (it does it at 10pm and 11pm) and finished our bottle of wine we got some crepes and headed back to the hotel! Not before taking some great pictures from underneath the tower!

On our second day at the tower we wanted to climb the tower to be at the top at sunset! So we started our ascent up the tower stairs! No line-up and it was half the price!! Yay budget!

When we finally got up to the second tower this was the view up

We are getting closer!!! But you need to take an elevator up! So we promptly got in the longest and most disorganized line ever. A bunch of people budged in line and then took pictures of it... so that made it ok? Right?? We were getting very very close to the front and this angry French woman started yelling "Let me see your tickets!!! Tickets now!!! The White side!!!!!" She was kinda nuts. Luckily we had tickets and showed her the correct side of them... not sure what would have happened if we didn't have said ticket. I'm sure a punch in the face would not have been out of the question.

We finally reached the elevator and were heading up!! And while we were heading up we caught the 10pm blinking show!

We made it!!

And then we made it up for sunset!!! It was gorgeous to watch the City of Light go from day to night up the Eiffel tower! It was the perfect way to spend our last night in Paris!