Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Oh La La

A friend of mine from New York City was in Paris this past weekend and gave me a new perspective on the Eiffel Tower. She explained that she thought of it as a teasing Frenchwoman. "When you walk around Paris, you tend to get little glimpses of her," she said, "but it's really hard to see the whole thing at once." I had never thought about it in this way, but my friend was right. I have tons of pictures with partial sightings of the Eiffel Tower - a top here, a side there - but very few containing the entire structure. Despite her fame and role as Paris' most recognizable monument, she's not exactly centrally located within the city. You have to work to get to her. As I found out last night, when you do manage to get a full picture, the result is amazing.



In preparation for the Bastille Day fireworks and free outdoor concert, we staked out a spot in the middle of the Champs de Mars giving me a perfectly centered shot of the tower. As day turned to night, I kept snapping pictures in an effort to capture her changing ways. Between sets by Jenifer, Raphaël, and James Blunt, La Tour Eiffel took on completely different looks (wardrobe changes?) and cemented my idea of her as a master of playing hard to get. What is she? Sombre and dark? Bright and glowing? Sparkling and magical? The truth is, she is all of it and more. The perfect symbol of France; a country that is also difficult to categorize. Like the pictures and the tower itself, the fireworks were amazing and ever-changing. Set to opera music, the coordinated bursts and accompanying light show gave the tower her best look yet.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

woooowwwy I love those photos! I've been in Paris for 1 year, today, and I still cant get enough of the Tour Eiffel :)

Tanya said...

I feel the same way. It's just as cool the first time you see it, the tenth time you see it, the hundredth time you see it...