Eiffel Tower and environs

The Eiffel Tower is located at the end of the Champs de Mars, a lovely set of gardens and lawns stretching from the front of the École Militaire. As you enter the fields dedicated to the god of war, you pass by a monument to peace, which is an interesting message.

I did not in fact climb the steps to the second level of the Eiffel Tower because the pillar we went up offered only elevator access. We found this out after waiting in line 15 minutes (this is a relatively short wait, by the way; we bought tickets before leaving the US, and without tickets it can take much longer), so we gave in with good grace and took the elevator. We did walk down from the second level, but that's a much less strenuous, if somewhat giddy, undertaking. A ticket gets you up to three different levels: two nearer the ground, and then the top of the tower. The signage at all three levels is poor, and it is all too easy to inadvertently get caught up in a dense polyglot human gyre slowly circling the outer edge of the tower awaiting an elevator up or down. However, each level has two stages, one of which is much less crowded; once you can find your way to it, the viewing is far more leisurely and less pressured at this second level. I suppose I should be happy the signage doesn't direct more people to these levels? On the other hand, an even distribution of human bodies might be more advantageous.

At any rate, being up in the tower gives a superb view of the city and its more notable structures and landscapes. This trip up the tower and the boat tour yesterday provided a good orientation to the city. Sacre Coeur is clearly visible from up there (on a hill to the northeast, one of the highest points in Paris), and various other cathedrals and monuments are also visible. Despite the wind, rain, and cold, it was a great deal of fun to start matching images to my mental map.

The Trocadero Gardens and the Palais de Chaillot are on the other side of the Seine from the tower. The Fountain of Warsaw (water cannons shooting water periodically out into a long rectangular pool) is a key feature of the gardens, and various sculptures are placed near the fountain and the palace. (This city seems to have as many outdoor sculptures as it does pigeons, and that's saying a lot.) The palace consists of two beautifully curved symmetrical buildings (especially lovely from the tower). It was the site at which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man late in 1948, and the esplanade des droits de l'homme contains eight gilded figures representing various human rights. I was most moved by a stone set into the pavement before the esplanade that described the importance of freedom of expression and was dedicated to journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty. To paraphrase the Moody Blues, Keep on thinking and writing free.