Foto: The Eiffel Tower by night (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
France - By the Seine, we can already see the Eiffel Tower, our next destination. Once we have crossed the Seine, one half of our group decides to take the metro to the Eiffel Tower, the other half walks. We have arranged to meet right under the Eiffel Tower. Walking turns out to be the fastest option. The queue to visit the Eiffel Tower is enormous. Not a pleasant prospect. Still, we join the line to visit. After about half an hour of waiting, we take the elevator to the second platform of the Eiffel Tower. From here, we already have a beautiful view over Paris. We can immediately join the next queue for the elevator to the top. After some time, we also reach the elevator here and arrive at 300 meters high. Paris looks very small from there. Twilight is slowly falling, creating a beautiful effect. Back on the second platform, the lighting is just being turned on. The Eiffel Tower is beautifully illuminated at night. We decide not to take the elevator down but to walk down the stairs to the first platform. Through the stairs in the pillars, we have a nice view of the structure of the tower from the end of the 19th century. Occasionally, we are dazzled by bright lights. On the first platform, we look for a staircase down. Strangely enough, this seems difficult. Just when we think there might be no staircase open to the ground floor, we find a staircase in the fourth and last pillar that is open. When we reach the bottom, it is already dark. The lighting of the Eiffel Tower stands out beautifully against the dark sky.
Lille a piece of Belgium in France
France - At the Opera and the new exhibition center, we are at Place du Théâtre. This square, together with Place du Général de Gaulle, forms the center of Lille. The squares are separated by the old stock exchange building. In the courtyard of this 1652 building, ...
Mont Saint Michel
France - Mont Saint-Michel is a small, rocky peninsula in France. The island lies about one kilometer off the coast near the town of Avranches in Normandy. It was originally a tidal island: accessible by land at low tide but surrounded by water at high tide. Today, ...
Notre-Dame
France - With one metro transfer, we arrive at the metro stop near Montmartre. Through narrow streets, we walk uphill toward the Sacré-Cœur. From the stairs, the church is beautifully lit. At Montmartre square, we look for a place to eat. Many restaurants have ...
Palace of Versailles
France - Classified as a World Heritage site for 30 years, the Château de Versailles is one of the finest achievements of French art in the seventeenth century. The former hunting lodge of Louis XIII was transformed and expanded by his son Louis XIV in 1682. ...
The medieval village of Eze
France - Eze-Village is an enchanting medieval hilltop village that towers above the Mediterranean Sea, between Nice and Monaco. The village sits on a steep rock at approximately four hundred meters high and offers spectacular panoramas over the Côte d’Azur ...
The old district of Nice
France - The old district of Nice, known as Vieux Nice, forms the historic and lively heart of the city. As soon as you step into this neighborhood, it feels as if you have entered another time. Narrow, winding streets are lined with tall, colorful facades in ...