If you ever take your chilren to see the Eiffel Tower, here is some information on the tower to share with your kids:

Engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel built the tower to be a part of the 1889 World's Fair. After the Fair was over, it was going to be torn down. But, as with many of these structures, it was kept because people were so fond of it. Sort of like the globes in Queens (where I was born) or the Space Needle in Seattle. It's too bad we can't recruit these architects to design some of today's buildings.

I've been to the Eiffel Tower....

It is fantastic...I went last year when they had the electronic clock on the structure ticking down towards the Millennium.

It is so big, and the grounds (gardens, streets etc) surrounding the tower are so beautiful...

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Welcome to my Snake Pit..

That is way cool Sypher!! I have never been there. What are the grounds like? Do they have lots of flowers there?

They have loads of flowers ans a few water fountains...

It is mostly pedestrianlized (I think that is the word to say No cars are allowed) and you can walk right under the tower itself.

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Welcome to my Snake Pit..

I wish I could go there. I just wish I could go to London. My step mother was a ballerina at the London Palladium (that's were she and my dad met). Anyway, she always talked about how beautiful London is. I was there when I was just a little girl and between the fog and the fact that I was such a curious child and was always running off somewhere, they put a harness on me. I must have looked like a human little dog.

JoJo... A few weeks ago on a rainy Sunday afternoon we watched a documentary on Eiffel from the very beginning of his plans for the tower to the present. I think it may have been on either Discovery or A&E. It was absolutely fascinating, especially when they were explaining the construction of the sections and how the elevators were installed...truly awesome. If I see it advertised again, I'll let you all know, it's really worth viewing. One bit of trivia was that when Hitler was in Paris, the elevators were under repair and he never got to the top because he refused to walk up the stairs! LOL I just thought that was humorous considering the millions of others who've somehow managed the walk.

BL

Thank you BrideLady, now I want to see it more tham ever. If you remember, please let me know when the documentary will be on again. I would really like to watch it.

Oh JoJo, I just adore London, all of the UK, and would love to spend more time there. Will have to win lotto first as it is very, very expensive, but you can come too (I would have, after all, won a big jackpot). The atmosphere at the base of the Effiel tower is amazing, very peaceful yet electric too. Must be because that's where tourists from all over the world are. Very crowded at the top and not much fun due to a group from a country that shall remain nameless pushing and shoving everyone out of the way so they could hog the windows.
(I think every photo I have of Paris contains the tower in the background.)

It's a deal Donnar!! You win that jackpot and I will pack my back and we'll be bound for London. Maybe Sypher will give us the grand tour. That would be more than grand.

Oh lordy - yes! Now I'm going to look at my photo albums again and pull out my memeory box of things too big to put in a scrapbook.

Oh Donnar, you should talk about the memories of your trips in the Memories forum and I could up a picture in the Scrapbook if you would like. I think that would fun. Just don't forget to buy that lottery ticket, my bags are already packed.

Done deal. Only, when we get our scanner, you'll regret saying that, but I do enjoy the scrapbook - you're doing a fantastic job on it.

Hey, didn't Eiffel design the Statue of Liberty as well?

Hi Donnar, I will check on that for you.

You know a couple of people have mailed their pictures to me and I scanned them myself for the Scrapbook. If you should decide to do that just e-mail me and I will send you my address.

The Eiffel Tower is wonderful! I was there in 1997 and have some wonderful photos of the sun setting from the top.

And London is great too, the subways are cleaner than the ones in Paris!

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"Never have so many suffered so much so so few could
be so happy." -Major Frank Burns

ladymacb29, would you happen to know the answer to Donnar's question by any chance?

If you want clean subways then go to Moscow - like palaces.

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From over the pond....

Hi JoJo...thanks to Donnar's question, I've now learned more about the Statue of Liberty. I'm ashamed to say, as a U.S. citizen, that I really didn't know all the details until now.

The sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty was a Frenchman, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi.

The intricate skeleton for the statue was designed by famed engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, already known for his brilliant iron railroad bridges, and later celebrated for the Eiffel Tower.

If anyone's interested in more, there's a great site at:
http://www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/sl/history/liberty.html

Thanks again, Donnar!

BL

Thank you BrideLady!! You are a doll!