Climbing up Eiffel Tower is something that have been on my bucket list for the longest time. And when I was in Paris on my honeymoon, I told myself I must up there. No matter what it takes. Little did I know I did get up there but it was much harder than expected.
So here's what happened. The day we decided to climb up Eiffel Tower was wet and downcast. Since we had made reservations to to have dinner at 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant, we got ourselves dressed up and the taxi drop us opposite Eiffel Tower.
When we confirmed our reservation at the restaurant counter at the base of the tower, we were told that the lift will only take us to the 1st floor where the restaurant were located, and if we want to get to the higher floors we either had to pay extra or take the stairs. Rockstar and I look at each other and without hesitation, we said 'Stairs!'. I think the additional 14 Euro per person was a turn off. So stairs it is.
The 1 century old lift took us up and drop us off at the 1st floor. Sadly, the view wasn't that great. It was still drizzling slightly. We found the stairs and started climbing. It was fun at the beginning. But slowly, it became harder. The stairs seems endless, going round and round and up and up. Panting, puffing, stopping whenever we could. It's no joke. We stopped like at every platform at the top of each flight of stairs. We did see people passing us but they were all heading down. I think we were the only crazy ones climbing up Eiffel Tower in that weather.
But finally... finally, we arrived on the 2nd floor @ 115m above ground. Weeeee!!! I almost jumped for joy if my legs didn't ache that much. Even though it might not sound that we did, but I guarantee you, we did enjoy it. The cool weather helped kept us cool.
The view is so beautiful. It was getting late and as the rain was still drizzling, we did not get a view of the sun set. However, we did get to enjoy a hot cup of hot chocolate while huddling together in the strong, freezing wind, as we watch Paris comes to light.
Although I wished we had continue our journey up to the top, time and the weather did not allow us that. It was getting really, really cold and late and we had to be at the restaurant in time for sitting. The lift took us down and dropped us off again on the 1st floor.
We had the Opera Menu which comes with a glass of wine, starter, main course and dessert for 67 euro per person. Our table wasn't fantastic as we made a last minute reservation. We were told that if we wanted a table at the side with an unhindered view of Paris, we had to make reservations at least 6 months in advance. Tip for travelers : Don't hesitate. It's an experiences not to be missed. Book way in advance. Anyway, here's what we had.
Starter : Seared tiger prawn, avocado, soya and sesame dressing
Starter : Smoked salmon terrine, citrus dressing and olive oil pearls
Main Course : Seared salmon fillet, carrots, green peas, white butter sauce
Main course : Roasted chicken breast, green asparagus, morel cream sauce
Dessert : Profiterole with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce
Dessert : Rum cake with vanilla whipped cream
The food isn't superb but good enough to pass. We didn't have much view of Paris. Our table was so cramp that if I wanted, I could have reached out and helped myself to a piece of lamb of our next-table neighbour. But these are what made it so special. It's so uniquely French with its tiny tables, light french conversations floating over the chinks of wine glasses, soft music, and black bow waiters. And I could not have asked for a better company :)
It was a wonderful experience (although our pockets hurt quite a bit) and one of our highlight in Paris. And I can at least say that I did climb Eiffel Tower with my bare legs almost freezing with the cold and my 4 inch heels. :)
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