Champ de Mars and the Eiffel Tower

Another solo walk today, this time from the École Militaire to the Trocadéro.  The walk started off at the southeast end of the Champ de Mars, very near where we sat for the Bastille Day fireworks last month.  This is a daytime view of the École Militaire.  Founded in 1750 by Louis XIV as a military academy, it is still in use today for military higher education.

This is the Wall for Peace, a monument inspired by the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and designed by artist Clara Halter and architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

Another view, through the glass.

After the construction of the École Militaire the area to the north was leveled into the esplanade known as the Champ de Mars.  Today, it was full of tourists and Parisians baking in the hot sun.

After a little more walking (and stopping to buy a bottle of cold water) I arrived under the tower.  Here it is, in all its 1063-foot glory.

Up close the base really is enormous.  It has to be, to support the height.  The tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair and at that time was the tallest man-made structure in the world.  Today it is still the tallest structure in Paris.

Around the base, Gustave Eiffel included seventy-two names of French scientists and engineers.  Augustin-Jean Fresnel's specialty was wave optics.  He invented the Fresnel lighthouse lens (we know that name well).

If you are feeling adventurous, you can climb the stairs to the first and second levels (300 steps per level).  Or you can take the elevator, but it costs more.  The third (top) level can only be reached by elevator.

After checking out the insanely long queues, I vetoed the idea of going up the tower today.

This is the view from below the tower, looking up through the open center of the first floor platform to the second floor.

Eiffel specifically designed the graceful curves to help the tower withstand the wind.  As a testament to his design, the tower only sways a minimal 2 to 3 inches in strong winds.

I crossed over the Pont d'Iéna to the Trocadéro gardens, which was a popular spot for weddings today (I saw two just in the few minutes while I was there).

I went up the steps to the Palais de Chaillot, with its pretty gilded statues, to spend the rest of the afternoon at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine.  But I'll save that for another post.