Don't always believe the ticket agent

When my dear Auntie found out that I was going to be in Paris the same time as she was, she changed her dinner reservation for one person at the 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant to a reservation for two people.  It meant that dinner time would now be the second seating at 9:00 pm.  It was late, but we thought that it would just give us more time for tourist-ing that day.

I was so excited!  Not only would I get to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower but I would also get to eat there!  So you can imagine my dismay and disappointment when the ticket agent said that with the 9:00 pm dinner seating there isn't time to go to the top of the tower before it closes.

Well I was determined to visit as much of the tower as I could, so when I discovered we had 30 minutes before dinner would start, I climbed from the 1st floor, where the restaurant is, to the 2nd floor.  That's 327 steps....on a cold windy night, after a long day of walking and with a hungry stomach.  But it was well worth the effort!  Climbing the steps gives a unique sensation of being outside and inside at the same time and the views from the 2nd floor are wonderful!

Back down on the 1st floor, dinner at the 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant was delicious and fun.  The decor is stylish and the service is friendly and efficient.  Sure it has a slight "tourist-trap" feel, but....it's the Eiffel Tower!  It is a 1,063 foot high wrought iron icon.

When dinner finished at 11:00 pm, I contemplated going to the top before it closed at Midnight.  It meant taking the 327 steps again without any guarantee that I could take the elevator to the top once I got to the 2nd floor.  Up I went...on a cold windy night, after a long day of walking, and now with a full stomach and after a couple of glasses of wine.  I admit that I paused at step 100 and asked myself what I was doing, but I pressed on.

I reached the 2nd floor, bought my ticket to the top, jumped into the elevator which I had all to myself, reached the top and enjoyed the spectacular views for quite a long time before reluctantly heading back down very happy that I hadn't believed the ticket agent....