La Tour Eiffel at Dusk
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 • Paris, France
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Dear Parler Paris Reader,
There isn't much occasion to go to the 16th arrondissement, at least for me personally. Very few friends live in the district, although there are lots of Americans and other internationals who love the 16th for its large and spacious apartments, good schools and easy access by car to the suburbs and industrial parks where many work. Otherwise, it's not a district that is overrun with touristy sights, except for a couple of very important, not-to-be-missed ones, particularly the Place du Trocadero, the Palais de Chaillot and the Jardins du Trocadero -- from which there is no better view of the Eiffel Tower.
"Nuit Blanche" tour operator, Karen Henrich, rented a tiny apartment near the Trocadero for over a month, so I had the occasion to trek across town to see it. Walking through the 16th was a very different experience from a stroll through the Marais. The architecture is eclectic, "Haussmannian" style buildings mixed with more contemporary apartment complexes, and it's more residential than commercial -- not as many independent merchants on street level as in the 3rd or 4th districts.
At dusk, about 10 p.m., we started toward the Place du Trocadero and stepped right down into a park that few people know, but is particularly lovely, private and peaceful. When you follow the path, it takes you to the gardens and fountains on the lower level. Then, if you climb the stairs, you'll land on the plaza between the two buildings which make up the Palais de Chaillot.
As we worked our way down, around and up again, the sun sank and the light changed, therefore changing the mood of the scene and the way La Tour was silhouetted against the sky. Hoards of tourists were on the marble plaza, including us. That's when I realized how living here spoils you with so much beauty surrounding you on a daily basis -- it becomes the norm, rather than what's special.
Karen remarked that she loves to take a group by Métro to the Trocadero as when they exit the station, they are overcome by the surprise and stunning view of "La Grande Dame," the Champs de Mars behind her, all anchored by the Ecole Militaire and the cityscape of Paris at her feet.
This is not a new story, but it deserves to be retold -- as about 15 years ago, walking on the sidewalk in front of Ecole Militaire to cross to the 15th arrondissement, I was adjacent to a man walking at about the same pace. At that hour of dusk, the Eiffel Tower was silhouetted against a bright pink sky and could not have been a more magnificent sight. My compatriot walker never once looked up to admire her, which was so surprising, and I consciously vowed at that moment never to become so jaded as not to notice the sheer beauty of the structure.
Then, it sort of happened. She's there all the time, you see. You can't see her from EVERY point in the city, but from many. And there are lots of occasions on which to be on the grass of the Champs de Mars -- like on Bastille Day for the fireworks or other celebrations (even weddings). If you look up at the right moment in the evening, you might see her sparkle -- "every evening, the Eiffel Tower is adorned with its golden covering and sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, while its beacon shines over Paris").
The cafés that line the semi-circular place welcome tourists and offer up a broad range of delights. Over a frothy "café frappé" (iced coffee), on one of Karen's last nights in the city before heading west to her Vancouver home, we toasted life in Paris, the beauty of the symbol of the city that was close to being destroyed (1909), but saved thanks to her telegraphic antenna, and just the luck that we had being there at that moment...and every moment in the City of Light.
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
with Karen Hernrich, Tapbooks.org
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P.S. Happy Independence Days: Monday, July 4th in Paris (may you eat lots of burgers!) and coming soon, Thursday, July 14th Bastille Day (get ready for fireworks and the Fireman's Balls)! Stay tuned for more information on all we have in store for us here in France.
