Your FIRST Day in FRANCE

Believe it or not, from today (November 17), there are 131 days between now and when we arrive in France!  It isn't long, so it's a great time to talk about our first day.

The plan today, is that we will arrive in France on Saturday, March 30th.  We will fly out on Friday, March 29th and arrive in the morning of the next day.  Depending on which hotel we stay in, we can check-in as early as 12:00 p.m.  So, from the Charles de Gaulle airport we will take a train into Paris and then a metro train and a short walk to our hotel.  (Yes, that means it would be smart to travel light and portable.  Think of all the transportation you will be using just to get to your hotel.)

 
There will be two goals for the first day: 1) Embrace and fall-in love with France.  2) Try to lessen the impact of jet-lag.  So, when we arrive at the hotel we will spend a little time to wash up and rest a bit, but we want to reset our body's clock to France time.  That means, even if you're exhausted, you really shouldn't take a long nap nor retire to bed too early.  






Saturday afternoon will be one of discovery.  A fantastic way to get to know this beautiful city is to take a tourist boat cruise on the Seine River.  The tour begins and ends at the base of the Eiffel Tower.  There are many cruise trip companies to choose from.  The one we have selected is Bateaux-Mouches.

Afterwards we will go visit the Eiffel Tower.  The tickets for this visit will be purchased individually because there are several options and therefore different prices.  If you're wary of heights, you could just opt not to go up the tower and be awed by it down below.  Or, you could walk up to the second level and take the elevator from there to the top.  Or, you could just take the elevator from the base to the second level and then take another one to the top.  (There are three levels.)  Check out the website to be informed and to know which option you prefer.

The Eiffel Tower is a fascinating icon of France with some interesting history.  You can check out this link.  Once it gets dark, the tower lights up and casts its seductive spell.  Yet, even more magical and mesmerizing are the flashbulb light effect that goes off every hour on the hour until 1:00 a.m. for about five minutes or so.

If interested, here are some MIND-BOGGLING facts that I found about this amazing monument (from this website http://myeiffeltower.com/eiffel-tower-facts):

Facts about Eiffel Tower construction

Number of bids submitted to construct the tower: 107
Number of people working on the design: 50
Number of drawings on the design: 5,300
Number of workers who built the parts: more than 100
Number of workers to assemble the parts on site: 132
Deepest foundations: 15 meters underground
Date on which construction began: January 28, 1887
Inauguration date: March 31, 1889
Time to complete construction: 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days
Square between the four pillars: 125 meters on each side
Space between the pillars on first platform: 4,415 m2
Space between the pillars on second platform: 1,430 m2
Space between the pillars on third platform: 250 m2
Weight of the metal structure: 7,300 tons
Total weight of the Eiffel Tower: 10,100 tons
Number of iron parts used: 18,038
Number of rivets used: 2,500,000
Number of steps to the top: 1,665
Total cost of construction: 7,799,401.31 french gold francs of 1889
Ownership: City of Paris

Facts about Eiffel Tower height

Eiffel Tower original height: 312 meters
Eiffel Tower current height: 324 meters
Height of first platform: 57 meters
Height of second platform: 115 meters
Height of third platform: 276 meters

Facts about Eiffel Tower elevators

Number of elevators from ground to second floor: 5
Number of elevators from second floor to top: 2 Duo-lifts
Capacity of North Pillar elevator: 920 persons/hour
Capacity of East Pillar elevator: 650 persons/hour
Capacity of West Pillar elevator: 650 persons/hour
Capacity of Duo-lifts: 1,140 persons/hour
Capacity of Jules Verne Restaurant elevator: 10 persons/ascent
Capacity of South Pillar goods elevator: 30 persons or 4 tons/ascent
Kilometers traveled by the lifts: 103,000 km a year

Other interesting Eiffel Tower facts

Lighting: 336 projectors (sodium lamps)
Number of sparkling lights: 20,000 (5,000 on each side)
Electricity consumption: 7.8 million kWh per year
Electric cables covering the structure: 80 km
Eiffel Tower is entirely painted every seven years
Weight of paint used: 60 tons
Surface to be painted: 250,000 m2
Time required to paint the Eiffel Tower: 15 to 18 months
Painters required: 25
Number of TV stations: 36
Number of radio stations: 31
Number of antennas: 120
Number of persons working on the tower: more than 600
Paper used to print the visitor’s tickets in a year: 2 tons
Quantity of detergents used for cleaning in a year: 400 liters
Bin bags used in a year: 25,000
Security and surveillance cameras: more than 100
Number of annual visitors: almost 7 million

I don't blame you if you can hardly wait to experience it yourself ... just 131 days (or less, see the counter below)!

COUNTDOWN CLOCKS

The Inspiration of Dreams, Past and Present: Versailles

Versailles is the grand palace and gardens that Louis XIV had built for mostly political motivations: physically and symbolically aggrandizing his power and stature in France, Europe, and the world with his neoclassical (and baroque) residence and entertaining grounds.




We will visit Versailles on Sunday (actually that will be Easter Sunday to be exact, March 31st).  The plan is to spend most of the day there.  The Museum Pass will give us entrance into the Palace.  And normally the gardens are open free of charge, however on Sunday we will pay an additional entrance fee to be able to see the fountains, which run only on select days now.  (I am still waiting to get the official word on when this starts.  Last year it began on March 31st, but they haven't yet announced the schedule for 2013.) 

I thought we would be within walking distance to the LDS ward in Versailles and thus give those interested the option of attending church.  However, a closer look and asking around, I've learned that it is a substantial haul.  We will have quite a bit of walking just with visiting Versailles; the gardens are 37,000 acres.  So, if anyone is nonetheless still interested in attending church in Versailles, then I would recommend getting a taxi from the train station, then join up with the group later.

You could bring a picnic for lunch or buy one at one of the cafés on the grounds.  There are many ways to explore the gardens: walking, biking, riding a golf cart, taking a tourist train, and even renting a paddle boat for the canal.

My husband Brent's two favorite things: Orangina and Versailles!

 The LDS Church is in the planning and preparation stages of constructing the first ever LDS Temple in France.  The construction could even have already begun by the time we are there.  Its location is not far from the gardens of Versailles, so if anyone is interested in walking by it, we will make sure we do it before catching the train back to Paris.