Getting High in Paris

     Ha!  Gotcha, you bunch of old hippies.  I'm not referring to mind altering substances, but to places with high elevations.  We went to three spots with a view.

The Eiffel Tower is named after its engineer, Gustave Eiffel.  It was built in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.  At 1,063 feet tall, it is the tallest structure in Paris.  

Mike took this picture during our night time Seine River Cruise.

The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.  This monument is only 164 feet in high, but a lower view can be more fun - like watching the world go by from the attic window.

France's unknown soldier from World War I is interred at the Arc de Triomphe.

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was built on top of butte Monmartre.  You can climb the many steps to the church, or you can take a funicular car up the hill.  

View from the Sacré-Cœur.

   
     During our visit we saw a number of couples posing for wedding pictures.  My cousin told me that, unlike Americans, most French couples do the professional wedding photos after the wedding.  On the one hand, it seems like a lot of trouble and expense to get coiffed, manicured, and dressed up a second time.  On the other hand, with the wedding day behind them, the bride and groom are more relaxed.  It must be a major relief not to worry about damaging the dress.

This bride, posing at the Eiffel Tower chose a red gown.

This couple posed in the traffic circling the Arc de Triomphe.