Eiffel Tower Telescopes | Elegant French Style

A Moment In France

Remembering Paris in the rain with gold and silver telescopes on the Eiffel Tower offers mental relief from the oppressive August temperatures in Texas and the oppressive confines of no travel during the pandemic in 2020. 

With no physical way to beat the heat by traveling in person, I am beating the heat by leisurely browsing through my photos of my last visit to Paris during a cool month in September. 

As I came upon a group of rainy-day photos, I paused to stare off into the heat-searing whitened blue skies and remembered a visit to the Eiffel Tower with my sister, just the two of us.  

The Eiffel Tower telescopes, dripping with rain under misty, overcast gray skies remind me of our travel schedules developed over the years. Whatever the weather, no outing was canceled. We dressed for the weather and proceeded with our day optimistically, promising ourselves, and any companions, we would have a good time. 

e i f f e l   t o w e r   t e l e s c o p e s 

E l e g a n t   F r e n c h   S t y l e

Recall I often traveled as a chaperone for high school students touring France and surrounding countries. It was always important to help students learn how to navigate life's ups and downs with a positive outlook. You know, we aren't born with skills to work through unexpected turns. Travel and its adventures are a grand way to learn to face life's twists calmly and to carry on... as the British say. 

Sometimes when we travel, we do alter our destinations due to rainy weather, like trading a day planned on the French Riviera for an inside glass-blowing tour in a small French village instead. 

Don't you know some of those past unplanned alternate outings created some favorite memories! 

Yet, sometimes keeping the original destination, in the rain, creates memorable times and images from a different perspective. 

View of Invalides Museum in the mist from the Eiffel Tower

On the day we planned to visit the newly renovated Eiffel Tower, rain was falling, but we decided to keep our plan and to visit the Tower... in the drizzle. We had visited the Tower multiple times in years past and thought about changing our plans, but this was our first trip to Paris after the Eiffel Tower reopened following renovations by a private commercial owner. 

We wanted to see the changes including the highly advertised new clear glass floor area and new public areas on the first floor. 

An unexpected good surprise was there were few tourists since the tourist season slowed in September, and the rainy weather caused others to make alternate plans. 

The new sleek coin-operated telescopes on the second floor provide closer views of Paris. The third floor at the top also has telescopes to get closer views of the city below.  

Is anyone surprised at the elegant design of the telescope? This is France, after all. A country renowned for elegance in historical design and avant-garde design. And, it is the ultimately chic city of Paris. AND... the telescopes are in the most visited monument in the world, Tour Eiffel... over 7 million visitors a year, in normal times. 

Touches of bright gold and sleek silver metals elevate the utilitarian telescope to a work of art with French style, beautiful even dripping with rain and covered in water spots. 

Even under adverse conditions that change our original plans for the day, there are still things worth doing and seeing when we proceed with the day optimistically, and promise ourselves we will have a good day. 

Eiffel Tower telescopes were an unexpected beautiful highlight of elegant French style in the rain. Regardless of how carefully we plan, there will always be unforeseen twists in our journeys. 

Fortunately, some of the twists provide 

joie de vivre 

(joy of living) 

even in the rain. 

Here's hoping you and your family are experiencing some unforeseen moments of pure joy in your life's journey.

Be safe, and proceed with your days optimistically!