PARIS: Ideas for getting up the Eiffel Tower?

[ActiveMSers]

Well, one of the landmark's main elevators is on the fritz and waits for the other one are exceeding two hours. Meh, I'll pass. But I might try to climb the stairs to the main level (300+ steps) and then see how my legs feel. If it is on the last night of our France trip, I might the second level a try, another 300 steps. But maybe not. I gotta get down!

[penkalet]

Hello Dave,

They have a restaurant on the first floor and if you make a reservation you may have a priority on the elevator. Just may be!

When are you going to France ? and what other places you will visit ?

Are going to play that "petanque" game.?

I will be leaving also for France the 4th of June.

Bon Voyage.

Your French active MSer Alain

[Dulcinea714]

Hi,
I am heading to France the first week of June. It is a family trip courtesy of my wonderful cousin. We will be staying near EuroDisney, but I know we will wander.
My other cousin, who is a frequent visitor to France, will take us on a tour of his favorite wineries.
My aunt, the art expert of the family, will take us to the Louvre.
We might spend one day at EuroDisney.

[penkalet]

Hi Dulcinea,

I guess Dave is having a blast in France because he is not responding to his messages!!

I wish you the best time in France .

Alain

[ActiveMSers]

Dulcinea, Alain, I have returned! I have lots to do to catch up, but in a word France was fantastic. A quick tip: if you need walking assistance, most pharmacies rent wheelchairs (8-12 euro a day) and if you use one, you get VIP treatment, bypassing all lines, getting into museums free, and even getting shuffled to the front of the Mona Lisa ahead of everyone else! And yes, Alain, I rolled a few balls in your honor.

[penkalet]

Super,

You survived France and even had fun!!

I am glad they treated you well and I'm very proud that you've been initiated to the honorable society of petanque!

Remember that I spend all my summer there in the south and if you go again your are welcome to visit us in my small village.

A bientot.

Alain

[Dulcinea714]

I didn't know that about wheelchair rental in Paris. We have one day left and we are going to disney tomorrow. I know they have wheelchairs, because I found that info online.
We went to Eiffel Tower and ate at level one for lunch, they do not take reservations for lunch, only dinner. According to the website dinner price is about 85 euro/person and you need to make reservations a few weeks in advance (I didn't try soon enough). Level 2 restaurant does reservations for lunch and dinner, but it is pricey, more so for a party of 8, which would have been 200/person for lunch and 300/person for dinner.
There is a long line for entry, but there is a little building with an awning that says "restaurant" that will sell you a ticket for the eiffel tower with a designated lunchtime and you can bypass the line and get on the next lift. The ticket is for the eiffel tower and cost us about 5 euro each. You will pay for the meal at the restaurant. There is a fixed menu with choice of appetizer/main course/dessert for 24euro, less if you only want main course plus dessert or appetizer. I thought the lunch was very good and worth the cost.
I walked up the stairs from level one to level two and that was as far up as I was going, but it was beautiful from there.
Things I liked about this trip:
The Eiffel Tower-my daughter insisted we go. I came to Paris once, 25 years ago, a weekend trip from Germany with an army buddy. I didn't want to see the Eiffel Tower. You know it's made of metal, but to see it in person, it looks alot like lace. It is just really neat.
The museum pass-access into 60 museums in/around Paris, which also gets you quick entry into some museums (but not the Louvre, there you have to wait in line with other ticket holders, but not the line for purchasing tickets). I am now thinking a wheelchair and my pass would have gotten me in quick.
The open tour bus-this is a four route two level bus that gives you a quick and easy tour of Paris. Hop on and off as you please. Note: that there are stairs to get to the second level, but I did it and the bus driver does not drive until people are seated. You get headphones that you plug in and set the channel to your chosen language and learn a little about Paris and decide what attractions are most appealing and a must see/do.
Le Boutique Maille, a mustard shop near the Madeleine metro stop. Picked up some unique gifts (mustard) drawn and bottled straight from the tap in front of you. One of my cousins has to get mustard here every time he visits.
The navigo pass-good for train/metro/bus valid Monday thru Sunday. We are outside of Paris, near Disney, so it was a must have item. If you are spending 3 days or more making frequent trips on the train/metro/bus, this is the best deal, you will need a picture to put on your navigo pass-our resort copied our drivers licenses and we cut the pictures out and they were the perfect size.
Things I didn't like:
Not knowing french. I speak english and german and a small amount of spanish. French just blows me away, you can tell me how to say a word, I learn to say it and five minutes later I can't say it. I just butcher french.
The Marriot resort. If you know and like Marriot, this is not Marriot quality. Maintenance and housekeeping have spent more waking hours in our villas than we have. In other Marriot resorts we only had maid service once during our week stay, which was what we expected for a two bedroom unit with a livingroom, kitchen and washer/dryer. The units are also not handicap accessible-I am still walking but the bedrooms and showers are upstairs. The stairs are narrow and turn and a fellow guest fell the other morning and he has no mobility issues. The showers are scary (the shower door doesn't seal and lets water out and it is a step up to get into the shower) and the front desk was just not the usual helpful Marriot staff when we arrived, so we gave up asking for anything. The resort is also 45 minutes from Paris and there isn't much to do here except Disneyland. A quick search online, I found several 3.5 to 4 star Paris hotels within my acceptable price range. Marriot resorts are better for places like Aruba, Hawaii and Hilton Head.
Only spending a week here. A couple of us thought about adding a few days directly in Paris to our trip, but we couldn't agree on days and my cousin who visits France regularly (and speaks some french) couldn't stay. I recommend staying at least two weeks, or three or four, but definitely more than one.
So, that is it for now, sorry if it is too long. Disney is tomorrow. If will try to post next week about my day at Disney and possibly the trip home.