5 Things You Probably Don't Know About the Eiffel Tower

Image by Anirudh Koul via Flickr
Author: Fredrik

1. The French government first announced the plan to build an iron monument on the Champ de Mars by opening up a design contest to the public. The results were secretly predetermined as soon as Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel presented his idea. His structure was so original and magnificent that no other contest entries could compare.
2. Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, later known as "the Iron Magician," was the mastermind behind building the Eiffel Tower. Despite his engineering achievements, he's not nearly as famous as the structures he helped create. After the tower was completed, Eiffel continued to live and work inside of his masterpiece for the next thirty years.
3. Eiffel's iron giant not only offers visitors spectacular views of Paris, but also two fantastic restaurants. There is nothing like enjoying delicious French cuisine inside the nation's most famous monument. Restaurant Altitude 95 overlooks the river Siene and is located on the first platform of the tower. Jules Verne is the restaurant on the second platform and reservations are required in order to eat there.
4. Standing at 1,063 ft. tall, approximately equivalent to 108 stories, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris. When it was first built in 1889, it was the tallest structure in the world.
5. Not many people thought of the tower as anything special at first. In fact, it was originally going to be torn down in 1909 to be sold as scrap metal. The tower was spared to be used for communication.
Over 200 million people have visited this famous landmark since it was first opened to the public. It continues to be one of the most beautiful and loved structures in the world.
© Things To Do In Paris 2011
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About the Author

My name is Fredrik Erixon and I'm the president of a small Advertising Agency in Stockholm. I love to Travel and see new places.

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Barcelona, Spain - The Museu De Cera and The Museu Frederic Mares

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By Harry Preston

The Museu de Cera also known as the Barcelona wax museum sits just off Las Ramblas in a neoclassical stately home that belies its unremarkable contents. It's not exactly Madame Tussauds, but it is popular with kids and worth a visit if you have a family to entertain.
The building was designed by architect Elies Rogent. Formerly the site of El Banco de Barcelona, it remains largely intact, complete with winding staircases and frescoes. Features include the "staircase of honour" and "the armoured room", an example of rooms used by banks in the 19th century.
The museum was founded in 1973, the creation of architect and set designer Enrique Alarcon. It shows around 300 wax models of historical figures, celebrities and literary characters, complete with audio-visual effects. Pope John Paul 11 hobnobs with the likes of Franco and Hitler, artists and film stars, and horror creations Dracula and Frankenstein.
The museum's cafe, El Bosc de les Fades (Forest of the Fairies) is next door and a destination in its own right. Fitted out in the style of an enchanted forest, it has gnarled trees, toadstools and a grotto.
The Museu Frederic Mares sculptor and collector Frederic Mares i Deulovol donated his home and this fascinating collection to the city of Barcelona. Just behind the cathedral, it is one of the biggest collections of medieval sculpture in the region and is a remarkable repository of objects from everyday life from centuries long gone.
The museum occupies a series of buildings formerly belonging to the Royal Palace and is divided into three sections: sculpture, the collector's cabinet and Mares' library-studio. The palace has beautiful interior courtyards, chiselled stone and soaring ceilings. There is a huge collection of religious sculpture and imagery, from pre-Roman times to the 20th century, but it is the upper floors which contain everyday paraphernalia that really make it worth a visit.
Literally thousands of 19th-century household items and memorabilia, including bicycles, photographs, scissors and clocks are displayed to give a glimpse of life in Barcelona over the years. Objects are organised into themed rooms, including the "Ladies quarter", which shows the life of a 19th-century Spanish woman through a vast collection of bags, hatpins, fans, jewellery and other feminine accessories.
The Entertainment Room features toys and automatons. The museum is accessible through an attractive courtyard with an outdoor cafe, open during the summer months. The cafe is the perfect resting place during a visit to this incredible museum.
For more information about Barcelona, Spain visit GuidedTourBarcelona.com.
For more information about Stockholm, Switzerland visit GuidedTourStockholm.com.

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