france

~Located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most well known structures in the world.
~The Eiffel Tower was originally built as the entrance arch for the World’s Fair in 1889.
~It is named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company was in charge of the project.
~The Eiffel Tower is 1050 feet high and was the tallest man made structure in the world for 41 years before being surpassed by the Chrysler Building in New York.
~The Eiffel Tower is made of iron and weighs around 10000 tons.
~Around 50 tons of paint are added to the Eiffel Tower every 7 years to protect it from rust.
~Despite its height, the Eiffel Tower was designed to be wind resistant, swaying only a few inches in the wind. It actually moves further when the iron on the sun facing side heats and expands, moving the top up to 7 inches away from the sun.
~Temperature also alters the height of the Eiffel Tower by up to 6 inches.
~Being so popular, the Eiffel Tower design has been recreated around the world, including the half scale replica at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in the US and the full scale Tokyo Tower in Japan.
~Not everyone liked the Eiffel Tower when it was first built, with many criticizing its bold design. (It was saved from destruction because it could be used for transmitting radio waves.)
~The French name for the Eiffel Tower is La Tour Eiffel, it also has the nickname La dame de fer which means the iron lady. (Facts are taken from a “science kids” website.)

We drove to Paris after Versailles and the kids wanted to see the Eiffel Tower right away. They were quite impressed! We got a couple pizzas to go and had a picnic in the park. Jesse said it was a wonderful way to spend Father’s Day.
Grampy and Poppy- we hope you had a happy day, too! We love you very much.

(photo taken at Versailles)

Versailles served as France’s political capital and the focal point of the court from 1682 until 1789. It was Louis XIV’s motive to remove himself from Paris, so he created a place where the court could live under his control. The palace’s size and opulence exhibited his supreme wealth – it covered over 2,000 acres. Louis reigned for 72 years but didn’t do a very good job- especially when it came to the finances.
Marie Antoinette married the future French king Louis XVI when she was just 15 years old. The young couple soon came to symbolize all of the excesses of the French monarchy. She became the target of gossip because of her spending habits, her alleged affairs and her inability to produce an heir. After the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, the royal family was forced to live under the supervision of revolutionary authorities. In 1793, the king was beheaded. Marie Antoinette was arrested, as well, and tried for alleged crimes against the French republic. She was beheaded via the guillotine on October 16, 1793.
Versailles is big and beautiful but so crowded you can hardly move from room to room. We tried to imagine the king and queen walking around the palace in their pajamas. We wondered if they ever got lost!

The Hall of Mirrors is a long ballroom­ lined along one side with 17 mirrors which were super expensive at that time in history.
The mirrors were designed so the narcissistic royal men and women could admire themselves as they walked along, as well as to reflect the ceiling frescoes, which honor the early years of Louis XIV’s reign. On the other side of the room, a row of windows opened up to the beautiful gardens.