Pain in the...

Last weekend I took my fiancee up the Eiffel Tower.

It was something I had wanted to do for quite a while, but never had the opportunity to do it until now. The problem was that films have glamorised it over the years and they suggest that when in the area, everybody does it and I didn't want to be the odd one out.

As I approached it, I was a bit apprehensive, as it was cold and the smell of shit in the air was quite off-putting. I was worried about getting shit on myself and that the smell would linger afterwards.

I was told beforehand that it's not a quick in and out job and that it takes a long time going up there, but I had no idea it would take as long as it did. After about thirty minutes of squeezing and nudging, it seemed like I wasn't getting anywhere at all. After another very patient 30 minutes or so, I eventually was able to pop my head into the bottom of the shaft. Once my head was in, it was quite a smooth ride up, even though I was crammed in the passage against all kinds of foreign objects.

Once up there, there was acres of space, but I didn't stay for long as there were literally hundreds of people waiting to come up after me.

All in all I would say it was an enjoyable experience, but it was tiring. My fiancee hasn't been able to walk properly for the last couple of days due to our little adventure on the weekend and even I'm feeling a bit sensitive down there.