Paris, France - La Tour Eiffel

First of all, let me just say that the Eiffel Tower is big.

It's 984 feet tall to be exact.

This makes it 429 feet taller than our Washington Monument, which is only 555 feet tall.

Perhaps this could explain some of the animosity towards the French that you get in this country. Their tower is longer than ours.

That being said, I don't have any animosity towards the French personally. I'm half-Asian so I'm used to my tower being smaller than others.

That being said, I was just joking.

My tower isn't any smaller than anyone else's.

That much.

After walking all the way from the first arrondissement to the seventh arrondissement, we decided that we might as well go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

We got into line and soon found ourselves surrounded by hordes of American and British tourists. Anyone who has traveled abroad realizes that American and British tourists are about as inconspicuous as a zit on your nose the size of an apple.

In general, British tourists tend to be loud, drunken, and somewhat amusing; while American tourists tend to be loud, condescending, and very unamusing.

The Eiffel Tower process is definitely akin to the Disney World process, in that you essentially agree to be treated like livestock on a farm factory in exchange for a quick glance at something somewhat interesting.

That being said, I was definitely taken aback by the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. My enjoyment was somewhat cut short by the fact that two American kids were sticking their heads through the protective screens, and yelling at the top of their lungs to the people below.

What blew my mind even more was that at the very top, Gustave Eiffel (the designer of the Eiffel Tower) built a little office for himself where he received guests, including our very own Thomas Edison.

Personally, I couldn't help but wonder if he ever pulled the line, "Do you want to come back to my place? It's got a wonderful view of the city."