Travel – Page 9 – David Enzel

La Tour Eiffel

August 12, 2025December 26, 2023

The first time I visited Paris in the mid-1970s, one of my gracious French hosts asked what I wanted to see first. I immediately said the Eiffel Tower. It’s not Paris’s most beautiful monument but nothing speaks Paris more than “la dame de fer” (Iron Lady). Seeing it for the first time sent a shiver down my spine. It’s an icon for a reason.

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. It was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair. Although initially criticized by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, it has since become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

The tower received almost 6 million visitors in 2022, up by 197 percent from 2021, when numbers dropped due to the COVID virus. It was designated a monument historique in 1964, and was named part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (“Paris, Banks of the Seine”) in 1991.

The tower is 330 meters (1,083 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building, and the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, measuring 125 meters (410 ft) on each side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest human-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished in 1930. It was the first structure in the world to surpass both the 200-meter and 300-meter mark in height. Due to the addition of a broadcasting aerial at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 meters (17 ft).

The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The top level’s upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground – the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first level to the second, making the entire ascent a 600 step climb. Although there is a staircase to the top level, it is usually accessible only by lift. On this top, third level is a private apartment built for Gustave Eiffel’s private use. He decorated it with furniture by Jean Lachaise and invited friends such as Thomas Edison.

The Eiffel Tower is repainted about every seven years. This rhythm was recommended by Gustave Eiffel himself. It has changed color over the years, passing from red-brown to yellow-ochre, then to chestnut brown and finally to the bronze of today, slightly shaded off towards the top to ensure that the color is perceived to be the same all the way up as it stands against the Paris sky.

“It seems to me that it had no other rationale than to show that we are not simply the country of entertainers, but also that of engineers and builders called from across the world to build bridges, viaducts, stations and major monuments of modern industry, the Eiffel Tower deserves to be treated with consideration.”
Gustave Eiffel

Every evening, the Eiffel Tower is illuminated. It sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, while its beacon shines over Paris. The projectors that illuminate the Tower are turned on in under 10 minutes. This is activated upon nightfall by sensors.

Upon the German occupation of Paris in 1940, the lift cables were cut by the French. The tower was closed to the public during the occupation and the lifts were not repaired until 1946.

Because of its size, the tower is visible from many parts of the city and a variety of interesting viewpoints. One of the joys of visiting Paris is discovering your own special viewpoints.

The puddle iron (wrought iron) of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tons, and the addition of lifts, shops and antennae have brought the total weight to approximately 10,100 tons. 2,500,000 rivets were used in its construction.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most-visited pay-to-enter monuments in the world. Because it’s so busy, it’s a good idea to plan ahead, You can find other useful information here.

Shibuya Station: Order in Motion

August 18, 2025December 22, 2023

The sheer volume of passengers moving through Shibuya Station is remarkable. With its M-shaped roof spanning a 12-meter-wide platform and no columns in sight, the space feels open and fluid. Watching the endless flow of commuters was like seeing something carefully choreographed, yet it unfolded entirely naturally. Modern, clean, and quiet, the station says a great deal about Japanese culture—orderly, considerate, and deeply efficient—in the best possible way.

Galerie Vivienne, Paris

August 14, 2025December 21, 2023

The Galerie Vivienne is one of the most beautiful of the covered passages of Paris I’ve seen. Registered as a historical monument since July 7, 1974, it measures 176 meters (577 ft) in length and 3 meters (9.8 ft) in width.

The covered passages of Paris (French: Passages couverts de Paris) are an early form of shopping arcade built primarily during the first half of the 19th century. By 1867, there were about 183 of these passages, but their number declined sharply following Haussmann’s renovation of Paris. Today, only a couple dozen remain, all on the Right Bank.

Built in 1823 by Marchoux, President of the Chamber of Notaries, the Galerie Vivienne stands on the former site of the Hôtel Vanel de Serrant and the Petits Pères passage. Designed by architect François Jean Delannoy, it opened in 1826 under the name “Marchoux” but was soon renamed “Vivienne.” Thanks to its central location, it quickly drew crowds with its tailors, cobblers, wine shop, restaurant, Jousseaume bookstore, draper, confectioner, print-seller, and more.

The nearby Galerie Colbert—built later and containing no shops—has long been seen as a competitor. Since 1960, however, Galerie Vivienne has regained its vitality, hosting fashion and home furnishings boutiques, as well as haute couture shows. The arrival of Jean Paul Gaultier and Yuki Torii’s shops in 1986 played a key role in its revival. Today, it is home to a mix of ready-to-wear fashion, decorative arts, and specialty shops.

Both Galerie Colbert and Galerie Vivienne are now owned by the Bibliothèque Nationale. Galerie Colbert houses the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art.

Four Seasons: Best Hotel in Washington

August 12, 2025December 12, 2023

U.S. News Travel has recognized the Four Seasons Washington, DC as one of the best hotels in Washington, DC in its 2023 evaluation of hotels that offer high-quality amenities and exceptional experiences.

I’ve been to this hotel many times over the years and can attest to the gracious staff, great food and lovely decor.

The Four Seasons is the only hotel in Washington to be awarded Five Stars by Forbes, and Five Diamonds by AAA.

Tunnel des Tuileries, Paris

August 12, 2025December 2, 2023

The Tunnel des Tuileries is a tunnel parallel to the Seine at the Quai des Tuileries close to the Louvre. Today, the 861m long (2,825 feet) tunnel is reserved for pedestrians, bicycles and street artists. When it opened in 1967, it was used for one-way traffic from west to east as an integral part of Voie Georges-Pompidou.

In July 2022, colorful lights were installed. Artists have painted several huge frescos inside the tunnel. If you like street art, it’s worth a visit.

Berlin

August 11, 2025November 28, 2023

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Berlin twice. The first time was in the early 1980s and the second time in 2018. The transformation was dramatic.

Berlin Before the Fall of the Wall

I visited Berlin in the early 1980s. Berlin was then a divided city. I stayed in the Western zone near the Kurfurstendamm, which at the time was the heart of Berlin. I took a one day bus tour to the East. We crossed through Checkpoint Charlie. The bus was thoroughly searched by East German border guards. In contrast, the American military just let us pass freely.

The West was vibrant with shops, restaurants and people everywhere, In contrast, buildings in the East still showed signs of the bombing it received in the war. There were Soviet style memorials throughout East Berlin.

Our East German guide was openly dispirited and seemed to be reciting a script he was told to speak, especially when he spoke of “warm relations” with the then Soviet Union. At the end of the day, I was glad to be back in the West where I felt free and comfortable.

Berlin in 2018

Kurfurstendamm

In 2018, I went back to Berlin to see an undivided, transformed and reinvented Berlin. The German capital was still under construction 73 years after the end of WWII. I stayed near the Kurfurstendamm so I could compare my experience today with the early 1980s. My hotel — Pension Peters — is a small owner-managed hotel, where I felt more like a temporary resident in a nice Berlin neighborhood rather than a tourist.

I saw the transformation of Berlin immediately. The Kurfurstendamm is no longer the center of town. The heart of Berlin today is in the former East, which was a shambles when I was last there. The Kurfurstendamm is now a nice shopping street in lovely Berlin neighborhood called City West but is no longer the heart of the capital.

The Heart of Berlin

In 2018, Checkpoint Charlie was now nothing more than a tourist attraction with actor guards who, for a few Euros, will pose with you for a nice picture. There was even a “Checkpoint Charlie” McDonald’s across the street. It certainly no longer inspires fear.

The heart of Berlin is dominated by the Brandenburg Gate and government buildings, including the embassies of the four former occupying powers: the United States, Great Britain, France and Russia.

Berlin is no longer occupied but the former occupiers are nearby as if to say: “We are watching.” Each of the four embassies has a rich history.

The Soviet Union was first of the four major occupiers to move into a post-War embassy in Berlin. The Russian Embassy in Berlin was closed in 1941 when the two countries went to war. Its reconstruction was the first project of the post-war years in the East Berlin. The embassy’s official grand opening was held on the national holiday of the former USSR, on November 7, 1951. It’s Europe’s largest embassy which sends a message all by itself. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, it became the Russian Embassy. (See also Rick Steves Berlin (p. 105). Avalon Publishing. Kindle Edition.)

The United Kingdom (UK) came next. The UK’s impressive new embassy was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on July 18, 2000.

France occupied its new embassy in October 2002. However, France formally opened it on January 23, 2003. That date was chosen as it was the 40th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty between Germany and France, declaring friendship between France and the former West Germany. French President Jacques Chirac presided. Marking the occasion, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and President Chirac issued a declaration affirming Franco-German friendship and their joint determination to “re-found Europe”.

The United States was the last of the four major occupiers to move into a post-War embassy in Berlin. The history of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin is especially complicated. During WWII, the U.S. Embassy in Berlin was severely damaged by Allied bombing. After the war, the embassy ended up just barely inside East Berlin in divided Berlin’s Soviet zone, straddling the demarcation between the Soviet and American sectors.

The Berlin Wall made the site of the former U.S. Embassy, still owned by the U.S. government, an inaccessible vacant lot. It was part of the security zone separating east and west Berliners. In 1967, the East German government demolished the ruins of the US Embassy building. However, the site became accessible after the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989. Even so, it remained a vacant lot until the 2004 groundbreaking for construction of a brand new U.S. Embassy. The newly constructed embassy opened on July 4, 2008.

The Brandenburg Gate is nearby. This is the center of Berlin. Since the 18th Century, the Brandenburg Gate has been a site for major historical events and today is an important symbol of the history of Europe and Germany.

Also nearby — and not to be missed — is Germany’s parliament — the Reichstag — which was opened in 1894 and remained in service until 1933, when it was severely damaged after being set on fire. The Reichstag fire occurred one month after Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany. After World War II, the building fell into disuse; the parliament of the German Democratic Republic (the Volkskammer) met in the Palast der Republik in East Berlin, while the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany (the Bundestag) met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn.

The building was not properly restored until after German reunification on October 3, 1990. And what a glorious restoration it was. The German government chose British architect Norman Foster to lead the effort. Foster constructed is a large glass dome atop the Reichstag with a 360 degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The debating chamber of the Bundestag, the German parliament, can be seen below. A mirrored cone in the center of the dome directs sunlight into the building, and so that visitors can see the working of the chamber. The dome is open to the public and can be reached by climbing two steel, spiraling ramps that are reminiscent of a double helix. The Dome sends a message that the people are above the government, as was not the case during the Nazi era. After its completion in 1999, it once again became the meeting place of the German parliament: the modern Bundestag. The views are impressive. Entry is free but advance registration is required.

Other Berlin Sites

I also enjoyed visiting:

Hitler’s Bunker (Führerbunker), where Adolf Hitler committed suicide at the end of the war. It’s now an ordinary parking lot. Germany does not want to create a shrine out the place where Hitler perished.
Topography of Terror (Nazi Forced Labour Documentation Centre) has interesting exhibits documenting Nazi crimes. During the Nazi era, the headquarters of the Secret State Police, the SS and the Reich Security Main Office were located at the site.
The German History Museum for its candid exhibits about Hitler and the Nazis era.
Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, the site of the main political prison of the former East German Communist Ministry of State Security, the Stasi. I found the visit informative and chilling. East Germany went from one form of oppression to another form of oppression. It’s sad, terrifying and once again demonstrates what unchecked power can do.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial) has almost 3,000 symbolic pillars next to the U.S. Embassy in the heart of Berlin. It was designed by New York architect Peter Eisenman, who is Jewish. It opened in 2005. Eisenman explains that the “project manifests the instability inherent in what seems to be a system, here a rational grid, and its potential for dissolution in time.” The Memorial brings home the magnitude of the Holocaust.

Germany is creatively and thoughtfully reinventing its capital city. The transformation since the end of WWII is astounding. In the following video, you can see how Berlin looked after the Red Army occupied the German capital.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and hope to return to see more of Berlin and how it evolves. If you visit Berlin, these videos are worth watching before your visit.

Turkey’s First Amphibious Assault Ship

August 11, 2025April 10, 2023

The Turkish Navy received its largest vessel on April 10, 2023. I had the good fortune to see it up close while I was visiting Istanbul. The new ship was docked very near my cruise ship.

According to Reuters, Turkey aims to extend its drone capabilities from land-based to naval operations amid increased regional tensions as war rages in Ukraine on the other side of the Black Sea.

The ship is called the Anadolu (L-400). It is an amphibious assault ship that can be configured as a V/STOL (vertical and/or short take-off and landing) aircraft carrier. It is named after the peninsula of Anatolia (Turkish: Anadolu) which forms the majority of the landmass of Turkey. Construction began in 2016 in Istanbul. The TCG Anadolu was commissioned on April 10, 2023.

The TCG Anadolu can handle only light aircraft, chiefly helicopters and jets that can take off from shorter runways. Even so, the ship is impressive. It has a 5,440 m2 (58,600 sq ft) flight deck and a 990 m2 (10,700 sq ft) aviation hangar which can accommodate either 12 medium-sized helicopters or 8 Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. When the aviation hangar and the light cargo garage are unified, the ship can carry up to 25 medium-sized helicopters. Alternatively, the ship can carry up to 10 American-made F-35B STOVL fighter jets and 12 medium-sized helicopters, with the possibility of hosting six more helicopters on the flight deck of the ship.

The new ship is a source of national pride for Turkey.

Constitution Gardens

August 11, 2025January 1, 2023

Constitution Gardens is located between the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The 50-acre park was originally beneath the Potomac River. Near the end of the nineteenth century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated a dredging project that created the land that became Potomac Park. The U.S. Navy built the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings as temporary offices on the land during World War I. The buildings were demolished in 1971. President Nixon later ordered that a park be established on the land, and in 1976, Constitution Gardens was dedicated as a “living legacy American Revolution Bicentennial tribute.” Constitution Gardens has been a separate park unit since 1982.

Constitution Gardens has a small pond, which contains the Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence on an island open to pedestrians.

Constitution Gardens, Washington, DC – © David H. Enzel, 2020

The First Public Statue of Abraham Lincoln

August 9, 2025November 6, 2022

No, it’s not the Lincoln Memorial.

In 1868, a statue of 16th President Abraham Lincoln sculpted by Lot Flannery was erected on the south side of the former District of Columbia City Hall building (“Old City Hall”) at Judiciary Square. This became the first public monument in Lincoln’s honor. The monument appeared just three years after Lincoln’s assassination on April 15, 1865, at the age of 56.

The Washington Post reports that 20,000 people gathered to witness the monument’s dedication. All federal and municipal offices were closed. Flags flew at half-mast and cannons boomed every half-hour. Many consider this monument to be the best likeness of Lincoln.

The building itself was built in 1820. It was designed by George Hadfield, who supervised construction of the United States Capitol from October 1795 to May 1798. Hadfield was born in Livorno, Italy in 1763.

The building now houses the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest court of the District of Columbia. Established in 1970, it is equivalent to a state supreme court, except that its authority is derived from the United States Congress rather than from the inherent sovereignty of the states.

Pont Alexandre III, Paris

August 9, 2025June 22, 2022

The Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city. It has been classified as a French monument historique since 1975.

The Beaux-Arts style bridge, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end, was built between 1896 and 1900. It is named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. His son Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in October 1896. The style of the bridge reflects that of the Grand Palais, to which it leads on the right bank.

The next bridge upstream on the Seine is Pont de la Concorde and the next bridge downstream is Pont des Invalides, which is the lowest bridge crossing the Seine.

The Pont Alexandre III is one of 37 bridges and footbridges in Paris that cross the river Seine.

In the 1985 James Bond movie A View to Kill, Bond jumps from the Pont Alexandre III into a boat to catch a mysterious killer.