Gustave Eiffel's Tower

When I think of Paris, France, I think of the Audrey Hepburn movie Sabrina. I think of the Louvre Pyramid and I think of The Eiffel Tower. 

The man behind the Eiffel Tower was Gustave Eiffel, known for his revolutionary bridge building techniques. These techniques would form the basis for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. He was also known for the construction of the Statue of Liberty's iron framework.

The structure took more than two years to complete. Each one of the estimated 12,000 iron pieces were designed separately to give them exactly the shape needed. All pieces were prefabricated and fit together using approximately 7 million nails.

The Eiffel Tower is used as a radio broadcasting and observation tower.

(photos courtesy of:weheartit.com

information courtesy of:aviewoncities.com) 

Washington D.C. (District of Columbia)

I went to Washington D.C. when I was in my early teens. I remember going to the Holocaust Museum, (which made me cry, in a good way), being afraid of the metro's escalators...I would like to go back one day to experience:

the history, architecture, the memorials, the performing arts and the 

variety of international foods. 

Washington, D.C. formally the District of Columbia is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. The U.S. Constitution allowed for the creation of a special district to serve as the permanent national capital. The District is therefore not a part of any U.S. state and is instead directly overseen by the federal government.

~The White House was originally called the “President’s Palace” or the “President’s House.” A Baltimore reporter once called it the “white house” in a newspaper article and the name caught on. 

~The Library of Congress, the biggest library in the U.S., contains 535 miles of bookshelves. In the Reading Room alone there are 45,000 reference books.

~There are no skyscrapers in DC

~The word “lobbyist” became popular with President Ulysses S. Grant’s disdain for the interest groups who bothered him while he relaxed in the Willard Hotel’s lobby.

"We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls." 

 ~Robert J. McCracken

Memories

Ten years ago at this time I was in San Francisco. It was my first time away from home. I had come from rural Pennsylvania and my first step out was to San Francisco...call me crazy:) I loved it. 

Right after Thanksgiving was over, the city of San Francisco decorated Union Square for Christmas.

 I remember sitting under the huge Christmas tree looking up at Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany & Co.; it was magical. One day I hope I can sit under that tree again. 

(Photos courtesy of: google image)