It was a hot and muggy July day in 2013 and there were 300 steps to climb on a steep, narrow spiral staircase. That's the equivalent of a 16-story building. I struggled but I made it. (I was 64 years old then, and I believe I was the oldest person in the group I climbed up with.) The tower is open to visitors from spring until autumn nowadays, but only 17 people an hour can go up. It's best to make a reservation if you want to do some climbing and take in the views.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdZDiLT7rHcd1v3h0A4RUUStw3VMEGxTlR5Pb3iz_-krRbiBll36-rMq-BQwbkACa7-Ks8foG7gn3JOmqh9ytjetObsvNaRqm5qefXG2pcqhzU-ge3oF9IAczMgFFp_ZblLqMxwe5FKTgCGb-i6a3Jx7qv0BetrmpwAoT3zvNfFBPnk4vENig/s420/P1070961c.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqXsU9a3CbCO0SDz_RMxBRQUupSIg9Z6okR6mumZ3I03YNlh70U_Ybv2D7Bw7zxynLUjBzggJPsw-dLY8laZcp9Xd_LK-yqmVOS4BKNeaRYUvMWiSwooVQGT1ZKFuzFZ8XEBAo9f13hwPAQsY0q-pvlXaNkjZbASZFjXKZLefhaj4xpbBBpCM/s420/P1070963c.jpg)
Looking north toward Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur basilica. And then looking southwest toward, bien sûr, the Eiffel Tower; the gilded dome of the church at Les Invalides where Napoleon's tomb is on display; and in the foreground the dome of the Institut where the Académie Française meets.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69rmqxom0qKRChirtiYs1rtDmlcgXG4oMe_gtGOy1qvfPdaaQQxOuMsgn1VprGZbxUHdJQqXyNJVqUxQPUymRCO18-oxmxE_qWTOtOU1lxCa_6j7t0ySUQkDQHM573Jk-Yrlb-q4AXVa6Bp8W1-M5BuS4vhiI0STczsqRQvNQGESNZLTGR0Uq/s600/P1080046c.jpg)
Here's what the steps up to the top of the Tour Saint-Jacques looked like. I had a tight grip on that rope "railing" to haul my body up to the top.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFW0TTLRPJV0fFC5Ir7LB9oMJeAesUQbMf26GN9MVLV8V33ekNtdt7QhLO96Jono_W6me3rhxzc9hHv0-DUOVQTrRpizmvqh5sDmkCafm1cDTOsww3PDfyp5irn73tZLWSGM0PE72wt-SizTEPGS4CQja9JRHjVy2HyismPGDSrA9brsO97uUM/s420/P1070964c.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguktmwOlt-hZOeyFjNIrX13uqdFc6ByBJDbmQ8KVIolIZnCZXzFznCAJVyDdI2AxJjEsd1atkrqRONssLcSlZdcgEBApDdgdWtNM3ad9nCAoBSzBKK7gis5kZwO6J3M9pXuhcldoQSYQtWUkHB9U-ZuPDh0hUUQtFRp-6c-1zZmJeiDm4yJtkT/s420/P1070968c.jpg)
Looking west from the top of the tower you can see the Arc de Triomphe on the right; the 20th century business park called La Défense in the distance; and the rooftops of the Louvre in the foreground. Finally, closer to the Tour Saint-Jacques, you can see a lot of contruction cranes (the Forum des Halles was being updated); and the Saint-Eustache church in the middle of the image.
I took these pictures with a Panasonic Lumix ZS8 digital camera that I had bought in 2012.
64 seems so young now. You were fit then and now also. The last two are especially interesting because they show the roof tops.
ReplyDeleteThat's a heck of a climb!
ReplyDeleteGreat views. It is near the apartment I rented in January this year but I didn’t drag my 76 year old body up all those steps.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
Such a tight staircase! I may have to rethink this one!
ReplyDelete10 years later, I wouldn't try it again.
DeleteI'd be gripping that rope up and down!
ReplyDelete