Spring painting for the Eiffel Tower: It takes gallons

Every 7 years the Eiffel Tower is painted by hand. Although this icon attracts people by the droves to Paris and prompts folks like Tom Cruise to use it as a romantic backdrop for a marriage proposal, the Parisians don’t have much to do with painting it.

Actually, they don’t have anything to do with it, but probably do what they can to avoid getting paint dropped or splattered on them when they pass by.

This year, Romanians and Greeks will wield hand-held, small circular brushes to coat every bit of it with fresh paint. The specialized paint called “Eiffel Tower brown” is Norwegian.

Although the paint color has varied over the years, the painting method has remained the same ever since 1889. The color has stayed brown, however, since 1968 when it was decided that particular color works best with the skyline in Paris.

The statistics for this paint job are impressive.

According to the AP article, twenty-five people will use 66 tons of paint, 35 miles of climbing rope, and 18 months to do the job.

I’d say that the people who will be doing the painting will have an excellent view of Paris from the top as long as they don’t look down.

Blu Le Dokhan opens on Trocadero in Paris

Now, you have a new reason to go to Paris this year. The Radisson Blu Le Dokhan’s Hotel has just opened. This new spot is an easy walk from the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. I remember the area well – there’s decent subway access out to Place Vendome and the rest of the city.

The Radisson Blue Le Dokhan’s Hotel occupies what used to be a private residence, a building that dates back to the 18th century. From the outside, you can enjoy a restored Haussmann exterior; the inside was designed by Frederic Mechiche. The real attention-grabber, though, is an elevator made from a vintage Louis Vuitton wardrobe trunk.

Grab a glass of champagne (from an extensive menu) at Le Dokhan Bar, where you can enjoy live music well into the night. Room service is available around the clock, and internet access is free. Hey, this matters to me. Nothing’s more irritating than having to shell out $10 a day once you’ve already paid for the damned room.

Look, there’s no shortage of hotels in Paris. Anyone who’s been there knows this, and even if you haven’t, it’s not hard to figure it out. But, I’m a big fan of boutique hotels, and this 45-room location seems like a great addition to a crowded city.

Gadling + BootsnAll – Picks of the Week

Starting today, we’re unveiling a new weekly feature here at Gadling. Each Friday we’ll be highlighting the most interesting content from our friends over at BootsnAll, one of the best resources on the web for independent travelers. For those that have never taken a look, BootsnAll features a huge range of great travel content – everything from travel stories and blogs, to a built-in travel booking engine to one of the more robust communities of travelers anywhere on the web. Here’s what got us clicking this week:

  • Asian Temples Galore – Sure, you probably know about Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, but what about the Paro Taktsang in Bhutan or Badshahi Mosque in Pakistan? BootsnAll writer Deanna Hylund takes a closer look at some of Asia’s best temples. Let me tell you, looking at these makes me want to get back to Asia as soon as possible!
  • Unknown National Parks – Unlike Asian temples, we’re probably all familiar with the most famous U.S. National Parks. Who could forget the first time they saw the Grand Canyon? Or gazed up in awe at a 300 foot-tall Redwood in Northern California? Cherrye Moore thinks these sights are great but there’s a couple others you might have missed. Check out her article to see her list of “Six National Parks You’ve Probably Never Visited.”
  • Guilty Pleasures – Travel is supposed to be all about new experiences. Eating new foods, meeting new people and getting “out of your comfort zone.” But you know what? Bootsnall writer Lucy Corne knows that every once in awhile you need to indulge yourself with a taste of home, especially if you’ve been on the road awhile. I’m the first to admit: I love blasting my iPod pretty much wherever I go…
  • Eiffel Tower, Redux – Gadling writer Aaron posted some interesting thoughts on taking photos of the Eiffel Tower earlier this year. Sure, there’s a million pics out there, but as writer Jessica pointed out on Bootsnall’s WhyGo blog this week, there’s also a million ways to take some more interesting photos of this iconic landmark. Let’s get creative people!

When you’re done with the highlights, make sure to take a lap around the rest of BootsnAll’s site. There’s some great content on there, whether you’re looking to research a round-the-world trip or just looking for some good tips for that next trip to Vegas. Catch you next week!

View Paris from 500 feet – in a balloon

Getting a good view of Paris usually involves a trip up the Eiffel Tower, but what if you want to avoid the same view millions of people get every year?

The “Ballon air de Paris” is a massive helium filled balloon, with a basket capable of lifting 30 people at a time.

Unfortunately, it isn’t the kind of balloon that will take you on a tour around the city, it is anchored to the ground by an array of winches and cables. Still, at 150 meters you’ll be up high enough to get a really nice view – and be able to take a photo of the Eiffel Tower from a different angle.

The Ballon air de Paris is located in the Parc André Citroën (of the famous Citroën cars), about a mile downriver from the Eiffel Tower. The walk is of course lovely, but you can also reach the Parc with RER line C to the Javel station.

Admission is 12€ for adults (10€ during the week). Tickets for children are between 6€ and 10€ depending on their age.

Yeah, then why don’t you and the Eiffel tower get a room!

I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when I say I “love” the Eiffel Tower – how can you not enjoy such a magnificent structure? The design, the sheer beauty of it, and the atmosphere around the tower in such an awesome city make it one of the most popular landmarks in the world.

But there are some people who take their love of the structure just a tad too far.

That is what Erika La Tour Eiffel has done. Not only did she “marry” the Eiffel tower, she actually has sex with it.

Let that sink in for a minute – this lady is so in love with the tower that she climbs it, and consummates her relationship with the Eiffel Tower.

These people are called “objectum sexuals” and their relationships are with objects instead of people. Another lady is so in love with the Golden Gate bridge that she sleeps with a piece of the bridge, and does stuff to it I don’t want to know about.

Click the read more link to see a documentary about these people, and to learn more about how deep their love goes for tourist attractions and other objects.

Watch Married To The Eiffel Tower [Part 1] | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

(Via: TV Carnage)

Bizarrely, this behavior is not against the law in France.