Tourists hoping to go up the Eiffel Tower to catch stunning views of Paris or dine at the 58 Tour Eiffel or Jules Verne restaurants are in for a huge disappointment this weekend: The landmark is closed to visitors all day Friday and Saturday. Pourquoi, you ask? The usually mild City of Lights, along with many other parts of France, has experienced unprecedented snowfall and freezing rain this week, leading French authorities to shut down its most visited landmark and suggest that Parisians stay home from work on Friday to avoid the "dangerous conditions," the Associated Press reports.
On Friday, one unfortunate group of workers had to use hand shovels to slowly but surely remove piled-up snow and slush from the 19th-century tower's ironwork and de-ice the stairs and platforms, AP says. The company that manages the Eiffel Tower said the work had to be done this way, as if it were still 1889, since salt could corrode the century-old metal and damage the elevators. The monument reopened briefly on Thursday after being shut down on Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday.
Conde Nast Traveler
2/2018
On Friday, one unfortunate group of workers had to use hand shovels to slowly but surely remove piled-up snow and slush from the 19th-century tower's ironwork and de-ice the stairs and platforms, AP says. The company that manages the Eiffel Tower said the work had to be done this way, as if it were still 1889, since salt could corrode the century-old metal and damage the elevators. The monument reopened briefly on Thursday after being shut down on Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday.
Conde Nast Traveler
2/2018