Paris Inspired Art- Monotypes Part 5

What do you think is the number one tourist attraction in the world? What is the most recognized attraction to people in the world? My guess would be the Eiffel Tower. It is the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named for its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.

The tower stands 1,063 ft tall, about the same height as an 81 storey building. Upon its completion, it surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930.

Image: Le Tour, Monotype by Linda Dubin Garfield

The First Time I Saw Paris

I taught for a year after I graduated from college and saved as much as I could to afford the Grand Tour of Europe. My friend Susan and I bought a Europass and off we went. We spent a week in Paris, staying at the University dorm for $2 a night. Even so, we could not stay within the $5-a-Day budget like we did in the other cities. Paris was expensive even in 1965!!

But I saw all the sites I had read and dreamed about: the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Place de Vosges, among others. I walked the streets filled with history, beauty and charm. I practiced my fractured French while the natives cringed and answered in English. I used francs and ate onion soup at 3 AM in Les Halles where the fresh fruits, flowers and vegetables came in from the country. I had cafe au lait in cafes where I sat and people-watched for hours. I saw the "Mona Lisa" at the Louvre and absorbed all the culture the city had to offer. No one was going to keep me down on the farm; after all, I'd seen Paree!!