If you could spend the night with some of your closest friends in France’s most famous landmark, what would you do? No, this isn’t the plot to an upcoming movie. This could actually happen to you or me. HomeAway, a vacation rental service, created a contest that rewards the winner with a one night stay in the Eiffel Tower. All you have to do is answer the question I asked you at the beginning of this article… What would you do if you could spend the night in the Eiffel Tower?
Apparently, there’s an apartment on the first floor of the structure, which was specifically designed for the soccer championship. The winner and his or her five people of choice get to stay in this apartment for the night, dine at the landmark’s restaurant in both the evening and the morning, and then are given three extra nights in a Paris vacation rental.
The contest got me thinking… What would I do if I had the opportunity to stay in the Eiffel Tower? Who would I bring? Here’s a play-by-play of what I would do…
5:00 p.m.: I don’t know what time we would report to the Eiffel Tower. In the summer, it usually closes to the public around midnight. Perhaps we would enjoy the breathtaking views among a sea of tourists for a bit.
6:45 p.m.: Time to wine and dine! We would head to the second level to dine at Le Jules Verne. We would enjoy France’s finest cuisine, starting with “gold caviar” (yes, that is on the website’s menu, which is a five course fixed menu) and ending with a “crispy ‘Tower nut,’ chocolate from their manufacturer in Paris." All I can say is thank goodness this very fine meal is part of the contest!
10:00 p.m.: Since dinner is five courses, it would probably take a while to enjoy the meal. Afterwards, we would remedy our food coma by getting some fresh air and enjoying what is known to be “the city of lights.” Perhaps the tower would razzle and dazzle us with its hourly light show.
11:00 p.m.: Alright, it’s getting late. But there is no sleeping when in the middle of this adventure. To keep our energy up I think it’s time to break out the music and take incredible pictures of the illuminated city.
12:00 a.m.: After spending an hour outside in the cold, it’s probably time to pop in the apartment and warm up with a hot beverage. Perhaps we could bring along some provisions, like Angelina’s world-famous hot chocolate, a beverage so decadent it is richer than Bill Gates, and my favorite dessert in the world, Ladurée Macarons.
1:00 a.m.: OK, we have officially overdosed on sugar, so it’s time to embark on the ultimate game of hide and seek in the tower. All levels of the building are fair game.
2:30 a.m.: The game took way longer than expected due to our fatigue. We finally found everyone are reported back to the main level.
3:00 a.m.: Since we have three more days in Paris, experiencing complete exhaustion due to lack of sleep is probably not the greatest idea… so it’s time for a quick power nap.
5:30 a.m.: Rise and shine. We will probably venture down to the Buffet Tour Eiffel, a grab-and-go-style restaurant, to see if any coffee is brewing.
5:45 a.m.: The sun is about to rise. We will enjoy our cups of coffee on the top level of the tower and welcome the beginning of the day.
6:30 a.m.: After many pictures of this incredible moment, it’s time for the most important meal of the day. Back down to the Buffet Tour Eiffel for a lovely Parisian breakfast! I call the chocolate croissant!
8:00 a.m.: One hour until the Tower opens to the public. We would probably just sit on the top floor and enjoy our moments of solidarity until the elevators become flooded with tourists.
9:00 a.m.: Time to pack up and head down the ground level as the tourists enter the tower, while thinking about our once-in-a-lifetime experience as the elevator descends to the ground level.
