Bonjour ! Thank you for joining me on this discovery course where we’re going to uncover the secrets of the Eiffel Tower.

It is no surprise that the Eiffel Tower is a global cultural icon of France and one of the most famous   and recognisable monuments in the world - if not the most!

I have been fascinated by this monument since I was a little kid.

I would dream to see it one day, and to climb to the top.

It was only in 1997 that I was able to see it for the first time on a memorable trip from Alsace to England via Paris.

And I had the opportunity to climb to the top on a cold February day in 1999.

But in between I did extensive research on the tower.

And to be honest with you, on my first visit, I was not too surprised by what I saw because I just knew it was there.

And today with all the opportunities and tools the Internet gives us, it has made it very easy to do some armchair travel.

And whether you are considering travelling to Paris or not, I hope this course will teach you interesting things and, let’s say it, entertain you as well!

To get started, let’s take a look at an overview of everything that will be covered in this course.

I have divided the course into four parts, each with a question / reply format to make it more intuitive and interactive.

► First we’ll set the stage by presenting the tower itself and its environment.

This will probably be familiar to you, particularly if you’ve been to the Eiffel Tower before.

It will be a short description of the tower before going deeper in history.

► History will be our second part in which we’ll be looking at the construction and history of the tower.

► Part 3 will go further into some interesting facts you may not be aware of.

We’ll be looking from the outside to the inside of the monument and my guess is that next time you see the Eiffel Tower, it will be through different eyes!

► Finally, part 4 will look at the way the Eiffel Tower was used by science and we’ll also have a glimpse at the representation of the tower in popular culture.

And remember that in everything we do here, the goal is to go beyond the tourist experience of the Eiffel Tower and to understand its true value.

That’s why I called this course: the secrets of the Eiffel Tower .

So without any further ado, let’s get started!

Ps. I'm here to help you if you have any questions. Feel free to contact me at pierre@frenchmoments.com