Our final stop - and probably the highlight of our trip for most of the students - was the Eiffel Tower. I'd previously made it as far as the second level on a previous school trip, but insane crowds prevented us from ascending further on that particular ocasion. Well, it was 14th July.
This time everything was in our favour: no national holidays, not too much traffic, nice weather and an early start from our hotel meant queuing was brief and rather pleasant. We arrived at the summit in record time and allowed our jaws to drop.
I used to say I had a fear of heights, but not any more. It's a strange thing; if I'm just a few floors up I still sometimes get a touch giddy, but it's not fear, it's nausea and loss of balance. Strangely once I'm a long way up I'm always fine, there must be some sort of critical height. Way above that today though.
