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“I like The Eiffel Tower because it looks like steel and lace.”
― Natalie Lloyd

“When Hitler marched
across the Rhine
To take the land of France,
La dame de fer decided,
‘Let’s make the tyrant dance.’
Let him take the land and city,
The hills and every flower,
One thing he will never have,
The elegant Eiffel Tower.
The French cut the cables,
The elevators stood still,
‘If he wants to reach the top,
Let him walk it, if he will.’
The invaders hung a swastika
The largest ever seen.
But a fresh breeze blew
And away it flew,
Never more to be seen.
They hung up a second mark,
Smaller than the first,
But a patriot climbed
With a thought in mind:
‘Never your duty shirk.’
Up the iron lady
He stealthily made his way,
Hanging the bright tricolour,
He heroically saved the day.
Then, for some strange reason,
A mystery to this day,
Hitler never climbed the tower,
On the ground he had to stay.
At last he ordered she be razed
Down to a twisted pile.
A futile attack, for still she stands
Beaming her metallic smile.”
― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

“On arrival at Orly Airport, Fritz and Magda hired a taxi which drove them to the city. They saw before them a metropolis crowned with triumphal architecture and magnificent monuments. The first Parisian landmark that caught their eye was the majestic Eiffel Tower and, in the background, on a distant hill, the white church of Montmartre. They immediately opted that their hotel could wait and asked the driver to take them around the city, though they knew that this would cost them a whole day's budget.

What they began to see was simply spectacular: wide areas edified with splendid monuments, fantastic fountains, enchanting gardens and bronze statues representing the best exponents who flourished in the city, amongst whom artists, philosophers, musicians and great writers. The River Seine fascinated them, with boatloads of tourists all eager to see as much as they could of the city. They also admired a number of bridges, amongst which the flamboyant Pont Alexandre III. The driver, a friendly, balding man of about fifty, with moustaches à la Clemenceau, informed them that quite nearby there was the famous Pont Neuf which, ironically, was the first to be built way back in 1607. They continued their tour...”
― ANTON SAMMUT, Memories of Recurrent Echoes

“The hours tick by as I lie in bed.
Memories keep surfacing, tormenting me into unbelievable sadness. I can't bring myself to move. I can't fight the memories that keep filling my thoughts. I stay curled in the fetal position as each memory plays out. I can't stop them from coming. I can't make them go away. Nothing can distract me. I can't block the memories, so they continue to come.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“ Lonely.
My heart grips as the word crosses my mind. So many different feelings come with the word, not just loneliness. The word went beyond its definition. Loneliness has a deeper meaning to those who truly know what it means to be alone.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“I ought to be jealous of the tower. She is more famous than I am.”
― Gustave Eiffel

“He smirks, shaking his head and letting his eyes wander. I watch him carefully, wondering what I can say to get him to leave. “I’m not leaving until you answer some questions. Plus, I’m holding your sketchbook hostage, so you might want to cooperate.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. I guess there isn’t much I can say. “This isn’t a hostage negotiation.”

He chuckles half-heartedly as his eyes take me in, almost sizing me up. “I guess I should introduce myself.” He holds a hand out for me to shake. “I’m Nathan.”

I stare at his hand for a moment. “Taylor,” I reply, meeting his eyes again without taking his hand.

He lets his hand fall back to his side. “At least I got you to say something non-hostile.”

“I haven’t been hostile,” I object.

His eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, haven’t you?”

“Why don’t you leave me alone?” I snap. “Leave and don’t come back.” I move passed him, heading for my apartment. He can’t follow and annoy me if I lock the door.

“Where are you going?” he demands. I look back over my shoulder and roll my eyes at him, indicating the answer should be obvious: anywhere he isn’t. Once inside, I slam the door behind me.

“That was totally not hostile!” he calls after me, sarcastically. I quickly head for my bedroom door, slamming it, too.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“It feels like someone is gripping my heart and twisting it. It feels like I can't breathe. I shut my eyes tightly against the memory that is threatening to surface. I can't breathe.
Can't breathe. Can't breathe!”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“I grab the nearest lamppost when my knees threaten to give out, panting for breath as the words rip through me”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“If I had the true colours to describe what I feel for you, I wouldn't waste time stringing beads of words... Instead I would run to kiss you and leave monuments on you:-
pyramids on your lips, the Taj Mahal on your skin, and the Eiffel tower in your heart.

NOTESEUM | A storm I chased”
― Daniel Derrick Mwesigye

“Every gesture and every look he gives me takes me by surprise and causes my heart to stutter.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“He stares at me—taking me in—with his lips slightly parted. I struggle to hold myself in place as we gawk at each other. I want so desperately to run, but something is holding me back, keeping me in place.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“One of his hands move away from my face to flatten against my back, pulling me closer to him as he deepens the kiss. He parts my lips under his as my mind seems to sign quietly in content. I kiss him back as fiercely as he kisses me, unable to control the infatuation that rushes through me - feeling almost like fireworks. Not so careful anymore.
Little shivers of urgency shoot through me. I push off the window, pressing closer to him. The rush of sensation that is coursing through me feels like I've drunk a gallon of coffee. It feels like an electric buzz is flooding between us.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“He drinks his coffee tentatively, glancing at me every few seconds, watching me. Every time he glances in my direction, I quickly turn away though he obviously knows I'm watching him. I know he's wondering why I'm staring at him, but he doesn't ask.
I finally take a sip of coffee, set the mug back on the table, and voice what's on my mind, "I want to draw you.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“I head in the direction of the Eiffel Tower when I exit the alley, relieved to be out of the dark.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“France is beautiful. I stood at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower today and looked up at it. There are
very few times in my life I've felt so small. The day I left you was one of them.
I miss you.
Ethan.”
― Leisa Rayven, Bad Romeo

“I'm being pulled under - father and farther from the surface. My lungs continue to scream for air. Panic is building inside me, threatening to combust. I can't break free.
Help! I can't break free!
I open my mouth to scream.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“Night has settled over Paris.
The streets have cleared of the crowds, and the city has been lit up. I set my book down, deciding to go for a walk. The Eiffel Tower is only a few blocks away. Now that there aren't many people out, I can walk there without having to fight my way through mobs of gawking tourists.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“Étant la plus saisissante manifestation de l'art des constructions métalliques par lesquelles nos ingénieurs se sont illustrés en Europe, elle est une des formes les plus frappantes de notre génie national moderne.

Being the most striking manifestation of the art of metal structures by which our engineers have shown in Europe, it [the Eiffel Tower] is one of the most striking of our modern national genius.”
― Gustave Eiffel

“I take in all the colorful locks that line the bridge. Each one told a story. Each lock represented a relationship that was once special, whether it ended or turned into true happiness. The locks represented a past, present, and a possible future.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“When we step onto the bridge, Nathan turns and spreads his arms out wide. ‘Welcome to Pont des Arts, a.k.a. The Lock Bridge.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“I freeze, my feet suddenly glued to the floor. It takes me a minute to gather the courage to turn around, but when I do, I immediately wish I hadn't. The boy is standing in the doorway at the end of the hall.
Why is he here again? I barely allow myself time to ask the question before I move. Panicked, I turn and run back downstairs as fast as I can.
"Hey! Wait!" he calls after me.
I don't stop.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“On a trip to Paris one day, little Sophie
Met a giant lady lighting up the night sky
"What's your name, you magical monster?"
"My many visitors call me the Eiffel Tower."
"In all your attire, don't your sometimes tire
Of being seen only as a humdrum tower?
You, a dragon, a fairy watching over Paris,
An Olympic torch held aloft in grey skies?"
"How you flatter me! So few poets these days
Ever sing the praises of my Parisian soul,
As did Cocteau, Aragon, Cendrars,
Trénet and Apollinaire... Since you're so good
At seeing beneath the surface, you could
-If you like, when you're back from France-
Take up your pen and write down
Why you like me -it would be nice and fun!"
"You can count on me! There's so much to say!
I'll write twenty lines... but who will read them?"
"Well, I know a man who'll read your verse."
"Really? Who?"
"The President of France”
― Emmanuel Macron

“Eiffel Tower is more than a landmark; she’s Paris’s missing rib.”
― Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu

“The boy took my sketchbook.”
― Ashley Earley, Alone in Paris

“Tancr de Boniface, kapitán dragounů ve výslužbě, jenž na tribuně určené pro veřejnost vykřikoval: „Jestli se rozhodnete pro věž pana Eiffela, lehnu si na zem a můžete se dívat, jak krumpáče dělníků kopajících základy probodnou tuhle hruď, kterou šavle hulánů nikdy ani neškrábly!”
― Jiří Žák, Co ještě Paříž neřekla

“Dare to dream. Your imagination is what drives you, molds you, and steers you through life. Without imagination you just run with the herd with little control over where you are going or knowledge of where you have been.”
― Mike Gotwalt

“Love comes along--casting a spell
Will it sing you a song?
Will it say farewell?
Who can tell?
(Jacqueline Bouvier, Paris 1950)”
― M.J. Bachman, Was it Love? Or Was it Paris?

“No one would call it beautiful, but that hardly mattered to Zofia. Beauty did not move her. But the Eiffel Tower did. It was immensely awkward. If the streets looked sewn together with a neat hand, la Tour Eiffel was the ungainly needle pinning it all into place. It lanced through the grand boulevards, elegant cupolas, and buildings draped in sculpted gods. It would never blend in, but always demand witnessing. Zofia suspected that if la Tour Eiffel could talk, they would understand each other perfectly.”
― Roshani Chokshi, The Gilded Wolves

“Upon a glamorous sea known as Paris stands a regal lighthouse known as Eiffel Tower.”
― Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu