It is funny how we build things up in our heads sometimes to be something else altogether. I completely had the impression the Eiffel Tower was bigger than most skyscrapers in North American cities. I thought it would cut in to the cloud tops and cast a shadow over all other things far and wide because of its grand size. I was after all able to see this structure from almost anywhere in town. It served as a beacon for me when I tried to seek it out.
It was not terribly straightforward to find as I found out however. I walked for hours by foot trying to find it, and I’m not entirely sure why I deduced that was the best way to get there considering a cab fare would have been so much faster and not terribly expensive. It was all about the journey though. I was able to meet people and have conversations, including the couple that I asked to take a photo of me at this bridge. It served to personalize the experience to be sure.
The Eiffel Tower is not as grand as it would appear, and I ended up totally underwhelmed as I sat beneath it once I actually arrived at my destination. Sometimes it is about the things we have to go through to arrive somewhere. And sometimes it is about learning the truth of things once we arrive that is the lesson. The monument was no less special because of its size. It didn’t make it any less or more novel, but it did help me to gain perspective on my own expectations of what I thought it would be.
Let things be as they are. And nothing more. Or so I tell myself. 
The One Life Movement 