I must admit, the Eiffel tower is an engineering marvel as much as something beautiful to behold. Because the days are so long at this time of year, I did not see it lit up at night (I would have had to wait until midnight). However, I did take the car up to the second floor which overlooks all of Paris. The top was closed when I arrived due to already overcrowded conditions. Again, I didn't have the time to wait for it to open up. This was my first sight of the tower at my approach from the subway station.