PARIS, France — If you’re in Paris or watching the Summer Olympic Games on TV, there’s no doubt you’ll be seeing a lot of the Eiffel Tower.
Growing up near Paris, Eiffel Tower tour guide Fredrick Dutriat has spent nearly his entire life looking at the landmark.
“The first time I saw it, I was 7 years old," Dutriat said. "My grandmother said look up, and I saw it and was so impressed."
Now he sees this Paris landmark almost every day. While most people climb the Eiffel Tower to see Paris, Paris is looking right back with people all over the city able to see the Eiffel Tower just about everywhere they go.
“It’s the highest tower in Paris and the highest building in Paris as well, so you will see from almost everywhere,” Dutriat said.
During the Olympics and Paralympics, the tower has donned the Olympic rings. Beach volleyball is being played at a stadium there starting Saturday, and tourists can see this landmark from the streets, from trains, and from boat tours in the Seine.
It’s a big draw in the day and lit up at night. It can be seen from nearly all the 37 or so bridges crossing the Seine.
While you can see the Eiffel Tower from nearly everywhere, some things you might not see while looking at it – the tower has 18,000 metallic parts, 2.5 million rivets and 60 tons of paint.
Where will the Paris Olympics be held?
Eighty percent of competition venues are within 6.2 miles of the Olympic and Paralympic Village in Paris.
The Olympics will use historic locations throughout France for competition venues.
Some of the venues include Eiffel Tower Stadium for beach volleyball, the Palace of Versailles for equestrian, Roland-Garros stadium for tennis, and the Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées for taekwondo and fencing.
Paris previously hosted the Olympics in 1900 and 1924, and will join London (1908, 1948 and 2012) as the only cities to host the Olympic Games three times.