90+ Eiffel and Eiffel Tower facts – part 2

Eiffel Tower facts collected for you by FUSAC. Part 2 of a 3 part series Part 1 facts 1 through 35 Part 2 facts 36 through 72 Part 3 facts 73 through 102 - we just couldn't stop! "Je vais être jaloux de cette tour. Elle est plus célèbre que moi." – Gustave Eiffel The Eiffel Tower and Margaret Thatcher share the same nickname - La Dame de Fer ("The Iron Lady"). In 1960 Charles de Gaulle proposed temporarily dismantling the tower and sending it to Montreal for Expo 67. The plan was rejected. The names of 72 engineers, scientists and mathematicians are engraved on the side of the tower, each of whom contributed to its construction. In the computer game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the tower is toppled by an airstrike. There are 20,000 light bulbs, 5000 per face, on the Eiffel Tower to make it sparkle every night. The sparkling bulbs were installed by hand over 5 months by 25 climbers for the year 2000. Souvenir sales began immed…
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  • 15 août 2026
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90+ Eiffel and Eiffel Tower facts – part 1

Eiffel Tower facts collected for you by FUSAC. Part 1 of a 3 part series Part 1 facts 1 through 35 Part 2 facts 36 through 72 Part 3 facts 73 through 102 - we just couldn't stop! To take great photos see https://fusac.fr/eiffel-tower-photo-locations/ "Je vais être jaloux de cette tour. Elle est plus célèbre que moi." – Gustave Eiffel Completed on March 31, 1889, the tower was the world’s tallest man-made structure for 41 years until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930. It is 324 meters tall (including antennas) and weighs 10,100 tons. It was the tallest structure in France until the construction of a military transmitter in the town of Saissac in 1973. The Millau Viaduct, completed in 2004, is also taller, at 343 meters. It is possible to climb to the top, but there are 1,665 steps. Most people take the lift. 45 people fit in the elevator at a time allowing the transportation of 1700 people per hour. The lifts travel a co…
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  • 8 août 2026
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How do you translate… ?

Newcomers, stay with us here: you might need this some day. Old-timers, has something like the following happened to you? You’ve moved to France and after several weeks, your nice bakery-lady realizes that you’re not a tourist but a bona fide resident of the quartier. She’s always found you genial, so one day she tries her luck, saying in French, “I want to put a sign in the window about all our offerings, to attract English-speaking clients. I would be thrilled to translate it myself, as I know a bit of English, but I’m not familiar with specific words related to gastronomy. Could I ask you to do me a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig favor and translate it?  It’s not long-only three paragraphs.  That said, please feel free to say no.” Several months go by and you find a job. You get along well with everyone, from the floor sweeper all the way up to the CEO.  On your way out to lunch one day, the receptionist corrals you and says in French, “My son is looking for an internship in the UK…
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  • 2 août 2026
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UNESCO Collection of Representative Works

UNESCO Collection of Representative Works The UNESCO Collection of Representative Works was a UNESCO translation project that was active between 1948 and 2005. It was meant to translate masterpieces of world literature (especially from lesser-known languages) into English, French, Spanish and Arabic or into another less well-known language so that they could be available to the widest audience possible, with the aim of promoting cultural understanding between peoples, educating and stimulating reflection. UNESCO saw books as not merely entertainment, but also as a way to encourage the development of world peace. When the project initially started out, it was confined only to translations from and into Arabic and it expanded little by little to other languages as more countries learned of the project and joined. The project stopped in 2005 when it ran out of funds. Until then, UNESCO funded the translation of about 1400 works from over 80 countries translated from over 100 la…
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  • 27 juillet 2026
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Get Out of Town to the Ile des Impressionnistes

Meandering along the Seine meanders: A walk from St Germain-en-Laye to Chatou Ile des Impresisonnistes, 2½ hour walk one way This walk is lovely at any time of year, and in fact views of the rivers are easier in the winter when the light is soft and you can see through the leafless trees. But the cooler air outside the city in the summer is also a reason to take this short trip west of Paris. You’ll enjoy bird life, impressionist history, passing barges, superb mansions and people to watch. Take the RER A to St Germain-en-Laye. Walk across the terrace past the château of St Germain-en-Laye built in the time of Henri IV (17th century). Exit the park through the Boulingrin gate on the right. Follow rue des Arcades to the left, then left on rue Thiers. Go past the Pavillion Henri IV. At the foot of the stairs take the rampe des Grottes on the right. Cross the street and continue down the steps to place de l’Eglise St Wandrille. Continue down to the bottom then go straight to t…
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  • 20 juillet 2026
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Light of Liberty at Versailles

On the south side of the Chateau of Versailles you’ll find the street named “rue de l’Indépendance américaine”. Why? The Palace of Versailles served as the political and diplomatic epicenter of the American Revolution. Ever since the disastrous Treaty of Paris in 1763, which entailed France's loss of Canada and the Indies, France had been seeking revenge against England. It was at Versailles that King Louis XVI recognized the United States in 1777, officially allied with the rebellion committing vital financial and military assistance in 1778 and in 1783 signed the preliminary peace articles ending the war. In the summer of 2026, to mark the 250th or semiquincentennial anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, the Palace of Versailles will open its doors for a brand-new immersive experience. Visitors are invited to step back in time and discover the fascinating links between Versailles and the birth of the United States.

A n…

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  • 30 juin 2026
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Horse puzzles – Horseplay!

One of the most famous horse races is the Kentucky Derby. It takes place each year in May. The horse racing season in Paris opens in the spring as well at the Hippodrome de Longchamps. Somehow both events have become associated with the most beautiful hats with attendees out doing each other. But that's another story.

Here are 2 horse puzzles, games based on Horses that we put together for the kids next door to whom we were "teaching" English over the garden wall during confinement. I stood up on a ladder to see over the top and they were in their front court. It was pretty funny to see. They enjoyed having some authentic conversation although they had trouble with my "odd" US accent as opposed to the British one they hear in school. It was a welcome distraction for us all. It was tricky to select a "program" as there are 3 girls ages 10 to 17 to entertain and challenge. They have such different levels of English amongst themselves and of course there is the age di…

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  • 24 juin 2026
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