Financial difficulties and the French Revolution stopped the building works in the Versailles Estate. The “King of the French” Louis Philippe，transformed in 1837 the Chateau de Versailles in a museum dedicated to “all the glories of France”. Chateau of Versailles，history galleries are the largest History Museum in the world (18，000 square meters) The history of France is told through paintings and sculptures.Many of them have been commissioned for this educational purpose to the artists of the time.
Versailles ，fabulous gardens and park are almost as spectacularspectacular adj.引人入胜的，壮观的 as the castle. Le Ntre designed this Versailles garden including fountains，jets，waterfalls，statues，water parterres，formal gardens，Grand Perspective and Grand Canal，to set off the Castle，s architecture...
Nowadays，about eight million visitors discover this architectural and cultural masterpiece every year！ The visit of Chateau de Versailles and of the Loire Valley Castles，Chambord，Amboise，Blois，Chenonceau...is an absolute must，when touring France.
The Eiffel Tower
艾菲尔铁塔
在法国首都巴黎，各国游客最为集中的旅游景点无疑是艾菲尔铁塔。登上艾菲尔铁塔、俯瞰“万城之冠”的巴黎风光，这是每一位来到巴黎的访问者和游人最大的心愿。
艾菲尔铁塔矗立于巴黎市中心塞纳河右岸的战神广场上，它是为迎接在巴黎召开的世界博览会而于1889年建成的。它以铁塔的设计者、杰出的建筑工程师居斯塔夫·艾菲尔的名字命名。
艾菲尔铁塔高320.7米，塔身为钢架镂空结构，重达9000吨，共用了1.8万余个金属部件，以100余万个铆钉铆成一体，全靠四条粗大的用水泥浇灌的塔墩支撑。全塔分为三层：第一层高57米，第二层高115米，第三层高276米。每层都设有带高栏的平台，供游人眺望那独具风采的巴黎市区美景。晴空万里之时，人们可以从铁塔上看到远达70公里处的景色。据说，登上艾菲尔铁塔的游客早已超过1亿人次。
从建成之日起，艾菲尔铁塔就被人们广为颂扬。美国科学家爱迪生把铁塔设计者艾菲尔赞誉为“宏伟建筑的勇敢建造者”；画家毕加索曾为铁塔画了一幅美丽的图画；音乐家阿波利内尔则为铁塔谱写了不朽的颂歌《桥梁之父》。
今天，艾菲尔铁塔这一世界上独一无二的宏伟建筑仍展示着人类的聪明才智。它不仅是一座吸引游人观光的纪念碑，而且是巴黎这座美丽而具有悠久历史的城市的象征。
The Eiffel Tower，built in commemoration of the French Revolution，was the tallest building in the world when it was unveiled at the Paris World，s Fair in 1889. Although it has been surpassedsurpass vt.超越，胜过 in height by nearly a dozen skyscrapers since then，AlexandreGustave Eiffel，s chocolatebrown，984foot openlattice wroughtiron tower remains one of the world，s premiere tourist attractions.It is one the most well known monuments in the world visited by more than 5 million people each year.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales，later King Edward VII of England，opened the tower. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design competition，Gustave Eiffel，s was unanimouslyunanimously 全体一致地，无异议地 chosen. The structure was built from 1887~1889 as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle (1889)，a World，s fair marking the centennial celebration of the French revolution. It was inaugurated on March 31，1889，and opened on May 6. 300 steel workers joined together 18，038 pieces of steel，using two and a half million rivets. Considering the safety standards in place at the time，it is remarkable that only one worker died in the construction of the tower (during the installation of Otis Elevator，s lifts (elevators)).
The tower is 300 metres (986 feet) tall，not including the television antenna on top，which adds another 20 meters，and weighs over 10，000 tons (over 21，000，000 pounds). It was the tallest structure in the world for forty years. Maintenance on the tower includes 50 tons of three graded tones of brown paint every 7 years. Depending on the ambientambient adj.周围的 n.周围环境 temperature，the top of the Eiffel Tower will shift away from the sun by eight centimetres because of expansion of the sunwarmed metal.
Perhaps predictably，the tower met with resistance from the public when it was first built，many thought it would be an eyesore. Today it is widely considered to be one of the most striking pieces of architectural art in the world.
However it was not accepted by all at first，and a petition of 300 names including those of Maupassant，Emile Zola，Charles Garnier (architect of the Opera Garnier)，and Dumas the Younger protested its construction.
Before the Tower，s construction，critics called Eiffel，s design an eyesore and predicted that the Tower would cost too much to build. Eiffel knew better. His crew assembled the 18，000 pieces of iron in just 21 months，under budgetbudget n.预算 vi.做预算，编入预算 and in time for the fair，s opening day. With the completion of the Tower，Eiffel earned the nickname “magician of iron” .
Eiffel was one of the first engineers to recognize the importance of wind forces on tall structures. He designed the surface of his Tower to be so minimal that the wind has virtually nothing to grab onto. All pieces of the Tower form an open lattice of light trusses through which the wind can blow.
The Eiffel Tower was one of the first tall structures in the world to contain passenger elevatorselevator n.电梯，升降机，［空］升降舵，and tourists loved them. Elevator ticket sales in the Eiffel Tower regained almost the entire cost of the structure-in just one year！
At 300 metres (320.75m including antenna)，and 7000 tons，it was the world，s tallest building until 1930. Other statistics include：
2.5 million rivets.
300 steel workers，and 2 years (1887~1889) to construct it.
Sway of at most 12 cm in high winds.
Height varies up to 15 cm depending on temperature.
15，000 iron pieces (excluding rivets).
40 tons of paint.
1652 steps to the top.
It was almost torn down in 1909，but was saved because of its antenna used for telegraphy at that time. Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. French radio (since 1918)，and French television (since 1957) have also made use of its stature.
During its lifetime，the Eiffel Tower has also witnessedwitness n.［律］证人，目击者，证据，证明，证词 vt.目击，为……作证，证明，表明 vi.作证，成为证据 a few strange scenes，including being scaled by a mountaineer in 1954，and parachuted off of in 1984 by two Englishmen. In 1923 a journalist rode a bicycle down from the first level. Some accounts say he rode down the stairs，other accounts suggest the exterior of one of the tower，s four legs which slope outward.
