Tuesday, April 29, 2008

THE TWO TOWERS

Houston Steve, with whom I share a certain bizarre Mystical Connection, was enjoying a Parisian vacation with his charming wife Debbie right about the same time I was gallivanting around the Land of the Rising Sun with Elder Daughter.

And once again, the Mystical Connection reared its head, for each of us found ourselves simultaneously drawn to strange-looking Metallic Towers on opposite sides of the globe.

The Two Towers

Here you see Houston Steve posing in front of the Eiffel Tower, a piece of architecture reviled in its day but which has come to symbolize the City of Light itself. And you see me in front of the Tokyo Tower, an unabashed knockoff of the Tour Eiffel but which sports an uglier paint job (dictated by Japanese aviation regulations) and which enjoys a few extra meters height advantage.

The view is pretty snazzy, especially from the Special Observation Deck, 250 meters up.

View of Tokyo

And if you really want some Bowel-Clenching Fun, stand over one of the “Look-Down Windows” on the Main Observation Deck...and look straight down. Oh, don’t worry. It’s perfectly safe, judging by the enthusiasm with which little kids jump up and down on the glass.

A Vertiginous View

(But why do those reinforcing wires put me in mind of a French-Fry Slicer?)

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