A Ferris Wheel in the Jardin des Tuileries

A couple weeks into my trip I made my first visit to the Jardin des Tuileries with Kathryn. We both thought the name meant it was a tulip garden—which in our defense would be a very appropriate name for the garden—but later in the trip we came to learn it actually was named after the tile factories. The first time we visited it seemed that Jardin des Tuileries was a place we would have to actively seek out to visit again, but as it turns out it turned out to be a place we were constantly ending up at. The garden is huge and in a central location in Paris which makes it that much more accessible for everyone. It seemed like it was a popular tourist destination, I’m not sure if it was because it was easy to stumble upon or people were actively seeking it out.

Somehow soon after having fell in love with the Jardin des Tuileries we found out that it once was the location of a giant Ferris wheel that allowed for a fun ride while taking in some amazing views. Needless to say, we felt cheated that this Ferris wheel had somehow been in Paris just after the Ferris wheel had disappeared from the garden. As time moved on we made peace with the fact that it wasn’t there, but once in awhile the idea of having a Ferris wheel in Paris would come up in conversation and our hearts would break all over again.

A couple of weeks after the trip had ended Kathryn brought my attention to an instagram post she had found that day that included a picture of the Ferris wheel. Sure enough, I typed in the Jardin des Tuileries into the instagram search box and hundreds of recent photos came up with carnival rides and the beloved Ferris wheel we were jipped of during our time in Paris. This lead to some important questions: Why was the Ferris wheel there in the past and in the beginning of summer but not when we were there this past spring?

There is a two-part answer to these questions:

1) There was a Ferris wheel at the universal exhibition and it was demolished. Next, for the Millenium celebrations the Grand Roue was constructed. Though it was only supposed to stay for the year, the owner refused to take it down and it stayed until 2002. After that the wheel was brought to the UK for 2003-2004 and was brought back to Paris in 2007. The goal was to bring the wheel back each year to celebrate the end of the year/new year festivities. However, this wheel was sold to Belgium and is (was?) set to move there August 2015.

2)  Each year from June 28^th through August 24^th there is a Fete des Tuileries where all things carnival themed (cotton candy, rides, games) are set up in the Park.

So now you know the story of how we were jipped of an experience with a Ferris wheel in the Jardin des Tuileries. If you don’t believe me, here’s a picture.