Michelle Obama Visits Eiffel Tower With Sasha And Malia, Wears Stylish Scarf (PHOTOS)

**Photos below**

PARIS — Michelle Obama and her two daughters have paid a surprise visit to the Eiffel Tower.

The first lady, 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha spent about 45 minutes at the Parisian icon Friday night as President Barack Obama was arriving in France.

An Associated Press Television News journalist saw the three enter the Eiffel Tower by the south pillar. Michelle Obama waved to tourists who squealed and greeted her back.

It was not clear whether the Obamas went to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

The Obamas go to Normandy on Saturday for D-Day commemoration ceremonies. Michelle and the girls are expected to stay in France until Monday. The president leaves Sunday.

French newspapers had speculated that the Obamas, and possibly their daughters, would dine atop the Eiffel Tower.

PHOTOS:

• • • • • •

Michelle Obama arrives at the Eiffel tower for a visit with Malia and Sasha on Friday.

Comments

[randf]

not clear if they went up

[LMPE]

I've been up the Eiffel Tower twice. Quite a sight.

[walk0nwalls]

La Tour Eiffel is okay. I never went up it though, It's like, usually really crowded.

[mjc]

Getting the most out of being the first lady and wife of a president while she can!

[Lee Andrew]

Let's nip this travelgate meme in the bud:

Bush's 77 vacation trips to Crawford cost us $226,072 per trip. That's $17,407,544 so he could ride his bicycle in the woods and clear brush for the cameras. (That's just the estimated cost of flying Air Force One round trip - about two hours of flight time each way at $56,518 per hour. That doesn't include the entourage cost.)

George W. Bush's vacation time = 1020 or 1/3 of his presidency. He set the record for the most vacation time taken by a President.

487 days at Camp David
490 days at Crawford Ranch
43 days at Kennebunkport Compound

Total: 1020 days, more than 1/3rd of his presidency.

By comparison:

Carter took 79 days in 4 years.

Clinton took 152 days in 8 years.

Reagan took 335 days in 8 years.

Bush Sr. took 543 days in 4 years

[LeftWingX10]

Has this add to the Carbon Foot Print affecting our Beloved Earth . . let me count the ways!!!

[Clutz]

It's amazing how tolerant all of you are about the whole family plus others going on the trip on the taxpayer dime. Ya'll aren't honest enought with yourself that if it was the Bush's ya'll would be throwing major hissy fits.

[Haitiana4Obama]

Why shouldn't we "tolerate" the First Family enjoying culture while cultivating the image of the American people abroad? You sure weren't complaining about TOLERATING the stigma of being American born or raised these past long hard 8 devistating years of ethnocentrism and imperialism under the Bush/Cheney regime.

[MamacitaOfLove]

They paid their own way.

[33Greeper]

Verified. They did pay their own way.

[Bozwellian]

WHO paid their own way ? (CERTAINLY NOT THE BUSHLERS and their groupies, like hurumph !!!)

[SierraL]

Where was this obsevation, complaint, when Pres. Bush spent all that time in Crawford TX? That also was on the "taxpayer dime".

Btw..as already stated, the Obamas personally paid for this portion of the trip.

Look it up, its public record.

[Bozwellian]

Then there were Bushies jaunts around the country for various FUNDRAISERS and to get it put on the TAXPAYER DIME, they would insist on deliberately scheduling it as an OFFICIAL BIZ TRIP to what ever city/region , claiming he was there to do FED government work/promo etc when that was truly but a sidenote used for cover.
Who forgets that the weekend of Katrina, having alread BEEN on vacztion in Crawford, he did take a trip to Claifornia for a FUND RAISER , where he played air guitar on stage ...actually did more than merely ONE fundraise there...and oh, enroute, he had AF1 make a stop in Arizona to wish McCain a Happy Birthday and give him a cake...all the while, folks were drowning in New Orleans and the majority of his regular staff were too on VACATON and many attending the all important wedding activities going on for WH staffer Nicole Wallace and none were paying much attention to much else ...reminds one of how none paid attention to the memo in another August vacaton period where was the alertment that AQ was determined to strike...VACTION FIRST and don't worry 'bout tomorrow for tomorrow is always a day away and NEVER today !!!

[bogues]

The Bush's did take trips at the tax payers expense. For some reason it was perfectly acceptable when they did it.

[Aesthete]

As an avid and passionate scarf wearer, I LOVE Mrs. Obama's scarf and the manner in which she has tied it. I want to try that..

[ebanks84]

There's nothing like family outings and time spent together in such a historical country.

[maisnon55]

it is just my nature, maybe, but...............I love liberal politics........so, I go to rooms that celebrate liberal politics..­..........­I love my first family..........so, I go to place that CELEBRATE the first family........

on the other hand.........I do not agree with conservative politics..­........so­, I do not go to rooms that celebrate conservative politics..........I do not love republican politicians, though I do like some of them...but, I do not go into rooms that show photos and give adoring comments about the photos...

I don't like arguing and being in conflict with people, though

[DeloresT]

In my family, summer was that special time of the year when cousins and other relatives traveled and spent time .together. It's when we visited Grandmama. I guess it's what some folk would call "family values".

[devans00]

I recognize quite a few people in the background from the presidential campaign photos. Great to see the extended family having a nice vacation in Paris together.

[katyann]

It is so refreshing to see this beautiful family enjoying the City of Lights. We are fortunate the Obamas are subtly repairing relations with our Bush-maligned friends. What better way to make amends than to go up in the Eiffel Tower? Bien fait! Remember this is the city that declared, "We are all Americans!" on 9/11. The Bush bullies did their best to force the French into a preemptive war of lies, and then, when the invite to the rumble was declined, they cheered on the idiots who dumped French wine, smushed French cheese, and renamed French fries. Adieu to the bellicose xenophobes. Bonjour to the new day of being rational, positive, and mutually appreciative.

[Niasia]

Oh this is so great for the girls. I had so many cousins who stayed with us over the summer and went on trips with us it made it fun to have my family and people I hung out with all the time. This is just great!

[rjupiter]

dressing up is fun to do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_GnbY7nJl0

[Amit Sharma]

Message from my sister, I was in Paris yesterday with my 3 yr old daughter, she went on the Merry Go Round by the Eiffel Tower and the Obama daughters were on the ride with her, I was so surprised to see them. They looked so cute on the ride having fun, I got a little emotional after seeing them thinking was a coincidence they were on the ride at the same time as my baby. She is too young to know who they are at the moment but I did explain to her. Although it rained the whole day while in Paris yesterday seeing the Obama girls really did brighten up the afternoon. I really wanted to approach them and tell them how amazing their father is but i'm sure they both know.

[Lahonda]

That was sweet!

[cyndip]

What is that mysterious ponytail that 7 year old Sasha is suddently sporting? How appropriate is it for 7 year olds to be glammed up with a fake hairpiece?