Paris Visions-Eiffel Tower food poisoning
 

Did anyone else visit the restaurant 'Altitude 95' in Paris at the Eiffel Tower on Friday December 29th? My husband and I went through the tour company Paris Vision as we had seen them recommended here quite frequently. After dining and the tour, (by the way email me if you want all of the disappointing details) we both became violently ill and had extreme case of food poisoning. When I contacted paris visions after returning they have just now returned the message to say that no one else complained so that they do not think we actually were sick, and if so it was not related to our only meal in 12 hours-at the Altitude 95. <BR>Anybody else out there eat at this tourist trap? I would really appreciate any input as my husband and I feel that we should receive a refund or credit for this awful night. Thanks a lot. <BR>By the way-aside from this terrible sick-night, Paris the first time was amazing!!! Beautiful, romantic, breathtakingly amazing.

sheila <BR>First let me say that I'm sorry to hear that you were ill. <BR>I don't exactly understand what you used Paris Vision for. Did you take a tour that included sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower and lunch at Altitude? <BR>I know this is now too late to help you, but if you'd inquired on this forum <BR>I don't believe you would have received <BR>many recommendations to spend your money that way. Anyone can book lunch or dinner at Altitude by phone or by fax on their own, and it is not hard to get a reservation (as opposed to the much pricier but much better Jules Verne, also in the <BR>Tower.)Perhaps you took a tour because you wanted to avoid waiting in line to go up in the Tower. <BR>I don't know what Paris Visions's <BR>actual liability is regarding food at the restaurant, but I would write/fax or directly to the manager of the restaurant (and copy a person at Paris Vision,not just the company in general) a polite but thorough letter about your illness and see how they respond.Altitude is not at all known for having fine food, but it should not of course make anyone ill. <BR>Let them know exactly what you ordered, date and time, etc. <BR>I will add that last summer in the US while on vacation <BR>I became violently ill after dinner. I had no known food allergies. I wrote to the manager who sent me a prompt and polite response back. He did offer me a gift certificate for a future meal, but he also took the trouble to contact a <BR>lab about the food I had eaten because <BR>I was the only customer who had complained about being ill. The lab suggested that there might have been a chemical reaction, that I was unexpectedly allergic to, between the natural sulfites in the wine I drank, and the buttermilk that was one of the ingredients in my food. Perhaps this was nonsense, I'll never know. I give you all this detail only because there is a possibility that you and your husband <BR>had a personal reaction to the food at Altitude that perhaps other people did not experience. It would be worth writing to the manager just to see how he responds. <BR>Good luck, and again I'm sorry to hear what happened. I'm glad you liked Paris.

Hi Sheila, I'm sorry to hear that you got sick. We ate at Altitude95 last September, had a very good meal at reasonable prices and had no problems at all. <BR>

<BR>Hi Sheila, <BR> <BR>Straying a bit from the travel theme here, you may be surprised to learn (I was!) that there are viral as well as bacterial food poisonings. The most common viral one, the "Norwalk family" of viruses, usually takes from 30 to 40 hours to become symptomatic. I'm not sure if Norwalk-like viruses are common in Europe, but in the U.S. they apparently cause most non-bacterial food poisoning. <BR> <BR>So, if nobody else complained, it may not have been at the Altitude 95 that you contracted your illness but at some earlier meal. Norwalk-like viruses are killed at high temperatures, so they're usually transmitted on cold foods such as salads and seafood. They can also be transmitted by contaminated water. You may want to review what else, and where else, you ate and drank for up to two days before you got sick. <BR> <BR>If you want more information, you can find this virus listed on the Center for Disease Control web site, or do a web search for "Norwalk virus" or "viral gastroenteritis." <BR> <BR>I really sympathize. Yuck. Glad to hear that the *rest* of your trip was magical, as it should be! <BR> <BR> - Quicksilver -

Well, if, indeed you were "the only ones", which, of course, may or not be true, there would hardly be any recourse. You didn't mention the length of your stay, but it is entirely likely that the exhaust fumes, if you're not used to them where you live, are what REALLY did you in after spending a bit of time in Paris. Particularly if your "tour" included a boat tour. Ghastly fumes! Did you happen to notice that the Tour Eiffel is positively surrounded by tour busses spewing overhwheming fumes? Some are more sensitive than others. I would guess that you were even more susceptible to same having not eaten 12 hours prior...At any rate, had you read a tour guide or two, you'd have known better than to book such a tour. I've never notice such an excursion "recommended" here - quite the opposite. I'm guessing you went on one of those "Paris by Night" tours. So, you hop on a diesel bus, after not having eaten for 12 hours, then ascend the Tour Eiffel. No surprise to me you didn't respond nicely. Those in the know take a ride on the Seine (in one of the smaller vessels), then have a nice dinner, then go up the Tour Eiffel when the lights are turned on all over for glorious views. Total cost about a quarter of one of those "escorted tours".