Europe – Part 5

Countdown: Top 5 Places & Why

#5: Paris, France

Eiffel Tower

“Paris is always a good idea.” – Audrey Hepburn

City highlights:

• Eiffel Tower
  – Is an enormous, bronze statue
  – Took elevator up to first deck & took stairs the rest of the way to the top
  – There are 3 platforms
  – The 2nd observatory deck offers the best view of the city
  – It is, of course, definitely a tourist haven but is a must-see when visiting this iconic city
• The Louvre
  – One ginormous museum with 3 separate wings
  – It would take 1 full year to go through and read/see everything the museum has to offer
  – Has a really cool entrance: a glass pyramid
  – Got to see the Mona Lisa and other famous art pieces while exploring the museum with a family friend I met up with while there

The Louvre

• Arc de Triomphe
  – An insane 8 lane traffic circle
  – It really is a  crazy intersection; an accident happens there every 15 min’s (our tour bus driver actually sped up into the traffic circle!! And we didn’t get smoked)
  – You have to go underground in order to get to the top and once through there are some really sweet views to be seen of this magnificent city
• Notre Dame Cathedral
  – Didn’t get to go…guess I’ll just have to come back another time
  – We only had one day to explore 4 of Paris’ top sites and we batted 0.750

View of city from the Eiffel Towel

Other Paris quotes:

“A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life.”
– Thomas Jefferson

To know Paris is to know a great deal.
– Henry Miller

London is a riddle. Paris is an explanation.
– G. K. Chesterson

There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even – the French air clears up the brain and does good – a world of good.
– Vincent Willem van Gogh

The chief danger about Paris is that it is such a strong stimulant.
– T.S. Eliot