Bonjour!

I loved Paris… not for the glitz and glam or the fact that I could shop forever but because I could browse all day and night the little streets, see more beautiful architecture than I thought possible and because it is so different than anything I am used to. Nothing can describe how beautiful and old it is. I think I am already planning my next trip (don’t know when that will be yet) and I want to see more of France. I tried to acquire a taste for wine, doing better on that one, and thought about trying new foods but didn’t do so well there. Can’t seem to want to eat escargot or anything that resembled canned cat food… that said, the food in Paris is delicious.

My personal favorites included Sac de’Cour with its view of the entire city, walking around the Montemarte area, my brief time in the red light district at Moulin Rouge (I think Cindy was a little nervous in that part of town), the light show at night at the Eiffel Tower, the stained glass in Notre Dame, and hanging out at the water fountains of the Louvre. It was a treat to see, in person, Monet, VanGough, and Michelangelo.. my new boyfriend would be David (ahhh…but that is in Italy).

As a way of getting a different view of Paris, I took a bike tour with the Fat Tire Bike Company. This was a hoot~ strange in some ways, really fun in other ways. Picture a bunch of Americans riding those touring bikes around interrupting the flow of traffic. Our fearless leader had one of those little horns that makes a funny “honk” when squeezed and alerts others that you are about to run them over on their romantic stroll down the Seine. He told us the louder we were the better- completely contradictory to my way of blending in and not looking like a tourist in Paris. However, on the upside, I ate GREAT ice cream at Berthillon Ice Cream parlor and rode over the oldest bridge in Paris. The tour ended with a boat cruise down the Seine drinking red wine and listening to the futball game on the radio (they played Portugal and won this night, see earlier blog about World Cup).

I think that if I was to write a book about Paris, I would warn visitors of the Red Bus tours. A great way to see the city, but also a way to get incredibly burned by the scorching sun while sitting on the top deck! I did this to myself 3 separate times (I bet half of you reading this are saying to yourself “how stupid…”)! I am told it is not usually so hot in Paris- it reached 100 degrees several days. I ended my trip with a leisurely ride on the Metro to our bus that took us to our plane… and with that started the rather busy system of travel for the rest of the trip. Bus, tube, train, plane, bus, train, bus, plane, bus, train, bus, train, plane… 2 weeks is most definitely not enough time in Italy, Scotland and London… more on those next post:)