Paris

There's absolutely nothing I can say about Paris that hasn't been said before. Perhaps no other city in the world has inspired the amount of superlatives heaped on the City of Lights over the years. The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Moulin Rouge, the Sorbonne, the Right Bank, the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter...Paris is a veritable cornucopia of famous places. You'll find the Mona Lisa here, as well as Jim Morrison's grave.

If you go, avoid eating in the touristy areas if possible. I wanted to eat on the Champs Elysees, so I stopped at a little sidewalk cafe and ended up paying $15 for a small sandwich and a beer. Ouch. Here's another tip - try not to act like an obnoxious tourist and the French will not be rude. I did my best to use my limited French every chance I got, and the locals were friendly and helpful. If you go there with your mind already made up that everyone in Paris is obnoxious and rude, then you'll get just that. Another tip: if you have limited time in which to see Paris, do yourself a favor and don't spend the whole time waiting in lines. Walk around and just see as much as you can. Paris is big, and there's alot to see - use the Metro, it can get you anywhere fast.

Different cities hold different meanings for different people, but I can recall few greater joys than sitting in an out-of-the way cafe on a Paris sidestreet, sipping a cappucino and watching the locals go about their everyday lives. With just under 10 million people, Paris is the largest city in Europe, so there's something to suit every taste. Another interesting fact is that the University of Paris is the largest university in the world.

Click on picture to enlarge...

La Tour Eiffel