Paris, France

Paris, France (6/30-7/5/2011) – Paris! Let’s say it again, romantic Paris! Pat says, “Falling in love in Paris all over again” – Paris must be good because all she had was me, I think. We stayed with our friend Tom in a large apartment in the up-and-coming Bastille area surrounded by classic French cafes and stores. With a bit of walking and using the comprehensive metro system, we could visit all of Paris within minutes. Besides visiting the famous sights listed below (see the extra photos), we had a chance to ‘live’ Paris enjoying breakfasts of coffee and croissants purchased fresh each morning at the corner shop, stopping for drinks and lunch and people watching at outside cafes, buying dinner at the Sunday Marche Bastille open market, lunch in the small picturesque winding streets of the Latin Quarter, wandering the famous Champs Elysees and the neighboring parks, viewing the lively parade for Carnaval Tropical de Paris, strolling along the Seine River and streets of Paris at night, taking a boat ride along the Seine, going to the Paris’ summer arcade where we rode the ferris wheel for wonderful views of Paris, watching the performers at the Pompidou and young lovers be affectionate everywhere in the city, seeing the interesting exhibit of medals of European orders, and a visit to Montmartre (the center of Paris’ golden age in the 1880’s) and its gleaming white Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. At Montmartre having lunch at an outside café on artsy place di Tertre, we probably sat where Picasso told Dali that melted watches would never catch on. Paris is truly one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world, filled with history and remaining influential in the areas of culture, art, fashion, food, and design. Located in the north or France on the Seine River, Paris is one of the largest cities in the world with 2.2 million people living in the dense central city and almost 12 million people living in the metropolitan area. A large part of Paris is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Paris has the second highest number of Michelin-restaurants in the world (after Tokyo) and contains numerous iconic landmarks that are the world's most visited tourist sights such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, Moulin Rouge, Lido, etc. with 45 million tourists annually. Next stop… Reykjavik, Iceland. Treat yourself and see many more photos (some winners of awards) of our worldwide travel adventures, click on our travel photo file: www.flickr.com/photos/unhooknow/sets Our book “Plan Your Escape, Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home”) reveals secrets how you can unhook from your routines and travel the world for less than $100/day for a couple! – to order and sign up for FREE travel tips, go to www.PlanYourEscapeNow.com