Days 7, 8: Paris

Oh, sweet Paris,
where the Patisseries are abundant (and well-visited),
where every second Parisian owns a dog,
where people start and end their day with a baguette,
where the streets are cobble-stoned and cultural history oozes from the landscape,
where the only shops open on a Sunday are those you wouldn't venture into anyway,
where the Metro, RER and bus services jam-pack their passengers to the point of strangulation,
where you hear the melodious tones of the accordion and homeless people lie passed out in Metro stations,
where beggars can ask for money in 8 different languages,
where the ridiculously rich live among the desperately poor,
where the contradictions of hierarchy and equality reign supreme,
where you get robbed by either pickpockets or the ridiculously over-priced...everything (or sometimes both),
and where the gardens, art and high fashion are plentiful,
Here’s to you, Paris - we tip our berets in appreciation for a marvelous holiday and say...
"J'aime bien le bifteck."

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Just in case you're tempted to skip the slideshow (which is actually worth watching just for the background music)... Here is our Paris Top 10 list:





10 - the long (but exciting) walk from the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs-Elysees









9 - looking for the Hunchback at Notre Dame cathedral... we didn't find him, but we heard him ring the bells at 12-noon.












8 - saving beaucoup d'argent by hiking up the steps to the Sacre Coeur instead of riding the cable car.








7 - acting like real DaVinci Code fans and finding the Rose Line in St. Sulpice Church.












6 - famous art

















5 - dessert crepes














4 - cooling off at the Louvre

3 - lunch on the Champs-Elysees.

2 - viewing Paris from the very top of the Eiffel Tower (and only having to stand in line for 20 minutes to get there)

1 - did we mention how tasty the food was?