Paris, France

"'If one of us dies,' the husband told his wife, 'I shall move to Paris.'" Sigmund Freud

I was only 18 when I visited Paris so naturally what I remember is champagne and wine! And boy did I enjoy both! Paris was the first place in Europe that I visited and I fell in love! I remember being told how rude the French would be but I remember nothing of the sort! But then again I was bubbly on bubbly! I vaguely remember some of the things we did so I will list those I remember. Otherwise, you'll need to check with my friend Jenny on what I did, after awhile I gave her my camera and I stayed on the bus to sleep. It's probably now that I should mention how important sleep is to me. I would sleep 12 hours a night if I could!

The Arc de Triomphe. Located at the end of the Champs-Elysees. You can climb 200+ stairs to the top of the Arc, but I didn't... instead I spent time shopping on the Champs-Elysees. Which was quite fun for a small town American girl in Paris.

The Eiffel Tower. Gypsies meeting area I am sure. Hold your wallets and valuables close because there are thousands of gypsies begging for money and sending their kids out to pick your pockets. We stood in a long line to climb to the top, which gave these gypsies plenty of time to target us. Luckily, I walked away with all my possessions. The view from the Eiffel Tower is worth the long wait in line though- since it's the tallest building in France you can imagine how much you can see! I am sure most people find it cliche but I loved it! I am pretty sure when anyone thinks of Paris they think of the Eiffel Tower!

The Louvre... Well let's be honest, the Mona Lisa! She really is pretty but she's pretty small! I think I was more taken in by all the sculptures! So many sculptures - amazing! I would love to go back to the Louvre because I can promise you I didn't appreciate it like I would now!

Notre Dame... large church! I didn't climb to the top, mostly I just walked around the church- inside and out. Another thing I don't believe I appreciated at the time but would now. I will however still send my teenage kids to Europe if the opportunity is there- because this is when I realized I wanted to see and do bigger things!

Safe travels! ~Neely