Exploring Paris...

On my last day in France, Nick, Jess, and my French roommate showed me around Paris. The weather was unseasonably warm, which was great, but Paris is so big that it was tough to try to tackle all the sights in one day. I think we did a good job though.

We started out at the Arc De Triomphe, which was built in 1806 by Napoleon to commemorate his imperial victories. The Arc sits in the middle of a busy Paris intersection and was one of the most impressive structures we saw during the day.

We next walked down the avenue des Champs-Élysées. This street is one of the most famous in Paris and is lined with all the most expensive shops from around the globe.

From there we battled the many Parisians to make it down toward the Louvre. On the way we stopped and ate crêpes from a street vendor and enjoyed the sun in the park. The Louve was probably my favorite sight of the day. It is an amazingly impressive structure.

After that we walked to Notre Dame and had a walk around the surrounding neighborhood. It was amazing to imagine the work that went into building such a impressive structure.

Then it was on the metro to take us to Montmartre. This is a hill in the north of Paris and from the top you get a nice view of the entire city. It also has the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit. This was a great area and we stopped for an hour or so to have a coffee, rest the stumps, and people watch.

From there I raced out to Versailles, which is located about 17 km outside of Paris. This an upscale neighborhood just outside of Paris and also marked the last capital of royalty in Paris. It has the world famous Château de Versailles, which was built by Louis XIV in the 1660s. It is an enourmous plot of land and palace that was very impressive to see, yet tiring on the feet.

From there I was invited over for dinner by my French roommate's parents. They live in Versailles and made a fantastic traditional French meal for us. It was great to get a chance to see French living and talk with her parents about French history.

Stephanie's mother is a doctor and her father is a controller for a large electric utility company in Paris. Her mother loves the US and tries to make a trip every year. Her last trip was through the Pacific Northwest and she loves Seattle.

Her Father is fonder of old US classic cars than travel to the US. He has a number of cars that he is currently working on and his garage is lined with old US license plates. He is also a huge fan of Route 66, so when I told him I grew up on Route 66 he was very excited.

Well, that marked the end of Paris. It was a great trip and I had a blast. Paris is a wonderful city and I know I will be back some day to visit again. Now it's on to Spain and then Dublin!