For my last traveling adventure here in Europe, I went to Paris, France. Paris is very enjoyable, especially because there is so much to do there. Friday morning, I got up early to go to the Eiffel Tower. The hotel was only a 15 minute walk from the tower, so that was convenient. It was just so amazing to be standing underneath it. I went all the way up the top on the lift, where I was able to get the most amazing view of Paris. It was also freezing cold, so I didn’t spend too much time up there. Afterwards, I went to a cemetery called the Cimetiere de Pere Lachaise, where Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde are buried. I then took the metro to a church called the Sacré Cœur, which was on a big hill and also had a great view of the city. The church itself was very beautiful inside as well. Next, I walked to see the Moulin Rouge. That street is quite entertaining itself. Since the metro seems to be the way to travel while in Europe, I then took it to the Arc de Triomphe. People were able to walk under the arc and see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier of WWI, with the eternal flame burning at the top of his grave. Walking down the Champs-Élysées was very nice as well, where there are a lot of shops, theaters, and small cafés. By then, it was getting dark outside, so it was time to return to the hotel for the evening. As I walked back, I decided I wanted to see the Eiffel tower again at night. I liked it a lot better at night because it is all lit up and it looks much better like that.

      On Saturday, it was time to go to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame (Cathedral of Our Lady). It is such an enormous, beautiful gothic cathedral. People were also able to climb one of the towers. Up there I saw one of the great bells and a bunch of gargoyle statues (which of course I was inspired to see by the movie, the Hunchback of Notre Dame). Afterwards, I went to the Musée du Louvre (the Louvre Museum). Now I’m not much of a museum person, but I enjoyed this one. Of course, the first thing I went to see was the Mona Lisa. It was really neat to actually see that painting (and be able to take pictures of it!) I then took my time going through to see other famous works. Once I was done, I realized I had a few metro passes left so I decided to see the Pantheon (which I think is nicer than the one in Rome), Palais du Luxembourg (Palace of Luxemburg), and the Opera Garnier.

      I was able to do a lot in Paris, and being bored was definitely NOT one of them. It was my last trip here in Europe and I will definitely miss the convenience of traveling from one country to another. It is like traveling from one state to another in the US.

      Now it time to get prepared for finals for school. Only two more weeks and I’ll be back home.  

More photos of Paris! http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=711916028/a=1021864028_1021864028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

     By day and by night.

  Arc de Triomphe.

  Cathédrale Notre-Dame.

  Entrance to the Musée du Louvre.