Oui Oui Paris Paris! Mon cheri!

The next large city in which we have a significant amount of free time is Paris, France. I have only been to Paris once, and that was in 2009. So let's just say that it has been a while!

Let's start with getting around. The metro system in Paris at first appears to be quite confusing and complicated, but it is actually straight forward when you realize how it works. The name of each line tells you where that line starts and ends (or ends and then starts, depending on your direction of travel). If your final destination is walking distance from a stop on a line, you take that line.

There are quite a few sites to see in Paris. The usual suspects are the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. All of these are worth seeing and within reasonable walking distance of each other. Everyone knows about the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, but my personal favourite is the Raft of the Medusa. The picture is breathtaking and captures ultimate agony and ultimate hope in one frame.

However, keep in mind that there is so much more to Paris. Everywhere you go in Europe you see a wealth of history, and this is also true in Paris. Here are some sites worth considering.

Montmartre: A hill top bastion that has traditionally been home to artists. I found that this gave one a great view of the historical city of Paris.

Arc de Triomphe: An impressive monument built between 1806 - 1836. Bring your wide view lens for your camera!

Musee de L'Orangerie: Art gallery with impressionist and post-impressionist pieces.

Shakespeare and Company Bookshop; Any bookshop mentioned in a book by Ernest Hemingway is worth at least walking by!

Centre Pompidou: Another art gallery worth checking out.

And for you shoppers, it may be worth checking out le Marais, a historic district in Paris.

For you more information you can go to here and here and here and here, with the last link giving some tourist advice on shopping and getting around.