My first trip to Paris

I know this is a bit off topic but I felt I had to write about my trip to Paris, France. I’m not the most travelled person in the world but I have to say that Paris has to be my favourite city so far. Sure it was for vacation and maybe if I lived and worked there I may not feel that way but you just get the feeling that there is something special about that city. It truly is a very beautiful place.

I had the opportunity to stay in the best hotel in the world! Hotel Jules on Rue LaFayette is a design hotel in Paris and one of the world’s most exquisite locations. What does it mean by design hotel? Well just look at the photos on the site and you will see. The very slick interior design is very pleasing and very chic. The staff is temendous and the hotel itself is superb. It really was one of the highlights of the trip. It is located about 10 minutes from Gare du Nord train station. If you would like a really nice place to stay, I strongly recommend this hotel.

Paris is a city for walking. From the hotel it was a straight trek down to the Arc de Triomphe which was our first stop. After visiting that monument we hopped on the metro over to the Eiffel Tower. The lines were daunting but you can’t come to Paris without going up the tower. We decided not to go up to the third floor because that was an additional 60 minutes to get up there and after having spent an hour to get tickets we really weren’t going to do that. Here’s a tip, get tickets in advance when you want to go. The view was awesome. we could see all of Paris from the second floor. We even caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty (yes, there really is one in Paris as well). It is much smaller than the one in the US but it really is a bit strange when you see it there the first time. Next we did a cruise on the Seine. I would recommend taking this trip at night as well as the day. The history of this city is truly amazing. After a long day out we had dinner in a superb little cafe, Au Petit Riche. The service was wonderful and the food excellent and the prices were not that bad. Paris is expensive. Eating out can cost you so be aware of this when you are budgeting.

The second day had miserable weather. It drizzled all day long. We, however, went indoors and visited the Louvre. This was the highlight of the trip for my wife, who is a huge Da Vinci Code fan. There wasn’t much of a croud and getting in was quite quick. I like the ticket machines, this makes things very efficient. The most crouded part of the museum was the Italian Painters section and of course the painting of the Mona Lisa. We had to slither through to get a picture. But in the end my wife was happy to see it up close (well as close as they would let you get to it, which is about 10 feet away).

One thing to note for people with young children (under 12) most attractions are free, which I think is a huge plus because the cost of taking the kids is basically the cost of transportation and lodging.

Visiting Paris is one of those things you must do once before you die. I intend to return for a longer time next time, time to start saving!