PARIS

The city of lights, I have been waiting to visit this city since I was a little girl and first saw photos of it. The train station was crowed and after we had visited other countries this was just another stop. We had already made reservations at a hotel on -line before we left the states. Since it was the summer and a tourist destination we didn’t want to chance it and not have a place to stay.

The first room we were in did not have air conditioning as promised and we could hear a loud family arguing. So we went down stairs and got a room change. The next one was bigger, no A/C but it was in the middle of the building and was cooler. Since we had been traveling for a while we did some washing and hung it up in the bathroom.

On to do some shopping, or at least see the designer’s shops I have read about in Vogue since I was 13. We had to go to the Louver. We spent most of the day Sunday there. My feet were sore and tired, but the Mona Lisa was there and other works of art I had to see. Later we stopped by a café and had lunch. I could see the name of a street on the side of a building and I asked the waitress if that was the street of the 1st Chanel shop. I was told it was and after lunch I went and took a photo next to the shop door. I found other shops, they were closed on Sunday but I would be back the next day.

I had a list of places I wanted to see in each city, I was able to find and go to a tea-shop with cakes and great teas. There were the landmarks to see like the Eiffel tower. I am afraid of heights, but I sucked it up and went to the top anyway. It has the best view of the city and we waited till it got dark to see the city below light up at night.

The shopping was too expensive than I had planned and I wasn’t able to get as much stuff as I wanted. Seeing as how we had been vacationing for weeks, the luggage was already getting quite a work out as it was. The buildings are short just like I had noticed in London, but by now I was used to it.

The dining was everything we expected. We had a nice four-course dinner and champagne one night and it was lovely. Being quite once again was the best way to get great service. Remembering to say “Bonjour” was a great help as well. If you can at least manage that it puts people at ease. I have to say here there is an exception to this rule. A friend of ours went to Paris, but with their southern accent, speaking French made the locals think they were being mocked.

After drinking in the architecture and walking around the city for days enjoying fine food and art, it was time to take one more flight, from France to Scotland. Glasgow to be exact and a new stamp in my passport book that reads: Prestwick.