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Budget travel to Beautiful Paris
My first draft of this article began something like, There are
the top ten things to do and see when you travel to Paris. My plan
was to show how to plan a cheap travel excursion to Europe in general
and France in particular. But three drafts later, I finally realized
that the entire City of Paris is a stunning and unforgettable attraction.
Sure, there are a few places you have to see when you go there,
or else one of your coworkers will make you feel like a dope because
you travel to Paris and didn't see the Louvre or the Eiffel
Tower.
But the point is, the entire City of Paris is one of the most beautiful
travel destinations on the planet. You can have budget travel
to Paris without sacrificing any of its romance and excitement.
Even if you
wander off of the well-worn tourist paths, the charm and elegance
of the city just seems to seep into your very pores. (Think of it
as something like the anti-Detroit.)
Parisians, of course, have a reputation for being
just a teensy bit boastful about their city, (how dare you even
speak of insert your hometown here in the same breath as Paris,
you swine! I will spit on your toes.) But it is hard to argue that
their pride is not justified.
But if you insist on knowing my list of top things to do or see
in Paris (particularly for travel on a budget), here it is:
--The Louvre was first opened to the public in 1793 after the French
Revolution and now houses the most enormous art collection in the
world. If you are dead set upon seeing every exhibit, be sure to
set aside the most convenient decade of your trip in order to do
so.
--The Palace of Versailles, is a fine example of what one man
(King Louis XIV) can do with a Home Depot credit and the ability
to impose crushing taxes on the French peasants.
--The Eiffel Tower was originally built as an attraction for the
1889 Universal Exhibition. The tower was considered by many Parisians
to be an eyesore, but they have since come to terms with it and
merely hang sheets over it when visitors come to town. It was the
tallest structure in the world until the Empire State Building was
completed in 1931. But at least it can claim it has never had a
giant ape climb to its top.
--The Seine River. Here is where you can see and do it all without
spending a bundle. Spend as much time as you can either walking
along its banks or taking boat tours up and down the waterway itself.
It is probably the most beguiling river in the world, and you will
find almost every building of interest in Paris is on or near the
Seine.
--The Parisian cafes. Here again you can take in the sights and
experience the essence of romantic Paris without great expense.
Particularly visit the cafes in the St. Germain-des-pres district,
so you can follow in the steps of Ernest Hemingway, Victor Hugo,
Ezra Pound and F. Scott Fitzgerald. You may or may not develop the
ability to write as well as these artists, but you be able to brag
to your friends when you return home. Assuming of course that your
kind of friends know that Hemmingway, Hugo, Pound and Fitgerald
were writers and not a law firm.
OK I failed. I have touched only a very few of the highlights of
travel to Paris. But when you go, be sure to take your time
and stroll through the streets with the eye of a wanderer. Be sure
to taste the foods and sample the wines. This is one city that organized
walking tours are often worth your time, but you can also take your
own walking tour with a guidebook in hand and a heart to behold
its beauty.
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