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The very best way to see a city is to walk, and since Paris is pretty small geographically, it's not hard to do! You never know what you will come upon as you travel around on foot - turning one corner might bring a wonderful cafe, turning another, an outdoor market.

We have had some of our favorite moments meeting people in shops - a recent encounter involved a quest for jalapeno peppers. The avocados we had purchased at the outdoor market near where we stay were begging to be made into guacamole and we were looking for supplies. We checked every little market we went by and ended up in an organic veggie stand. Stumbling through a description of what we wanted (it always seems that I can only remember Spanish when in France and French when in Central America), we were handed a long, skinny pepper - not very jalapeno-ish, we thought. The shopkeeper insisted my son take a nibble, which he did, and then shook his head "no" - not hot enough. She indicated he should nibble the other end. He did -- and fire shot out of his eyeballs! He looked around for something to put it out - nothing in sight. At this point the shopkeeper was laughing herself silly and handed him a carrot to munch on. We decided to keep the pepper, but she was so amused by the whole incident that she refused payment. She must have considered the story she was going to repeat over and over enough payment. Crazy Americans!


My very favorite museum is the Cluny, the Musee National du Moyen-Age (Nation Museum of the Middle Ages). Part of the building dates back to the 3rd Century when it was a Gallic-Roman bath, including a Frigidarium which is just what you think it is - a cold room, and part dates to the 15th Century where it was a Gothic Mansion.


The Cluny is where the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries hang. This set of six pieces celebrates the senses of taste, sight, touch, smell and hearing and have an additional piece known as "to my own desire."

If you happen to be in Paris on the right Sunday in July you can join the mayhem along the Champs Elysee that is the finish of the Tour de France. We were there a couple of years ago to see Lance Armstrong win #6. The tour does several laps around at the very end, and it's a good thing because it takes several until you are able to identify where your favorite cyclist is! We quickly realized that we could tell when Armstrong was coming by listening for the applause growing louder to the left of where we were standing. Getting a good photo was another story, though. The speck of yellow in this picture on the far left is Armstrong. Good luck seeing it! The folks who were near us on the sidewalk said they had stood by the side of the road on several of the stages but found the best way to see the action was to go to a cafe somewhere and watch on TV!

After all that walking around, you'll certainly develop a bit of a thirst! One of the more unusual places to stop for a little something is a cafe in the basement of one of the department stores in Paris to which they have moved the interior of an old hardware store. There you can sip coffee or a soft drink, have a something to fortify yourself, and investigate old tools, etc.




If you seek a spectacular view of the city, the rooftop cafe of one of the major department stores, Samaritaine, by the Seine will prvide you with both refreshment and a panoramic view. On your way out, it's always fun to stop in several departments throughout the store to see what it holds and compare it to back home. My daughter always tries to "go native" in another country and will take a good look at what people are wearing and then hit one of the inexpensive shops to buy some local fashion so as to blend in. They say you can always tell the Americans because they have on fancy running shoes!

Of course, you must include a trip to La Tour Eiffel at some point on your visit! Daytime is best for climbing up but the tower itself looks beautiful at night when lit up. You can find information about the Eiffel Tower at the official website http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/ Near the Tour Eiffel are the tomb where Napoleon is buried and across the river are two more museums. Paris is just littered with museums!


Another gem is Le Train Bleu, the bar and restaurant at the Gare de Lyon. The paintings on the ceiling show the destinations for the various train lines that leave from the station. You can imagine what it must have been like a century ago traveling around the continent by rail. They just don't create places like this anymore.

What are your favorite places to visit in Paris?