Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower is just what everyone who has ever been there has said: Truly magnificent. Did you know that the Eiffel Tower is actually brown? And they paint it with three different colors of brown? That's one thing I figured out while taking the tour there. I also learned that it is a VERY long walk down! We decided that, to get the full experience, we would walk down instead of taking the elevator both up and down. That idea is truly not one for the faint of heart! It's really quite scary! But I would have to say, that was one of the coolest experiences ever!

The catacombs are SO COOL! Well, hopefully you think the bones of a few thousand French people are cool (yeah, I know, I'm kind of weird). But it is a cool experience. Here is an explanation of my experience.

When you arrive outside the little building, you have no idea how big the place actually is. You get inside, and walk down what seem to be an endless array of spiral stairs (By then, I was quite sick of them, I had just been to Notre Dame and St. Chappelle), you walk into a labyrinth of hallways filled with the bones of thousands upon thousands of bones set up in an almost grisly display of what the plague forced people to do with their dearly departed.

The Arc de Triomphe is another one of those things in Paris that you have to see. Situated at the end of the Champs Elysee, the Arc is surrounded by eight rows of circular traffic, and they aren't that friendly towards pedestrians. Luckily, there are tunnels that go under the streets that allow for a safe passage to the Arc. There you see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and you can ride the elevator or take the stairs (ugh, too many stairs in this city) to the 'observation deck' on top (oddly enough, I didn't even know you could go to the top of the thing). You get a great view of the city, and it's incredible. The Arc gives a spectacular view of the Champs Elysee, the widest street in Europe. You can see for miles and it provides a magnificent aspect of the city.