Ah, Paris

The vision of standing in line under the Eiffel Tower, looking straight up into the underbelly, will never leave me. The Eiffel Tower completely lives up to its hype which is very rare.

I got in line under the tower at about 10pm on a Friday, and everything (standing in line to go up, viewing, and waiting in line to go back down) took about two and a half hours. One thing you should keep in mind is that the highest level (level 3) closes at around 11pm so if you want to go all the way up, make sure you get in line no later than 9pm. The tickets are very cheap (under 10 euros)and the view is amazing. You can see all of Paris and a little passed it. I have no been in the day but I stongly suggest a night time visit. After midnight, the tower lights up with beautiful flashing blue lights that look like glistening stars. The area is still bustling with people into the wee hours of the morning (I was there till 2 am). Make sure you get in the right line though. There are 2 different lines. One is for people who wish to only go up to the first of second level and the other line is for those who wish to go all the way up.

No matter when you go, the vision of this great piece of history will never leave you.

Every step you take into the cathedral is met with the resounding echo of Victor Hugo's eternal words. The words of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (a personal favorite of mine) is seen in ever statue and every tile. The cathedral is absolutely beautiful and, of course, is free to enter. There are still running services but you can walk around them to see the church (it's set up like St. Peter's Basillica, if you've been there). I didn't go on an official tour; I'm not even sure if there is one. I spent about half an hour there.

One thing I love about traveling is the life lessons you learn.

Lesson #1: Always do things in group/pairs. When I was visiting Paris this past summer with my uncle, he left me to go up the Eiffel Tower alone because he's afraid of heights. We agreed on a meeting place, but for reasons of no importance to the story, he never showed up as I sat under the Tower for 2 hours (from midnight to 2am) alone in a strange city.

Lesson #2: ALWAYS take a matchbook or business card from the hotel you're staying in, because if you need to remember the name/address/phone number, you'll have it. If you're lost, most hotels will direct you back or send out a taxi to your exact location. That is something I overlooked, and when I was wandering aimlessly through Paris at 2am, I could've really used some direction and help.

Lesson #3: Bring a bilingual dictionary. I tried to get help from police officers and others around me, but not as many people speak English as we think. At that point, I would've killed for a French-English dictionary.

Lesson #4: Carry a phone card made for the country you're in. I had a German phone card (I was in Germany the day before), and not surprisingly, it didn't work in France. I couldn't call my uncle's cell, his wife in Germany, nor my parents in the States. Sometimes it's great to feel like you're the only person in the world, but there is a place and a time for everything. This was neither the place nor the time for any of it. It was thanks to a Parisian man hitting on me and a Russian woman I met at the Tower that I slept somewhere that night, albeit her kitchen floor.

Lesson #5: This is more of a note to always remember--Parisian subways stop running from 1:30am to 6:30am on the weekends, something I discovered the hard way.

Lesson #6: Also a note, somehow, the phone number to a Parisian telephone booth will register on your caller ID in the states.

Lesson #7: Though it's summer, nights in northern France are chilly, and you'll need long pants and perhaps a really light jacket.

Lesson #8: Always, Always, ALWAYS pack light.