The best thing to me about Paris is how everything looks like it was painted in a canvas. Everything about Paris looks perfect! I am going to tell you three must see places in Paris. The first is the Eiffel Tower. If you go to see the Eiffel Tower, right below the Tower there is a park that goes by the name of Parc du Champ de Mars. I recommend you go here because it is the perfect picture spot. Many people only visit the Tower during the day, which is a very big mistake. The Eiffel Tower is just as beautiful at night as it is during the day. When I visited Paris, at around 4pm, we went to a little restaurant right around the corner from the Tower and waited until dusk to see the Eiffel Tower illuminated. The Tower is illuminated from dusk until about 2am. It turns on every hour for 10 minutes; I don’t think you’re going to want to leave Paris after seeing this.

I also recommend you visit the Louvre Museum. It is filled all kinds of different kinds of beautiful works of art; including the Mona Lisa. Lastly, I recommend that you visit the church of Notre Dame; it is one of the most breath taking sights inside and outside. There are also two other places in Paris that I absolutely love; the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the Arc de Triomphe. I am currently working on writing journals specifically dedicated to these places.

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The Louvre Museum, the largest of its kind is a must see when visiting the city of Paris. This museum has everything you could ever expect; it will surpass your expectations. The Louvre is home to over 35,000 works of art, which are displayed in about 60,000 square meters. As you can imagine it is impossible to view every work of art and truly capture the meaning of it all in a day. I recommend that you take a look at the floor plans for the museum on their homepage before visiting, so that you can target what sections of the museum you want to see.

In my opinion, you should probably try to get to the museum as soon as it opens at 9am and to head straight to the Mona Lisa before everyone crowds around it. In my opinion, it is better to view, for example, 15 paintings in a day and take your time looking at them than trying to cram 80 paintings in a day and learning absolutely nothing. If you’re running on a budget, I suggest that you don’t buy that many items in the stores located in the museum and buy things outside, there are many vendors with carts all over the city, for a cheaper price. Another suggestion, when I went to the museum last summer, many people tried taking digital photos of the works of art; I do not suggest this for three main reasons.

First, if you try taking photos while hiding from security guards, the picture will most likely be blurry or there will always be someone’s head in the way; it is better to just buy a pack of post cards on the way out of the museum (when I went I was able to purchase 20 high quality postcards for just 2 euros). Secondly, I do not suggest this because over the years the museum has started cracking down on people who try to take photos, and they will escort you out of the museum depending on what kind of mood they’re in (if I were you I wouldn’t test them). Lastly, they don’t allow picture taking for a reason, that is, it gradually eats away at the canvas. So do us all a favor and try to help and preserve historical works of art. If you’re planning on taking pictures on the outside of the museum, I suggest you try to do this after you have seen all of your targeted paintings; that way most people will be on their way out and it won’t be as crowded. In conclusion, the Louvre Museum is an incredible experience if you do it the right way.

This is by far the most breathtaking sight I’ve ever experienced. Construction for the cathedral began in 1160 and ended in 1345; quite a long time. If you visit it, you will see why. The Cathedral of Notre Dame stands at 69 meters (226 feet) tall and has 422 steps to the top of the Bell Tower. The Notre Dame Cathedral was the tallest structure in the world from 1876 to 1880; it remains the tallest church in France. It is the 6th tallest church in the world (Tallest: Ulm Münster in Ulm, Germany standing at 161 meters or 530 feet.). In my opinion, this cathedral is so famous not only because of its size but also because of the detail in which it was built. To see what I am talking about, view the pictures included in this journal.

This cathedral is a perfect example of what Gothic architecture was all about. The Notre Dame Cathedral is just as breathtaking on the inside as it is on the outside. My two favorite things about the inside of the cathedral are the high ceilings and the rose windows. There are two rose windows inside the cathedral; they were built between the years 1250 and 1260. There is a 13 ton bell in the south tower that you can visit; it is rung regularly. The Notre Dame Cathedral opens every day of the week at 7:45am and closes at 6:45pm. There is no admission fee to go inside the cathedral; which is a big plus. There is photography allowed inside the cathedral, although it is very dark inside; the stained windows allow some light to enter. Although, photography is allowed inside the cathedral; the guards do not like tourists to use flash as I learned the hard way. The only real restriction there is on photography is that you cannot take photos if there is a mass taking place. If you want, you can attend mass inside the cathedral; the schedule varies. You can obtain this schedule by visiting their homepage at www.cathedraledeparis.com. I have a secret photo spot that I am going to share with you if you want to get the best quality pictures of the cathedral. The best spot to shoot photos of the Notre Dame Cathedral is on the bridge of Archevéché.

Although there is no initial fee at the entrance of the cathedral, there is a fee and a separate line if you want a tour of the upper towers. In conclusion, the Notre Dame Cathedral is a magnificent experience; just follow these simple guidelines listed above and you will have a great time.

It is the most visited monument in the world. I’m sure you’ve seen many photos of the Eiffel Tower on the Internet and in different movies, but it is nothing like seeing it in person. I visited the Tower last summer, on a tour bus. On the way to the tower, we saw a movie where the Eiffel Tower was shown; but I was completely taken by surprise at the tower’s immense size when we arrived. The tower stands at 320 meters or 1,052 feet; it was the tallest structure in the world from 1889 to 1930, it lost its title when the Chrysler Building was built. To give you a better idea of how big it is; you could stack 6 Statue of Liberties on top of each other and it still wouldn’t be enough to match the size of the Eiffel Tower.

If you want to get there before big lines builds up, you better get there bright and early in the morning; you do not want to get there at 2 in the afternoon to find more than an hour’s wait to get in. Yes, there is an admission fee, but it’s totally worth it. There is a chart on their homepage, www.tour-eiffel.fr, that shows the different prices according to age, floors, etc. There are two ways to get up the Eiffel Tower; by elevator or by stairs. Most likely, you will like to take the elevator, but the line to get on an elevator will be much longer than the line to go up the stairs. If you want to skip the line, and take the stairs then you will have to climb 115 meters and then take the elevator anyways if you want to go to the top of the tower. If you are visiting the Eiffel Tower during the peak season, as I did, the wait will be long to go to the top. In my opinion, there’s no reason to go up higher when you already have a marvelous view of the city. If you want to see what I’m talking about, view the photos attached to this journal. After you finish taking all your pictures of the view, comes the most dangerous part of this experience (if you’re not visiting alone). You’re probably asking yourself how the Eiffel Tower can possibly be dangerous. When I visited the tower, my entire family went up the tower and got in line to go back down by elevator. The system of going back down by elevator is simply horrible! Everyone was smashed together into one big cluster of pushing and shoving. Somehow, one of the younger members of my family got pushed into the elevator and they wouldn’t let one of our family members go with him. So, when we got to the bottom we had to spend 15 minutes (scariest 15 minutes of my life) trying to find him. In conclusion, this is amazing place to visit if you are careful.

When my sister said that we were going to go to a department store, I thought to myself "Oh great; another mall!" You have no idea how wrong I was. Galeries Lafayette is a department store disguised as a royal palace. Everything about it makes you think you’re in some kind of French mansion; starting with the decorative glass dome. The glass dome is simply beautiful; designed by Ferdinand Chanut in 1912. If you want to see what I am talking about, view the photos attached to this journal. The easiest way to get to Galeries Lafayette is by taking the Metro and getting off at either Havre-Caumartin or Opéra. For all you men out there who are tired and don’t want to spend an entire day following a woman inside the department store, I have the solution! Galeries Lafayette has a little bit of something for everyone. For example, when I visited with my family, the males and the females split apart. All the females in the family went off looking for shoes and makeup while the male members of the family went off to the sports section. To be more specific, the stores at Galeries Lafayette stretch from Adidas to Chanel. If you want to see the complete list of stores and a map of Galeries Lafayette you can do so by going to their homepage www.galerieslafayette.com, then simply just click on the Store Guide tab located to the left of the screen.

Hungry? Get a quick bite to eat at one of the many restaurants Galeries Lafayette offers. Galeries Lafayette provides many different choices when it comes to eating; they have something as simple as a McDonald’s to as fancy as a Japanese Restaurant. Although vacations are meant for relaxation, sometimes people get stressed out about visiting every little monument in a city; that’s what Galeries Lafayette is for, relaxation. In conclusion, Galeries Lafayette is an amazing experience from the artistic style of it to the services it offers; and remember if you ever need a break from all running around in the city; Galeries Lafayette is the perfect place to unwind.