Bonjour Paris (part 2)

The Hotel (ok, I need a ^ on top of the o in "hotel" if I am to write en francais)
Before you go to a trip to foreign place you will need to exactly pinpoint your hotel on your map. Google map can do foreign countries too so it is a great help. For honeymoon(!), it is best to pick the as-luxury-as-you-can-afford hotel. So I shelled out about 200&euro a day for a Orbitz proclaimed 4 star hotel. The hotel is quite small compared to typical hotels in America. Whoa the hallway is so tight. A 6foot person would bump his head on the hallway. Whoa the room is so small! Oh the bed's springs are so worn out my rib case hurts, almost. I'm glad hot water works, so I am good. There are a few things the world cannot agree on: 1) date format mm/dd/yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy. 2) electicity voltages and plug shape. Besides North America, just about everyone elses uses 220V. I do have a plug changer. The hotel provides 110V or 220V. (now that's good) So all we need is a plug changer. Just why the world can't agree on voltage and plug shape?

Hotel location is important. You don't want to be too far from all the actions, or too middle (night noises). Choosing hotel in foreign place takes a bit of luck. I am glad the hotel is just a minute of walk away from Metro stations. But Metro stations are all over so it is probably not too difficult to find one anywhere in central Paris. The hotel attendant does speak English, though not real good.

Impression of Paris, in general
Most are small stone buildings about 5 stories high. Is there any skyscrapers in Paris? Graffiti all over the place in train ride from airport. Many street cafes, but not quite the same experience as American dining. Air pollution is light, making such experience possible and enjoyable. The neighborhoods don't look scary to be in, even at late night. America is banning smoking completely almost, but Paris would be a smoker's heaven. People also love wine, a must-have for every meal for them.

The Eiffel Tower
We decided to head out to the #1 landmark of Paris: the Eiffel Tower. There is even a (rather strange looking) programming language named Eiffel so I long see what the tower looks like. In day time it looks like a big tower of rusty iron. Given I work near the Sears Tower in Chicago, Eiffel looks pretty small. At night it is decorated with lights, even flashing lights. Two amazing sights at the Eiffel Tower. 1) Beer bottles ALL OVER THE PLACE! Some soccer (football) tournament is happening and people drink no less than Americans there. 2) There are military personnels with heavy-duty automatic weapons patroling the area! It is a nice tourist magnet for France. It is next to La Seine, the river that runs through Paris. Old palaces and other landmarks are within walking distance.

The Arc of Triumph
Our next must-see landmark is the Arc of Triumph, where Napolean built to show is prowness, with BIG stone arch. Many streets are pointing to the arch so cars are all over. It is decorated with a lot of engravings. Ancient people love to do that type of work. Have you seen modern structures with highly artistic stone engraving? There is a huge shopping street known as Champs Elysee with the top expensive stores (with a few car dealers too). It leads you to more old palace attractions.

(To be Continued)