Bonjour to Paris!

I know, I know. 

So stereotypical. Going to Paris for Valentine's Day.

Top of the Eiffel Tower

But don't get excited...there isn't any big news to announce.

Although I've been to Paris three previous times, I always find that it's nice to return to cities because you get a better feel for the people and the culture. This trip was no exception. We wandered the streets a lot to get to where we wanted to go or to explore (not to mention saving money on the metro). So here's what we did...

In a short two hours on the Eurostar, we arrived in central Paris with the entire day ahead of us. We walked the Champ Elysees, which is always a fantastic walk. You honestly never know what you're going to find or what you're going to see. On my last visit, my mom and I saw riot police and the entire street was closed to traffic. This time wasn't quite as exciting...but we did stop at Laduree to pick up some delicious macaroons! Seriously France's gift to the world! Even though you can find less expensive treats elsewhere (because pretty much every patisserie sells them), these are some of the best! Laduree is known for their macaroons and pastries. Just as we finished our macaroons we reached the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc de Triompe honors those who fought and died in the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars and also serves as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You can climb to the top to get a great view of the street for 4 euro.

We booked tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower at sunset, which is honestly the best time to go. While you still get to see the city in the sunlight, you watch Paris come to life with lights. And I definitely recommend booking your tickets online if you know what time you want to go. You just print out the ticket and skip the line! In the 30 minute time span we were up on the top, we saw two proposals...can you imagine how many times that happened on Valentine's Day?? Or even on a regular basis...

For breakfast, we couldn't resist the temptation to eat chocolate croissants. Chocolate croissants anywhere else in the world just doesn't compare. After breakfast, we headed to the Sacre Coeur. The Sacre Coeur is seated on the highest point of the city, the top of the Montmartre. Even though it isn't as high as the Eiffel Tower, you still get an amazing view with details of the buildings. If the view isn't enough, the church itself is gorgeous and filled with mosaics. But just down the hill you get a very different side of Paris...the red light district. I had never been to the Moulin Rouge and it was a little anticlimactic. If you're not seeing a show, the only thing to do there is to take a picture in front of it and call it a day...exciting!

Valentine's gift #2 for Joe (the first was a steak dinner cooked by me!!) was a night river cruise! It's always fun to see the city from a different angle. My original plan was to do a dinner cruise, but after reading the reviews I quickly changed my mind. Some reviews said the food is terrible and you can't see everything if you're half concentrated on eating. Pretty valid points if I do say so myself. Seeing Paris by boat is amazing and I wouldn't want to be distracted! The best part about it is you can actually see the detail of the bridges and understand where everything is along the river. Something I definitely recommend doing.

The next day we met up with one of my friends from high school who is currently living in Paris. She's a tour guide and when we told her we wanted to go to the Catacombs she was really excited because it's filled with history. The Catacombs were created at the end of the 18th century to serve as an ossuary. In the 1780, Paris's main cemetery, the Cimetiére des Saints-Innocents, was closed because it got too full. Karlie said people were buried less than three meters below ground and the people who lived around the cemetery began complaining (for obvious reasons..). On November 9, 1785, the Council of State issued a decree requiring all of the bodies to be moved. This task fell into the hands of the quarries department who protected and reinforced Paris's quarries. And so the transportation of the bodies began and the catacombs were open to the public at the beginning of the 19th century. The Catacombs of Paris holds around 6 million people! And yes, you do get up close and personal with their bones. Definitely don't go if you are claustrophobic or are uncomfortable with bones. I fall in the second category and can say for certain that it really isn't that bad.

10 minutes in without a wallet

Our next stop was the Notre Dame. After spending the past two days being extremely cautious of pick pockets, I let my guard down for two seconds and bam! Bye bye wallet :( There went my cards, driver's license (thank God it's expired) oh and 50 euro. Epic fail. But we still enjoyed walking around the Notre Dame.

We couldn't leave without trying escargot. I've tried it before on cruise ships, but never in France. It's a little chewy and the flavor really depends on what it's been marinated in but it's not that bad. Definitely not something I would order on a daily basis though.

Trip #1: Stockholm!

For my first trip of the semester, a few friends and I went to the capital of (expensive) Scandinavia!

The view from the royal palace

We left early Friday morning and arrived in the city center just in time for an late lunch/early dinner. Similar to London, Stockholm has a really great variety of restaurants. We saw everything from Italian to Mexican. They are also known to have the best sushi outside of Japan! As a sushi fan, I'm not going to lie...they had some of the best cuts I've ever tasted. But according to the locals, the best place to get Swedish meatballs is Ikea! We never even had to leave the states to get a taste of Sweden.

After dinner, we walked around the main shopping street. I've never seen so many H&M's in my entire life! Seriously, H&M is like their Starbucks...there's one on just about every corner. The first H&M opened up in Stockholm in 1947. Since then, there are almost 2,200 stores in 38 countries. Apart from the 40 thousand H&Ms, there is every other store you could possibly want. But be weary of the sales taxes. Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark and Norway) has the highest sales tax at 25%. So even though the exchange rate in Sweden may be favorable to Americans, Sweden is definitely not the place to do all of your shopping.

Night life in Stockholm is great...but it comes at a high price. For the two nights we went out, we spent a total of $55 just on cover!! Not going to lie, you're going to have an epic time no matter where you go. But if you're there for longer than 2 nights, I don't recommend paying cover for every night you go out. There's a bunch of bars that are more alternative and don't charge a cover. Be careful though...unlike the states and England, all of the clubs have different age limits. Some clubs are 22+ or 25+, but the two we went to were both 23+ and we got in without a problem. Another interesting fact is that alcohol is taxed ridiculously in Scandinavia. Hard alcohol (or any alcohol above 3.5%) can only be purchased from government stores called Systembolaget at the minimum age of 20. There is a 40% tax on vodka and a 14% tax on wine...just so you get the picture of how much money drinks are. I will say that it makes Stockholm seem like a safer place because most people won't pay that much for alcohol and there aren't a ton of drunk randos wandering the streets.

Jack and I in our first snow fall!

Booze isn't the only expense...just about everything you buy is way more expensive than in the states or in England. I paid $6 for hot chocolate (just because I've never been colder in my life and their chocolate is some of the best I've ever had). But it was completely worth it. It was so cold that it started snowing.  For the first time in my entire life, I saw snow falling from the sky! Not going to lie, it was definitely a momentous occasion for me...I'm not too sure if Jack felt the same... 

Just to let you know: museums are free if you are under 19 (or look younger than 19). After walking around old town, we came across the Nobel Prize Museum. At first, we weren't going to go because we didn't want to spend any money. But then we realized that students 19 and under get in for free. So that was the trick we used at both this museum and the Natural History Museum. The Natural History Museum has some fantastic paintings...Reniors and Rembrants that I've studied in middle school. It was amazing to see these paintings.

I definitely had a great weekend!! Next destination: Paris!!

My Take on Egypt

Like any other country, tourism is a significant part of Egypt's domestic gross. But a rioting nation doesn't exactly sound appealing to most tourists...especially since most countries issued travel warnings advising against visiting Egypt unless it is absolutely mandatory. And even news reports say locals themselves want foreigners to stay out due to the sensitivity of the matter.

I can only be thankful that I made it there before tourism in Egypt became dangerous. 

When I experienced Egypt for myself, I could easily see why so many people are unhappy with the government in question. Last summer, our cruise ship stopped at Port Said (Cairo) and Alexandria. We took the option to stay on land over night because the long drive to the pyramids put a constraining limitation on our visiting time. I'm really grateful that we had the opportunity to stay in Giza because it really gave me a better feel for the place.

Seeing a little bit of Cairo street by street opened my eyes to harsh living conditions and poverty. Even though education is free at all government schools and institutions, around 72% of adults remain illiterate. This may be because families need their kids to work at a young age in order to make ends meet. While we were at one restaurant, a girl around 10 years old was in charge of dispersing toilet paper in the restroom. In exchange, she would receive about a dollar for every few customers. There was no doubt in my mind that the money she earns goes straight to her family.

The view from our hotel balcony

Apart from the pyramids and mummies, I can see why Egypt would be a tourists' dream. Once we entered the perfectly safe and clean resort, we had no reason to leave. Everything you could possibly ever want or need is within the walls of the five-star hotel (that you actually pay the price of a three-star). Swimming pools, gym, spa, restaurants and computers...what more do you want? You don't even have to worry about the water because water is filtered in resorts. But while tourists are in the comfort of their hotel, the majority of locals don't have the same luxuries.

Some Egyptians reside in the City of the Dead, a cemetery built below the Quitbay Mosque in the Mokattam Hills. People either live there because they want to be close to their dead relatives or demolitions and urbanization forced them out of their previous homes. The City of the Dead became so popular that the government ran electricity and cable through the cemetery. And if people don't live there, odds are their building is unfinished. We noticed that most of the apartment buildings inhabited were unfinished. Our guide informed us that this is a form of tax evasion. Unfinished buildings aren't taxed, allowing people to save the little money they have. Buildings may also remain unfinished because the project ran out of money. Islamic law forbids borrowing money so many building projects are paid for out of pocket. What bewilders me about both circumstances is that corruption isn't just a problem with the government but scattered throughout the society down to the poorest. So then how can the government stay honest when the people they govern can't be trusted?

Unfinished buildings in Cairo

The differences between the lifestyle of locals and tourists are on polar ends of the world. Obviously tourists would not want to visit Cairo if they stayed in the same unfinished buildings as the locals do. However the stark contrast makes you both appreciate what you have and question why so many people lead a life driven by poverty.

There is no question that people of this country are suppressed. But rioters also need to bare in mind a bigger picture. Tourists won't return or plan trips until the political upset comes to some standstill. Since tourism is Egypt's economy engine (earning $11.6 billion in 2009), it is important that the market doesn't drop for the sake of the country's economy. Currently tourism offices and sights are empty during the most popular time to visit Egypt, leaving more people without a source of income. As the rioting continues, the less appealing Egypt will be for people making travel plans for the summer, which will further hurt the tourism market. It is unfortunate that there are so many problems in this fabulous destination but I think tourists may realize that the hostility in Cairo is only one side of the picture. Sights like the great pyramids in Giza and King Tut's exhibit are too magnificent to go your life without seeing, which is why I believe tourism will bounce back only when it is safe. But tourists planning trips for the summer are forced to take a risk...will Egypt be stable by then? Only time will tell.