More Paris

    Elegant and sophisticated Paris is a great walking and wandering city. I like to get off the Metro at a random station and search the local neighborhood for different wines and cheeses; I came across a great onion soup in a funky cafe that way, and now its a semi-regular stop. While you are exploring, you will be armed with a Paris Museum Pass (provided with all my tours), making it easy to poke your head into whatever is in the area because you don't have to wait in line with the pass! This allows you to make quick discoveries that you otherwise might have missed because you couldn't rationalize the admission fee and the time spent. Just make sure you see the big sights, too....

• Deportation Memorial - a discretely located but powerful reminder of the Holocaust and its victims
• Sacre'- Coeur - in historical Montmarte.  Go on a clear day to get both religion and a view.
• Pompidou Center - My favorite modern art museum and a  nice change of pace to balance out all the old masters. 
• Rodin Museum - Access to the garden is only 1 euro, and the "Thinker" is in the garden... what a deal.

    I have no artistic talent, but something about this city makes me want to buy some oils and an easel and rent a room above a cafe. I think more than a few people had the same idea, given the amount of world-class art in this great museum city. If you digested the Louvre and the Orsay and are still hungry, consider the Picasso, Carnavalet, Jacquemart-Andre, Cluny, Marmottan or L'Orangerie collections. Those should fill you up with whatever art you were craving.

    Paris's many outdoor markets give shopping a good name. Let the attendant pick out the fruit or veggies for you after you indicate how many you want, European style, by using your thumb for 1, your thumb and index finger for 2, and so on down the hand. They are fair and sometimes they might throw in something extra if its late and you respect the system. Remember to sprinkle the experience with "bonjour", "merci" and "au revoir" to the madam, madamoiselle or monsieur helping you, and to anyone else for that matter.

    Paris also has grand, but not cheap, department stores. Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and Samaritaine are the most famous, and worth a look before heading to the groceries (usually the lowest floor) for reasonably priced, ready made sandwiches and salads. The French are fine with wine if you decide to picnic in one of their inviting parks, so buy it here and have fun with it. Buy a cool corkscrew early in your stay for a useful souvenir.

    Speaking of parks, you will be circling around and passing through the Tuileries Gardens during your stay, so slow down a little and occupy a bench for a little Parisian people watching while you munch your baguette. Another great park is the Luxembourg Gardens, beautiful and bigger, but less central. Smaller parks seem to pop up around town just when you need one. Don't be shy - grab a bench and watch the locals go by.