the Eiffel Tower, of course

Sacre Coeur in Montmartre

Me along Hammurabi's stelae

PARIS. . It took way too many years to get to the City of Lights.. But, when I finally made it, I knew for certain that one trip was not going to be enough.

Paris was a web of underground metro trains that I first found very confusing.. But, I was in Paris and there was a continual smile because of that.. My friend gave me instructions on how to get to the Louvre.. When I reached one connecting point, he said it might be a good place to go above ground to find a place to eat. eat.. So, I came up to the surface.. To my left was Notre Dame Cathedral and to my right was the Eiffel Tower.. Above were blue skies and I chucked the Louvre.. It was time to walk Paris.. And, it was a good move, too, because the rest of my stay in Paris was rainy and gray.

The first stop was Notre Dame Cathedral.. I'd envisioned the isle on the Seine to be a garden with the cathedral tucked away in one small corner.. Silly me.. The place was a mass of concrete and buildings.. But, the cathedral was so beautiful.. Then, I headed towards the Eiffel Tower.. Along the way I stumbled upon the D'Orsy Museum.. It wasn't on my list of "must sees" but it should have been.. The collection of Monets and Van Goghs had some of my favorites.. It was a delight to actually see them. Of course, on another rainy day, I did make it to the Louvre Museum, too.

But, I wasn't the only one to enjoy Paris.. In the summer there were so many tourists!. That was made so clear at the Eiffel Tower, which took three hours to get to the top.. There was the initial long line to get to the second level.. From there I waited in line for a ticket to the top.. Eventually, with ticket in hand, I waited in a third line for the elevator to the top.. Worth the wait?. Absolutely!