PARIS

-The Eiffel Tower was originally built as an attraction for the 1889 Universal Exhibition. The tower was considered by many

Parisians to be an eyesore, but they have since come to terms with it and merely hang sheets over it when visitors come to town. It was the tallest structure in the world until the Empire State Building was completed in 1931.

--The Seine River. Here is where you can see and do it all without spending a bundle. Spend as much time as you can either walking along its banks or taking boat tours up and down the waterway itself. It is probably the most beguiling river in the world, and you will find almost every building of interest in Paris is on or near the Seine.

--The Parisian cafes. Here again you can take in the sights and experience the essence of romantic Paris without great expense. Particularly visit the cafes in the St. Germain-des-pres district, so you can follow in the steps of Ernest Hemingway, Victor Hugo, Ezra Pound and F. Scott Fitzgerald. You may or may not develop the ability to write as well as these artists, but you be able to brag to your friends when you return home. Assuming of course that your kind of friends know that Hemmingway, Hugo, Pound and Fitgerald were writers and not a law firm.



--The Louvre was first opened to the public in 1793 after the French Revolution and now houses the most enormous art collection in the world. If you are dead set upon seeing every exhibit, be sure to set aside the most convenient decade of your trip in order to do so.