Travel Agent Newlands

Paris has to be the most fantastic city in Europe.

Having only spent two days in this magical city, I never even scratched the surface of what this city has to offer. This is a destination that I will visit again soon and hopefully spend more time in.

Contrary to popular belief, Parisians are friendly and helpful people. At least this was my experience. I think with them, what you give is what you will receive. Just be friendly and ask for help should you get lost or need information and they will provide you with the answer you are looking for.

My limited time in Paris only allowed me to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Arch de Triomphe and the Champ Elysee, all of which were well worth the effort.

Paris is very expensive, particularly for us South Africans when having to pay in Euro's. In any event we still had a coffee at one of the many restaurants on the Champ Elysee just to say that we did, and we did pay around EUR10 for the privilege. It was worth it just to see the well dressed locals going about their business in a carefree way.

We visited a local French restaurant about two blocks down from the Champ Elysee for dinner. Let me just say that this was undoubtedly the tastiest food I have ever eaten, cliché as it may sound. The restaurant was small and owner run in a side street which we found by accident. We were the only tourists in the place and the total price per head including a bottle of French wine was a mere R100. This was a very decent price even for the time, so the moral of the story is avoid the tourist traps, do a little walking and you will be pleasantly surprised.

The city is a must for romantics and those who appreciate the finer things in life.

I will update this journal once back from my second and hopefully longer visit to Paris.