Bonjour tout le monde !

I was lucky enough to experience in Europe when I was almost 16 years old, in August 2003. I spent 3 days in London and 6 in Paris. In London I went to County Hall and took the 1/2 hour ride on the London Eye, went on a boat tour on the Thames River, rode the Tube, and visited the Tate Gallery and other museums (I'm an artist, so of course I must check these out!). The people were very kind and the city was very clean and just darling, my love! I definitly 'fancied' it very much, although 3 days is quite short for such a large and dynamic place.

My 6 days in Paris was the most life-changing of all. It literally turned my life into a whole new, and better, direction. First of all the whole language change -- it's great for a native-born, culture-lacking American to experience what it finally feels like to be a foreigner! I was fortunate enough to not only be with my awesome mom, but to be with her then-boyfriend, an french-speaking(francophone) Englishman. We of course went to the top of Le Tour Eiffel and took a boat tour on the Seine River (yes, another boat tour, they're great with plenty of photo opps!).

The city just seduced me all the way.. Yes the men in London were quite beautiful but the men in Paris well.. I was flirted with quite a lot, and luckily, j'aime la drague.. j'aime beaucoup la drague ! From the regular people, the cops riding bicycles, the waiters, and the bus drivers, they were all so friendly and adorable. As you've heard, stereotypes often express that the French are 'snobs' and 'chain-smokers' over here, but that is all so fake.. trop, trop faux. I've never been treated with so much love and kindness as I had in Paris - vraiment ! I think if you come to a country and are polite and open to the culture and people, you are guaranteed to have a fun and positive experience (and what a brilliant learning experience!).

My hotel was near the Moulin Rouge (near plenty of 'peep show' areas I might add), so walking home at night was quite amusing. You also must remember to say "Bonjour" and "Au revoir" when entering/exiting a store, for it is very rude not to. The Turkish toilets with the hole in the floor were quite amusing.. I came across 2 of them and you have to pay! haha.. but of course there was always a kind Frenchman to give me a token for it (calling me "Mademoiselle").. (I didn't actually use it, but I'll be sure to excercise my legs muscles more for my next return, heh).

Oh and the art! I could have spent all day at Le Louvre.. we saw the Mona Lisa at least, but I must go back with my brother who's a fellow painter like myself, in NYC, so we can just look at everything. Musée Picasso was amazing, and I must visit the one in Spain one day as well. Le Centre Pompidou, museum of modern art was great with such a variety from paintings to sculpture to furniture, etc. I could write 10 pages on the food alone in France.. they have perfected the art of living, and eating! I never new that food could taste that good -- and I loved taking over an hour to eat lunch and to savor every bite..! One night we went to my mom's boyfriend's friend's house in Paris where we ate dinner with his friends, a French couple (who didn't speak English).. it was great to do something non-touristy and it was an unforgettable night. I took about 500 photos during this trip!

I could write about my short time in Europe forever, for it was the greatest time of my life.. but I do not want to take up to much space on this page. I wound up taking French for the rest of my 2 years of high school (while have taken 5 years of Spanish).. and even skipped a year-level and won an award in French. I made friends with the foreign exchange student sin my school and wound up learning about even more cultures.. My trip to Europe really changed the way I live life and I adapted a European way-of-life to my American culture as much as possible. It's so much easier to learn a language when you visit the native land and interact with the people (something just clicks inside).. and I can't wait to learn more languages in the future!

I'm entering my first year of college at FIT this fall with a major in Fine Art.. and I WILL be studying abroad.. and I also am planning a trip to Europe next summer, and hope to live there one day. If only every young American (and every person in general) could experience life abroad, it would would make them into such a smarter, more open-minded person like it did me. Travel Channel, if you're ever looking to hire a young student to write or do anything for your show, let me know for I will be in Chelsea for college in 3 weeks, ready to take in the city! (I have grown up on Long Island, NY).

I am looking forward to seeing what's next on 5 Takes Europe tomorrow night.. I am loving this channel!!! I am looking forward to living vicariously through these people and through your stories, keep posting!

À la prochaine,
BISOUS

Dana B.

I've been to both of those places and loved them. I personally loved London more than I loved Paris but that may be because I really loved the old buildings and Old/middle english writings all over them. The place of my ancestors. Paris on the other hand did give me a very different perspective. Having to try and communicate with people that I didn't know there language (except for ballet terms) teaches you something. It shows you how much we as Americans think of ourselves and how much we need to learn from other cultures.