I spend my days at work with my heart beating so fast because I am sneaking around on my computer reading up on historical places and figures when I'm supposed to be doing accounts! A little research here and there will definitely help you appreciate the places you will eventually step foot on.
A few of my favourite places to look up on famous or just interesting dead people has been the Wiki. No trivia there, I know, but the amount of things I have learned just preparing for this trip has been pretty MUCH! Even as I type this all out I feel my heart pumping a little too fast for my own comfort, but it's thrilling. YeeeeeHaaaaw!!
Most of the time when you are visiting a new place, you have no clue what else would be cool to explore other than the major tourist sights. Take Paris for example, everyone knows to go visit the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, or to climb up the Eifel Tower or walk by the Moulin Rouge, but did you know about these other places??
The grave of one Victor Noir
This poor journalist was shot at point blank by the great-nephew of Napolean Bonaparte. His grave marking as seen in the picture above is now a fertility symbol, thanks to a certain bulge, as you can see is discolored through time due to heavy errm touching by superstitious women. His grave is among other famous graves in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, among some are the graves of Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Peter Abelard and his lover Heloise and more.
The best view of Paris is NOT from the Eifel Towel
I have to say I am not a fan of the Eifel Tower. I hate the way it goes bling bling at night, and in multi color too. It's just all too cheap looking for me. What I do love about the Eifel Tower though are the little keychains and the lovely coasters they sell at their souvenir shop ;-)
Anyhow, did you know that the best view of Paris is actually atop the Sacre Couer?
Well now you do! Look, and you can see the Eifel Tower from here better than from under it up-close! Heh.
A really good site to help you look for places to visit that is not as hyped about by the majority of tourists would be http://www.virtualtourist.com/ as it is made up of comments from other travelers like you and I . Check it out, and always check out the links towards the end of the list just for a new look into places you thought you already knew! But nothing works wonders as the Wiki does!
4 comments:
Trip Advisor is also a good place to read about other people's experiences and comments.
Hooray to the bible otherwise known as the internet! :D If it weren't for the internet, we'd probably blow our brains out at having to read from BOOKS. hahahaha!
Another great site is http://europeforvisitors.com. It's got super cool tips like how to survive Europe on a budget (e.g eat what the locals eat, on the street!), recommended stays and how to dress appropriately for certain weathers.. you name it, they've got it!
You know it's quite a hike up the Sacre Coeur? :) Make sure you take some pics if you do go up. And don't miss all les grand magasins!
I was actually just up the Sacre Couer a few days ago. The hike was OK for me (the faint-hearted can always use the cable car ^_^) but the cold sharp wind was rather nasty. Hey, nothing beats hiking up Batu Caves yanno!
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