The best thing about hanging out in the Saint-Germain area is having a picnic on the Pont des Arts.

Hello Everyone. My name is Andy and my fiancé’s name is Shelly. We hail from the Midwest, specifically Iowa. Yes, Iowa. Home of farms, pigs, corn, and the best state fair known to man! Shelly works as a costumer in films and I work for a financial company here in Iowa as an underwriter.
We know [...]

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Any time I want to relive my first backpacking trip to Europe (1998), I sit down and watch Eurotrip. It’s a silly, stereotype-driven take on what it’s like to ride the rails and get into trouble in such popular destinations as London, Amsterdam, and Rome.
If you’ve ever had your fill of street [...]

Thoughts on money for the budget-minded
When it comes to travel, there are two things you can count on: (1) you’ll always find a cheaper exchange rate after you’ve traded your money, and (2) you’ll always go over budget. I don’t mean to be negative, but these are the Murphy’s Laws of travel. Yes, there are more, but [...]

I purposely bought a small backpack to help limit me in what I brought on the trip.

On the last day of 2008, I slept late before heading off for a quick visit to the Paris’ modern art museum, the Pompidou. In 1998, it had been closed for renovations. I had just enough time to visit the temporary exhibitions, the most noteworthy being on the development of Futurism in Paris around the [...]

 
My first and second visits to Paris were during the summer of 1998.  I saw a lot back then, and was excited to revisit familiar places and new sights now.  The first morning began with fresh croissants, a baguette, and coffee.  Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side.  A steady, cold rain was falling [...]

Gela greeted me bright and early in the morning. Breakfast was white bread topped with chocolate sprinkles – an unheard of combination in the USA, yet apparently the second most popular topping after butter for the Dutch! We both headed to the train station with our backpacks. She was making her way to the airport [...]