Pardon my French!

Pardon my French! So youve heard of Socrates and Archimedes. But did you hear about the Greek father of vegetables? His name was Crudites. ;-) (Yes, it was a long trip.) Id been to Paris before, but I wanted to ride the Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel, referred to by some as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Its certainly interesting to travel beneath a body of water, but at this point its so routine that most passengers simply sit back and relax. The tunnel beneath the English Channel was finally completed in 1994 after decades of blunders in planning, and at fifty kilometers, its the second-longest rail tunnel in the world (behind Japans Seikan Tunnel). While the ride from London Waterloo station to Paris Gare du Nord lasts nearly three hours, crossing the Channel is only a twenty-minute endeavor. Ah, Paris. Pretty typical architecture The Arc de Triomphe, as seen from the middle of the Champs-Elysees Heres a small tip for your next visit to the Eiffel Tower: Dont go when you think there might be a storm. I was nailed hard with pounding rain and a strong breeze while waiting in line luckily I was under a small covering near the door. As you can see, I am completely drenched in this picture. To add insult to injury, once I finally found shelter just inside the door, the ceiling began leaking on me. Needless to say, I got my ticket validated for the next day and hopped in a taxi bound for my hotel. Heres what it looks like up there A very convincing Gustave Eiffel More eye candy: The Notre Dame Cathedral The Musee du Louvre central entrance area (you take a staircase inside that pyramid) The queue for the Mona Lisa I dont think this needs a caption :-) (I never said I was going to give a representative tour :-D) Before leaving Paris, I had dinner at Terminus Nord, a really delicious place directly opposite (what else?) Gare du Nord. Im usually happiest around food. SNCF is the national railway of France, much like our Amtrak. Check back soon for the next installment :-)