The Sewers of Paris - Paris France

Ok so this is something that most people have heard about but few have ever really given any thought to. Well I'll tell you a little bit about my trip to the sewers of Paris. I went on a trip to Paris with a few people and there were a few things that were already decided that we would do and some that were things we might see when we got there. Well the sewers were one of those things. Let me tell you that basically if anyone ever says that they have been to the sewers of Paris and that you should go see them, they don't like you, or they playing a very mean trick on you.

I guess the first thing that should have triggered a "this is not something you want to do" thought was when we got there, and were buying tickets the smell was awful. And of course of if you go into the sewers it's going to get worse, logic would tell you this, but for some reason that day the logical part of my brain wasn't working. It does house a museum in the sewers which I'm sure is full of great things to read and see and history that is worth learning about. But sadly I didn't see any of it. The smell was so bad that me and the entire rest of the group that I was with ran, yes ran, through the sewers just to get out. We didn't stop and read anything or take photos, nothing. Things were dripping from over us, which was very unsettling to say the least. And I ended up with something on the bottom of my jeans as did another girl that I was with and let's just say those jeans didn't make the trip home, they made a trip to the trash.

If you could avoid the things dripping and you didn't mind the smell there might be something that you want to learn or find interesting down there. But before you to decide to make the trip there, remember one thing. Remember the smell in a public bathroom and how bad that can be, and image being the sewer system where it all goes. And if the smell is really bad for you when you are buying tickets know that its only going to get worse. This is one place that I say enter at your own risk. You have been warned.

Are the French Really Rude?

Ah the city of Paris, the city of love. For some reason people look at this city and get one of a few thoughts, most people think of beauty and some people think of not wanting to go there because they think that people are rude. I had the great luck of getting to travel to Paris for two weeks a while ago. I have to admit I was nervous, as I had heard, like so many people that they don't like Americans and are rude. But I was also very excited as I couldn't want to see everything that Paris had to offer. What I didn't know was that all my fears were for nothing, once I got over there I noticed a few things that seemed to be a pattern. I knew hardly any French, I could ask a few things, "Where is the bathroom?", "Where am I?", "Do you speak English", and "please" and "thank you". This does not seem like a lot to know if you are traveling overseas, but I was with a group of people and some of them knew how to speak French so I wasn't too worried. Once I got there I was nervous and didn't want to venture out on my own, but I got more comfortable and started to do things by myself. Yes this young girl that knows no French and was in a different country for the first time was going it alone.

Here is was I discovered. As long as you are nice and have a polite additude then you have nothing to worry about. The key is remember that you need to treat them with respect and respect their customs, don't complain because many cafes close down at certain hours or if service in a restaurant isn't as fast as you are used to, they are used to sitting and relaxing more than some countries when they eat, which I found to be a nice change of pace. But the key and this one is big is even if you speak hardly any French or no French try, there were some times when I didn't bother trying and people were somewhat nice or rude. But I noticed that whenever I tried, even if I failed they might have laughed a little but they were generally nice and very helpful. And if I asked "Do you speak English" in French then they usually were happy to nod and help me with whatever I needed. For many people they don't like going to places where they live to find that someone from another country is visiting and not speaking their language, I have seen it many times in America. Remember that the French might think that way to, if you don't understand why just think of when you are standing in line and the person in from of you doesn't speak English and you get annoyed. The key is to try, and be nice about it. Doing this can really help your entire experience in Paris. Granted you will find that people are just rude, but that is true of anywhere that you go, so chalk that up to some people are jerks.

I was very nervous about my trip, but found that all the horror stories that I had heard where just things that many people said but I had yet to actually talk to anyone that had been that had a horror story about the how the people treated them. If you do know of someone that has a bad story try and think was it just a one time thing so most of the people were nice? Or perhaps did they not speak French or can they sometimes be rude without knowing it? Manners and effort can go a long way to helping any vacation no matter where you are going, just food for thought.

CNN Center - Atlanta Georgia

If you ever find yourself in the area of Atlanta Georgia and you are looking for something that you can do for an afternoon or just want to find somewhere in the downtown area that has a few places to eat then you need to make sure that you check out the CNN Center. This might not actually seem like somewhere that would have a lot to do, but there really is a lot that you can do to keep yourself entertained.

If you are looking for somewhere to have a sit and get a bite to eat then you have several choices that you can get in the food court area of the CNN Center, if you are going to an event at the Arena its a great idea to simple get there early and have something to eat as, the Arena is attached to the CNN Center. In addition to places to eat there are a few places to shop in the center as well. If you are looking for gear for any of the major sports in Atlanta this is the place to go as you can find a store in here that will have what you are looking for. There are also shops that have CNN merchandise so that you can get a something to remember your trip to the center by.

If you really have some time and want an experience that you can't get anywhere else then make sure that you take time to take the tour. You can tour the CNN Center and the CNN Studios, all you need to do is check out the times that they offer, and if you can make a reservation in advance as this will help to make sure that you can get in when you want to.

To learn more about the tour and to book tickets then go to this site. http://www.cnn.com/tour/atlanta/

My recent travels

Okay everyone, so I know that lately I haven't been updating and posting as much as I should but its been a little crazy lately. Just in the past month I can been to California to see my sister, which by the way was a lot of fun, and I have a lot of places to share with you guys. Then I came to Atlanta for a week then back down to Florida again. So as you can see my time has been a little short lately but I promise that I will start to get back in the swing of things and updating every week or two. So thanks for being so understanding! But at least you know that when I do get updating you will have a some great new places to hear about!