Views of Notre Dame

The Notre Dame was one of my favorite attractions in Paris.  Top 10 reasons why, you ask?

1. It's gorgeous

2. It's in the city center on the Ile de la Cite

3. There are beautiful flowers and gardens around it

4. The inside and the outside are perfect examples of tall, regal gothic architecture

5. It's an old, old church 

6. It's in Paris

7. You can climb to the top

8... 

Okay, you get the idea.  The Notre Dame was, simply put, amazing.  From all angles, the church is a sight to behold.  It's such a nice place that the Paris government assigned armed military guards to patrol the premises all day long.  They wear green army outfits and carry medium-dog-sized submachine guns, true story.  I wanted to snap a picture of them, but I refrained for fear of being shot.

Here is a little taste of the Notre Dame and what's to come in future blogs. Enjoy...

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Photos interdit en Sacre Coeur

Hello everyone! It has been a while, but I'm here in Paris and there's so much to show that I couldn't wait until I got home to post something on here. Granted, I don't have a computer so all my pictures and writing are coming from and being posted with my iPhone. In other words, the quality of my posts for the next few weeks won't compare to the quality you'll get when I can plug in my camera and get ahold of my photos.

Today I went to Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur, or Sacred Heart, is a beautiful landmark located on a hill, which happens to be the highest natural point in Paris. Sacre Coeur took nearly 40 years to complete. The foundations were laid in 1875 and it was not finished until 1914. Five different architects lived and died while working on designing the basillica.

Immediately upon entrance, a large sign reads "Photos Imterdit dans Sacre Coeur" which means there are no pictures allowed in the chapel. Of course, I managed to take some. Here's a little tease:

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*Please note all opinions in this post are mine and mine alone. They in no way reflect those of any individual, group, or organization that may be in this post.
*Photos + Writing by Eli Kallison unless otherwise stated
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Traveling & The Tour de Mont Blanc

Traveling.  Who doesn’t fantasize about traveling and getting a job that requires you to prance from country to country, on someone else’s dime?  Okay, fine: I’ve never been out of the country (unless you count literally stepping a foot into Canada at Glacier National Park), but that doesn’t preclude me from the fantasy. 

Ideally, I’d like to roam around Europe with a pack back, Mike Lavigna or Jeff King, and gift cards to the most extravagant restaurants in Spain, Italy and France.  I’ll have my doorman waiting outside tomorrow for gift card reception.  Please address to Eli ‘The King’ Kallison so I know it’s not spam (oh wait…).

This summer I’ve decided to be adventurous.  I purchased a one-way ticket to Paris leaving from SFO on May 16^th.  I’m going by myself (yes, I get it, I actually do have friends), and I only have two concrete plans.  For the first two weeks I’m staying with a French host family and taking a class at a French language school to brush up and make my accent irresistible.  Afterwards, I’m planning to be homeless for a couple of weeks (good thing I just got my featherweight sleeping bag in the mail), and backpacking to Barcelona or Ibiza. 

The ace in the hole, however, is the hike that I have planned.  I’m going with Pablo (a homie from the World Wide Web) on the Tour de Mont Blanc.  The TMB is a 100 mile loop in the Swiss Alps that goes from France to Switzerland to Italy and back around to France.  The travel system is called ‘hut – to – hut’ hiking where, if you feel particularly downtrodden one day, you can stay in one of the many huts spaced every few dozen miles along the TMB.  Because we’re on a budget, Pablo and I will not be taking advantage of any of these ‘amenities’.  Just remember, SOS is six long toots on your hiking whistle.  Shit, I need to get one of those…