A New York Girl: Europe in 19 Days! Not 21!

Bad News: my flight for June 26 to the UK has been cancelled.

Good News: my new flight is on June 24, and although I'll be paying more in lodging, food, etc., I get 2 extra days in Paris!

I wasn't sure about this, because my friends won't be meeting me in Gay Paree until the 27th. We had coordinated EuroStar tickets and everything! So this means two days of exploring the city on my own. But I've always considered myself Miss Independent, and with the other flight option of June 28, giving me 1 day in Paris, I figured this was a no-brainer.

Here are some of the plans I would like to pursue in the city, solo or with my good friends from Oxford:

Bike Tours

The Fat Tire Bike Tour company has an option for a day trip to Chateau de Versailles. Great opportunity for me to see inside the palace, and much more of the gardens than I would be able to explore on foot. Orangeries, terraced gardens and foutains galore.

Another one I think I must do is the Paris by Night tour. A four-hour cruise of the City of Light, sparkling with street lights, bright windows, and a beaming Eiffel Tower. Great opportunities for pictures, and to familiarize myself more with the city in the evening.

The Louvre, natch. As always, to avoid crowds, they say to go in the morning. However, I can also flash my (expired) student ID to get in free on a Friday evening as well, between 6-10pm. Although the Mona Lisa is supposedly the size of a postage stamp, I suppose I should try to see it, not to mention the Renoirs and Picassos. And no, I won't be taking a photo in front of I.M. Pei's signature.

Concerts at Saint Chappelle, possibly this one: http://www.ampconcerts.com/concerts/index.php Gotta love Bach cello suites, and Chopin was French in every way but blood. 15Euro. Take it from someone who saw a concert in Vienna: European classical concerts are very different from seeing the NYPhil here. In a good way.