My Memoirs - Citizen of the World

I will begin our tour with the spectacular Champs-Elysees, the
most civilized downhill stroll in the heart of France’s capital, a
symbol of victory and power. At the center of the Etoile, there is a
star-shaped junction of 12 avenues. Whenever I visit, I have to
stop, look around and admire all that my eyes can see. How can
the human mind produce such beautiful treasures? There is the
majestic Arc de Triomphe, a Napoleonic monument, the famous
boulevard with its beautiful showrooms, cinemas, restaurants,
shops and outside cafes. On the left border, there are exhibition
galleries and the famous Lido, one of the most entertaining places
to see a floor show.
Paris is home to one of the most organized subway systems, The
Metro, in the world. You can travel all over Paris by looking at a
display map, pushing a button to see where you intend to go, and
following the light that comes up directing you to your destination.
We took the Metro to Montmartre, a village outside the city center,
where we walked up the steps up to the marble Basilica of Sacre-
Coeur (Sacred Heart) and returned on the funicular down to the
street. Another great experience! We walked along the streets and
found the world renowned Moulin Rouge where we made
reservations for the evening show. At the time, it cost 180 Euros,
(about $252.00 US). It was an indescribable dinner show with
music and ballerinas flying on trapezes over our head. I was
hoping that one of those dolls would fall on me! What a spectacle!
However I couldn’t help but think, “How can I be here enjoying
this paradise, when a few months ago, I was visiting a poor third
world country where people were lucky to earn a dollar a day and
have a piece of bread to eat?” What an unfair world! But as they
say in France, “C’est la vie!” (That’s life!)
While in Paris, we took an entire day to see the Musee de Louvre.
The Louvre has seven museums. We could have stayed there the
entire month, but we only wanted to see some of the famous pieces
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