During September of 2016, my wife and I ventured off to France to visit Paris and Versaiile and then to the United Kingdom where we saw London, Bath, Stonehenge and Dover. Our ultimate favorite experiences of the trip were our time in Paris, Versailles, Stonehenge and Dover. The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees, the Palace of Versailles, Stonehenge, the White Cliffs of Dover and the Dover Castle were just some of the most incredible places and things we have ever seen. It is hard to compete with our love of Italy but I think Paris is in a league all to its own.

Our first stop was Paris. My wife and I had never been to Paris before and we were both very excited to see all that it had to offer. We stayed within walking distance to Notre Dame and really enjoyed having this location as our home base. It was super convenient to walk to the train station that took us to Versailles or to the Sacre-Coeur in Mont Martre. Have I mentioned the food already? The food was simply amazing. From sidewalk cafes to sit-down restaurants overlooking the Eiffel Tower to cheese burgers at midnight; we tried it all and never went hungry. While in Paris we saw the Eiffel Tower and even got the chance to go up to the 2^nd floor, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle, Sacre-Coeur, and Mont Martre.

From Paris we took a day trip to Versailles where we took a group bike tour around the town of Versailles, the Gardens of the Palace Versailles, and to Marie-Antoinette’s Estate. The bike tour was one of the most fun things we did all trip. It allowed us to see and experience the sights in a whole new way, without having to worry about how far each sight was from the next. The Palace itself was awe-inspiring. The grandeur and elegance of the whole place was something I had never seen before. It was truly incredible to see the way King Louie XIV lived hundreds of years ago. One thing not to forget about the town of Versailles is its market at the intersection of Rue de la Paroisse and Rue du Marechal Foch. We enjoyed French chocolate and the best breakfast crepe that we have ever had.

After our time in Paris, we flew to London where we stayed minutes from Big Ben. Overall, London felt very much like New York City which I enjoyed, my wife, not so much. We visited some of the famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Palace of Westminster, the London Eye, Harrods, the Tower of London, and the Tower Bridge. The Tower of London was neat because it housed some of the Crown Jewels which included the biggest diamonds I have ever seen. Overall, our experience in London was enjoyable and very interesting.

From London we took day trips to see Stonehenge which included a stop in Bath and to Dover. The highlight of our Stonehenge trip was of course Stonehenge. We took a private group tour that was allowed to go inside the stone circle at sunset which is outside of normal operating times so there was only us out there. The peacefulness and the awe inspired by thinking of how our ancestors must have constructed the temple was an incredible feeling. Walking amongst stones was truly an incredible experience that I will never forget and one of my all-time favorite moments of my life. Bath was a picturesque town situated along the River Avon. We visited the Roman Baths which made us think how incredible it must have been that the Roman empire once stretched all the way to Bath England from Italy.

On the last full day of our trip we took a train to see the famous White Cliffs of Dover and the Dover Castle which has played such an important part in the defense of England from medieval times to World War II. The Dover Castle is also the largest castle in England. You can climb to the top of the castle and, on a clear day, you can see all the way across the Strait of Dover to France. You can walk through the Secret Wartime Tunnels that were converted into a military command center during the Second World War. We had perfect weather while we were there and it was the perfect end to our trip. I greatly enjoyed Dover and highly recommend the train ride from London or a ferry ride from France to get there.