If one is really down and out, neither London nor Paris are the places to be. They are very expensive cities. In London, a mediocre hotel far from the tourist attractions costs $200. In Paris, never order a Coca-Cola--I suspect that Coke has very heavy import duties, raising the price of something that cost pennies to manufacture to the level of a moderate wine.
Nevertheless, OLGS, Joe High School and I had a great time probably borrowing against Joe's college fund. Joe toured the Tower.We ate in a fabulous (read very expensive) Indian restaurant, saw Phantom of the Opera (obstructed view, but who cares), went to Sunday evening service at St. Paul's Cathedral, saw a Steve Martin movie in French, got Joe a high-end Parisian haircut (by far the best, and probably NOT the most expensive he's ever had), sat in cafes, window shopped, ate pastries, and enjoyed the architecture of a pretty concentrated second empire city. We took the Eurostar from Waterloo to Gare du Nord--ever been in a train that goes 200 mph? Three hours and 15 minutes from London to Paris. Amazing.
