My name is Chris Lange and I travel when I can. I like to blog about my travels because it helps me remember and also other people can learn from it. I'm from the USA and I've visited China, France, England, Ireland, Spain, Madrid, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Next year I will be going to Brazil with my wife to watch the Olympics.
Oh, the name comes from the fact that I had my second knee surgery before my first travelblog entry in China.... full info
Hunchback saved Notre DameParisians were considering knocking down the cathedral. After the book "Hunchback of Notre Dame" was written, people started caring more about it and it stayed
Bullet Holes from WWIIThe bullet holes are actually from French soldiers shooting inside to get the Nazis out
VelibThere is a bike service in France called Velib. If you have a card, you can rent a bike for free for the first 30 minutes and then the charges start.
Love Lock BridgeThere is a tradition where people (mostly tourists) in love will write their name on the lock, close the lock on the bridge, and throw the key into the river
The louvre has a "Secret" entranceEven on the busiest day, the lion's entrance will have no line at all. People simply aren't aware of it. There is a doorway in the Louvre courtyard with two banners and 2 lion statues, and it is a legitimate entrance
Lots of pickpockets and scammersThis is a scam where people ask you to pay money to help sick/handicapped people then take you to the side and steal your stuff or make you pay them because you signed the paper. Children are made to do it by the "pimps" of the money scams
L'Academie FrancaiseThe people who work in this building make a living off of keeping the French language pure. There is a quota of french songs that need to be played on the radio and a maximum amount of new words to be officially introduced to the language each year. "Keeping French Pure" = "Keeping English Out"
