The chance to spend a month living in Paris and studying French just seemed like one of those "you'll remember this time forever" opportunities. So I hopped a flight from Vancouver to Paris and started brushing up on that long forgotten high school French. I spent the mornings studying French and the afternoons wandering the arrondissments (neighbourhoods) of Paris practicing on café waiters, museum ticket takers and cute boys at the Eiffel Tower. Weekends were my own and with great transportation connections leaving from Paris for all corners of the country, the choice was whether to hit the Paris bar circuit with some other students or hop a train to Normandy or the Loire Valley for the weekend. There is never enough time to do everything in Paris, but after a month living there, these are some of my best picks! Climb something! It seems everywhere you go in Paris there is something to climb - Notre-Dame bell tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the hill up to Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre. A trip up the Eiffel Tower is a must on anyone's visit to Paris and while you can take an elevator, why not take the stairs and reach the second level on the cheap. Head to the streets around the Bastille district for student bars and affordable nightlife. Les Halles has the bigger clubs but I found the Bastille was the place to go for a great atmosphere. If you hear about a street event or festival - go! Held in late June, the Fete de la Musique was a highlight of my time in Paris. Musicians played in the streets around the city but especially in the Latin Quarter. Vendors sold a huge variety of yummy food and sold red wine by the glass in the streets. Don't forget to pick up your ISIC card for discounts on museum entrance, Paris has so many famous ones to see. My favourite is the Centre Pompidou, the modern art inside is cool but the exterior of the building and the street performers that surround it are the real draw. It's a wonderful place to sit and people watch. Good shopping in this area too, especially during the summer sales in late June! Rosey Marketing Coordinator, Canada