Hence the name of this blog. (Champ du Pain sounded pretty masochistic.) Appropriate, because I'll be spending a lot of dough (haha) in the next three weeks as I travel to New York City with a side trip to Philly, Paris, the French Riviera and Berlin. I leave tomorrow in the wee small hours and will have to get used to red-eye flights and train journeys, as I have to pack in a lot of sightseeing in a short period. 

I realize this is not the best time to be traveling. The economy sucks, the gas taxes on airfares are insane and the dollar is weak (a buck is 0.70 Euros, though that's been an improvement lately). But I'm young, free and, let's admit, just a Valley girl starving for history and culture (pre-1800s, thank you, particularly the 18th century). So I'm gonna do my best to live on the sad U.S. dollar while enjoying all the food, wine, fashion and fabulousness these countries have to offer. That means eating a lot of street food, shopping at grocery stores and staying at hostels. And if you have any advice on saving dough, warnings on tourist traps and the like, pass it on.

Come along with me. Au revoir and auf wiedersehen.

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I've picked music videos as themes for each city. Of course, there are tons of other songs fighting for the top spot in my heart, but these are the big ones.

1) Paris

Charles Trenet -- "Quand J'Etais Petit"

A beloved French icon, you've probably heard his swoony "Verlaine" in films like "French Kiss" with Meg Ryan. In this clip, I feel like I should either join in or slap him.

2) The Riviera

Brigitte Bardot -- "Faite Pour Dormir" 

Ah, St. Tropez, Monaco, Cannes -- frequently name-dropped by hip-hop artists who park their bobbling yachts near these resort towns. French film goddess Brigitte Bardot made St. Tropez famous with her 1956 breakout film, "And God Created Woman." It sent salivating fans flocking to this sleepy little beach town. I intend to see it. And make mischief.

3) Berlin

Oh, what else?

Nena -- "99 Red Balloons"

Hasselhoff's song and dance in his flashing leather jacket on the Berlin wall in '89 was a close second. Looking forward to walking around this uber-trendy city, especially the Eastern side.

4) New York City/Philadelphia (not posted here, go to YouTube)

M.I.A. -- "Bucky Done Gun"

Sri Lankan by way of London, M.I.A. throws together Brazilian favela funk and a sample of the "Rocky" theme's horn section (Philly!) for a crazy third-world club anthem.