Item 28: Le Tour Eiffel

Location: Paris, France

Number one on the itinerary for a visit to Paris is the Eiffel Tower. It is iconic and, being the most visited monument in the world, rarely missed.

It was ticked off the list during my first trip to Paris, in more youthful days, whilst travelling on a Eurail ticket across Western Europe and living off the Aussie dollar for a month.

Teasing glimpses of the steel structure, built for the 1889 World Expo, can be seen throughout the city. In the summer weather with perfectly manicured grassland at its feet, the magnetic fields of the radio tower called to me once again.

This time being grossly grossly paid in British pounds (joking), I lived the lavish lifestyle. Ignoring the shorter queue for the 600 stairs to the second platform, I waited 45 minutes and paid the €12 to take the elevator to the top floor. That’s right, sky high!

In temperatures of around 26 degrees the cosy lift of well warmed tourists was luxury as I enjoyed the ascent to the second and third levels for clear landscapes of Paris. Picking out the Notre Dame, Sacré Coeur and the Seine River from the heights confirmed my visit to the cosmopolitan city, "Oui. Je suis à paris!"

Item 28: Le Tour Eiffel? CHECK!

Item 27: Göteborg – A Midsmmers Eve

Location: Göteborg, Sweden

Having travelled on what I vow to be the last 7:30am departure from Stansted Airport the previous weekend for a two day tour of Copenhagen, I made the most of a mid-week recovery period in preparation for Midsummer's in Göteborg, Sweden.

Midsummer's Eve is the big celebration before the summer solstice throughout Europe. With such anticipation, it was only typical for the day to be sprinkled with sporadic moments of rain throughout the day. It was only perfect timing for clouds to start appearing as we watched the maypole being erected in the local park for the flower-garlanded Swedish kids and their parents to dance around in celebration.

Refreshingly, with key thanks to Phil – who’s been seconded to the city for six months - I had the opportunity to immerse a little in the Viking culture.

Anders, Phil’s manager, generously invited the expats in his team along to his home for a traditional Midsummer's Eve meal. The celebration is said to be as big as Christmas, and arguably more so due to the more hospitable Summer weather.

One of the Spanish colleagues, Eduardo, got me all psyched up as the food was set up.

“Are you ready for some baby seal?”

Presented on the kitchen table was our meal of seal and new potatoes. No, it couldn’t have been. They couldn’t possibly be eating seals!

As I hesitantly dished up my plate with the potatoes, I had to confirm with the chef.

“Seal? No. Sill,” said Anders.

A quick conversation between the two Spaniards, Eduardo and Manuel.

“Ah, arenque”. (Translated from Spanish to English ‘herring’).

My stomach began to settle as I chose from the selection of pickled herring.

Obviously for a country that has restrictions on alcohol, for a celebration, our meal was accompanied by a selection of high percentage Swedish schnapps and assorted beer.

And, with more sunlight in which to play, we were introduced to the old Viking game of Kubb. Played in the park, in good weather, very simply the game consisted of two teams taking turns at throwing sticks to knock down the opponents kubbs(small wooden towers), that were set up on the base lines. The King in the centre of the grounds is knocked down at the finale. Think dodge-ball, with wooden sticks and without the people as obstacles.

We called it a draw at one game all and made way for me beer, wine and snacks inside Anders' Swedish home for the rest of the evening.

Item 27: Göteborg? CHECK!

* Many thanks to Anders for his generous hospitality

* Thanks Phil, for watching sun rise at 3:30am with me on mid-summers day :)

Item 26: Wimbledon - Sipping Pimms on Henman Hill

Location: All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon

The tickets for this prestigious event are sold via ballot each year. A limited number of tickets are sold at the grounds daily. Get in quick!

Or if your life is random, you can choose to join the mile long queue outside the All England Lawn Tennis Club for a chance at general admission.

As spectators leave towards the end of the day, people in line gain entry. Before 5pm it will cost £20 and after 5pm it’s £14. The gates close at 8pm and play finishes around 9:30, so as you watch the line shrink you also need to keep an eye on the clock.

Joining the queue that stretches through the golf course, past the fans setting up their tents for early morning tickets for the next day's centre court action and well into the car park, you’re handed a queue card by an official which will save your place should you need to buy refreshments or visit the port-a-loo during the wait.

It is an organised process to ensure there is no queue jumping. With everyone eager to make their 2 hour wait for entry worth the effort, when a lady trips over her Birkenstocks falling face flat onto the temporary non-slip footpath, other spectators will respectfully note, “I’m sorry but we have to keep moving”.

On the approach through the HSBC Hall of Fame and then seeing the golden security gates, the path to enlightenment nears.

Admission provides standing room access to Court 2 and seats in courts 3-19. With the big name players playing on Centre Court and Court 1, the overflow of spectators end up watching them on the big screen at ‘Henman Hill’.

It’s the grassy knoll named after the glory days of British hopeful Tim Henman. As the camera pans over the fans watching the nation’s latest hope - Andrew Murray - the crowd is loud and passionate. A five set win against Richard Gasquet in Round Four, and the cheers erupt from the hill dubbing it, for the moment, the ‘Murray Mound’.

Item 26: Wimbledon? CHECK!