Something Stands Out...

One of these items does not match the others.  Can you spot it?

Yes, this picture is legit and was taken in our rented apartment in Paris.  No, we did not bring it with us.

Palace of Versailles

We set our alarm - which is a big deal when we're on vacation - to wake up early and grab the train from the Latin Quarter to Versailles.  The Mr. had done this before and was more than willing to trace his steps and show me the beauty of the royal chateau.  Not knowing what to expect, I was more concerned with finding a cup of hot cocoa once we arrived which promptly led to our first and only trip to a McCafe.  #fail

Simply put, Versailles is breathtaking.  We had to stand in an absurdly long line but, once inside, it was bliss.  The interior is unreal and the gardens are made to be frolicked in.  Which we did.  For hours.  Whilst enjoying yet another nutella crepe.  The Mr. was happy to reminisce about his last trip to Versailles which was during the summer months and made the gardens just a bit more enjoyable.  Without further ado, my fave pics:

 The sight upon arrival.

On the outside, looking in.

Finally permitted inside the gates! 

Marble.  'Nuff said. 

Just a regular 'ol bedroom inside the Palace.

The Hall of Mirrors.

More Hall of Mirrors.

I would enjoy this in my own... palace.

Marie Antoinette's bedroom.

Just a glimpse of the ah-mazing gardens.

Frolicking amongst the trees!

Chillin' on the steps.

The best of our self-portraits.

I'll Take a Large Louis Vuitton With a Side of Gucci

Bienvenue à Paris!  We arrived in Paris on December 26th and were (almost) immediately off and running.  Our apartment, in the Latin Quarter, was quite charming and the perfect spot to easily get to any part of the city.  We hadn't really mapped out our days in advance but did have a list of specific attractions that we wanted to see.  As I mentioned earlier, the Mr. had been to Paris before so most of these attractions were ones he had already seen.  I, however, was quick to point out all of the designer handbags, shoes, stores, and fashionable French folks that he may not have noticed otherwise.  Note to self: buy a Louis Vuitton bag for my next trip to Paris.  I'll fit in better that way.

I'm saving our trip to Versailles for a separate post.  I have way too many gorgeous pictures from that day to throw into this mixture.  Here's what we did in Paris:

We went to Laduree ... twice.  Amazing macarons!

We climbed the stairs to Sacre Coeur.

We gazed at Sacre Coeur.

We toured the Paris Opera House...

... and admired the Marc Chagall ceiling.

We sipped hot chocolate in cafes.

We bought cheese, baguettes and wine at the market.

We found some big doors.

We went to Notre Dame.

WE SAW THE EIFFEL TOWER!

When in Paris...

The lady says, "Denver."

We survived the Louvre.

We climbed 284-ish stairs to view the Paris skyline at sunset from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

We took cheesy, touristy photos.

We admired the stained glass inside Sainte-Chapelle.

We marveled at the Seine.

We became pros at self-portraits.

We found some real estate.

And we celebrated New Year's Eve at the Eiffel Tower!

We had a few more adventures... visiting the d'Orsay, strolling through the Luxembourg Gardens, eating nutella + coco crepes, watching crazy drivers on the Paris streets... but I think this is a pretty good photo summary of our trip.  I'm so grateful that we had this opportunity but consider this just the beginning of our European explorations :)

The City of Lights, Love, and Lines

Bonjour!  As I sit here in the beautiful sitting area of my hotel - a 500 year-old building - in small town UK, I feel that there is no time like the present to start blogging about the past few weeks.  And, oh, what a few weeks it has been!

Quick update:
- December was crazy busy.  We had multiple holiday parties nearly every weekend and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.  We're so lucky to have wonderful, hospitable friends!
- Hanukkah was fairly uneventful this year but we managed to light candles at least 3 of the 8 nights.  My goal for next Hanukkah is to actually make latkes one night.  I set the bar high.
- A few days before Christmas, FIL asked us to make his birthday cake using a family recipe.  I, of course, delegated to the Mr. since I was preoccupied with other things at this time.  This was the result:

"Impressively bad."  Yes, that's flour sitting on top of the baked cake.

We worked together to bake another cake the next morning :)

- We celebrated Christmas with the Mr.'s family on 12/23 in conjunction with FIL's birthday.  We bought everyone a little something but the highlight was seeing our niece walk around with our gift to her: her first purse!  The purse happens to be plush with a little chihuahua that sits inside but that's what you get when you start 'em off young.  I couldn't be more proud :)
- We awoke on Christmas morning to snow, then headed to the in-laws' home to drop off their granddog, and away we went to the airport!  The week before Thanksgiving, my director offered me the opportunity of a lifetime.  They needed someone from our team to travel to our UK and Amsterdam offices to help with enablement and training for new employees.  I'd only been on the team for about 3 weeks but my background, and the fact that I have no kids at home, helped seal the deal.  But you don't offer me a free plane ticket to Europe without the Mr. and I turning this into a vacation!

My agenda includes small-town UK, London and Amsterdam so the Mr. and I had to determine where we wanted to spend the one week that we'd have together before he returned to the States and I proceeded with business.  It really wasn't much of a discussion.  Off to Paris we went!  The Mr. has spent quite a bit of time there but I'd never been so he was excited to show me around and relive his younger days.  We rented an adorable, maybe 120 sq. ft. studio apartment from VRBO (with a bed that pulled down from the ceiling), booked our flights with the help of my corporate travel agent and started planning our must-see list.

The. Flight. Was. A. Nightmare.

I cannot begin to explain how traumatic it was.  In fact, I'm not going to explain.  I'll save that for another post but I may not even blog about it at all.  I'm still recovering.  Seriously.

But we survived!  We made it to Paris!  We had an amazing week and I'm so grateful that my wonderful husband and I were able to make this trip.  The city surpassed my wildest dreams.  We had so much fun strolling the streets, arm-in-arm, stepping over the cobblestone and admiring the old-world charm that is Europe.  It was beautiful, it was cold, it was romantic, and it was what dreams are made of.   Except for the lines.  I've never had to stand in so many lines for so long in my entire life.  Turns out Paris is the 2nd most visited city and I'm pretty sure all of the tourists were there the same week we were!

I didn't do a very good job taking notes of what we did on a daily basis - mostly because I was so exhausted by the time we made it back to the apartment each night.  I will, however, do several photo-filled posts in the coming days (weeks?) to share the beauty with you all!

And if you happen to be near my home, please check-in on the Mr. and the puggle.  I'm worried that they might be in the midst of a pizza coma during a Cops marathon.

The view from our apt.  The metro was right across the street - very convenient!  We even knew the hours because we could feel the train under our building!

 The Seine on a winter day.

Probably while we were waiting in line somewhere...

 Just a teaser...

Happy 2013!