1/8/11
Needless to say we slept in today after last night's shenanigans. It was our last day in London so we decided to see Buckingham Palace since that was the only thing left on our "London Napkin List" that we hadn't done yet. The cloudy weather cleared as we arrived and we took some pretty photos of the palace with the parting clouds and blue skies. Marcus was disappointed by the sloppy guards. They looked around, had poor posture, and were not at all what I had remembered from my last trip to London. As we walked from the tube to the palace I had told him how these guards were the real deal, unlike the teenagers that work at the London Tower. Bummer! After admiring the palace a bit we stopped in the shop that's right next to it and saw the official wedding china of Prince William and Kate. I'm not much for following celebrities but the Royal family is my new found "celebrity" interest. Now that we have been to both the wedding and reception venues together and I'm looking forward to the "we've stood right there!" moments :)
We then headed over to Camden Town to do a little shopping. Simba had recommended it the night before and we didn't have any other plans, why not? Once we arrived I realized that I had been there before and just didn't recognize the name. We enjoyed a beer and snacks on the 2nd floor of a cool, funky pub that overlooked the plaza. The streets were packed with tourists and identical shops so we got the few souvenirs we were after and headed back to Gloucester Square for some fish and chips. There we had by far the biggest and best fish & chips of the entire trip. The "Cod-father" was ginormous, at least a foot long. Exactly what we were looking for.
We went back to the hotel and watched some British TV before finally calling it a night. It was a nice quiet end to our two week long vacation. We've both been going back and forth between feeling like it is ending too soon to feeling ready to get home to our baby boy. I think two weeks was the perfect amount of time for the number of countries we visited and we are both missing our KaiKai. I can't wait to see his excitement when we get home and cuddle my handsome Kai-Pie!
Monday 10 January 2011
Day 12: Back to London
1/7/11
We took the train back to London today. We had such a blast the first few nights we were here that we decided to book a couple more before flying out on Sunday. After checking into the hotel we met up with Simba and Claudine, whom we met on NYE in Paris, for dinner and drinks. Simba lives right outside of London and Claudine is still in town visiting him until Sunday. We met up at the Waterloo station and walked to a nice French restaurant that Simba had picked out. The restaurant was in an area of London that we hadn't visited yet and it was nice walking around and seeing a different part of the city. Dinner was delicious, with the exception of the butter that I smothered on some bread and bit into before realizing it was ANCHOVY butter. Bleh. After dinner we walked in search of a pub. We saw some beautiful views of the city lights as we crossed several bridges over the Thames River. Simba was a great tour guide, pointing out monuments and even telling us why the Jubilee bridge that we were crossing was in fact called the Jubilee bridge (it commemorates the Jubilee, 50 year reign, of the Queen). Marcus and I are going to have to buff up on our Cali knowledge before they ever come to visit so we can return the favor :)
We ended up at several pubs through out the night. My favorite pub was one of the first few we went to. They were packed and played awesome music (you can never go wrong with Journey). Everyone sang along as they played the "Baywatch" theme song, which was totally a first for us. Silly Brits. I was shocked to find that most pubs close around 1 am. So as one closed we walked to another. By the end of the night, or morning rather, we ended up at a club that was open until 4. After the last club closed we went to Mickey D's to fill our belly's to (hopefully) help prevent a hangover. It felt so wrong, we don't even eat Mickey D's at home. Then again we don't party like this at home either. When in London...
We took the train back to London today. We had such a blast the first few nights we were here that we decided to book a couple more before flying out on Sunday. After checking into the hotel we met up with Simba and Claudine, whom we met on NYE in Paris, for dinner and drinks. Simba lives right outside of London and Claudine is still in town visiting him until Sunday. We met up at the Waterloo station and walked to a nice French restaurant that Simba had picked out. The restaurant was in an area of London that we hadn't visited yet and it was nice walking around and seeing a different part of the city. Dinner was delicious, with the exception of the butter that I smothered on some bread and bit into before realizing it was ANCHOVY butter. Bleh. After dinner we walked in search of a pub. We saw some beautiful views of the city lights as we crossed several bridges over the Thames River. Simba was a great tour guide, pointing out monuments and even telling us why the Jubilee bridge that we were crossing was in fact called the Jubilee bridge (it commemorates the Jubilee, 50 year reign, of the Queen). Marcus and I are going to have to buff up on our Cali knowledge before they ever come to visit so we can return the favor :)
We ended up at several pubs through out the night. My favorite pub was one of the first few we went to. They were packed and played awesome music (you can never go wrong with Journey). Everyone sang along as they played the "Baywatch" theme song, which was totally a first for us. Silly Brits. I was shocked to find that most pubs close around 1 am. So as one closed we walked to another. By the end of the night, or morning rather, we ended up at a club that was open until 4. After the last club closed we went to Mickey D's to fill our belly's to (hopefully) help prevent a hangover. It felt so wrong, we don't even eat Mickey D's at home. Then again we don't party like this at home either. When in London...
Friday 7 January 2011
Day 11: Bruges
1/6/11
The gorgeous weather that we had yesterday didn't last long. We were greeted with wet cobble stone and cloudy skies this morning. We almost made it through our entire trip without seeing a single rain drop. I guess we can't complain about one rainy day in a two week long holiday, and it definitely didn't stop us from enjoying our day. I found the weather to be quite romantic. Cuddling under an umbrella as we went from chocolate shop to chocolate shop tasting and comparing. Our agenda today was to not have one. We tasted chocolates, ate waffles, and even had real chocolate that was made with milk and melted Belgian chocolate...best hot cocoa ever. It was kept in a machine that constantly churned the sweet concoction so the chocolate wouldn't settle to the bottom or harden. Another tasty treat to add to my list of things I need to learn to make when I get home.
The most interesting chocolates we tried today came from The Chocolate Line in Simon Stevin Plein. Marcus had the "Havana" which was made with dark chocolate soaked in Cuban tobacco leaves and he loved it. Per recommendation of the gentleman helping us, I tried the sun-dried tomato, black olive, and basil chocolate (that's all one chocolate). Surprisingly it was pretty good, I couldn't eat a whole box of them but maybe that's the point. Marcus hated it all together and quickly washed it down with some of the hot cocoa. His face reminded me of Will Ferrell in "Elf" when he tried the "Passion Fruit Spray." Poor guy :)
We did a bit more shopping, visited a Belgian beer vault, and finally had a delicious dinner at l'Estaminet. I had angel hair pasta and Marcus had lasagna, both of which were topped with a thick slice of cheese, baked, and served in adorable clay pots. I doubt it constitutes traditional Flemish cuisine, but we made up for that fact by ordering a Duvel and Trappist Rochefort 10. The restaurant itself had a great vibe: quaint, dim candlelit room with windows dressed in Belgian lace and filled with locals. Definitely a place we will visit again when we return to Bruges.
We go back to London in the morning. It's always sad for me leaving one country to go to another. I'm confident we will return to Bruges sooner than later. We are already talking about our next trip. It truly is the most romantic city in the world in my eyes, and I don't think anything will ever change that. Favorite moment of the day: Slow dancing in rain to Van Morrison singing "Have I told you lately" in the middle of Simon Stevin Plein. I'm so happy we chose to come to Bruges, these memories will truly last a lifetime.
The gorgeous weather that we had yesterday didn't last long. We were greeted with wet cobble stone and cloudy skies this morning. We almost made it through our entire trip without seeing a single rain drop. I guess we can't complain about one rainy day in a two week long holiday, and it definitely didn't stop us from enjoying our day. I found the weather to be quite romantic. Cuddling under an umbrella as we went from chocolate shop to chocolate shop tasting and comparing. Our agenda today was to not have one. We tasted chocolates, ate waffles, and even had real chocolate that was made with milk and melted Belgian chocolate...best hot cocoa ever. It was kept in a machine that constantly churned the sweet concoction so the chocolate wouldn't settle to the bottom or harden. Another tasty treat to add to my list of things I need to learn to make when I get home.
The most interesting chocolates we tried today came from The Chocolate Line in Simon Stevin Plein. Marcus had the "Havana" which was made with dark chocolate soaked in Cuban tobacco leaves and he loved it. Per recommendation of the gentleman helping us, I tried the sun-dried tomato, black olive, and basil chocolate (that's all one chocolate). Surprisingly it was pretty good, I couldn't eat a whole box of them but maybe that's the point. Marcus hated it all together and quickly washed it down with some of the hot cocoa. His face reminded me of Will Ferrell in "Elf" when he tried the "Passion Fruit Spray." Poor guy :)
We did a bit more shopping, visited a Belgian beer vault, and finally had a delicious dinner at l'Estaminet. I had angel hair pasta and Marcus had lasagna, both of which were topped with a thick slice of cheese, baked, and served in adorable clay pots. I doubt it constitutes traditional Flemish cuisine, but we made up for that fact by ordering a Duvel and Trappist Rochefort 10. The restaurant itself had a great vibe: quaint, dim candlelit room with windows dressed in Belgian lace and filled with locals. Definitely a place we will visit again when we return to Bruges.
We go back to London in the morning. It's always sad for me leaving one country to go to another. I'm confident we will return to Bruges sooner than later. We are already talking about our next trip. It truly is the most romantic city in the world in my eyes, and I don't think anything will ever change that. Favorite moment of the day: Slow dancing in rain to Van Morrison singing "Have I told you lately" in the middle of Simon Stevin Plein. I'm so happy we chose to come to Bruges, these memories will truly last a lifetime.
Thursday 6 January 2011
Day 10: Bruges
1/5/2010
Next to our wedding day, I think today was one of the best days of our lives! :) Delicious food, gorgeous city, great company... I could do this everyday.
We are both in Heaven here in Bruges. The city is just AMAZING. From the moment we stepped out the door we both went nuts taking photos, trying to capture the feeling you get as walk down the old narrow cobble stone streets. It truly is like walking through a story book. When I was in Europe a few years ago with my cousin I fell in LOVE with this city and it became my favorite place in Europe. Ever since that trip I have been saying how much I would love to go here with Marcus. I'm excited to say that he has totally fallen in love with Bruges as well, I'm so stoked to share this with him.
We are staying at a B&B, the same one I stayed in last time actually. We had a nice breakfast that was served with fresh Dutch Gouda and hand squeezed OJ. After breakfast we walked to the city center, or "Markt," and climbed the famous belfry bell tower. It was an exhausting 366 narrow, steep steps made for someone with a size 2 foot, but the view was more than worth it. It was a gorgeous clear day with a beautiful blue sky, the nicest day we've seen so far.
After our trek back down the winding steps we rewarded ourselves with some frites and went to the Halve Maan Brewary for a tour. The tour was very interesting and included a beautiful city view from the top of the brewery. We ran into the couple from San Francisco that we met yesterday at the train station and made plans to meet up in the evening for a few beers.
The brewery was followed by a visit to Church of Our Lady... we probably should have planned that better. There we saw Michelangelo's "Madonna and Child." Even though I saw it last time I was here I still stood in awe at all of the detail and life in the sculpture. We both remarked about how it looked like it could just come to life at any moment...truly an amazing piece of work.
What do you do after seeing a 500 year old timeless piece of work sculpted by Michelangelo? Eat a Belgian waffle of course! After our waffle and coffee we met up with Sonia and David, the couple from SF. David had been telling us about this elusive beer "Trappist Westvleteren 12" that was nearly impossible to find but this particular pub we were at carried it. It wasn't on their menu, you had to know about it to order it. It felt like we were part of some secret club now so of course we had to try it. It was delicious and at 10.2% abv and 11 Euro/glass we nursed it for a bit, taking in all of it's bubbly, hoppy glory. We ordered a few more beers, eventually dinner, and spent the rest of the night drinking and chatting with our new friends. We had a frites night cap and crawled back to the B&B, all in hopes of doing it again tomorrow.
Next to our wedding day, I think today was one of the best days of our lives! :) Delicious food, gorgeous city, great company... I could do this everyday.
We are both in Heaven here in Bruges. The city is just AMAZING. From the moment we stepped out the door we both went nuts taking photos, trying to capture the feeling you get as walk down the old narrow cobble stone streets. It truly is like walking through a story book. When I was in Europe a few years ago with my cousin I fell in LOVE with this city and it became my favorite place in Europe. Ever since that trip I have been saying how much I would love to go here with Marcus. I'm excited to say that he has totally fallen in love with Bruges as well, I'm so stoked to share this with him.
We are staying at a B&B, the same one I stayed in last time actually. We had a nice breakfast that was served with fresh Dutch Gouda and hand squeezed OJ. After breakfast we walked to the city center, or "Markt," and climbed the famous belfry bell tower. It was an exhausting 366 narrow, steep steps made for someone with a size 2 foot, but the view was more than worth it. It was a gorgeous clear day with a beautiful blue sky, the nicest day we've seen so far.
After our trek back down the winding steps we rewarded ourselves with some frites and went to the Halve Maan Brewary for a tour. The tour was very interesting and included a beautiful city view from the top of the brewery. We ran into the couple from San Francisco that we met yesterday at the train station and made plans to meet up in the evening for a few beers.
The brewery was followed by a visit to Church of Our Lady... we probably should have planned that better. There we saw Michelangelo's "Madonna and Child." Even though I saw it last time I was here I still stood in awe at all of the detail and life in the sculpture. We both remarked about how it looked like it could just come to life at any moment...truly an amazing piece of work.
What do you do after seeing a 500 year old timeless piece of work sculpted by Michelangelo? Eat a Belgian waffle of course! After our waffle and coffee we met up with Sonia and David, the couple from SF. David had been telling us about this elusive beer "Trappist Westvleteren 12" that was nearly impossible to find but this particular pub we were at carried it. It wasn't on their menu, you had to know about it to order it. It felt like we were part of some secret club now so of course we had to try it. It was delicious and at 10.2% abv and 11 Euro/glass we nursed it for a bit, taking in all of it's bubbly, hoppy glory. We ordered a few more beers, eventually dinner, and spent the rest of the night drinking and chatting with our new friends. We had a frites night cap and crawled back to the B&B, all in hopes of doing it again tomorrow.
Day 9: Bruges
1/4/2010
We have arrived in Bruges safely! We took the train, which is always a fun experience watching the world zip by. There was a lot of places still covered in snow so I was pleasantly surprised to find that Bruges is snow free, yay! I love snow, I just don't want to see it on this trip.
Once we checked into the B&B we walked to the city center to explore and find dinner. The city is still lit for Christmas and so magical at night. We went to t'Brugs Beertje, a pub we had read about that carries over 300 of the 750+ beers made in Belgium. We tried about 4 of them. I dined on a cheese plate and Marcus had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. We were in cheese and beer Heaven! We tried the Bruges Zot which is a micro brew made in Bruges and we instantly fell in love. We are going to have to figure out a way to bring some of it home with us. The brewery that produces Bruges Zot is right here in town and offers tours, so that is definitely on our agenda for tomorrow. We stayed at the pub for a few hours, just talking and laughing and making our infamous paper napkin itinerary. Before heading back to the B&B we stopped off at a Frites stand (fries with a variety of different sauces to choose from). Marcus was so happy, "Frites stand open until 3am...what's not to love about this place?" This is definitely going to be the most relaxing leg of our trip, without a whole lot to do but wander around and eat Belgian chocolate, waffles, frites, and beer :)
We have arrived in Bruges safely! We took the train, which is always a fun experience watching the world zip by. There was a lot of places still covered in snow so I was pleasantly surprised to find that Bruges is snow free, yay! I love snow, I just don't want to see it on this trip.
Once we checked into the B&B we walked to the city center to explore and find dinner. The city is still lit for Christmas and so magical at night. We went to t'Brugs Beertje, a pub we had read about that carries over 300 of the 750+ beers made in Belgium. We tried about 4 of them. I dined on a cheese plate and Marcus had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. We were in cheese and beer Heaven! We tried the Bruges Zot which is a micro brew made in Bruges and we instantly fell in love. We are going to have to figure out a way to bring some of it home with us. The brewery that produces Bruges Zot is right here in town and offers tours, so that is definitely on our agenda for tomorrow. We stayed at the pub for a few hours, just talking and laughing and making our infamous paper napkin itinerary. Before heading back to the B&B we stopped off at a Frites stand (fries with a variety of different sauces to choose from). Marcus was so happy, "Frites stand open until 3am...what's not to love about this place?" This is definitely going to be the most relaxing leg of our trip, without a whole lot to do but wander around and eat Belgian chocolate, waffles, frites, and beer :)
Day 8: Paris
1/3/11
We skipped the non-anglais cafe today and headed to our new favorite, Cafe Cherie, where we both ordered chocolate (Nutella) crepes. The crepes here are much thinner than the ones I make at home and have tiny holes throughout them allowing the Nutella to seep through... it's pretty amazing. I'm going to be perfecting my Crepe talents once I get home, no doubt.
We set out to do the Musee D'Orsay only to find that it was closed on Mondays, as are many of the museums. So we just had to head back to the Louvre, poor us :) The Louvre is so big we could have gone there everyday and still leave wishing we had seen more. We saw the Mona Lisa again and then headed over to the other half of the Louvre that we hadn't seen yet. I never did find a pregnant sculpture or even a painting as I had wished to... I wonder if there is a reason for that and maybe they don't exist? Something I'd like to look into.
Since this was our last night in Paris we wanted to end it with a nice Au Revoir. We took a champagne cruise along the Seine River at night that started by the Eiffel Tower. The first half of the cruise was narrated and was pretty interesting. We saw the building that The White House was modeled after, the French Statue of Liberty, and even the memorial marking the place where Princess Diana's fatal crash took place. Once the narrated portion ended we just cruised along the river, cuddling, sipping champagne, and taking in the beautiful city of Paris. It was very romantic and such a wonderful way to end our Paris experience. I'm very sad to be leaving but am excited to go back to Bruges. I can't wait to show Marcus around fall in love with the city all over again.
We skipped the non-anglais cafe today and headed to our new favorite, Cafe Cherie, where we both ordered chocolate (Nutella) crepes. The crepes here are much thinner than the ones I make at home and have tiny holes throughout them allowing the Nutella to seep through... it's pretty amazing. I'm going to be perfecting my Crepe talents once I get home, no doubt.
We set out to do the Musee D'Orsay only to find that it was closed on Mondays, as are many of the museums. So we just had to head back to the Louvre, poor us :) The Louvre is so big we could have gone there everyday and still leave wishing we had seen more. We saw the Mona Lisa again and then headed over to the other half of the Louvre that we hadn't seen yet. I never did find a pregnant sculpture or even a painting as I had wished to... I wonder if there is a reason for that and maybe they don't exist? Something I'd like to look into.
Since this was our last night in Paris we wanted to end it with a nice Au Revoir. We took a champagne cruise along the Seine River at night that started by the Eiffel Tower. The first half of the cruise was narrated and was pretty interesting. We saw the building that The White House was modeled after, the French Statue of Liberty, and even the memorial marking the place where Princess Diana's fatal crash took place. Once the narrated portion ended we just cruised along the river, cuddling, sipping champagne, and taking in the beautiful city of Paris. It was very romantic and such a wonderful way to end our Paris experience. I'm very sad to be leaving but am excited to go back to Bruges. I can't wait to show Marcus around fall in love with the city all over again.
Day 7: Paris
1/2/11
Finally refreshed and feeling back to normal we started our day out in Cafe L'Eden near our hotel. We have found that when ordering it's easier to just ask " Parlez vous anglais?" rather than butcher the French language by trying to order in it. This server was the first person we came across who just said "No." Marcus and I looked at each other trying to figure out what to do next. I tried to pull the cobwebs off the two years of French I had in high school and got as far as "cafe avec creme" when the server interrupted me and basically told us we were going to have croissants and coffee. We were able to order Marcus a chocolat chaude (hot chocolate) instead of coffee but it was obvious we weren't going to have any further options than that. We shrugged our shoulders and decided croissants were fine even though Marcus had really wanted a crepe.
After our petit-dejeuner we went to the Louvre. The line was enormous and when we finally found the end of it we learned that it was estimated to take 4-5 hours to get in from that point. It turns out that the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay are free on the first Sunday of the month... if you're willing to wait it line, which we were not. We went off in search of a place to buy a Musee Pass that would get us in to all of the museums and best of all, skip the line. So we ended up paying to get it on a day that was free but we entirely skipped the waiting process, went in through what seemed like a secret passage like a couple of VIPS, and spent our 5 hours admiring the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory rather than in line. I would say we came out ahead.
We stopped for a bite to eat at a cafe and had some delicious sandwiches, Croque Monsieur, and a beer. My sandwich was basically a grilled cheese (emmental) topped with more cheese, sliced tomato and a fried egg and Marcus' was a grilled cheese with ham topped with more cheese and then baked. We have since seen them at many boulangeries and they appear to be a local favorite. I don't know how the French stay so thin eating this stuff :)
We then walked to Notre Dame as the sun set. By the time we reached it night had fallen and the church was lit up. A Sunday service was taking place as we arrived, lucky us once again. We stood in the back of the church as the congregation sang hymns lead by a choir. After watching the service for a bit we walked around and admired the beauty of the cathedral. This was the first church that actually allowed photos (sans flash) so we both snapped away. It was incredible. I am so stoked we were able to take part in a service at Notre Dame. Tres bonne. After admiring the heart of the cathedral, we went outside and walked all around it admiring the gothic architecture before heading back to our home away from home for some well deserved rest.
Finally refreshed and feeling back to normal we started our day out in Cafe L'Eden near our hotel. We have found that when ordering it's easier to just ask " Parlez vous anglais?" rather than butcher the French language by trying to order in it. This server was the first person we came across who just said "No." Marcus and I looked at each other trying to figure out what to do next. I tried to pull the cobwebs off the two years of French I had in high school and got as far as "cafe avec creme" when the server interrupted me and basically told us we were going to have croissants and coffee. We were able to order Marcus a chocolat chaude (hot chocolate) instead of coffee but it was obvious we weren't going to have any further options than that. We shrugged our shoulders and decided croissants were fine even though Marcus had really wanted a crepe.
After our petit-dejeuner we went to the Louvre. The line was enormous and when we finally found the end of it we learned that it was estimated to take 4-5 hours to get in from that point. It turns out that the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay are free on the first Sunday of the month... if you're willing to wait it line, which we were not. We went off in search of a place to buy a Musee Pass that would get us in to all of the museums and best of all, skip the line. So we ended up paying to get it on a day that was free but we entirely skipped the waiting process, went in through what seemed like a secret passage like a couple of VIPS, and spent our 5 hours admiring the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory rather than in line. I would say we came out ahead.
We stopped for a bite to eat at a cafe and had some delicious sandwiches, Croque Monsieur, and a beer. My sandwich was basically a grilled cheese (emmental) topped with more cheese, sliced tomato and a fried egg and Marcus' was a grilled cheese with ham topped with more cheese and then baked. We have since seen them at many boulangeries and they appear to be a local favorite. I don't know how the French stay so thin eating this stuff :)
We then walked to Notre Dame as the sun set. By the time we reached it night had fallen and the church was lit up. A Sunday service was taking place as we arrived, lucky us once again. We stood in the back of the church as the congregation sang hymns lead by a choir. After watching the service for a bit we walked around and admired the beauty of the cathedral. This was the first church that actually allowed photos (sans flash) so we both snapped away. It was incredible. I am so stoked we were able to take part in a service at Notre Dame. Tres bonne. After admiring the heart of the cathedral, we went outside and walked all around it admiring the gothic architecture before heading back to our home away from home for some well deserved rest.
Day 6: Paris New Year's Day
1/1/11
We spent most of the day suffering the revenge of the fun we had the night before. I think we finally woke up somewhere around 2 or 3pm only to shower, eat, and go back to sleep. My knight in shining armor did go out to try to find us some greasy food to ease our pain. Unfortunately the city of Paris was dead on New Year's Day and everything around us was closed except for good ol' Mickey D's. The line was out the door since that was the only thing open. Apparently we weren't the only people in Paris hung over and looking for food. We ate our fries and went back to bed in an attempt to sleep off the hangover. We had made a reservation a couple nights before for the restaurant Roger la Grenouille, which was recommended to us by Mike's coworker . This was to be our celebratory New Year's Day dinner and we really didn't want to miss it. So we eventually pulled ourselves out of bed, hopped onto the metro, and went to dinner. The restaurant was AMAZING. It was tucked away somewhere off Rue Rivoli and was literally a hole in the wall place that we would have never found if we weren't specifically looking for it. There were statues of frogs out front and we quickly realized what their specialty was. Inside, the restaurant was decorated in a rustic/old world French vibe with wonderful ambiance. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling with eclectic objects hanging from them such as vintage coffee grinders, ceramic jugs, and kitchen funnels. The servers and bussers were all dressed in suits but didn't seem to mind that we were dressed in our jeans and sweaters (as were the rest of the guests). Despite the obvious frog theme throughout the restaurant we opted not to have the frog legs. Instead Marcus ordered a prime cut steak and I ordered seabass. It was one of the best meals I've ever had, hands down. Something to remember next time we come to Paris (or maybe anywhere in Europe, I'm not sure): If you like your steak rare, order it medium well; if you like you're steak medium well, order it in America.
We spent most of the day suffering the revenge of the fun we had the night before. I think we finally woke up somewhere around 2 or 3pm only to shower, eat, and go back to sleep. My knight in shining armor did go out to try to find us some greasy food to ease our pain. Unfortunately the city of Paris was dead on New Year's Day and everything around us was closed except for good ol' Mickey D's. The line was out the door since that was the only thing open. Apparently we weren't the only people in Paris hung over and looking for food. We ate our fries and went back to bed in an attempt to sleep off the hangover. We had made a reservation a couple nights before for the restaurant Roger la Grenouille, which was recommended to us by Mike's coworker . This was to be our celebratory New Year's Day dinner and we really didn't want to miss it. So we eventually pulled ourselves out of bed, hopped onto the metro, and went to dinner. The restaurant was AMAZING. It was tucked away somewhere off Rue Rivoli and was literally a hole in the wall place that we would have never found if we weren't specifically looking for it. There were statues of frogs out front and we quickly realized what their specialty was. Inside, the restaurant was decorated in a rustic/old world French vibe with wonderful ambiance. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling with eclectic objects hanging from them such as vintage coffee grinders, ceramic jugs, and kitchen funnels. The servers and bussers were all dressed in suits but didn't seem to mind that we were dressed in our jeans and sweaters (as were the rest of the guests). Despite the obvious frog theme throughout the restaurant we opted not to have the frog legs. Instead Marcus ordered a prime cut steak and I ordered seabass. It was one of the best meals I've ever had, hands down. Something to remember next time we come to Paris (or maybe anywhere in Europe, I'm not sure): If you like your steak rare, order it medium well; if you like you're steak medium well, order it in America.
Sunday 2 January 2011
Day 5: Paris NYE
12/31/10
New Year's Eve, the moment we've been waiting for! We started the day with breakfast at Cafe Cherie, one of the cafes by our hotel, and we finally got our crepe fix. There really isn't anything that compares to a crepe and latte in a little french cafe :)
We wanted to picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower while waiting for the stroke of midnight so we stopped by a market and bought a baguette, some stinky cheese, hot chocolate mix, and champagne. We made some hot cocoa, put it in a thermos, and packed the rest of our picnic before heading out. Everything we read about New Year's Eve in Paris said that Champs-Elysee was the place to be so went down there to check it out for ourselves. There were tons of people there shopping but no one really lining up yet. We went into Nike Paris, a tradition everywhere we travel. Marcus got his Nike souvenir and we finished walking Champs-Elysee to the Arc de Triumph. The Arc was beautiful and people were starting to line up around it for the New Year's Celebration. From the Arc we could see the top of the Eiffel Tower and we knew that wasn't going to be good enough for us, so we headed over to Trocadero Square. We had taken some photos there the night before and knew it had an incredible view of the tower. We arrived at Trocadero around 1900 and we were definitely some of the first people to grab a spot. It didn't really start to get crowded until closer to 2200. We grabbed a seat on a ledge, set up our picnic, and gazed at the Eiffel Tower in disbelief. There were many moments over the passed two weeks where we didn't think we were going to be able to take this trip because of the weather and airport situations. But at that moment it became real, we had made it. With the help of our hot cocoa and hand warmers (which we also shoved in our new warm shoes to double as foot warmers) we managed to stay frostbite free as we waited for midnight to arrive.
As more people arrived to Trocadero Square so did the police. They were out in full force, some undercover and others suited up with shoulder pads, helmets, and weapons. I was happy to see them actually, it made me feel a little safer in the wake of the terror threats that have occurred through out Europe. However, with protection also comes regulation. We watched as an undercover cop walked up to the couple sitting next to us and told them, in French, to get rid of it. The couple was from Brazil and didn't understand what he was saying. The cop then repreated himself it in English. When the couple still didn't understand he grabbed the freshly opened bottle, poured it out on the cement in from him, and said "Now you understand??" Needless to say we kept our champagne hidden after that and took it out just in time for a midnight toast.
We made plenty of new friends while sitting around all night. We met a couple from Maryland who was in the Army and currently serving in Germany, an adorable couple from England who were going to University near York, and a really cool couple from London and Quebec that we later went out with that night. The girls all had a quick introduction and bonding as we went in search of our own makeshift "water closet" (restroom.)
At midnight the tower lit up in a shimmering light show. While there were no fireworks at the Eiffel itself, we could see fireworks shows that were going on near by. There were also plenty of amateurs setting them off right by us since they are legal in France and anyone can buy them. After midnight we walked along the Seine River in search of a pub with our new friends Simba & Claudine. We grabbed a beer from a street vendor and continued on our searched. I couldn't tell you where we ended up or how we got back, but it was damn fun. We stayed out until 5am drinking and laughing, finally making it home around 6... I think.
It was by far the most romantic and memorable New Years Celebration I have ever experienced. I will cherish the memories made that night for the rest of my life.
New Year's Eve, the moment we've been waiting for! We started the day with breakfast at Cafe Cherie, one of the cafes by our hotel, and we finally got our crepe fix. There really isn't anything that compares to a crepe and latte in a little french cafe :)
We wanted to picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower while waiting for the stroke of midnight so we stopped by a market and bought a baguette, some stinky cheese, hot chocolate mix, and champagne. We made some hot cocoa, put it in a thermos, and packed the rest of our picnic before heading out. Everything we read about New Year's Eve in Paris said that Champs-Elysee was the place to be so went down there to check it out for ourselves. There were tons of people there shopping but no one really lining up yet. We went into Nike Paris, a tradition everywhere we travel. Marcus got his Nike souvenir and we finished walking Champs-Elysee to the Arc de Triumph. The Arc was beautiful and people were starting to line up around it for the New Year's Celebration. From the Arc we could see the top of the Eiffel Tower and we knew that wasn't going to be good enough for us, so we headed over to Trocadero Square. We had taken some photos there the night before and knew it had an incredible view of the tower. We arrived at Trocadero around 1900 and we were definitely some of the first people to grab a spot. It didn't really start to get crowded until closer to 2200. We grabbed a seat on a ledge, set up our picnic, and gazed at the Eiffel Tower in disbelief. There were many moments over the passed two weeks where we didn't think we were going to be able to take this trip because of the weather and airport situations. But at that moment it became real, we had made it. With the help of our hot cocoa and hand warmers (which we also shoved in our new warm shoes to double as foot warmers) we managed to stay frostbite free as we waited for midnight to arrive.
As more people arrived to Trocadero Square so did the police. They were out in full force, some undercover and others suited up with shoulder pads, helmets, and weapons. I was happy to see them actually, it made me feel a little safer in the wake of the terror threats that have occurred through out Europe. However, with protection also comes regulation. We watched as an undercover cop walked up to the couple sitting next to us and told them, in French, to get rid of it. The couple was from Brazil and didn't understand what he was saying. The cop then repreated himself it in English. When the couple still didn't understand he grabbed the freshly opened bottle, poured it out on the cement in from him, and said "Now you understand??" Needless to say we kept our champagne hidden after that and took it out just in time for a midnight toast.
We made plenty of new friends while sitting around all night. We met a couple from Maryland who was in the Army and currently serving in Germany, an adorable couple from England who were going to University near York, and a really cool couple from London and Quebec that we later went out with that night. The girls all had a quick introduction and bonding as we went in search of our own makeshift "water closet" (restroom.)
At midnight the tower lit up in a shimmering light show. While there were no fireworks at the Eiffel itself, we could see fireworks shows that were going on near by. There were also plenty of amateurs setting them off right by us since they are legal in France and anyone can buy them. After midnight we walked along the Seine River in search of a pub with our new friends Simba & Claudine. We grabbed a beer from a street vendor and continued on our searched. I couldn't tell you where we ended up or how we got back, but it was damn fun. We stayed out until 5am drinking and laughing, finally making it home around 6... I think.
It was by far the most romantic and memorable New Years Celebration I have ever experienced. I will cherish the memories made that night for the rest of my life.
Saturday 1 January 2011
Day 4: Paris
12/30/10
Upon arriving in Pairs, getting to our hotel from the airport was not nearly as seamless as it was in London. The logistics of finding the train station, buying tickets, & reading the metro map are much more difficult when everything is in another language. In London we also had an advantage because I was there just 3 years ago and still remembered a lot about the tube and the city. It's been 12 years since Marcus was in Paris and his teacher did all of the talking for them, so this is a totally new experience for both of us. It took a little longer but we did eventually buy a 5 day metro ticket and arrived at our hotel around 1300. It's a nice place just above a metro station in the center of Marcel Sembat. The surrounding area is nice and best of all, not touristy at all. It's only a 5-10 min metro ride to the Eiffel yet is far enough way that there are no street vendors trying to sell you light up toy Eiffel Towers every 3 feet. There are quaint cafes, patisserie's, and shops all right near our hotel.
We went to the Eiffel Tower today and it was out of this world. When I first got a glimpse of it from the metro as we arrived my jaw dropped. It was so unreal, I could not believe I was actually seeing THE Eiffel Tower. I was freaking a bit and Marcus just stared at me smiling. We just about ran from the metro to the Eiffel. As we approached it I think I was literally in a state of shock. My eyes watered (dork, I know) and I just kept saying "Oh my gosh..." It sounds so corny as I write this but it was truly a feeling I can't begin to put into words. We stood in line for good two hours to ride the lift up to the top. Both of us had worn our converse that day and learned a valuable lesson the hard way: they suck in cold weather. We managed to avoid frostbite and finally make it to to the top of the tower. It was twilight as we started up the tower and the city was starting to light up. It was foggy so we couldn't really see much from the very top. We descended to the 2nd level and got some breathtaking taking views of the city all lit up and sparkling with lights. It was indescribable to see such an iconic monument, definitely an experience I will never forget and never, ever be able to duplicate.
After the Eiffel tower we went to dinner at near by restaurant where I got my cheese and champagne fix. With a little help from a pocket translator, I ordered the oldest and stinkiest cheese on the menu- YUM. Marcus had a steak, he's holding out the croissants and crepes to get his French dining experience :)
Upon arriving in Pairs, getting to our hotel from the airport was not nearly as seamless as it was in London. The logistics of finding the train station, buying tickets, & reading the metro map are much more difficult when everything is in another language. In London we also had an advantage because I was there just 3 years ago and still remembered a lot about the tube and the city. It's been 12 years since Marcus was in Paris and his teacher did all of the talking for them, so this is a totally new experience for both of us. It took a little longer but we did eventually buy a 5 day metro ticket and arrived at our hotel around 1300. It's a nice place just above a metro station in the center of Marcel Sembat. The surrounding area is nice and best of all, not touristy at all. It's only a 5-10 min metro ride to the Eiffel yet is far enough way that there are no street vendors trying to sell you light up toy Eiffel Towers every 3 feet. There are quaint cafes, patisserie's, and shops all right near our hotel.
We went to the Eiffel Tower today and it was out of this world. When I first got a glimpse of it from the metro as we arrived my jaw dropped. It was so unreal, I could not believe I was actually seeing THE Eiffel Tower. I was freaking a bit and Marcus just stared at me smiling. We just about ran from the metro to the Eiffel. As we approached it I think I was literally in a state of shock. My eyes watered (dork, I know) and I just kept saying "Oh my gosh..." It sounds so corny as I write this but it was truly a feeling I can't begin to put into words. We stood in line for good two hours to ride the lift up to the top. Both of us had worn our converse that day and learned a valuable lesson the hard way: they suck in cold weather. We managed to avoid frostbite and finally make it to to the top of the tower. It was twilight as we started up the tower and the city was starting to light up. It was foggy so we couldn't really see much from the very top. We descended to the 2nd level and got some breathtaking taking views of the city all lit up and sparkling with lights. It was indescribable to see such an iconic monument, definitely an experience I will never forget and never, ever be able to duplicate.
After the Eiffel tower we went to dinner at near by restaurant where I got my cheese and champagne fix. With a little help from a pocket translator, I ordered the oldest and stinkiest cheese on the menu- YUM. Marcus had a steak, he's holding out the croissants and crepes to get his French dining experience :)
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