Normandy and Giverny

Yesterday morning we left our bed and breakfast and headed to Omaha Beach. We were at 1/4 tank of gas and the options were looking pretty grim. We made it to the first site, but we were both so worried about finding gas that we couldn't enjoy it. On our way to the bigger city of Bayeux we tried a few places that the gps recognized as stations. They were so old and with it being good Friday we were out of luck. We found a real station and filled up with probabably 1/8 of a tank and it was going quick. Terrible feeling. After doing a celebratory dance, back to the beaches. We started at the visitor center of The American Cemetery. This facilty was really well done and it was educational as well as emotional. We walked out into the cemetery. Words don't really describe what we felt like. We then walked down to the beach. For me, scenes of Saving Private Ryan were running through my head. Brett spotted a bunker down the beach so we went to check it out. He also went to visit Pont du Hoc. I was soaking by this point so I opted to stay in the car, but he saw tons of bunkers. 

We drove to Giverny and checked into our bed and breakfast. They greeted us with fresh apple juice from their garden, upgraded our room to the guest house suite and were the nicest people. The room was amazing. Whatever those people do, I hope to be that fortunate. We went the Monet house and gardens. Geraldine, you would love it. They plant for all seasons. We missed the water lilies though. The house also has the coolest stove. Pictures to come. 

Back to the bed and breakfast. The towels were massive, the shower you could dance like Elaine in and the pillows were plush. We loved this place. We followed them to dinner where they sent over champagne and an appetizer. The waitress brought over an English dictionary and went over the entire menu with us. Laughing and pointing at body parts to describe cuts of meat. She was great. We poured our wine in the stemless glasses that they use for water and then we got a lesson on picking a good wine and drinking it properly. I told her that we drink it stemless at home and she said it is because we are babies. Haha she was so sweet and was being helpful. We forget how much they value tradition and manners so we should have known better. Brett had lamb with mashed potatoes and a side of fries. They sure do love their potatoes. He claims it to be his best meal. The restaurant also gave us dessert on the house for our honeymoon. These people have been amazing. We talked about how we need to win the lottery so we can come here more often. I'm so pleased with our trip. 

Now time to plan the next one! 

Waiting on our delayed flight.... 

Have I mentioned how pretty this is?!

Our drive: so glad Brett was driving. Felt like 4th of July and we may or may not die. Brett might have been a little angrier at the fellow drivers than I remember my dad being, but we safely exited the terribleness that was the round about and off we went. The views and the castles and the really long tunnels were all an expierence. So glad Brett can drive a stick so we could do these last two days. 

Honfleur: adorable fishing village. It was rainy when we got there but the sky cleared up for us to walk around and started to rain again on the way back to the car. The restaurant owners kissed all the local patrons and the shops were full of charm. Tourists know about this place for sure, but I still loved it. Makes any person seem like a professional photographer. Brett had pizza with a runny egg on it. How European of him.

Mont St Michel: Huge!! And... The craziest part is that it was built as it stands today in the 11th century, with the exception of the tippy top of the Abby.  The site its self has been used since Roman times. We did the Rick Steve's tour, which we found to be the best of his tours, and wondered around this engineering marvel. I have a love for old, artistic, or an anyway unique doors as well as fireplaces and this place had no shortage. We learned that stone masons were paid by stone laid and therefore were numbered by each crew member. Some of these numbers are exposed due to a fire in the church. 

Our bed and breakfast: an English couple who lives in this farm house year round. The house was built in the 1700s. If they asked us to move in, we would. We were laughing about wanting an "old" house (1950s) and then the charm and character of this place just blows you away. Small doesn't begin to describe the town. Makes Bland look big. Will be a change from the hustle of Paris for sure. 

Onto Omaha beach and the American cemetery tomorrow. 

Night night 

Side note: I love the fluffy cows. Would be a great place to play that car game Brett made up. 

I will honk when I want to honk!

We have safely made it to Honfleur. We are going to grab some lunch, wander the adorable streets and be in our way to Mont St Michel.

Driving out of Paris this morning was quite the experience. Brett fit right in honking his horn at the annoying motorcycle people. Going around the Arc de Triomphe during rush hour was INSANE!! I took some pictures, but no lanes  and people going in all directions. More later off to explore.

j'adore Paris

Last night we went to the Eiffel Tower at dusk and watch the sun go down and the lights come on. The Eiffel slowly started to get brighter and brighter and at 9:00 it twinkled. Magical!!  We then headed back to our side of town for dinner. There is a Mexican place run by an American woman and a Mexican man that met and fell in love in Paris. The food was amazing.

This morning we went up Notre Dame tower. More stairs! The views were awesome and seeing the bell tower was cool. It was windy up on top so we went to brunch for some coffee to warm up. Another winner on restaurant picks. Make fun of me all you want for scoping our restaurants mom and Shelby, but I have done pretty good. It was called Claus if anybody plans to take a trip soon.

Then to the Louvre. We did the Denon and Sully wings. It is huge inside so who knows if we saw all of each, but we did Greek sculptures, Roman sculptures, Italian paintings (Mona Lisa and the Last Super) and Egyptian art. We saw a mummy in the Egyptian section. Kind if freaky. The crowds didn't bother me here. It is so big and people are respectful and quiet for the most part.

We went to find where we are to pick up our car in the morning and then a walk in the Tuileries gardens. Those chairs are so comfy. I want them for our house one of these days. Up to the Orangerie museum where we were encountered by our first scammer. She almost had Brett. It was please sign the...and then he quickly realized and walked right on by. He was disappointed that he hadn't seen somebody try since he did so much research on it... Karma I guess. Into the museum and we saw Monet Water Lillie's. Shelby, I want you to paint me a version. I love them!

We bought a daily metro pass today so we could make it quickly to all of our stops. On to Parc de Buttes. It was sunny and the scenery was incredible. Good last minute addition to the trip. We are pros at the metro now. We even read in between stops. Although we are the only ones with e readers so we still stand out.

Went to get a savory crepe. Holy macaroni that thing was yummy. Chocolate filled deliciousness. I walked through the streets with chocolate all over my face. We have eaten good for sure and even better, I am pretty sure I have still lost some weight from all this walking.

Time to pack and clean the apartment. On to Honfleur and Mont St. Michel tomorrow.

Making a list of things to do on our next trip! Love you love Paris!

Michelle and Brett

A Day Fit for Kings

We started this morning off at Versailles. The wind was really blowing and the sky was overcast. We did the walk through the palace. It is so big that we probably didn't see more than 1/4 of the house. Trying to take a selfie in the hall of mirrors was pretty entertaining. Having those chambers would awesome or just one of the fireplaces.

We exited the house to go to the gardens and the wind really started to whip. One of those "if I fall forward the wind would probably hold me up moments." I failed to check the weather before we left so I was freezing. Brett wrapped my scarf around my head and buttoned me up and then we walked through the gardens hiding between rows for protection from the wind. We walked to the grand palace that was built as their get away from the main house. A break from the tourists and a beautiful site (I guess we walk faster than golf carts).

Back to the train and to Chateau Vincennes. This was the castle for King Charles V. Lots of moats and draw bridges. Brett was in heaven. Not many people go here and it wasn't even in my guide book. It was an easy ride from Versailles so I found it pretty cool to see the difference 400 years makes in living quarters for a king.

We made our nearly daily stop by the bakery and are having a restful afternoon. Thinking about trying trying out a Thai fusion restaurant tonight.

Our GPS has realized we our in France so our drive out to Normandy should go smoothly. Brett has versed himself on French traffic laws.

Si I mean Oui

Last night we were pretty dead from the last couple of days so we opted for an easy dinner that was close by (1 mile round trip). Don't judge us too badly, but we had cheeseburgers and French fries and they were amazing. Just what we needed.

This morning we had coffee and shared a breakfast crepe near Luxembourg on our way to the Pantheon. The exterior was under construction and netting was up on the exterior due to construction, but it is hard not to be amazed by the size of these building. Checkout Facebook for me hugging a column. It was a beautiful day out and soaking up the sun was feeling really nice until Brett got ran over by a cart. Some dude with a food cart that he couldn't see over rammed right into the back of his ankle. Lots of cursing and death stares followed so I of course couldn't stop laughing.

We took the metro to Montmartre. This is a hill top area so there were lots if stairs getting up to street level. I have started counting all stairs. Another picturesque moment. The streets and shops were super cute. We took in the sun on the stairs of sacre coeur and thankfully there weren't any rouge carts here. We walked around the inside of Sacre Coeur, but I forgot to make a wish so if we have time we will have to go back. All the tourists inside taking pictures when there is a sign every five feet asking you not to made me mad. We exited to get hoarded by men wanting to draw our portrait. Hungry and not in the mood! The crepe place that was recommended to us for lunch was closed on Mondays and that seemed to be a theme for today.

A metro ride to the Jewish quarter where our mouths started to water. We walked all around trying to decide on a place to eat and decided on a take away crepe lunch spot.  Now we were walking for a potty and all of the museums were closed. Thank goodness for trusty Starbucks. After our gourmet tour, Brett has been on a mission to find parts of the wall built by Phillip II to protect the city of Paris from invaders. She said there were only two spots where it remains, but according to Wikipedia she was quite wrong. The wall which was constructed in 1190-1209 was now next to a basketball court for a nearby school. We passed by Notre Dame to try and go up the tower, but the line was way too long. The amount of tourists outside was crazy! We must have been super lucky to miss the masses earlier this week.

A quick break at the apartment and did some laundry and off to watch the sunset. It was too cloudy to see the sun go down,but it was cool to watch the lights come on. Dinner at a street side cafe where our waitress pretended to not understand me when I asked for tap water. Too bad we aren't that stupid and the manager had us some moments later. No tip for you.

We went on another treat run today for more Chou. That stuff is the bomb! Those didn't last five minutes, but we have pastries for dessert. Oh explanation for the blog title. This morning I accidentally said hola at breakfast, por favor at coffee, and si at dinner. My mind must be in Spain. That or the 15 plus languages I have heard today. Who knows.

Tomorrow is Versailles. I'm excited!!

Au Revoir

Springing forward again

We lost another hour of sleep last night to stupid day light savings time. Last night we had a decent dinner. Mine was delicious and Brett's missed the mark. We then went to a wine shop and had the sweetest lady wait on us. Maybe the best bottle of wine I have ever had.

This morning we went to the Catacombs. We arrived before it opened but still had an hour plus wait in the cold rain. Not happy people. The old quarry and the final resting place of many Parisians was pretty amazing. The skulls were a bit disturbing to me, but I'm glad I saw it. After leaving the catacombs we kept hearing the music that we thought was playing during the walk... On the metro, in the streets, we thought we were going crazy. It was only when Brett said that it feels like the sound is coming out of our clothes that I realized it was. My phone randomly turned on my sleep melodies app and was following us around. It had been acting up all trip and automatically turns on chimes, thunder, rain, and a fan all at once. It makes me laugh a lot to think about what people around us must have been thinking.

After that we had lunch on Rue Cler. Another super nice lady waited on us. I was so prepared for rudeness and I have only given "the look" to one gentleman. On to Rodin museum for sculptures and then to Army museum for Napoleons tomb. A walk down the Champs de Mars was truly amazing. We heard some English speakers and saw them taking pictures so we asked them to snap one of us.  Oh boy I am cheesing hard. So happy! He was really nice and we chatted with him about the states for a bit.

Under the tower and to the Maritime Museum. Stupidly we didn't realize the audio guide was free so we didn't get much out of this site other than seeing how fancy ships used to be. I wish we still went to that level of detail. Our feet have had it by this point so we opted for the metro towards Arc de Triomphe. Yay they were open! Up 287 steps (we climbed around 100 for catacombs) and we arrived at the top. Today was really windy and we were a bit afraid of losing our cameras. What a view!! Brett kept pointing and saying "I want to go there" dude,  my feet might kill you. Good thing most places were already on the plan.

Took the metro home we decided on a last minute wine, cheese, and bread adventure. Three different shops that specialize in each. So fun! It is kind of yucky tonight so we are just going to take it easy.

Brett wants to add that the catacombs were 160 stairs. Tony Horton would be proud.

Talk soon

Michelle and Brett

Museum Pass

Afternoon my fellow Americans. Brett and I are resting our feet, siting on our porch and enjoying the wine and cheese that we have become so fond of. Comte is a French cheese that is really popular and then we also have goat cheese. The cheese is stinky because they are not required to pasteurize it. Brie smelling like Brussels sprouts was an interesting moment for sure.

This morning we quickly got ready so we could make it to Musee d'Orsay when it opened. We had a cliff bar on they way. Yes, we travelled with emergency snacks. Since we had purchased the museum pass, we were able to wait in a much shorter line. Probably 5 min or so. I don't know if it is a function  of recent events or not, but all museums have more security than I imagined. So in case you are wondering, we have always felt super safe. This museum houses Monet, Manet, Degas, Van Gogh and countless others. The ones I named are just my favorite. It is amazing that a train station, that was almost torn down, has that detailed architecture. Mine blown again. 

We grabbed a bite to eat and were surprised by an open face sandwich, but it was still yummy. Missing the cream in my coffee a bit, but oh well. One of the places that we just past by on our gourmet tour sold Chou or in "American" cream puffs. Yummy yummy in our tummy. Another successful French order and three Chous were quickly devoured. We were right next to the Delacroix museum so we went in. He painted parts of the Saint Sulpice church. The museum is located in his apartment. The coolest part was his garden. They found a receipt of the plants he purchased and that is what is located there to keep it authentic. Another snap happy moment. 

After Delacroix we walked to Pont Neuf. We took in the view, watched the boats go by on Le Siene and just took a moment to take in the history. One house had giant windows and a huge roof top garden. That would be awesome. Maybe one day :) 

The line for Saint Chapelle was super long, go home tourists!!!  So we decided to go in Conciergerie.
It is the old prison and where two thousand plus had their heads chopped of by the guillotine. Also where Marie Antoinette died. The line for Saint Chapelle had died down so we decided to wait. I nervously climbed the stairs behind an old woman with my hand on her back, but hooray we made it. This church only took 6 years to build. It is much smaller than most, but compared to most taking multiple hundreds of years sounds like the architect must be a relative of mine. The stained glass takes your breath away. By this time the blisters on my feet were screaming and I was desperate for water. Oh no, we past by the archeological crypt located under Notre Dame so of course we have to go see it. Brett sweetly asked the guard for a bandaid from his first aid kit. Only problem no bathrooms and I have on tights. Good thing not many people go to this site. Learned a lot about the history that I won't bore you with, but it's awesome. 

We walked until I dropped so hence the wine and cheese break. More to come. 

Au Revoir 

A Day for the Books

3/27 afternoon

After Pont du Arts we went to the underground mall at the Louvre to purchase our museum pass for the week. The gentleman that we purchased them from was excited when we told him we were from Charlotte and knew about the Hornets. Way to make a girl feel stupid. I struggle to ask for tickets in French and he knows our NBA team.  We walked from the Louvre up Champs Elysees. The street was crazed with people of all kinds. Brett took my picture outside of the first Louis Vuitton and them we kept walking. We made it to the Arc de Triomphe 15 minutes too late as it was closed for a private event. We pouted for a second because our legs were killing us from the walk, but then we took the metro home. After a rest at the apartment we changed and went to dinner. The menu was in French but our waiter generously helped us and translated the entire menu. It was a set price for three courses. Yumm! Brett had a caramelized endive salad and I started with salmon over a citrus salad. The next two courses were perfectly prepared and presented. Definitely a place I would highly recommend. We finished dinner around 10 and decided to see the Louvre and Notre Dame all lit up. Wowzers. The Eiffel Tower from a distance was so amazing, I can't wait to see it up close.  We both really enjoyed our first night awake in Paris. The streets came alive and we stumbled upon one full of cuisine from all around the world. We almost ate again. We got back to the apartment around midnight, checked in with family and then slept soundly until 8:30 this morning.

A day for the books for sure.

Walking and more walking

Swollen feet!!

We started the day off with a Gourmet Walking tour by Hidden Paris Tours. We were lucky to have it be just us on the tour. Our guide was very sweet and made it seem like we were visiting a friend. We passed by Saint Sulpice church on our way to Pierre Herme for famous macaroons and she gave us a history lesson and told us what to look for. We will be going back because we didn't see a very neat detail. There is a line running across the church and once a year on the equinox, the sun comes through an opening and lines up with it the entire span.  The church was built in the 13th century and took 100+ years to complete and they got tiny details like that spot on. Pretty amazing. Side note: the sun was out and felt amazing this morning so we acted like five year olds and made some funny shadows. 

Pierre Herme was so pretty. The desserts are so perfect that you feel bad eating them. Pierre is a famous chef that used to work in a restaurant before he decided to only focus on the macaroon. So far we have tried the dark chocolate and raspberry and the salted caramel. She took us to the market and explained to us the label that France has for foods that are of the highest quality. We got some goat cheese that I'm considering making my way down our 5 flights of stairs to get some bread to eat with it. I can't even remember only a few hours later where all she took us, but it was all so pretty. We stopped by a butcher and it could have been an art gallery. Paris is amazing. One of our favorite places was a chocolate shop that we plan to go back to, our wallets and my thighs weren't digging it at the moment but since then we have walked probably ten miles so what the heck. I will get the name when I do. I also really liked an olive oil store. In north of France they mainly cook with butter, but in the south they love their oil. We did a tasting and I wish that I had room to bring some home. Brett's quart bag might be filled with olive oil on the way back. I'm rambling now, but I want to remember these details for myself. We turned the corner and were in the cutest little square. It is closed on the weekends but open during the week because kids use it as a short cut on the way home from school. Brett got snap happy here. It was just too damn cute. It housed what she told us is the only remaining stand that ladies used to use to get out of horse carriages gracefully, a water spout for the horses and and location where the built a guillotine and practiced on live goats.. Not so cute I know. The market where we started the tour used to be the only market in the area and an Italian boy worked with a Frenchman selling coffee grounds. When we he was older he decided that he wanted to sell ready to drink coffee and broke off from the Frenchman to open up the first cafe in Saint Germain. Ben Franklin had coffee there!! Another one to hit up. It isn't as posh as Cafe Flour but pretty darn special. The cafe that we had our first glass of wine in Paris is apparently the cool place to go and she was proud of our instincts to be so Parisian. 

We successfully moved into our apartment and although tiny, it is perfect for our stay. The street couldn't be more charming. Who am I kidding, all streets here are charming. Brett un-balled his clothes and then we were off. We went to the Love lock bridge, Pont du Arts. We have had such a neighborhood type feeling that it was a little odd to be surrounded by tourists. How stupid can you be to buy a lock from a vendor on the lock bridge... Come on people!! We just kissed, enjoyed the view and decided not to contribute to weight and pollution problem that those locks actually cause. 

So kisses (both cheeks) to all of you and I will be back for the rest of our day soon. 

Paris is Always a Good Idea

Bonjour!

We were able to get into our room a couple of hours early yesterday. I guess we looked pitiful enough. After a much needed shower and 2 hour nap we headed back out for some exploring. The weather was chilly and a little rainy but it almost made it fun because we had the park outside of St Sulpice Church to ourselves. I will post some pictures when we get settled into the apartment. This is where the Da Vinci Code was filmed. Brett tried to take a panoramic picture of the ceiling unsuccessfully so you will just have to see how amazing it is for yourselves :).

We then walked around Luxembourg Gardens. I can just imagine how jammed packed with people it must be during the summer months, but for us it was tranquil. We then found two cozy seats under a covered and heated side walk cafe. This was the first waiter that spoke to me in only French. We got on their free wifi and found a place to get a bottle of wine. Now that we have wine, we must have some cheese. Back to awkwardly stand at the crosswalk too long so we could pop back on that free wifi. We found our cheese and then did the same routine to fine a bakery. The bakery made our mouths water just walking in. I can't wait to go back many times. We went back to the hotel and enjoyed our spread in the lounge... Just out of eye contacted with and older French couple who apparently were really interested in what each other smelled like.

Dinner for something of substance and then a much needed very long nights sleep.

We are headed to go on the St Germain gourmet food tour. This is the neighborhood where we are staying so we will learn where and how to buy food at all of the markets.

Brett's internal compass is coming in handy as I would have been very lost many times without him. Hopefully his potty schedule isn't as demanding today. He blames it on staying hydrated.

We have arrived!!

Good morning!!

Brett and I are currently sitting in a cute little breakfast spot called Eggs and Co.  Our flight from Philadelphia wasn't ideal with multiple infants and lots of high pitched crying so needless to say neither of us got any sleep. I stubbornly tried the entire trip and Brett nearly completed their library of  on board movies.

Customs/boarder patrol was the fastest and easiest it has ever been. We bought our train tickets, checked the map a million times to make sure we were headed in the right direction and off we were to Paris. Taking the train was defiantly the way to go as long as you are light on luggage. We emerged from under ground into picture perfect St Germain. Our hotel was a short walk from the station.

We weren't able to check in yet so we checked our bags and were off. I had planned for is to do Rick Steve's historic walking tour. We started at Notre Dame and ended up just wandering around there for awhile. How amazing!!

Brett has to pee every five seconds so thank goodness for Starbucks. We have now been up for 24 hours and are headed back to the hotel to plea with them to let us have a nap. Still two hours until normal check in so fingers crossed!! I promise to be more entertaining after a nap and hopefully un verre du vin.

So far we have both been mistaken as French and Brett looked at the girl and said what?! and while I was waiting for Brett to pee (again) I was asked something and I just froze and shook my head. We have now both learned to say " I'm sorry, I don't speak French"