Happy 4 years - in Paris!

Last Thursday through Saturday, Eric and I celebrated our fourth anniversary in the City of Light. I had spent a bit more time here than he had on previous trips, and I had such fun showing him "my" Paris. Thankfully, the whole trip was low-key and relaxing compared to the insanity of the last several weeks. The constant travel and lack of a "home base" was beginning to wear on all of us, but sleeping in til 9 (yep, even Brooks slept in!) and enjoying the leisurely strolling through this beautiful, historic city was just perfect.

We arrived late Thursday afternoon, so Eric put Brooks down for a nap and I gathered the makings of a Paris picnic on Rue Cler (a pedestrian street with lots of market shops, cafes and bakeries - it's always my home base in Paris). We picnicked in our room while Brooks snoozed and the sun set outside. What fun to realize we could see the Eiffel Tower from our window! That evening, we strolled down the Rue Cler with Brooks and discussed the London housing options that we had seen the day before. Friday morning we stepped out and got caffe et pain aux chocolat - delicious pastries with chocolate bars baked inside. Then off to the Ile de la Cite for Rick Steve's (gotta love Rick!) self-guided Historic Paris walk through Notre Dame, Ile St Louis (a yummy stop for take-away crepes and glacee - French gelato, so much better than American ice cream!), the old Latin Quarter, St Chapelle, and Pont Neuf. Brooks did great in his stroller and charmed locals and fellow travelers as he practiced clapping and waving to them. He even caught a few winks on the move. Eric and I got good practice navigating his stroller on the many steps of the Metro - which is not as hard as some might believe. That night we had a yummy French supper and even then, Brooks cooperated beautifully. We ended the day with a visit to the sparkley Eiffel Tower and a slow stroll home. Hurray for four years!

In front of Notre Dame...


And behind Notre Dame (yep, Brooks is asleep!)


Happy Anniversary to us!


So glad we're married! (Is Brooks a trooper, or what?!)

Saturday was a great day as well - we got up and packed our bags, then got breakfast on Rue Cler before heading to the Musee D'Orsay to check out the world's greatest Impressionist collection. Then we strolled through the Tuilleries Gardens, to Place de la Concorde where Eric got very excited about a really fancy car that we saw parked in front of the Crillon hotel. He guessed that the owner's name started with Prince or Sultan. With what appeared to be more than a million dollars worth of upgrades, he felt confident that it wouldn't be street legal in the US. We finished the afternoon by continuing up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. So much history on his street! And so much beauty! What a gorgeous day!!


Check out the license plate


"I will Triumph!"

Perhaps one of the biggest joys of living in London will be how close everything is - Paris is just a quick 2.5 hour train trip from Waterloo station. Maybe that's why this trip was so peaceful. We knew we didn't have to see everything, because we'll be back soon!

Tina, Wendy, Sissy - I'm remembering my trips here with each of you and reliving some of my favorite moments... Wendy, the joy of us popping up out of the Metro and squealing as we saw our first glimpse of the Notre Dame in the glooming. Sissy, I showed Eric "de little chairs" in Hotel Champs de Mars around the corner from us. Tina, we stopped by Angelina's for hot cocoa on Saturday. Dee-lish! Memories with ya'll make the city seem friendly, even after several years.

Mom - I took these pictures because they reminded me of four years ago... THIS is what I was going for with the whole candles thing ... It was such fun to realize that the pictures in my mind were from Notre Dame!! I think we did well, huh? Note, the candle stands all are wrought iron. :)

Darlin - we've had countless adventures in the last four years and I'm so pleased that we're just getting started! I love you so much, thanks for taking me to Paris!!