DAY 4, Paris: Passerelle Leopold-Sedar-Senghor.

//one: Jardin des Tuileries, or the Tuileries Garden //two: The Seine //three: locks on the Passerelle Leopold-Sedar-Senghor //four: locks //five: locks //six: j & my lock //seven: sign at the end of the bridge


After J & I had lunch at Angelina, we walked through the Tuileries Garden toward the Musée d'Orsay. Before visiting Paris, I had seen articles about the key bridges. When we mapped out all the places we wanted to see on our trusty little map, we forgot a couple of places I wanted to see. So, when we stumbled upon the bridge, it was such a pleasant surprise. When in Paris..right? We found a guy selling the locks on the bridge, so we happily bought one and signed it, threw away the keys and attached it to the bridge, for all to see. We placed our lock in a place where as long as it is there, will face the Eiffel Tower. :)


The locks are attached to the bridge as lovers pledge their undying love by locking the lock and throwing away the key(s) (into the Seine) and unless it is unlocked again, their love will forever last. It's a really sweet tradition. And, it was really neat to take part in..

DAY 4, Paris: La Maison Angelina.

//one: exterior shots of la maison angelina (angelina tearoom) //two: from our seats upstairs //three: my date :) //four & five: enjoying my company & surroundings //six: planning what to do next //seven: view of the tearoom through the mirror //eight: my limonade & our club sandwich with frites //nine: husband enjoying angelina, with some of the fashion week's guests behind him //ten: angelina 's Le chocolat chaud à l’ancienne dit “l’Africain & signature pastry, Le Mont-Blanc //eleven: angelina's hot chocolat l'Africain //twelve: counter & pastries //thirteen: macarons

After our visit to the Louvre, J & I had lunch and dessert at La Maison Angelina. Angelina's hot chocolate was recommended to me by my dentist, actually. While in the planning stages of our trip, J and I decided we wanted to go, then, we got a second recommendation from one of his co-workers as well, so if we weren't already sold (which we were), we were then. We were told to expect a huge line and wait, but I guess we arrived within a window after breakfast and before the lunch rush because there was no line and we were seated upstairs, in a room with only one other party and were able to relax and enjoy all that is Angelina. 

For lunch, we shared a club sandwich with frites and a salad. I sipped on a delicious Parisian limonade. For dessert, we shared Le chocolat chaud à l’ancienne dit “l’Africain, which is a thick, hot drinking chocolate and a Mont-Blanc. A Mont-Blanc is a dessert made up of meringue, Chantilly whipped cream, and chestnut puree. J & I first had this dessert in Metz, France and loved it. Suffice it to say, we are pretty in love with this little dessert. Angelina, in our opinion, is a must see/do. We quite enjoyed it!

Day 4, Paris: Musée du Louvre.

//one: the exterior of the louvre //two: another exterior shot, isn't it gorgeous? //three: inspired by the scroll work & detail. stunning. //four: outside of the louvre //five: j outside of the louvre //six: the entrance & glass pyramid //seven: inside the museum under the pyramid //eight: winged victory of samothrace //nine: mona lisa //ten: ceiling inside the museum //eleven: venus de milo //twelve: hallway //thirteen: exterior shot from across the street


After J & I spent some time in the Passage des Panoramas, we hopped on the subway to visit the Musée du Louvre, which houses some of the world's most famous & oldest works of art. The museum in its own right was art. The building outside & inside was so stunning in detail. Being able to see pieces of art I have always only read about was such a surreal and amazing experience. I don't have the words to express how it felt to stand in front of the Mona Lisa and just take the whole experience in. We honestly could have spent hours in this museum, however because of time constraints, we did not. I do feel we saw the works we most wanted to see. 


[I am not sure why the gaps between the photos are acting wack, but I got tired of fighting with them. :)]

DAY 4, Paris: Passage des Panoramas.

//one: entrance into the passage //two: myself, inside the passage //three: myself, again //four: husband :) //five: a sweet little sidewalk cafe, in the passage //six: beautiful, old details


J & I were able to visit some of the old passages in Paris. These covered passages were built to allow Parisians to shop and enjoy being out in the city, despite the weather. They are also what today's shopping malls are based upon. Today, the passages hold several shops & restaurants and, thankfully the still have beautiful little details left behind from a different time.

DAY 3, Paris.

//one: waiting to go shopping. obviously i was excited. //two: enjoying the view from the window in our room. //three: at val d' europe, shopping. //four: husband at val d'europe. //five: excited about my purchase. //six: little chorizo sausages from our dinner spread. //seven: grapes & fig spread. //eight: my new burberry purse. //nine: i love the bright blue!


J & I took a much needed trip away from the hustle & bustle of our everyday goings. We spent Day 1 & 2 at Disneyland, Paris. Day 3 was a slower paced day with no real plan. We slept in & decided to do a little shopping at the large shopping area near our hotel. We spent a good portion of our day there. For dinner, we decided to do a cheese, meat & fruit spread, along with some wine. We love days/nights when we can do this. We got three different cheeses at the French supermarket in the shopping center. Brie (my favorite), a cheddar, and Gruyere. We paired that with grapes, chorizo, a rotisserie chicken and some fresh French bread. My favorite part of the meal? The wonderful fig spread. Delicious.

you used to call me your dreamer, & now i'm livin' out my dream.

i love living in europe. it is so wonderful. so far, i haven't had been a homesick mess, but i do miss some things about the good 'ole us of a.

+hamburgers! it is honestly so hard to find an american style hamburger here! the meat the europeans use is strange, or maybe it is the way they season the meat and the spices they use? because of this, j & i did actually eat lunch at hard rock cafe in paris, just to get one. shameful, i know. i don't feel guilty at all though, that hamburger was dang good! :)

+my momma. we spent most weekends together when i was in texas last year. i miss it. most sundays were spent sitting on the couch, reading magazines, looking at avon campaigns, snacking & watching tv. a perfect lazy day!

+my sister. we spent at least one day a week shopping. this is definitely a stress reliever for both of us. until i check my bank statements, that is. :)

+ross & marshalls. oh my goodness! what i would not give to walk into and spend several hours in each of these stores and just look at EVERYTHING. i spent atleast one day a week perusing the racks of goodness at these two shopping havens.

+hearing english spoken everywhere. i know, this one makes me sound a little silly. it's just a comfort to me, to hear my native language being spoken and being able to understand conversations around me. that said, i am doing my best to speak the language of whatever country we are in. i do not want to be one of those irritating americans that don't make any attempt whatsoever to be courteous and polite to the people of the country they are in. and, the easiest way to be polite & actually have people help you, is to attempt to speak the native language of the country you are in. 

+shoes! i have had the hardest time finding good, low-priced & cute shoes here. this is so weird to me, because germans wear some ridiculously cute shoes, but for the life of me, i do not know how they afford them based upon the prices of shoes i have seen here. i would rather buy bags and scarves. they are aplenty, which is fab!

so, those are a few things i miss.

here are a few things that i LOVE about living here!

+travel! we are so close to places i never in my life dreamed i would see. paris, for one. last week marked our second trip to this stunningly beautiful city.

+food. the produce here is wonderful. the things you buy in the grocery store that are packaged, aren't like what you are used to in the states. i have bought yogurt here with an actual fresh whipped topping on it. don't ask me how they do it, but it is amazing! in restaurants, they use fresh, local ingredients which makes everything taste 100 times better! the tomatoes? insane! love them!

+the autobahn. seriously. i know, i know. but, come on, who doesn't want to get in their little sports car and zoom, zoom down the highway? and, the thing is, i feel way safer going at the accelerated speeds here than on roads back home. and, for the most part, people are more courteous drivers.

+the wine. honestly, 5-6 euro for a good bottle of wine? perfection.

+german chocolate! need i say more?

+our german house. i love waking up and walking down my little winding staircase, down the hall and opening the door into the living room to eat breakfast and start my day. i don't think many days begin without a smile. i feel so blessed!

+being inspired by everything. 

that is my little list of things on my mind today. it is not a complete compilation of what i miss about the states and what i love about here.

[title: lyrics from miley cyrus' i miss you]

Sneak Peek..

Bonjour!

 J & I took a little trip to Paris last week, so posts are coming soon.

Stay tuned.