Paris...Day 2

For some reason, these pictures are in reverse order of the day! Anyway........this is the restaurant that Aunt Billie told us to eat at while at Sacre Couer in Paris. This was Father's Day and also our 12th anniversary! She told us to be sure and order the French Onion Soup.........wow.........it was great. Jonathan, who does not eat soup, said that if all soup was like that...he would order it! Out whole meal here was delicious.

The Champs Elysses.......what a busy place! We walked from the apartment here.....and walked all the way down! It was cold though.....60 was the high again.......but there was a Starbucks nearby, so we stopped in for a white peppermint mocha.
Isn't J looking like a model here at "Chic Daddy"??? This pic was his idea.........
The Arche de Triomphe.....this pic does not do it justice.
Doesn't this look interesting? You will never believe what this drama is over. SOCCER.
This is the night that Turkey beat Portugal for the European Cup. J and I are sitting looking at the Arche and down the Champs Elysses and all of the sudden these cars.....a lot of them!.....start honking and people are hanging out the windows and are yelling. They were waving flags and standing on their vehicles while they are being driven. It was a little crazy. This is a MAJOR street here and the traffic came to a standstill because of these people. Parking sideways in the middle of the street so no one could pass.......having a flare party like the one below.........then......here come the riot police. Two groups of riot police! I have a lot more pics of this, but this one was the best. There were people with video cameras everywhere. I am sure it is all over YouTube by now!

The next three pics are overlooking Paris with the Sacre Couer Cathedral behind you. If only I had a panoramic shot! Just try to imagine.........As Aunt Billie says, "Its Paris at your feet". She was right. Absolutely beautiful. You could even see the Eiffel Tower from here. It was a long walk up this hill........but worth it.

This is the front of the cathedral. We went inside, but could not take pictures.


This was part of the market. On Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, there is an open market that has everything you can imagine........fresh fish and other meats, millions of cheeses, vegetables, fruits, socks, clothes, rugs, furniture, toiletries. Definitely did not see a Wal Mart or Target!
The language barrier seemed to be most apparent here. You should have seen us trying to tell the vendors what we wanted! We were trying to get things for lunch.......trying to live as the French do........

We had to have a little something from here too.........
And this is what we came up with.......bread baked with brie cheese, some other kind of cheese, cherries, rotisserie chicken, and a baguette!
This guy was on the way to Sacre Couer.....you had to pay him to take a picture with you.......why didnt I know that???
This is a windmill that Van Gogh made famous by painting scenes with it in it. He lived on this street. This same street is where Moulin Rouge is......again on the way to Sacre Couer.
I will try to do Day 3 tomorrow!

Paris recap.....Day 1.....

We got the kids packed for their trip with Ms Cooky, left the local airport, and then flew to DFW. From there we boarded a 777 to London. This one was an 8 hour flight, but we each had our own little entertainment system to keep us occupied. We could watch movies, TV shows, listen to the radio.......or sleep.......I tried to sleep, even took some Sominex......but it didnt really help. London is 6 hours ahead of us........so I knew I would be tired when we got there! We flew in to Heathrow airport and were anxiously hoping to get to see my Aunt Pam and Uncle Vernon. They just happened to be there on the same day flying to Africa for their mission trip. We had about 45 minutes that we were both there at the same time, and the airport is set up really CRAZY, so.......we did not get to see them. They got to Johannesburg safely though, so that is good. We flew from London to Paris........I think it was about 2 hours......again, no sleep. Not that I didn't try! So........here we are in the plane.

In Paris, we stayed at J's aunt's apartment. She is an antique dealer in Austin and buys her products from France. We had been to see her the week before to get the keys to the building and some advice about what to do. She mapped us out a 3 day itinerary and it was perfect! She told us what to do and what time of day was best. She told us about the metro, restaurants, cafes, pharmacies, and even laundromats! Also........very important.........the change bureau. For those of you traveling to Europe.......get ready! The dollar's value is LOW! It was about a 2-1 ratio. NOT GOOD!!! We got to the apartment and took a nap! I dont think either of us even changed clothes or anything! However, when we woke up, we were ready to go! With map in hand, we started walking........and walking.........and walking. We made it to the Eiffel Tower.
Its really amazing, despite the pictures here.

Of course we had to have a crepe while we were at the Tower. I had chocolate, banana, and chantilly (which is cream), and J had just chocolate and banana. They were so good! We bought a little miniature tower from a traveling salesman with a whole bag full of them.

Another view of the tower......It does sparkle at night for ten minutes at 9 and 10 o'clock. My pics from that were not very good. : ( It was beautiful though. It was also cold here......the high each day was about 60.
The narrow streets, tiny cars, and tall buildings.
More later..........

LONDON CALLING!

I am sitting in the lobby of our hotel in London right now. It's 7 here now, so its 1:00 in our town right now. The time change is a killer---more on our time mess up in a future blog!!! haha
We are having fun........survived Paris and the major language barrier.......now in London and it is COLD here people. Like 60 was the high today. Needless to say, I am freezing and wish I had brought my winter coat.
We get on the Seven Seas Voyager tomorrow in Dover...........love to you all!

NOT SHIPPED YET??!!

We did go to Austin yesterday. First, we stopped at the outlet in Round Rock because they have some stores that J loves.........Johnston and Murphy, Cole Haan, and Oakley. He found some new stuff for the trip that he needed. I found a little purse that I can wear across my body and little wallet!

We then went to Aunt Billie's store and got the scoop on Paris and what to do while we are there.
She has been living in Paris and Austin for 20 years.......so she knows! We are staying at her apartment while there. We will be there for 3 days, so she literally mapped out where to go and how to get there from her apartment. She gave us a list of the cafes and creperies to go to....the drug store.....the market....everything! She told us what to do at night and what to see during the day. We are so excited! One thing I asked her about was the weather. Apparently the HIGH is around 60. I am going to freeze. I am totally changing what I was going to pack. I have been buying cute little party dresses for evening.......sleeveless or strapless of course. I think I will take them anyway and just take a little wrap, too!

After all of this visiting, there was no time to go to White House Black Market for the cute outfit mentioned in the previous post. So........after we got home.......I tried to order it online and it said to call Customer Service. I did. I am then informed that that hasn't even shipped to WHBM yet, so it is not in stores, nor can I order it. FRUSTRATION. As Lorie said, "Then why is it in the catalog?" My thoughts exactly.

We are off to the waterpark at noon today. J has a game tonight and G has one tomorrow. T doesnt play until Monday! Happy Weekend!

Summer Calendar........FULL!

In looking at our summer calendar tonight......it is full! That could be good and bad I guess.
The long-awaited trip takes up the majority of this month! (9 days away if anyone is counting)
We got a packet in the mail yesterday about the cruise portion that says over and over that this or that can be charged to your credit card.........my answer is........WE DONT HAVE ONE! Since Dave Ramsey took over our finances a few years ago, we have not had one since! And.....to make matters worse.........our debit card will not work internationally! We found that out after ordering Les Miserables tickets.......better to learn it before we leave and not after we are already there I guess! J's dad let us use his card and we mailed him a check today. THANKS Grandad!

We attended J's family reunion this past weekend in Abilene. Fun.......the cousins had a good time. I will try to get the pics up soon........imagine Lady playing baseball and Grandad riding a kid bike! : )

We got our weekly town newspaper tonight and guess who is on the Sports Page with a baseball pic? My Sweet Babboo.........he is batting and looks so serious.

The waterpark opens tomorrow FINALLY, but J and I have to go to Austin to pick up some info from Aunt Billie about Paris. I am going to try to work in a trip to White House/Black Market. I got a flyer in the mail today with the CUTEST shirt and belt. The model had on white capris with the outfit, but since I already have some of those, all I really NEED (or want) is the shirt and belt! We'll see!!!!

J is ordering fireworks right now. YIKES! I hope we can eat them if we dont sell them all!

Love to all!!!