Joan: Paris, France

Sorry for the brief interruption in our programming. We're now back on schedule.

We hopped on the bullet train to Paris...



...to find some spacious accommodations for our 3 hour train ride:

After a fun train ride we Metro'ed our way to the hotel, got checked-in and headed out to see the Arc:



Per usual, the Arc was stunning at night:

After the Arc we stopped for a quick dinner and then back to the room to plan our next day. The following morning, armed with a flexible itinerary for the day, we headed out ready for some fun!

Our first stop was at:

Sainte Chapelle didn't disappoint! Although some of it has yet to be restored, the stained glass shone brightly with the warm Parisian sun spilling through.

From Sainte Chapelle we headed over to the Musee D'Orsay for some art appreciation. We wandered through Van Gogh's, Renoir's, Degas', and Monet's. Quite a lovely bunch of artists to enjoy! After all of that art, we had worked up a hearty (Ha! I had to.) appetite. The patisserie we passed didn't stand a chance!

Here we are with our adorably wrapped goodies:

And the pièce de résistance, a chocolate tarte and a pistachio eclair...SWOOOON:

In a heavenly French-pastry induced haze we made our way over to the Montmartre neighborhood to see Sacré-Cœur:

High above the rest of Paris, Sacré-Cœur provided stunning views of the sprawling city. We silently observed the beauty of the Basillica interior and then Joan and Brian made the steep trek up to the top of Sacré-Cœur for a great photo op:

Almost Paris'ed out for the day, we had one more (important!) stop before we could head back home. In stead of standing in a long line to visit the top of the Eiffel Tower we decided to grab a grassy seat on the lawn next to the Tower to soak up the grandeur:




Finally we lazily made our way back to the hotel for a relaxing night in the Executive Lounge. As we ate and drank, we mapped out our next day in Normandy, which we will post about later.

The day after Normandy we were back in sight-seeing mode in Paris. Our first stop of the day was Mass at Notre Dame. We had a very peaceful time listening to Mass in French surrounded by the uplifting grace of Notre Dame:

Fun celebrity sighting!! As Joan and I were walking around the apses of the Church (behind the altar) we saw James Franco being filmed on some teeny tiny camera. He was all decked out in a cool 40's looking suit and matching moustache. Good times!

From Notre Dame we crossed the Seine...

...and walked around until we found a fun little café to grab some lunch at. The next morning we hopped back on the bullet train headed for Stuttgart quietly replaying the fun memories we created in France. Cheers to a wonderful time in Paris with Joan!



Next stop: Normandy

**Congratulations to Emily!! You are the winner of the 200th-Post German Goodies. Thanks to everyone who shared a fun birthday memory!**

UPDATED - We Interrupt This...

...broadcast to celebrate...

my B I R T H D A Y !!!!

In honor of the big day, let's take a stroll back through some memories of birthdays past:

2008 - A fun day of surprises in San Diego







2009 - Disneyland with our awesome friends, Noah & Holly

2010 - Yesterday was a wonderful day...I felt so spoiled and SO loved. Thanks to all the warm wishes from family and friends. I'd also like to send a HUGE thank-you to Brian for making me feel extra special yesterday...I really do believe I have the best husband in the world. My birthday celebration started off with my sweet husband's birthday present to me: an awesome new camera lens!!



I am SO excited to try this new baby out. It's a 20mm wide-angle lens. If anyone has any tips about using it, please let me know!

There was also some of my favorite chocolate after breakfast, because if you can't eat chocolate after breakfast on your birthday...when can you?!

Yesterday afternoon my piggies were treated to a relaxing pedicure...

When Brian got back from work the celebrating went in to high gear. I received an adorable card from B with the evening's itinerary, to include: a delicious steak dinner, a birthday party, and a movie. YAY!

We had a delectable dinner of filet mignon, bacon wrapped green beans, and a perfectly baked potato. YUM. Now on to the party! I walked in to the room to find awesome birthday decorations/favors, cheesecake, and candles!

Here's a good look at the heavenly homemade cheesecake:

We ended up eating a quarter of it. Needless to say, I was so full I could barely roll myself into bed last night.

I couldn't have asked for a more fun birthday. I had a fabulous day with my two special guys!

**This is also a birthday for our blog! Today, November 4th, our blog is 200 posts old. Woo-hoo! In honor of all of the birthday goodness, one person will be selected to receive a sampling of our favorite German goodies. To enter, please leave a comment below and tell us: What was your favorite birthday to celebrate?**

Joanie in Germany

Last Monday morning we picked-up Joan at the Frankfurt airport and started off on our fun adventure. Our first stop along that adventure was Sindelfingen for a delicious Italian dinner. We noshed until our bellies were full and then enjoyed a crisp German evening:

The next day provided beautiful autumn weather so we made the most of it! The majority of the afternoon we were outside soaking up the sun and the striking fall colors with Toby:

After a good romp in the field for Toby, we headed over to the Bärenschlössle for some beverages. There's a good 1/4 mile walk to the Bärenschlössle through a forested trail. Here are our photos from our pretty walk:

After a long afternoon outside, we were all pretty wiped out. That evening we enjoyed a hearty German dinner of flammkuchen, sausage, and maultaschen. YUM!! Between the fresh air and the heavy food we all slept like rocks that night.

The next day Brian went in to the office for a few hours and then we hit the road for Hohenzollern Castle. After a 45 minute car ride the stunning castle, perched amongst the Swabian Alps, was in sight:

This was by far our most favorite castle. The exterior was interesting, the interior was completely functional (and still used during the summers by descendants of German royalty), and the tour was informative (with the help of two awesome German college students who translated a bit for us). Here's our photo tour of the Hohenzollern Castle:















My favorite room of the castle was, no shocker here, the Königin Room (Queen's Room). It was full of gorgeous sapphire blue stuffed chaise lounges and chairs, as well as the Queen's paintings. There was also a lovely little bay window overlooking the Alps...I imagine snuggling up there with a good book, a cup of tea, and a roaring fire in the fireplace would be quite nice!

After the castle we made our way back home to Sindelfingen for dinner and packing.
Next on our itinerary: Paris, France!

Joan: A Preview

We just spent a fantastic week with Joan and can't wait to share the images and tales. Per usual, there are tons of photos to go through and some thoughts to organize. For now though, here's a sneak peek of the last week...

There was play time with Toby:

There was also lots of enjoying the fall colors and the ridiculously mild late-autumn weather:

There was Paris:

And, there was Normandy:

Can't wait to get cracking on the next post, Joanie in Germany.
Happy November!