Cartes Postales de Paris

After a rather long hiatus, I figured I needed to start writing again more regularly. Things have been a bit hectic for both of us - me with my new job and Ryan ever-busy with new projects, but as I love to write and find it relaxing, I will make a more conserted effort to keep the blog more up-to-date. It has been a great few weeks with visits from fantastic friends and even a little bit of good weather. I have to admit, though, I am a bit homesick. We would have been home for a visit right now. Our flight was booked, but with everything going on we just didn't feel it was the best timing. Instead, we are coming to Seattle in June. More on that to come...

One of the main reasons we decided to move to Europe was the amazing opportunity we'd have to take short getaways to other destinations. Afterall, the whole mainland of Europe is smaller than the U.S. Our good friends, Eric and Ellen, came a very long way to see Europe and visit us, so we decided to meet in Paris for a long weekend. Ryan and I drove from The Hague to Paris in just a few hours to meet them. Door to door it was shorter than driving across Washington State to say Spokane. When's the last time that I was able to say that I drove to France?

I do love Paris. Even if it is atrociously expensive and not as well kept as it deserves to be (sadly I found it a bit dirty), the cathedrals, beautiful architecture, baguettes and cheese, and of course one of my favourite landmarks, the Eiffel Tower, make up for it! We rented an adorable apartment in the city where we enjoyed Ryan's culinary expertise and lots of French wine. We walked all over the city, rode the Metro and only got lost a few times. Highlights of the trip for me: reuniting with Eric and Ellen, attending Mass at the Basilica of Sacre Coeur, French onion soup and the best cappuccino I've ever consumed in Montmarte, the smell of Paris rain, the view from the Eiffel tower at night, French bubbly, and our visit to the small town of Lisieux (I will write a separate blog on this special pilgrimage).

Here are some postcards of our fabulous getaway to Paris. And since it's only 3 and a half hours away, it's likely we'll be back again.