Planning for Paris....Returning To The City Of Light In 2016

It's been 5 years since I went to Paris for the first time.  Having never gone before and since I was going to be solo, I went with a tour group. Traveling with 40 other people was great for a first time destination.  I got to see all the major sights.  It would have been hard to plan all that on my own.  Traveling with a tour is pretty much stress free.  You just pretty much show up at the airport and just sit back and enjoy!

This time however I am really going to live out my dream.  I finally made my decision to go this year after meeting a women from France that now lives in Kentucky at a Holiday Market the week before Thanksgiving.  Talking to her just got me so excited about going back that I decided I'm done TALKING about going back and actually doing it!! This  time I am going to do all the planning on my own. This makes me a little nervous. Mostly because of the language barrier.  I do know basic phrases though and hope to learn more.   I will not be going solo, I will be going with my cousins wife. I am so excited that she is going with me. I will be doing most of the research and we will be getting together to discuss details.  I want to make this a great trip for her and want to make sure she gets to check off her list of things she would like to see while there.

So far I've been checking out airfares (wow! Expensive) and since I am leaning towards renting an apartment vs going the hotel route, I've been checking out various apartment rental agencies.  I have traveled before using VRBO and AirBNB for rentals and have been very satisfied with the process.  Anyway, there are so many choices out there it's overwhelming.  I am thinking I'd like to stay in the 5th or 6th arrondissement so we are pretty central to all the main things. Being this is the first time doing this on our own I have about a million concerns such as, what kind of transportation should we take to get from CDG airport to to the city, train, taxi, or hire a service?  I guess it's mostly the fear of the unknown.

So now that the holidays are over, it is time to start the planning process. First thing to figure out is a date, then a place to stay, then the rest will come later.  A million decisions to be made.  I'm open to any and all advice.  I'd love to hear any Paris experiences or suggestions. I'm going to be documenting the planning process all the way through.  My goal is to help make it easier on those that really have dreamed about going to Paris, but are afraid to plan a trip on their own.

Oh and by the way, Thank you to my new French friend for giving me the push to finally make this happen!! Merci!

Nighttime View From The Very Top Of The Eiffel Tower

One of my favorite pictures from Paris.....

The view from the very top of La Tour Eiffel at night is breathtaking.  I am so looking forward to going back and seeing this again!!

After 4 Years, Paris Keeps Calling Me Back.

Today marks the 4th anniversary since I got on a plane and landed in Paris for the first time.  I will never forget how I tried to contain my emotions as I saw La Tour Eiffel for the first time.  I worried I might get more than a few funny looks from my fellow travelers if I was openly sobbing.  I  couldn't help it, finally I was living my dream of always wanting to see Paris.  That 5 days became the beginning of some fabulous friendships that I have maintained through today.  It also turned me into a certified Francophile and I still cannot get enough of all things Paris.  I read virtually every book that has Paris as it's subject matter,  mastered making macarons, and have tried (unsuccessfully) to learn French.  The latter I am still working on!  My house is filled with Parisian themed decor and I even picked a French name (Zoe) for my dog when we adopted her.

So my obsession is not going to fade anytime soon.  I plan on returning to Paris next year. I want to see all the things I missed the first time, but more importantly, I just want to sit in a cafe and take it all in without being in a hurry. So until then, I will enjoy the memories of that trip 4 years ago and dream of the day that I will see La Tour Eiffel again!

New Orleans And Mardi Gras

Everyone must experience Mardi Gras at least once in their lives!  We spent two days in New Orleans the Thursday and Friday before Fat Tuesday.  Hubby and I were to set sail from there on the Saturday before and since we had never been to New Orleans, thought it would be fun to spend a couple of days checking out all the Mardi Gras festivities beforehand.

The first must do was chicory coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde.  Then Thursday night we found a spot on St. Charles Street to catch our first parades.  It was a cold night and the parades ran late, but we caught lots of throws and had fun.  We ended up standing by a couple who were from outside New Orleans  and were more than happy to give us lots of history on the parades.

    

We spent all day Friday exploring the French Quarter and observing all the craziness of Bourbon Street.

   I must say carrying all those beads around our neck was hard work. Of course I had a couple hurricanes to get me in the spirit.

We spent the afternoon roaming up and down Bourbon Street. Taking in the impromptu parades, catching beads and other sorted paraphernalia. Hubby proudly caught a decorated bra which is now displayed in his man-cave.  Yes, there was some bare chested women and even some less than fully clothed men and I really would  say Bourbon Street is not for young children, but honestly we had a blast and decided we would love to come back some day! I cannot forget to mention the food!  New Orleans has some of the best eating in the country. We had a couple of great meals. I had a fabulous Po Boy on Bourbon Street.

 

It was a great start to a fabulous vacation and even though there are still reminders of Hurricane Katrina around the city the spirit of New Orleans is alive and thriving in the people of this city.  I am looking forward to returning someday!

Fabulous Overnight Getaway To Chateau De Pere

My hubby is always full of surprises.  This past weekend to celebrate our 24th Anniversary he told me to pack a bag  after I came home from work Friday, we were heading to an undisclosed location for the night. After some questions about what to pack we headed off north.

Now you all know my obsession for all things French right?   The only hint he would give me was that our getaway had a French theme.  So imagine my happiness when we arrived after a 45 minute drive to Chateau De Pere in De Pere Wisconsin.  I had been to the restaurant, Café Chanson just this past summer for a Paris girls reunion lunch, so I was a little familiar with that. This restaurant offers traditional French food. 

Not only were we going to have a dinner later in the restarant, but we were going to stay overnight in the beautiful 36 suite hotel!  After we checked in we took the elevator to the second floor to find a beautifuly decorated King Suite with a single whirlpool tub.  It was a corner room, so we had a view of the river on two sides.  We found the room to be quiet and the king sized bed to be incredibly comfortable.  The great part was they are running a special for the month of April.  All rooms are just $69.00 a night!  Check out the website for details.

We had early dinner reservations ay Café Chanson since we were going to a comedy club later.  It was a Friday night and being it was quite early there were not many people in the dining room.  I started out with a white chocolate martini.  We then ordered a Cassolette for starters and for dinner I ordered Beef Bourguignon.  Both were delicious!

 

It was a perfect overnight getaway!  So if you are looking for a wonderful French themed place to escape to, look no further than De Pere Wisconsin.  De Pere is just a short distance to Green Bay and the famed Lambeau Field which is the home of the world famous Green Bay Packers