The
next day we spent the morning at an ADORABLE little outdoor market getting
giant slabs of cheese, olives, roasted chicken, and little kitchen
knick-knacks. It was worth every penny and all the time we spent there,
it was so so much fun. We went back and packed ourselves a little picnic
- heading out to see some sights. Funny enough, we then wandered the
streets trying to find the hop on hop off bus for probably 3 hours - distracted
by adorable scarfs, yummy hot dogs, not so awesome cider-beer - then finally
(as we were giving up) saw that damn bus, just to the right of our front door
step. We ended up getting on and smiling giant smiles as we started off
on the second level of our bus showing us the sights of Paris. We enjoyed
the first 30 minutes so so much... and then - unbeknownst to us this family
found their way right in front of us that were CRAZY! They were shouting
and yelling and grrrrrrr making our awesome sight seeing adventure not so
awesome. We decided to get off after enough of the craziness and found
our way to this beautiful garden (with hidden toilets in the bush).
We ate our delicious picnic food there on a bench next to cute dogs and
aggressive birds, and then wandered back to catch another bus. This time
it was awesome - and it took us down to the Eiffel Tower where we hopped off to
enjoy hot chocolate & crepes (as every girl should sometime in their life).
We wandered up to the top of the park to get the best view possible and
then spent close to 4 hours just sitting up there - enjoying the view, the
people watching, and each other. As the sun started to set Kayla popped
her bottle of champagne and we all sipped on French bubbly till the Eiffel
Tower lit up in sparkly, magical lights. It was so beautiful and surreal
being there with my favorite people - definitely a never-forget moment.
After we took way too many pictures for Colins liking (that guy is a
trooper) - we caught a cab back to prep for our "day o' shopping".
Having an apartment in Paris was so nice - being able to just relax with
our family, hang on the couch, eat snacks and catch up on the last few months
was exactly what I needed - and I loved every second of it. Wednesday was
apparently 1 of the 2 big sales days that everyone in Paris is forced to have -
its a half yearly sale, but mandatory! So of course, we had to hit up a
few shops to see what we would be missing - and boy was that fun for us.
It was crazy Paris sales everywhere you looked!! Kayla and I went
to town looking for new work clothes for her, and I stumbled upon a cute pair
of sandals and panties:). Phew - we were pooped and met up with everyone
for lunch - hit up a few more places then got everyone together for a final
adventure. Chef Eric had told us that there is this teeny tiny little
place in La Marias district where you see a hole in the wall Taqueria, and
after 7pm you walk to the very back and push an unmarked door (that
looks like a private kitchen door or something) and then inside you will find
one of the coolest cocktail bars in the city. Well we followed his advice
to a tee, and found ourselves in "the coolest bar in the city".
It was the hidden gem, of hidden gems. We loved every minute of it
- from the ancient stone walls, to the candle lit bar, to the handmade tables
and awnings. We sipped on teas and cocktails and smiled big smiles as we
watched the bar fill up. Later we popped over to a local brasserie and
them wandered home, only to pick up a Chantilly crepe before heading to bed.
The
next day might have actually been the best day- although I really can't decide.
We had a girls brunch at Laduree- my favorite place in Paris. We
got tons of the best macaroons in the world, sipped fancy-pants tea, had some
yummy eggs and some caramelized cake-croissant thing that knocked our socks
off. We sat there on the enclosed terrace watching Parisians head off to
work- 3 little La Vernites in Paris- dream dream dream. Then Col treated
us to a little trip to Versailles and it was such a wonderful afternoon.
We walked the grounds as the sun came out, passed through the stunning
hall of mirrors, and fed cookies to baby ducklings in the pond. Although
we failed at getting a golf cart ( not without some good effort) - we found our
way all the way back to the top of the palace just before it closed to enjoy a
nice cold bottle of water and view of the golden gates. It was a surreal
day.
Our
last day in Paris was your typical last day... we looked around, wished we had
more time, smiled at all the fun memories we had made, and wondered if any
other town would make us this happy. Well 2 train stops later we learned
the answer to that... YES - GO TO BRUGGE!
Before
we left Paris we had a delightful morning cleaning up our little mess:),
packing up all the things we had bought, watching Colin think he had lost his
ATM card, and getting lots and lots of snacks for the ride. Kayla and I
REALLY like snacks if you cant tell. We then ended up making it to Brugge
and immediately fell in love. Col found us the most charming of charming
hotels, and we walked along the cobble stone streets and canals ohhing and
aweing at the beauty. Col & I agreed that this was one of the most
amazing places we had been to yet. Aparently everything closes at 5pm in
Brugge (even on a Friday) and they werent kidding - we couldnt find a
single thing open past 5 to save our life. But we made the most of it
before then, and had waffles and tea and frites - all the yummy food we could,
visited every single Belgium chocolate shop, loving them all, and of course
hopping in a canal boat to see the most amazing swans and hearing a tour guide
talk to us in what only could be described as dutch-frenglish. We loved
the marketplace, the horses pulling the carriages, the chocolate shops, the
lace shops, the frite & waffle shops, all the old people, the streets,
trees, and water - and mostly our adorable, quaint and special hotel. We
found ourselves starving the last night at the hotel as we of course ate at
like 4pm, and then nothing was open for dinner - but we giggled and ate
all the cheez-its we could find in my moms hotel room the last night before we
had to say goodbye. The next morning we woke up early and saw all we
could of the town - visiting more chocolate shops, picking up souvenirs for the
rest of the fam, having the best breakfast of our lives at our hotel (I still need
those egg dishes), finding a place with Belgium beer, more frites &
waffles, having great heartfelt conversations and soaking up every last minute
with eachother. We ended up back at the hotel for our last 20 minutes of
relaxing before Kay & mom had to hop in their cab. Pit in my stomach,
and holding back the tears I hugged them both saying "See you soon"
no "goodbyes" and wished them a safe journey home. Within a few
minutes of them gone I found myself with tears welling up, handful of
chocolates - eating my sadness away. Col held my hand, and loved me as he
always does when I get leaky and I was quickly reminded how lucky I was to have
him, and my family... and that this was a great, once in a lifetime, happy
thing. No more tears. But not much could get me out of my funk...
it was going to take a lot. Like a fancy convertible, top down, sunny
skies, driving through beautiful Belgium scenery to another amazing town for
the beginning of our Trappist Abbey beer tour. So of course, Colin made this
happen - and happy I was.
Thank
you a million times over for coming to see us these past two weeks missy and
mom. For all your love and constant support on this crazy journey of
ours, we will be forever grateful. No words can describe the happiness I
had when you were here, and sitting here today, I feel like the luckiest girl
in the whole, whole world. Gosh - I don't think it could get much better
than that.
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