Christmas in Paris

Champs De Elysee

So I fired myself from the blog because I couldn't come up with a valid excuse for the lack of posts. Bad blogger. So much has happened since my last post . We finally broke down and purchased a new computer and a expensive real camera. My real camera had a life span of fifteen days. Yes, you read that correctly. I had the camera fifteen whole days before it decided to jump out of a backpack and onto the cobblestone streets of Paris. I mourned. For real. The cost of repairing the camera is pretty much the same as purchasing a new one. Someone please explain that one to me. 


Other updates...I now have a j-o-b, which I absolutely love. More later. I also experienced my first real winter. You know where you have to wear a coat, gloves, and boots. Wait, what am I saying, of course you Southern Californians don't know! What am I thinking?  


Rory and I spent Christmas in Paris. It was beyond magical. Our days were filled with pastries, wine, bread, butter, cheese, wine, and pastries.  In that order. As you would expect, Christmas is a grand affair in Paris. Wonderful outdoor Christmas markets are peppered throughout the city, with the largest one located on the Champs De Elysee. We are fortunate to have been to Paris before so we didn't feel the need to rush around like crazy tourists. Instead, we tried to experience Christmas in Paris as the Parisians would, casually wandering the outdoor markets with a cup of hot mulled wine, sampling the Christmas delicacies and buying presents. 

Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart)

Santa Claus paid a visit to Sacre Coeur

This outdoor Christmas market was situated just below Sacre Coeur on the hill overlooking Paris.

This Christmas shop was selling homemade soap. 

We picked up some meat, a type of Salami, from this vendor. He let us sample a variety of the products. 

We sampled some sparkling Chardonnay. 

I restrained the urge to just shove my face into the piles of candy. 

Mulled wine. 

The light display on the Champs De Elysee. I am totally blocking the shot. Doesn't this photo look fake? 

See, I was really there!

This is literally chestnuts roasting on an open fire. 

Luxor Obelisk (a gift from Egypt) at Place de la Concorde

Fresh churros with nutella. Yeah, couldn't pass that up. 

Worth every calorie. 

Inside Galeries Lafayette 

Fresh seafood available at many outdoor markets 

We waited in line for 45 minutes to order our Christmas ham from this store. After Rory placed our order in french, the elderly woman behind us patted him on the shoulder and congratulated his effort.  

Notre Dame

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. She is cased in bullet proof glass. Now you can say you've seen it. 

Our last night in Paris was spent at O'Chateau Wine Bar. 

I dream about these pastries. 

It wouldn't be a Paris blog without at least one picture of Le Tour Eiffel



If you could spend Christmas anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

Dublin and Edinburgh (Part I)

PART ONE - DUBLIN 

As you may (or not) recall, Rory and I traveled to Dublin and Edinburgh in October with our great friends Stewart and Jen. This was the trip where my camera threw a tantrum and decided to graffiti half of my photos with starbursts. Real mature, I know. Fortunately, Stewart was kind enough to allow me to use his ah-mazing photos on my blog.  Thanks Stewart! 

This was our second visit to Ireland in the past year so we were able to explore more of the non-tourist sites. Visiting Ireland is like seeing an old friend. You are welcomed with open arms, handed a Guinness, and peppered with stories from the past. Odds are, if you sit down in a pub the person next to you will strike up a conversation or start singing a ballad and by the end of the night you will feel like old friends. So here is a picture montage to my new friend and my old friend, Ireland.

It simply does not get any better than this.

Temple District area of Dublin

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland

Our favorite pub in Dublin

Jen, Me, and Stewart having lunch at O'Donoghue's Pub

After dinner drinks at O'Donoghues.  Do you see a pattern here?

Trinity College. We almost pass for students. Almost. 

Cheeseburgers make me VERY happy

On this visit we took a day trip to the east coast, along the Irish Sea/Atlantic Ocean. While the pictures depict a clear sunny day, it was windy and frigid. I was in four layers but the locals walked around in shorts and t-shirts. One beach even had two nude sun bathers. Not that I was looking. We took the Dart train from Dublin to Dun Laoghaire. We then hiked from Dun Laoghaire through Dalkey (home to Bono) to Killiney, where a dart train dropped us off in the town of Bray for a late lunch. The coast was absolutely brilliant (yes, I am using English slang because it is totally appropriate).  

Dalkey has some of the most expensive real estate in Ireland. You can see why with views like this one. 

Stewart on the beach in Dalkey

Lunch overlooking the ocean in Bray, Ireland

Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin

Inside Christ Church Cathedral

Last Guinness in Dublin at the famous Temple Bar before departing for Edinburgh

Ireland, I can't wait to return and share another Guinness (or twelve) with you.