We decided it was time for a vacation. Everyone recommended Paris and it sounded good to us, so J and I and our friends boarded Air France for a 5 day trip to the City of Lights.  It was a looong flight even though it flew nonstop.  We were tired but excited to be in France. Bonjour!

We hopped into a cab and drove to the little boutique hotel I had booked online.  You never know what to expect when you plan your trip solely online.  I was nervous but it turned out it was just as I had hoped.

After unpacking and getting situated, we headed out to catch a short evening wine cruise along the Seine River.  It would have been even better than it was if we hadn't gotten off the wrong Metro station and ended up having to walk 30 minutes on cobblestone and gravel... in my 4 1/2 inch heels! We made it just in the nick of time pouring sweat (gross!) but happy to be on board.  The wine was cool and yummy and the fromage and salad were tasty! The River is lovely and so romantic!  Couples were sitting together all along the Seine enjoying the beautiful day.

Suddenly a rainbow in the sky! Perfection!

After the nice cruise, we were off to our dinner reservation.  The streets of Paris are so cute! We had to take pictures.

The Eiffel Tower is truly amazing...and there it was larger than life!

We were looking and looking for the French restaurant we thought we had booked but what we found instead was a Thai restaurant!  It turns out the French restaurant had gone out of business due to owner's health and the Thai restaurant had come in very recently. Carol's feet are hurting so much at this point so we should stay here.  Aww.  Disappointment from the others...I on the otherhand was secretly elated because I LOVE Thai food! Oh Oh my feet!  Yes, we must eat here... And I must say, it was delicious!!  Even the others had to admit it was fabulous. Voila!

Now, it's after 11pm and we were tired.  To the Metro Station!  Let's turn in for the night.

The next day, we were up early and ready to take the City Segway Tour! Highly recommended by many people, it did not disappoint.  Cruising along the streets, the warm breeze on the face, taking in the gorgeous scenery...just breathtaking.

First, we practiced for 30 minutes.  It was easy!

Then we were off!

Now it was time for a break.  Seth, our guide, brought us to a lovely restaurant near the Louvre. I had the tuna sandwich. Ahh... happy to be alive!

Then off again! The little locks on the bridge are from couples who get engaged.  They throw away the key to signify that their marriage will last forever.  Interesting to note, unfortunately some were combination locks!  Tsk tsk! Oh L'amour!

Alas, it was over too soon...

But onward!  To the Musée Rodin!

Beautiful sculptures everywhere.  The Thinking Man was nice to see.  But one piece struck me.  The head of John the Baptist on a platter.  Damn Herodias!

After a short break, we headed up to Montmartre Hill for the best walking tour ever! So many fun places, stories and famous people in history.  We even met a fat pet bunny named Max! 

If you touch the hand of the Man that Walks Through Walls, you get good luck.  I made sure to touch him with both hands for a double dose.

Montmarte Hill is named after St. Denis.  He continued to preach for 6 days with his head in his hands after he was decapitated for the Gospel.

When the tour came to an end we were amazed how quickly two hours had flown by.  This wonderful tour is FREE and I highly recommend it.  You just have to tip Chris at the end. 

Next we stepped inside the Sacré Coeur and said a prayer.  I contemplated walking up to the tower but J wasn't in the mood to climb hundreds of steps. Understandable.

Such a lovely, artistic place!  This man was playing a lovely tune on his accordian.

We took in the view from the Hill.  Isn't it wonderful?  Everyone must visit Paris at least once.

Then a nice a little break in the Place du Tertre to enjoy some delicious dèca créme.  mmmm...Paris makes the best! (Thanks for the tip, James!!)

We had worked up an appetite and were ready to enjoy some fine French cuisine.  Off to Bistro Lepicurien!  They had the most amazing food and if you love French food, you must dine here. The foie gras, escargot, pork was delicious. The creme brulée and profiteroles were divine.  My homemade nougat ice cream was...interesting.

After a fine meal, we made our way back to the Metro.  The sun set on our second day.

The next morning, we awoke to discover our lazy bums had turned off our alarms and had slept in until 11am!! Horror!  This was the day we were going to see three museums!  We had even purchased a museum pass.  Only slightly fazed, we decided to grab a quick cafe on the Champs Elysées and hit the Louvre. The Nespresso Cafe was so charming...enjoying my dèca créme...again, so happy to be alive!

We enjoyed the view of the Arc de Triomphe as we sipped our café and afterwards.

Finally, we made it to the Louvre! Oh the joy!

Beautiful art everywhere! Heavenly.

The crowd gathered in front of the Mona Lisa.  I don't get it.  There's thousands and thousands of lovely paintings everywhere! 

Shortly thereafter, the Museum closed.  Why oh why did I oversleep?! So we decided to stroll around the Opéra District and enjoy some deca créme and nutella crepe. There were huge luxurious shopping areas there like Printemps and Galeries Lafayette but I don't have a single picture.  I really must have been bummed about my ruined 'museum day'.  On the weekends in Paris, you have to wait in line to enter the Louis Vuitton store.  No merci! 

For dinner I was determined to try Paris' Korean cuisine.  So off we went to the Seoul Opéra Restaurant, I had to drag J a little bit, where I enjoyed very spicy and very delicious ddukbokgi, yummy bulgogi (better than American!!) and fish gui! Mmm mmm mmm! It was so good! Paris has such great food!

Now that I was in better spirits, we did a little sightseeing and then headed over to a bar. 

That cosmopolitan was the best I ever had.  Others might have said it was just juice, but it had just the teeniest amount of alcohol to make me get giggly and think my husband was hilarious.  His drinks on the other hand were strong, and he got all confused when he was trying to console me about missing all the museums.  He lovingly said to me "Don't worry, this won't be our first time to Paris." Huh? What was he talking about? Yes it is.  And he said it again, no it won't be our first time.  J, it will always be our first time!  Turns out he was reassuring me that one day we'd be back.  It wouldn't be our last time. I giggled all the way home. And the sun set on our third day.

The next morning we headed down to the Latin Quarter (on time!) for another walking tour. We met Augustin at the statue of Charlemagne near Notre Dame.

Interesting history in this area. St. Julien le Pauvre is the patron saint of wanderers so there are more homeless people in this section of Paris.  That coupled with drunk university students urinating in public places, makes some spots in this area smell particularly foul.

There are very old structures here.  Gargoyles can be seen in some windows to scare you straight.

Are you a follower of Rimbaud?Or Rambo?

Many students have rubbed this statue's foot for good luck in passing their exams.

When the tour ended we walked around a little and found a nice Italian restaurant. The lasagna was so fresh and delicious.  Even the Coca Cola tastes better in Paris!

We took in some more sightseeing in the Latin Quarter. Free Wi-Fi in the park. What is the Campeur store?  They are literally everywhere! After a quick detour through Sainte-Chapelle, we caught the metro back to the Champs Elysées for trinket souvenirs.

At last a quiet moment in the late afternoon to enjoy some café. The most delightful coffee experience was relaxing on the Champs Elysées sipping dèca créme and nibbling dainty desserts with silver forks at Ladurée. Just look at my rose macaron with lychee and raspberries!  Gorgeous!

Since we had a little time before dinner, we just walked around and enjoyed being in Paris.

On this last evening, the pièce de résistance was going to be dinner on the 56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse. And it was amazing...oh the view! Absolutely the most perfect way to end our trip.

And the sun set on our fourth day.

The next morning, it was raining, we checked out of our lovely hotel and caught the Air France plane back to Los Angeles.  Au Revoir!  Paris, je t'aime!!!!

From The Week Magazine October 31, 2008

Nebraska's governor and legislature this week agreed to rewrite the state's "safe haven" law after two parents drove their young teenagers across state lines to abandon them at Nebraska hospitals. The law was designed to prevent new mothers from dumping unwanted babies in the garbage. But since it went into effect in July, parents have dropped off 18 children between the ages of 2 and 18. Citing "serious, unintended consequences," Gov. Dave Heineman said the law would be changed to apply only to infants up to 3 days old.