One Night in Paris

We are officially 8 weeks into our adventure abroad! Time is flying by. As we mapped out our travel destinations for the next four months, we couldn't help but spend Valentine's Day weekend in the City of Light. Paris is a relatively close three hour drive or 1.5 hour Euro Star train ride from Brussels.  Since we have a four legged fur child that loves road trips we opt for as many car rides as possible. By now, Maddie has associated the car with some sort of adventure. She is going to be a bit disappointed when we return home as American car rides will revert back to running errands or going to the nanny.

  

Upon our arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to receive an SPG upgrade to the Ambassadors Suite. We are relishing the bonuses while we can as our hotel and airline status will disappear in the coming year. The extra space was nice but the living room view of the Eiffel Tower was the most spectacular perk. The Westin has the perfect location in the city. We were in close proximity to the shops along Champs-Elysees and lush parks that flanked the Louvre.  Maddie will be more well-traveled than most dogs (and people) by the end of our trip. In case you were wondering, the Parisian stereotype is true as there were an inordinate amount of pint sized Poodles and Frenchies out and about along the avenues.

After a lengthy "Tour de Paris", Maddie was thrilled to spend her time relaxing in the king size bed while we spent the rest of our evening at the Crazy Horse.

  

The weather on Sunday was incredibly mild with abundant sunshine which made for an even more crowded walk around the Parisian neighborhoods. We fell in love with Saint-Germain which was full of art galleries, patisseries, and restaurants. We had a scrumptious Parisian lunch with a friend from business school at “La Palette” known to host a few Hollywood celebrities here and there. To my dismay, we didn't catch any celebs but the meal was fantastic regardless of star spotting. We highly recommend both the restaurant and neighborhood to anyone visiting the city!

The following weekend was spent with a variety of activities back in our host city. Saturday featured the "Museum Night Fever" event where 20+ museums kept their doors open until midnight to allow locals enjoy the variety of different exhibits for a single admission ticket. We were impressed with the large turnout and extra activities of art workshops, live music and libations.

 

 

 

  

 

On our way home we FINALLY experienced our first Gaufre (Belgian Waffle) from a local food truck. As you can see from Ben's expression, it is a tasty late night snack perfectly portioned to fit in your hand as you walk (or stumble) home from an evening out.

 

Stay tuned next week as we experience our first Carnival celebration in Cologne, Germany!