Benny & the Brit: October 2012

Paris, France

Valentines Day 2012 Ben gave me the sweetest gift EVER! Tickets to a Coldplay concert in Paris! (see blog post for details). Pinch me please! So the countdown started and in late August 2012 we hopped on a plane and woke up in Paris, France. What a dream vacation... We rented a flat we found on HomeAway.com. It was so charming and was just steps away from the metro, patisseries, sandwicheries and boucheries (so much more fun to say with an "eries" at the end). And best of all, within view of and just a stroll away from the Eiffel Tower.

CAUTION: Lots of smooching and naked statues ahead!

The first few days of our trip were extra special; Ben's sister Ali and her husband Eric joined us in Paris! We shared the cozy flat and saw much of the sites together. It was great having them there to take our handstand photos for us. Don't get me wrong though--they are more than just good picture takers! They are awesome travel buddies and it was so sweet to spend time with them, especially in Paris!

Cathedrale Notre-Dame

Just like I imagined from the Disney Movie. Minus the hunchback.

All angles of the Notre Dame are a French Gothic architectural masterpiece!

Everyone knows Paris as ‘the romance capital’ and the ‘city for lovers’. Love-struck sweethearts lock padlocks onto the chain link fence on the Lover's bridge over the Seine River. After locking the love padlock onto the fence, the lovers make a wish and toss the keys into the river – a sign of their eternal love. (sigh)

We kissed our keys and each made a wish as I gracefully tossed mine in the river and as Ben chucked his like a baseball, of course.

Just one of the many intriguing fountains found throughout the city...

The view of the Eiffel tower from the ground is amazing but the view from the very top may be even better. We rode the lift to the very top of the tower to experience it all...

One of my favorite things to do while in Paris was to admire the Eiffel tower after sunset-when the tower would light up and on the hour, every hour the lights would glitter. It was five whole minutes of pure enjoyment. Belle nuit!

And coming in a very close second--another favorite of mine was eating nutella and banana filled crepes. And if i'm feeling a bit crazy, why not add a little chantilly--which is the pretty and well-deserved name for whip cream.

I think Ali might feel the same way...

I have to admit that I enjoyed crepes and croissants for just about every meal...

We strolled along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, where we enjoyed its cafés, shops, and sites...

Place de la Concorde

Arc de Triomphe

We took a day trip to Versailles.

What a gorgeous palace. Marie Antoinette was a lucky gal!

There was an amazing modern art exhibit displayed throughout the palace for a limited time. These ginormous heels made of pots and pans--unreal!

We spent hours touring the art and architecture inside and outside of the palace.

We took a sweet little boat ride with Ali and Eric on the water of the palace grounds...

Ben takes care of me...

The woman behind the man...

I kiss him...

and he makes me laugh...

We visited the grounds of the Louvre...

After a few fun days in Paris with Ali and Eric, we parted paths and they left the city while we stayed for a few more days...

The grounds of the Musee du Louvre wasn't enough, we just had to go inside...

We visited the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, one of the absolute prettiest sites in Paris. It is perched high atop a hill so we had to climb hundreds of steps to reach the very top.

Worth it.

We sat on the steps, crowded with fellow spectators, to enjoy the view, live music, a puppet show and an acrobatic show that included a soccer ball. Amazeballs!
Pun intended.

Inside the Basilique...

We fell in love with the town surrounding the Basilique du Sacre Coure; it is full of charming shops, cafe's, carousels and the "love wall" where "I love you" is written in every language...