J'ai laissé mon cœur à Paris

So I don't actually know how to say this in French but Google (love) translated my title for me! It says "I left my heart in Paris." I will need to go back as often as possible until I can find it!

I am going to skip the complaining about the trip because whenever I say my complaints out loud, well, it just sounds silly (as my Dad reminded me yesterday). My life is not difficult; work brought me to Paris. (This is going to be my new life mantra..)

It snowed in Paris this weekend and quite hard. Mama C was shocked. It apparently rarely snows in the city and very rarely as hard as it was snowing. Lucky me, the snow followed me to Paris!

On Saturday evening, I was allowed out for the night to explore on my own.  The skies had cleared so I started walking. I had done a bit of research on places to go and things to see but really I just wanted to walk. I started at Notre Dame, which was gorgeous. I arrived just in time to see the beginning of Saturday night Mass (sorry Mom, I didn't stay). It was indeed a gorgeous church.

Joan of Arc 

"St. Joan of Arc (1421-1431) Born in Lomaine, burned
alive in Rouen as a heretic and a witch. The decision
to rehabilitate her reputation was made in this Cathedral. 

I thought this was an interesting fact! One of the few women we ever hear about in religious history!

Then I continued to weave through the streets of Paris. I didn't exactly know where I wanted to go end up but I stopped and got some Vin Chaud (hot wine) which has popped up as a (not so) tasty treat around Europe. It was disgusting and I did the unthinkable and threw away a glass of wine.

I continued to walk and look at the shops and every building I walked by made me fall in love with the city even more. It had a lively personality and the diversity was extremely apparent. It reminded me New York City in a lot of ways, only everyone speaks French, and the buildings are notably historical instead of tall!

This is one of the main government buildings. 

This is possibly a fact I should know or at least researched before departing to Paris but I didn't know where the Eiffel Tower was.  I also felt too silly asking. I figured it is tall and must be visible throughout the city. I will just stumble upon it! I was wrong. I eventually asked for a visitor's map at the metro and had of course been walking the wrong way!

I turned around and started the trek. Since it was a lovely 2-3 degress out (35 F) I figured I would walk there. I mean how far away could it really be...

About 2 hours later, I was getting closer. So close I could see more than the top of it! I got so excited I stopped and ate dinner! Now, I loved this city a lot, but sitting at a restaurant alone in Paris, is not a pleasant experience. I recommend grabbing to go because people stare with so much sadness when you sit alone. It is the most romantic city in the world for a reason, I guess.

Then I made it to the Eiffel Tower. There are so many things around the world that we see pictures of growing up and when you see the real thing it is a let down in a weird way. This was not one of them for me. I loved it! I thought it was absolutely gorgeous.

Sorry, I really LOVED it!

Just as I was leaving, I was thinking, I did think it sparkled more..and before my eyes it did! It was absolutely gorgeous! 

My Dad is completely right..my life is just not difficult..frustrating and exhausting perhaps, but not difficult! 

I woke up early on Sunday morning to catch free day at the Musee d'Orsay.  It is much more manageable with the time that I had free before we left. I loved this museum. The archeticture itself made it amazing not to mention the amazing artists who have their work on display.  Now a large portion of the Van Gogh and Monet collection is at some other museum somewhere in the world.  They had everything mixed up a bit which was really interesting. They combined much of their Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art (this makes me sound oh so smart..right?) since they were missing portions of each. 

I really did enjoy them being mixed together. It did make it interesting to wander through that section of the museum.  There was also a bit of the beginning of photography which I also really enjoyed. It was a great way to spend my Sunday morning! 

I then headed to Angelina's for some African hot chocolate, which absolutely amazing, and a lemon tart (that I just finished eating) and my 20th croissant (I am only being a little sarcastic).  

The museum with an awesome elephant and the line that I fortunately did not have to wait in.

This visit to Paris will be one of many in my lifetime. It has become my latest inspiration to continue to learn the language, which I can only guess will make my Parisian experience even better!

Chocolate Disappointment and Gingerbread Heaven

During our drive to Strasbourg, we spotted a Chocolate Museum sign and on our way out we headed there! Eight Euros later we entered, what we thought, would be a great museum filled with chocolate. We started with a movie that was narrated but, who else, but chocolate himself! Chocolate shared with us how he was discovered and how he is made for us all to devour with love...it was really just weird!

We entered the museum which was filled with extremely creepy moving figures and a sad lack of chocolate...

The highlight of the museum was the end when a woman explained how she makes the hollowed chocolate figures... one of the great mystery's of life has now been solved in my life!

Our gift when we left was not chocolate from the musuem but instead, yes you guessed it, Swiss chocolate..

We then made our way to the Gingerbread House museum...a little disappointed and unsure of whether is one would be worth it..and oh boy! It sure was!

 When we drove up we saw a huge line of people and were handed delicious tastes of gingerbread and free tickets! Things were looking good!

The flyer we found in our hotel told us that:

The Gingerman takes you on a voyage of discovery through the world of Gingerbread covering more than 800 sqm. 

Let yourself be guided on a fun interactive trail, which will delight your 5 senses. Visitors will find themselves in a variety of animated areas, where they will be able to find out more about the origins of Gingerbread, the secrets of how it is made, but but also immersed in the gormet world where the 5 senses are aroused. 

How amazing does that sound? It was so great! We were led by the Gingerbread man through is house (as the flyer said we would be). We ate gingerbread from his walls (which we really weren't supposed to do and read the history of gingerbread.  I don't recall most of this history but I do now know that there is a rich cross-country history in Europe.

That is Nicole actually breaking off a piece of the wall for us to eat.

It was the perfect way to end our relaxing weekend in Strasbourg.