THE WILLARDS TAKE FRANCE, PART 1......OUR HOTEL, THE SEINE AND THE FOOD!

(Wink seriously believed that he was King of Versailles for the day)

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So we're back from our 8-day jaunt across the pond. From that City of Light, Paris, France......

 Laundry--done.

House--tidied.

Jet lag--mostly gone. 

428 photos downloaded and sorted--check, check, check!!

I hereby promise to try my best not to bore you with our vacation photos. I mean, let's be honest here: does ANYBODY really enjoy scrolling through Aunt Phyllis's 10,945  pictures from her Florida Spring break?

I didn't think so....

So I'm going to share with you JUST the photos I think are the best of the best, the creme de la creme.

Just so you know, Paris was FREAKING AWESOME AMAZING, especially for somebody like me, who views things with asthetic and foodie eyeballs. My mouth was literally hanging open in awe the entire trip...sounds pretty, no? Good thing I had Wink and our very own Little Miss Thing (whose French, by the way, is so fluent that even the locals couldn't tell she was a U.S. citizen), to wipe the drool off of my chin every 2.5 minutes or so......

This might take awhile...and this whole post shall be broken down into 2 or 3 parts, so that you won't want to go and shoot yourself in the head from sitting still for so long. Go ahead, grab that cup of coffee (or shot of Jager) now, because here we go!........................

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First up, our hotel. Absolute perfection. Well, absolute FRENCHIE perfection--the rooms would be considered small by American standards. Our daughter picked this place out for us because of it's central location on the Isle St. Louis, which is an actual island in the middle of the Seine River..............our hotel is named after the island.....(or, is the island named after the hotel?)......

Our cute hotelier, Phillippe, greeted us each day in the lobby...

The cellar dining room where we ate a few breakfasts....so cozy!...

Our wonderful 3rd floor room...check out the exposed original beams from the early 1800's!.......I want these in MY home!......

A few funky things...check out the hairdryer in the bathroom (it actually worked better than you'd think!) and the large room key that had to be turned in every time you left the room. Then, when you returned, you needed to pick the key up again at the front desk and insert it into this port as you enter your hotel room so that the electricity would turn on! Genius!.....



GORGEOUS shower and tile floors throughout....

Needless to say, after flying an 8 hour red-eye flight over, we NEEDED that shower, plus a nap.

But first things first...seeing Little Miss Thing! This photo was taken on a bridge over the Seine right after we met up, and I am here to tell you that I was so very out of it that I could have been in South Dakota, for all that I knew! Please note the yellow scarf I quickly wrapped around my pitiful self before leaving the room, in an desperate attempt to look "fresh" after not sleeping for 30 plus hours...............

Here's the famed Notre Dame Cathedral, which was mere steps from our hotel....

Seriously scary Gargoyles.....



View from the front of the Cathedral....absolutely breathtaking!.....



Here's something really ROMANTIQUE for you....on a couple of the bridges over the Seine, there is a tradition where lovers place LOCKS on the bridge, write each other's names upon the lock, then throw the key into the river, thereby insuring lifelong fidelity and bliss...you BETCHA we did this before we left Paris. Heck, it IS our 25th anniversary year!..........

Isn't that so sweet?

That first day was also the Marathon Du Paris AND a massive political rally for the French Presidential race...you should have heard the roar of the crowds! Here's a bit of the marathon we viewed from up above. I absolutely felt no shame in watching people run 26.2 miles while I happily ate Nutella Crepes from up above.....

SPEAKING of Nutella crepes...just so you know, Nutella Crepes, which are made right on the streets of Paris, are about the bestest, bestest thing you're ever going to eat...to this I swear. Again, no shame.....look at the bliss on LMT's face!.....

Since this is primarily a food blog, thought I'd share a few snaps of the gorgeous, gorgeous foods available on every single block of Paris. First and foremost, the BREAD....it is not a stereotype that the Frenchies adore their bread. Good thing I'm not gluten intolerant in any way.....

Then there's the Coffee Crema...had to have at least 2 of these each and every morning...

(By the way...Parisian culture prefers that you sit down in a cafe and drink your coffee--there is a noticeable lack of coffee-to-go shops. Thank GOODNESS, says this proud caffeine-addicted-American girl, for a Starbucks located within walking distance from our hotel!)

When we were planning our trip, we had at least 72 trillion friends tell us that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should we miss the famed Berthillon, located a block away from us on Isle St. Louis, for their ice cream. And even though the weather was not in any way summer-like, we had to see what the hype was all about....Well, consider me a believer. Because their Salted Caramel ice cream was pretty much insane, and so was their chocolate ice cream..........

Amazing pastries, EVerywhere....

These French Macaroons come in the most glorious colors and flavors, and can be found in every Patisserie.........

(so sorry about the window glare....most shopkeepers don't like photos taken inside)

Last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't share Wink's favorite moment of the ENTIRE trip....his own personal Nirvana...a giant pan of hot grilling sausages!...........

That's it for today! Please come back now, ya hear, for some REAL sightseeing.....Bus tour, Boat tour, the Champs Elysee, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge and oh so much more!

So very glad to be home, but oh how we can't wait to return to you someday, beautiful France!

XXX000

Leslie

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR......

***The two books I read on my tablet during our flights...first, Paris, My Sweet (the author escapes me right now)...which really helped us direct our tastebuds to all the best places, AND Bossy Pants by Tina Fey....I laughed so hard that my seatmate on the plane home thought I was sobbing! Probably the funniest book I've ever read...

***The fact that after 8 days of eating and drinking whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, I actually LOST 3 pounds! Now I REALLY love France!

***That our daughter was so very helpful in all of the restaurants we went to, never complaining about translating each and every menu item for her old mom and dad! We love you, LMT!