A Very French Date Night

Yesterday was simply the very best day!  Mark and I started our day at my nineteen week OB appointment.  We spent about a half hour with my doctor's wonderful ultrasound tech.  There on the screen appeared our perfect little baby.  We saw baby's feet and hands, and we got to see the baby kick and yawn.  To see the baby come to life onscreen makes me feel so special that this baby spends its days living inside of me.  It is truly the most amazing feeling in the world!

To celebrate, Mark and I decided to go for a little date night!  I have been dying to see Midnight in Paris.  So we started our evening at this wonderful French wine bar and bistro called Delachaise.  I had the tomato soup with mini grilled cheese and duck fat fries with a Thai peanut dipping sauce and a malt vinegar aioli.  Mark had the steak frites.  We finished out meal in perfect French fashion - with a cheese plate.  It was such a wonderful meal and reminded us of our time in Paris.  

Following a lovely meal, we headed off to see Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, and company take on the streets of Paris.  This moving was as lovely and quirky as most Woody Allen films are.  The backdrop of Paris was just fabulous.  It was not a deep film, but it was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Have you seen Midnight in Paris?  Do you plan to?

Supper Club Inspiration - Paris

We have scheduled our second New Orleans supper club, and this month's host is considering a garden party if the weather is nice.  I started thinking about where I would draw my inspiration for the next time we host.  A friend of mine who was married last week is in Paris on her honeymoon, and I have been living vicariously through her facebook updates.  And I thought, what better inspiration that the amazing meals we ate in Paris!

I am thinking about starting with mini-Croque Monsiuers.  That is my absolute favorite sandwich in the world.  Imagine how cute they will be!  I think we might have Inz Garten's lemon chicken with croutons over a bed of field greens in a mustard vinaigrette.  Maybe we'll end the night with Meringues Chantilly.   Also in Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris, this dish is composed of baked meringue, raspberry sauce, whipped cream, and fresh berries.  Deeeelish!

I really can't think of a better place to find inspiration...

All images from my trip with Mark to Paris last May.  

Dreaming of Paris

A friend of mine recently spent some time in Paris.  I was following her all around that magical city via her facebook posts imagining that I was traveling with her.  Mark and I spent a week in Paris last May, and it may have been the best week of my life.  I spent a year reading travel book after restaurant guide after blog about Paris, but nothing could have prepared me for the majesty, beauty, and romance that we found in Paris.  

I'm dreaming of walking under the Tour Eiffel and strolling hand in hand down the tiny little streets in Marais.  I'm dreaming of gorgeous city views and paths less taken.  I'm dreaming of Chanel and hot chocolate.

Paris is a dream come true.  A dream wrapped up perfectly in a bow...

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Christmas in Paris

Mark and I were lucky enough to spend a week in Paris this summer (click HERE for more about our Parisian adventures).  What an absolutely beautiful city!!!  And at Christmas, it could not be any more magical...

Saturday & Sunday May 28th/29th: Au Revoir, Paris

As our trip was coming to a close, I found myself taking note of all of our last moments in Paris.  Mark believes that if you count all of your lasts, you'll be too busy to recognize any of your firsts.  But, I just can't help it. 

I wanted to take one last stroll down the cozy streets of the Ile de la Cite.  We stopped in and had an ice cream cone at Berthillon (vanilla for Mark and Passion Fruit for me).  Then we wandered into a hat shop where I found the hat I want to wear to the Derby should we ever get to go.

We enjoyed our final dinner in Paris at La Truffiere.  Mark particularly loved his dessert!  He voted this his favorite dish in Paris!

The staff at La Truffiere were amazing and made us feel very special.  Dinner at this beautiful and romantic restaurant was the perfect way to end our trip.  Perhaps my favorite aspect of La Truffiere - we were able to take their beautiful menu home with us.  What a special souvenir!

From my journal:  How is it Sunday already?  I feel like we just arrived!  I will never be able to put into words what a meaningful experience this was.  It may sound silly, but I feel like I have grown as a person since being here.  We have seen so many things, and to do so together has made this the trip of a lifetime.  While I am so incredibly sad to leave Paris,  I leave feeling renewed and excited about the world of adventures that is out there for Mark and me to explore.

One last view of the Pantheon

 

Goodbye Hotel Des Grands Hommes

Au Revoir Iron Lady

I hope you enjoyed taking this journey with us!  There are so many helpful tools out there that made our trip so incredibly fun to plan.  I will be doing a  little tips and tricks post on Friday to recap all of the sites and blogs I used to guide me through our Paris planning.  Stay tuned!

Saturday May 28th: Sainte Chapelle

After a costume change needed to adapt to the rapidly decreasing temperatures, Mark and I paid a visit to Sainte Chapelle, or Holy Chapel.  I had been looking forward to seeing it since we arrived, but actually seeing it in person exceeded every expectation I had.

A view of the exterior of the church which was built in the Rayonnant Style of Gothic architecture.

We toured both the lower chapel, dedicted to the Virgin Mary, as well as the Upper Chapel.  The Upper Chapel was used to store The Crown of Thorns and a piece of the True Cross prior to the relics being moved to Notre Dame.

From my journal:  It is incredible to think that we are standing in a building which dates back to the thirteenth century and was commissioned for the purpose of housing such important relics.  It makes you think about who stood in the very same place as you so many years ago.  I love every aspect of this church - the beauty of the stained glass, the way the light rises to meet the peak of its arches, and of course the repetitive use of the Fleur de Lis.

I enjoyed reading the pamphlet on the history of the upper and lower chapels.

Of course, the main reason I wanted to come to Sainte Chapelle was to see the stained glass windows. 

This was truly a spectacular thing to see in person, and I highly recommend visiting it if you have the opportunity to when in Paris.  As a note, they are restoring much of the upper chapel through 2012, so we were unable to see the panes of glass behind the alter.  It was still well worth seeing in any case.