Paris Yummies

From top left: oh so yummy nutella cookie, melt in your mouth macarons, crepes, and a chocolate croissant.

And those were the only ones that I took pictures of. There were a lot more chocolate croissants where that came from.

Oh, I want to go back!

Louvre vs. Orsay

We only had a few days in Paris, and I'm realizing now with looking back on how many museums that I missed, that it wasn't enough. We were torn because of all the differing opinions and time constraints, so we narrowed down our museum intake to the Louvre and the Orsay museums.

So the Louvre, naturally, was a sweet museum. It was insanely huge, so we planned our visit very carefully to make sure we saw what we wanted to. If you only like paintings before the year 1850 (rough guess) and nothing that can be termed "modern," then the Louvre is your museum.

Cold and rainy. Just the way we like it!

Greeting us at the top of the steps. My favorite. 

From the other side of the Mona Lisa

If you wait long enough in the museum, the rain will be gone when you get out. 

Then, there's the Orsay Museum. The location itself is awesome--in an old train station that reminded me so much of Hugo Cabret.

It also had plenty of gems in there. All "modern"---like Monet, Manet, Renoir, VanGogh, Degas, etc.

So the winner in my book was the Orsay. I don't regret going to the Louvre, but personally, the Orsay is full of more of my favorites, and in my opinion won't leave you feeling slightly disappointed (Mona Lisa, I'm looking at you)

The Eiffel Tower.

 I'm not usually a cheesy person, but this is one type of photo that I have always wanted. And you better believe that we set up a tripod for this shot. I hate asking strangers to take kissing pictures.

But the Eiffel Tower really was that cool. After the rainstorm cleared, that is.

Paris is Always a Good Idea

Name that movie.

We had a lovely old time in Paris, the city of lovers. It really is a romantic city, but if you have any notion that rain makes the city more romantic, then you are completely wrong. Paris was cold and windy, which we weren't expecting. I mean, it was warm in D.C., so why wouldn't it have been warm in Paris? Silly us. But we survived and had a great time, but I could also title these posts about Paris and London as "The Week I Wore the Same Two Outfits Everyday."

Anyway, how about some photos?
Day one in Paris:

We stayed in a little apartment near Montmarte. How adorable was the building and courtyard??

Luxembourg Gardens. 

"It takes you past all the bridges of Paris... twenty-three of them. And you find one you love and go there every day." Have you figured out the movie yet??

Here's another hint: my one souvenir from Paris was an Eiffel Tower paper weight. 

the number one thing to remember when flying space a

So, I'm beginning the daunting task of documenting our European vakay, and I figured I would start by sharing our experience of getting to Europe, which was through a military flight to Ramstein AFB in Germany.

A lot of people asked me to report back on what it was like to fly on a military flight, also known as "space available" flights. Well, the one thing to remember when flying space a and dealing with all the stuff that goes along with it is this:

IT'S FREE. IT'S FREE. IT'S FREE.

Flying space a kind of sucked. But it was free!! It sucked because Victor and I didn't know what to expect, so we weren't very well prepared. Next time we do it, it probably won't be as terrible.

You have to be extremely flexible and patient in the whole process. We arrived at the Dover Air Force base expecting there to be two flights leaving that night, because that's what they told us, but lo and behold, when we showed up, they said, nope, there will be no passengers on those flights. So, we had to reevaluate. We called up to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and they told us our odds were very high, so up we drove to New Jersey. All of this was kind of a pain, but it actually worked out wonderfully, because a couple of Victor's friends drove down and took Victor's car to his parents house, which saved us the hassle of having to somehow get back to Delaware to get our car.

Then there is the enormous suspense of whether or not you will make the flight. The whole thing is organized by "category," and then that is prioritized by rank, and the last on the list are the retired people. So as more and more people show up, you're flustered because you don't know if they will trump you or not. Too much suspense!! Luckily we made it on the flight leaving just after midnight. But all those retired people didn't. I felt kind of bad for them.  But then I remembered that they are retired and have all the time in the world to wait for flights, so I kind of got over it.

After we took off, they said we could spread out on the ground if we wanted. Sweet! But when we started seeing people rolling out mats, sleeping bags, and pretty big blankets, we soon realized that our night wasn't going to be as pleasant as those well prepared people. It quickly turned very very cold, and my piece of crap travel blanket was almost worthless. It was a pretty miserable night.

But, IT WAS FREE.

And little did we know that this cold weather was just a foreshadowing of the week to come, and for us who packed for 75 degree weather, we were in for a long week in Paris and London. A great week for sure, but very cold and very long!

so, what have i learned?

These are the important lessons I have learned these last few weeks, which I hope will help continue to help me be a good traveler. These are purely opinion, so you are free to express yours as well!

International American Air Force Bases are the equivalent of international layovers: it does NOT count that you have been to that country if you never leave the base/airport. 
    Seriously, though. We were in major culture shock over the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. That place is straight up little America. So can I count that I've been to Germany? We did in fact leave the base to catch the train in a nearby town. And my passport did get stamped, and I did eat some schnitzel, after all. But, we're still debating. What say ye?

Cheap air lines are cheap for a reason.
     To you future European travelers who are traveling WizzAir or any other cheap airline, be warned. With that super ganga price, be prepared for very very slow customer service, and ridiculous carry on policies that might cost you more money. Basically, you get what you pay for.

Don't judge a country by its airport, or its civilians in the airport.
    So, naturally I was very excited to be leaving London to go to Romania, my home for 18 months. Our red eye flight from London was full of Romanians, most of them legit, but of course there were a few very obnoxious ones that give a bad name to the rest of them. One Romanian guy wasn't allowed on the flight because he shoved a soccer ball into the worker's chest when she told him he couldn't bring it on board (again, WizzAir has ridiculous policies). Anyway, in these moments, all of my less great memories came flooding in and I was like, "oh man, can I really handle going back to Romania and dealing with all of this???" But of course, once we got out of the airport and around the country, it was absolutely wonderful.
    Also, it's a very good thing that we actually left the airport and explored the city of Kiev in Ukraine for our twenty hour layover, because the security/customs/customer service in the Kiev airport was terrible, absolutely terrible. At that point we wanted nothing more than to get to the U.S. of A. But Kiev is actually a really beautiful city, and the people there were very lovely and nice.

Traveling the world and experiencing other cultures is a wonderful thing for many reasons, one of them being that it makes you appreciate that you're American.
    I know I'm being completely biased and I hope I don't offend any international readers, but it's only natural to be patriotic to your home country, which I definitely am.

home.

5 countries
4 flights
3 bus rides
2 train rides
1 super duper European vakay

So, we're home. And it feels good, because we were pretty exhausted. And it feels extra good because our apartment is clean, there are no weird smells from the kitchen, and my plant didn't die! All of this solidifies the fact that we had a great vacation. Stories and pictures to come soon, naturally.

Love you,
Annie