RECAP :: PARIS, FRANCE

Somehow we were fortunate enough to spend Valentine's Day weekend in Paris. Even though we have a few more months until we PCS, that was probably the last four day weekend we will be able to take advantage of. I have been to Paris once before and I was really wanting to give the city another try with my love by my side. We were able to do a mix of things I hadn't done before so it was still new and exciting. We had a wonderful time and I think it was one of Ross' favorite cities. Oh, and I legitimately got a stomach ache from the sheer amount of sugar I consumed from the croissants, crepes, and beignets. Totally worth it.

Now onto the details... 

• FLIGHT-- SWISS AIR :: This was our second time flying with Swiss Air.  It's definitely one of our favorite airlines now. Very friendly staff and free chocolate! :)
• TRANSPORTATION :: We took the metro the first day. On the second day we walked. To get to our hotel from the airport we took the RER/metro.
• HOTEL-- HOTEL TERMINUS LYON ::Conveniently located across the street from the Gare de Lyon station. Quiet at night despite the location. Small rooms, but that is standard. The breakfast was a bit overpriced so we ate at a nearby cafe instead. 

Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, City Streets

Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Napoleon's Tomb

Petite-France

Petite-France is a picturesque area in Strasbourg where the river Ile splits into a number of canals. There are numerous covered bridges, timber-frame buildings, and it is absolutely beautiful. Thanks to Wikipedia I found out that the original purpose of this neighborhood was not so pretty; tanning and slaughter houses. Yuck! And to make matters worse the naming of "Little France" had nothing to do with sentimentality, but was a way to distinguish the island that housed individuals with the "French disease" aka. syphilis. Not so pretty, right? Luckily when you're walking around with gorgeous views down every street you easily forgot about all of that.  :) Petite-France was my favorite part of Strasbourg so I thought it appropriate to award the quaint neighborhood it's own post. That way it wouldn't get bogged down and lost among all the other pictures. Enjoy!

Strasbourg, France

At the end of May we decided to squeeze in a trip to France before we flew back to the States. And by squeeze I mean we got back a day before we flew out. Luckily, Strasbourg is just across the German border and we were able to make the trip in under 4 hours. Strasbourg is the perfect balance of French and German influence with a mix of timber-frame buildings and gothic cathedrals. Surprisingly it was one of the first places we've visited where we had trouble finding someone who spoke English in restaurants. I assume it's because we were right on the border and weren't in a huge tourist destination. We ended up using the very little bit of German we knew to get by. This was also the first trip we took Zeke on and I really think Strasbourg was the perfect city for it. Strasbourg is a great walking city with lots of outdoor cafes. The one indoor restaurant we went to was very pet friendly and had no problem with Zeke being inside. He was able to eat every meal with us. The location of our hotel was also perfect. There was a park with lots of grass just a few blocks away so Zeke could take care of his business. ;) Hotel Regent Contades was very centrally located and La Petite France was only a 15 minute walk away. We also found the most perfect breakfast cafe right across the street. Cafe Michele had THE. MOST. AMAZING. CROISSANTS I've ever had in my life. All in all we had a fantastic time. It was a short trip; we only stayed two nights, but it was great to get a little taste of France and mark another country off the list!