The City of Light!

I would love to start this post with a beautiful French phrase, but my language attempts in that country only receive painful expressions from locals, so I will spare you all (also the blog doesn't do accent marks!) Brandon and I popped over to Paris for a long weekend earlier this month via the Eurostar (high-speed train from London to Paris.) It only took four hours to get from our flat in Notting Hill to our rental apartment in the neighborhood of Saint Germain des Pres just off the River Seine - amazing! Our AirBnB host had a gorgeous, Parisian apartment decorated with vintage furniture and wild Louis Vuitton shoes. If the shoes weren't so tiny I would have tried them all on!


Let me explain why we just got around to visiting Paris after living in London for over nine months when it is such an easy trip. Rewind to August 2006, my first trip to Paris. It's hot (read: smells like urine), insanely crowded with tourists, my friend and I have been traveling/studying in Europe for two months, and I have a stomach bug. Neither of us speak any French and all waiters and service people give us the cold shoulder. The fact that I can't remember the hotel we slept at is probably a bad sign.

Fast forward to the present, and you see why I may have been putting off Paris. But now I am a convert! Paris is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. Yes, some Parisians suck, but who cares. Brandon's petit French helped immensely (thanks, Mark, for those lessons in the Markley dorms!)

Because it was Brandon's first time to Paris, we needed to check off the big guns from the list - the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.

Selfie in front of the Arc de Triomphe

In addition, we did a 3-hour walking tour of the city and learned some interesting facts about the city's founders (Celtic tribe) and its current architecture (Haussmann.) Other than those sites, we just ate tons of cheese, bread and pain aux chocolat and drank Bordeaux wine, yum! Oh yeah, and shopped on the Champs Elysees of course!

Musee du Louvre

They are going to have awesome photos of the Mona Lisa

Notre Dame

Notre Dame stained glass

My favorite meal was Saturday morning brunch at Laduree, most famously known for its macaroons. On a recommendation from a friend, we ordered the French toast or pain perdu (literally: "lost bread" for the day-old French bread used), covered in homemade raspberry coulis and creme freche and a side of scrambled eggs. For good measure, we added mini pastries, which included a croissant with German strudel filling (swoon!) To top it off, they had the best coffee we tasted all weekend.

The Laduree bakery has been around since the 19th century, and the decor in the cafe (Asian tea garden) alludes to the oriental fads in Europe at that time. It was a perfect meal in a lovely location. On our way out, we purchased the obligatory macaroons (my favorite was pistachio!)

I think our approach to the weekend was a big part of why we enjoyed the two-day trip. Paris is a substantial city with an insane amount of things to see, do and taste. We knew we couldn't come close to seeing everything we wanted to see, so we made a short list and stuck to it. We didn't make ourselves crazy rushing from one museum to the next. We took our time walking along the Seine and around the winding, cobblestone streets just enjoying each other's company and the scenery.

Suffice it to say we loved our little hop over the English Channel so much, we've already booked a return trip at the end of May! Interesting fact: Paris is nicknamed the "City of Light" after the scientists who philosophized at the famous Sorbonne university during the age of enlightenment (17th century) and for being one of the first cities to adopt gas street lamps. Au revoir!

Copenhagen

I didn't forget about this blog! I was sidetracked by a new job and a broken computer, but now all is well! Going back in time to recap our weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark, today.

We traveled with our fellow DC-er, Ben, and donned hats, gloves and umbrellas for our first venture into Scandinavia. It was early February. What were we thinking?! So we opted for an indoor activity as our first stop - the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.

The museum started from the sculpture collection of Ny Carlsberg of Carlsberg beer brewery fame. He really loved ancient Greek and Roman statues (glyptotek means sculpture museum). I could picture his huge office filled with random marbles like these:

Peek-a-boo! Ben and I stare creepily at Brandon from the upper gallery.

The city's buildings were beautiful - a mix of old and new construction and styles. They reminded me of Amsterdam's with their pointed towers, slate-colored roofs and dark red brick.

City Hall

After the museum, we searched for a lunch spot, and since we weren't too keen on pickled fish, we made a beeline for a hot dog stand recommended by good ol' Rick Steves. It served organic meats AND sauerkraut and pickles from Germany! Food highlight of the trip.

Epic hot dogs

Once it stopped raining, we walked around the palaces and found these dudes guarding them. There were four buildings in a square where the royal families live, and the guards rotate around each door.

Center of the square facing a palace

Another palace

The red stalls in the above photo had an adorable cut-out heart, alluding to the nine red hearts on Denmark's coat of arms (left). While the design has changed over time, the hearts date back to the 14th century version. So cute!

For even more cuteness, check out the city of Copenhagen's coat of arms (right) - a princess castle! When your garbage trucks, sewer plates and trash cans have cute castles, you know you're in a happy place. In fact, Copenhagen is ranked the happiest city in the world, in large part to taxes paying for all health care, child care, college education - pretty much anything that would cause worry and stress. That and employers allotting tons of vacation time!

One of the prettiest spots in Copenhagen is the neighborhood of Nyhavn on the canals. It's the part of the city you usually see in postcards with brightly colored buildings and picturesque boats bobbing in the clear canal. You could see all the way to the sandy bottom. This is no Thames, Seine or Potomac River!

Nyhavn at dawn - thanks to Brandon for rising early!

Brandon may have gotten minor frostbite for taking photos that early, but he said it was worth it! Group shot:

B is realizing his frostbitten hand...

The only site on my must-do list for Copenhagen was the tribute to one of the city's most famous residents, Hans Christian Andersen. The author is most known for his fairy tales like The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue.) And in 1913 sculptor Edvard Eriksen dedicated this statue of den lille havfrue to the city. She looks longingly towards land in search of her prince. She's actually bummed because every time a group of people want to make a statement to the Danish government, she gets stolen, covered in paint or decapitated! True story.

I'd be blue too! Poor havfrue

We had a great little trip to the Danish land. The people were the friendliest I've encountered outside of the Michigan. At the bars in the evening strangers make friends over foosball and pool tables. The Danes LOVE foosball - every bar had a table. Thanks Copenhagen for being such a lovely host!

Cambridge

A couple weekends ago, Brandon and I took a 45 minute train ride up to Cambridge - one of the oldest universities in the world (since the 13th century!) Cambridge is made up of 31 colleges, all with adorable architecture.  We took a walking tour of the city to get a good feel for the college town. DNA and gravity was discovered here! And Stephen Hawking lives and works in the mathematics department at two of the colleges! And the student acceptance rate is 20%... We took some photos of the more famous colleges, Queens' (named for multiple queen patrons):

The Dining Hall (previously for students, now for special events)

William Morris fireplace in Dining Hall

And Kings! Famous alumni include Florence Nightingale, the poet John Keats, novelist Virginia Woolf, and Wilkins & Franklin (DNA discoverers).

The best part of King's College (I think) is the Chapel, built over a century - started by King Henry VI and finished by Henry VIII (the one with 6 wives.) The choir screen in the center of the chapel has Anne Boleyn's initials, so historians date the completion of the chapel to her years as Queen: 1433-1436. The chapel has the largest fan-vaulted ceiling in the world and some of the most pristine medieval stained-glass. The glass was put into storage during World War II and painstakingly reassembled in the 1950s.

King's College Chapel

Roses are symbols of the Tudor dynasty (King Henry VIII)

Notice the crowns - Henry VIII wanted visitors to know who was in charge!

The greyhound on the right of the crest below the glass is also a Tudor symbol

Cambridge had the prettiest grounds of any university I've ever seen - but you weren't allowed to step on the grass! Michigan students would protest. No frisbee, outdoor classes or drum circles? :(

Bridge of Sighs at St. John's College with punters on the River Cam

We ended the day trip with a proper English tea, Brandon's first! The empty tiers proves he likes it.

Very proper, indeed

Oxford is next on our UK list. But we have some international destinations planned first, so stay tuned!

New Berwick, Scotland

With all the craziness of the January trip to Michigan, I completely forgot to post photos from our day trip to New Berwick when we were in Scotland! We hired a local guide who took us on a short, 20-minute train ride outside Edinburgh to the sleepy town surrounded by the North Sea. We hiked up an extinct volcano to capture breathtaking views of the town and the sea.

World War II lookout - Scots shot down Nazi planes from here

Napoleonic War lookout

Wind gusts of 30mph couldn't stop us for living in the moment!

Copper deposits

Cleo chasing a pheasant through the field

Our tour guide took us to the local whisky shop, fish & chip shop and centuries-old streets. It was a beautiful day without any rain (for once!) I highly recommend New Berwick to anyone visiting Edinburgh. Couldn't get enough of these views!

We ran around on the beach while watching the sunset on the lovely beach town.

Cleo loved Scotland!

Thanks again to Brandon for his great photos! Edinburgh and New Berwick are our favorite cities we've visited since living in London. :)

Edinburgh

Hello!!! For Christmas, Brandon and I took a trip up north to jolly Edinburgh. We hopped the  train from London's Kings Cross station, and just four hours later we arrived in sunny, warm Scotland.

Cowdog loves train rides!

Train view - ocean and sheep!

Kidding! We were immediately pelted with diagonal rain and 30 mph wind gusts from Siberia. Brandon and I got frostbite waiting for the rain to pass to get this photo.

Worth it? B says yes...

Welcome to the north! For those pf you that read/watch Game of Thrones, I was constantly reminded of Winterfell and Castle Black during our trip. Remember the Red Wedding episode? It was based on a real life wedding in Edinburgh Castle. Those Scots were more gruesome than the English!

Tartan can kill...

We spent six days wandering through the centuries-old neighborhoods via cobblestone paths. The hilly city's historic, brooding architecture paired nicely with foggy weather. We only took photos in the brief moments of sunlight, so don't be fooled! We rented an apartment next to Holyrood Park, once the royal grounds of the palace - perfect for queen Cleo!

Palace on the left, our apartment on the right

The first day we toured Edinburgh Castle. The foundation of the castle has been a fortress since the 2nd century AD. It survived multiple sieges and cannon fire, and its rocky appearance sure looks the part. After the unification of England and Scotland in 1603 the castle was used by the military instead of the royal family residence.

Windblown

View from inside the castle walls

Side note - The extinct volcano (called Arthur's Seat) in the background of the last photo was right outside our apartment window. More on that later - back to the castle. A medieval cannon named Mons Meg fended off invaders with a shooting range of two miles! All the way to the invading ships.

Took eight men to fire and move Mons Meg

Most of the current castle's buildings are less than 500 years old, but the St. Margaret's chapel along the inner wall is from the 12th century. It's the oldest structure in all of Edinburgh. St. Margaret was a Scottish queen in the 11th century.

Chapel is the stone building on the left behind the tree

After the castle, we popped into a pub for some mulled wine and hot toddies to warm up (we used the cold as an excuse to drink whisky at noon almost every day.) Then we took a walking tour of the old town. After three hours in the cold we were ready for our first whisky tasting. Turns out we really like whiskies from the Speyside region. They are usually a bit sweeter and very smooth, due to their casks  - previously used to make bourbon in Kentucky. Yay USA!

We visited the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which was a beautiful Victorian building. The Scottish history was a little over our heads since we were just starting to get the hang of the British monarchy lines. We'll figure it out eventually!

We visited Edinburgh's most famous church, St. Giles Cathedral. It had gorgeous Gothic architecture. 

The novelist Robert Louis Stevenson is buried here (Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.)

My favorite part was the Thistle Chapel (Scotland's national symbol is the thistle.)

Ceiling

Choir stalls

On Christmas Day, everything was closed, so we planned to hike the extinct volcano named Arthur's Seat, in our backyard. It turned out to be the sunniest day of the week, so we chose well! We started with a big breakfast, paired with English Christmas crowns of course!

Then we were off!

Christmas card 2015?

Cleo thought it was the best day ever

The peak really looked like a volcano.
The woman on the left was yelling at her dog because it was jumping around like a billy goat.
So was Cleo but I just didn't watch...

Life behind the lens

After the hike, we ate a huge meal. But not before checking out the Christmas Market in Prince's Gardens one last time.

We love Edinburgh! And Brandon takes amazing photos. All the good ones are his and the crappy ones are mine. We took a day trip outside the city, but I'll save that for the next post. Hope everyone had a great December!