Keep Calm and Go To Paris, Part 3

After our adventure to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Fam and I set off on Day 3 in Paris. We were excited to travel a bit out of the city. Beautiful Versailles awaited us!

Outside the Palace of Versailles

Because we had the Paris Museum Pass, we were able to "skip" the line… what they don't tell you is that everyone else was smart enough to buy this pass as well, so we still waited in a fairly long line to gain entrance (about 45 minutes). The line was shorter than it would have been for sure, but don't expect to just walk right in. This way, you won't be disappointed.

Of course, we found ways to entertain ourselves in line…

Pay no attention to those crazy people.

Upon clearing through security at the entrance, we made our way into the labyrinth of rooms in the palace. Be forewarned, Versailles was extremely crowded. As in nose-to-nose with the person next to you. This could vary based on when you visit, but at least you'll know the large crowds are possible. Because of this, we didn't enjoy this visit as much as we might have otherwise. We skipped quickly through most of the rooms. I did love the ceilings though! In fact, I waited several times just to get a picture of the magnificent artwork above us.

The gardens were much more relaxing than the inside tour. We wandered freely for an hour, enjoying the fresh air and magnificent flowers.

Versailles gardens

After the garden tour though, we were ready to eat lunch and head back to the city. Hopes were high that we would return in time to visit Notre Dame and climb to the top. There are several restaurants grouped together near the train station, so all you have to do is pick one. We chose a creperie, yum!

Lunch (and dessert!)

Even with a leisurely lunch and some shopping, we returned with plenty of time to climb the towers of Notre Dame. The hike up 387 stairs is not for everyone! Keep in mind that there is no elevator, so I don't suggest this for anyone not in good physical condition. If you're up for it though, the view at the top is 100% worth the wait and the climb.

We even heard the bells ring! It was pretty loud, but also way cool. I had a sudden, almost irresistible urge to watch Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame  (the video below is the bells ringing on the tower, it may take a moment to load).

We shopped our way back to the apartment… ok, we did that every night! But it's always fun to window shop, right? And maybe pick up a few souvenirs. And some treats to take back to our puppy, of course. And some croissants for breakfast the next morning.

This is important stuff, peeps.

A good night of rest was in order, because the next morning we were off to Giverny, home of Claude Monet. Stay tuned, my friends.

Until next time, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Keep Calm and Go To Paris, Part 2

If you've been keeping up, then you've already read Part 1 of this series…

I'll just assume we're on the same page here, shall I?

Th next morning dawned bright and early. And rainy. The Fam and I enjoyed an easy breakfast in our apartment, fresh fruit and cheese and bread and jam. This is the good life, peeps! Our plans included a free walking tour of Paris, and (this is the best part) a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower! 

Waking up with a cappuccino 

We slowly made our way to the tour meeting point, window shopping along the way. The weather was dreary. Paris is well-known for it's drizzly rain. Rather than be sad, we rejoiced that we were getting a "real" Paris experience. And we stopped for a cappuccino to warm us up. That always helps. 

Here's a tip for cafes in Paris that you may not know: Often, the price of your espresso or cappuccino (or whatever) is based on where you order the item. For example, the price will be significantly cheaper if you order at the bar (standing) versus sitting and ordering from the cafe tables outside. If you're looking to save a bit of cash, this is handy! 

Waiting for walking tour 

I'd taken the free walking tour once before, during my 12 hour whirlwind trip, and I loved it! The tour includes a lot of the major sights like Notre Dame, the Louvre, the love lock bridge, and much more. Usually the guides are humorous and have plenty of local color that adds to the tour.

Sadly, my second go round with this tour was not nearly as good as the first. In fact, it was pretty boring. I was honestly surprised since I've taken many of the Sandemans tours in other cities and never had this problem. I'm hoping it was just a fluke (and I'm pretty sure it was). The Fam and I tagged along with the tour for a while, but eventually left and did our own wandering.

Notre Dame

Love Lock Bridge (aka: Pont des Arts bridge)

Just before our visit, the "love lock" bridge actually lost a few sections of railing where the weight of the locks is causing decay and crumbling. Parisian officials are now encouraging people to take "selfies" versus the popular locks. In fact, there is a whole website now dedicated to Love Without Locks.

Crumbling railings 

There is no punishment for the continuation of the love lock tradition, but I suspect that someday soon this will no longer be allowed. 

In our wanderings we headed toward the Eiffel Tower, stopping for lunch at a great little cafe. Here's another tip for any of you visiting the city: Cafe tables and chairs must leave a certain amount of available space on the sidewalk. This often means that chairs are side by side, instead of facing each other across the table. Whatever you do, don't move the chairs around unless you want to be fussed at by an irate employee. 

Sitting side by side for lunch

Also, don't order "French" onion soup in Paris. Ahem… it's just onion soup there, peeps. 

No one is to talk about how I made this mistake, ok? Learn from me, my friends. It was pretty embarrassing when the waiter says to me (in perfect English), "You mean the onion soup?"

ANYWAY. 

After lunch, it was almost time for our tour to the top of the Eiffel Tower! 

Under the Eiffel Tower, about to go up! 

You can order tickets online in advance, but we chose to do a tour for this visit. We used Easy Pass Tours, and we weren't disappointed. The price is definitely higher than a regular ticket. I had several reasons for this purchase. First, there were no tickets left online when I tried to book in advance (biggest reason, ha!). Second, I thought The Kid would enjoy hearing the history of the tower, and a description of what you see from the top. Our guide was very friendly, and the tour included some great information. Best of all, he was willing to take pictures of us together at the top! 

Eiffel Tower

Despite the rain and the fog, we loved our visit to this iconic monument. The official tour was 2 hours long. But we stayed quite a bit longer. There were vendors and gift shops to explore, and even champagne available for purchase. I found the champagne to be highly overpriced, but we enjoyed a nice hot chocolate that went perfect with the cool weather. 

View from the Eiffel Tower 

The next morning we had a planned excursion to Versailles. After another lovely meal in Paris, it was back to bed for a bit of sleep before a new adventure. 

I'll be back soon with the next installment in this series. Until then, happy travels! 

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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DIY Eiffel Tower Cake Topper

A couple months ago, I took a quick 12 hour trip to Paris with one of my neighbors, her daughter, and my pal Becky. I absolutely loved Paris! In fact, I went back with The Fam just a few weeks ago for a longer, 5 day trip (you can check out the first installment of my Keep Calm and Go To Paris series if you want!).

Our 12 hour whirlwind was an early birthday present for my friend's daughter, Jaden. She wanted to see Paris, and especially the Eiffel Tower, more than anything.

Hanging in Paris 

Now that her actual birthday date has rolled around, her mom wanted to commemorate that trip with the cake.

Before we get started, let me tell you that I am definitely not a pro at cake decorating. My only experiences are the cakes I make the Hubs every year for his birthday. But that's why this post is so great for the average person like me. Seriously peeps… if I can do this, you totally can too! It's super basic.

Eiffel Tower cake

See, it doesn't look too complicated, does it?

The cake is a standard box mix. And the icing is the kind you buy in a can at the grocery store. The only technique here is a bit of flair with the icing and creating a chocolate Eiffel Tower on top. Lemme show you how to make the tower...

I began by looking for images that I could trace in chocolate. I found this one that worked well, but I had to print it in several sizes until I found the one that would work on top of this cake. If you were doing a sheet cake, you could easily choose a larger size to work with. Download the PDF file here if you want to try it yourself.

Eiffel Tower template

Once you print out the appropriate size, lay a piece of wax paper over your image. Then (this is important, peeps!), tape the paper down to your countertop to prevent it moving while you trace.

You'll notice that the wax paper allows you to still see the image well. You can use this technique with any image you want on a cake, not just the Eiffel Tower here.

Fill a piping bag with some melted and slightly cooled chocolate. Couple tips:

1. If you don't have a piping bag, use a ziploc bag with a small piece snipped off the corner.
2. The chocolate will be quite warm, so wear some kitchen gloves.
3. If you don't have kitchen gloves, you can do what I did… use your winter mittens!
4. Practice piping on a spare piece of wax paper before tackling your design. It's not hard to do, but this will give you a feel for how fast the chocolate will come out, etc.
5. Your chocolate doesn't have to be fancy. I used plain old chocolate chips that I melted over low heat.

Then, trace your design with your chocolate "ink".

Easy, yes?

Then, let your chocolate cool. I use the fridge for mine, it speeds things up a bit. Very carefully remove the design after it has hardened, and place it on the cake. The bottom side of the chocolate will be quite smooth, without the lumpiness you see above. Place that side up on your cake for a nicer look.

I was making a small tower, so it was easier to remove in one piece. If you're making a larger cake, I suggest making your tower in sections. Print several images and trace only a section of each. When putting it on the cake, put the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle.

See! You can totally do this.

I added some detail with a set of piping tips and colored icing, and then I sprinkled some pink sugar pearls on top. Easy peasy, my friends.

Do you have any tips for DIY birthday cakes? Share below in the comments!

Until next time my friends, happy baking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Keep Calm and Go To Paris, Part 1

This all began with a simple phone conversation… "Kid, where is the one place you really want to go this summer?"

The answer? Paris.

Seriously, what 15 year old doesn't want to see Paris? I should have known. Thanks to a great deal through Air BnB, we could stay for 5 whole days. The Kid was thrilled! I gotta admit, I was pretty excited too. There is so much to see and do in Paris, I don't think I'll ever check it all off my list. I already have plans to go back again in December with one of my other siblings.

Eiffel Tower view

This will be a several part series, because we saw too many things to cram into only a single post. I'll include as many links and tips as I can, of course. I scouted for this trip during a quick stop (12 hours only!) a few months ago. I decided then and there to stay in a flat versus a hotel room. I wanted The Kid to have as authentic an experience as possible.

The view from our apartment

Our apartment was a five flight walk up, but totally worth it. I figure the extra exercise made up for the pastries and macaroons we ate all week long! The great thing about an apartment is the kitchen. Eating in Paris is quite pricey, so saving on meals is huge. There was a small grocery just down the road that we stocked up at. Even in a tiny shop like that, the cheese aisle made me swoon!

Cheese aisle at French grocery store

Of course, the price of peanut butter was outrageous! We hadn't planned on buying it anyway (we stuck to local food where we could), but I had to take a picture…

Euro price for travel-sized peanut butter

That jar was tiny too!! Like, travel sized. It's crazy, I tell you, crazy!

Anyway.

We arrived in Paris by train (traveling from Kaiserslautern to Paris for 100 Euro each, round trip) and then took the metro to our apartment. The metro system is wonderful. It's simple to use, inexpensive, and can really save your feet on a trip to this city. Even with the metro, we walked miles everyday. You have a lot of ticket options, from a several day pass to purchasing individual tickets. We chose an option in between these two, and it worked out very well for us. At the ticket counters, you can purchase books of 10 metro tickets (at a discount, of course). This is less expensive than purchasing all your tickets individually. We did consider buying the unlimited pass. However, we only used the metro once or twice a day since the attractions are often close together. So the unlimited pass made no sense for us at all.

After a quick meal of sandwiches (and some people watching from our window!), we left on a great little tour of the Montmartre district. This was absolutely one of our favorite things in Paris! Actually, it's probably one of our favorite tours from the entire summer. And the price seriously can't be beat.

Lunch and people watching

The Montmartre district includes the infamous Moulin Rouge (the red windmill). You can still see shows here, of course, but they are pricey. Our tour included a walk by this site, and some of it's history. Our guide was wonderfully funny, and full of interesting facts and stories. We learned of the artists that once lived here, such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh (a personal favorite), and Amedeo Modigliani. We visited the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur, and admired the amazing mosaics inside. The tour included many helpful tips for dining out and exploring. This is a must-do!! The guides change regularly so your experience may be different than ours, but the Montmartre district will always remain one of the best places I've been.

Montmartre tour 

By this time, we were worn out! Being Paris, we enjoyed dinner at a great restaurant close to our apartment. The food here is simply amazing, I highly encourage you to try something new at every meal. We sampled an Avocado Shrimp salad that was divine. I'm still dreaming about it, actually.

Then it was off to bed… we needed rest for the busy day that awaited us the next morning! I'll be back soon with more tales of our adventure. Until next time my friends, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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12 Hours in Paris

A few weeks ago, I took another ODR trip… this time to Paris! I love adding a new country to my growing list, and I especially love crossing stuff off my bucket list. I'm planning to take my mum and one of my siblings there later this summer, so this was also a great chance to scout things out.

I know everyone wants to see the same thing when they visit Paris… the Eiffel Tower. So, here's a shot of it before I get to anything else:

And here I be in front of it! Proof, I was so there.

Of course, my day didn't start at the Eiffel Tower. My pal Michelle and I took the ODR bus together, along with her daughter. After sleeping overnight on the ride to the city, we were dropped off at Place de la Concorde. During the French Revolution, a guillotine was set up in this square. It was here that King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed.

We planned to meet my other pal, Becky in the early afternoon at the Louvre, home of the Mona Lisa. To fill some time, we wandered the Tuileries Garden which backs up to the Louvre. The gardens are very beautiful, and include playgrounds, carousels, fountains, and even restaurants. We stopped for a quick cappuccino at the garden entrance, happy to sip our way down the many paths.

At the opposite end of the garden, we walked under the Arc du Carrousel to reach the famous "invisible" entryway to the Louvre.

Because this was a quick trip, we didn't take the time to enter the Louvre itself, though we did wander the outside grounds. When I return in July, I plan to take my mum and sis there, so I'll tell you all about it then, kay?

Lunch was the first thing on our list after meeting up with Becky, especially since we were taking the Sandeman's free walking tour at 1 PM. We were in a bit of a hurry, but luckily found a great little cafe on the way to our tour. I loved my petite canard burger… fresh duck with balsamic onions, roasted mushrooms, and a dijon sauce. If I lived in Paris, I'm sure I'd gain 100 pounds in the first year!

After lunch, we were ready to walk off all those delicious calories. I highly recommend the Sandeman's walking tours. I've taken them in several major cities, and they are always quite good. Our guide this time was no exception! Smart and humorous, with lots of insightful stories at each of the major attractions were passed. Here's a look at some of the things we saw:

At the end of our walking tour, we braved the Paris metro to see the Eiffel Tower. The Paris metro system is very similar to London's Underground, if you've ever ridden that one. Once you have an idea of how it works, the process is pretty simple. Keep in mind that many stations do not have cashier windows, so you must purchase tickets from a machine. A lot of these machines will take coin money only, so keep some extra small euros on you for this. Or if you're spending several days in Paris, try out the Visite Pass.

After the Eiffel Tower, there was just enough time for some shopping and some snacking before the bus came back to get us. I found some great art prints, and happily munched on macaroons as we wandered. If you've yet to have a macaroon, they are so delicious! Get your first one from Angelina's, you won't regret it.

I absolutely loved my day in Paris, and I can't wait to go back again later this summer. I'm also planning a visit near Christmas with one of my other siblings. I wonder how different the city will look under a crisp winter sky?

Until next time my friends, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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