Our 5th Anniversary Trip to Paris

Our Paris trip was...how to you say?...ah yes, magnifique.

Getting there and back was interesting: in either direction, it involved three trains, a plane, and a bus. We saw some great scenery - both French and English - along the way.

Once we were arrived in the city, we had right at 48 hours to explore. Here's what we experienced:

1) Grande Arche
2) Arc de Triomphe 
3) Champ Elysees
4) Tuileries
5) Louvre 
6) Notre Dame
7) Musee D'Orsay
8) Eiffel Tower
9) La Petite Chaise

Whew! Quite a whirlwind, but it was without a doubt one of the best trips of my life. Everything was great, and  I was especially taken with Notre Dame. The artistry inside and out was unbelievable in scope and beauty.

Our anniversary dinner was at the oldest restaurant in Paris - La Petite Chaise. It is a small, quaint place with a traditional French menu - which, to be honest, was intimidating at first. But then I started eating...and wow. I had escargot, duck, and gingerbread mousse cake. It was...how do you say?...ah yes, off the chain.

But undoubtedly the best part of the trip was sharing it with my bride of 5 years. Happy anniversary Steph!

View from the Top...of a Double-decker!

A few days ago, Steph and I took our first ride on the top deck of a double-decker bus. At the front of the top deck, there's a large windshield, and when you sit in the first or second row behind it, the combination of height, shaking, and speed make for a pretty thrilling ride. It's especially thrilling because people drive wildly over here, and bus drivers are no exception. Here's a video I took of the experience; it's just a couple of quick shots, the first in the town of Beeston, where we live, and the second within the Nottingham city-center. 

  

You'll notice that towards the end of the first shot we approach a round-about. You have to be careful with those in England, because you might get caught in one a la Clark Griswold: "Look kids: Big Ben, Parliament."