Dragon hair

Blake calls his spiky hair, "dragon hair." I wish I could freeze time and keep him little and sweet forever.

Just a jaunt across the Pond

“Call it in the air, heads or tails?  Heads will go to London…..Tails we’ll go to Paris…” –Hotspur 

We couldn’t decide, so we did both!

Tower of London

Today started with a trip to Westminster Abby.  It was fun to think about all the amazing historical moments that have occurred here.  My favorite part was seeing the Coronation Chair where all the Kings and Queens of England have been crowned for hundreds of years.  A guide told us that for Queen Elizabeth's coronation they built chairs up all the way to the rafters of the Abby, making room for 8000 people when the normal capacity is around 2000.  I am also a big Will and Kate fan and eagerly watched Kate walk down the aisle of Westminster to become a princess, so it was neat to see exactly where that happened. No pictures were allowed inside :(

Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you

Good morning London!

Bonjour, Paris

“What an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world!” -Charles Dickens

"When Rick Steve said you can't do all of Paris in just a few days, he'd obviously never traveled with Tara,” said Rusty after spending a few whirlwind days in Paris. 
The EuroStar is amazing and we were in Paris a mere 2 hours after leaving London.  

First stop? The iconic Eiffel Tower, of course!
   

Museums and pastries and walking, oh my!

“Coming [to Paris] has been a wonderful experience, surprising in many respects, one of them being to find how much of an American I am.” -Augustus Saint-Gaudens, American sculptor

I brought all my cutest clothes for Paris because everyone said France is much dressier that the States and I didn't want to look like an annoying American tourist and then it just rained the whole darn time and the only jacket I brought was a little sporty zip-up which I ended up wearing all day, every single day we were there.  My blow dryer and flat iron didn’t work with the European adapter either. Work with me Paris, work with me! 

Our first morning in Paris began as every morning in Paris should begin, at a Patisserie.  Valentin, to be exact.  We could not have asked for a more idyllic spot.  It was tucked away in a little side passage and had every beautiful pastry creation we could ask for.  A chocolate éclair was in order, as was a yummy strawberry pistachio tart and and another delicious creation I can't remember the name of.  We took our time and enjoyed every bite.
 

Tour De Versailles

“Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant.” -Honoré de Balzac

First up on the docket today was the Opera Garnier to take a picture for miss Halle.  She's obsessed with Phantom of the Opera right now, and I was excited to snap her a picture of this impressive building.  I wish we could go see the underground lake!  While were were taking pictures four French teens came up and asked up to sign a petition to help orphans in France.  Having read that petitions are a ploy often used by pick pockets we were a little wary.  Rusty said no, thanks, but the girls surrounded me and put the paper and pen right in my face.  Another girl stood right behind me and a third bumped into the side of me.  I threw my hands out and yelled, and they backed off but not very far.  Rusty had to shoo them away. My heart was pounding out of my chest, but luckily no harm done.  There was an Asian tourist who watched it all unfold and he asked to get his picture with me :)
 

Paris is always a good idea

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."  -Hemmingway

Last day in Paris!  Still so much to do!  We got an early start this morning and headed the the Catacombs. I waited in line while rusty went and found breakfast.  He came back with the best croissants in Paris. And éclairs. And strawberries. The croissants were so good that I made him run back and get more.  They were gone before I could snap a picture.
  

The Championships, Wimbledon

“If you can meet with triumph and disaster
and treat those two impostors just the same”
-quote from Kiplings “If” above the entryway to Centre Court

What a historic year to be at Wimbledon!  Nadal lost first round (we were there!), Federer, Serena, and Sharapova all out in early rounds.  My man, Andy Murray, winning the championship!  I literally got a little teary eyed when Djokovic hit that last shot into the net, securing the title for Murray.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves……

Winding down

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” –Nelson Mandela

After all the excitement at Wimbledon, we could not get out of bed the next morning.  Finally we roused ourselves and went for a quick trip to the Tate Modern Museum.  I don’t know if we were just too tired, or if all Modern museums will be a let down after Pompidou, but we didn’t stay too long.  Instead, we decided to rent city bikes and make our way one last time to the Borough Market. Meat pies this time. Foodie heaven! 
Then, sadly, we made our way to the airport.  We had such an amazing trip, but we were ready to get home and see our kiddos.  The flight was uneventful (just how all flights should be), and we made it safe and sound back to Denver.  Here’s the cherry on top of our culinary adventure ;)
Although we had a perfect trip, and I can't wait to explore more of Europe, I just have to say it. NYC still owns my heart.