a week in paris (via my iphone).

//Versailles by day, wedding by night//

//the clouds matched the garden!//

//the freshest produce at the Versailles market//

//my favorite garden in Versailles//

//a chocolate themed reunion brunch//

//the best place in the world to celebrate four years//

//roommates!//

//bests and the newly engaged couple//

//my favorite view//

//buckets and buckets of peonies, my favorite//

//picnic part I on the Seine before picnic part II at the Eiffel Tower//

//ahh, Montmarte//

//piggy latte for breakfast//

I'm feeling nostalgic about Paris even though it's only been a couple months since I was there. It's the city of so many memories and emotions for me, sadness and heartbreak and beauty and love.

Paris is the most beautiful place in the world to cry, and the most romantic place in the world to kiss. 

I would spend part of every summer in Paris if I could. Even though there is a big, wide world of places to visit, I'll never get tired of spending those long summer days in the city of lights.

four years.

//macarons from  Pierre Herme, recommended by my friend,

Erica

//

It's been over 2 weeks since we were in Paris! The time has been flying by! We didn't know if we would be able to make it to Paris for my former roommate's wedding, but the timing ended up being perfect with my teaching contract ending, my summer Chinese course yet to begin, and our wedding anniversary falling just a few days after the wedding. (It helped that we found unusually inexpensive tickets that we also got miles for). The last time I was in Paris, I stayed in the city for two weeks as part of a music-history travel study. I was lucky enough to get to travel around with one of my best girlfriends, but we spent a good part of the time talking about how we wished our new significant others could be in the city with us. Six years later, that dream came true.

//we had a blue theme going//

We started off the day at the Champs Elysee. We were planning on getting brunch at Laduree, but then we ended up stopping at Pierre Herme soooo... we had macarons for breakfast. We did a little shopping for friends, stopped at Notre Dame, ate yummy crepes (lemon sucre for me, nutella for Dave), and spent a little time at the Seine.

//bisou//

One of my favorites part of the day was putting a lock on the lock bridge. I know it won't be there forever, but it was still such a fun experience to remember the day by. Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and get to revisit Paris while the lock is still there.

//being silly// //locking it up//

We spent the afternoon at the Louvre, and I made Dave take a billion pictures of me with my favorite statue. If there's anything we've learned in four years of marriage, it's how to drive each other crazy! (just kidding, but really). 

And, of course, because in all honesty, this was my ONE must-do in Paris... we had steak frites for dinner. It was the best. Atmosphere, service, food, funny table neighbors - the best meal that we had in Paris. Dave even did a great job picking our wine (a 2007 Les Penitents Pinot Noir). Our dinner started at 8 and didn't end until 11. That's what I love most about Paris in the summer - long,  perfect days ending in long, leisurely meals at the most charming restaurants, with loved ones.

//dinner at Le Bistro Paul Bert//

I feel so blessed that we've been together for so long. I know we're still young, but it's still wild for me to think that we've been together for almost 1/4 of our lives, and four of those six years, we've been married. I've always wanted to travel around the world with my husband, and I'm thankful that, little by little, we're actually doing that. We're building a shared vision for our future and executing on it, and that's something that I'm so excited about. So, 4 years! Woohoo! Now I can say, we'll always have Paris.

shanghai calling.

//the great wall// //sisters//

I haven't forgotten about the pictures from the most recent China adventure... just haven't had time to edit with all this thesis work and such. I did finally download the beautiful mess app, though, which I'm now addicted to. yay for iphone apps, the perfect distraction when you need one!

happy day!

//flight outfit// //work calendar//

I don't know what makes me happier - completing my teaching contract (in the words of one of my students, "cha-ching!") or jetting off to Paris to celebrate my former roommate's wedding and our four year anniversary. Now if I can just focus enough to get that last draft of my thesis finalized before I go...