Our Paris Home

 

Our daughter is a great sleeper.  A great sleeper as in goes to bed at 6 and sleeps until 7 or 7:30.  I am almost afraid to write this down as we might get jinxed.  This is awesome 99% of the time, but it is not awesome when traveling.  The last time we traveled we got a simple hotel room, Ava went to bed early (she actually stayed up until 7:30- wild night!), and Dan and I struggled to figure out what to do with ourselves for the rest of the evening.  This led to us sitting in the vestibule outside the bathroom with a bottle of wine while Ava slept.  Dan and I decided on that trip that we would only stay in either a suite or an apartment until Ava starts going to bed later.

When we decided we would go with my parents to Paris, Dan got on Home Away and started the search for an apartment.  We got so lucky to find this great place in the Latin Quarter (5th arrondissement) spending less per night than we would for a nice hotel room. 

I don’t know about you, but this is exactly what I picture in my mind when I think about what a Paris apartment would look like.

I loved all the big windows and ornate fireplaces in each room.  Every room also had at least one entire wall of bookshelves full of books.  The owner had a ton of travel books, which I am kind of obsessed with.  She also had a ton of art books, which was fun to look at after exploring art museums during the day.

The dining room/fourth bedroom if you need it. 

The view from the kitchen.

 

Shower room with the crazy tub.  The apartment had one other shower room.

Ava really enjoyed the tub.  Ava, I hope you are not mad at me in 16 years for posting a picture of you in the bathtub (sorry future Ava).

My parents slept in this bedroom, which was in the back of the apartment so it was pretty quiet. 

 

This is where Dan and I slept.  This room faced the street so it was a little ‘noisy.   I though I took a picture of Ava’s bedroom, but I guess I didn’t. She did have a room though, we didn’t make her sleep in the bathroom or anything.

The “hood”

 

   

Ava’s 2 favorite things to do on her vacation: look out the window and occasionally bang on it and crawl EVERYWHERE.  That girl is fast!

The Latin Quarter is a great area to stay.  We were 2 blocks away from Rue Mouffetard.  Rue Mouffetard was originally a Roman road, but today it is a touristy area (not in a bad way) with a daily open-air market, restaurants, chocolate shops, bakeries, and cafes.  We had a bakery a block away from our apartment on both sides, which was dangerous.  We were also walking distance to the Metro and we even walked to Notre Dame and the Musee d’Orsay (albeit a very long walk).  We also had a Starbucks down the street.  I know, I know…I shouldn’t be excited about a Starbucks when there are local cafes everywhere, but I have been without Starbucks since moving to Belgium and I really miss my Caramel Macchiato. 

A painting I found of Rue Mouffetard.  It pretty much looks the same today, minus the ladies in long dresses. 

Rue Mouffetard today

Since we were so close to the restaurants we decided to go out to dinner in shifts.  My parents (who enjoy eating early) would go to dinner around 6 while we fed Ava and got her ready for bed.  They would come back around 7:30-8 freeing Dan and me to go out after they returned. It was so nice to have 3 nights out without spending our entire meal keeping Ava entertained and preventing her from pulling the tablecloth off the table or throwing food around the restaurant.

I found this picture online - this is where Dan and I ate the last night.  It is a wine bistro with a limited, but delicious menu and, as expected, a great wine list.  Dan had duck and I had a salad with all kinds of yummies like fried egg, Fois Gras, potatoes, and cheese. 

We ate here the first night.  This restaurant was surprisingly great.  We stopped here on a whim, but had one of the best meals we have ever had.  I had duck and Dan had a Filet.  We started with some Escargot that was still in the shell and some Foie Gras.  I felt very “Pretty  Woman” eating my escargot.  I have had it many times before, but I have never had to pull it out of the shells with one of those clamp things.

I highly recommend staying in an apartment when traveling to a new city.  Not only is the space great, but what better way to really immerse yourself in the life of a city.  In case you are interested, here is a link to the apartment.  Since we traveled off-peak it was a steal.  I think it is a lot more expensive during peak travel times.

I will write another post about of adventures in Paris.  Check back:)

Sunshine, finally!

Everyone told me that Belgium is a rainy country, but I am only starting to see this for myself.  It rained pretty much everyday for like two weeks here.  Saturday was the first day in a while without raindrops in the forecast, so we decided to get out and take a drive to Bruges (or Brugge to the Flemish).  We are so lucky to have this beautiful city an easy 1 hour and 15 drive away (perfect timing for Ava to catch a nap on the way there and back). 

We had a great day just walking around, enjoying the rain free weather, window shopping and checking out the disappointing Christmas market.  Enjoy the pictures from our day. 

The Markt (The Center Square)

Belgium is divided into three regions: Walloon, Flemish, and Brussels-Capitol.  Each region has its own language making things a little complicated (especially when towns have different names depending on which region you find yourself).  We live in Walloon, which is French speaking.  Bruges is in the Flemish region, which is Flemish (derived from Dutch) speaking.  The capitol is officially bilingual (actually tri-lingual as most people speak English). In Walloon, center squares are called Grande Place.  In Flemish, the center square is called the Markt.  Bruges has a beautiful Markt with many cafes and the Belfry at the center. 

The Christmas market was in the Markt.  Apparently you need to watch your wallets while here. 

Belfry- Built in 1240 and then rebuilt in 1280 after a fire.  The top portion was added on in the 1400s.  You can climb 366 steps to the top for a fee. 

Ava at the inside of the Belfry courtyard.  That is the line to climb to the top behind her.

Burg Square

This is the earliest inhabited part of Bruges (as early as the 2nd century).  This was also the center of Bruges when it was the wealthiest city in Europe and is home to the Town Hall.

 

 

Pictures around Bruges

canal on the outskirts of town

It is a little hard to see in this picture, but do you notice the Simpsons reference. You will definitely see it in the next picture.

Interesting architecture. 

The tower from the Church of Our Lady.  In this church you can find the only Michelangelo outside of Italy.  

 

My wonderful neighbor, Melissa.  Though it looks like she is trying to get away from me in the picture:)

 

     

And no trip to Bruges is complete without a little treat for the ride home.  Chocolaote from Dumon, a family owned and operated chocolatier.

 

This is not an actual strawberry, but marzipan and white chocolate. 

Nuremberg Christmas Market

Europe is the place to be over the Christmas season.  Starting the beginning of November, Christmas markets have been going on around the area.  Since we are stationed at an international base, we were lucky to be able to visit Christmas markets from our friends in Canada, Germany and Italy.   

We decided we would spend a weekend visiting one of the most famous Christmas markets, The Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany. 

Our hotel was located right near the subway station in Fuerth, which takes you right to the market (this was good, because parking would have been a nightmare).  The market features 180 wooden booths all selling handmade Christmas decorations, yummy gingerbread, plum people, Nuremberg sausages and mulled wine (gluhwein). 

Here are some photos from the market:

Here is Ava on her first train ride ever.  She also had her first bus ride on this trip.  She really enjoys interacting with new people while we are traveling.  She is especially mesmerized when people speak to her in a language besides English.

 

We met this kind  man on the train.  He lives outside our stop and he walked with us for a while to show us some places to check out and eat.  His backpack doesn’t include a baby:)

The market has strict rules regarding who can set up a booth inside.  But, outside the market there were several other booths selling produce, meats, cheeses, olives and things that are available inside the market, but cheaper (like Gluewine and gingerbread, which we bought outside the market).  By the way, the gingerbread sold at the market is the best I have ever had and I may or may not have eaten an entire loaf by myself.

We started our market adventure right here, at the Gluhwein stand.  This one was not a particular favorite, but it was outside the market so it was cheaper.  The best way to have your Gluhwein, in my opinion, is with a shot of Amaretto added. Perfection.  When you get your Gluhwein for the first time you pay a 2.50 Euro deposit for a mug.  You just bring your mug back throughout your time for refills (you still pay for the wine, just not the deposit).  Each year the market designs a mug that all the vendors use.  Some of the markets also had previous year’s mugs, so we got one of those too.  They make pretty cheap souvenirs.  Here were the mugs:

The one on the far left is not an official mug.  The orange mug is this year’s and the white mug was from 2010 and it was the 175th anniversary mug. 

The Nuremberg Christmas Angel welcomes you to the market.  They actually choose a young woman, between 16 and 18 years of age to be the Christmas Angel.  Her “reign” lasts 2 years and in addition to opening the  market from the top of the Our Lady’s Church, she also visits children in schools and hospitals.

    A German Christmas Pyramid.  Most German Christmas markets feature a giant pyramid, which is a popular decoration that spin with the help of the heat from candles. 

Nearby was the Kinderweignacht, which is the market for children (Kinder is children in German).We planned to go here on Saturday, but the crowds were insane.  So, we missed out on the children’s market.  This was a bummer because I really wanted to get a picture of Ava on the carousel.  Here is picture of it from the Christmas Market’s website.

 

We spent most of our time walking through the market on Friday.  It was empty on Friday compared to the mass crowds on Saturday  This is a shot walking down from the Imperial Castle towards the market so you can get a small idea of how crowded it was (these are people walking out of the market).

I had to take a picture of the Nuremberg Bratwurst (I ate one every day and it was delicious).  These are different from Brats in other parts of Germany because they re small, 7-9 cm to be exact and weigh about 20-25 g (about the size of a breakfast sausage in the US).  They are grilled over beechwood fire and have a strong flavor of marjoram.  They serve 3 sausages on a brioche roll with or without sauerkraut.  I am kind of drooling on my computer as I think about this sandwich.

Here we are in front of the Frauenkirche, or in English, The Church of Our Lady.  This church was built between 1352-1362.  This is where the angel, as I mentioned before, opens the market.

Adjacent to the Christkindlesmarkt is the International Christmas Market where you can find boots from the 14 sister cities of Nuremberg.  Hey, this stuff looks familiar.  It resembles stuff you will find at an elementary school holiday store.  People must think all Americans eat is junk food…oh wait.

We had a great time checking out the sites at the market.  Too bad I didn’t leave with one of the famous prune people as a souvenir. 

Really?What do you do with one of these guys.  Can you store them for next year, or are they a one time thing? 

Here are some pictures from Fuerth (this is where we stayed) and the Imperial Castle.  The castle was originally built sometime between 1050 and 1150.  It was partially destroyed during WWII and rebuilt.

Fuerth

The Imperial Castle

 

Thanks for reading.  From our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.