Hello and happy weekend to you Friends!
I'm finally getting some time to focus on this post and share more of the amazing trip we were blessed to take with Matt's family. I had already shared some photos and an explanation about taking this trip in the post here. So go back to that for a moment if you want more back story on taking the trip.
Of course it's another one of those life moments where I have a ton of photos, and I can't share all - but I'm going to share a lot. This is kind of a time capsule of memories for me on this blog- so I do it a lot for my own sake too. But I'll also share some info and fun moments, as well as all the photos so I can keep this all in one post. So go grab a mug of hot tea and get cozy and let me take you away on a fun little journey across the Atlantic.
It started when we hopped over the ocean to get to Paris. Matt's Aunt has been many times and got us a gorgeous apartment along the Champs Elysees that had multiple balcony points where you could step out and see the Arc de Triomphe. The whole area there was so lovely. Our adventure began early when we were supposed to meet up with his Aunt and the rest of our party at the Charles de Gaulle airport. But they were rerouted to Iceland for several hours due to a medical emergency on their plane. So Matt and I had to navigate the airport and Paris on our own and find the apartment where his Aunt had the air b&b host meet us. The rest of our group arrived several hours later. We were jet lagged but we all went to the cutest grocery called Le Bon Marche and got some goodies to wake us up a bit. We went out for dinner later and I did my best to stay awake but on the ride home I fell asleep as you'll see. Lol
By the way our group consisted of: Matt's Mom and her best friend, his Aunt and his Aunt's best friend and Matthew and I. They were such a fun and a well traveled bunch!!
We ate at some amazing restaurants. And one night we were eating out at a lovely cafe when it started to rain. The wait staff quickly got umbrellas to cover us - but some of our party still got wet and the umbrella was pouring onto some of their food. We all laughed til we cried as it was actually really funny. And the restaurant was so kind and gave us most of our meal for free. Other folks sitting outside got angry but we just found it all part of the adventure. On that rainy night we also went to a gorgeous lounge his Aunt knew and listened to some amazing jazz. It was so cozy! I'll try to share a video of some of the artists "scatting" together.
wearing her napkin from the rain 😂
sleepy jet lagged girls
jazz artists doing some scat on a cozy rainy Paris night
Also, you can find info about the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees if you click here and here.
Some other highlights we did for the 3 days we were in Paris included touring the Paris Opera House which was absolutely stunning! It's true name is the Palais Garnier.
if you've ever seen The Phantom of the Opera the main staircase kept making me think of the number where they sing "masquerade" :)
Matt took this because he said he thought I was so pretty - I just see someone hot and sweaty and cooling off. Lol We had just walked about 2 miles to get to the Opera House to meet the rest of the Crew. We didn't realize it was so far.
they had many costumes displayed from various productions
I can't even imagine how amazing it would be to go to a production here.
If you'd like more info about the Paris Opera House you can click
here.
We also toured the Dior Museum or La Galerie Dior.
There were SO MANY beautiful exhibits - this is just a taste. But if you want further info on this museum and about Christian Dior you can click here and here.
My absolute favorite Paris moments were when we did a pastry class and made croissant dough and made croissants and other treats. We learned the whole key to the best pastry is the butter. In the U.S. our butter is allowed to have far lower percentages of the fats and things so it brings down the quality. The chef said one of the easiest butters we can get in the states that resembles French butter is Kerry gold Irish butter.
And then we went on the prettiest yacht cruise down the Seine and had some of the most amazing food and service I've ever experienced! They even had little tables by our seats for our purses!! Crazy. And to dine as you watch the Eiffel Tower and gorgeous bridges and scenery go by was amazing! Just pinch me moments truly.
Here is more info about the place where we took the pastry class. They were so awesome there and our chef was really cool and very fun! Click here.
Did you know there is a replica of the Statue of Liberty next to the Eiffel Tower? It was given to France by the U.S. in commemoration of the centennial of the French Revolution. You can learn more about that if you click here.
If you liked to know about the Eiffel Tower click here.
Then it was time for the next stage of our trip - a week on the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner! It was Matt' Mom's dream to do this. It was amazing! It's such a beautiful art deco kind of ship. And we went to a lecture by the man that designed the ship and it was so interesting and inspiring. He explained the ways the ship was designed to handle cruising through such a huge ocean safely. It's hull especially is more narrow than giant cruise ships to cut through rough waters if needed. We had a couple of choppy days but the ship sure did handle it great. People often don't refer to it as a "cruise" but as a "crossing". We ran into people that live in Europe part of the year and the states part of the year. They take it back and forth because there's a nice kennel on the top deck and they could get home with their pets more easily than on a plane. Plus, you gain an hour each day you're at sea, so by the time we were in N.Y. we didn't have any jet lag, and just flew right back home to WI.
If you'd like more info about the Queen Mary 2 click here.
The ship had a very classy atmosphere and each night we ate in the main dining room called the Britannia. It was gorgeous! They had other restaurants if you wanted to make reservations and eat somewhere not included with the trip. But the Britannia had the most amazing food and atmosphere. We had wait staff that got to be like family as we ate at the same table each night. We got to know them and their stories. About their families and their work on the ship. Meals were amazing as they had a new menu each night with so many gourmet options for appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, and dessert. Each night all different and outstanding! It felt kind of like opening a Christmas gift each night opening the menu. Lol And we could order as much of and whatever we wanted. Did I mention I gained weight on this trip? 😋 Worth it!
They also had a wondeful buffet we often went to for lunch during the day. Or we ate fish and chips in the pub. The ship had shops, gorgeous lounges, and many activities and entertainment. Each day we would get up and have wonderful coffee and treats. We would then go out and explore or go to the planetarium, or the pub for a darts tourney, or played bingo or trivia, or we went in the library to read, and sometimes went for a walk on the deck. They had sports top deck too but it was often windy or cold. Then in the evenings we would get together to dine. They had some theme nights we dressed up for too. We usually went to one lounge to listen to a harpist or to the pub to listen to Celtic folk music before dinner. Then after dinner we would go to another lounge and have after dinner drinks and listen to jazz. One night Matt and I did the casino too. Oh, and one night we watched a big band play and another a broadway show in the theater.
And then there was tea! Each day at 3:15 if you wanted to have high tea you would go to the Queens room (beautiful ballroom with giant chandeliers) and wait as 15-20 people per side of the ballroom would come out with teapots of tea. And everyone would clap for the tea. It cracked me up! Then they would serve it with delicious finger sandwich offerings, scones and clotted cream and jam, and assorted treats.
This was such a trip of a lifetime! And amazing honeymoon and celebration of life for Matt's Mom beating cancer. We feel SO blessed💗
I'm not going to get too fussy about the photos from the QM2 - I'm just going to share a big random assortment. Thank you if you made it this far in the post! Lol I hope you enjoy the photos and maybe it will inspire you to take an epic trip! Thanks for letting me share and if you have any specific questions just ask in the comments or send me an email.
Blessings and happy travels! xoxo
sometimes I may have really enjoyed my wine 🙈😂
insert James Bond music here - Lol
i loved the library - one of my favorite places on the ship - the pub too!
the britannia dining room where we ate every night
😂😂😂
winnings!
And just like that it was over and time to head home...
