Thursday, March 24, 2011

I can't believe, you're done...Number ONE!

#1 "Travel to Europe" - I know I already posted a quick one about how this has been accomplished. However, I am still totally astonished by this. Its like I got to live in this amazing world for a week, where I just bounced around from city to city in Europe with my boyfriend and bestfriend, and had the week of a lifetime. Walking around all these different places was so much fun, and filled with smiling laughter, delightful food, wine, lots of wine, beer, and chocolate, and snacks! Baguette, and Boursin. These types of things make my heart melt, and I really had the time of my life for an entire week. I was so sad when we had to leave, after repeatedly telling family members, HEY! I'm not comin back! you can't make me haha. But I do love my bed and the return home has its pleasentries. Anyway, for the purposes of this list, and documentation I should mention the three cities we spent our time in:
1) Amsterdam - we landed from the plane took a bus, and then a metro to arrive at my best friends Beautiful and HUGE apartment! where she so gracefully, and wonderfully loaned us her bed to sleep in for the whole week (she's just the sweetest, bestest host EVER), and then we promptly got back on the metro headed to the trainstation, hopped on a train and started our first journey to Amsterdam. Amsterdam was beautiful, and bike-y in a scary way, like, they'll hit you if you dont move when they ring their bell! haha, Amsterdam was where we had our first Mannekin Pis Pomme Frites, delicious! and delightful, we then wandered the city, deciding that we did want to go to the Van Gogh Museum, which was beautiful, but it was SOO nice outside, that we decided to cut it a little short and wander around longer outside we saw the "I AMSTERDAM" sign - it was beautiful but full of people crawling all over it - Jeremy joked that in the states it would have barred off so that no one could get to it haha - its a law suit waiting to happen. After that we decided we needed another round of coffee and sat (mind you Jeremy and I hadn't slept in over 24 hours at this point) the whole time we were there it was sunny and beautiful. So warm we almost wanted to remove our jackets. Whilst walking around we noticed Wooden Shoes(duh) and promptly bought my mother a tiny magnet, and Jess and I got wooden shoes slippers - mine said Amsterdam and hers said Holland, we wandered around the Red Light District, but felt dirty so didn't stay too long, then we grabbed a quick dinner before heading back to the train station for the 3 hour ride home. We grabbed things like chocolate and baguette and boursin to eat on the way back, we munched after getting on the train and then took a nice long snooze. Sleeping felt soooo good. When we got back to Jess's apartment we were dying for a quick shower, and to get to bed so thats what we did!
2) Belgium (our inital day) - so our first REAL day in Belgium consisted of Jess giving us a scavenger hunt (we got a delicious prize everything we spotted something) Ultimately Jeremy won. He sucks. Moving on, it was a GREAT little scavenger hunt, and I loved it. We saw some of the most beautiful sights in Belgium and I spotted my favorite set of buildings, and we took all kinds of photos and what have you we wandered down the street into a little place and jeremy bought a beer and started drinking it immediately, after which we enjoyed pomme frit, and then our first waffel! They were both divine, the food in Europe is so good. SOO good. We saw the flag that says that the King was in Belgium, and I got to buy adorable boots! and Jeremy bought me a pretty watch <3 we wandered around down town doing a little shopping and ultimately going to dinner at Chez Leon which supposedly has the best Moule in town! Jeremy enjoyed himself - maybe a little too much, made for a rough morning the next day :p I had delicious goat cheese salad, and so did Jess. Afterward we admired the Grand Place with all its beauty, while drinking beers and eating waffels. This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip <3
3) Paris...2 days in Paris, is insane, and not even CLOSE to enough time. I can't wait to go back. Paris is filled with everything you think its filled with! We walked out the front door of the trainstation and just kept walking. We stopped at the first Cafe we saw for a cup of coffee (we needed it), it was 8:30 am. The next thing we did was find a bakery and get a crossiant and baguette we walked while we munched on those through the streets of Paris deciding that we would stop again when we got hungry but that we were going to head in the general direction of the Arc De Triomphe (despite the fact that it was approx. 5 miles from the train station). The next little cafe we stopped at was where we found the very best croissant in Paris. Jeremy was very, VERY pleased. Buttery and flakey, all things a crossiant is supposed to be. We shared a little breakfast, and then sat for a little while taking it all in. It is so beautiful, and I was filled with so much happiness being there with Jeremy. We walked through what appeared to be a popular shopping district, I bought perfume, wonderful perfume it was only 87 euros and boy was it worth it. Plus Jeremy looooves it <3  so that makes it worth every single penny! Anyway, eventually walking down the street we looked up and there was the Arc De Triomphe! would you believe it, we'd made it, so we went under the tunnel, and then all the way to the top. It was a magnificant view up there, and it was the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower! Dreams came true up there, we ended up being the last ones up there! After that we went to the hotel so Jeremy could shower beecause it was 70 degrees and sunny! we were sweatin from all that walking around the view from the hotel had an awesome shot of the Eiffel Tower. Then after a quick nap we grabbed a lunch at a cafe close by and then went to see the Eiffel Tower!!! It was an amazing site. Walking there we took many photographs, from far to right underneathe, then we went up to the top and watched the sun set from there, it was so beautiful to see the whole city from up there watching the City of lights, change from daytime to nighttime. It was gorgeous, by the time we came out, at the bottom floor, we were walking away when the Eiffel Tower started to Sparkle!! Like a million tiny sparklers! It was breathtaking. After our time at the Eiffel Tower we went back to the hotel so i could take a quick shower, and then we went to a restaurant nearby (to which I wore my boots) and ate our little hearts out, we even got dessert! I had Crepes and yes they were out of this world!! Afterwards we walked around a little bit before retiring back to the hotel. The next day we visited Notre Dame, it was beautiful, and so grand, we also bought presents, and even had lunch at the most adorable cafe, before wandering down adorable little streets/alley ways getting gelato for dessert, standing and looking over the river, before heading to the trian station to make our 5:00 train back to Brussels, but on the WAY! we found Jeremy's "Dr Seuess"! it was so exciting and he wasn't going to buy the book! but don't worry, I did. He's very happy I did too <3 After purchasing the book we took a relaxing walk back to the trainstation, grabbed a baquette, and some chocolate for the ride home, (of which I napped the entirity of). When we returned we met up with Jess, took quick showers, and headed to dinner, and then to a bar called Delirum, the bar is in the guinnes book of world records for most bars held on the premisis! 2004 different kinds of beers! I had a bunch of Framboise, and was soo happy to have so many different kinds at my disposal. AMAZING. after the bar we needed some frites so we grabbed some of those before heading back to Jess's apartment to sleeeep.
All things considered it was one of the best trips i've ever had. I'm so excited that Jeremy and I made it happen with the help of my bestie/babyshoes Jess. Ahhh
Here are a few photos I thougth I should include:


























Ahh Europe, I cannot wait to return...currently...planning a trip to NYC or AZ...hmmm

Monday, March 21, 2011

#1 Travel To Europe

#1 "Travel To Europe" - DONE! I can't believe it, but we sure did, we traveled to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris, spending one solid week in Europe, and quite frankly...I can't wait to go back again soon. I will be posting pictures and details of the trip sometime this week, but I wanted to get this here, so I wouldnt forget to post.

#53 "Read Ten new Books" - another one to check off here, as a result of our trip to Europe, I finished the book "Have Faith" it was a really good book, had me in tears in the airport in D.C. I really loved it.