Paris Day 4

Wednesday in Paris started out with our usual breakfast then we started walking.  Ally told me we had to stop by Angelina so we did!  Plus it was literally 50' from the front of our hotel.

Look yall! 

Then we walked down Saint Honors Street and went into some of those shops.  We found this market type place and picked up a bottle of wine and champagne.  We knew our friends were getting engaged the following night so the champagne was necessary!  Plus, those prices were a steal for that bottle of wine compared to what we were paying in the lobby bar for a glass.

I got my Mom a wrap in this cute store.

We had dinner reservations at 9:15pm at La Fontaine de Mars.  My bossman had told us to make a late dinner reservation here then walk over to the Eiffel Tower.  So that's exactly what we did!

We had a perfect table right outside.

I had duck confit and it was delish.  Kevin had the most rare steak I've ever seen in my life.

We walked with a nice family that we met over to the tower.  That thing is massive!

 It twinkles every hour on the hour at night.

We picked up a bottle of champagne from the guys that harass you to buy them.  It was warm.  Classy.  Thankfully we had the rest of our bottle of red wine from dinner.  We just sat out there and watched it twinkle.  And then of course we randomly asked this normal looking couple to take our picture and it ended up being someone from Kevin's company.

At least I knew they wouldn't steal our camera ha!  We tried to recreate April's professional Paris pictures! ;)

We took a cab back to the hotel with our new friends then walked to an Irish bar and met up with a big group.  Justin and Kathryn are presch.

Then it was time to go home...you know at 3am.  Eeps!

Low Key Labor Day Weekend

We had a super low key Labor Day Weekend.  And it was SO necessary.

First, if you didn't get to see my Paris post about our private tour of the Louvre and the surprise gala entertainment, click here.  Definitely worth reading - it was crazy!

Friday night we ate at home and I walked Mills.  

Saturday, I ran Mills while Kevin did yardwork.  Then I got in the kitchen after an early morning Teeter run.  It was time to prepare for college football game day!  Mills had his NC State collar on and I wore my red.  We got a couple dips ready (PW Restaurant Style Salsa and a cream cheese with green chilis dip) then our friends Brad and Shauna came over.  They brought their teeny tiny lil dog Bindi with them and Mills thought that was crazy.   

He ran around like a maniac all day long chasing her and she chasing him.  He acted like a total puppy, swinging his head around and getting down low on her level.  It was presch.

Kim and Jim stopped by late night but we all called it a night around 11pm.  

Sunday we basically did nothing.  I went to Target and Homegoods and then we went with Kevin's parents to Chuy's in Southpark.  It was good.  We came back and played Spades with them.  Yall ever played that card game?  It's fun!

Monday morning Mills and I walked again and visited with lots of neighbors.  Then I got cooking again and made some meals in preparation of a busy work week.  I made Skinny Taste Cheeseburger Casserole and her Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas.  

We watched some football while lil Mills fell asleep.  It was just such a nice and refreshing weekend to just hang out the three of us (mostly) and be at home.  What a concept!

This week I'll finish telling you all about our trip (only 3 small recaps left) and then I'm moving on to house stuff!

Paris Day 3 - The Louvre

Tuesday, August 6th in Paris.  We woke up, went to the free breakfast they gave us every morning (which was a buffet of anything you wanted) and then we walked and walked.  

 

We went to the shopping area to check things out.  Specifically the Galeries Lafayette.  It's a huge department store and they have every fancy brand.  Check out the inside.

 

Then we strolled to a cafe for lunch.  

 

It was in this cute little area of cobblestone roads and cafe after cafe.  We went there a few different days for lunch and tried a new place each time.

 

Then, we got ready for the evening and on the buses.  The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, but they opened it just for us!  The Louvre is the largest museum in the world....and they opened it just for us.  Crazzzzzy.

And we were able to get amazing pictures and stand right next to Mona Lisa.  And since it was just our group, we didn't have to worry about any other crazy tourists stealing our stuff and everyone was so cordial to let each other have their turns.

 

It was literally crazy that we were in this huge museum, just us and Kevin's company people.

 

Then they held the largest private dinner that has ever been held at the Louvre.  It was under the triangular roof!

 

 

 

The appetizers were salmon, foie gras and something else I can't remember.  Just out of this world.

 

The wine this evening was unbelievably good.  From 2006.  The menu was just over the top.  

 

This lobster dish was our appetizer.

 

This was our main course.  Ox on the bottom, sea bass in the middle and the sauce that goes over the sea bass on top.  So 4 dishes per person for each main course, times 2,300 people.  Yeah....not a regular seated plated dinner.

 

 

 

This dessert was over the top too.  On dry ice, the hard chocolate shell.  I just can't imagine who and how long it took to make this meal.

 

Macaroons of course.

 

Then 55 coach buses took us to the entertainment part of the night.  Of course it was in a different location and of course they got 2,300 people there in 15 minutes.  

To the infamous Olympia Theatre.  First off, it's crazy that we were even able to have an event at Olympia Theatre, let alone who performed.  Only very famous people have performed here.

 

 

 

This guy is a painter that paints freehand to loud music in front of large crowds.  David Garibaldi is his name.  He has introduced many famous people.  But he started out our evening painting the Eiffel Tower.

 

 

He swings paint all over the place and dances.  It's really cool.

 

Then the CEO spoke and had a nice message about Kevin and his co-workers being heros for the work they do in their communities.  Kevin says he's not a hero but thanks.  Ha!

 

Then David got back to work to introduce the entertainer.  He painted this guy upside down.

 

Can you all guess?

 

Sting!  Sting was there for perform for US in the OLYMPIA THEATRE in PARIS.  Holy moley.

 

 

 

He was really awesome.  Even though he wasn't a country artist, I still knew about 95% of his songs.  Ha!

 

 

It was at least 8,000 degrees in that theatre so pardon how awfully sweaty we look but we had a grand time.  Then we walked back to our hotel.  

An unbelievable Paris evening.