Snippets and random thoughts on our life in Paris. Although the interesting stuff seems to more about our adventures away from Paris, but whatever. We live in Paris, we like to travel, we like to eat, and voila. Enjoy.
We got a copy of the photos that Yoshimi took while we were in Japan, and looking through them reminded us again how awesome that trip was. What a great time!
Clearly the smart thing to do with a keg of sake is try to carry it back to your room.
We spent a lovely afternoon shopping in the silver mine town of Omori while the more sporty of the bunch went on a hike. I loved this water jug And all good shopping trips end with cake, right? Thanks again, Joyce!
Stretching out after a run. Or maybe we're just posing? :)
The after-bike nama biru. So, so, so, good! So full!! So delicious!!
Group shot at dinner at the awesome ryokan we went to after the bike ride Breakfast Erik B.C. (before coffee)
Last weekend we were invited to an out of town wedding. It was an over night wedding at a location with limited beds, but plentiful space, so our hosts suggested we camp. We had fun at the Decathlon buying camping gear, and are now proud owners of a '2 second' tent (takes slightly longer to take down, but is still pretty cool). It was a weekend of unknowns. A stranger picked us up at the end of the metro line, and drove us to an unknown location. Our unknown chauffeur turned out to be very friendly (and has a very cool-sounding job as a narcotics cop. I immediately asked if it was like on tv, thinking of the Wire), and the wedding was quite fun. The camping was COLD and hard (we'll be investing in an air mattress for next time) but all in all, it was a lovely weekend.
Obligatory photos:
That's our little green tent.
The apero Saturday afternoon outside the main hall
Dinner
The happy couple. So, it wasn't really a wedding, but more of a celebration of the fact that they are PACS, which is a kind of common-law marriage.
Par-tay! Erik and I were actually one of the first couples on the dance floor. Most of the French didn't get going until around 2:00 am, by which point I was ready for bed.
Sunday is croquet day, isn't it?
For Sunday lunch they had this crepe team come in.
So delicious! There were sweet crepes a volonté after, but my fingers were too sticky to get out the camera.
And of course no day in the sun is complete without a petanque tournament.
We arrived home on Sunday evening exhausted and sunburned. The good times took us until Tuesday to recover from. Now we want to rent a car and drive back out to the cute little town we drove through on the way there. If only we knew what it was called....
This chair came home with us today. We saw it on the street as we left this afternoon, and it was still there this evening. It was obviously waiting for us, so we brought in home.
We've ripped off all the stinky upholstery, and now it's in two pieces waiting for the next step. Did I mention that it reclines? Looks like I have a new summer project...
(Any upholstery tips would be greatly appreciated!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, it's Bastille Day today, and we stumbled upon a display of military vehicles as we were coming out of the metro at Nation. Nothing like hanging out with a tank to make you feel patriotic!
I'm having a great time looking through these old photos. Aside from the awesome memories, I get a kick out of our clothes, and of course our hair. Here are some highlights from Japan, circa September 2005: The vine bridges. I'm wearing those pants today, and Erik has on that exact outfit.
Erik performs a surprise guitar concert. Thanks Brother Steve!
Am I doing aerobics or the ebi-cani dance?
Baseball in Tokyo. Still a must-do activity for any visitor!
This picture reminded me of a very similar one taken during our honeymoon, also after a long day of biking. I think I can safely say that we both had a lot more hair back then.
A sunny Sunday in June found us trekking out to the town of Meudon just outside Paris where our friends Thomas and Julia live. They happen to live quite near to the Meudon forest, where we decided to have a lovely picnic and relaxing afternoon away from the heat and craziness of this city we love so much.
Erik and I found a little disposable bbq at the Monoprix, that was quite fun, if not so efficient. The bbq master gets to work.
Julia and Thomas' dog Massiania joined in the fun.
Ahhh.....
No picnic is complete without a food-coma induced nap.
Just a few shots of various things we've been up to.
Ikea is not only for beer and meatballs (although it's amazing how much more fun it is when you start in the restaurant). We finally have a coffee table, and it makes all the difference. This room is finally starting to feel like a real room. ~~~
We stumbled across a real Japanese tonkatsu restaurant, right around the corner from our old apartment. Erik was in his element ordering sake in the wooden box, and ebi furai. Oishii!! The only things missing were Steve and Yoshimi. ~~~
A rare shot of both Erik and Thomas in suits. Well, Thomas wears his regularly, but it always seems to be an occasion when Erik does. ~~~
A hot day at the jardin des plantes, which I discovered is only a short bus ride from our house. I liked this stegasaurus hiding in the bushes. And I got a kick out of this one (wooly mammoth?) posed just across the street from the McDonalds. We've come so far....
June, June, where did you go? It was a busy month, and we had something planned every single weekend. One of these weekends Pavel and Tatiana invited us to go hiking with them near Fountainbleau, on a route called the 25 bosses, or 25 'bumps'. It was a great trail literally over, under and through boulders up and down many little mountains. We didn't do all 25, but we did our fair share, and were constantly amazed at how beautiful it was and how much fun it was. We've been living in Paris for five years now, and have never done anything like it. Now we want to do it more often!
Our trusty guides
Can you see me?
And the perfect end to the day was the dinner that followed at their house. Delicious as always, it was the highlight of the month. Thank you Pavel and Tatiana!!
