Barbados

Well, we're back to good old grey Paris. We were worried about our connection through New York on Tuesday evening, as JFK had been closed for the two previous days due to the blizzard (we got stuck in the snow in both directions. What luck!). There was an American Airlines agent waiting for us when we got off the plane--our flight from Barbados was late arriving due to the backlog of flights trying to land--and he rushed us through customs and security. We got one back checked through but decided not to wait for the second, and sprinted through the airport--literally, we were puffing, Erik's shoes still untied from security--only to find out that our next flight was also delayed. Enough time for a drink, and then we sat on the runway on that plane for another hour before leaving. The good news is of course that we made the flight, we were worried that if we missed it we would be stuck for a couple of days, and the plus side of the delay was the the second bag made the flight too, a nice surprise to see it come round the baggage carrier at Roissy. One of the first bags, so I imagine it was one of the last ones on!

Anyway, it's always good to be home, although Erik and I think our apartment building could really benefit from a pool in the courtyard. And of course more sun to go with it. I still have lots to say about this trip, but in the mean time, I've posted some photos on Facebook for you to peruse.

Can't believe it's the end of the year already! Do I really have to go back to work on Monday?

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Paradise

After a couple of snowy hours in the Paris airport watching the snow come down, and two delays to our departure time we finally left Charles de Gaulle airport on our way to Barbados. 24 hours of traveling later (literally-Erik's alarm clock from the day before went off as we stood in line to clear customs in Bridgetown) all the snow was but a distant memory, and we very quickly found ourselves our way to the beach.


Not the best picture, but it is literally the next one on the camera after the snow.



It didn't take long for us to get used to this stress-free way of life, and begin wondering why we hadn't come down sooner.



We drove up to the most northern part of the island the other day and saw some impressive cliffs.



And then we spent some more time at the beach. The beaches are BEAUTIFUL, and I, the one who never thought I would enjoy a beach vacation, am literally in heaven. I've never seen water so turquoise, the beaches are clean, the people are friendly, and so far, the flying fish has been delicious.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season, we wish you were here!

Winter Wonderland

It's been snowing A LOT here in Paris lately. In the five years that we've been here, I've never seen so much snow, and never so early in the season.

I took the first picture a couple of weeks ago when it first snowed. I was amazed at the amount that was on the ground. (can you even see it? I'm pretty sure I had to zoom to be able to see the white.)



Turns out that was nothing compared to what has come down today (the snow never sticks around). It started snowing around noon today, and it's still going strong.



These last two pictures we taken about two hours apart from our kitchen window, and you can really see how much it has piled up. The roads are a mess, and I had to laugh at the little screen in the metro that tells you about any service problems: this afternoon it was announcing that bus service was quite delayed. And like a good Parisian I battled the snow with shoes and an umbrella. Not quite ideal, but I made it home in one piece. Now I wonder how many people will be at the gym tonight?