Paris

AHHHH Gay Pareeee.... yet another one of our kid-less trips. This time my parents were visiting (once again). They are always more than eager to push us out the door on another adventure.

The train from Stuttgart to Paris is about 4.5 hours, a very easy way to travel.  We left early one morning and by lunchtime we were sitting in a little cafe around the corner from the Arc de Triomph indulging in a goat cheese salad and tartare de bouef (only CM  had his cooked in a patty surrounded by a bun avec pomme frites). :)

We spent our days there looking like the quintessential tourists. With our Rick Steves book in hand and numerous Michelin guide recommendations, we set off on foot (although took advantage of the user friendly metro when I was in heels) and walked until our feet were blistered and in some cases, bloody. We covered all of the essential sites. Walked and shopped along the Champs-Elysees, got in line early, before opening, to take the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower, walked through the Arc de Triomph, feasted in the Latin Quarter and checked out the Mona Lisa, among many other works, in the Louvre. We also did some things off the beaten path, including visiting the Memorial de Martyrs de la Deportation; a memorial to the Jewish Parisians who were deported from France to German concentration camps during WWII.

Having discovered after planning this trip that we were expecting our second child, I was unable to enjoy the amazing French wines. However, my husband was kind enough to tell me ALL about them as I sipped my mineral water. Visiting France numerous times while pregnant only strengthened my resolve to return and do a wine and food tour of the French wine regions at a later date ...many years down the road.

Rue de Vin "Thelma and Louise" Weekend

This summer my oldest and dearest friend and I took to the autobaun and headed to France to explore the Rue de Vin.  The Rue de Vin starts just outside of Strasbourg and extends about seventy miles through the Vogues mountains. It covers the Alsace wine region which are known mainly for their fruity white wines.

Having planned this trip a few months in advance, I had anticipated being able to enjoy the aforementioned wines. What I hadn't counted on was that I would be 10 weeks pregnant when headed out on this adventure. So...although I couldn't enjoy the "Vin" part of the Rue, the Alsacian villages, the patisseries, the rolling vineyards, and of course the company, made the trip a wonderfully memorable one.

Zurich

Christopher and I continue to make our way down our list of desired travels. We were able to take a little two day childless get-away when my mother-in-law came over from the States for a couple of weeks. For this trip, we chose Zurich, Switzerland.

Zurich is gorgeous but very expensive. The tree-lined streets downtown are filled with amazing high end shops; name a designer and they have a shop in Zurich.  It sits along the Zurichsee (Lake Zurich) and the weekend we were there, the city was hosting a water sports fest. The waterfront was packed with spectators and the competition as well as the people watching were great!

As with all of our little trips, we had some great food, great wine and overall wonderful time just hanging out with each other.