things we left behind...

This is officially our last Paris post, how sad huh? From now on, we will be sharing our adventures in California - our new stomping grounds! Berkeley has already exceeded our expectations so we can guarantee there will be lots of fun news to share :)

So this post is dedicated to what we left behind - first and foremost, the city itself - PARIS :( Of coarse we have been going through withdrawals... We actually had a really funny oops moment a few days ago. Here it is.... whenever we went grocery shopping in Paris, we took our little canvas bag and walked around the corner to the closest market. Typically we just got a few things for the day. Well, we decided we needed to make our first grocery run here in Berkeley - so we grabbed our canvas bag and walked to Safeway, a much larger grocery store than what we were used to in Paris! We grabbed our shopping basket and filled it to the brim - cookies, salsa, JIFF peanut butter... tons of american treats that we didn't have the luxury of enjoying overseas! We pay, grab our 5 or 6 bags and realize that we didn't drive a car that could assist us home and that our tiny Parisian apartment is not right around the corner! We end up stuffing as much as we can in my purse and bubba's backpack to make the truck home a bit easier. We smiled as we walked home and realized that Paris left an impression on us - one that we will never forget...

The bicycle shown above is something else that we left behind. It's Bubba's and he loved it. It swiftly carried him around one of the most beautiful cities in the world for 5 months and on it's last ride, it EXPLODED!!! We were on our way to sell our bikes to some friends and Bubba's bike literally fell apart... He kicks it, curses a bit, and locks it up to the nearest fence for abandonment. Au Revoir bike! Such a dramatic ending to a beautiful relationship :) ha!**

....last but not least, the image of bubba's shoes sums up our time in Paris and with Fat Tire. We played/worked so hard & these shoes are proof of that! These shoes were brand new when we left for France. They were his christmas gift and just about the only pair of closed toed shoes he has (had). After 5 months of long, and I mean LONG, days of guiding tourists around, unexpected rain storms, bike explorations around the city, walks down the Seine, tromping up flights of stairs, trips to the market, etc etc.... They were goners! They were falling apart to the point of no return, as we threw them away and packed up our bags :)

Goodbye shoes, goodbye bicycles, goodbye Paris - we will miss you :(

photo booth!

So there are these photo booths in the metro that are for taking passport photos. They cost like 5 euros - way too expensive if you ask me! BUT, when I realized that you can take fun/silly bordered pictures, I was all over it! Here is what we chose :) hahahahaaa...... Best 5 bucks I have ever spent!!

Our last walk through.

On our last Saturday in Paris, Bubba and I decided to walk around Montmartre. I wanted to buy my Mom a painting (I ended up not finding anything...) - we stopped at a cafe and had a drinks (people watched) p.s. does anyone see the total for the two beers on the receipt in that picture? CRAZY HUH? We almost threw up. It was a gloriously relaxing walk/day.

One of the last adventures outside of Paris that Bubba and I took was to Vaux le Vicomte, the chateau that inspired Versailles. We were supposed to have met friends out there but they slept in, due to a fun evening the night before (it's okay Tim, we forgive you). The grounds were gorgeous, it was great weather, we had an incredible lunch - we couldn't have asked for a better day. I highly recommend visiting this chateau!!!

It's not over!

Although Bubba and I are no longer in Paris :( we still have a few posts that we want to share with you! Then.... it will be time to move on to our California adventures!

So the last week that we were in Paris, we went to the restaurant called Breakfast in America or BIA! I think you can figure out what kind of food it serves, non? Well, needless to say we LOVED IT. We had scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, coffee galore! It pumped us up for our return home :) We actually went three times in one week because Fat Tire gave us gift certificates for working so hard so... we also enjoyed some hamburgers and milkshakes! MMmmmmm......

Paris Plage!

This was our second time to be in Paris for Paris Plage! The first time was two years ago and we didn't actually walk through it. Paris basically turns the walking paths and roads by the river into a beach/fun summer festival. There was ice cream, pop-up cafes, plays for children, sprinklers to play in, beach chairs and sand to relax in.... it stretched on for forever and we had a blast exploring it :)

It's coming....

We have FIVE more days left in Paris. What????

How can this be....? Sigh ***

Tomorrow is Bubba's LAST DAY with Fat Tire :/

...and then we are going to play like crazy!

Upon returning to the states, we have less than 4 days before we have to pack up and make the move to California. We rented a U-Haul and are driving that incredible distance shown above. I have done this drive one other time with a good friend, Hailey Cook! We got lost, of coarse - I have such fond memories of the cross country trip. I am anxious to do it again, surprisingly. We are in a hurry to meet up with our landlords (who are awesome, BTW) and to get Bubba started with school. His first day of class is only 2 or 3 days after we arrive - woah! It's going to be a crazy next 2 weeks but I am excited. Cheers to new places!