home at last

Carved faces on the bridge in Paris.

Amazing graffiti in Paris
I am tired today but it’s the good kind of tired. It is the tired that comes from full days of exploring and nights of indulgence. We are home from our trip to England and France. It was glorious spending days exploring the streets of Paris and finding those little places to make our own and nights of great food and wine. The last time we went to Paris we did all those touristy things you feel you must do the first time you go. This time we found OUR Paris. The little alleyways, shops and cafés that spoke to us, such an amazing city!!

The last time we went to Paris we were told by a friend to go to a restaurant called Willie’s Wine Bar. We went again this trip and I think it is a new tradition! If any of you are ever in Paris, you MUST go!! Amazing food, great wine and the staff is so knowledgeable about paring great wines with your food choices. They hire artists to create posters for them every year and they are great! I am always a fan of people who hire artists ☺ We spent three hours over lunch enjoying several courses and many wines and meeting fellow lunchers (I think I just made that word up).

The Tate Modern, my favorite museum in London. I hope to show here one day :)
While in London I was blessed to get to meet Susannah and Meg. We had an amazing day shopping, eating and drinking our way through Soho and affirming a connection that began here. It was so wonderful to look at their beautiful faces and feel like I had known them for years. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me and I can’t wit to see you two again! Susannah took this picture (my camera battery died right as I went to take a picture, nice!) and I know she posted it on her blog but I just had to re-post it.

After spending time in two of the most amazing cities in the world, we headed north to the picturesque English countryside, the England of storybooks and literature. We met some friends in Sheffield and headed out on a glorified pub-crawl that began in the Lake District, went through the Yorkshire Dales (they made me think of Wuthering Heights and the Hound of the Baskervilles with their moors and morning fog) and stretched to the east coast in Whidbey and Robin Hood’s bay. The boys were aiming to hit 15 pubs in 6 days; I think out final count was 17.





On our first day in the lakes we hiked through this amazing canyon complete with green mountains, river running through it and more sheep than you can count (there are sheep everywhere in the country…are they everywhere but Manchester and London?). We hiked up the side of a mountain to a cave that would be our logging for the night. It was amazing! Apparently the secret of the cave’s existence has been passed from one local outdoorsmen to another. Our friend looked for it for 12 years before finding it, so we felt very honored to be taken there. The views from the top were amazing and it was a beautiful place to camp for the night.

The following day we spent the night in this great pub, wonderful food, and beautiful location!!! We hiked in the mornings, explored villages and shopped in the afternoons, stopping in the many pubs along the way and have wonderful meals every night.

It just doesn’t get better than having good friends, wonderful surroundings, and great food and wine!! It was a wonderful way to spend three weeks!