PARIS
I don't even know how I'm going to write this post because there is so much to say. But maybe I won't have to say much. The pictures speak for themselves. We had TOO. MUCH. FUN.
My sister, Heather, and our two BFFs from high school, who are also sisters, Miriam and Eirene, made the long voyage from the Utah and Idaho to Europe.
It was a year in the making at least, and so much planning went into it. We had four villages holding down four forts on the home front to make this possible. Most of it went off without a hitch, and we are all still living high off the memories of a wonderful 9 days together.
We hadn't spent much time together since high school, over a decade ago, but we picked up where we left off. We acted like fools and enjoyed every minute of it.
Now for the trip report: Those three landed in Paris Friday night, and I drove to meet them at our Airbnb Saturday morning. We picked up our Paris Passes and headed straight for the Eiffel Tower.
We walked the stairs to the 2nd level, wondered where to buy tickets to get to the very top, walked back down the stairs to the 1st level, were told to go back up to the 2nd level to buy tickets, and then we gave up. We called it good. It was a gorgeous day and we loved the view we had.
Plus, who's got time to go to the top when you're busy being Millie Dilmount?
Or Miss Dorothy?? Nailed it, Eirene!!
Heather's pumper was telling her it was time to take it easy....
... and try her luck with a tiny souvenir!
Strolling the streets of Paris gave us an opportunity to try out our album cover poses.
My selfie stick game was wobbly on this one, but practice makes perfect.
Stopping for ramen...
Album cover choice #2.
Nighttime brought us to Sacre Coeur.
Album cover choice #3.
Inside cover 1st choice. Obvs.
The next day we spent allllllll day at Versailles. No regrets! It was amazing.
We're really getting the hang of it. I hope stardom doesn't change us.
After walking through the big palace and eating lunch at the cafe, we walked in the gardens for a long time. At the end of the gardens we took a bus that someone told us would go to Marie Antoinnette's English hamlet. NOPE. It took us back up to the palace. So we walked alllll the way back down to the end of the gardens again and found her hamlet on foot. The gardens nickle and dime you and confuse you at every turn, but we made the right choice by pushing through the frustration to get to the hamlet. We fell in love with that tranquil little gem of a place.
It's where Marie went to get away from all the "being Queen" stress.
It's where she said, "Let them eat grapes!" True story.
The place is a painting. We loved every bit of it!
On the long way back to the car, we stopped into a cafe for dinner. Meat and potatoes all around! Viva la France!
Next day was Angelina for brunch.
Then Louvre and Orangerie Museums after that.
A absolutely love this front and back of David & Goliath.
The Orangerie Museum is one of my favorites. So small and serene and I could stare at Monet's water lilies all day.
Girls, this is a solid option. Let's come back to it later. K? K.
Ohhh heheeeee hahhhahahaa heeeee.
Mim took us through a meditation to heal our eyes. Long story.
Duck and tiny potatoes.
Eggplant and tomato tarte.
Let me get that flirtacious pout off you.
Salmon and veggies, always a winning choice.
An evening stroll to the always majestic Notre Dame and the open late(!!!) Shakespeare & Company.
Overcome by the Ghost of Hemingway, Heather picked up a book and read.
Mim's neck pillow, known as Sir Hiss, came in handy during the trip. Long story.
Au revoir, Paris! Tiniest and loudest ever Airbnb. But loads of fun memories, anyway.
BRUSSELS
Yo Brussels! Our Airbnb hostess, as seen here, was a kindred spirit. She's an interior and textile designer and was a joy to talk to. Her home was lovely to boot.
Best part about her house, though? It was
in a lively part of town but the nights were silent as a stone. We welcomed the sleep in a big way! Our walk to the Grote Markt (Grand Place) was gorgeous as well.
We had a loooooong walk to get food, but it was all worth it in the end. Noordzee du Mer is such a delicious lunch choice in Brussels.
Fish soup, fried fish, sauteed fish, mussels, crab burger....just so much yum.
Move over, Paris cafe chairs, Brussels got some cuties to see.
Mannekin Pis boy is always a weirdy.
Waffle squad.
The Grand Place made our Russian faces come out for some reason.
We couldn't stop doing terrible poses.
And then we went for a classic.
Fries for dinner. As you do.
BRUGES
Next day was a jaunt north to Bruges. Beautiful town, fun to amble the streets and people watch.
And eat more fries.
And belltower climb.
We stumbled upon this to-die-for kitchen supply shop, Dille and Kamille.
It had all the tiny things, and Mim and Rene were squealing to their hearts' content.
We gazed at the St. Salvatore cathedral while killing time before eating again.
Dinner was at the Flemish Pot.
We were tapped out on fries but the Flemish stew was pretty good.
We departed Belgium and headed north to Netherlands. It was very rainy and very windy but that didn't keep us down. We rented bikes at Kinderdijk and forged our way to the windmills.
Just enjoyed an authentic Dutch day.
HAARLEM
After that we took a trip to the lovely town of Haarlem.
We went to tour the Corrie ten Boom home.
She and her family were Christians and hid Jews for a long time in their home during WW2. This was the only room we were permitted to take pictures in. It's Corrie's room and on the bottom left, the back slat of the linen closet opens and that's where the hidden members of the household would jump through when they heard police coming. The space behind the wall was very narrow and 6 people stayed there, sometimes for days. But most of their time was spent living with the family in their home.
Her book, The Hiding Place, is one of my favorite books of all time. The tour ended with a reading of this poem Corrie really liked.
She and her family are such an incredible inspiration.
We went to a great little lunch spot in the town square, and it was called The Square. So, yeah. Hearty open-faced sandwiches for the win!
Such a pretty day in Haarlem!
AMSTERDAM
We had one full day in Amsterdam, with emphasis on FULL. We were already pretty exhausted up to this point, but we pushed forth into one of the great cities on this planet. The Dutch are truly winning at life. Bicycles, flowers, water, to-die-for architecture. They know exactly what they're doing.
We started the morning by touring the Ann Frank House. Here's Heather in front. It was another harrowing, somber, inspiring visit. Going to the places these people lived and sacrificed is so incredible. The world is so different now and it's hard to imagine being faced with the impossible situations they lived in. Would I have the strength and courage to do what they did? I hope I never have to find out.
A lovely flower shop front...
....and delightful coral windowframes and doors.
This pho overcame our famine.
To the Rijksmuseum we went! The Dutch masters and their jaunty social scenes did not disappoint.
The variety of Delft blue and white was fun to see.
I can't remember the story with this one, but I loved it.
Tourists doing touristy things.
After that we went to the Van Gogh museum, and I guess we took zero pics! It was amazing and we all loved it. So fun to talk to these gals about art - they are all creative ladies and they care passionately about this stuff. Such a satisfying way to spend the day. To finish the day, we found the Nude Burger Club, tagline: Eat your clothes off. HUH? Super weird, but SUPER good!
After that we walked around the Red Light District because: curiosity! We were not the only tourists there. It was fascinating. We had to go home and Google everything and have a lengthy conversation about it.
We stayed in a town south of Amsterdam called Weesp for all four nights we were in Holland. Here's the darling Airbnb. We loved it so so much. We were about to move in and forget our families and call it home.
Heather fits right in.
The owner had all sorts of .... ahem ... female inspired art in his home.
Weesp was just too good to be true.
In the mornings we found ourselves at this bakery. The women there taught us how to say Weesp. It's pronounced "Veshp."
Heather and I had big plans to run a lot on our trip, but we were so tired from walking so much, we only made it out together once. And it was dark and rainy. But worth it.
We spent several magical evenings in Weesp enjoying their amazing restaurants and then we had to do the obligitory black mask, obvs.
That was it for me and I headed home on day 9. The rest flew out the next day. And now we will live on these happy memories for a lifetime. Thanks, ladies, for making this trip happen! It was one for the books.
