Home for a while now...

Well, some time has passed since I last blogged, and I am afraid I can't quite go into all the details of Lyon and Paris as easily as if I was there in the moment. It was very hard to blog the last few days seeing as I was pretty tired, and it was hard to stay awake once we got back to the hotel to even write.

I will say this though, if ever in Lyon, please do not hesitate to order a Lyonaisse salad. Somebody knew what they were doing when they made this salad.

Yes, that's a delicious poached egg on top of crispy yummy greens with thick cut fried bacon, and what is missing are some deliciously crunchy buttery croutons. God Bless this salad...

Lyon was like a mini Paris - a gorgeous basilica is perched on a hill overlooking the city. Pictures can been seen in my gallery. The basillica itself received it's "title" from the Pope; it was once a church if my memory serves me correct. The church was built with two levels a lower church and an upper church. The lower church was directly below the upper church. Very beatuiful inside, but a bit dark. The upper church was amazing. Many churches in Europe come across as dark and cold. However the upper church was bright and almost warm. The colors used were bright and inviting, very much celebratory of the Virgin Mary. Amazing inside... and the view outside was great too.

We sat in the main plaza for a few hours sipping hot wine and watching the teenagers flirt, the tourists sip wine and survey maps, and the locals eat ice cream, drink beer/wine, and smoke and conversate the day away. Very relaxing...

Paris was amazing also - we stayed at a funky hotel that was fun and hip, yet lacked some basics for me. Like a window that would open more than 5 inches and let fresh air in. The cool part about the hotel, it was right next to Pere Lachaise, an old cemetery where some very famous people have been laid to rest. Among them are Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Chopin... Very beautiful and calm place. There are chestnut trees every where... Made me think twice about ordering hot chestnuts from the street vendors. I wasn't sure if "essence of Jim Morrison" was necessary.

Exploring the cemetery was fun - we spent a few hours there. We also spent a few hours at Mariage Freres enjoying chilled tea that was mindblowing. The art of tea... who would have thought. It was an art, and it was so refreshing, tasty, and fresh and delicious. We bought some to bring home. We also discovered macaroons. I ate plenty of them - and I'm glad I did. I don't think you can get them here, and I'm sure if you can, they won't be as delicious.

Also went to a chinese food place we discovered in 2007 in Paris. It was as good as I remembered. Only this time we did a Peking duck service. Again, the food didn't let me down. This was right down a side street off of Champs d'Elysee. Well worth the wondering around searching for it.

Also hit up a great little place called Ble Sucre where we stayed in 2007. A cute little store with just a small staff and delicious breads, sandwiches, and pizza. We headed over there one morning and I had two pastries... I was so glad I did. Her shop has some great food and pastries.

This is all I could remember for now... Shopping and eating and sightseeing... I love traveling. I can't wait to go again. However, next time - I may be writing to you from Italy. Thanks for following along.