Bonjour!

And now, for Paris!

Bonjour! Baguette! Croissant! That about covers my French language skills, which surprisingly got me pretty far (at least in the boulangerie).

We got to Paris via the chunnel. Before the journey we were excited to be in the car on the train from England to Paris. During the journey it was much less exciting. Here's what the train looked like.

Our first morning in Paris was Sunday. Colin and I made our way to a local LDS sacrament meeting. We could pick out a few words when the non-native french missionary was speaking, but other than that were were completely lost. It still felt wonderful to be at church though! Meanwhile Rachel and Steve picked up some brunch items. Rachel put together a wonderfully French assortment. I would move to Paris for the food in a heartbeat. 

This was the view from our window!

The city of Paris was everything Colin and I had hoped it would be. The architecture at every turn was beautiful, the summery sun warmed our skin, and the unabashed PDA that was EVERYWHERE made us feel right at home. 

On our first day we visited the Arc de Triumph, which Napoleon built to celebrate a victory. Unfortunately it took quite a long time to build, and Napoleon did not live to see it finished. 

The Arc

View from atop the Arc

Underneath the Arc

Le tourists

We walked through the gardens, and down to the Louvre. We drank what tasted like Evian water from the taps, and we had dinner in a quintessentially french bistro. I had a salad with toast topped with 4 different kinds of cheese that I could eat everyday for the rest of my life. Colin had confit duck, which he loved as well. 

We passes a shop with some concept cars- these run on grass or tea bags or something 

In the gardens

Some new statues for the plaza

Young love ;) 

Beautiful city 

When we actually went into the Louvre it was almost overwhelming. We paid our respects to the Mona Lisa, which was like being herded into a small pen like wild sheep, ahh summer crowds. We saw other paintings, sculptures, and artifacts that were amazing, but I think my favorite part was the building itself. Every ceiling, hallway and window seemed to be adorned with murals, gold leafing, and carvings. 

Just one hall of the incredible ceilings

At the Louvre 

A visit to the lovely lady (after we'd been pushed and herded to the front of the corral) 

I learned about this one in an art history class and loved seeing it in real life

Another beautifully carved archway 

Colin and a sphinx 

That night we planned an official date night (yes, yes even though our summer has practically been an elongated honeymoon). Colin made reservations at a restaurant  with seating on the patio of a grand building with gardens in the center. Then we went to the Eiffel Tower. Romance filled the air like a sweet and subtle perfume <3 

On our last day in Paris we went into the city and had some mouth watering crepes. We tried to see the catacombs, but the 4 hour wait detoured us. On our way back to the apartment where we were staying (thank you Airbnb!) we walked over the seine for the last time with Rachel and Steve. The flowers were bright, the air was warm in spite of a soft rain. It was hard to believe that in less than 24 hours we'd be flying to Spain. 

Bridge on the seine river

Paris was an amazing city. Wandering through the city with Steve and Rachel was loads of fun. Going on a date was especially romantic, and we felt more in love than ever. This summer has brought us together in more ways than we could have imagined. We are so grateful for the opportunity we've had to travel, and for all of the memories we've made along the way! 

Now we are in Spain getting settled in, and while a daily routine has started to emerge, we think the best adventures are still around the corner :) Although, we always think the best adventures are yet to come, which is why we are always looking to find them. 

Last post about England!

Hola! Ya estamos en Madrid, pero voy a terminar con nuestros aventuras en Inglaterra y Frances antes de decirte sobre Espana :)

Just an FYI, this is a long one!

When we got back to Rachel and Steve's after our scenic trip through the countryside we headed back into London. Our first stop was the Natural History museum. It was so cool. Colin was a bit more enthralled than I was, which he attributes to my supposed "short attention span" while I maintain that I can just process things faster than him ;)

Colin and the rhinos and mammoth tusks (just one pic of many with the dead creatures :))

Dolphin skull in my hands, hippo tooth in Colin's- nbd

After a awe-filled afternoon at the museum we clicked out heels and ended up at Wimbledon. We went there under the pretext of being able to get recycled tickets half way through the day. Recycled tickets are olympic tickets that are resold at a lower price after the original ticket holder leaves the arena. Unfortunately Wimbledon was not recycling tickets as we had hoped :( Fortunately Colin is persistent :) After talking to every official near the gates, and being reassured that we would not get tickets we started to leave (2 hours later) dejected and sad as we heard the announcers and the occasional uproar of the crowd inside. As we were leaving though, this group of Swiss individuals gave two tickets to another couple. Colin ran after them and asked if they had anymore tickets. Like a true Negative Nancy I waited up ahead for Colin, sure that they didn't have any more. Colin got two tickets from the Swiss Olympic Committee that landed us two rows away from the photographers. Way to be bold Colin Taylor! 

Woohoo, tickets!

We got in!

Our seats

We weren't actually on Centre court, but it's still a cool picture :) 

The French men's double team that beat the Spanish after 18 matches... they later got beaten by AMERICA in the gold medal match :) Thanks to the length of this match we weren't able to see the Williams sisters (their match got postponed)

Soon after our Wimbledon success I went to trampoline gymnastics with Rachel. It was really fun to watch. Rachel and I came up with our own scoring methodology and proudly added our peanut gallery commentary to the event. Luckily for everyone in the arena we couldn't be heard over the pop music. 

The next weekend we made a pilgrimage to Kent to reconnect with the rest of the Taylor clan. Colin had previously promised me a proper British experience when we met his gran, aunt Lynn, and uncle Hugh. Proper doesn't begin to describe the experience. Our first stop was to see Lynn and Hugh for lunch. Lynn and Hugh were welcoming and warm. Their home was beautiful, the traditional chicken roast was delicious, and the tea and biscuits in the garden made it the perfect afternoon. At times I felt as if I was in a PBS airing of a BBC television show. Hugh kept telling me that I hadn't really realized what I was getting into when I married Colin without meeting the rest of the family, but I couldn't be happier to be part of this family. 

                                      

Us with Lynn and Hugh

After lunch we went to visit Gran. It was really special to meet her. Colin has fond memories of her from when he was younger, and he has been excited to see her again and introduce me to her. She had a regal air about her, and she was wonderful to visit with. 

Lynn, Gran, Colin and Rachel

Me, Gran and Colin

Later that same day Colin went with Steve and Liam to see beach volleyball. They said it was a great venue and that the fans were a lot of fun! USA women were playing and apparently they got more support from the crowds because they weren't wearing spandex under there bikinis, BUT remember, it's all about the sport! Rachel and I couldn't get tickets so we treated ourselves to Thai food :) 

We went back into London a few times that week. One day we went to the Tower of London. Colin loved the armory, and I got bored quite quickly. We got to see the royal jewels in another section though, and my spirits lifted considerably. 

In front of a bridge with the Olympics rings

See the knight, be the knight

Gruesome chopping block and other items- a lot of blood was shed at the Tower of London

Outside Tower of London with an obliging Beefeater

 That evening we got to meet up with one of John's school friends and his family. They brought some old photos of John that gave us a good laugh. We ended the night at an interesting ice cream shop that had black walls adorned with a sign that lit up purple letters saying "God Save the Cream." Robin, his wife Jane, their son Alex, his girlfriend, and their daughter Jess was really fun. We had a great time talking to them. We hope they'll come visit us in Spain!

Colin, Me, Jane, Robin, Alex and his girlfriend, and Jess

On one of our last trips into London we traded our handball tickets for women's USA volleyball. Since the volleyball game wasn't until the next day we went to the Shakespearean Globe theater and managed to get two tickets for that nights show! It was one of the best productions we have ever seen. We saw Richard III. The characters were hilarious and grim at the same time. At one point an airplane flew overhead and Richard III busted out some unscripted Shakespearean language to express his fear of the monstrous bird. 

The stage

The theater from outside

On our last day in London, before the Volleyball game we went and saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace. 

Then we headed to Earl's Court for volleyball! The women beat South Korea pretty heartily, but during every set they went almost point for point. We had a few good chants of USA, USA, USA! 

Our final Olympic event was men's soccer! We went out to a stadium in Cardiff, Wales. We saw Japan play South Korea, and our seats were great! The only thing that could have made it better was if Japan had won. 

On our final day in England we had a beautiful lunch with all of the family in England minus Rebecca and Gran. It was wonderful to meet everyone. Hugh had brought some old photo albums we were able to see a lot of fun pictures of everyone! Here's one to add to the next album!

That concluded our England trip! Our family and friends made it unforgettable. We'll definitely be back again- probably before Rachel and Steve have fully recovered from our 2.5 week stay in their home :) 

Bath, Cheddar Gorge, & Stonehenge

We've just left England! We had an amazing time in the mother country. Here are a few highlights from the last week or so before we left.

Rachel and Steve planned us a trip though the English countryside. It was to die for. Colin learned to drive on the wrong, I mean left side, of the road, and we drove to Bath. It was a beautiful day. We went to a fashion museum, the old Roman baths, and the town abbey. The baths were fascinating. We touched the water and it was so nice! If only we had lived 2000 years ago. Apparently they had massages and steam rooms in the same general area as the temple- I could go for that :)

In front of the abbey

Trying on hats in the fashion museum

Walking around Bath

At the Roman baths

We stayed at a quaint, and utterly British bed and breakfast that was perfect. The Three Daggers is exactly what you'd hope for- low ceiling pub, expansive fields and flowers, stand alone bath tub, black pudding pie, spotted dick, and a full English breakfast. We had a romantic dinner while watching the USA win a few Olympic swimming gold medals :) 

Black pudding- tastes fine until you know what it is

Array of desserts, including spotted dick

Our room

 

Fun bathroom

On our way back we stopped in Cheddar Gorge, one of the best places on earth. Apparently cheddar cheese was invented in this area, and the cheese is aged in caves. We saw how cheddar was made, and cheerfully tasted little chunks of cheese to our hearts content.

So happy to be there

Mmmm

Best job ever

Cheddar Gorge village area

Handsome man 

Finally we stopped at Stonehenge! As you can see from the pictures it was a gorgeous day. We had to rush through in order to get the rental car back on time, but it was an incredible site. Hard to believe that the stones were moved into position thousands of years ago. 

One of us

One of just the stones in case our smiles are wearing you out

#whitegirlproblems- I don't think I can fit all the highlights into this post. If you're still reading (mom, Marilyn and John) thanks for catching up with us! I'll post a few more British events tomorrow, and hopefully catch up with Paris before we leave this beautiful and romantic city! 

Au revoir!