Through the Chunnel- London

Feeling cheeky, we popped over to London
for a jaunt to check out the scene.

The borough of Islington, north of the city center.

We stayed here at our friend Nicole's apartment for 5 days and packed in as much as we possibly could- toured the city, hit all the major museums, and found a few sweet spots.

It wouldn't have been London without a little rain, but we also had a few lovely days.
Definitely fell in love with the city.

So apparently working out in London is way more exciting than in the U.S.
Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to figure out just how exciting.
Maybe next time.

Islington is a beautiful area with tons of ethnic restaurants, cute boutiques and bakeries.
Our favorite store that we frequented for food is called Budgens...and since the name is basically the epitome of our current situation, "we be budgen" is our new motto.

On the streets of Islington.
Yea! school uniforms...

On the tube. What a wonderful form of public transportation!
It's clean, super fast and people are quiet and respectful.

A skate park tucked underground alongside the river. It's like a whole separated world, completely covered with some pretty sick artwork.

Jammin' to the tunes.
The Millenium Bridge is in the background. It thankfully has not collapsed again
since it was rebuilt in 2002 after some faulty engineering for its initial opening in 2000.

On the Street- Paris

Grab a baguette, a hunk of cheese and take off by foot.
This, friend, is the best way to see Paris!

Little Red Riding Hood waiting for the rain.

Chillin' at the Pompidou.

Strolling through the Marais.
This is one of the oldest districts in Paris and is full of quaint bistros and boutiques.

More Marais....

A man and his pigeon gazing out over the Seine.

Where is the rest of this guy??

Oliver & Oliver, stuck in a cage, who will buy them...Hannah and Erika????
We visited one of our favorite Animaleries along the Seine. The salesmen are decked out in white doctor robes and seem oh-so-professional.

Cacao & Chocolate Store. It was named the best chocolate store in Paris, so we made the trip JUST to see if it lived up to its rep...et quelle surprise it did!
We had dark chocolate with Chinese ginger and milk chocolate with sea salt..hmmmm.

This store is called G. Detou, a pun on the phrase j'ai de tous(I have a little bit of everything). And a little bit of everything it did have- honey, wine, chocolate,
dried fuits, nuts, candies, and all necessary baking needs.

A tunnel off of the Seine that led down a tiny passageway.

La Nuit Blanche- Paris

We ventured out into the streets last night to check out Nuit Blanche -- the all-night
modern art expo. Various artists were invited to create pieces for monuments, galeries, and public spaces all over the city center.

The art was definitely...out there -- perhaps a little too much for our tastes,
but it was definitely a fun time.

Revelers were out having a good time, enjoying the City of Lights all lit up!

We LOVE Nuit Blanche!

Notre Dame was one of the main sites.
It was definitely a very strange scene inside the cathedral. It usually seems so tranquil,
and, well, holy. Last night though, it was pretty raucous, complete with a drunk
puking all over himself in a pew -- to the delight of his considerate friends.

Everything looks better in the candlelight.

This is an installation/projection piece at the Musee des Monnaies.
Don't really know what it is supposed to be.

This is part of the installation at Notre Dame.
These illuminated crystals were placed in all the little chapels -- so modern, so artsy.

A testament to the lack of public restrooms anywhere in the city.
So, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do, right?

Jumping for joy! WOO HOO! NUIT BLANCHE!

Looking on to Ile de la Cite from the Pont des Arts.

We knew we'd done good when we smelled the bakers up making bread
in the wee hours of the morning on our long walk home.