Soulmates

Up early and on the bus to the airport, we were both a bit tired. We made it through security in a breeze and sat down for some breakfast before boarding our 9+ hour flight back to Charlotte. 

There was plenty of room on the flight and the seats were quite spacious.  We decided the best way to stay awake was to watch movies the whole way home. We made it through Pitch Perfect 2 (not as good as the first but entertaining), Indefintley Polar Bear (solid Mark Ruffalo flick worth checking out), Ant Man (a decent intro for the character), Magic Mike XXL (exactly what you'd expect... great, but awkward on a plane) and the first 30 minutes or so of Ted 2. All around great entertainment for the trip. 

As you may have seen we have been taking pictures with Coke cans throughout the trip. On the flight I ordered a Diet Coke with lunch and on the name on side (I swear) was Soulmates. We couldn't believe the luck and it would be the perfect picture for the last leg of this journey.  Of course, I had to mess that up and threw the can away in the trash to clear up room on the tiny traytable. The below was the best I could do to make up for my mistake. Can't apologize enough for that Asha. 

We made landfall in New Foundland and slowly made our way down the coast. The sky was perfectly clear and it was good to see the continent. As we continued south the Captain announced that we were near NYC. We opened up the window blind and were treated to an unbelievable view of the city. Seeing it pass by our window was a realization that for the first time we wouldn't be going home there. We held our gaze on the beautiful madness below until it dissaperead in the distance. 

We landed in Charlotte and our friend Cassie was kind enough to pick us up. She and Sean were hosting us for the night before we would make the trek back to SC on Thursday morning. 

It is difficult to sum up the journey that we experienced over the last two months. We had traveled for 59 days, been to 9 countries and seen a lot more cities. Through all of that Ashley was by far and away the most beautiful thing I saw. Can't wait to plan the next adventure, whatever it may be. 

That Diet Coke can had it right for sure. 

Dijon - airbnb front and cola-cola pictures

Paris - airbnb front door and coca-cola pictures

Our Last Full Day in Europe

The four musketeers woke up early, showered and made our way over to the Dijon train station to catch the 9am back to Gare de Lyon. We were plenty early so we sat down from some espresso and croissants (#3 on Jamie's list. Sorry if I have the rankings wrong Jame). We eventually made our way over to the train and to our seats with no issues. The return trip had us the top level of a double decker and we had a great vantage point as the whether changed with each new hill or valley we passed. 

We arrived in Paris and set up shop at a bistro for lunch before making our way out to the CDG airport. We took the train and said our goodbyes to the Webbers. They were flying to NYC on a 4:55p flight. 

Ashley and I were flying out the following morning at 11am, so we books a stay at the Relais Hotel and Spa for the night. After check in (waited an hour for our room, but got upgraded) we checked out the pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna to use. As we were in what we dubbed "hotel city" our only meal options were room service... luckily it was fairly delicious food. We caught up on a good amount of news and went to bed on the early side. After all the time on the road, it seems a bit funny to spend our last night like that, but we neither of us complained. 

"Are you all on honeymoon?" - Dijon Native @ Les BerThoM

The four of us woke up slow on Sunday morning as Saturday went longer than expected. We had to be out of the AirBnB by noon but the maid arrived a bit early and was lucky enough to see Eric in his underwear. We had tickets for a 2:53 train to Dijon which gave us plenty of time to kill. Unfortunately nothing is open on Sunday's so we parked ourselves at a cafe and ate breakfast/ lunch for a few hours. We shared plenty of laughs and shivered in the cold until it was time to roll.

The metro ride to Gare de Lyon was easy... crowded, but easy. We had booked far enough out that we were able to get a good price on first class seats all together with a table. Ashely and Jamie took the time on the train to color and nap while I caught up on some writing. The train ride, as most of our trips in Europe had been, was beautiful.

Rolling hills covered the landscapes with farmland everywhere you looked. What began as fields for produce turned into pastures for grazing with white free range angus dotting the country side. Little towns that haven't seen a rehab since the day the were built broke up the greenery from time to time. The hour and half was over in no time as the window provided all the entertainment I needed.

With only one stop between Paris and Dijon we rolled into the station anxious for what lay in store for us in this small(er) town. We had a quick walk to the new AirBnB and were greeted by Christopher and his wife on the street. 

They were very new to the AirBnB game and provided the most thorough walk through we had to date. The place was newly remolded, but would serve as a comfortable home for the next two days. As with Paris, nothing was open on Sunday in Dijon so Christopher and his family coordinated/ made dinner for us to eat later that evening.

(View from balcony) 

Walk through (compete with dinner instructions) finished, it was time to explore the city. We set out for the main pedestrian area and strolled for a few hours taking in the quaint beauty that was around each corner. I'm not sure if the word cute had been uttered with such frequency since the world came into existence as it was on that walk. The city was charming with buildings straight out of a story book. With nothing open, the quiet streets allowed for a slow meandering pace as we explored further and further. 

The only sounds outside of our conversation came from those watching the France Ireland World Cup Rugby match. While I'm not sure what we all had in mind for the town, the first impression certainly fit the bill. The fading sunlight helped to further exploit the towns charms and we found ourselves in the Place de la Libération in front of the Palais des Ducs et États de Bourgogne. The open space provided some great pictures so we lingered as the sun continued to set.

On the way home we decided to check out the spot where we had a reservation for the following night's dinner. It look promising, but no one was dead set on the menu and we agreed to keep our eyes open as we continued home. Along the way we decided to pop into a pub to grab a drink. It turned out to be a great beer bar, Les BerThoM, with solid options and a relaxed culture. We settled in for a pint or two and reviewed the trip up to that point. Our server ended up being from Ireland and made a great recommendation to replace our dinner spot the next night. It turned out that we had a reservation there as well and it was decided that it would be the place.

After an hour we ventured home to try the homemade meal that Christopher and his family prepared for us. There was homemade fois grois, bread from a local shop, cheese, a salad and very specific wines. Everything was delicious and it made it very special to enjoy a meal at home with friends. We ate for about two and half hours before we realized it was time to call it a night. 

We woke up on the early side the next morning as we had a wine tour to get to. When our guide arrived at the meeting spot, we met the other couple that would be riding along with us. It was a chilly morning and everyone was anxious to get in the van to warm up a bit. We were also a bit tired due to the fact that we couldn't find any cafes open, which me at no doppio espresso for tired soles. We drove out of town and the suburban sprawl quickly turned into hillside vinyards that marked the start of Coté de Nuits. 

The day was gloomy and would prove to stay that way with the sun poking its head out in rare glimpses, but the vibrant colors of fall leaves on the vines everywhere we looked more than made up for the gray sky.

Our first stop was on a hillside to learn about the harvest and what makes the Bourgnone region so special. We were also treated to some delicious croissants (#2 on Jamie's list I believe) as our guide provided the lesson. Nice and chilled, we lined back into the ban and drove off to the next viewpoint, our guide noting points of interest along the way.

The Bourgogne region, like many of the wine regions, has its own grade system and it was interesting to hear the nuances along the drive. I was fascinated by the fact that the plots of land could have the grapes that belong to 80+ winemakers. In fact it is rare that you find a monopoly where one winemaker has ownership of the entire plot. We also drove past a plot of land (a monopoly) that creates bottles of wine that sell for €23,000 pounds at the only store they are available in Paris or if you are lucky enough to make it through a five year waiting list to only pay €1,000. Only 900 bottles are made a year.

We arrived at our first winemaker, Moillard, and got a tour of the faculties and then sampled five of their wines. The mix had two whites, three reds and touched all four classifications (Regional, Village, 1st Cru and Grand Cru). Eric and Jamie picked up a bottle of the Nuits-Staint-Georges Premier Cru, Les Saint Georges 2010 and we both picked up some rad candle stick holders... as rad as candlestick holders can be. After about 30-45 minutes we were off to Coté de Beaune and the town of Beaune.

We arrived in the medieval town and were given two hours to walk around, grab a bite etc. Much like Paris and Dijon on Sunday, Beaune was pretty much dead on Monday. We grabbed some sandwiches, walked around a bit, stopped in to sample some wine and then walked a bit more (It was a small town with the medieval district being the main point of interest).  With nothing open we were ready to get in the to head to the next winemaker.

We arrived at Château Corton André to a bright sun so we quickly jumped out and grabbed some pictures before we took in the incredible view. 

The tasting was great with six wines (three white, three red) on the table. 

By the time we finished you got the feeling that everyone had had enough wine for the day. Perhaps it was how short the stops were, but it didn't seem like anyone was excited to try anything else. We walked around the property to take some more pictures before jumping back in the van for the ride home. Once back in Dijon we strolled through the pedestrian area again to feel the town with traffic of people heading home from their day. A bit busier, but still a small town feel. By the time we made it back to the apartment we had a few hours to relax before dinner.

Our reservation at L'Epicerie et Cie was at 8pm and we arrived right on time. Since the place came recommended by out waitress the night before we excited to eat. We all ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon. It arrived in lunch pales and was accompanied with a small portion of cheesy gnocchi. Everyone was very satisfied with the meal and Jamie finally got her eclair for dessert.

This was our last night together so we stopped in at Les BerThoM for one last drink on the walk home. This is where we were approached by a local asking us if we were all on honeymoon. 

Tired and full we all went to bed on the earlish side in order to make our 9am train back to Paris the next morning.

Off to Dijon - Snaps from October 11th, 2015 from Ashley Habeck on Vimeo.

Picnic with a view

Saturday we woke up a little later than planned, but were quick out the door to start the day. Priority one was a great croissant from the Patisserrie around the corner. Perfect flaky on the outside, while still soft and a little doughy on the inside (#1 in Jamie's Ranking).  

(The aftermath of the most delicious buttery croissant)

We also had some espresso to fuel us for the day... or morning. The original plan was to start by climbing the Eiffel Tower, but with the later start, we changed plans and went to the Arc de Triumph and Champs Élysées first. We had a scheduled picnic on the Champs de Mars at 1:30 and didn't think we would make it up the Eiffel Tower and back down in time.

Ashely navigated us along the metro to the Arc and we had a short wait to buy tickets to the top upon arrival. 

We went straight to the top and Jamie counted all 190 (plus a few more) steps along the way. 

The top of the Arc provides a wonderful 360 degree view of the city and a great vantage point to watch the drivers navigate the Champs around the Arc. 

After taking a handful of pics we made our way down from the Arc and strolled down the Champs and worked our way over to the Champs de Mars in time to pick up the prepared picnic. 

We had some trouble finding the meeting point as there was some sort of festival at the location. Ashley and Jamie called the company and went off to meet the organizer.

A few minutes later they returned with several bags filled with meats, cheeses, wine, chips, cookies, water and everything else we needed for our picnic. We had said before that we probably could have bought the supplies for the picnic ourselves, however after seeing the contents of the bags, there was no way we would have done it that well.  We walked up the park a bit to get closer to the tower and picked a spot to enjoy our picnic. We ate, drank, laughed, listened and even napped for about two hours. 

(Cheesy, we know)

Much too full on cheese and bread it was time to walk up the Eiffel Tower. 

The four of us waited in line for about 45 minutes before we were able to buy our tickets and begin the ascent.  Pardon the bragging but we crushed the first round of stairs. Not that it was a Herculean task, but it still felt good. 

After soaking up the views it was time to head up to the next level.

A much more difficult climb than the previous we made it to the top without taking a break but managed to be a bit more short of breadth. It was amazing to watch the view change and grow as we went higher and higher.  Monuments slowly began to poke theirs heads out from behind the low storied buildings. The setting sun added to the beautifully dramatic landscape.  

Once firmly atop the second level, the hordes of tourists made it a bit claustrophobic as they pushed and shoved to all take the same picture.

At the second level the only way to get up to the summit of the tower is to take an elevator ride. Unfortunately we didn't realize that required an additional ticket if you walked up to that point. We eventually found the second level ticket kiosk and then used the "they told us to come this way'd" our way back to the front of the elevator line (a solid benefit of a language barrier).  After a short wait we were whisked up to the top in no time. The elevator ride is truly an experience as it is made up of glass windows and provides a 360 degree view the whole way up.

At the top of the Eiffel Tower we took in everything their was to see. The late afternoon had painted the city in a soft yellow hue and only made it that much more beautiful.  

We took in all we could and then made our way back to the second level, not without some nice tourist shoving in the elevator first though. From the second level we walked down to the first and decided to try one of the elevators the rest of the way down.  We made our way to the metro and back to the apartment to rest a bit before dinner.

After as quick a bite as is possible in Europe we made our way over to La Caveau de la Huchette, a jazz/ dancing club set in a super touristy area. We got the recommendation from the couple we met in Amsterdam. After sitting upstairs for  a drink or two we went down to the cave to check out the music and dancing. 

It is difficult to try and even begin to explain what this place was like. Simple terms of felt like we had taken a step back in time. A live band headed by a female crooner (is that a thing?) were on an elevated stage in one corner with a crowded dance floor laid out in front of them. The room was surrounded by people watching the dancers from above. It was a recommendation we were glad we sought out.

After we had our fill we decided to check out a few other places that night and didn't get back until a little too late in the morning.

It was a busy two days for sure but we were off Dijon for more fun after we woke up on Sunday. 

Paris: Day 2 - snaps from October 10th, 2015 from Ashley Habeck on Vimeo.