The Great Escape, Part 1

Hello there!  Is it just me, or did June fly by?  Seems like only a month ago or was it more...I arrived to tulips in bloom and trees with budding leaves.  The garden was nothing but a plot of dirt full of high hopes and the temperatures required more than one layer of clothing.  Today, the garden has already provided many delicious salads with fresh spinach and assorted lettuces.  The strawberries are good if we beat the slugs(?) to them and most seeds have turned into plants!  The peonies have already gone from tight buds to spent flowers and the lupins made their beautiful showing along the roadsides and are gone until next year.  The next wave of color will be provided by the daisies, lilies, irises, lavender, geraniums and petunias.  I continue to be amazed by how quickly everything grows up here!  

Huge and fragrant peonies!

Almost at their peak!

Until we meet again next year...
pruned and headed to the bin.

As per our agreement, the one where I agree to come to the shore in May and TJ agrees to a couple of weeks away in June so we can escape the onslaught of black flies, cold and wet early June weather and mosquitoes (which may be an impossibility), we took a trip to the Pacific Northwest.  Back in November we planned this trip with our anniversary friends Roberto and BellaDonna.  I had never been to Seattle or Vancouver; TJ had only been to various paper mills in the area through work...so basically, he hadn't been either!  Over the spring Roberto and I worked out an itinerary, found accommodations, and started researching the best trails to hike in each of 3 national parks.  TJ was in charge of booking flights and renting our chariot for the trip and tossing out more things to do and see.  BellaDonna is our on-site queen of delicious snacks and resident card shark.  If we had played for money, she would be rich now.  

I had some broad-brush stroke ideas of what to expect from Seattle.  I expected gray skies, maybe some fog and a lot of coffee, which sadly, I do not drink.  TJ and I did a half-day-hit-all-the-high-points speed visit to the city.  We had about 4 hours in the morning before our friends arrived to see Seattle.  They had already been there and done that.  We took the super convenient but not super-fast, light rail from our airport area hotel into the city.  We were on a mission!  Public Market, waterfront, Space Needle and surrounding area, eat some seafood, get a feel for the city and back to meet our friends at the airport.  I was pleasantly surprised by Seattle!  It may just be the cleanest city I have ever seen!  At least the parts we saw were immaculate not to mention all of the beautiful flowers!!!  We walked immediately to the Public Market, witnessed the iconic fish tossing at the fish market, reveled at the beautiful flowers in the market, strolled around drooling at all the of amazing seafood we were not going to be able to buy and cook...all the while enjoying the perfect location of the market.  We were also blessed by perfect weather.  We did the most touristy thing ever and I drug TJ to the top of the space needle.  Since we weren't going to get to see the entire city close up, we saw it from high above. As they say, on a clear day you can see forever!  We found a place that served one of the best fish sandwiches ever...and I love a good fish sandwich.  All in all, I would go back...especially if we could be guaranteed the same weather.

Accidental Air Canada ad, and why I love the window seat.
Mount Rainier...and my heart going pitter patter!

Going up!

I can't wait to go explore those mountains!

On the itinerary in the area...see Mount Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park.  We said we would choose to see Rainier on the day with the best weather thinking we would have limited choices of good days.  We were wrong.  We had many good days.  We chose to see Rainier first and then go to Olympic.  Our third day was flexible depending on how we felt and what we wanted to revisit or visit.

Rainier was spectacular!  Seeing it from the plane, then again from the space needle, and in the distance on the drive to our Airbnb served to pique our interest more and more.  Stunning!  The park is very nice, with waterfalls, lakes, good trails and good roads.  Unfortunately, early June presents something I did not really plan for...snow on the trails.  Icy, slushy snow-covered trails.  TJ and I tromped around for an hour...maybe two around the mountain to see how close we could get and saw a waterfall.  The hiking was like hiking on a soft sandy beach...exhausting!  Glad we did it but whew!  All in all, what a gorgeous place.  We did see Reflection Lake and even found a place for a reflection.  

Not your typical National Park sign...

Waterfall number one of the day.

Just beautiful!

Second waterfall...

The point where I said, "OK, I will only go as far as the
next two trees."  Did I?  Nope...those words were repeated
a few times!

Never know what you are going to find after the next trees!

Reflection Lake

Roberto had them eating out of his hand...

Olympic National Park was a bit of a drive from our accommodations.  After a 2.5 or 3 hour drive early in the morning, we finally made it to our first trail, Hurrican Ridge.  Sound easy right...?!  With its advertised 360-degree view promised, we were ready.  Luckily, we drove a lot of the way up to the viewing point and only hiked the last bit up.  Another lovely day and the views were worth the steep climb.  After gawking at the vast range of mountains in the distance, realizing how massive this park really is and just enjoying feeling like we were on top of the world, we went to Port Angeles for lunch.  After lunch we drove to another part of the park for another hike around a lake to a waterfall.  I am pretty sure all hikes in the state go around a lake to a waterfall or past a waterfall to a lake!  Olympic National Park is HUGE! We barely scratched the surface.  In hindsight, maybe we should have chosen to change accommodations for this part of the trip and reroute, but it was too late for that.  So...we drove back making our best efforts to stay awake.  Our next day was decided in our exhaustion that night.  Stay close to "home" and see what we can see in the area.  Necessity is the mother of invention, and the plan we came up with, last minute, worked out pretty well!  One thing I enjoy about a bit of flexibility build into a trip is that many times it results in unexpected treats.  

Another day, another park!
We love our national parks!!!

They look like they go on forever!

Hurricane ridge!

The vastness is breathtaking!

Walking to yet another waterfall!

It is bigger than it looks.

One of the things you find when you explore
 ...and I love fuchsia!

There were so many different colors!!!

We all enjoyed seeing the Rhododendron Gardens and the Tacoma Rose Garden...all for the low, low price of FREE!  We found a super nice restaurant nearby, enjoyed some delicious food and went back to our Airbnb and BellaDonna proceeded to beat us all again at cards.  

The next day we were on to the next location which will be covered in another post.  I missed my June deadline by one day...so maybe if I focus (ha-ha, I'm at the shore...focusing is a challenge!) July will be a 2-post month!  Imagine...I used to do one a week.  Some of them were even good!  

So far, the Pacific Northwest has been more beautiful than I expected!  The landscape is stunning.  The trees are huge and plentiful.  The cities have been welcoming and easy to enjoy.  The water is everywhere and who doesn't love looking at blue skies, blue water and feeling a nice breeze blowing?!  What a great escape from the usual June gloom at the shore. (Not totally sure it was gloomy, but history shows that the possibility is high for gloom.)  

Groundhog Month

 January is a beast! Like so many Januarys before, this one seems like it has been at least 5 weeks long!  The first week of the month brought the inevitable post-holiday withdrawal from friends, family and wine. I put Christmas away and embraced at least two days of quiet before realizing I was going to be home for the entire month.  Then there was the adjustment to being home alone (TJ went skiing and I didn't, because I don't do that anymore, sigh) and had to entertain myself through a very cold and wet week with random cleaning, dragging all of my potted plants inside to protect them from the freezing temps, very little cooking, a jigsaw puzzle, a vast wasteland of streaming, and a book...or two.  Next came Snow-magedden 2025 week, which was actually a very nice change of pace here in Texas!  This brings me to yet another wet, dark week of what can only be classified as the fifth week of dry-January because I can swear each of the previous weeks was at least 10 days long!  

One of the bright spots in January.

Yes, I am here, whining without wine about January just like everyone else...again!  Note to self, I really need to plan something other than clean up after Christmas and hibernate in January next year.  I know this slower pace of life along with the dark days is supposed to be good for us somehow, but it is a hard pill for me to swallow this year!  The more I am forced inside the more I realize how much time I spend outdoors in my life!  I played golf yesterday in wet, muddy...but not freezing conditions just to get outside for an extended period of time.  Once again, my plan to stay home in January and work on my golf game has been hijacked by the beast.  When will I learn?

During the second week of waking up to gray skies, looking at the thermometer and seeing that my morning walk would again require bundling up and the rest of the day would drag on as if it were 30 hours long, I decided to plan for the future and dream about blue skies and crystal-clear waters.  Nothing like the hope of traveling to a perennially sunny location that has beautiful scenery, great food and wine and a lot of history to brighten even the dullest day in January.  I spent the better part of a week or more planning and dreaming.  Now we just need to survive until the end of March!

Another time killing activity I did this month was to add up all of our travel statistics from last year.  Well, probably not all of them, but the ones I could actually document.  I guess if I couldn't go away, I would just reminisce about going away.  I made a photo album, online, and sent it out to be printed.  An activity that I enjoy, and they give me great pleasure to browse through occasionally.  Then I made a couple of videos from the hundreds thousands of photos from last year.  It was very hard, since I am limited to only 50 photos per video this proved to be a real challenge!  I ended up going with one that was mostly people and places and another that was no people, only places and things.  Maybe I needed January to tie up last year and put things in perspective.  Those activities certainly opened my eyes. 

 Some notable statistics from last year...

Number of miles I walked - over 1300 miles 

Nights spent away from home -122 plus 95 in Nova Scotia for a total of 227 for Lisa 

                                                  140 plus 130 in Nova Scotia for a total of 270 for TJ

Number of different beds we slept in - 39...more for TJ!

Rounds of golf played - at least 58...fewer for TJ

Fights taken - 30, not including all connections

I guess I understand when people say we are never home!  I am pretty sure this January is the most consecutive nights I have spent at home in a long time.  Nova Scotia is a different situation all together because I consider it home and we did spend 3 months in the same house while we were there!  Adding up all these numbers might explain why I felt so restless in January.  I just don't know what to do when I am home, especially if the weather is cold and wet!

 The good news is that by the end of the week January will finally be over!  I feel the way my dog Sadie used to feel any time I put my running shoes on..."yipee, I just know we are going somewhere now!".  Hope springs eternal!  The sun will shine in February, the golf course will dry up and the wine will flow (just a bit slower) and all of the rain will provide us with many flowers.  Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel that is January.

A couple of videos of last year to enjoy.

                                                      The people who make life so good!

                                            Some of my favorite places and photos from 2024

Thanks for reading!  

A Blank Space

By now, you have probably seen and read many videos and memes bashing January.  If not, crawl out of that dark hole you are hibernating in and scroll mindlessly through the internet like the rest of us! This year, January nobody's favorite month got off to a slow start!  Blame it on those Wednesday holidays.  Thursday, January 2 was still a holiday if you are in school, or a half speed day for those who work, or just another holiday for us retired folks.  Then there was Friday the 3rd, and really...did anything get done that day? The engine of the new year had barely sputtered out of gate before the weekend happened and shut that engine down.  Back to holiday mode. Monday, January 6 marked the official beginning of the new year if you ask me, it was the day we could finally press the gas pedal and get moving into 2025.  The question is, where do we go?

This is a terrifying sight to me!
Life is better with a plan in sight!

Once the year finally got going, I found myself eerily "caught up".  After over two weeks of holiday festivities surrounded by family and friends and many planned activities, I am starting the year home alone, with a short "to do" list.  This is not a good thing for me!  I really need a full "to do" list!  Yes, I realize there are some of you reading this thinking, "what I wouldn't do to have nothing on my "to do" list", I have been there, just not this year.  Today is like a blank space on the calendar taunting me to mark it up with chores, activities, appointments, short- and long-term plans and at least one trip...somewhere.  The possibilities are endless except for the ones that involve skiing or running marathons, then I'm out. 

I still miss spending January here!

 While TJ is gliding down the snowy white trails I planned to stay home and work on my golf game, join the many who participate in dry January and combat my holiday cookie habit.  All these well intended activities have been more difficult than expected, except for the dry part (I feel so much better!).  I continue to forget that January is a winter month, even in Texas, and golf is a hit or miss (literally and figuratively) activity available to only the heartiest of souls.  I have already broken my 50-degree temperature limit rule once and probably will again...if the sun is shining.  

The arrival of the January polar vortex has forced me inside.  With dreary cold days and no trips on the books there was only one thing to do.  Plan a trip and get the heck out of here!  Alas, here I am.  But there may be some travel on the horizon.  All I needed was a little motivation to guide my internet scrolling and find the next great place to visit.  Not a reality yet, so stay tuned.  I just needed a place to escape to, even if it is virtually.

To close, I will try to list a few good things about January.  It is probably getting a real complex with all the bashing...and here I thought I was the only one all these years!  Just check EVERY early January post on the blog!  Yikes!  At least I am consistent.

Things to like about January-

Plenty of time to read all those books you got for Christmas.

Ample opportunities to snuggle up with a cozy blanket by the fire.

Soup!

We all need some time to recharge after the holidays and there are not many distractions in January.

College Football Playoffs...Go Irish!

I get to wear those cold weather clothes that feel so neglected in my closet.

Boot weather!

After-Christmas sales to spend all that money we are saving by not buying booze!

Dreaming about the endless possibilities that lie ahead.

Like Taylor Swift, "we've got a blank space"...we can write whatever we want!

Only 40 more days in January!

Hang in there!

Happy New Year!

Argentinian Adventures Part 2, Water and Wine

 We're back and it took a surprisingly long time, almost a week, to get over the effects of the two-hour time difference plus the additional hour of the clocks falling back.  Argentina does not observe daylight savings time, so it was a two-hour difference when we arrived there and a three-hour difference when we got home.  Not to mention the abrupt change going from the long spring days in Patagonia to the short dark days of autumn in standard time!  We found ourselves nodding off at 8 p.m. for a few days but couldn't sleep past 6 a.m. (and for me, you know that is something!).  I am certain I have caught up on my sleep, I am not certain I have caught up on my life yet though.  All good and the trip was absolutely worth it!  

We spent 3 nights in Buenos Aires and 
headed north to Iguazu Falls.

Learning to navigate Argentinian airports and Aerolineas protocol was a process.  Areolineas served us well throughout the country.  We took 6 in-country flights over the course of 3 weeks and all flights were on time, within 30 minutes, and all luggage arrived safe and sound at its destination.  Figuring out our last-minute gate assignments, boarding process (herd style) and baggage weight limits presented us with a new way to think.  "This is not United Premiere!"  By the time we flew from El Calafate to Buenos Aires at the end of our trip, we felt like Aerolineas frequent fliers.  Thank you for providing us with a quick and easy way to see your country!

Iguazu Falls did not disappoint.  We had heard how spectacular it was from others.  We hired a guide to show us both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides in one day.  Worth it!  The day was surprisingly hot and humid...and we are from Texas.  I believe the high was 95F/35C degrees with 70-80% humidity.  We consumed so much water!  Our guide sought the shade whenever he could, he's seen all this before.  The town of Iguazu was nice enough, small and very manageable with some good restaurants.  Our hotel had a great pool area, I imagine this place is crazy busy in the summer! We oohed and aahhhed at the falls and I said, "Wow!" a lot!  The power of all that water is mesmerizing!

Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls
Devil's Throat

Beautiful bird!

These coati were all around!  One got on our shuttle train,
one of us freaked out....wasn't me.

From a distance

And from Brazil!

Towards the end of our visit to the falls, 
this is all I could think of!  A cold beer and a dip in this pool!!!
Bathing suit earned its spot in the luggage when we got back to the hotel!

We spent two nights in Iguazu and headed back to our friends at Aerolineas and on to Mendoza.  Mendoza has been a place TJ wanted to visit ever since he had his first taste of Argentinian red wine!  That was many moons ago!  It was one of several reasons we decided to make this country our first South American destination.  

Mendoza is BEAUTIFUL!!!!  Planning a trip like ours, having never visited the country, you just research...a lot (my favorite part), decide where to go and what to do and try your best to give each place enough time but not too much.  It is a leap of faith.  If I did it again, I would spend even more time in Mendoza.  As they say, "hindsight is 20/20" and looking back at my photos and remembering what we saw and what we did, there was so much more to see and do!  Even if it only involved looking out over grapevines at the Andes.  

Maybe just sit on a patio here and look out in awe.

The city of Mendoza is way larger than I expected!  I thought it was going to be like Napa or Sonoma, a small town surrounded by vineyards.  It is a large city of 2 million people!  We really enjoyed learning the history of the city and its many settlers.  My favorite part was learning about the plazas that represented different groups who settled the area.  There was the Italian Plaza, the Chilean Plaza, The Plaza San Martin ( and fyi, Jose de San Martin is a rock star in Argentina!  Every city or town has a San Martin Ave and/or plaza!)and the Spanish Plaza.  These four plazas surrounded the Plaza Independencia.  They celebrated their history in each plaza.  Plus, they were beautiful gathering spaces.  

We passed through the Plaza Independencia at night
and it was full of families and all of the fountains were dancing to music! 
I called it Bellagio Mendoza
 Plus, these two, with the ever present "football", who were happy to smile for the photo.

We took a bike tour through the wine country and that is the way to go!  We just followed our guide.  He was great!  He totally reminded me of a younger Anthony Bourdain, which made me like him even more.  We visited three wineries on the bike tour, Nieto Senetiner, a high-end winery, Kaiken, a mass production winery and Viamonte, a smaller boutique winery.  They were all lovely in their own ways. Riding a bike through small towns, looking at the Andes qualifies as a "pinch me" moment in my life.  It wasn't about the wine for me... it was all about those mountains!  We were so lucky to be there in the Spring when the mountains were still covered in snow, but the vineyards and the trees were bright green.  

Artsy photo of the day!

Our guide, "Anthony Bourdain".

By the end of our time in Mendoza I am pretty sure I had consumed more red wine than I have consumed cumulatively in my life!  I told TJ at one point during our trip, "I have had enough red wine and beef to last me the rest of my life".  Argentina is VERY red wine focused... the whites are very nice, but not nearly as popular.  

We treated ourselves to one indulgent night at The Vines.  A beautiful resort/vineyard/spa/restaurant in the Uco Valley, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by vines. It was lovely and definitely the best accommodations of our entire trip (possibly our entire life).  We also experienced the Siete Fuegos (seven fires) dinner.  All of the food was cooked over one of the seven types of fire.  It is Francis Mallman's restaurant.  We rode all the rides!  

Our villa at The Vines...too bad we couldn't stay longer!

Dinner, cooking on one of the seven fires.
This same sight can be seen all over Argentina.
Without the amazing view though.

The view!!!

The gym!
No exercise was done here, unless gazing out with your
mouth open in awe is exercise!

We did ride bikes around the expansive property. 

The rest of our time in Mendoza was spent driving from the Uco Valley back to Mendoza city.  Admiring the view at every curve in the road.  Stopped for lunch at one place but they were fully booked, instead they gave us a free glass of wine.  Found another lunch place, with an outdoor table for a leisurely lunch.  Sunday is the day for long, multi course lunches apparently!  Families together, young and old.  It was just so nice to witness.  We also got to witness the resident dog herding the geese back into the water if they got too close to the edge and tried to come bother the patrons.  

Just doing his job!

On our last night in Mendoza we did something we have never done before.  We had spent the day driving, tasting wine, eating a big lunch plus all the snacks they serve at the wine tastings, drove some more and checked into our hotel around 7 p.m..  We never left the room once we checked in!  We were full and tired and just needed a rest! The next morning w flew to El Calafate in Patagonia.  The farthest south either of us has ever traveled!  And that is material for yet another post, lest you, dear reader, are tiring of reading about what we did in Argentina.  I guess if you have made it this far, you aren't too tired yet.

We were both thrilled with the trip so far and looking forward to our time in Patagonia.  Still, at this point I was growing a bit tired of all the thinking in a different language.  Not that I can think in Spanish, but constantly translating and trying our best to communicate was wearing me out.  Not to mention always being surrounded by people speaking in a different language. ( It really limits the eavesdropping!)  There were not that many English speaking tourists where we went.  We were very grateful for our English speaking guides.  Believe me, I did try my best, which isn't great, to speak Spanish...but  Si, gracias, esta muy bueno and chow (strong Italian influence in Argentina!) were my "go to" phrases.  Google translate was much more effective at communicating!  Every night I would study my Spanish and arm myself with words and phrases I thought I needed to know.  

See you in Patagonia!

Argentinian Adventures Part 1

 An observation on the eve of our departure for our next adventure.  This is the last night for 3 weeks that I will eat in my kitchen, sit on my sofa and watch tv, shower in my own bathroom, drive my car and just live my life as I know it.  Tomorrow it all changes.  Beginning tomorrow, for 3 weeks, my mind will be expanding, my experience bank will grow, I will be communicating in a new language, eating and drinking new things, I will go places I have never been before, see things I have only seen in movies, books and videos, and visit a new continent.  I sit here excited, anxious, optimistic, almost completely packed and as prepared as I get for a trip.  We planned the whole thing ourselves; we don't usually do group tours or cruises....yet.  That day will come. 

One of the best parts of any trip is the anticipation and all of the expectations. 

The above was written more than a week ago with the best intentions of actually...finally...publishing a post! I realized, relaxing here at siesta time, October is almost over! So you will get my best effort from my phone. If you are reading this, you probably follow me on other socials and have seen the photos. Good thing, because I am not able to attach any to the blog on my phone! 

Early observations from our trip to Argentinian so far. 

Buenos Aires is big! Not what I would call walkable except for small areas at a time. We put in many miles! Stayed at what might be the best hotel of the trip as far as amenities but not a location ideal for us. We plan to stay in a different area when we return for 2 days at the end of our trip. 

We did have a few memorable experiences.  Not all good.

We took a couple of tours. One of the Recoleta Cemetery which was good and the cemetery is unique and historic. Yes, we saw Evita's mosaleum. We took a bike tour of the south part of town. An area we thought we might not otherwise have visited but the older and more historic area. Glad we did! Great tour! 4 hours with a very good guide and only one other person. Just when we were feeling good about the city after we had lunch on our way back to our hotel we were sprayed with some icky stuff from behind. An attempt to distract us and pick our pocket. We were not pick pocketed, we had a very good idea who had done it and our belongings were secure. I also had my "spidey sense" on alert on that street. Sadly, my faith in people was shaken.  I swore not to walk that street again.

The splatter...icky! 
It did wash out...whew!

The next morning was Sunday and the closest beautiful basilica was on that street. Turned out it was Argentinian Mother's day. The service was beautiful, the music amazing and at the end we were treated to a beautiful violin solo that brought me to tears.  My faith in people was coming back. 

That night we went to a Tango show and dinner and it was great! The tango is such a beautiful dance!  

I would say Buenos Aires both lived up to my expectations and disappointed me in a few ways. 

I think after a few days in the city dealing with a different language(my limited Spanish is getting a workout!), different currency that we never seem to have enough of because who uses cash any more, and navigating such a large and varied city, we are ready for some smaller places.

That is about all my fingers can manage for now.  Thanks for checking in! Sorry the crickets have been managing the blog for the last couple of months, I will try to update sooner rather than later!

Basilica del Santisimo Sacramento

El Ateno Grand Splendid bookstore

The Obilesc 

Figured out how to do pictures! Learn something new every day!

"Someday" is Here

 Apparently, everyone in the world is touring Christmas markets in Europe this year!  It is really a thing now, at least for Americans...Europeans have been doing it forever, seemingly.  We had the pleasure of visiting some markets at the end of November and first week of December.  It was a trip that materialized on a dreary, lonely, afternoon and evening in September at the shore.  I was experiencing the "end of summer blues", and said to TJ, "Remember that trip to Strasbourg we planned and had to cancel?  Maybe it would be fun to visit and see the Christmas markets.".  All I had to do was plant the seed and within a few hours he had purchased tickets and put the ball in my court.  There was a time, or there were many times in our life, that the mere suggestion of a trip would have been met with sighs of, "someday".  As a result of many air miles, a retired and restless husband, an empty nest and our desire to see and do... "Someday" is here! 

Our trip began in Paris on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Turns out the Saturday after Thanksgiving is a great day to travel abroad because everyone in the states is home with their families.  We celebrated Thanksgiving with our son in Kansas City, came home on Friday and left on Saturday.  Yes, there were moments I said to myself and TJ, "Are we crazy?  Why did we plan it this way?".  One reason we planned this way was that nobody travels abroad on the weekend after Thanksgiving which meant our upgrade to the flat bed seats came through!  "Someday" is definitely here.

Paris in November is gray and damp.  BUT...it is still Paris!  I really do love that city!  I have been many times and will go again...any time.  We stayed in the Montmartre area because our train to Strasbourg was leaving from Gare de l'Est and we wanted to be close by.  Montmartre is an area we know a little but not a lot, so I scheduled a food tour for our arrival day.  I like to have an activity on arrival day with someone to point me around and lead me in a direction, so I don't have to think.  Perfect.  We sampled many sweets, some wine and cheese, heard some interesting and tragic stories and met a new friend.  

Macaron?  Merci!

So French!  Oui, merci!

The next day was...wet.  What to do in Paris in the cold rain/drizzle?  I had heard that there are passages in Paris, covered walkways with shops and restaurants.  I had never seen one before, so we set out the find the passages.  What a great concept!  The shops were so cute, and we stayed dry!  We also toured the Pompidou Center and museum which we had only walked past and never toured before.  Both great choices and when we were finished, the rain had disappeared.  We had a lovely dinner, are there any others in Paris?  Went to bed pleased with our choice to fly into Paris en route to Strasbourg.  Paris is always a good idea!

A great way to stay dry in Paris!

The next morning, we walked to the, very close, train station and took a 2-hour train to Strasbourg.  Train stations in Europe are so different than the ones in the states.  They are so busy and many of them are just beautiful if you ask me.  They are also very utilized.  The Strasbourg station would prove to be a very lovely and unique building as well.  We found our apartment, ate lunch in a very local place and commenced our Christmas marketing!  The smells, the booths, the vibe, the food, the lights, the decorations!  All of it together just makes your heart swell.  

The markets below give a little perspective.
That Cathedral is huge!!!

Our routine had become explore the city in the morning, lunch someplace, walk/shop a bit and then go back to our accommodation until dark...which was 4 pm!  Around 5 we would go back out, do more exploring, have dinner and then really walk around and marvel at the shops and the lights. This routine resulted in an average of about 15,000 steps a day!  

As a coincidence, on our food tour in Paris, we met an interesting young woman from Australia and found out she would be in Strasbourg the same day we were.  We invited her to meet us at the restaurant we had reservations at on our first night for dinner or even just a drink. I mean, we are older...maybe she wanted to hang with some younger people!  We did not know if she would show or not. We did spend 3 hours together eating our way through Paris... why not?  Well...she showed up!  We proceeded to spend the whole night together, talking, eating, drinking and generally having fun.  We ended the night...shutting down a Christmas market.  Small world indeed. 

We visited Colmar, France the next day and my oh my!  For one, the sun was shining brightly for the first time since we left home.  For another, Colmar is the cutest place on earth!  We felt like we had been dropped into a fairy tale!  This was probably the most perfect day of our trip.  Sunny skies, market after market, buildings and streets decorated to the hilt, great food, and a very manageable size place to fully explore.  I would go back!

Love the use of all red locks on the bridge!

Christmas, everywhere you look!

Cute beyond words!

Welcome back to Strasbourg

Our next destination was Baden Baden.  Why Baden Baden?  It is on the way to Frankfurt, where our flight home was departing, smaller and famous for its thermal spas.  We figured we would be chilled to the bone by this point in the trip and in need of some warming up.  We were back to the winter gray skies and as we headed north it just got colder.  Luckily, Baden Baden was charming, easy to navigate and a lovely place to spend a day and night.  Yes, we did go to the spa, no, we did not opt for the "textile free" areas.  We enjoyed every pool we could, inside and outside.  What a luxury!  Good thing our hotel was nearby, I was so relaxed when we left walking was a challenge.  Of course the cold air woke us up pretty quickly.  I cannot imagine how dark these towns are in the winter once all of the holiday decorations and lights are gone.  They are so festive and alive during this season, but with sunset around 4 p.m.  winter is very dark!

Our only sprinkling of snow!

 Our last day was spent in Frankfurt. It was definitely a place that snapped us back into reality.  After spending time in places that felt like walking through a Christmas card, we were in the big city.  Frankfurt is BIG!  We could no longer just walk from place to place, although we tried and got to see the seedier side of the life in the big city.  Let's just say the red light district in Frankfurt is not nearly as charming as it is in Amsterdam.  Another reality check was the markets were shoulder to shoulder crowds and then we realized it was Saturday.  We were definitely on vacation, we had no idea what day of the week it was until then.  Everyone and their grandmother and their kids goes to the markets on Saturday.  Yes, they were just as charming, but there were times I had to tell myself, "You survived Mardi Gras in New Orleans many times, you can do this too!".  We managed to sample some food and found a happening wine bar and lucked out with a seat at a table, surrounded by people.  Guess we were so old, compared to the general clientele, that they gave us a chair.  You know...before we keeled over due to old age 😂

Absolutely loved this booth!

We had a great time, better than expected actually!  We were prepared for inclement weather and had mentally prepared for gloomy skies.  I really had no idea that the night lights would provide so much joy though.  

Just some of the calories we consumed, happily, and tried to walk off on our trip.

Christmas came early to the two of us.  As a result, Christmas may come a little late to our families!  Playing catch up on the gifting and greeting this year...their gifts will arrive...someday!

Hope your holidays are as merry and bright as a European Christmas Market!