slateblu

disneyland

We went to Disneyland and California Adventure last week with the kids.  Fun but tiring.

Once we arrived we were a bit early so we didn't check into our hotel.  We hung around Downtown Disney and ate lunch at Rainforest Cafe.  We picked up some Lego things for the kids before trying some beignets at the Jazz Kitchen (express) and then headed to our hotel for some swimming and rest for the next two and a half days of Disneyland and CA Adventure.

It was nice and not so crowded at Downtown Disney when we were walking around.

Day 1 at Disneyland, Jason played musical chairs with Alice and the Mad Hatter.  When he became an "unwinner" he had to tell a joke.

Day 2 we spent our time at California Adventure. Ava loves to get her face painted.  At least this painting was smaller compared to the one she had last time.

Day 3 was our 1/2 day at Disneyland again for things we didn't ride before and then we drove back home to the fog, which I welcomed just a little bit.  

Disneyland is fun but not quite your "relaxing" type of vacation.  I think next year we'll go to Hawaii so we can just lounge on the beach instead.  Last day of summer for the kids is today. Tomorrow is the first day of school.  

paris - day 7 (last day)

Our last day in Paris - we went to eat breakfast at Angelina's; walked up the Champs Elysees; had our profile done from a guy who used scissors to do it; a little shopping; a visit to the McDonalds; and a simple dinner to end our 7 day trip in the City of Light.

 It's said the Coco Chanel would eat breakfast here.

 
Lenotre on the Champs Elysees

My profile - done in two minutes w/ scissors...

They say you should visit McDonald's in different countries you visit - for the experience and to taste the different selections they offer...

Macarons in McCafe
Anne's dinner

My croique monsieur

My last dessert in Paris was Berthillon ice cream.  Very good and very rich. 

 

Until the next trip to Paris...

   

paris - day 6

I'm almost done on my posts to Paris!!  I'll have some baking posts soon...

Day 6, my sister and cousin left for Italy so it was now just Anne and I.  After our goodbyes we headed over to the Marais District to eat lunch at Bofinger.  My co-worker recommended it. Before eating there, we still had time before our reservation so we stopped into a little boutique near by named Si Petit. I bought a little matching fleece top and hat for Ava. You will see pictures eventually. I also bought myself a fleece jacket that can be worn two ways, just by flipping it upside down.  We also stopped by le Notre to pick up more macarons to take home.  It was really a light day compared to what we did earlier in the week.  It did start to sprinkle/rain a bit but not too bad.  We did some more walking in the evening along Avenue Montaigne.  The shops were closed but I took some window pictures.  We stopped by a couple shops along the Champs Elysees.  I did buy a shirt for Jason - an adidas top where I had them embroider his name and the city and street of the store.  The guy asked where I was from because he was probably wondering why I wanted to do that - haha!  Then he nodded like ah, okay, that's why... 

The Opera House

Bofinger

Si Petit Shop

A flower shop

Candy sold on the sidewalk

 
le Notre

 

Chanel

The adidas store -Anne and I in the picture screen.

paris - day 5

Day 5: We went to Montmarte to climb the steps to the Sacre Coeur. After some light souvenir shopping we metroed down to the Pablo Picasso Museum.  It was kind of light sight seeing day but very tiring because of all the walking and metro riding.  After the museum, we stopped back at the hotel to drop some things off, freshend up a bit, and then did more walking to the Haussmann Boulevard district.  Though we didn't go into the department stores, I did find one shop I had on my list to visit.  It was the french soap store La Compagnie de Provence (marseille).  I bought some soaps and lotions for myself and for gifts.  The sales person at the store gave us some "local" recommendations of where to eat.  There was one place where he said not to tell anyone because if it ended up in a guide book it wouldn't be the same anymore.  I wish we did eat at the restaurant but because of time contraints, we couldn't.  It's on my list to do for the next time.

and a well deserved treat:

paris - day 4

So after a late night Wednesday night, we still managed to wake up early to catch the RER to tour the Palace of Versailles.  It's huge and there's so much to see. We did manage to see what we wanted: the gardens and rooms, and even Maris Antoinette's small estate.  We went to the Musee d'Orsay very late in the afternoon or maybe even early evening and it wasn't crowded so it was a good time.  We also did a little night walking around the neighborhood of our hotel before retiring.

**If you live in San Francisco, the de Young museum is having masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay from May 22 to September 6th -"Birth of Impressionism". 

RER station

Outside the Musee d'Orsay

Clock in the Musee d'Orsay

Balenciaga Boutique

Evening around the neighborhood    

paris - day 3

I never did finish my posts on our 7 day trip to Paris which was last year so I do intend to finish...  Day 3: This is what we did: We woke up very early to go to the Louvre.  We were so early that we were able to take pictures of the courtyard with no one but us and maybe 1 or 2 people around.  By the time we left the museum it was unbelievably crowded with lines.  Those Paris museum passes are life savers when it comes to long lines. After the Louvre we went to the Musee de L'Orangerie to see Monet's Lily Pads. Small museum in comparison to the Louvre.  We walked around the Champs-Elysees for some quick shopping, rested a little before our boat dinner on the Seine River, then a show at the Moulin Rouge.  We were supposed to go up the Eiffel Tower to the 2nd floor after our dinner and before the show but the workers went on strike that night.  Just our luck but it was okay.  Maybe something to do when we go back again...

 

paris - day 2

I'm very behind in blogging - especially about my trip to Paris in April.  (Can't believe it's already August).  Anyway I'm catching up now.  I'm home sick w/ a cold and will probably call in sick tomorrow.

More on Paris:

 View from the top of Notre Dame. 

We also went to the David LaChapelle exhibit at the Monnaie de Paris. 

 The Musee D'Orsay was crowded and my sister and cousin didn't have their Paris Museum Pass  yet, which I highly recommend you get and which helps in bypassing the very long lines. So we went to the Musee Rodin.

  Rodin's signature.

 The Thinker.

  Napoleon's Tomb at the Army Museum.

Anne, my sister, and cousin in the middle so you can see how big the tomb is.

La Tour Eiffel...

 

We walked so much on Day 2... from the Notre Dame, along the Seine River, to the Paris Mint, to the Rodin Museum, to the Army Museum, and then finally to the Eiffel Tower.  After that it was such a treat to ride in a taxi back to our hotel.

paris - day 1

So now I'm finally sitting down to show and tell about my trip to Paris, with my sister, my cousin from Hawaii and my friend and cousin-in-law Anne.  Anne and I spent 7 days in Paris while my sister and cousin did 5 days then trotted off to Italy. This is day 1.

The first picture of the Arc de Triompe on our way to the hotel.  The taxi cab driver heard the click of the camera and told us to wait because we could take better pictures later and because it was so close to the hotel.

 

The improved view and close-up view:

 

This is the view from our room at the Prince de Galles Hotel which was just off the Champs-Elysees: 

  

Anne and I arrived first to Paris before my sister and cousin so this was our first stop after dropping off the bags and sort of freshening up after the looooong flight:

Laduree:

The goodies inside:

  

 

Laduree was a quick jaunt from the hotel so it wasn't far at all.  This is what we feasted on:

 

I should say we took it easy this first day.  After tasting some of the macarons and waiting for the rest of our traveling party to arrive we walked to the Arc de Triompe, took a myriad of pictures, then got ready for dinner.  We treated ourselves to a nice dinner at Les Bouquinistes upon the recommendation of Anne's sister who said that this was the best place she ever had fois gras.  While I'm not a fois gras kind of person, the sample we had was smooth and soft like butter.  This experience made me eat it two more times in Paris and nothing did compare to what it tasted like at Les Bouquinistes.    

back from hawaii- part two

So a little more on our vacation since I have some time now.  In Maui, we drove two hours to see the sun rise at Haleakala.  Cousins from Oahu flew to Maui to spend the weekend and play tourist with us (they also haven't see the sun rise at Haleakala) and we all did the drive starting at 3:00 a.m.  It's like people who live in San Francisco and who haven't yet been to Alcatraz.  It was freezing cold, almost like being back home.  It was 44 degrees up there and windy.  Here are a couple of pictures:

The sun just about breaking out and peeking through the clouds...

The sun...

Afterwards we went to eat breakfast at Cafe 808. Great local food!

 

We also drove to the lavender farm: Ali'i Kula .  We got lost going there but finally found it.  Once a month they said they offer free shipping so I suggest you sign up so you can get notified on when that free shipping is and get yourself some plumeria lavender spritzer.  You can use on your body or home fragance.  It smells so good.  We used as a home freshner and it's great!

 Then off to Oahu: View from our room:

Getting ready for the beach...

On the beach...

Guava macaroons =)

Macky's Shrimp Truck  - our first choice was Giovanni's but by the time we got there they were sold out.  Macky's was just as good though and they even give you salad and a piece of pineapple!

  Shot of the kids on our last day and on our way to the airport. It was fun for them.  Jason loved playing on the beach and playing in the water.  Ava loved playing with the sand.  I was worried about traveling with small kids on the plane but we had help from my sister and her husband.  The plus side was that you get to board the plane first! 

back from hawaii- beach pictures for now

We're back from Hawaii.  For now, some beach pictures from Maui.  We stayed at the Westin Maui for four days before heading to Oahu.  My cousin works for the Starwood hotels and we got an unbelievably good discount from her. These are pictures from the beach behind the resort: