Blooming

Jack and I decided to visit Caroline and John in London  and were delighted when they suggested that we “take the Eurostar to Paris for the weekend”…(we love saying that).

We arrived in Paris on Saturday morning and spent the day checking off our list of pastry shops, beautiful gardens and museums. There is always time for naps when the Daimler family travels and after napping we had a delicious meal at a small restaurant (12 tiny tables…the kind where you feel obligated to say ‘God Bless You’ when these strangers sneeze, but they didn’t, at least not on JOHN!) The meal was delicious and we strolled back through the charming streets of Paris to our hotel…are you envious yet?

***Caroline and John are accepting bookings through the end of 2012.

The next day we decided to take a train to Giverny to see Claude Monet’s house and gardens and the nearby museum.  The gardens and setting were spectacular. Everywhere you looked there were ‘undisciplined’ flowers (different from the manicured English gardens) growing up, over, cascading and filling the vista with a profusion of bright colors. That sounds pretty good… and you know I was a math major.

Saturday night we had a fabulous meal but we  (Caroline and I) were on a tight schedule to get to the twinkling illumination  (not to be confused with the ordinary illumination) of the Eiffel Tower, which only occurs on the hour and for only 5 minutes. It was magical and worth (?) missing the madeleines that were served at the end of the meal. Full disclosure: Jack and John brought the cookies to us and they were in time to see the twinkling..PHEW…

The next day we walked from Notre Dame to the Musee de L’Orangerie with a stop at Sainte-Chapelle, considered the most beautiful Church in Paris. It was at this church that a miracle occurred.  We were standing in a VERY long line to enter, when the guard noticed that Caroline was pregnant (photo attached) and told her that she had a “passport” to the head of the line. We were ecstatic.

We then climbed up a narrow, concrete stairway that opens to a breathtakingly beautiful room…hence what is called the “stairway to heaven”.

We are back in London now; visiting fabulous museums, delightful parks, more bakeries and even took in a play “Wicked”.

John and Caroline are relaxed and gracious hosts. Their apartment location could not be better and Caroline looks fabulous.

She has reached the point in her pregnancy where she has “left the morning sickness and mood swings behind and has bloomed into a ravishing creature with glowing skin and thick shiny hair”. (I found this quote and couldn’t resist using it)

See photo…also hard water has an impact….

Even the pubs bloom in London:

Grandma to be,

Sussy

**Should I submit this picture to National Geographic now or wait a bit?