.Paris, France.

As the saying goes, "Paris is always a good idea". And yes it is.

Peter and I both agreed that Paris was our most favorite stop this time around and we just loved every little darn thing about it.

The quant barrista's. The chic attire on basically everyone. The buildings. The language. The easy subway system. The picnic's with champagne. The tasty macaroons.  The old men playing bocce or chess in the parks. The way the french continually called out "Bonsoir" with a smile. The love floating in the air. The non-existant fast food chains. The way this city is made for young [or old] couples.
It just sort of has this 'magic' about it that I have only ever felt in New York. And I can't believe that people told us it was dirty. I just saw Beauty.

standing woman, bronze. 1932
[my favorite statue, outside of the Louvre]

Pete and I spent 3 lovely days in Paris [however, be prepared for picture overload here]. We took pictures at the Eiffel tower; Said hello to Mona Lisa and her friends at the Louvre; Shopped till we dropped on Champs-Elysees; Lit some candles at the Notre Dame Cathedral; Had a picnic in the park under the Eiffel tower; Tasted pig's foot {well, peter did that}; Had some lovely visits with some locals in our broken english/french versions of language; And took in Music Day, which basically consisted of live music being played at every corner of the city. Now, how cool is that?

We seriously loved it all. And we are sooo going back. For a much longer visit. Very very soon.

"Bonsoir Paris!"

a serious game of bocce

the louvre

lovers in the louvre gardens

sharing a snack from 'Paul'

notre dame cathedral towers

lighting some candles for our loved ones

a picnic in the park [more to come on this later...]

.Nice, France.

With only 3 more stops on our European adventure left [i promise to be back to Fancy Napkin's regular routine soon!], we where overly excited about them. We've always heard such amazing things about the french riviera and Nice was our top choice. We booked a hotel in the heart of the shopping district [which meant trouble :)] and it was situated perfectly in relation to just about everything else.

I think I must have lost 10 lbs walking around that city the 3 days that we where there.

We visited a antique flea market [total surprise highlight]; Strolled the inviting Promenade des Anglais; Browsed through the Cours Saleya Flower Market; Ate pizza, escargot, duck and steak tar tar in Old Nice; Sampled different gelato's at Fenocchino's every day; Checked out the Notre Dame de Nice; And did a little shopping for family back home.

And Nice was gorgeous. We just loved it.

I can totally see why it's a holiday mecca for Europeans. Palm trees, beaches, friendly people, and just a clean beautiful city.

My only regret was that we ran out of time before taking a couple day trips into Monaco or Cannes. Next time I suppose......

bagette's and espresso each morning

carousel in the park

promenade des anglais

fountain in the square

browsing the antique flea market

shopping for a few original 1930's prints

wanting to take home everything i laid my eyes on. seriously.

the french riviera

palms and lushness everywhere

a couple of canadians in old nice after dinner

admiring the cours saleya flower market

a preggo in heaven amongst all the cheeses, candies, chocolate and fruit

.Athens, Greece.

graffiti wall art in athens

With only one night in Athens, we tried to squeeze in as much as we could. 

However, with their election happening during our stay, it made things a little more difficult.

And the Acropolis was closed. Both days!

So some walking, getting lost, a little eating, and a lot of graffiti viewing [athens is covered] would have to do.

We did however, have a marvelous hotel room with some of the most spectacular views I've ever seen.

faking it

our hotel square

a truck full of garlic. totally normal.

Santorini, Greece.

the sunset in Oia

Sun, Black Sand Beaches, Gyro's, Iced Coffee, Fresh Seafood.

It all means "Greece" to me now.

Santorini was nothing short of amazing. It was absolutely the most perfect place to visit after the whirlwind couple of first weeks we had pre-wedding. And it's just the sort of place to actually vacation with your loved one.

We stayed in a villa called Artemis Village in the town of Karterderos, just outside of the capital Fira and right on the beach. Our room balcony literally overlooked the ocean and we woke up to the sun and fresh breezes each and every morning. We also kindly indulged in these damn delicious iced coffee's that the owners brewed up for us at any given moment. I suspect that those will be very missed.

We rented a car [peter drove this time] and toured the entire island the week that we where there. We went to the trendy boardwalk and took in an outdoor movie at Kameri Beach; Did some shopping and sightseeing in Fira; Watched the sunset in Oia; Sunbathed on the beach of Perissa; Took a very cool boat tour; Walked up an active Volcano [Nea Kameri, a volcano which last erupted a mere 50 years ago!]; Swam in the natural Hot Springs; Managed the hike and lounged at Red Beach [our fav beach!]; Ate and visited the separate and old island of Thirissa [where peter had his favorite meal cooked right on the beach].

We also just lazily lounged by our pool and ate till our hearts content. The food here was amazing and I know we'll miss the fresh cheeses, santorini tomatoes and kalamata olives. Oh and I sort of take back everything I said about the british food being totally edible [sorry Brit's!] after tasting the fresh food of Santorini!! It was scrumptious!

view from the top of Fira

baby momma

my little buddy

grilled corn at red beach

red beach, santorini.

pete swimming at red beach

aye aye, captain.

a little swim at the hot springs

enjoying the view at old Thirissa

kisses on the beach

Oia, Santorini

love this pic: the sunset. the view. and the boy.