Oh My God!

We recently had the pleasure of Ron, Mary, Auntie Mary & Uncle Bob for a 10-day visit. As it goes with the Duchek's - Ron & Bob are obsessive photographers, so we left ours at home & let the experts get down to business. However, that does mean we don't have too many photos to share (yet) from our time with them as they are all on harddrives in America. I'll honestly be surprised if we ever see any of the elusive photos Robert took --- he has quite the reputation for taking gazillions of photos, yet no one ever sees them. I do want that one of Joe & I in the Orangerie if you are reading this UB!

I believe I speak for most of us when I say, this was the highlight of the visit:

 

This was taken from the hotel room balcony with our small digital (thanks AMaryMeell) --- so you can imagine what the SLR shots look like. Zermatt is to me the absolute pinnacle, the perfect example of a gorgeous, cozy Swiss town. It's all chalets, cow bells, 500 year old barns, wood stacks, and flower boxes. We couldn't turn a corner without our resident awe-struck Auntie Mary saying "oh my God," "Oh my GOD." It was so charming & she was smitten by Switzerland that she started asking us about what kind of temporary job she could get out here!;) Honestly, it was quite the relief to have someone else as vocal about their love for the place, sometimes I think I'm uber-annoying with all my talk of 'how great it is here.'

 

Here the boys are in our favorite little hotel bar in Zermatt -- complete with fireplace, cushy couches & stuffed animal heads (my fav;).

The other main adventure for the visit was Paris. We scored a fantastic apartment a block from Saint Michel fountain and a few more from Notre Dame. There were street performers, boulangeries, beggars, McDs & Starbucks all within blocks of our door. We had fabulous breakfasts, complements of many of these listed things! Honestly, if you are in Paris, GO HERE . As many of you know, I am in a serious, commited relationship with....food. This place was most likely the highlight of Paris for me. Although, our happy hour experience after a garbled first day was quite enjoyable as well. We hit up a lot of the major sights, but we also went a few places we'd not been before.
I know how I feel about Paris (which is most likely more about my dislike for crowds, being underground and a relentless fatherly opinion that the French & France are loathsome) -- but what do you think of it? Traveling with an enthusiastic lover of all things French while in Paris, slowing down the pace & staying in a great part of town certainly made the experience enjoyable....even if it was France (sorryDaddyo - please don't disown me).