hello from:: the jardin du luxembourg, paris, france.

day two:: searches for the best baguettes & croissant au beurre in town, successfully found at boulangerie au 140 (see a happy peter here), the climb to the top of the arc de triomphe, the bastille, macaroon assortment from laduree , wandering through the district of marais, place de vosges, the notre dame, & finally a resting spot at the jardin du luxembourg, for people watching & ice cream.

xoxo

hello from:: the streets of paris, france.

| parisian cafe outside metro jourdain |

| street art |

| place de vosges |

| street treasures |

| all smiles |

| an artist's quarrel |

| vintage keeper |

| garden nooks |

wandering the streets of paris, baguette and camera in hand.

xoxo

hello from:: paris, france.

| arc de triumph |

| winged victory of samothrace |

| modern technology & the mona lisa. silly. |

| the louvre |

| eiffel tower by night |

some of my favorite shots of classic paris

xoxo

hello from:: budapest, hungary.

| megyeri bridge at sunset |

| széchenyi thermal baths |

| castle hill |

| streets of budapest |

| crumbling courtyards |

| chain bridge |

pleasant surprise flights with germanwings blind bookings , hungarian culture, view from the fisherman's wharf , traditional dobos torta from gerbeaud boxed & wrapped in ribbons, budapest at night from the bridges over the danube, & the first pool(s) of the summer.

xoxo

hello from:: amsterdam, netherlands.

| eerste boomdwarsstraat |

| city of bicycles |

| window eccentricities |

| dam square |

| promises of new |

| shona & the westerkerk |

| sunday streets |

| canals & canals|

i think I may have fallen in love with this city. such history & charm. the buildings hundreds of years old, with brick facades leaning gracefully towards the streets, slowly giving into gravity's pull. beautiful canals buzzing with life dividing and giving structure to the city. & if not on bicycles, young people donning vibrant colorful fashion - much different than the conservative & neutral tones of bonn - filling the streets. all with an air of open mindedness.

& then there was the food: the most wonderful goat cheese i've ever eaten. so great that we sat on a door step in the alleyway of eerste boomdwarsstraat & ate our morning collections like little mice. perfectly content with the fact that our morning adventures had lead us off the only map of the city we had and into a massive farmers market. | finding a spot in the sunny outdoor winkel cafe for an afternoon treat of the famous appeltaart. | & the introduction of stroopwafels. two thin waffles with caramel buttery goodness holding it all together. heavenly cookies like honeycombs that melt in your mouth. & when I say they are heavenly, trust me, there is even an association of stroopwafel addicts .

plus, thanks to our lovely host & tour guide, our weekend was filled with lessons of the city, explorations of the famous districts, vondelpark & insights into the "original" gin - genever .

xoxo