Photo Love #2 - Paris Crêpes

Café Le Victor Hugo

Une Crêpe Jambon et Fromage

Une Crêpe Nutella et Banane

Paris, France 

March 2009

After eating at pricey restaurants for a few days, my mom and I decided that it was time to become one with the Parisians. We took off on our own and stumbled upon the cutest bistro when trying to find our way back from the Eiffel Tower: "Café Le Victor Hugo". 


Looking like it came straight from my imagination, I was eager to take a million pictures.  

We sat outside on a cool day taking in the amazing scenery, watching people walk their little dogs (and eating with them at the table too!), listening to the beautiful fluttering French language of the passerby's and for me, not believing that it was real.
  
Since it was my first trip to Paris, I thought it was beyond necessary to eat an authentic crêpe of some sort. When we opened up the menu, I was ecstatic to see that I actually understood most of what was written, and that these ridiculously amazing crêpes were on the very first page....It was meant to be.  


"Je voudrais une crêpe jambon et fromage, et une crêpe nutella et banane sil vous plait."  I stumbled a bit on my words since throughout the entire trip my fluent-in-French mother, grandmother, aunts and even younger cousins would take care of the speaking for me.  I was so excited when he understood what I meant:  "I would like a ham and cheese crêpe and a nutella and banana crêpe please."  

That was it...I caught the french speaking bug 

and from then on I craved crêpes for the rest of our trip.  

If you are lucky enough to find yourself 

in Paris one day, stop by and take it all in! 

Simply hop on the metro, and take "Ligne No 2" to "Victor Hugo".

Photo Love #1: The Leshan Giant Buddha

Here is one of my favorite photos taken in Leshan, China. 

My husband, Brien, and I lived in Chengdu, China for a year and had so many amazing, life changing experiences.  One of the places that we visited was The Leshan Giant Buddha.

The Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest stone-carved Buddha in the WORLD...Brien and I spent a very hot and sweaty crazy busy day here. When I say hot and sweaty I mean INSANELY HOT AND SWEATY....As in droplets of water running down our foreheads and shirts completely soaked through...Being smushed and pushed through weaving lines, and almost thinking we were going to be pushed down the INSANE staircase we had to climb down in order to get to the Buddha's feet.
If you look at the Buddha to the top right, near the Ear, is where the lines started....Imagine the busiest day at Disney World, lines without any fastpasses times 30 and that was the line....But it was SO WORTH IT!  This photo isn't even the entire Buddha....I took this picture when on the staircase of doom...There is a whole lower half with massive feet.!!!  It's almost impossible to get a picture of the entire Buddha unless you take one of the boat tours on the river that runs in front of it.
It's easy to get amazing shots of the Buddha, I just kept snapping at every angle.
Anyways, if you are ever in China, and near Leshan, you MUST go here, DO NOT pass this opportunity up, pictures do not do this justice.

I just have to show you the steep staircase of doom winding it's way down the mountain!