Europe

Europe Part I - German Alps

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A quick two tour hour drive south of Munich landed us in the quaint towns of Germany's Bavarian Alps.  With a short 48 hours, we got to explore Fussen, Oberammergau, Bad Tolz.  All of them had their own charm but my favorite was Fussen.  We took an early morning walk around the town before anything was open - seeing a place in the quiet hours is something special.  The newness of a place becomes that much more special to me when I get to take it in sans crowds.  To end our time in the Alps, we took a gondoula up the top of a mountain outside of Bad Tolz to get a quick hike in.  Best part: we took a slide all the way to the bottom of the mountain.  

Belgium

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Belgium took me by complete surprise.  It's a country that had never been on my radar and even when planning for the trip, most people gave me a confused look at the mention of it's name.  And yet, ironically, of the four countries we visited (UK, Paris, Ireland, and Belgium), Belgium is the one place that I want to return to as soon as I can.  We spent most of our time in Brugge - between the narrow streets, the calmness that the presence of water brings about, the architecture, and most importantly, Belgium waffles, this place is at the top of my list. 

Paris

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Of the couple of times that I have been to Paris, I have been reluctant to leave.  As a New Yorker, Paris has a feeling of familiarity, although a much more beautiful and put-together version of the city life that I am used to.  It's architecture manages to fall under the same aesthetic and it's open spaces are incomparable.  Thank you for that, Haussmann. 

During our time there, we explored the city the best way we know how: wandering.  In the midst of our wanderings, we did a self led chocolate tour in the 6th arrondissement which resulted in a food coma that was so worth it.  Starting at Pierre Herme where we tried their Plaisir Sucre (incredible), we meandered around the corner to Pierre Marcolini for chocolates and macaroons, and finished up at Maison Georges Larnicol where we filled bags with chocolate goodies to hold us over through the rest of our trip.