Forty Fest Part 1

So far, forty is fabulous!  Yes, I realize I am only a couple weeks into it, but I have no complaints. :)  Fortunately, I have to divide my 40th birthday festivities into a couple of posts.  It has been that much fun!

On my actual birthday, I had lunch with some of my sweet friends.  What a great surprise to have so many of them join me.  They also gave me a super cute new purse.  It was a perfect afternoon!  

That night, we went into Brussels to have dinner at Hard Rock Cafe.  We were all so excited for  cheeseburgers and french fries with ranch...and it was CLOSED!  Private party on a Friday night.  Seriously??  So we went to Chez Leon, which was yummy too.  Of course, we had to end the night with waffles and a peek at Manneken Pis.

The next morning, Chris and I were off to Paris!  Ooh la la!   I obviously would not be jetting off to Paris for my birthday in real life.  But, it's only a 90 minute train ride from Brussels in my expat life, so we took advantage of it.  

One of my requests was a visit to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  It was our third trip to Paris, but we hadn't been able to secure tickets with only one working lift last summer.  So, we finally made it to the top.  And, it was FREEZING!  Duh..it's January!

But, we did enjoy a little bubbly up there.  Honestly, that was the best champagne I've ever had.  And, I don't like champagne!  I sure wish I had the name of it!

Nothing says romantic like a trip to Napoleon's tomb, but we were trying to do things we hadn't done.  And well, this fit the bill.  It was really impressive!

At the recommendation of our waiter at Hard Rock Cafe, we stopped for Berthillon ice cream just behind Notre Dame.  It did not disappoint.  And, the Coca Light was huge and didn't break the bank! 

Our hotel room was quite small but very nice.  With only 20 steps to the Chatelet Metro stop, you can't pass it up!

Our dinner reservation was not until 9:30 P.M.  You can do that when you don't have kids with you.  It used to drive me crazy that dinner in Europe took at least two hours, and now that is something I really appreciate.  Dinner is in fact your entertainment for the evening.  No one rushes you, and you can stay as long as you like.  We didn't leave before 11:30 and enjoyed every minute of it.  And, the food was delicious!!!

Sunday morning, we headed to Notre Dame.  We've been to the cathedral, but we headed up to the top for a visit with the gargoyles.  It was a very cloudy morning, but we still enjoyed it!

Good morning, Paris!  Can you tell it's morning...look at those tired eyes. :)

Up close and personal!

Then, we were off to the Louvre.  There was a whole wing we still had to explore, so off we went.  

Next stop was Sainte Chapelle Chapel right in the heart of Paris.  It was so beautiful.  One side of it is being renovated, but that didn't bother us.  It was breathtaking!  The stained glass windows date back to the 13th century with 1,113 scenes depicted from the Bible.

The rose window dates back to the 15th century.

After much shopping and sight seeing, it was time to return to our kiddos in Brussels.  Part 1 of the Forty Fest could not have been better!  Thank you, Chris for a fantastic birthday weekend.  It exceeded my expectations!

Until next time,
Wendy