Northern Virginia Family Photographer - Friday Fives

​Hello Friday!  It’s hard to believe this is the last Friday of this month and the last Friday of the first half of 2018.  I hope you are having a great week; as it has been a busy one for me.  I went to Paris, France last week and since returning, I’ve been catching up on office work and sending out completed National Archives Promotion Ceremony galleries. 
 
I decided to start a new Blog Series - Friday Fives!! On Fridays, I will be sharing five things that you may not have known about me, things that happened during the week, just something that I am excited about, or something I've experienced!  This week, I’ll be discussing the top five things I loved about our family vacation to Paris.   
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1.  Lots of walking
 
Living in Northern Virginia and the United States as a whole, we drive our cars everywhere; even if it's less than a mile away.  As a matter of fact, I believed I lost a little weight from all the walking.  If you visit, I highly recommend the Discovery Paris walking tours.  The tours are given by local Parisiens and they show you some really cool spots and take you off the touristy path.  In addition, the walking tours are free.  If you’re in the Javel neighborhood, you can see the sister of the Statue of Liberty.  These are some of the pictures from our walking tours.  As I was writing this blog, I noticed one of the macaron shops we visited in Paris has a location in Washington D.C and other locations around the United States.  To visit their online store, visit https://www.laduree.us/.  

Paris, France (Latin Quarters) - Small Streets

Paris France - Lagoutte de lait Ice Cream Shop

Paris, France - Moulin Rouge

OMG, the fruit tasted wonderful.  It was the freshest tasting thing I've ever eaten.

Paris, France (SACRÉ COEUR) - Discovery Walking Tour near Moulin Rouge

Paris, France - Laduree Macarons

​2.  Bread/Desserts
 
Oh, my goodness!  The breads and desserts in Paris were ridiculously good.  The traditional breakfast for many Parisians are bread with butter and jam.  Every morning we had croissants and orange juice for breakfast.  We would visit our closest bakery and get croissants and fresh baguette to eat for the day as we walked the streets of Paris.  To my surprise we saw countless Parisians walking with at least one baguette in their bags.  

Paris, France - Profiteroles

Paris, France - Man eating bread in an alleyway in Moulin Rouge neighborhood.

​3.  Macarons
 
Start the drool fest now.  I made sure I ate at least one Macaron every day.  Even McDonald’s were selling Macaroons; yes McDonald’s.  One of my favorite places to buy Macarons was Pierre Hermé.  It’s located near the Champs-Elysees.  To my surprise they even had a spring catalog that details all the spring macarons.

Paris, France - Pierre Hermé

​4.  Disneyland Paris
 
I’m a big Disney fan.  I’ve been to these Disney locations; Disney World, Disneyland in Anaheim, and Tokyo Disneyland.  So, I was extremely happy to be going to another Disney location – Disney Paris.  This location was awesome.  It’s divided into two parks; Disneyland and Hollywood Studios.  We visited the Hollywood Studios.  Unlike the Disney World location in Orlando, there were several statues of the new Marvel Movies; Black Panther, Iron Man, and Hulk.  If you’re there, I highly recommend riding the Ratatouille: The Adventure ride and getting a reservation to eat at Bistrot Chez Rémy.  

​5.  The Palace of Versailles
 
While visiting Paris, my family took a bike riding tour with Boutique Riding Tours thru the Palace of Versailles.  Stu and Niki, the owners of Boutique Riding Tours were awesome and friendly.  It was an early start and a long day for our family, but it was well worth it.  

We started the day at a market near The Palace of Versailles.  The food was wonderful.  We purchased food for the day as well as get food for a picnic that would be happened later that day.  There was also a cheese and wine tasting.  The cheese was scrumptious.  

If your family ever decides to have a family vacation to Paris and you’re looking for something that would be memorable, I highly recommend this bike tour.  We had a nine-year-old and they even had a bike that he could ride comfortably.  Their tours book out fast so don’t wait!  Look at me riding a bike on the streets of Paris.

Paris, France - Farmer's Market near The Palace of Versailles

​​I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Friday Fives!  Have a wonderful weekend.