Ok now I'm getting excited

I have about two hours of work left - one boot camp class and one personal training client to do and then I can hopefully take my second NASM test to become a Corrective Exercise Specialist all while trying to pack and get organized for tomorrow. Here's hoping I can keep my sanity!

WE LEAVE TOMORROW

I don't think it's actually set in only because I'm so focused on work I haven't let myself get excited! Everything is packed and ready to go including "Horrible bosses" on my ipad. In just a short amount of time, Ryan will see the Eiffel Tower for the first time! I'm so excited for him, the first time in Paris is just magical!

The first night we plan on going to a cafe for creme brulee, stroll down the Champs Elysees, and set on our mission to find the best cheese in the world!

Well, until tomorrow when I post from the plane!

2 last minute purchases

So on our last Sunday before we leave, we were left with doing a lot of errands including buying new walking shoes and a new giant purse to use as a carry on with a zipper closure. I was so excited to get these errands over with that I completely forgot to write about the thing I'm excited for! Today is dedicated to the Vatican!

(Destination 360)

In a week from today, we will be in Rome and one thing I thought was so important was that we take enough time to actually see all there is to see. Since there is so much, we have a group tour of the Vatican for a couple of hours with a second tour of the Necropolis after. I can't wait to see all of the things I missed the first time!

3 days left and a lot of work to go!

This post will be short but sweet in order to give myself some time for my coffee day with myself and my real housewives. Nonstop work has left me a tired traveler and the trip hasn't even started!

Tomorrow we have to pack in some fall so Ryan will get his fix: corn mazes, building a haunted cookie house, and "It's the great pumpkin Charlie brown!" get ready for day 2 tomorrow when I give a break down of what Ryan can't wait to do!

4!!!

Since we're so excited to go on a trip where we can eat so many different things, today is dedicated to 4 things I'm dying to try:

Thanks to David Lebovitz, I can not wait to try real hot chocolate. Try Angelina on 226 rue de Rivoli.

Good Indian food in England, which I hear is amazing and inexpensive. Try Cinnamon club on 30-32 Great Smith Street in London.

(reviewmylife.com)

Crepes in France, preferably with a little Nutella! Try Le Creperie de Josselin in Paris on 67 rue du Montparnasse.

(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/lBVFH1OHJYyjtrufC4OzZg?select=mLa_oovvr8njdNniGKGq0A)

And last but not least, pizza in Pompeii- Ristorante Pizzeria Carlo Alberto - 15 Via Carlo Alberto. While I'm looking at my salad, this is just unfair.

Well, now I have to go back to the real world, even if it's only for four days!

5 days! I'm wine-ing

Crazy week! Yesterday was non stop! it didn't mean that I didn't notice the fact that I could count down on one hand for our trip! Yay! It still feels unreal, I'm sure it will set in Tuesday morning while my mom makes pumpkin pancakes and I'm running around trying to finish cleaning before we leave. Since it is such a crazy day, it will be totally dedicated to wine. French wine. Italian wine. Spanish wine, oh and I guess English wine? Based on the places we are going, here are some great wine spots.

(zazzle.com)

While in Paris try:

Bistrot du Sommelier - 97 Bd. Haussmann (closed on weekends)

Les Papilles -  30 Rue Gay-Lussac

Le Cremerie -  9 Rue des Quatre-Vents

When I stayed in France the first time, we go to stay in this old Chateau that Contiki bought and turned into a hotel. It was beautiful and had an amazing pool and an underground "cave" of a bar.

Wine and Italy feel like they go hand in hand. Salt and pepper. Peanut butter and jelly. It should be a crime to have pasta in Rome without a glass. I'm hoping to do a little wine tasting while there, but we might be so tired that we'll probably end up grabbing a bottle and drinking it in a piazza. Sounds good to me, here are great places to go in Italy:

Pitti Gola e Cantina - Florence - Piazza Pitti, 16
Roscioli - Rome - via dei Giubbonari, 21

Palatium – Rome - Via Frattina 94

Check out this link: http://www.approachguides.com/extras/best-wine-bars-in-venice/ Which has the best advice for what to order in Venice!

After writing this I'm only left with wanting a glass, and it's only 9:20am.

6 Days - The bells of Notre Dame

About 70 pages into Victor Hugo's "Notre Dame of Paris" (the original title to The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and I'm past the point where every page leaves me thinking "HUH?!" The main charector is not Quasimoto as Disney would have you beleive but actually Notre Dame itself.

(danieledwardcraig.com)

It's actually beautifully written and the descriptions of Paris in that time are captivating. I originally picked this up because I read that this is the best prequel to Les Mis, so we'll see. Ialso heard that book is 1000 pages. The only book that has held my attention for that long has been Harry Potter. NO JUDGEMENT! In fact now that I think about it, my entire Christmas list consists of Harry Potter blu-rays. Ugh. Moving on...

 Ryan thinks that if he dresses up like the Hunchback, he can make some money posing by Notre Dame. I think I might end up ditching him in Paris. Notre Dame is free to get in but get there early because the line will wrap around the whole thing! Also, I have no idea the name of it but there is the cutest little cheese place right by there, white and red over hang...you can't miss it! Man after a day like today, I can't wait to just eat cheese and stare at the Eiffel Tower!