Paris, Je T'Aime

The Sacre-Coeur was a 20-minute walk from our hotel in the 9e arrondissement. There were several great bakeries en route to the church. We had some of the best croissants we ever had.

Our second day in Paris was more sunny so we bought sandwiches and ate them outside of the Palais-Royal. B napped while Clem and I people watched.

We visited Notre-Dame. Liked many of the buildings in Paris, we were very impressed by how old and ornate this church was.

Shopping in Paris was a dream! We wished we had more time to check out Paris' department stores. Clem loved this purse by Karl Lagerfeld. She asked that we keep an eye out for it when we return home to Toronto.

We had another terrific meal...this time at Les Arlots. Their wine selection was superb and reasonably priced. We would definitely recommend this place to our foodie friends.

City of Lights

After B's conference, we hopped on a quick flight to Paris to check out the City of Lights. We walked everywhere. The Arc du Triomphe was impressive but probably even more impressive was watching the cars merge several lanes without slowing down.

Even though our first day in Paris was overcasted, we spent a decent amount of time walking through the city's beautiful parks. The Tuileries Gardens had lots of history (from the mid-1500s) and fun public art.

Here's Clem outside of the Louve. We didn't go in, but will check it out on a future trip.

We had an excellent dinner at Verjus. The tasting menu was worth every penny.

Tickets

We ate pretty modesty while we were in Barcelona so we could have this fancy meal at Tickets. We had a great time tasting innovative tapas. Clem liked how everything was her size!

These tapas look like sushi but the "rice" was a meringue that tasted like nori. 

This one was Clem's favourite - crab in avocado.

The dessert room was very whimsical. Fruit decorations were hanging off the ceiling and Willy Wonka was playing on the TVs on the back wall.

Clem had the corn sponge cake. She said it was delish!

Barcelona

I didn't take as many photos as Clem as I would have liked in Barcelona. I was sightseeing on my own most of the time and didn't want to be a target for petty theft. She was safety stowed in my purse when I visited Sagrada Familia, the Gothic Quarter, the Picasso Museum, and other attractions.

Churros and chocolate is a very popular snack in Barcelona. It definitely satisfied Clem's sweet tooth one afternoon.

We ate at a fun pintoxs bar. Snacks with the regular toothpick were one Euro and snacks with the red toothpick were 1.5 Euros.

We checked out street art in the El Raval area. This one was by Keith Haring.

We also visited Park Guell. The security guard smiled when I took this photo of Clem!

Clem said hello to Gaudi's famous lizard.

She also enjoyed the colourful park benches that overlooked the city.

A few more photos of Barcelona to come...from Clem's Michelin starred meal!

Bon Dia!

B had a conference in Barcelona so Clem and I tagged along. We stayed in a university residence, just east of the famous La Rambla. This was the view from our room.

We did a day trip to Montserrat to visit the monastery and go hiking. We made it in time for Sunday mass and also heard the boys' choir (one of the oldest boys' choirs in Europe).

Clem was a trooper and didn't freak out how high we were. We bought sandwiches and ate them here.

Back in Barcelona, we had very tasty squid ink paella at Can Sole.

Our trip was off to an excellent start!

Clem In My Pocket

Oh hey there! Clem reporting from B's pocket. She spent a week across the pond and we have the photos to prove it! More to come...

Thankful

Sending a Happy Thanksgiving to our fellow Canadians near and far! We're grateful for the friends we have made through this blog. We are thinking of you today!

Beautiful Banff

Buddy and Bernie went to Banff over the Labour Day long weekend. They had front row seats in the car ride to and from Calgary...

...they soaked up the views at Lake Louise (and elsewhere)...

...and they joined us for a paddle on Emerald Lake!

We had a great time exploring Canada's stunning national parks and celebrating a wedding of a good friend. The summer flew by. Onward and upward for the fall season!

Q Back Home

Q also joined us on our lastest Vancouver trip. It was his first time back in BC since SN mailed him to Toronto! We ate a few times in Chinatown. His favourite meal was at the Ramen Butcher.

He liked the local art at the Vancouver Art Gallery. We were able to use our AGO membership to get free admission.

I was hoping to bring Q with me on a bike ride in Stanley Park, but it was hot and humid, and I didn't want to ruin his fur. Here's Q in front of the Olympic Torch.

Even though Canada's birthday was July 1, the country is still celebrating!

We were fortunate to stay at our friends' condo while they were in Montreal for a wedding. I sent this photo to the homeowners to show how much Q enjoyed their place.

It was a whirlwind trip (literally 48 hours). Another weekend getaway in the books!

Colin Reunion

Colin reunited with New Colin in Vancouver two weekends ago. The two caught up over sightseeing, good conversation, and tasty food. They had a great time at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The Monet exhibit was a real treat.

They also enjoyed walking along the waterfront. From the photo above, can you tell which Colin is which?