Day 24: Vaux le Vicomte
The candle light tour of the Vaux le Vicomte was one of my favorite things to do in Europe. I was scared that one of the hundreds of candles would tip over and start the entire building on fire. Luckily that didn't happen, we all survived, and we saw beautiful things. One odd thing was this arm sticking out of the wall, couragously holding a candle stick. THis just shows that any ideas can be made into design!

This is the wallcovering throughout the majority of the palace. It would change colors in hallways. I loved this bold and graphic pattern. Think of it in funky, fun colors in a retail store!

The chandelliers were quite impressive. I love the gold guilding and the beautiful green silk that overtake this room in such a dramatic, yet elegant manner.

This is where I would sleep. The white walls with a cut out punch of yellow gave this room a dramatic, queenly look. Yellow silk is just so glamorous!

Here you see the road that leads to Vaux. The rows of trees were miles long. I felt like I was in driving to a fairytale.

Here is a shot of the gardens of Vaux. The walk around the property of Vaux took Tim and I about an hour. Everything is emaculate -- the trees are pruned perfectly, even the gravel lays right in place,

The moat of the Vaux. The old brick is beautiful. I guess the green and black mold adds a lot of personality!

Fun! Tim and I are happily frolicking down the gardens. :)

Fontainebleau
I love the curving staircase to the entrance of this palace. It curves in a way that comes alive -- it reminded me of a flowing river.


Detail, detail! This is the detailing of a door. It added a lot of umph to the lonely hallway it capped off.

The ceilings were not forgotten. Here, carved wood and paint gave this ceiling special interest.

Interesting patterns were everywhere. Another ceiling...this time with a little more 'bling'.

Day 23: A Walking Tour of Paris
Today we walked around Paris to get a good feel of all the great things there are to see and do here. There is a new museum built for a collection of tribal art. It is very contemporary feeling with bright colors, bold shapes, flowing glass, etc. There was one wall covered with dozenz of plants -- it was a great idea to put a little bit of nature into a huge city building.

The crystal palace. There are art exhibits in this building. It looks like the bountiful bubble from this far way!

The Louvre! I always thought the glass pyramid would be cleaner. They need some windex!

A cool building with a swirly metal design hung from the outside of the building. It adds a lot of interest and dimension to a regular old building.

Day 23:
Tim and I ventured to Notre Dame today. I especially like the tall gothic tower on this cathedral.


There are beautiful red and blue stain glass windows throughout the structure. This rose window is gorgeous -- the small and precise detail is amazing.

Some of the interior stone was painted with flowers and stars. It added a new depth to the feeling there.

Day 22: Welcome to PARIS!
After a hard, long journey through the Paris metro we finally made it to our hotel n Paris. We stopped at a local cafe and some partook of frog legs...seeing an entire frog on a dinner plate wasn't appealing to me! We took a evening walk to get our first glimps of the eiffel tour. Wow! I first saw it during a light show. They light up the whole structure and then sparkle lights make the bulding glitter. It was a great way to start our Paris adventures. Since then, Tim and I have gone back every night to steal a little kiss under the romantic Eiffel Tower!

Day 21: Buckingham Palace
Today we made our way to the infamous Buckingham Palace. On our way we ran into the fabulous hotel The Ritz! We didn't get a chance to go in, but here is the sign!

We caught a glimps of the changing of the guards while at Buckingham. We didn't know what was going on...the crowd was huge! We accidinetally ran into the soldiers as we were trying to escape from all the crazy tourists.

A shot of the front of Buchingham Palace. It was an amazing tour! I was very impressed with how beautiful and tasteful the interiors were. I especially loved the white and pnk silk -- it looked so graceful.

Holly took this photo of Tim and I as we were out for our last gaunt in London. We are sitting on the underground...what lovely toes. :)

Day 20: Bath
Today we took the train to Bath. This is Tim and I very excited to be on our way!

This is one of the remnants from the original Roman Baths.

Another remnant from the Roman Baths. More than the face, I loved the color and shadow that this shot captures.

A beautiful view of Bath, the city.