We are home

We hopped in a taxi at 5am yesterday and arrived home in Vancouver at 2pm (19 hours later). The trip home was absolutely painless. We flew back with Lufthansa and enjoyed the service they offer in business class, and the endless meals and drinks made the time fly by. By the time we reached Vancouver we were pretty bagged and today we feel like our heads aren't quite screwed on straight. Thank goodness we have another day before returning to work. Jess and I began our "new leaf" today by going to the gym and doing a big shop for nothing but vegetables (something our bodies haven't seen in 3 weeks). We both gained about 10 lbs on this holiday so there is some work that needs to be done on our part!!

Reflecting on our time in France we would have to say this was our best trip ever. We had both been to Paris a few times before and loved the city but we were surprised just how much we absolutely loved the entire country. Tourists complain about "the French" and their attitude and there is a bit of that in Paris but all of that completely disappears as soon as you leave the city. Everywhere we went the people we so friendly and also very tolerant of our lack of skill with the French language. It was very comfortable.

Of course our engagement there will forever make France have a special place in our hearts. I am sure it won't be too long before we are back in France again but before that we have a list of other countries we was to visit. We are currently in the early planning stages for next summer and hope to visit Singapore, Bali, and Hong Kong.

Thanks for following along. We enjoy writing the blog and it serves us a great journal of our travels. Until next time, Ryan and Jess

All Good Things Must Come To An End

We have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow morning because we have to be at Charles de Gaulle airport at 6:00 a.m. so last night was really the last chance we had to go out. We got together with our friend Nigel for dinner and drinks which was fantastic because visits with him are few and far between. We started out at Le Georges, the restaurant on the top of the Pompidou and then went to L'Open Cafe (fairly infamous gay bar at night) after for a beer. Poor Nigel. I think he was ready for a long night and was ready to show us the city. Dinner already bled into our bedtime and by the time we had finished one drink we were both ready to fall over. What can I say. We're a couple Cinderellas. Have to be home by midnight.
This morning we woke up and decided to head to Pere Lachaise Cemetary. First we thought we'd have breakfast... we're getting less and less picky. Here's a flattering shot of us eating a piece of cold pizza next to some dog shit on a dirty bench near a busy street. The glamour meals never end.

Once we got to the cemetary, the travel guide we usually take with us everywhere gives a tour of suggested gravesites to go to. A lot of famous people are burried there like Oscar Wilde (pictured below with the kisses on the angel tombstone), Edith Piaf, and Gertrude Stein.
Of course, the most popular tourist attraction in the cemetery is Jim Morrison. There was, of course, a crush of people trying to look at what really doesn't amount to anything spectacular. That said, as soon as we saw a crowd, we were right there taking pictures and suddenly pulling a LaToya Jackson, totally interested and wanting a great picture of this memorable moment.
Once we had got out photo ops, we went for lunch and Ryan was keen to capture our one last day of vacation with some great pictures. I am officaly OVER having my picture taken and refused to cooperate.
Well, Ryan just finished organizing our luggage and we're going to spend one last quiet evening out and about, and then turn in early. Here's a little video of what we'll be doing in about 12 (or so) hours - something we filmed on the way here and forgot to post. We'll do one last posting once we're home. Bye for now.