The City of Light

With Julie on the streets of Paris.

When we left for England I periodically gushed, I'm sure to the great annoyance of my friends, that I'd soon be doing 'girls' nights out' in Paris. Last week I had a chance to make good on that brag/dream/hope courtesy my friend Julie and her positively amazing birthday present for her friend Trish: A surprise trip to Paris. Trish thought she was headed on a weekend with her husband and toddler daughter but instead was met by Julie at the airport, handed a passport by her husband Bill, and off they flew. I met them in Paris shortly after they landed and the three of us set off on a short, but robust adventure that took us around the city: window shopping, wine, some great food and a few precious hours of sleeping sans bebes.

But the highlight of the trip was our bicycle tour of Versailles (Julie will agree this is a bold statement for me, not the greatest lover of biking when peddling uphill, delightfully though, Versailles is flat as a pancake). We hooked-up with Fat Tire Tours and spent the afternoon peddling about seven miles of the grounds where we had a picnic of cheese and wine (very hard work) and then went inside the home of Marie Antoinette (oh, and a few Kings I care not about): 700 rooms, each one is more spectacularly gilded and over-the-top than the next. 

Trish and Julie, biking the grounds of Versailles.

The birthday girl with her bread and wine, a perfect lunch.

Our picnic, honestly the creamiest brie I have ever eaten. It sort of just exploded when we opened the wrapper.

Our tour group. Each bike had a clever name. Mine was "XOXOX Gossip Girl."

Proof for my son that mom rides a bike too.

The hall of mirrors, the most famous room inside the chateau.

Our guide Brian said that 50 percent of France's taxes were used (for 50 years!) to build the Chateau de Versailles.

A pretty typical room inside the chatteau.

I am super thankful to Julie (and Trish!) for letting me muscle-in on the very special trip. And I renew my invitation to my gal-pals in the states - Girls Weekend in Paris 2012! Let me know if you're interested.