Western Mediterranean Cruise: Marseille, France

      Our seventh, and last full day on the cruise, was spent in Marseille, France. Marseille is the second largest city in France and one of the most visited. I didn't have much planned for us to do in Marseille. I wanted to at least see one church, buy some soap, and mostly walk around and explore the city. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was breezy and never felt too hot.

   Early morning picture before we reached Marseille.

Paris, France Day 3 & 4: Musee d'Orsay, Bastille Market, Opera Garnier, and Macaroons

   Our last full day in Paris was pretty laid back. We took advantage of not having Connor with us and slept in and had a late breakfast at the hotel. I don't think we even got out of the hotel until close to 11. Our first stop was Musee d'Orsay since we didn't get to go in the day before.

Paris, France Day 2: Louvre, Notre Dame, & Sainte Chapelle

   After getting a good night sleep and having a filling breakfast at our hotel, we were ready to tackle our second day in Paris. Our first stop was to pickup our tickets for the bus tour that was included in our Paris Pass. After that, we walked a short distance to the Louvre. This museum was HUGE. Our main goal was to see the Mona Lisa, but we were able to see a lot of other art while walking through.

 The Louvre

Paris, France Day 1: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe, Champs Elysees, & Moulin Rouge

     Aaron and I just got back on Monday from a 3 night stay in Paris. It was just the two of us and we had an amazing time. We missed Connor a ton, but it was so nice to just focus on each other for a change. Oh yeah, and celebrate our 5 year Anniversary. Aaron had no idea that just the two of us were going on the trip until I surprised him the day before. It was so hard to keep it a secret, but here's how I pulled it off: A few months ago I talked to Aaron's dad and asked if he and Carol wanted to come to Italy and stay with Connor so we could go to Paris for our Anniversary. He is the sweetest FIL and immediately told me they would be here. Last Thursday they arrived and when Aaron got home from work I surprised him with a box containing  our boarding passes, passports, Paris passes, and new luggage tags. He was so confused when he opened it because he already knew we were going to Paris, but then I asked him how many passes there were. At that point he got it and asked if just the two of us were going. After he asked, Carol and Pappy came down the stairs and Aaron was as shocked as ever! His reaction was PRICELESS!

French Riviera: Nice

   Our last day in the French Riviera was spent in Nice {a 30 minute drive from Menton}. After driving around for what seemed like forever, we found a parking garage that fit our large rental van. Aaron got us a map of the city from a hotel and we started exploring the beautiful city.

French Riviera: Menton

   This past weekend, we went on a quick weekend getaway to the French Riviera. Our friends were planning a trip and invited us, so I convinced Aaron and he said sure! We stayed in Menton {also known as The Pearl Of France} both nights, but also visited Monaco and Nice. It was such a laid back weekend spent roaming the streets, playing on the beach, and eating delicious food. We couldn't have asked for better weather during this time of year. It was in the 50's and 60's during the day, so warm in the sun, and cooler in the shade.

 View of our hotel, Vacances Bleues Royal Minister, from the beach.