Today’s post will be less heavy on words than my first France installment! I wanted to split Versailles off into its own post because although it’s close to Paris, it’s definitely its own destination. We spent half a day on the grounds — about 6 hours — but could have easily spent a few more. If you’re planning a trip to France, I would most definitely recommend a visit to this tres belle palace. Let’s take a peek at why!

Our tickets for Versailles were one of the few entertainment purchases we made while still in the States. We opted for the Passport ticket, which gets you in everywhere (the Main Palace, the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, and the Hamlet). It was about $58 for two. I used these very specific instructions for getting us from Paris to the gates of the palace. However, I have one major bone to pick with Lauren’s advice, as well as others I read: everyone made it sound as though if you bought your tickets in advance, you’d breeze right in, bypassing all the suckers in line who still had to purchase theirs. NOT TRUE (at least when we went). There was one huge line of people waiting to enter, and then a much smaller line of people who still needed to purchase a ticket (and then join the big line). Anyway, we probably waited for about 45 minutes to enter, so just be prepared, since the line is in full sun!

After making it through the turnstiles, we opted to have lunch before setting off to see the sites. There are several cafes on site that we felt were reasonably priced, and delicious! I think you might also be able to bring food in, but I’m not sure.

When you’re ready to start your tour of the main palace, make sure you pick up an audio guide first. It is included with your ticket price and we really enjoyed it.

We’d recommend moving more quickly through the bottom floor of the tour — it feels more like a museum than the house recreated, and we didn’t find it that interesting. Up the stairs, however, the rooms have been restored to their original purposes and furnishings, and you learn lots of fun tidbits through the audio guide! It was definitely crowded, but I expected that and it didn’t really bother me. The hall of mirrors (above) was stunning, but I think my favorite room was Marie Antoinette’s bedroom, with its lovely flowered wall coverings. It’s crazy to think that all the gold you see in the palace is real – 18k or 24k!

Once we finished the tour (after maybe an hour?), we headed down the back steps to the gardens! There are so many alleys, hidden corners, and fountains to explore. We spent quite a bit of time wandering around – probably close to two hours. A few of our favorites: Apollo’s Bath Grove, the Queen’s Grove, and the King’s Grove. Many of these spots we were totally alone in, so don’t despair if you hate crowds.

There’s not much else I need to tell you about Versailles — you’ll figure it out with no trouble, I’m sure! — but I hope these few pictures will convince you to go if you have the chance! Again, we would have happily spent several more hours here, rented bikes, made it out to the Hamlet and the Petit Trianon, eaten more ice cream, lay in the grass and people watched, etc., so I’d really encourage you to spend the whole day, if you can.

Versailles often came up as a favorite when we chatted with those who had already been to France, so if you’ve had the pleasure of going, I’d love to hear: what was your favorite part? How much time did you allocate, and was it enough?

Up next: Provence!

It’s been about a month since we returned from France and I have all our photos sorted, so it’s time to share our adventure! Instead of sharing day by day, as I did with our California trip, I’m going to share by location. First up will be Paris, then Versailles (it deserves its own post!), Provence, Cassis, and finally Mougins.

This was mine and John’s first trip to Europe, which meant it was our first trans-Atlantic (and overnight!) flight! We took off from Montreal around 10pm on Air Canada and landed at Charles de Gaulle around 9:30am local time. We stayed awake long enough to sample our hot airline dinner (surprisingly delicious), then attempted to sleep for the rest of the six hour flight. One tip: we packed a few Burt’s Bees face wipes as well as Wisps, and both helped us feel much fresher going to bed and then again in the morning!

From CDG we took the RER (commuter train) and then the Metro into Paris. This was easy – there was a kiosk to buy tickets right in the airport. The ride to Cambronne, our stomping grounds in the 15th arrondissement, took about 45 minutes. Once we hopped off at our stop, I was amazed when John strode confidently in the correct direction! His trick? He had “walked” the route from the station to our apartment on Google street view. That man is a genius! We successfully met up with our Airbnb host, dropped our luggage, and made outfit changes.

And then we dove in! We walked from the 15th toward the Seine, stopping at a stall along the river for a foccaccia, tomato, and mozzarella sandwich (yum!). Along the way, we saw the Invalides, the Ecole Militaire, and even got a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower!

Our destination was the Musee d’Orsay. We didn’t have a ton of time in Paris (really only two days, since most of one of our days was spent at Versailles), and we knew ourselves: while we appreciate art, we are not the biggest art history buffs. So instead of the Louvre, we chose the Musee d’Orsay, which came highly recommended by many people for its art, its architecture, and its more manageable footprint.

We walked the Orsay for about an hour. Sadly, we were feeling the effects of an overnight flight, 24 hours of travel, and the time change at this point, and were dragging pretty hard, so I don’t think we quite did this lovely museum justice. We did, however, love the observation patio on the top floor – the view was completely majestic! If I were to go again, I would listen to an audio tour while walking, because there wasn’t much context for the pieces from signage.

After exiting the Orsay we crossed over the Seine and wandered through the Tuileries. So beautiful! I would love to spend an entire afternoon reading in one of the reclined patio chairs that cover the grounds. One surprise: the Tuileries, as well as many other parts of Paris, were very dusty! The paths are mostly finely crushed gravel, and the wind really whips it into the air. Both John and I had mildly sore throats for our three days in Paris (a small price to pay, though!).

As we walked toward the Champs-Elysees, the crowd definitely got thicker and thicker, and a bit more touristy. But we didn’t mind, because we had a destination in sight: Laduree! We splurged on a sample box of eight, including lemon, chocolate banana, rose petal, and raspberry. The store was as elegant and lovely, and the macarons as delicious, as everyone makes them out to be! A little jewel box. I would definitely recommend a stop, though beyond that I wouldn’t spend much time on the Champs Elysees.

After a brief glimpse of the Arc de Triomphe, we hopped on the Metro (we had purchased unlimited rides, which I would also recommend) to the Trocadero. We got a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower from on high, and successfully avoided all of the selfie stick sellers!

From there, we walked down under the Tower to Cafe Constant, a restaurant that was one of the most often-recommended in our pre-trip research. We arrived right when they opened, as recommended, to avoid a long wait, and were seated promptly. The meal was very good and reasonably priced – classic French food (I got boeuf bourguignon). Our night ended with a walk back to our apartment past the lit-up Tower.

There’s that Paris light – this was taken at 9:30!

On Sunday we started the day with worship at Hillsong Paris. It was similar to the Hillsong NYC service we went to this spring (also in a theater), but a smaller crowd. The whole service was delivered in both French and English (aside from the songs, which were in French). Such a neat way to experience true Parisian life!

After church we headed to Versailles, which I will report on in my next post!

I do have to mention, though, that on Sunday we had dinner at Les Cocottes back in Paris, a restaurant owned by the same chef as Cafe Constant. We LOVED our late (10pm!) dinner at Les Cocottes – definitely one of our favorites from the whole trip. The vibe is kind of like an upscale diner, the food was absolutely delicious, and the whole experience felt very Parisian. Highly, highly recommended.

Even though people always split Paris into the Left and Right Banks, we split our days a little differently: on Saturday we stayed to the West of the Louvre, and on Monday, we were mostly to the right of it. We started our second day in Paris (third day in France) with an escargot (not the snail – a pistachio pastry that looks like a snail!) and a pain au chocolat from Du Pain et Des Idees, another boulangerie that had come highly recommended. We ate them on the bank of the Canal St. Martin, then wandered Le Marais until it was time for lunch. (Can you tell our days were structured around food and sights? But what else is there??)

For lunch, we split from the French fare we had been enjoying and indulged in street-style tacos at a true hole in the wall, Candelaria (recommended by our friends as well as Anthony Bourdain). The “kitchen” was a teensy galley on the other side of the counter from the bar stools where we sat, and the food was delicious.

Fortified, we walked across Pont Neuf to Ile de la Cite.

For our first foray into a Paris historic site, we waited in line for about a half an hour to see Saint Chapelle. It was most definitely stunning, with more than 1,000 Biblical scenes depicted in stained glass!

However, for me, our next destination, Notre Dame, was even more beautiful. Even though the line outside looked long, it moved briskly (we probably only waited five minutes), and there is no entry fee. They’ve done a wonderful job with signage and description inside, and I loved learning more about the cathedral’s history as well as drinking in the amazing architecture.

What’s that? Time for a snack! Next up was Berthillon ice cream, on Ile St. Louis. Warning: as you approach the actual Berthillon location, you will see signs for many, many other shops advertising Berthillon. It’s like the ice cream district! These other shops actually do sell Berthillon, but if you want it from the original location, keep walking. It’s delicious – more icy than creamy, and very intensely flavored.

With our ice cream in hand we strolled around the Jardin du Luxembourg area (beautiful! I liked it better than the Tuileries) before heading back to our apartment to clean up for dinner. En route, we stumbled across a Longchamps store, and I was able to replace my seven-year-old bag (tip: the same bag goes for MUCH less when bought in France!).

Dinner was at Le Coupe Chou, a perfect date night spot. From the outside, it looked like it belonged in England; the inside is a maze of cozy rooms with fireplaces galore.

These two city skeptics were completely charmed by Paris — John especially. Despite the Parisian reputation, everyone we met was INCREDIBLY friendly; there was beauty and history at every turn; and we loved walking everywhere (45 miles in three days!). I also loved that all of the stereotypes about French people and baguettes are 100% true – there was one sticking out of almost every tote bag we saw, or being munched right on the sidewalk! To conclude, we would go back in a heartbeat.

Even though this is a long post, I left out a lot of detail, so please ask questions about specifics if you have them! And if you have been to Paris, I would love to know: did we make it to one of your favorite spots? And if we didn’t, what did we miss?

I found a gem at the flea market this weekend! I’d wandered almost every aisle (in 96 degree heat and full sun, might I add) before I saw it, and was feeling a bit discouraged because this was my third trip in a row without anything sparking my fancy. But as soon as I saw this beauty, my heart was hoping to take it home.

The price ($350) was more than I was prepared to spend, however. Happily, we were able to agree on $250 after a bit of negotiation and a quick consult via phone with John. It’s more than I’ve paid for other flea market furniture, but I feel good about it. The color of the wood is exactly what I’ve been looking for, and it’s in fantastic shape. If I was planning to paint the piece, I would have looked for something a little more banged up (and cheaper). It’s also solid wood, even the back, with no veneer.

Right now we have it in our guest room, and I really like how it looks with the wood tones of our frames. I’m not sure that this room will be its forever home, but it’s perfect for now!

These were the two images that inspired me to look for a piece like this:

First credit is unknown, second photo is by Meredith Perdue from Nebo Lodge

Our home is being photographed for Southern Newlywed in a week, and I am feeling a little anxious. I’m trying to avoid a mad rush to do things just to do things, but instead only moving the timeline up a bit on improvements we’ve already decided on. I think the anxiety comes from people looking at our home and thinking a) that’s all you’ve done in two years?? or b) that’s boring and not inspiring. However, I keep reminding myself that we don’t make decisions based on what the internet thinks, but on what’s right for us. Our home might even look a little empty to some, but that’s not a good reason to spend money and rush to fill it with things we don’t need or want.

On the bright side, I love that SW includes a lengthy interview with the couple; there’s nothing I love more than filling out a good interview. Even if our photos don’t do it for some readers, perhaps there’s a nugget that will speak to them from our interview :)

You’ve seen the spring woodlands baby animals inspiration board, and now it’s time for the real thing!

We ordered this invitation from Minted in “tree moss.”

First, a little background: this was Nancy’s one big shower, and the guest list drew from all walks of her life — family, church family, childhood friends, high school friends, more recent friends, team members, and more. We sent invitations to around 60 ladies, and only received a handful of “no” RSVPs. To ease the strain on my house and on street parking, her sister Mary Lindsey and I opted to make the shower an open house, and encouraged guests to drop by between 10am and 1pm. This worked out very well! Guests trickled in for the first hour, mingled for the second, and we opened gifts in the third (we were playing the gift opening by ear, but it worked out great). Some guests stayed for the whole time, and some stayed for a shorter period.

You may recall our Christmas deer. Bucky did an excellent job greeting at the front door outfitted with a custom sign.

As guests arrived, we encouraged them to pin on a pink or blue clothespin based on whether they thought Baby Ray would be a girl or a boy. I proudly wore one of the few pink ones, and was delighted a few months later when my guess was confirmed!

Our only other “game” was a prediction sheet, which we encouraged everyone to fill out before they left.

For decor, I picked up a few bags of moss at World Market and used that to fill in terrariums and cake stands. Callie was my terrarium queen – her loaners made all the difference! I also purchased spring flowers in white, green, and lilac from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s the day before. (I was hoping they would have loose ferns or greenery at Whole Foods — I had seen both there before — but no such luck.) Lastly, I purchased a few potted ferns and repotted them in white pots. Tip: don’t buy them too far in advance, because ferns are notoriously hard to keep alive :)

The little animals are actually Christmas ornaments! I just folded their hanging loops under.

For the linen on the table, we used a few yards of Minted’s Branch Toss fabric. As a memento for Nancy, I had a pillow made from a piece of it for Baby Ray’s nursery post-shower!

Though I contributed a lot of the decor, thankfully, I had almost nothing to do with the food! Nancy’s mother-in-law and friends were amazing, and brought scones, sandwiches, donuts, parfait ingredients, veggies, muffins, and more. We did not want for delicious eats.

The tent cards are from Minted, too — here.

Another very special friend, Ashley of Ashley Cakes, helped us out big time with a beautiful dessert spread. Aren’t those deer cookies the cutest thing you’ve ever seen??? They were delicious, too!

The rest of the shower was simply spent loving on Nancy! Toward the end, her sister led everyone in a really heartfelt prayer, and others got the chance to join in and offer encouragement, too. I know that was a gift for this sweet mama-to-be — probably the best one she got that day!

Love you, Nancy!

Many thanks to the wonderful Elizabeth Tate of Nancy Ray Photography for all of these photos! It was such a joy not to think about taking pictures while getting everything ready!!