Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Thursday, August 8, 2013
5 year anniversary
Today marks our five year anniversary and we're celebrating it where we always do in Paris! The second, third and fourth anniversary trips were rushed and not as big a milestone so we neglected to post anything new. Thanks to everyone who wished us a happy anniversary and we plan to be back here in the same place next year, only deeper in love with each other!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
First anniversary celebration
It's really hard to believe that it's already been a year since our wedding! Regardless of the time that's passed, 8-8-08 remains fresh in our minds and because Shauna wanted to celebrate in Paris, that's where we spent two nights for our anniversary.
In August, the French generally take the month off for vacation so we didn't know what to expect except for a lot of shops and restaurants to be closed which was the case. Most of the businesses that were open specifically catered to tourists as there seemed to be a large amount of North American and Middle Eastern tourists visiting during this time. Paris also has a bad reputation for hot and humid weather during this time but we were fortunate to have overcast skies with temperatures in the 70s throughout.
Our first night we stayed at the Park Hyatt Paris by cleaning out our entire Hyatt points balance since we normally couldn't afford to stay there otherwise. The hotel's location was prime on Rue de la Paix and located just a block from Place Vendome which is pictured below in the photo from our balcony.
Rue de la Paix is filled with high end shops and ultimately the Opera house on the other end.
With only a couple days to spend in Paris, Shauna made it a priority to visit one of her favorite shops, Eden Park which has a logo of a pink bow, although surprisingly the roots of the brand comes from the sport of rugby.
Another stop we had to make was the Chanel store (Shauna's favorite brand) on Rue Cambon which was the site of the original location that Coco Chanel opened in 1910. We joke that the Chanel logo of two Cs stands for Cheng-Carlson but Ryan should stop that because it just encourages her to buy more Chanel products.
One requisite stop for us anytime we're in Paris is Laduree for Shauna's favorite dessert, the Isfahan which blends the flavors of rose, litchi, raspberry and most importantly is pink. The desert was created by acclaimed pasty chef Pierre Herme who has left Laduree and as his shops are closed in August, we weren't able to try his current version....which is located on the same street as the original Chanel store.
One new experience for us was to take an hour long boat journey on the Seine which was a lot of fun. The boat traveled from the Eiffel Tower to just past the Ile de la Cite so we were able to take in the most beautiful parts of Paris from the water.
To celebrate our anniversary dinner, we ate at the Cristal Room at the Baccarat Museum which is housed in a 18th century mansion. The restaurant is owned by the Taittinger family and on our honeymoon we were able to visit and enjoy Champagne at their estate. We opened this meal as we did w/all meals in France w/a Kir Royale as an aperatif.
This is a restaurant to enjoy more for the setting than the food although we found the food to be good and the service excellent.
Even the washroom was filled with crystal
After dinner we stopped by the nearby Plaza Athenee, which is one of the most beautiful hotels in Paris, for a couple drinks ($75 for two drinks, not joking). Shauna had a cocktail called a Love Mojito that is a concoction of all her favorite tastes like rose, litchi and rasberry and spiked w/a litchi liquer called Girl which is of French orgin but we've only seen it in Singapore previously. And most importantly the drink was colored light pink.
And after that we returned to our hotel, the Paris Hilton which we also booked w/points, for some Champagne in the lounge.
In the morning we caught another stroke of luck by being upgraded for the flight home.
Thanks for all the congratulations and well wishes for our first anniversary and we're looking forward to celebrating them eternally.
In August, the French generally take the month off for vacation so we didn't know what to expect except for a lot of shops and restaurants to be closed which was the case. Most of the businesses that were open specifically catered to tourists as there seemed to be a large amount of North American and Middle Eastern tourists visiting during this time. Paris also has a bad reputation for hot and humid weather during this time but we were fortunate to have overcast skies with temperatures in the 70s throughout.
Our first night we stayed at the Park Hyatt Paris by cleaning out our entire Hyatt points balance since we normally couldn't afford to stay there otherwise. The hotel's location was prime on Rue de la Paix and located just a block from Place Vendome which is pictured below in the photo from our balcony.
Rue de la Paix is filled with high end shops and ultimately the Opera house on the other end.
With only a couple days to spend in Paris, Shauna made it a priority to visit one of her favorite shops, Eden Park which has a logo of a pink bow, although surprisingly the roots of the brand comes from the sport of rugby.
Another stop we had to make was the Chanel store (Shauna's favorite brand) on Rue Cambon which was the site of the original location that Coco Chanel opened in 1910. We joke that the Chanel logo of two Cs stands for Cheng-Carlson but Ryan should stop that because it just encourages her to buy more Chanel products.
One requisite stop for us anytime we're in Paris is Laduree for Shauna's favorite dessert, the Isfahan which blends the flavors of rose, litchi, raspberry and most importantly is pink. The desert was created by acclaimed pasty chef Pierre Herme who has left Laduree and as his shops are closed in August, we weren't able to try his current version....which is located on the same street as the original Chanel store.
One new experience for us was to take an hour long boat journey on the Seine which was a lot of fun. The boat traveled from the Eiffel Tower to just past the Ile de la Cite so we were able to take in the most beautiful parts of Paris from the water.
To celebrate our anniversary dinner, we ate at the Cristal Room at the Baccarat Museum which is housed in a 18th century mansion. The restaurant is owned by the Taittinger family and on our honeymoon we were able to visit and enjoy Champagne at their estate. We opened this meal as we did w/all meals in France w/a Kir Royale as an aperatif.
This is a restaurant to enjoy more for the setting than the food although we found the food to be good and the service excellent.
Even the washroom was filled with crystal
After dinner we stopped by the nearby Plaza Athenee, which is one of the most beautiful hotels in Paris, for a couple drinks ($75 for two drinks, not joking). Shauna had a cocktail called a Love Mojito that is a concoction of all her favorite tastes like rose, litchi and rasberry and spiked w/a litchi liquer called Girl which is of French orgin but we've only seen it in Singapore previously. And most importantly the drink was colored light pink.
And after that we returned to our hotel, the Paris Hilton which we also booked w/points, for some Champagne in the lounge.
In the morning we caught another stroke of luck by being upgraded for the flight home.
Thanks for all the congratulations and well wishes for our first anniversary and we're looking forward to celebrating them eternally.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Homebound
As great as the journey has been, we did anticipate our return to Chicago....
We stayed at the Hilton connected to Paddington station in London where the express train runs to Heathrow airport in 15 minutes. As we took the 5am train, it was nice to not have to haul our luggage across the city. Our flight was about the first one to the US and once aboard got comfortable in the new seating configuration that United has in business now. We were seated facing backwards but it wasn't a problem because often we were that way on trains across Europe. In the event of an airplane crash, it's actually better to be seated facing backwards and I've heard that military planes are configured with such seating.
The change in seating that United business has now is completely flat beds and it was the first time either of us experienced it. Passengers really get a much better sleep and it was nice to nap for half the flight as we landed at 11am with a full day ahead in Chicago. Hopefully we get some upgrades on our United accounts so we can experience it again!!!!
Home!!!!!!!!!!! Chicago greeted us as usual with clouds and light rain but it's nice to be home finally!
We've got stacks to do, 2 1/2 months worth. We haven't even started on our thank you notes even though we hauled the box of them completely around the world.
Again, thanks for everyone who followed along and we hope that it was fun to read. Our biggest wish is that all of you can visit some of the places we had the fortune to and if we provided a little bit of inspiration to do so, it was worthwhile for us to relate our travels.
Over the next few months we've got some trips planned which we also consider part of our honeymoon so feel free to check back once in a while to see what we're up to. If all goes as planned, the honeymoon will never end.....
We stayed at the Hilton connected to Paddington station in London where the express train runs to Heathrow airport in 15 minutes. As we took the 5am train, it was nice to not have to haul our luggage across the city. Our flight was about the first one to the US and once aboard got comfortable in the new seating configuration that United has in business now. We were seated facing backwards but it wasn't a problem because often we were that way on trains across Europe. In the event of an airplane crash, it's actually better to be seated facing backwards and I've heard that military planes are configured with such seating.
The change in seating that United business has now is completely flat beds and it was the first time either of us experienced it. Passengers really get a much better sleep and it was nice to nap for half the flight as we landed at 11am with a full day ahead in Chicago. Hopefully we get some upgrades on our United accounts so we can experience it again!!!!
Home!!!!!!!!!!! Chicago greeted us as usual with clouds and light rain but it's nice to be home finally!
We've got stacks to do, 2 1/2 months worth. We haven't even started on our thank you notes even though we hauled the box of them completely around the world. Again, thanks for everyone who followed along and we hope that it was fun to read. Our biggest wish is that all of you can visit some of the places we had the fortune to and if we provided a little bit of inspiration to do so, it was worthwhile for us to relate our travels.
Over the next few months we've got some trips planned which we also consider part of our honeymoon so feel free to check back once in a while to see what we're up to. If all goes as planned, the honeymoon will never end.....
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
London, now with photos
As mentioned yesterday, our first stop was the St. James area and on Jermyn Street we stopped in at Floris and their royal warrant is shown below as "Perfumer to The Prince of Wales." Shauna bought some of their China Rose scented products after being introduced to their Rose flavored mouthwash earlier this year. Royal warrants are certain indicators of high quality craftsmanship whatever the product and the holder's shop is always worth having a look at.
The photo below is from one of Ryan's favorite shops, the James J. Fox cigar shop which has a history that reaches back over a century. Winston Churchill's order ledger is shown below and just one of many exhibits in their cigar museum.
The royal warrant for Fox's is shown below as "Tobacconist to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh."
Ryan having a relaxing moment in Fox's.
Nearby the neighborhood is Green Park where we relaxed as Ryan always does on trips to London.
Shauna loves the area as well.
Just as the sun went down we finished up the day by catching the tube from Piccadilly Circus.
Early today we strolled around a modern shopping area and Shauna found her perfect glasses, light pink with heart shaped lenses.
Leicester Square
Nearby the old futures exchange a statue of a futures trader was erected in 1997 and Ryan poses beside it.
Here's a view of Jermyn Street and immediate view are some of the shops were we bought stuff: Thomas Pink, Hackett and Floris.
Below is St. James, not too big but filled with absolutely marvelous shops. As mentioned previously, most merchants date back to the 19th, 18th or even 17th centuries like Berry Brothers and Rudd who were established in 1698.
One place that Ryan always wanted to visit for a shave and haircut on St. James is Truefitt and Hill which is the oldest barbershop in the world. He's used their West Indian Limes shaving products for years and their royal warrant as barber to the royal family is below.
Inside where it all happens.
First a hot towel to get the pores to open up.
Then it's the lathering and a straightedge razor shave.
Ryan can go home looking like a gentleman now. To be honest, Ryan can give a better shave himself but it's nice to get pampered.
Pink + Mercedes = A car Shauna would like
Not too far from historic St James, we had afternoon tea at the Athenaeum Hotel. They offered a LaDuree (the pastry shop in Paris) afternoon tea which kicked off with LaDuree label rose Champagne.
Once we finished with the Champagne, it was Laduree tea served alongside their macaroons and crumpets.
In the next room was the largest Scotch selection of any bar in London. Ryan thought it was extensive but nothing too amazing...and of course the amazingly rare stuff was out of price range.
The photo below is from one of Ryan's favorite shops, the James J. Fox cigar shop which has a history that reaches back over a century. Winston Churchill's order ledger is shown below and just one of many exhibits in their cigar museum. 
The royal warrant for Fox's is shown below as "Tobacconist to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh."
Ryan having a relaxing moment in Fox's.
Nearby the neighborhood is Green Park where we relaxed as Ryan always does on trips to London.
Shauna loves the area as well.
Just as the sun went down we finished up the day by catching the tube from Piccadilly Circus. 
Early today we strolled around a modern shopping area and Shauna found her perfect glasses, light pink with heart shaped lenses.
Leicester Square
Nearby the old futures exchange a statue of a futures trader was erected in 1997 and Ryan poses beside it.
Here's a view of Jermyn Street and immediate view are some of the shops were we bought stuff: Thomas Pink, Hackett and Floris. 
Below is St. James, not too big but filled with absolutely marvelous shops. As mentioned previously, most merchants date back to the 19th, 18th or even 17th centuries like Berry Brothers and Rudd who were established in 1698.
One place that Ryan always wanted to visit for a shave and haircut on St. James is Truefitt and Hill which is the oldest barbershop in the world. He's used their West Indian Limes shaving products for years and their royal warrant as barber to the royal family is below. 
Inside where it all happens.
First a hot towel to get the pores to open up.
Then it's the lathering and a straightedge razor shave.
Ryan can go home looking like a gentleman now. To be honest, Ryan can give a better shave himself but it's nice to get pampered. 
Pink + Mercedes = A car Shauna would like
Not too far from historic St James, we had afternoon tea at the Athenaeum Hotel. They offered a LaDuree (the pastry shop in Paris) afternoon tea which kicked off with LaDuree label rose Champagne. 
Once we finished with the Champagne, it was Laduree tea served alongside their macaroons and crumpets. 
In the next room was the largest Scotch selection of any bar in London. Ryan thought it was extensive but nothing too amazing...and of course the amazingly rare stuff was out of price range. 
Monday, October 13, 2008
London, quick post
We're just checking in quickly from an internet cafe but we did make it to London with the Eurostar train this morning. It takes a bit over two hours for the train to travel from Paris to London and about 30 minutes of that is underground.
Once we made it to London, we went straight for one of the most historical shopping areas in the world. On St. James and Jermyn Streets are various shops who were founded back as far as the 17th century and hold royal warrants. These warrants showcase that they are the official supplier of certain goods to the royal household. Tomorrow we'll have a better chance to explain and exhibit the area but today we have to keep it brief.
Cheerio from London and sorry for the quick post that lacks photos.
Once we made it to London, we went straight for one of the most historical shopping areas in the world. On St. James and Jermyn Streets are various shops who were founded back as far as the 17th century and hold royal warrants. These warrants showcase that they are the official supplier of certain goods to the royal household. Tomorrow we'll have a better chance to explain and exhibit the area but today we have to keep it brief.
Cheerio from London and sorry for the quick post that lacks photos.
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