Paris

View from our hotel

Gorgeous views, fantastic places and oh so exceptionally delicious sweets!
Paris was marvelous!
We arrived around 6pm, Thursday, December 13th in Paris but it took over an hour to get to our hotel with all the traffic. I haven't seen traffic like this since Houston!
It was COLD and rainy when we arrived so we decided to just settle into our room and order room service.
We stayed at the Mercure Paris Centre Tour Hotel on the rue Jean Rey. Now there are a lot of these type of hotels all over Paris but this is the only one this close to the tower - hence the name.
Our room for the week was located on the 5th floor and although we didn't have a great view from our location, the room was still more than we hoped for. We unpacked and we ordered a few basic things off the menu - a burger and a club sandwich and I ordered a chocolate cake with English cream that was divine!
My first taste of Paris dessert - I was instantly hooked.

Tree in the lobby

Our room

 Our hotel was located literally just a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower.  I really liked our hotel. It was really pretty with purples and pinks everywhere!
Our room was a decent size and the beds were extremely comfortable. Everything about this hotel was wonderfully modern. Our bathroom was the coolest space - Erick and I both got really excited about the design. The light in the bathroom was a touch button on the mirror, so neat. And the shower was a large square in the ceiling of the shower space that literally poured down on you as if it was raining. The shower was big enough for all 3 of us to stand in!

In the entrance

The entire staff was friendly and courteous and everyone spoke English, which was really helpful to us. (I only know about 10 words in French and they are your basic mannerisms.) I still spoke the little I could but everyone was super nice about speaking to us in English to help out.
They had a breakfast buffet every morning - with everything you can imagine. And the absolute best croissants I have ever had in my life!
{Now the coffee I was a little disappointed with, it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be. And that is everywhere we went. Luckily, we were able to actually find a Starbucks on our last night in Paris and I had a decent cup for once. :)}
They would set up for lunch, then dinner and of course you could order room service at any time.
They were all set for the Christmas holiday. Really made me smile. They had lovely Christmas trees all over, with "sweet" decorations.

It was raining still on Friday, but we decided to head out anyway. Our first visit was to the Arc de Triomphe. We were able to catch a train with the exit being right across the street. This Arc was built to honor all those that fought for France and it has the names of all its' soldiers engraved into the stone. Right underneath it you find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame that burns. It is lit and placed there to represent all those who perished that were never identified. It is a beautiful monument to visit. You can buy a ticket to walk through the walls and up to the top. Something that should be done on a sunny day. :)

We later met with our tour group at La Madeleine Catholic Church. It was a wonderful day for a walking tour. (Note the sarcasm.)
Lauren, our guide gave us a quick history about the church and we then headed off.
Our first "stop" - Literally the BEST place in Paris to get Macaroons - Pierre Hermé Paris. Absolutely delicious! Now Lauren states that there are a few ways to make these yummy treats but the best way is the Italian way, which they do here. I chose the Crème Brûlée; C.J. chose the Infiniment Chocolat; and Erick chose one with a special liqueur.
We walked through quite a lot of Paris, each way she told us a little more. We walked through the Place de la Concorde to see the Egyptian Obelisk that is topped with a gold-leafed pyramid cap.
We also walked past the Grand Palias and Le Petit Palais, two palace museums right next to each other.  Continuing on, we passed the Pont Alexandre III, which leads directly to Napoleon's Tomb. There are huge bronze statues all along this bridge - truly amazing to see.



We passed through this section for a quick rest as the rain and wind starting getting a little heavier. This monument stands in memorandum of Princess Diana. It is known as the Flame of Liberty and sits above the exit of the tunnel the Princess died in.

Our final stop ended at the Eiffel Tower itself. C.J. had just woken up from a nap so he looks a little funny. :) There are 3 floors to the tower and you can take the lift all the way to the top, on most days. Since this day was rainy and windy, we were only able to go to the second.
There are 2 restaurants in here and about 300 stairs but these are mostly used for maintenance purposes. It is a wonder to view! And this was the most crowded area we had been too all day.
We were up there for about 10 minutes admiring when it was time to go. After all, you do get a really great view of the entire city. But we were already all wet and the wind does not help being that high up. We enjoyed our tour but we had, had enough that day.
Luckily for us, our hotel was only a couple of blocks away.
We were able to catch a few glimpses of the guards walking around with their overly unnecessary equipment, (in my opinion.)




Since we were all still pretty exhausted from that day we decided to stay close. Dinner was held at this lovely restaurant - Chez Ribe. Found just a block down from our hotel, this was my favorite place by far. The food was superb. I had the scallops, Erick had the duck and C.J. had a pasta. (He loves pasta and doesn't care where he's at, that's the first thing he'll order.) Everything was absolutely delicious! The food was cooked perfectly, with so much flavor. I was very impressed!
For dessert I had an apple tart with vanilla ice cream - so good!
I would gladly go back to Paris just for this restaurant.

 Saturday was spent of course at The Louvre Museum. I had no idea the extensive size of this museum! And SO confusing! You are given a map when you purchase your tickets but there are so many sections closed for renovations that when you walk to an exit, it's closed off.

La Venus de Milo

Any who, so you enter through the pyramid at the center of the square and take an escalator down to the main floor. You purchase tickets, you can check your coats, and then you're off. There are 3 wings to the museum and one ticket allows entrance to all three. They are : the Richelieu, the Sully, and the Denon.

Winged Victory of Samothrace

We chose to enter the Sully Wing first. I was on a mission to see the Mona Lisa. :)
Now this museum is just as gorgeous as the Vatican but it was at least somewhat less overwhelming. There was still so much to see but not as excessive. We took tons of photos of everything we possibly could and all the paintings and statues we really admired. We got there at opening time so it wasn't extremely full but still had a good amount of tourists. Our first "big" attraction was La Venus de Milo. She stands in the center of the room surrounded by other Greek sculptures. The Goddess of all Goddesses, she is truly beautiful. As we walked through another hall we took some steps up to the Winged Victory of Samothrace said to be sculpted of another Goddess, Nike and also to honor sea battle as she stands on a "ship." This statue is also something else to see. It stands alone at the very top of the stairs.

The Mona Lisa

After getting a little lost, we made our way to the grand finale. As I stated on my Instagram, "The Saucy Minx, herself," The Mona Lisa. She is hung on a wall in the center of the large room. A few other paintings hang around the walls but not as many as the other corridors. She is behind plated glass, a wooden bar, and velvet rope. She was absolutely the most guarded of all in the Louvre. And one of the most popular as well. There were many people standing around the bar as I worked my way to the front. She is a sight!! I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that I would be standing about 10 feet away from da Vinci's masterpiece. She is beautiful!
I had already been told to prepare for her size; (I had to look up her dimensions: 30in by 21in.) I guess with stuff we see in movies or on TV, we always imagined her to be huge - she's not.
After spending a few minutes in there and over an hour and a half in the first Wing, we decided it was time for lunch. We walked to the cafeteria found in the Louvre called the Cafés de la Pyramide. It wasn't the best of food but we were hungry and needed a sugar rush. My favorite part of the meal was the chocolate tart I grabbed for dessert. :/

Egyptian Antiquités

After an hour of rest, food, and chugging a Coca Cola we headed off to the Denon Wing. 
We walked through most of Napoleon's section and worked our way to the Egyptian Antiquités. They really do have an extensive collection of Egyptian history here. From small tiny artifacts to a large Sphinx. They had scrolls, tools, jewelry, even weapons. I really loved the pottery! So simple, and old but so beautifully decorated. This also took up a large section of the museum as I believe it stated, 9 rooms were dedicated to these artifacts. 

St. Mary Magdalene

We turned back around to finally head to the Sculptures section where all or at least most of them are from a Romanesque era. There were so many sculptures representing Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. So many others about His crucifixion. There were also soldiers. This section made me a little sad.
I did get a great photo of the one sculpture in this section that I was very interested in viewing. The sculpture of St. Mary Magdalene. According to scripture, Jesus saved her of her sins and they became close friends. She was at His crucifixion, his burial, and also the very first person to see Jesus after His resurrection.





After our long, first half of the day, we exited the museum and then caught a cab to head over to the Cathedral de Notre Dame. Such a beautiful church!
It's design is immaculate. The entrance is absolutely breathtaking. There are columns, and statutes of saints and the Virgin Mary, and the gargoyles - everything is gorgeous. The stained-glass found through the entire church is not like any I have ever seen before. This church was truly built for kings.
Once again, as we had in Rome, we walked in to give a donation and lit a candle. Saying a prayer to give thanks for being able to walk into such a wonderful place of worship.

In the center of the mall

Later that day after some much needed rest, we decided to do some shopping. Only to step out into pouring rain...again. We caught a cab to the, Forum des Halles, an underground shopping mall located in the central market. I was not impressed. There are about 5 underground levels to this mall but since it does intersect directly with the train station everything was dirty and dingy and yes, many sections - stinky. The only good thing I found in here was the Starbucks!
We walked around for an hour when it was just time to leave. Definitely one place I would not recommend or would ever return to.

My little reminder <3

When that turned out to be a bust we headed to the Galeries Lafayette. Now this was certainly my kind of shopping mall! Hermès, Prada, Jimmy Choo, they even had a Baby Dior section - OH MY Goodness!! Everything about this establishment was impeccable. Except for the overuse of perfume spray, which my allergies were not to happy with, I enjoyed our walk around this mall. As much as I was tempted to just charge it, I decided against it. :) I love these stores but just the fact that everything is the same number just in euros, basically doubles the price. I'm not that frugal, but I refuse to pay double for something I can easily get on sale online or back in the States.
I did get a really cute tee at one of the local stands before we returned to Italy.




Our final day we woke up early and headed towards the Napolean museum or Les Invalides and we were able to see his tomb. We didn't actually walk into the museum, more like through it. :) Towards the back where the tomb lay. We did get some nice pictures of the outside and great views. We could see the tower, the obelisk, and the bridge just by standing in the front. They have a really nice garden around the outside as well. The trees are shaped and trimmed nicely. They also have cannons all along the edge of the wall entrance.
The tomb itself is actually a little overzealous. I think it's a bit of an over compensation. It is directly under the large golden dome. I looked up a little information about this and the tomb is made of red quartzite (my first initial thought was wood) and it sits on green granite.

The paintings inside the dome are gorgeous! They are all along the walls - beautifully painted. I especially liked the giant angel statues placed all around his sarcophagus.
Some of Napoleon's family is also buried there. Along with some of the higher ranked military that served with him. There are also vaults with Generals and Marshals. And there are hearts buried there (the bodies are buried elsewhere) of some Major Generals and Lieutenants. These though are all found in the back not at the center where Napoleon lays. You have to walk through a couple of tiny hallways to see them.
It wasn't something we were very excited about visiting but at least we can say we've seen it. :)

We had a great time in Paris! A wonderful reminder for our 5th Wedding Anniversary. I would gladly encourage anyone to take a trip here at least once in their life if it's possible.

C.J.'s "Uncle" Mike's

Okay, so I've had a few people ask me about two certain young men in our lives that are constantly in my pictures. So I thought I'd take a little time and let you know a little about them. I am referring to C.J.'s, Uncle Mike's. Yes, there are two of them. :)
We met both while living in Japan and they are the only two great things I got from being there. They both work for the same company Erick works for.
What makes this relationship even better is that Mike and Mike have known each other for years now - they are really good friends.
And now they have become so dear to us that we most definitely consider them family.
And they are so good to C.J. - someone of course who is not related to them but they do so much for him and care for him as if he was  blood.
I am always touched by their generosity and love. But I constantly have to get after them. I think they spoil C.J. more than we do!

With Uncle Mike in Ostuni, IT

This Uncle Mike is Mike Nation from Alabama. Literally a kid at heart. He comes from a great extended family. We share so many things in common and are constantly making each other laugh. We have a lot of fun using Instagram, tagging each other in funny photos that remind us of one another.
Mike and I can talk about absolutely EVERYTHING - religion, politics, people. Something I don't and can't do with a lot of people, really. He laughs at my sarcasm and how blunt I can be.
He is determined and driven and has a "good head on his shoulders." He carries lots of ambition, that I definitely see huge successes in his future.
We talk and say when C.J. is older he will spend summer's at Uncle Mike's house and give us a break.

With Uncle Mike in Nagoya, 

This Uncle Mike is Mike Holtorf of Minnesota.
And the second youngest {next to C.J. ;) } in our group. Born in '86, I am another "Mom" to him - not literally, mostly figuratively, we joke.
We spend our days chatting and playing Words with Friends or Domino! (He'll cut me off from playing against him sometimes because he hates when I beat him.)
Next to my best friend, he has turned into someone I am very close to and can rely on. We can talk about our lives and always have good advice for one another. I've truly come to trust him in all aspects.
He is one of the nicest people I have met; a true sweetheart.
He has the best time with C.J. playing cards or phone games.
He has traveled everywhere and will soon be joining us here in Italy! I can't wait to see him!








These two men will definitely continue to always be a huge part in our lives. They've proven to be more reliable, giving, and helpful than a lot of people we've known our whole lives.
And always in competition to see who will get C.J. the better gift. haha
I love them like brothers.
Another plus is how they will ask me to cook for them. If you really want a compliment to go to my head, ask me to cook or bake for you. I love doing it already as it is but it's an awesome feeling to have someone other than my husband and child ask for something specific.
And to the single ladies - these handsome men are still up for grabs so if you are interested in these hard working guys, let me know. ;)
I can always put in a good word.

Braylon is #11

My newest nephew was born on December 12, 2012. He was 9lbs. 8 oz. - Big Boy! He is the latest edition to the Picazo Family. My older brothers' mini-me! His daughter Allie will have 8 years over her little brother but I have no doubts they will be great to each other. My sister-in-law, Vickie could not be happier and my brother is ecstatic. I am so excited for them! Braylon James is now the 9th child to be born in my family.
Congrats again big brother!!! Love you all and cannot wait to meet him!
And I am now officially an Aunt to 11 lovies. <3

Roma ♥

What can I say besides - AMAZING!!
So much to see, so much to do. Completely overwhelmed and on the verge of tears through every turn, I smiled from ear to ear just as soon as our plane touched down on the runway.

This has been a place I have wanted to visit my entire life - my dream come true. A place of true beauty and astonishment.
We picked a decent weekend to visit, although there was still plenty of tourists it was easy to handle and nothing insane like the summer months in Rome.
I have to say though, Rome is a very crowded city - I got a pretty decent experience from the bus ride to Metro station. The traffic was horrendous and there are buildings built entirely too close with too many people living in them.
We didn't take cabs anywhere as Rome has a train system and it is fairly easy to use. They only downside I would say is that the entrances/exits are pretty far from most places we wanted to go to. Like to our hotel for instance, from the train exit, we had to walk about 10 blocks to get there.

Our flight was early on Friday morning - 8:30am and we were in the air for less than an hour. We arrived in Rome and we were also able to check in early into our suite at the hotel.
We stayed at the Atlante Hotel just a couple of blocks down from the Vatican.Their slogan is "The best place to see Rome."

Room Key

We received great service and it was a quiet and cozy room. Truly European as you only had enough space to take 3 or 4 steps into the next room. But it had a comfortable bed and working plumbing which is all we cared about. We didn't spend much time in the suite anyway as we completely took advantage of our weekend stay in Rome.
We could not stop laughing at our room key though. A tiny regular key ridiculously attached to an overly dramatic key chain.
The staff was friendly and helpful - all-in-all made a great place to stay.

The wall that surrounds the
entire city.

After being situated, we heading straight to the Vatican to visit the museum. We picked the perfect day and time too. (On Sunday, as we headed to Mass we saw a line that wrapped around the entire Vatican wall for people trying to get into the Museum.) We had no line and very few tourists so we could spend our time leisurely.

One of the many ceilings
of the museum. 

Everything about this institution is completely astounding! We were fortunate enough to be able to take photos of so many exhibitions. I look at them almost everyday. There is so much detail and care into each and every painting, and tapestry, and sculpture - it amazes me. We followed each sign to make sure we didn't miss any of the many, many rooms in this museum  all the way down until we reached the true marvel - The Sistine Chapel.
There were signs everywhere as this is a holy place, so you are supposed to be respectful and quiet and NO PHOTOS. You also have to be dressed appropriately. Which means, no shorts and no tank tops.
I can't even describe the feeling that came over me as I stepped in this room. It is a lot colder than the other rooms and does not get much light either. There are also a multiple number of guards standing throughout.
But what can I say other than it is absolutely breathtaking! It truly is a gorgeous masterpiece.
My neck got a little sore from having to look up and keep turning my head, but it was definitely worth it.
We stood in there for a while before we started noticing more and more people coming in and getting louder. The guards were telling people to be quiet - it was getting a little annoying. You are there to admire not yammer on. Anyway, we were there for about 15 minutes before we finally exited. This is basically the last stop on the "tour" of the museum. We stopped at a gift shop before leaving and I purchased some more postcards and a magnet (we collect magnets from every place we visit). I got a postcard that actually has the Sistine Chapel on it - the only "photo" to have as my little reminder.

Dinner was held that night at The Hard Rock Cafe, a place I have not visited since my stay in Vegas with my sister earlier this year. It was bad in Vegas but it was delicious in Rome. :) We ordered the nachos and a burger and shared them between the 3 of us and C.J. also ordered some Mac & Cheese (his favorite). I completely adore this atmosphere; reminds me of my early days at Applebee's in Brownsville. The music is awesome, the staff is super friendly and chatty and everyone speaks more than one language. We had a fun night.

We woke up early on Saturday morning and had breakfast on the top floor of the hotel called Les Etoiles. For those who speak some French this is translated to: The Stars. :) Too cute! They also have an amazing roof top garden where they claim you sit, "On the top of the world." It has a great view of the Vatican!
They had a yummy buffet of coffee, juices, milk, water, fresh fruit, pastries, breads, meats and cheeses. They even included cereals and jams for toast. Just a little bit of everything for everyone. After that, we finished getting ready to head to the Colosseum. This was one of the short trips - just 2 stops away on the train. And the exit, literally right across the street. This is where I took the first photo from. This monument is magnificent! The size of it is just massive! We met a tour guide before the entrance and purchased tickets for an actual tour this time. (At the museum we just went on our own.) And boy am I glad that we did! The line to enter - goodness!!! P.S. The tours can be a little pricey but I would much rather pay for them and get inside than stand for hours in a line.
Our tour guide was an older woman who was completely enamored by C.J. She basically carried him everywhere and of course, he loved it.
There is so much history to this place and so much to learn about it; it was an hour long tour but they try and fit so much into it. I really want to get a book about the Colosseum just so I can read up on it more.
She gave us so much information - how the construction started about AD 70 and how it was covered completely in white marble, it once sat up to 50,000 people - so it is assumed; there really is no way to count or know, how it also stood as a church (there is a cross in the center that has stayed up to represent this time). She told us about the Gladiators and slaves and how the underground was where they lived and slept basically. There is very few spots where you can still find the white marble which is now found over at the Vatican. Apparently over the years, the marble was torn down from the Colosseum to be placed on the floors and walls when the Vatican was being built.
We walked around and took many photos and our tour went by very quickly. We didn't make it to the bottom as that is part of another tour but I'm told you get an eerie sense while down there. I can imagine as the many countless that have perished there. Next visit though...

We had about a half an hour break before our next tour of the Palatine Hill, basically just ruins of what was once a Roman Palace. This is supposed to be one of the most ancient parts of Rome. It was a place where many emperors lived. Our tour guide was a younger man who was a student at the local university. He had been studying all about this for years. He did a great job and was also very informative.

We headed to the Fontani di Trevi it was a good 15 minute walk from where we were but easy to get to. Tourists had already begun to settle here as we arrived. There were quite a few people standing around but we were still able to make our way to the front and do the traditional coin toss. The saying is that if you ever visit the fountain, you are supposed to stand in front with your back to it and toss a few coins into the fountain to ensure you will come back and visit. Something cute and sweet so with each having a few Euro cents in hand we tossed in our wish to return. :) We took plenty of photos and just sat and admired this beautiful landmark. The water is gorgeous and "pure" and is said to be brought in through special aqueducts.
We walked into a Chiesa right next to the fountain. We gave a donation and lit a candle to say a prayer. Just being thankful to be in such an amazing city and place.
We walked around for a good bit after, even getting a little lost along the way. Thank goodness for Iphone Maps, no? :)

Later that evening, after a nice nap, we headed to the Castel Sant'Angelo that was also just down the way from our hotel. This castle is built next to the Tiber river. The castle was closed for the night but we were able to cross around 3 bridges nearby. The main bridge to gain access to it, is known as the Ponte Sant'Angleo, and it has so many gorgeous statues of angels along the way. (It's name is derived of angels.)
My favorite statue on the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II is on the right. There is an angel standing over a group but there is a man and a woman holding a baby. I thought it was lovely.

We decided on a local restaurant for dinner that night, Pastarella. Nothing fancy just traditional Italian food - pizza and pasta. Their Sangria was absolutely delicious!

El Papa

  Our last day was saved again for the Vatican, only        this time we headed to St. Peter's Basilica. From the  moment we began planning the trip I made it  abundantly clear to Erick that I wanted to attend Mass at the Basilica.
We originally were under the impression that there were 3 Masses - one at 7am, at 9am, and at 11am. We were heading to the last Mass. We arrived about 10:30am only to find an incredibly long line because little did we know, it was a special Mass with The Pope! We had entered through a side entrance so we spoke with one of the guards and he explained what was happening. We told him we came to participate in Mass and he let us through without having to wait in the line.
I'm not sure what time exactly this Mass had started but it still went on for about another hour and a half more after we got there. We ended up sitting pretty far back but I did not care - I was just so happy to be there! It fills me with such emotion - only a true Catholic can really understand my feeling of joy about being able to participate in something this memorable. And to be able to actually see The Pope....
Mass was held in about 5 languages, if I remember correctly; we had our Mass scheduled reading to follow along. Communion was a little crazy though. When that time came the priests made their way down the center aisle and visitors just pushed to the front to receive Holy Communion. I waited until every one in our row sat down and made my way forward I was still able to receive it.
My favorite part, besides getting to see The Pope of course, was the choir. They are magnificent!!! Literally, angels singing on earth! I have never heard a choir sing as they did. It was peaceful and beautiful and uplifting all at the same time. I want to go back just to listen to them!

(We returned later that evening to get some more photos of the alter and the rest of the church.)

After Mass finally ended and they guards pushed everyone out, we walked out into a sea of people. There had to have been at least 1000 people standing outside waiting. The Pope then made a special appearance through his window.

After we made our way through everyone we headed to a different section of town to look at another fountain and another church at the Piazza Navona. This is basically a city square with 3 fountains and an Egyptian pillar in the center. The fountain that surrounds the pillar is known as the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of Four Rivers). This is supposed to represent the four rivers and the four continents where papal authority began. There was a small carnival set up with lots of fun games for the kids and tons of yummy snacks. C.J. asked for a cotton candy. He was so happy that they made it right in front of him. He was such a good kid all weekend. He walked the entire time and was so well behaved in Mass. He deserved a special treat. And this carnival was just what he needed.

We stopped at a little cupcake shop - Made Creative Bakery  on the way back to our hotel room. Super cute and so extremely delicious!

This trip was probably one of the best I have ever been on. I LOVED everything about Rome and hope for the day to return. Honestly, I wish I could live there! It truly was the experience of a lifetime. I am so grateful to have gotten this opportunity and lucky enough to have spent it with my boys.

Now like any strange city, you should always be careful of your surroundings. We were warned by a few of our friends to just be extra careful. Rome can be a dangerous place to outsiders. There are a lot of pick-pockets and people willing to steal right in front of your face. Nothing out of the ordinary for us after visiting places in Mexico. So it was fairly comfortable for us to turn people away. We had a very enjoyable experience - I am so thankful for that. But we've heard stories from other people we know who visited Rome at some point.

So for future visitors - don't talk to strangers, don't walk around dark streets, do not wear a lot of jewelry, beware of crowds (that's where most pick-pocketing happens), if someone comes up to you to show you something - a card/rope trick, or if they want to sell you something, politely say, "No, Grazie" and keep walking.