Onboard an Air France flight to Paris. I have my own seat for the very first time in my life!
Holding French dark chocolate in Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris.
Arriving at our final destination at the ocean villa Pierre et Vacances, Cannes.
We slept through the entire day. Thus mom's birthday was celebrated in the evening at the place you see above in Mougins.
This bistrot used to be a horse stable???
I insisted on ordering escargots. Mind you, I also like blue cheese!
Chewing down daddy's lobster salad.
Out for a fresh breath, Mougins.
After meal cheese selection at the bistrot.
Bring on the blue cheese first... by now grandparents have no doubt that I am a little gourmet.
Saint Tropez, Cote d'Azur
At a beautiful piazza ("place" en Francais) in Saint Tropez (Mom's declaration: No, we didn't dine here. In fact, we didn't have any meal in this beautiful town.)
I am a butterfly fairy hovering over the beatiful boutiques in Saint Tropez.
Found the entrance to Sleeping Beauty's castle.
Yes, the dragon is safely locked inside the cage, I know.
Climbing up the Citadel in Saint Tropez.
Mom absolutely hates to visit any citadel by now. Because of it, we didn't have time for lunch.
Choosing apples at a casino (French call produce shop casino??? That's funny!)
Saint Tropez
Scene near Aix-en-Provence
Fussy because my nap was interrupted. At Place de la République (Roman Square), Arles.
Not even ice cream nor chocolate, only shopping can reconcile my fuzziness. Mom said I cried a good half hour until I saw the beautiful Provence soap shop and that she let me buy the ones on my hand.
At the Cafe Van Gogh at the Roman Forum. See the next photo for Van Gogh's painting of this Cafe.
Van Gogh Cafe at Night
How come my "two" is like a "three"? At Place de la République.
Les Arènes d'Arles (Roman Arena)
Collapsed after yet another long day
Oh so happy in front of a bon-bon shop!
Check out the snow white and seven dwarfs figurines at the bottom right of the show window (you'll soon find out why I am asking you this)
Lunch at Le Royal, Nice http://le-royal-hotel-nice.h-rsv.com. Excellent Salade Provençal.
Hanging out the beach along Promenade des Anglais, Nice
Did they put toffee in their linguine? Dad taking a bite of Le Royal's ratatouille.
Throwing pebbles is fun!
I told you to check the figurines out at the bon-bon shop!
Triumphant -- the form of the escargots that I would eat (yep, gummy snails)
Biting the orange escargot
Grandma was happy showing the pair of shoes mom bought her on behalf of daddy.
Hm.. if I eat two, will I have two more left? (my beginning self education of math)
Musée Masséna
Josephine's tiara
Josephine's menteau
Napoleon's death mask
Serious art connoisseur we are...
...dad explaining a fine point to me
OMG her fart stinks!
No 할머니 (Halmeoni; grandma in KR), I am NOT getting up.
Mom cooked almost every dinner using local produce from Provence. To go with cuisine Provençal, a bottle of Rosé Provençal.
I've grew up fast during the France trip. I began to feed myself and sit through my meal without distraction.
A tranquil moment after breakfast with 할머니 (grandma)
My idea of vacation -- Every morning after breakfast, I requested to sit by the swimming pool and relax with my bunny.
My view while chilling out on a bench
Houses along the Moyenne Corniche are all nice (from Nice to Monaco)
View from the Moyenne Corniche from Nice to Monaco
Now somebody is living large
Èze
One of my favorite stories dad told me during this trip was of "Chloe falling down the cliff." This is where he got the idea.
A quick snap shot from the car while approaching Eze.
I love the colors and the fragrant smell of the soaps
Yeah, purple (lavender) ones!
infused tea leaves look so beautiful here
Eze is such a beautiful tiny mountain village
Dining at Le Troubadour near the entrance of the Éze village...
Mom ordered me a veal dish with sauteed mushrooms. This is when I started to use knife and fork together.
Filo wrapped ravioli made with duck pate top with foie gras, a very rich dish
A local fish with asparagus, surprisingly delightful
White asparagus with morel mushrooms in broth. A yum veggie dish
Among all the restaurants we sampled during this trip, mom liked the food from Le Troubadour the most.
How sweet our baby is
Checking out the laughing piglets
My fascination reamins with jewelry (where did I get this trait from?)
Knock, knock...Dopey, are you home?
Let me try this door... would it be Grumpy (Snow White) or James P Sullivan (Monsters, Inc.)?
Inside the church at Èze
La Trophée des Alpes -- the Roman monument (at the highest location in the picture) commemorating Augustus' conquest of the Alps. Marked the beginning of Pax Romana.
Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Close-up of La Trophée des Alpes
The Casino. Mom was excited to visit the scene from Casino Royale. She adores Daniel Craig!
Round abouts everywhere -- even underground!
Yet another bright sunny day lookout from our patio at the Résidence Hotel, Pierre et Vacances Cannes
A left over Provençal dish with une bouteille de vin rouge from Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux
A long road trip ahead thanks to the Iceland volcano eruption. Overnight at Hotel la Residence (http://www.hotel-la-residence.com), Lyon.
Pont (bridge) Bonaparte over Saône, Lyon
Saint Georges and Notre-Dame in Vieux Lyon
Buildings along side the river, Lyon.
Mom found this hotel from Rick Steve's guide. It was cheap and very conveniently located in a nice neighborhood with easy access to freeway and Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon).
A poster inside the elevator of Hotel la Residence.
Yet another happy window shopper.
Are you for real?? Can you teach me how to brew magic potion?
a scene from a gangster movie
Strolling in Vieux Lyon. Vieux Lyon has the highest concentration of renaissance buildings in the world. It is also the second cultural center in France after Paris.
Heehee...magical creatures everywhere in the old town.
Me the elegant dancer. I hummed the music from Sleeping Beauty as I performed.
Odeon of Lyon
Ancient Theatre of Fourvière, Lyon
Notre-Dame de Lyon in the background
View down Montée des Chazeaux
Another one from Montée des Chazeaux
View of Vieux Lyon on Rue Saint-Jean
Mom found me a beautiful toy shop. I was so happy to see that they carry quite a few toys that I have at home.
Mom likes the toilet sign at the cafe we had lunch.
Lunch at L'Auberge Rabelais. Specializing in traditional Lyonnaise dishes...
... like this salad you see here. We've never seen such salad before... And it was great!
... this is how it looks from outside: old, but elegant.
The magnificent Renaissance style Notre-Dame of Lyon on top of the hills.
The Saint-Jean Cathedral in Vieux Lyon, seat of the Archbishop of Lyon
Inside the in cathedral
Saucisse Lyonnaise
Fruit compote (still at L'Auberge Rabelais; we asked for a quick meal. It took 2 hours after all. Oh them Frenchies)
Thanks to the volcano eruption in Iceland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_eruptions_of_Eyjafjallajökull) the Paris airport was closed. 4 adults and me drove like this in a Mercedes C300 from Nice to Paris!
Stream along the way to Château de Chenonceau, Loire Valley.
Salute to the magnificent Château de Chenonceau
The impressive kitchen at the basement of Chenonceau (mom's favorite part of the Chateau)
So is there where witches brew magic potions?
Working the water supply. I am poor Cinderella.
I demand to sit on this chair
How come Pricess Sophie cannot lie down on any of the beds here?
Catherine de Medici, wife of Henry II, confiscated Chenonceau from his mistress Diane de Poitiers
I declaire that this pink bed belongs to Princess Sophie now.
A painting of Château de Chenonceau
This room must have been owned by a Dark Knight.
Why don't people let me sing Snow White's "I'm wishing" song down the well? Mom: Baby... you sing like 15 minutes already... let's get moving...
Would mom let me pick some flowers from the garden now?
Sheer elegance: the Chateau, mom, and me!
A happy moment with 할아버지
Overlooking the Jardin de Poitiers (Diane de Poitiers was the mistress of Henri II) at Chenonceau.
Château de Chenonceau, Loire valley
Sword in the resting position...
...and my first sword fight with 할아버지
The Mercedes C300 we drove from Nice to Paris (with a stop over at Lyon)
Mom's excellent choice for the stay over at Loire: Le Manoir Saint Thomas. 할아버지 and 할머니 were enthralled to stay in a historical manor.
Street view, Amboise.
Waiting for dinner at La Reserve. We've had a magnificant view. Chateau de Amboise is just right across.
When you have great view, the food usually tastes #$% ....
Pricess Sophie finally gets her bed. Busy sleeping my bunny
... and having a very pleasant breakfast there.
Living in a fairy tale! View of the chapel of Chateau Amboise from downtown Amboise.
Entering Château Amboise
Chapel at Château Amboise. Da Vinci's tomb is here.
Da Vinci's tomb. I was fascinated.
From the chateau looking at the restaurant La Reserve we dined the previous evening.
The word Loire means impassable in Arabic (!). The Loire river was the furthest east the Muslims had advanced.
Drying shoes from the attic
The town's watch tower in the middle
I am Da *Girl* (and not Da *Vinci*)
Touring the inside of Chateau Amboise
My voice echoed when talking at the center of this thing. Of course I got to sing "I'm wishing" song from Snow White here.
Hey there's a hole here
What a pose...Me practicing short track moves.
Clos Lucé (Leonardo Da Vinci's house)
The flamboyant Château de Chambord
Me to mom: no stick, no smiley face
Dad was my horsie at Chambord. BTW, now we know where Disney's inspiration for The Small World came from.
In the Hunting Room. Foxes in the glass box.
A prince is born (or was it a Duke?)
Looking up the center spiral staircase. Did Da Vinci made his mark here too?
The portraits in the room looked liked ghosts (and so did dad there for that matter)
The Renaissance king Francois I's "apartment" within Chambord...
... and his bed
The hunting hall of Chambord
Some real estate those kings possessed.
Louvre!
Athena
Venus de Milo (opposite the hall from Athena)
No neck!
Who could it be now?
Thanks to my stroller a guard opened up a direct passage from the ancient greek room to this crown room. Children are really valued in France.
Ancient Greek statues
Lions from the Palace of Darius the Great
The inverted pyramid made famous by Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Do the true texts of Christianity really lie below the lower pyramid?
Me to dad: you're stuck!
Eh, not sure if I want to get stuck too
Mom holding up the inverted pyramid; me trying to copy her moves.
Finally at Remmy's Eiffel Tower
On the train to Versaille
Versailles
We rented a golf cart to cover Versailles' humongous garden. 30E/hour.
Paintings from the Petit Trianon. We've first seen them at the Legion of Honor in SF.
Mom is happy to see these paintings again at the place where they belong
In Marie-Antoinette's Le Petit Trianon. What a spacious one bedroom apartment
I am prettier than Marie
Music room
Waiting for mom to tour the palace again.
The tragic queen
And the tragic king
Marie Antoinette's bed. If you look out the window you'll see...
...the famous Temple of Love.
Marie Antoinette's toilette
Now, about that fine philosophical point you made...
Antoinette's Hamlet.
Me? Just happy to be able to pick flowers from the field.
Le Grand Trianon
Daddy, which hand?
Diverging pathways
We've rented #7 at 26 Rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs for our Paris stay. Me in front of the inconspicuous (and typical) Paris apartment door.
The waitress at Aux Deux Ecus gave me a glowing bracelet after a late night meal there.
Mom, get me a rose perfume? (I am my father's daughter)
Still sniffing the perfume sample over Pont Neuf.
Incredibly intricate and beautiful stain glasses at Sainte-Chapelle
The Rose Window of Sainte-Chapelle
I can't be separated from Tutu, not even on the narrow staircases.
Even hotdogs are made with baguette in France. Got a delicious one from a panini shop on Rive Gauche (Left Bank) near Saint Germain des Pres.
Left Bank. Finding a place for lunch.
Cafe de Paris (not recommended though full of people)
View out of Cafe de Paris...A typical French one.
Mom ordered the bouef tartare at Cafe de Paris. Audacious, I should say...
...and of course some escargot and chicken pour moi.
Happy in front of a Pâtisserie in Rive Gauche
Wow, now at a Gelateria. Though mom disagreed, dad says he had his best gelato here.
Rive Gauche
A cafe near Sorbonne
I got treats like this everyday during the Paris trip. Not sure how I will live without them back home.
Need I tell you where we are at?
Notre Dame de Paris
Inside Notre-Dame
The decapitated one is Saint Denis, the patron saint of Paris
Daddy carried me the entire 400+ stairs to the top of Notre-Dame tower
I've been fantasizing about the moment to come see the gargoyles
Up to Quasimodo's hangout
Oh how I love Gargoyles (and spooky stuff in general)
Sainte-Chapelle at the bottom left.
How come every place we go, they are all under some sort of restoration process? Arc de Triomphe was no different.
Dad sipping capuchino at a upscale eatery. Check out Arc de Triomphe in the background
Mommy liked the macaroon trees. Yum!
Louis Vuitton headquarters at Avenue des Champs-Élysées
The lined-up trees on Champs-Élysées
Goofy mom in front of a Toyota branch
Taken while I was asleep
Guess where mom is at?
Place de la Concorde hosts one of the 29 ancient Egyptian Obelisks. This one is for Ramses II.
Mom didn't tell dad that her secret mission had been completed right here - She vows to see all the 29 Egyptian obelisks in the world.
Église de la Madeleine. View from Place de la Concorde.
Yeah, the river Seine boat tour! I've been asking for 坐坐船 (go on a boat) ever since I saw these boats afloat on the Seine.
Musée d'Orsay (No photos are allowed inside any more...)
Sunset under La passerelle des Arts
The western tip of Île de la Cité. Parisians just hang out there like seen above.
Somehow looks like the place where Linguine first started talking to Remy in the Pixar movie Ratatouille.
I was so happy to be on the boat! I made others crack up by my own laughter!
Eiffel tower from our boat operated by Bateaux Parisiens
Arguably the best meal was at the unassuming La Fontaine de Mars (Mom didn't agree though she acknowledged that their duck foie gras was the best she had so far)
Mom's choice of our last meal in Paris was the local favorites - La Fontaine de Mars in the Rue Cler area. (http://www.fontainedemars.com) The Obama family dined there in June 2009. Check out http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2009/06/obama-dinner-in-paris-lamb-and-steak-at.html for the story.
