Violently Happy: Across the pond to Paris on the Eurostar

We woke up before our early morning wake up call. It's good we did because the television magically turned on and started beeping which would have scared me to death. We showered, dressed and packed just in time to check out and meet our cab driver. We called ahead the night before to reserve a van to carry all our luggage. Once again, we had the most friendly driver. I could never be that sweet at six am but he definitely made the early trip lovely. Everyone has been trying to convince us to stay in London for a longer time but my heart belongs to Paris. We dropped off Antz and our luggage at St. Pancras station while Liv and I went across the street to Kings Cross station for a special surprise.

The station was empty but luckily a worker passed by and snapped this photo.

Platform 9 3/4 does really exist!

We had an hour and fifteen minute wait before check-in. Time for some caffeine!

Perfect way to pass the time

Liv and I were discussing our plans for eating in Paris *we agree, lots and lots of croissants*

Finally time to board!

Perfect time to pull out the Paris coloring book

Olivia never says no to a croissant

We met the sweetest British couple onboard. They were so helpful with putting away our luggage. We really enjoyed chatting with them about our travels.

Une petit dejeuner

I asked Antz to draw me in my Travel Journal. I think it is a perfect likeness *so lucky to be married to a genius!*

Smart move guys, get your rest

I just can't sleep. I'm tired but I am too absorbed in this experience. I spent most of the train ride writing in my journal and staring out the window at the beautiful countryside.

When we weren't in dark tunnels, this was a majority of the view

We have arrived in Paris *I look sleep deprived but I am elated*

We arrived in Gare du Nord which leaves me in amazement of how pretty these European train stations are

Liv was very happy when our taxi driver offered her a sweet in French, she even remembered to say Merci

Home Sweet Apartment

I rented this apartment because of the location, the modern design and this awesome swing for Liv *she approves*

Authentic French tolix barstools *drool*

The upstairs loft is so cozy and comfy!

We immediately fell asleep. I woke up and spent an hour trying to get connected to the wi-fi but no luck. I felt myself getting frustrated so I woke Antz and Liv up and we headed to the market to pick up some groceries for our first dinner in the apartment. I am so happy with our neighborhood! We have a Monoprix across the road and pretty much everything we will need during our stay is within five minutes walking distance. I still need to find a flower shop and a good bread shop *pâtisserie*

Of course Liv's first friend would be a French bulldog!

I had no clue of what most of this stuff was. Everything seems to have chocolate on it and they didn't have any milk.

I will never complain again about my grocery store's lack of produce

We had a choice of apples, pears, more apples, nectarines and green apples *we bought nectarines and apples*

I'm pretty sure this is the stuff Aimee wants me to bring her home *don't worry I'll get her some that's legal from the farmers market*

I actually spoke French and paid for my groceries in euros with no problem. Look at me, I'm Parisian!!

From my understanding, Monoprix is the Parisian version of Target, so it's my new fave!

Something smelled really good, so we popped into this boucherie *meat shop* and ended up buying a whole cooked rotisserie chicken. It felt too daunting to cook an entire meal on our first night in Paris. These guys were totally laughing at my French.