Introducing... THE MAASAI MARA

This was one of the AMAZING parts of the trip, and trust me there are more to come. I have never been anywhere so fascinating before in my life! Nature at it's purest state of being... INCREDIBLE!

After the quick flight, just about an hour, from Nairobi to the Mara the very first thing we saw was...The Maasai Giraffe!




From the "airport" (ok it was more like a dirt runway in the middle of nowhere) we loaded into our Safari Vehicles and headed to camp. This was the crucial point of the entire trip... because whomever you choose to be in your car with you was with you during the entire duration of the safari. If you choose poorly you most likely wouldn't have had nearly as much fun as we did in our vehicle! Because, in our humble opinion, we had THE BEST CAR EVER!!!!



There is Penny, a dear and close family friend who has known Jared since he was a baby. Then our 2 newest members to join the "family" Patrik and Eric. Once we met there was NO hope for the two of them... they just fit into our little group and since they live here in LA they naturally became a part of the bigger group.

The first INCREDIBLE memory I have was of a mama cheeta and her 2 baby cubs. She was just doing her motherly duties when we came along...I'll let the pictures tell the story.











That is the mama cheeta with her kill and her 2 little ones hanging out under the vehicle for shade!

We're Off... to AFRICA

The ONLY way to travel... Business Class! It made the 11 hour flight bearable! Thank heaven's for American Express and their Miles Program!

FREE TICKET!!!

Our Last Night in Paris

A great shot by Jared



We had a truly Parisian moment when we stopped at a small cafe and ordered crepes and hot chocolate with whip cream! TO DIE FOR!!!

It's good to be King!

Our last day in Paris we took the 40 minute ride on the Metro to Versailles... The largest palace in Europe. And it was HUGE! We both were simply awe struck by the size of this palace (and we only got to see the main rooms). As we walked through the palace Jared and I kept saying it would be great to be King and Queen and to have a home like Versailles... I soon started refering to Jared as "my lord" he really got a kick out of that!





This is us checking out the ceiling... Everything in each room is so ornately designed. If it wasn't the richly painted ceilings, then it was the walls covered in either marble, wood paneling, or fabric. I could have studied the design and architecture of the building FOREVER... in fact I would have been more than delighted to move in!



This is entering the Hall of Mirrors. A room that is an example of perfect symmetry... my favorite! It is a LONG room over 200 ft. Along one wall are windows overlooking the gardens, on the opposite wall are mirrors - each one lined up PERFECTLY with the window. What a grand room. I imagined wonderful Balls with dancing and entertaining for all the men and women of the court!



This room was Marie Antoinettes... BEAUTIFUL and Ornate to say the least. My favorite is the "fence" in front of the bed. That is what divided the room into "her" personal space with only a handful of servants able to enter and the public space. It is a little hard to see but there is a doorway to the left of the bed it is the secret door that she escaped through when the mob came to take her away to behead her. Also, this was the room the Queen delivered all the Kings children... with an audience watching. How else would they know that the child was surely the Kings?



This is a study on the main floor of Versailles. Do you see the two people together in the mirror... that is Jared and I! Plus check out the size of the globe... it was a gift.



Because it wasn't cold enough... Jared and I decided to walk through the gardens to the 2 other homes of King Louis XV... Petit Trianon and the Grand Trianon... What a walk. And although everything was hibernating for the winter we were able to see the symmetry and order of the gardens. Can you imagine how these gardens look in the spring! I can't wait to return.



Saying good-bye to Versailles.

Professional...

So most of our photos are of me... can you imagine that? Well this is why:





Mr. Professional and His Professional Camera!

Doesn't Jared take some great pictures... and he looks good doing it too!

Ha Ha!! He IS going to KILL me!

Our First FULL day in Paris

Ok so it actually wasn't a "full" day because we slept in until 2:00 pm - Thank you jetlag! But once we realized our HUGE mistake we got dressed and hit the streets before the sun set.

First we headed up to the Sacre-Coeur in the Montmartre area of paris.



This is one incredible Church... This was our FAVORITE place in Paris. Inside the building is a beautiful huge mosaic of Christ... on the ceiling! I can't imagine the amount of work and craftsmanship that went into that... and they did it all by candle light! AMAZING!

The BEST part of touring the church happened to us by mistake. I really wanted to check out the Crypt Vaults but they were closed. However, right before the doors that led into the Crypt was a ticket machine... So, Jared and I purchased our tickets (thinking we were going to open the doors into the Crypt) and it ended up being a ticket to a secret side opening.

So we inserted our ticket and went through the opening, just to find ourselves climbing a small, narrow circular staircase. Up, Up, Up and Up we went... until we finally came to a door that opened onto the roof! We followed the roof walkway and came to some more stairs... with lead up to the Ovoid Dome... the 2nd highest point in Paris (next to the Eiffel Tower). We felt like we were on top of the city, and because it was day we were able to see the expanse of the city... here are some great photos:







By the time we finished at the Sacre-Coeur we were super hungry so we went looking for some crepes. We found ourselves in a little square where artists had gathered to paint. Granted it was FREEZING cold and there weren't to many artists out, but we got the idea of what the area would be like during a nice warm summer afternoon.



We both really want to return to this area and "hang out" with all the locals.

By the time we ate "lunch" it was dark... so we boarded the Metro and headed to Notre Dame. When we got to Notre Dame there was a service going on. It was really interesting walking into the front doors of the church and hearing the priest giving a surmon. Although he was speaking French the way his voice echoed through the church was astonishing. I got the chills when I thought about how much history happened in this one building!



On the walk from Notre Dame to the Louvre (where we wanted to eat dinner at Cafe Marley, which overlooks the glass pyramide) we got lost. We are still baffled to this day at how you can lose the Louvre. I guess maybe because I convinced Jared that I KNEW RIGHT WHERE I WAS GOING so he just let me lead the way... He doesn't know why he keeps falling prey to my directions... I always get us lost!!! But at least we have a great time doing it. And where else would you rather be lost? I for sure am OK being lost in Paris!

Once we figured out how to get back to the Louvre I happened across these:



Rent a Bike!!!! How much fun would that have been!?!?!?!

We knew we were close to the Louvre when we found the Head / Hand statue:





Yes that is Jared picking its nose! Ya gotta keep it clean somehow!

Here we go to PARIS... stop #1

We began our journey in Paris. After the LONG flight from LAX (just over 10 hours) and the hassel of getting to the hotel, because who packs light when they are traveling for 3 weeks. We set out on foot to explore Paris. Our Hotel was near the Louvre so we were pretty centrally located, although I think that you can get anywhere in Paris either by foot or by the Metro. What a great city!

Jared and I fell in love instantly with Paris. The architecture, the atmosphere and the vibe of the city resonated through our freezing bodies. Paris in winter... what a time to visit.



Our first site was the Eiffel Tower... of course! You can't go to Paris and simply not go to the Eiffel Tower first! By the time we arrived at the Tower it was dark, so when we got to the top we were able to see the city lights. What a view! The most exciting moment at the Tower was when it started blinking like a thousand little Christmas lights were strung throughout the steel. What a beautiful site!



This is a picture of me on top of the Eiffel Tower... in the background you can see the Arc de Triomphe.

Here we go...

Hi all you suspicious readers! Here we are... joining the "bloggers". The main reason we have decided to start this blog is because we wanted to share our AMAZING experience in Africa with all our friends and family. So as the days get back to normal (i.e. Jet Lag leaves our systems) we will be updating numerous photos and stories about our 3 weeks abroad!

Stay Tuned...