Happy Friday!

Are you guys doing anything good this weekend? A. came to my place today craving peanut butter cookies so we ran out for supplies to bake some. We used this recipe, but added a few tweaks including some mentioned in the recipe's comments like more flour, chocolate, and vanilla extract. But holy jeebus, instead of 24 cookies we ended up with 64! Thank goodness they turned out yummy.

I also have a little belated goody for you all. We finally made our Europe photos public! ('Bout damn time, huh?) So click on to see all that we saw and loved in Berlin, Prague, Munich, Paris, Barcelona, Cannes, Florence, and Rome! And I hope you all have a wonderfully sweet weekend, my little monkeybutts.

Where We Stayed During our European Travels

It's long overdue, but A. has written this round-up of all the places we slept in during our backpacking trip through Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Spain, and Italy. Some were wonderful splurges and others were cheap as hell, but they all gave us some interesting stories to tell. I was just excited to check out different hotels, get over my fear of staying in a stranger's home, and see what it'd be like to sleep during an overnight train ride into Paris. I'll chime in with some thoughts and answer any questions in the comments section.

In order to keep the trip costs down during our 23-day European vacation, we tried a variety of different lodgings. We tested out a couple Airbnb offerings, stayed in some cheap hotels, went totally budget with shared rooms in hostels and treated ourselves to a couple nice stays along the way. Here is a brief rundown of everywhere we stayed:

Hüttenpalast Hotel, Berlin, Germany

I wasn’t sure how to explain what this hotel was. On my Facebook status, I described it as treehouse + trailer park + warehouse + tea party. While this hotel had regular rooms, Dorkys wanted to try their more exotic offerings. The experience was a lot like indoor camping; a very large eccentrically decorated room contained a variety of vintage trailers and wooden cabins. We slept in one of the cabins that was just large enough to fit a double bed. The bathroom was shared.

Pros: Clean, quirky, friendly, the bar a couple doors down was a cool locals joint
Cons: Everyone can hear the noise you make, no airflow, it was slightly removed from the tourist part of town (this would be a pro if I were on this trip by myself)
Cost: $75 per night

Hobrechtstrasse 66; 49-030/3730-5806; huettenpalast.de

Michelberger Hotel, Berlin, Germany

We stayed in a room that wasn’t much larger than the one we had at Hüttenpalast, but at least this one had a shower, toilet, and sink mashed in there. The shower had a window so that anyone chilling on the double bed would have a nice show. Good way to force the issue with an unsuspecting travel partner. The vibe at the hotel was very social, with the charming common areas providing great places to meet other guests. There were several clubs, attractions, and restaurants within walking distance.

Pros: Clean, cool, social, close to the action.
Cons: The pillows felt like they were only filled by three cotton balls.
Cost: $83 per night

Warschauer Strasse 39/40; 49-30/2977-8590; michelbergerhotel.com

Jaeger's Hostel, Munich, Germany

After stepping into this hostel, I immediately felt very old. Music was playing and the bar stools were full. Our room had two bunk beds in it. We took one while a young backpacking couple from South Africa took the other. It wasn’t such a bad stay until our roommates were replaced by two South Korean boys who decided to wash their clothes in the sink, leaving the floor of the bathroom covered in water that smelled like industrial bleach. When we tried to clean our clothes the civilized way, the hostel’s dryer simply refused to do its job and they didn’t offer us a refund. We had to finish the job at a laundromat a few blocks away. Apparently doing laundry in Europe is expensive. One euro for 10 minutes of drying? Yeow!

Pros: Close to the train station, one free shot per person upon check-in.
Cons: It’s a hostel, the wifi didn’t penetrate into the rooms.
Cost: $28 per night per person

Senefelderstrasse 3; 49-089/555-281; jaegershotel.de

Train sleeper car, Munich, Germany to Paris, France

We justified this experience as just that, an experience, but we were actually just forced into sleeping on the train because the route we originally wanted was sold out. We slept in a compartment with six bunks, three on each side, and we took the top two. I was originally looking forward to the rocking motion of the train putting me to sleep, but by about the third hour of tossing, I was over it. It was hot and uncomfortable, and the train had a few stops along the way that interrupted what little sleep was possible. Realizing that you’re inadvertently leaning against a very removable railing that is barely preventing you from falling seven feet to the floor is also poor for sleep.

Pros: It's a story I get to tell in which I came close to death, but survived.
Cons: Did you not read?

Airbnb: Yassir H., Paris, France

Our first Airbnb experience was a good one; we stayed in a lovely one-bedroom apartment in Montmartre owned by a student. He gave us the bedroom and took the couch in the living room for himself. As luck would have it, he had to leave town for a few days while we were there, so we ended up with the whole place to ourselves. This proved to be convenient when I suddenly got sick and had to stay in bed an entire day.

Pros: Cheap, toned our calves and asses with the 7-floor walk-up.
Cons: Had to share the place with the owner for a couple nights, brand new towels left red lint all over privates.
Cost: $74 per night

Rue Damrémont; airbnb.com

Silken Diagonal Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

We decided to treat ourselves halfway through the trip, so we splurged on this snazzy hotel. The room was large, with a glass bathroom. As a cool perk, the hotel is situated right next door to one of Barcelona’s modern landmarks, the Torre Agbar, which we quickly took to calling “the dildo.” Though, to be honest, it looks more like a vibrator. Even more useful was the hotel’s proximity to Barcelona’s nude beach, Mar Bella, which in contrast to common nude beach reputation actually has a fair amount of attractive young people.

Pros: Very stylish.
Cons: Have to travel a bit to get to the touristy stuff.
Cost: About $165 per night.

Avenida Diagonal, 205; 34-934/895-300; hoteles-silken.com

Hostal Residencia Australia, Barcelona, Spain

This was a tiny 4-room hotel with a shared bathroom. In my defense, this was a last-minute booking. The proprietor, a native of Australia and Spanish guitar enthusiast, was fucking weird. He referred to the stuffed animal on the front desk as “Mr. Wombat” and, in the span of a few minutes, managed to refer to it several times as if it had its own personality and could actually tell me things if I directed my questions to it. Luckily, we only spent one night there before skipping town.

Pros: Really close to La Rambla and the Gothic quarter.
Cons: Mr. Wombat
Cost: $82 per night

Ronda de la Universitat 11; 34/933-174177; residenciaaustralia.com

Hotel Chanteclair, Cannes, France

The proprietor of this hotel is Danish and he decided to try something new, so he bought a shitty hotel in Cannes. To his credit, it looks like he’s been working at slowly improving it. Situated equidistant between the two notable beaches in this overpriced hive of rich people, it was a decent place to stay when you know that you’re paying a tiny fraction of what everyone else is to “enjoy” this culturally washed-out famous-because-it’s-famous former fishing village. The room was old and basic, with a shower stall and a sink, but a shared bathroom. Unfortunately, we were eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Pros: Steps from an open-air market, the stares from the rich people as they wonder how the hell you got there.
Cons: Mosquitoes! Arrrghhh!
Cost: $80 per night

12 rue Forville; 04-93/39-68-88

Hostel Archi Rossi, Florence, Italy

We expected a slightly better experience than Jaeger’s and we were right. The vibe of this place was much more sedated, despite having every inch of their corridor walls covered in writing from previous guests. If you have a thing for Korean women, stay here. While we shared our room with four others, everyone was quiet and respectful. The single best thing about this hostel was the free breakfast. I can’t tell you how much hassle it circumvents during budget travel to have your breakfast just handed to you. It just starts the day off right.

Pros: Free breakfast!
Cons: It’s still a hostel.
Cost: $35 per night per person

Via Faenza, 94r; 055/290-804; hostelarchirossi.com

Airbnb: Giuseppe A., Rome, Italy

We ran into our first trouble with Airbnb when we tried to check into the apartment and our host was nowhere to be found, nor did he pick up his phone. Standing out in the sweltering heat as we waited for him to show up was unpleasant, but once we got inside, it was a nice experience. My best analysis of the situation was that the host had recently moved to a new apartment and had kept his old one to rent out and make a few extra bucks. We ended up sharing the large apartment with a shy older couple from Norway.

Pros: At least checkout was easy.
Cons: No wifi, Rome sucks.
Cost: $81 per night

Via Giovanni Giolitti; airbnb.com

UPDATE: I've added my thoughts on each lodging in the comments below so be sure to check them out!

Travel Is About How You See the World

If you find yourself on foreign soil and want to read about local perspectives or just need to feed your wanderlust, graphic designer Anne Ditmeyer's Prêt à Voyager is the site to visit. She regularly features interviews with characters from around the world and "the creative ways people travel" in her Boarding Pass series. As a Paris resident (who hails from the United States), she also shares her own wealth of tips and info about visiting the city. But Paris is not her whole world as she's been seriously hit with the travel bug herself - Anne has currently visited 29 countries along with 47 of the U.S.' 50 states! Check out her slide show about the things she's learned from her travels and read on for her thoughts on roaming the world and discovering that there's a story to tell no matter where you are.

The tagline of my blog is "travel is not about where you go, but how you see the world." That pretty much sums up my approach. Often times I'll email interesting people, who will respond, "but I don't go anywhere exotic and I'm not a mega traveler." Good, that's not what I'm interested in anyway. Travel can happen where you live. Having lived in Paris two years now (three if you count my two prior stays) I'm on a mission to constantly discover new things in the city. I'm not necessarily looking for the "next big thing," but rather something that is new to me. This summer I ran my "Tour de France" series looking at the 20 arrondissements of Paris through the eyes of various local bloggers. It was highly inspiring for me to see my city through different eyes, and I learned about so many wonderful places I would never have know about otherwise.

As for exploring the rest of Europe, as far as I'm concerned you can't go wrong anywhere you go. In addition, a stellar network of trains and public transportation makes it easy. I remember going to Geneva years ago. A friend and I went for a weekend, and typical of most of Europe almost everything was closed on Sunday. However, by chance there happened to be a fantastic chocolate festival happening in the streets of the city – it made everything better. Last summer I went to Amsterdam for an Urban Arts Festival where I realized I could not only go to a city I loved, but two lovely designers who I had been in contact over the years would be there and I was excited to finally meet them. In fact, more often than not where I travel is dictated by who I know there rather than anything else – it makes for a fun, local twist for wherever I'm going.

Next up? Still to be determined, but I'd really love to take advantage of zepass.com or trocdestrains.com and buy a cheap last minute ticket to somewhere I've never been...

Image: courtesy of Anne Ditmeyer

Smitten with Paris

This is essentially a love letter to Paris.

For the last two years, I've been wondering where a native New Yorker could possibly move to after growing up in a city as diverse, full of culture and a never-ending source of inspiration and stimulation. What place could possibly compare and hold my heart and attention for as long as my city has? For as much frustration and stress as it gives me, I also recognize that I'll be hard-pressed to find another city that could hold a candle to the Empire State.

And then I returned to the City of Light.

Somewhere along the line I had concluded that if I were to move (and I so want to experience life outside of NYC), it'd have to be to San Francisco or Barcelona. Mind you I'd never even been to either place (until now for the latter), but based on others' recounts of their times in both cities, I'd deemed them as great places with a young and fun vibe as well as a hub of creative culture - exactly where I want to be.

How could nine years have erased so much of what France meant to me on my first visit? On this trip I wanted to get to know the city I only experienced on a whirlwind weekend tour. I was able to live la vie Parisienne if only for four days in an apartment for our own. We strolled the winding streets of Montmarte and caught my breathe when the Eiffel Tower suddenly appeared around the corner of the museums on Torcadéro. And those were just the touristic highlights.

There were so many moments spent admiring the details of the buildings around us, the attention in the balconies' ironwork, the grey-slated roofs, how everyone lines their windows with flowers. If there was an inviting patch of grass, we sat on it: on the hill leading up to Sacre Coeur, in the Jardin des Tuileries, a make-shift picnic in front of the Louvre. Our café chats quickly turned into discussions about the "what ifs" and "hows" surrounding my sudden wish to move to Paris as well as the exciting new projects I'll be tackling once I returned home. Then we'd sit back and watch the city go about its routines around us.

The city takes such a hold of you it's hard not fall in love with her. I could get lost in there for months, relishing the lifestyle, the language, its history and return home at the end of each day excited to set out again the next morning. On our last night, A. and I spontaneously decided to defy a passing thundershower to finally make our way up the tower and see the city lit up from above. Once there, I leaned into the railing with A.'s arms around me and decided that Paris, you would make a splendid follow-up to life in New York.

The Paris Color Project

Have you ever walked down a street only to have your eye unexpectedly caught by a bright blue car parked by the sidewalk? Or smiled at the colorful shutters of an old apartment building? Nichole Robertson has been beautifully documenting these bursts colors and details of Paris for the last two and a half years and it's become such a pretty collection. Ordinary objects - chairs, street lamps, signs - get their shining moment in the Paris Color Project and it's been a treat to look through her project's archives and then happen upon a few of those scenes during my walks around the city.

Her book, "Paris in Color," will be a collection of her photos set to be published by Chronicle Books in Spring 2012, but if you can't wait until then, she also sells prints through her Etsy shop Little Brown Pen. Below, she explains the inspiration behind the project and the story she hopes to share through her Paris photos. But before she takes over, I have to share a line from the post where she shares the exciting news of her book deal: "As a small-town girl from Pennsylvania who moved to New York to pursue a writing career, and moved to Paris to pursue happiness, the one thing I've learned is that going for broke (and occasionally going broke) is worth it." Absolutely!

In January 2009, my husband, two sons and I moved to Paris. When we arrived, it was the dead of winter, but despite that, we did nothing but walk around. I had traveled to Paris many times before and I was not interested in monuments or tourist spots, so we just wandered around to get to know our new neighborhood.

As we walked, I noticed the way certain colors popped against the muted grays and whites of the buildings, and started to photograph them and post them to the blog. And that's how the color project was born. My readers asked for more, and I was happy to oblige so I kept posting.

The Paris Color Collections celebrate the city’s intimate details, often overshadowed by iconic landmarks. The photographs offer candid glimpses of the thoughtful craftsmanship, pedestrian pleasures and gracefully worn textures that cumulatively capture the unmistakable charm of Paris.

Images: courtesy of Nichole Robertson

New York to Paris, With Love

What happens when a girl meets her Mr. Perfect on Prince Street in New York City and then runs off to live with him in Paris? You ask her to write about it. Because I might love my L.A. boy, but I simply cannot be held accountable for what may happen if I encounter a sexy accent with a seductive smile in the coming days. Kasia Dietz writes about her musings in Love in the City of Lights and also designs these bold, reversible handbags including styles inspired by her adopted home.

Having lived in NYC for almost 12 years, excluding the one in which I left to travel the world, I often wondered if it was possible to find love in this city of over 8 million. (A fleeting romance certainly, but true love?) I was beginning not to think so. Until one unassuming day in March, on my way to yoga, I met with a pair of smiling eyes on Prince Street. And that is where the story begins. We took our time to fall in love. Six weeks to be exact. Five months later to the day, I moved to Paris, to live my love story. A city in which I had always dreamed to live. Little did I know.

It is now just over two years and life has proven even more a fairytale than my romantic mind could have imagined. In June we were married on the sea in Monterosso, Italy, home to my Italian. And now home to me. A place I first discovered and became enamored with during my travels. (Foreshadowing?) We are both traveling souls and have adopted Corsica as our island, exhibiting a mix of Italian and French culture. The Greek Islands have also become part of our love story, the setting of our engagement and honeymoon. France too we often explore. From the charms of Honfleur to the gardens of Giverny to the regal Loire Valley. Much more remains to be discovered in the years ahead, in Paris, in France, in ourselves and in the world.

As for life in Paris, it is not a city easy to conquer, even for a New York girl. Each day holds in it a challenge and more often than not, a reward. Life has certainly proven a unique and beautiful journey, and for this I am grateful.

My advice to those in search of love and adventure, don't be afraid to follow your own path and always smile at handsome strangers!

Images: courtesy of Kasia Dietz

Parisian Date Ideas

Lindsey Tramuta is a Philadelphia native who fell in love with a Frenchman and then moved to Paris. "Cliché, right?" she quips. Perhaps, but romantic nonetheless. Her blog Lost in Cheeseland chronicles her adventures in her new home and is a wonderful source for reviews, things to do, where to go and even how to fit in with the locals when you're the tourist. She was so sweet when I tweeted that I needed some date ideas for my time in Paris that I asked if she'd like to share a few more for day and night time rendezvous. (And P.S. she's written for Travel + Leisure, too!)

Something happens to people when they come to Paris. Expectations soar, hearts flutter wildly and vocabularies dwindle to two simple yet powerful words – love and food. When you visit the city of love and light with a loved one, or someone you are fervently trying to make your loved one, these feelings are understandable. At every turn there is beauty, magic and the sweet aroma of fresh pastries and chocolate – if you don’t fall in love with a human during your time in Paris you’ll certainly become an erudite hedonist in no time.

To fully take advantage of the landscape during your romantic excursion, here are a few ideas for daytime and nighttime outings à deux (think simple!):

Stroll aimlessly.

There are few American cities where you can honestly say it is safe to stroll without at least a rough idea of a destination point – one block can make all the difference. In Paris, the streets are yours to roam. In fact, my first date with my husband consisted of eight hours of on and off strolling that began at Odéon, took us through Luxembourg Gardens, wound us around Saint-Germain, led us to rue Montorgueil for a cheese plate and rounded out in the Oberkampf neighborhood of the 11th arrondissement for an evening drink. With countless cafés and restaurants along the way, you will have ample choice when you’re ready to rest your feet.

Suggested starting points: Metro exits Abbesses or Lamarck Caulaincourt for a tour of Montmartre. There are enough hidden passageways, charming boutiques and hills to climb for one date!

Head to the water for a Seine-side picnic.

What’s cheap, relaxing and offers one of the best views in the city? A picnic right along the Seine in the Square du Vert Galant, the island underneath the Pont Neuf. Grab a blanket, some sandwiches and sweets from any of the million bakeries the city has to offer, some wine and lounge to the sound of the water. Go for a midday food break or make it an intimate tête à tête at dusk with a bottle of champagne.

Suggested picnic spots: Parc Monceau, Place des Vosges, Jardin du Luxembourg, Jardin du Louvre

Get close in the kitchen.

The mecca of sweet and savory is the best place to learn how to make macarons like Ladurée (minus the factory), croissants like the corner bakery or a traditional French meal in a few hours time. Paris boasts a guidebook’s worth of cooking schools that offer classes to satisfy all tastes in both English and French. My husband and I took a macaron class over Valentine’s Day weekend at La Cuisine Paris and had a ball together - a sure fire way to get close.

Suggested schools: La Cuisine Paris, Cook’n with Class, Lenôtre, Le Cordon Bleu

Be charmed over breakfast.

One of my favorite spots for breakfast in Paris is a charming salon de thé in the 7th called Pain et Chocolat. Run by a sweet, older couple, the restaurant offers a complete breakfast, à la carte options and an ambiance that is quintessentially Paris-perfect. The street is calm, the welcome is warm and the food is delightful. Go first thing in the morning and then walk up Avenue La Motte Picquet toward the Eiffel Tower to beat the crowds.

16 avenue la motte picquet, 75007 (Métro: Ecole Militaire)

Whatever you do together in Paris, there is no need for frills or elaborate plans. Just enjoy each other and let the city do the work.

Image: courtesy of Lindsey Tramuta

Tourist Tips for la Belle France

Milla Msa is a London girl who, after living in New York City and Tokyo, decided to settle down in Paris. Her blog, Not Just Another Milla, details her obsessions over fashion, pastries and luxury travel while her tweets are full of great finds and news around the city. Since I've written about tourist do's and don'ts for New York City, I thought it'd be fun to know what to expect during my tourist experience in Paris.

Traveling to France is such a wonderful opportunity and despite the ups and downs, I'm still here. I want to share my tips on how to best enjoy your time but you know, each person has a different experience. Know yourself and most importantly, know what you want to get out of your trip.

1. Don't get frustrated or angry when people do not understand you. I know it's hard but the reality is that you're in France and the official language isn't English. You don't have to enroll in Alliance Francaise to enjoy your visit here but learn the basics. Coming from London, the idea of saying “good morning” to the bus driver is a foreign concept to me. I'm not sure we even make eye contact back home! As I prepare to visit another country, the first thing I do is learn how to say basics such as hello (bonjour), goodbye (au revoir), please (s'il vous plaît) and thank you (merci). In a country where you always say hello upon entering a shop, before ordering or inquiring, when entering a taxi or boarding a bus, your study time will not be wasted and once you get over the initial insecurity of your accent, you'll be fine. Go on, give it a go!

2. In France, people dress well and the only casual style you're going to see is smart-casual. That doesn't mean you have to run off to Céline and stock up on things you may not be able to afford or really like. It simply means tuck in your shirt, don't wear sports clothes unless you're working out and understand that flashy translates to tacky.

3. Paris is a city of unequivocal beauty and my favorite way of getting around, even after almost two years here, is walking. Of course the metro is highly convenient (though very dirty) and the buses run on time, but walking gives you a chance to discover little secret gardens, patisseries with displays to make you wish you all your clothes had an elasticated waist and a real opportunity to see la vie Parisienne.

Bon voyage!

Image: courtesy of Milla Msa