Paris!

On Valentine's Day, Carey surprised me by telling me she'd planned a trip to Paris for my 30th birthday....but we would be leaving that night! She'd packed my bag, and we left for the airport straight from work. I couldn't believe how well Carey was able to surprise me with this -- and it caused quite a commotion at the office!

We barely made it out on time with bad weather all along the East Coast, but once we got there, we had three and a half great days in France.
It was the first time either one of us had been there, and I had a chance to use my French that I'd studied for so long (it came back very quickly).

A lot of things seemed to surprise us: The people were nice, the prices weren't awful, and the weather in February was very mild (40s to high 50s -- that's balmy by Alaskan standards!). We got to do a lot in just 3 1/2 days, and if you want to see a photo-log of our trip, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/conor.sullivan/Paris and select the slideshow.

And of course I have to mention the food. We definitely enjoyed some fine dining and great wine, but Carey and I seemed to favor the crepes you can get on the street (Nutella with Grand Marinier was a favorite) and the Belgian beer. For breakfast, we're still missing the pain chocolate and a chocolate chaud or a cafe creme. It sounds like it wouldn't be good for you, but I'm sure it's really healthy because everyone there is so skinny.

What a surprise, and what a great way to spend my 30th. We've only been back a couple of weeks, and we already are thinking about when we'll go again. Who wants to come with?