Paris, France

 After driving through the Provence and Loire Valley regions of France, Chris and I spent the last day of our trip in Paris.  My friend, Sadia, studied in Paris last summer and recommended we stay on the north side of the city in the 'artistic' neighborhood of Canal Saint Martin in the 10th arrondisemsent.
We stayed at an AWESOME hotel, Le Citizen Hotel.  Upon arrival, each guest is given an Ipad to take to your room.  The hotel will text you to confirm restaurant reservations, when your cab arrives, etc.  The hotel was not only clean and in a prime location, it got cool points too!
We did a whirl wind tour of the city, taking time to walk along the Seine and see sights like the Tour Eiffel and Notre Dame.
During a quick rain shower, we ducked into a cafe and had some wine and a cheese tray.  :)

That night we dined at Hotel Du Nord which was a fantastic restaurant, two doors down from our hotel.  Sadia had given us the recommendation and the hotel told us it was 'the place to be seen'.  We got 8pm reservations and had a fantastic meal there.  The vibe was very artistic and the food was top notch.  What a great way to end such an awesome trip.
(and I couldn't resist doing a quick headstand in front of the tower)

Cannes, France

The most surprising thing about Cannes is that we could not find a place to see a movie while we were there.  Huh...go figure.
We arrived, quickly changed into bathing suits, and walked 2 blocks to the beach.  We lounged around, read books, and waded into the Mediterranean sea.  The people watching in the French Riviera is fascinating; so many cultures in one place!  The weather was gorgeous and we had one of the best meals of the trip at a place called L'Affable.  There was a window into the kitchen where you could watch the chefs, in their tall white hats, preparing the food.  Chris had the lamb and he said it was delicious.  I had an asparagus salad, sliced 'beef with herbs' (which is really steak), and an orange crepe for dessert.  Holy cow that was a good meal.
Here's a picture of me doing Bakasana on a pier in Cannes, France

Lake Como, Italy

After a long drive through the Alps, where I suffered quite the bout of motion sickness, we arrived at Lake Como, which I believe is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen (it ties with Santorini, Greece).  I totally understand why George Clooney lives here for half a year.  It's tucked away and very private.  The people are friendly, the views are incredible, and of course the food is fantastic.  We had dinner at a small pizzeria where we ate such treats as: marinated olives, bruschetta, proscuitto pizza, and a lemon almond tart for dessert.  Holy cow, I was in heaven.  And what made it even better was that surrounding the restaurant were tons of tomato and basil plants so when a summer shower hit while we dined on the back patio, the rain water hitting the plants make them release their perfume into the air.  It was so fragrant it felt like I was swimming in tomatoes and basil!
Lake Como - we will for sure be back to visit you again.
(Attached is a quick snapshot of our breakfast, on a patio overlooking the lake.  Coffee, juice, croissants with Nutella, yogurt, meat and cheese.)

Switzerland

We arrived safely back home from our travels abroad.  Three countries in one week is the exact definition of a whirlwind vacation but we really enjoyed ourselves.  I just love Europe and I look forward to living there someday.  (I'm hoping, at some point in my life, Chris and I can rent a villa or apartment in England or Italy for a few months.  I think it would be a cool experience and I'm sure we'll find some way to make it happen.)
The first stop on the trip was Switzerland where we walked the town Zurich looking for a cup of coffee (Zurich is a ghost town on a Sunday morning).  Finally we found a place that was open; enjoyed a cappuccino, and then hit the road to Lucerne.  There we dined on the local meal of cheese fondue.  The cheese didn't taste that awesome to me, but I enjoyed the experience none the less.  And after lunch we walked up to the Lion of Lucerne, which is a large carving out of the side of a cliff.  It was beautiful and a great way to start off the trip.