What a beautiful day to be back in Paris! The sun came out to warm our souls.

Marianne and I love starting our day with a delicious croissant. It is difficult to consume a croissant, without feeling like you are perhaps consuming the very idea of Paris.

It was time to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine and walk the streets of Paris. We took the train to explore Paris’ Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter’s home to the Sorbonne University and student filled cafes.

SORBONNE UNIVERSITY

THE LUXEMBOURG GARDENS

I just loved the Luxembourg Garden. The garden is 60 acres with ample green space for sunbathing , people-watching and just relaxing. Plenty of seats for people just to sit and enjoy.

I truly believe the Luxembourg is the place where Parisians do what the French do best – relax and enjoy the good life.

Cheer’s to Paris for reminding us to take the time to smell the roses!

Breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower from our train ride back to our hotel. It will always be a symbol of the city we love.

LOTS OF LAUGHS IN MADRID

Marianne and I came back from Paris and spent the night in New York at our Landing Pad (former named the Crash Pad). We would be working the next day to Madrid. We knew it was going to be a fun trip because we were going to be flying with Karmen, a dear friend and SFO family member.

It was suppose to rain in Madrid all day, fortunately the rain held out. We got to enjoy walking the streets in the heart of Madrid. Exploring new places is always sweeter with your favorite people.

Our first stop was to the Mercado De San Miguel. The Mercado de San Miguel is one of Madrid’s oldest and most beautiful markets. It’s a must visit for any food lover which is located in the heart of Madrid’s old quarter. It’s a great place to grab a bite to eat with a drink.

Mercado do San Miguel being so popular was too busy for us to enjoy a bite to eat. We had to move on. By recommendation from another flight attendant, we had a new destination in mind. Getting there was another story. Same destination, but comically Marianne and I got totally different directions on our phones. Karmen was amused watching us. Thank goodness for Google maps.

Off we went to find Meson del Champinon.

MESON DEL CHAMPINON

We found it! Meson del Champinon. “El Mesón del Champiñón” was opened in 1964 with the illusion of making people spend a great time, eating well. It is a magical place to eat the best and most delicious mushroom in the world! .

We walked in to see the chef making hundreds of mushrooms in the bar area. The restaurant had a unique cave bar atmosphere. To eat the mushrooms properly , we watched a short video at the table. It was a fun experience even though, I don’t eat mushrooms.

After having so many laughs enjoying the mushrooms and small tapas plates, we were ready to keep exploring. Our next destination was to find a leather shop that had a spectacular rooftop terrace. The flight attendant that had recommended this place to us did not remember the name of the store. Not knowing the name of the shop, made us more determined to find it. We wandered the streets with no luck. We asked a police officer who didn’t know what we were talking about. However, he pointed us in the direction of the tourist bureau. We described the place that we wanted to go to and she thought she knew of the place. We were not too far from it. We would have walked right by this shop with out knowing how awesome a place it was.

The store itself was amazing, so many beautiful things to look at on the first 2 floors. Then we found the stairs to the rooftop bar. We were surprised and delighted to see how special this place was. It had a lovely ambience, so exotic and beautiful with flowers and plants. The cocktails served were so pretty and delicious.

So much fun having a layover with Karmen and exploring new places in Madrid.

Good friends are a connection to life – a tie to the past on a road to the future. Embarking on new adventures is a million times better with good friends.