European Tour 2013!

We've been traveling!
London~Amsterdam~Germany~Switzerland and lastly..my dream city..Paris!

Arriving in London, we hit the ground running. I loved every bit of it. From the London Eye, to taking the traditional afternoon tea to walking our legs off through the city! But, one of my favorite memories of London would have to be watching the "Trooping the Colour" ceremony rehearsal. The Queen's birthday is officially celebrated by the ceremony on a Saturday in June. I just love pomp and circumstance.
 St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey were just beautiful.
 This is a city to which I would love to make a return visit some day.
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This amazing dessert followed an equally amazing dinner. They brought us homemade bread served with three different butters. The Chicken Butter was the standout. I wish we could have brought some home! You would think after salad, steak, potatoes & carrots, we wouldn't have room for another bite! Okay, moving on. Every bite of this dessert was wonderful, the Burnt Orange ice cream was particularly good. 
By the way, this meal was followed by a long walk!

Buckingham Palace..I could hardly believe we were standing right in front of the beautiful  royal home. A little bummed they won't open for public tours until July.   

This gorgeous cake can be had for the low starting price of 900 pounds. As of today, that would be $1,373.00 in the United States. Fortnum & Mason (founded in 1707) is a "must visit. With a beautiful grocery store, candy shop, tea room etc., it is a feast for the eyes. The Queen herself actually visited the store last year!

Ah..the picturesque city of Heidelberg. This view is from the patio balcony of Heidelberg Castle in Germany. Walking through the quaint Old town below made for a memorable evening. We stopped off at one of the little restaurants right before closing for some authentic apple strudel and coffee. 
After all, it's all about the sweets..right?

These sweet little treats can be found at Merzenich Bakery in Cologne, Germany.

Beautiful~inside & out!

Driving through the fairytale~ish Black Forest, we stopped at Adolf Herr's family business, House of Black Forest Clocks. What a treat! This very kind family gave me one of the hand carved wooden Christmas trees..plus Mr. Herr signed the back. Lunch was pretty delicious too.

This was the cake of the day!

We're in Switzerland! 
We reached the top of Mt. Pilatus by way of a thrilling ride up the world's steepest cogwheel train! 

We were rewarded with amazing views of the Swiss Alps. You do have to go on a day with good weather for clear views..so thankful we could!  p.s. they have good hot chocolate at the summit. :o)

Getting back down the mountain was truly as exciting as going up! A big cable car first, then transferring to a private gondola, makes for a scenic and romantic trip.

After all this excitement, it's time for a little sugar! This is one of the best caramel coffees I've ever tasted! If you want to try one, stop here @ Heini's in Lion's Square. They have yummy desserts too.

 Hubby rented a boat to take out on Lake Lucerne this afternoon. A romantic walk on the Chapel Bridge in the evening was the icing on the cake to end an incredible day.

Don't leave Switzerland without sampling some of their decadently delicious chocolate. 
We bought way too much. We do not regret it. Neither do our Moms. :o)
I've included a link to Laderach  just so you can see the supremely delicious candies. Unfortunately, they do not ship to the U.S. I hope they'll one day open up a shop at least in New York...to which I'll respond with..Road Trip!

Disneyland Paris. If you're a Disney nut like myself, you just gotta do it! We visited both the parks in one day. We have to say the Rock-n-Roller Coaster was way better here than in Orlando..whoo hoo!
    

I tried my first crepe here in the parks. Yum-o!

The "piece de resistance"...Laduree!

Such beautiful macarons.

What a beautiful little tea room. We had a table seat looking out to the sidewalk on the Champs Elysees! I made a trip upstairs to see the beautiful dining rooms as well. But the best part was actually sitting in one of Laduree's cafe seats and eating the most amazing pistachio ice cream and macarons ever. 

Of course we had to get a few more delicious treats for the road. The line was loonngg..but I loved it as I was able to get lots more photos. Oops..could it be one too many?

I got to see so many sweets being boxed up in pretty little packages..one of them was mine!

Eiffel Tower by day or by night..breathtaking!
The light show was awesome on our first night in Paris. 
Taking an elevator up the next day for spectacular views and even another trip back for
 some shots from the ground.

I made this collage from some of the various sites we visited in Paris.

THE END..
but not really, because..
WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS!
Sorry..had to say it!
Wishing You All a Sweet Day From
SUGARTOWN SWEETS!
Thanks for stopping by!