I am back from my trip. We saw some really amazing artwork and architecture that brought my college art classes to life. And of course, the trip was filled with delicious food–everything from fish and chips to chocolate croissants. But I am home now, trying to get back to work, errands and the Pacific Time Zone.

Haven’t had a chance to cook yet, so here are some pictures from the trip that I promised to share. I am going to start with Paris even though we visited London first. I hate comparing cities because they are all unique and beautiful in their own ways, but I am partial to Paris for its ornate architecture, glamours fashion, and you guessed it, great food.

Because this was my first time to Paris, Nick and I did all of the touristy stuff that we had to do, braving the crowds at the Louvre and climbing the stairs to Sacré-Coeur. But my favorite memories of Paris are the times we walked through quite residential streets and picnicked at small parks.

We often had a quiche or a baguette sandwich along the Seine for lunch. In the afternoon, we snacked on fruit tarts, palmiers or crepes smeared with Nutella. The dinners were always accompanied by good French bread and ended with ice-cream or Mille Feuille, a layered dessert with pastry cream and pastry creame. I swear, by the end of the trip, half of my body mass was made up of butter.

We took a cooking class to celebrate my birthday. The school offers small (6 person max) classes that teach cooking and baking basics. Our class, which focused on dessert making, taught us how to make creme brulee, creme puffs, madeleines and strawberry tart. We had a really great time, cooking with the teacher and meeting foodies from around the world.

Nick and I didn’t have time (and on some nights, the energy) to seek out special restaurants. We ate at places that seemed popular with the locals. Some of the restaurants we liked were Le Florimond (19 avenue de la Motte-Picquet), La Terrasse du 7eme (2 Place Ecole Militaire) and Cafe du Marche (38 rue Cler). For my birthday, Nick treated me to Le Tastevin (46 rue St. Louis-en-l’Ile), a romantic place with amazing traditional French food on Ile St. Louis, one of Paris’ two islands. I had a salad with spring greens and Roquefort cheese followed by sole meuniere and a plate of cheeses. It was definitely the most memorable birthday celebration for me.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for pictures from London and recipes for the Fourth of July weekend!