Abaca Boutique Resort and Restaurant in Cebu

The big K and I just came back from another wonderful adventure. It was a continuation of sorts of both our birthday celebrations. We started June with a birthday treat for the big K in Tagaytay where I wrote about it here and here. 

Now it was the birthday girl's turn. C'est moi! Yay! 

Well, technically we were still celebrating for the both of us since it was our birthday month. Plus a double celebration is much more fun, don't you think? Specially if you will be celebrating at this awesome place........

Abaca Boutique Resort + Restaurant

Abaca is L-O-V-E!

The Big K's birthday treat continues

The big K and I woke up the next day to a wet and foggy Tagaytay morning. We could barely see anything outside. The whole place was blanketed in thick, cold fog. No mistake here, it was not smog (as what we are used to in Manila on a bad day!) but definitely a fog. 

It was a perfect start to the day sitting at Verbena's balcony waiting for our breakfast, sipping a nice cup of strong "barako" coffee while watching the heavy mist slowly clear up and reveal the lake and its volcano.

Our stay at the Discovery Country Suites included a complimentary breakfast menu of our choice plus a buffet of different breads, jams, fruits and juices.

The Big K's birthday treat in Tagaytay

June is the most celebrated month in our family. For some divine reason several family members have something to celebrate in June. 

Okay let's see now, there are the birthdays of my beautiful mother who unintentionally named me after an infamous French queen that probably influenced my love for anything French, two grandmothers who have long been celebrating their birthdays with the good Lord, the gorgeous H's adoring and long suffering husband, Dr. A. and his equally engaging dad, Dr. Z. who portrays the jolly good guy come Christmas time (the gorgeous H is the perfect foil as the sidekick elf), then there's the wedding anniversary of my big little brother and charming sister-in-law (got to be in the good side of the in laws!). 

And of course last but not the very least, the big K and I celebrate both our birthdays in June.

Surprise dessert treat for the big K from Verbena restaurant. Not as artistically done as Antonio's but good-tasting nonetheless. I just wished it came in a bigger slice! 

Paris: Montmartre

Montmartre is a district at the right bank of Paris on the outer arrondissement, the 18th arrondissement to be precise. The area gets its name from the 130-meter hill, the "Montmartre" translated into English means "mountain of the martyr". That martyr was Saint Denis, the Bishop of Paris from the third century, who lost his head. Literally. 

Paris: The Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Our very first visit to the City of Lights was an unplanned one, side trip actually. The big K was picking up a brand new airplane from the Airbus factory in Toulouse. So, here I was riding shotgun again! Oh la la! C'est la vie! 

We only had a short time to prepare and plan for the trip. Since we were only visiting for the weekend we wanted to stay right at the city center where most of the tourist attractions are. Luckily we found a place that was affordable (good luck getting an inexpensive hotel in the middle of Fashion Week in Paris!). The hotel's location in the Latin Quarter was perfect. It was also right by an RER B stop, pretty convenient if you are coming straight from the airport.

Below are some of the landmarks and attractions at the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Pres that the big K and I were able to see on that very short visit. 
    

The Latin Quarter 

Jardin du Luxembourg, the second largest park in Paris is perfect for picnics.