Dreaming of a trip

rior to having our son last year, my husband and I made sure we went on at least 2 trips a year. Of course it was easy then because we had disposable income and no real responsibilities (like taking care of a small child). We could just up and go whenever we felt like it. I guess that is still true for some people if they are more spontaneous, but we are more of the cautious type and we think about things before we do anything. I found out from HR that I have 3 weeks vacation days + 2 carry over days from last year to use up when I go back to work in July. We usually visit the in-laws in October for a week or so, but that still means I have about 2 weeks left. And because today is such a dreary day I was dreaming of places to go to. Last year we had the luxury of going on a babymoon. We knew we weren't going to have an opportunity like that for a long time once the baby arrived. I think I was around 4 months pregnant when we went to Varadero, Cuba. We went to a wonderful 5 star resort in Varadero called Paradisus. It was amazing. Then the year before that we went to France for our belated honeymoon. I wasn't able to go on a honeymoon when we got married in 2006 because I just started a new job and it was just too busy to take any time off. So we went on our honeymoon 2 years later. We went to France (Paris, Nice, Cannes) and Monte Carlo, Monaco. I probably can't go on trips like that anymore until my baby is a bit older, but I love travelling and I'm itching to go somewhere.

Varadero, Cuba




Our resort was the Paradisus Varadero. It was heaven. The white sands were so beautiful and we had perfect weather. The food in Cuba is not the greatest, but our resort was ok. It had 5 a la carte restaurants that you had to book a few days in advance and 1 buffet restaurant. Our rooms were not a 5 star room in western standards, but we weren't in there all that long anyways. All in all a great vacation destination.

Havana, Cuba





During our trip to Cuba we went on a day trip to Havana. It was a beautiful city that reminded me of Europe. I felt like I took a step back in time because there were so many 50s cars and horse and carriages. Because it's a communist country people can't just buy a car if they feel like it. If people had cars it was either given to them by the government, rented, or owned prior to the revolution.

Paris, France







I have so many touristy shots, but I didn't feel like including them. I'm sure you guys have seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, etc. etc.

Nice, France




My husband and I got badly burned in Nice. It was so sunny and hot! The beaches are pebble beaches so those wanting to hang out at the beach MUST bring a beach mat with them. It is extremely uncomfortable lying on the beach with a rock jabbing your back. We didn't so we had to buy one at the local market. The beach is top optional so many female beach mongers were topless. My husband liked that of course...
I picked up a lot of rocks in Nice. You can see those rocks in my Etsy store. I shot all my rings on top of them :-)
All the rocks/pebbles had a white line running through them so they were so unique and beautiful.

Monte Carlo, Monaco






A beautiful city, but man did I feel like a poor man here... Everyone is super rich and sophisticated. My husband and I felt very self-conscious while we were walking around. Everything is so luxurious even the plants!

Cannes, France






This was the rich version of Nice. Most of the beaches are private.