I Want to Ride My Bicycle I Want to Ride My Bike

...Or rather this cool, golf-cart-like-five-seater. Yeah, you read right. These sweet rides are available to rent in Park Napoléon III in Vichy. This odd cycle features three adult-sized seats and two baby seats in the front, two stirring wheels (of which only the left one stirs), four wheels, a canopy cover, a bell, a break, lights, and a mirror. Azra and I had a fantastic time riding this beast around the park. We sure got a lot of attention. I know Denny and Mel would have gotten a kick out of it, even if  it's not quite a motorcycle. :) This morning was absolutely beautiful, with blue skies, sunshine, and white fluffy clouds. Vichy surprises us each and every day!

The Circus Comes to Vichy

The circus, "La Piste Aux Étoiles", came to Vichy on Saturday so naturally we got front row tickets. It was an amazing show featuring various acts including acrobats, clowns, jugglers, and exotic animals. Amra and I could barely contain our excitement as we stared wide-eyed at the performances while munching on kettle corn. The whole show was well put-together and entertaining, but the best part by far was the elephant act. We wish the Moody girls could have been with us! We know they would have enjoyed it as much as we did. (Regrettably the pictures below do not capture the magic of our experience in full as the lighting wasn't condusive to photography.)

The Circus! "La Piste Aux Étoiles"

Amra munching on kettle corn. Yum!

Front Row Seats

Acrobats from Cuba

Horsies!

Wow!

This one's for you, Ena! :P

Sally the Camel had two humps!

Tigers! There were eight of them!

Yes, Dad, we were this close.

These guys and gals are talented!

Elephants!

Can I take one home with me?

We love the circus!

Vichy in Spring

With only a few days left before our grand tour of Europe over break, we took the time to appreciate the beauty of Vichy, which has become our second home. The parks here are lovely, and Vichy seems to have dressed up for spring. To better show the drastic change, we included some pictures we took of Vichy back in February. We wanted to share some of Vichy's beauty with you, although nothing beats the real thing. Enjoy.

House on the Boardwalk of Lake Allier - February

April

Park Napoléon III - February

Park Napoléon III - April

Park des Sources - February

Park des Sources - April

Flowers in Park des Sources

More Flowers in Park des Sources

Flowers in Park Napoléon III

Beautiful House Near Lake Allier

Cool Grape-Like Flowers

Azra at the River Allier

Amra Being Hugged by a Tree on the Boardwalk

Make Way for Ducklings!

Walking 'Round London Town

Last weekend we traveled to the iconic city of London, England where we devoured with relish all the well known clichés and stereotypes from the double-decker buses, telephone booths, theaters,  and ques to the staple cuisine: fish and chips. Yum! On our first day we mingled with the stars and rubbed elbows with the big shots from both past and present at Madame Tussaud's. Exhausted from dodging the pesky paparazzi we popped into the Golden Hind for some quality fish and chips. The following day we met up with our good friend Gavin Connolly from Ipswick for some good old fashion sight-seeing. We laughed and we frowned walking 'round London Town, but mostly we laughed. Sunday, our last full day in London, we explored the Victoria and Albert Museum with our friend Antoine (who is currently doing an internship in London), were moved to tears during the Lion King Musical, and ended the day with a good Mexican dinner and a bad American movie. We'll forever treasure the great memories we have from this great city. Cheers, London.

Palmer's Lodge in Swiss Cottage

Baker's Street

It's elementary my dear Watson.

Madame Tussaud's!

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Let me introduce you to my boyfriend...

Fellow Iowan, John Wayne

Your Majesty

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Telephone Booth

Picnic at Green Park

Amra and Gavin at the Tower

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge in Full

Double-Decker!

The Globe Theatre

Sand Art

Amra on the London Eye

Sunset Seen from London Eye

Azra and Gavin on London Eye

Big Ben and Houses of Parliament from London Eye

London Eye at Night

Victoria and Albert Museum

Amra Sporting a Medieval Tunic

Azra Solving a Puzzle

Goblet Made of Serian Glass

At the Lion King Musical

Policewoman Azra

Goodbye, London!