Brew Crew!!!

 I guess some of the perks from working near Miller Park, where the Milwaukee Brewers play, is that you can come across some free tickets to a game. I was working last Thursday and one of the employees of the Brewers dropped off four tickets and gave them to Levi (one of the guys I work with) while he was at register that day. Levi was unable to go to the game so he gave the tickets to me. I  never turn down tickets to a baseball game.

The game was last Friday. The Brewers ended up losing to their biggest rival the Chicago Cubs. We went to the game with one of Holly's friends from class and her boyfriend. Her name is Lauren and her boyfriend is Aaron. We went out for dinner before the game and stopped for treats before getting to the game. They allow you to bring your own stuff in, except for alcohol. We all had a really good time. It was nice to get away from the usual things we do and it was awesome to enjoy the great seats we got for free.

 These were our seats for the game. Pretty freaking good seats. It was near the foul line on the 3rd base side of the field. I think that they would have sold for over $40 each and we got them for free!

Miller Park is only 10 years old but it was already time for them to get a new scoreboard. This is the new one that they put in. It was all nice and pretty. I am not the biggest fan of Miller Park, it kind of feels like a dome whether the retractable roof is open or closed. Also, they got the stadium when Bud Selig owned the team. He was the guy that tried to get rid of the Twins from baseball over 10 years ago.

 The Brewers are not the most successful team in baseball. I am pretty sure that the Twins have a few more banners than them.

 Here is the one guy we could cheer for, Carlos Gomez. Former Twins player, although no one that I am friends with really likes him.

Overall it was a great time with Lauren and Aaron and I hope that I can come across some more free tickets.

London- Days 6-9

Day 6: France!

 The cat that resided in the hotel we stayed at in Paris.

 After checking into our hotel we headed to Notre Dame de Paris

 Dad's favorite part of the whole trip- feeding the birds with a random French man outside Notre Dame.

 Inside the cathedral.

 Kinda blurry, I know, but it shows off how awesome the inside of the cathedral was.

 

 Amazing stained glass. Mom, you should make one this big!

 More inside.

 Obviously no cathedral would be complete without a gift shop...

After Notre Dame we made our way to the Eiffle Tower. Here's my first glance of La Tour Eiffel!

 Looking out onto Champ de Mars

 Looking up into the tower

 Look! I'm at the Eiffel Tower!

 Possibly my favorite picture. I think Pete's mauling the Eiffel Tower...?

 Why am I so short? I can't even take a proper picture :(

After the visiting the Champ de Mars and la Tour Eiffel, we went on a cruise down the Seine. It was rainy and gray, so no pictures will be posted, but the tour was fun (and educational)! We were able to see lots of Paris without walking around- which Mom and Dad enjoyed. In Paris we stayed in the Opéra area. This photo is of the opera that was 2 blocks away from our hotel, Palais Garnier, known also as the Opéra de Paris or Opéra Garnier (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Garnier for more info).

Day 7- The Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and baguettes!

 There are random statues all over Paris, like this one near our hotel.

 The glass pyramids of the Louvre

 Ducks! They were hopping between all the ponds outside the Louvre. It must be nice to call the Louvre home! I bet the brag to their duck friends about it.

 Lots of fancy ceilings in the Louvre

 Deliciousness: a pistachio french macaron

 If you look closely you can see the Eiffel Tower in the background

 The Louvre is really, really long.

 Arc de Triomphe. We didn't go around the round-about because Mom and Dad were pooped.

 We did, however, find a French McDonald's to stop and rest at. We powered up with some fancy food- triple chocolate mousse, a pistachio frappe, and some sort of muffin-thingy with chocolate chips and a chocolate center.

 After our afternoon adventures we (Mom and I) decided we wanted to eat dinner near the Eiffel Tower and find some baguettes. We also found some delicious crepes along the way to dinner. Pete is enjoying his chocolate crepe, which was the same as my Nutella crepe (even though they were advertised as being different).

 We found baguettes! Fresh, French baguettes! Pete was so excited he bought his own. I bought 2 to share later in the hotel as a snack, and we also bought a bottle of wine for 2 euros!

Eiffel Tower at night- so cool!

It also sparkles on the top of each hour! So cool to see it during the day and again at night!

 Day 8- Return to London, Notting Hill, and traditional English food

 We were sad to leave Paris, but it was nice to see this again :)

 Here are Mom and Dad on tube back to our London hotel room from the airport. This pretty much sums up the trip: Dad is annoyed with us, and Mom is ignoring us.

 Siblings! We love riding the tube and annoying our parents!

 After bringing all of our stuff back to the London hotel we decided to make the most of our last day in London. We headed to Notting Hill to check out the cute houses and the shopping.

 In Notting Hill we found a cute pub we wanted to eat dinner at. It took us a long time to commandeer a table, but we finally did. Dad was angry with us because he thought we stole it from a child, but we really didn't. He wouldn't let us eat dinner there he was so angry, but he did buy us beer. Mom thought hers tasted like Christmas ham.

 After finishing our beers we headed back to our the area our hotel was in to find dinner. We ended up eating at St. George's Tavern, which was right across the street from our hotel.

Mom and Dad had fish and chips.

 Pete and I had bangers and mash. It was delicious!

 I figured I should take a pic of the hotel since it was our last night. Walking down the street you would never guess it was a hotel- it blended in with all the surrounding buildings.

Day 9 was spent traveling back to the states. We also made a stop at the local grocery store before leaving London so I could buy candy to bring home to Paul (and of course some for me...). Overall it was a great trip and I would love to go back some day! There was so much more to explore, I could have spent a whole month just in London. Thanks for the awesome trip Mom and Dad!